Chapter 103: Star Chasing Journey (23)
Wen Weilan opened her mouth, not knowing what to say.
As the hesitation dragged on, Liu Sheng saw Li Mingzhu getting more and more excited, her lips curling into a smile. She quickly squeezed Wen Weilan's hand.
Only then did Wen Weilan, as if waking from a dream, say in a dry voice, "I, I was thinking, since this is a Star Chasing Journey, the next step should be to chase real stars."
"Wrong, oh, no, you got it right!"
Li Mingzhu was about to say the words she had prepared, but she had not expected Wen Weilan to actually guess correctly. She could only force a smile, her eyes glaring fiercely at Wen Weilan, as if blaming her for ruining all the drama she had prepared.
"That's right! After learning and understanding in Cosmic Village, everyone must be looking forward to personally chasing stars, right!"
Without the build-up of a twist, Li Mingzhu's lines lacked some passion. She couldn't help but glare fiercely at Wen Weilan again.
"Then let's set off together! Let's say goodbye to our Cosmic Village!"
The flying vehicle rumbled to life again, even bumpier than yesterday, as if all its parts were falling apart.
Cosmic Village slowly receded. Many villagers, drawn by the sound, squeezed over to watch, their eyes still as fervent and burning, but also with a hint of regret.
She wondered if they regretted not being able to become neighbors with them.
Although it was impossible to see who was controlling the flying vehicle, it simply moved on its own.
Li Mingzhu was also swayed, almost losing her balance, and muttered under her breath, "Who on earth took our bus to blow up the prison? Don't they know we need it the next day?"
The Hunters of the Strange sitting on the iron pots also suffered; their buttocks ached, and because the pots were empty, the vibration was extremely strong.
They could only use their spiritual power to stabilize their lower bodies, maintaining this glute-strengthening posture.
"Lights out, everyone get some sleep!"
This time, Li Mingzhu didn't say much else, seeming quite eager to get to the point.
Everyone indeed didn't want to play any more deadly knowledge quizzes with Li Mingzhu and obediently waited for darkness to fall.
It felt like this journey wasn't very long. Soon after their eyes adjusted to the darkness, they heard Li Mingzhu say, "Alright, we're here."
It was as if a black cloth had been pulled away from their eyes, and their vision returned.
Outside the vehicle, nothing was still visible.
"Hurry, hurry, let's get off!"
Li Mingzhu urged them impatiently, without playing any more tricks.
Liu Sheng knew this could only mean that something even more terrifying awaited them below the vehicle.
Indeed, after getting off the vehicle, they found themselves in a desolate wilderness enveloped in black mist. Because there was no light at all, the starry sky above was even more dazzling than what they had seen in Cosmic Village.
Something seemed to be moving within the black mist, causing it to shift shapes, restlessly stirring.
"Hunter of the Strange, can we... can we follow you?" The old woodcutter asked cautiously.
The others also looked at Liu Sheng and the others with eager eyes, filled with hope.
Except for Old Wang, everyone else was just a Mortal, knowing that it would be difficult to move an inch in the Weird Domain on their own.
Chen Shanyuan and his team were not the kind of Hunters of the Strange who only pursued profit. With the mindset of saving as many as they could, they naturally would not refuse.
"Currently, the skills of our seven people, plus Old Wang, an Initial Realm eighth-stage, should be enough to protect ourselves and them."
Chen Shanyuan still informed his teammates. In the Weird Domain, the most feared things were an arbitrary leader and disobedient team members. Once they were not united, it was easy for weird objects to find a weakness and take advantage of it.
Song Ru snorted, her voice neither loud nor soft.
A bunch of hypocritical do-gooders.
But the crowd ignored her, knowing her mindset was not quite normal.
Only Wen Weilan stared at her intently, then lowered her eyelashes, concealing the strong killing intent in her eyes.
"Excuse me, Young Miss Tour Guide, how should we chase stars?" Liu Sheng turned to ask Li Mingzhu, who had just gotten off the vehicle.
"You must have heard about it in Cosmic Village, right? Just do what they do!"
Li Mingzhu seemed to have completed her task. The fake smile was gone from her face, replaced by a cold expression, and her words were full of perfunctory answers.
Kuang Bowen observed her change, narrowed his eyes, and probed, "Aren't you a tour guide? Isn't it your duty to explain the itinerary clearly?"
"Oh, really? Haven't I made it clear enough? How about you teach me?"
The more Li Mingzhu spoke, the more obvious her malice became. Her eyes curved into two deeply etched slits of flesh, her lips stretched into a grin, her cheeks wrinkled into a ball, and the skin on her jaw curled up.
It was as if a stiff, smiling mask of flesh was pasted on her head.
If Kuang Bowen really said he would teach her, it would likely trigger some rule, which was why she was so confident.
Liu Sheng understood.
"Actually, you didn't prepare any so-called second stop at all, did you?"
"You thought we would all stay in Cosmic Village, whether alive or dead."
Except for Wen Weilan, everyone else was surprised to hear this.
Li Mingzhu laughed loudly, her facial skin shaking, almost falling off.
"What you said is not entirely wrong, but it's not entirely accurate either."
"We indeed weren't prepared for you to reach the second stop, but that doesn't mean the second stop doesn't exist."
"The second stop has always been there."
"It's just... not quite suitable for you... people without faith..."
The surrounding black mist surged up, blurring her figure and the vision of the crowd. Only Li Mingzhu's voice could be heard drifting further and further away, finally entering their ears like a thin thread, almost inaudible.
The crowd stood in the surging black mist, with the same hazy blur in all directions, at a loss as to where to go.
This confusion, like a vine, grew in their hearts, spreading out, and gradually they began to wonder, why did I come here?
Wouldn't it be better to stay in Cosmic Village?
To be a Cosmic Village villager, plant vegetables, raise pigs, chat with everyone, stay away from external disputes, and forget about fame and fortune.
It didn't seem bad at all; wasn't this the idyllic life many people dreamed of?
"These black mists are Guai Qi condensed into mist. Everyone must not inhale too much." Liu Sheng saw everyone's eyes becoming increasingly cloudy and reminded them.
Several Little Tentacles, one on the left and one on the right, extended longer and longer, forming a circle that surrounded everyone, then began to absorb the Guai Qi within the circle and even in the surroundings.
This way, at least under her protection, the air would be fresher, barely allowing those with insufficient resilience to survive longer.
But this was not a long-term solution. The concentration of Guai Qi here was too high; even if "Mama" continuously purified it, an endless stream of Guai Qi surged in.
Chen Shanyuan was fantasizing about abandoning his wife and living here, no longer having to struggle to support his family.
Vaguely hearing Liu Sheng's words, he quickly bit the tip of his tongue hard. The pain, accompanied by a strong smell of blood, allowed him to barely regain consciousness.
He took out a bronze bell-shaped Spiritual Artifact, injected Qi into it, and the bronze bell spun and grew larger, flying above everyone's heads. With a clang, it emitted a clear sound that startled everyone and cleared their minds.
"Everyone, cheer up and don't have too many distracting thoughts. We only have one idea, and that is to leave the Weird Domain," he reminded them.
Liu Sheng quietly asked Wen Weilan, "You should know how to go?"
Wen Weilan shook her head.
"This is a place of Chaos. It changes every moment, and nothing is quite the same."
"Moreover, all of my past selves are still just starting, and some of them don't even make it this far."
Liu Sheng tilted her head and thought for a moment, "That seems right."
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The background of this story will be revealed little by little~