Unbeknownst to them, ten days had already passed.
On the peak of Xuan Mountain, a small, pinkish-white flower bloomed alone on the cliff edge.
A clean, slender hand reached out towards the small flower, seemingly wanting to pluck it.
However, just as the fingertips were about to touch the petals trembling in the wind, an invisible barrier blocked the way.
Withdrawing her fingertips, Liu Sheng sighed, “This air wall is truly ubiquitous.”
“Yes, my Lord, this part of Xuan Mountain has reached the edge of the map, and one can easily bump into what you call the air wall if not careful.”
At this moment, Song Yanran, who had already been renamed Yanran Divine Official, respectfully followed behind Liu Sheng, wearing the same gray cloth robe as Liu Sheng, and holding a circular object wrapped in cloth.
“What a pity,” Liu Sheng said with regret, looking at the untouchable small flower.
“Does this flower have any wonderful use?” Yanran Divine Official asked, puzzled.
“It’s not the flower that’s a pity, but rather, it’s a pity that we have now traversed the entire map edge, confirming there are no portals, no passages, everything is tightly sealed,” Liu Sheng shook her head, looking out past the small white flower.
As far as her eyes could see, there was a deep valley shrouded in mist, with the faint sound of gurgling water below, and further away, endless layers of green mountains, devoid of human habitation.
Yanran Divine Official’s eyes widened in surprise, and she asked, “Has Shikang Divine Official’s side also finished exploring?”
Liu Sheng nodded, sensing that her consciousness, which was far away in Silver Ginkgo Village to the north of the map, was resting beside the air wall.
…
That consciousness was currently residing within the weird objects 【Hanging Silk Weird Object】 in Tian Shikang’s hand, looking at the outside world through Little Tentacle’s eyes.
Although Tian Shikang had already traveled throughout Xuan Thirty-Nine City with Little Tentacle, he was still somewhat unaccustomed to seeing a section of a wriggling black tentacle with round, curious eyes that spun around, emerging from a book.
But since he himself was carrying a book with a corpse trailing behind it, adding this section of tentacle didn’t seem so unusual anymore.
Moreover, this section of tentacle came from Earth Mother’s power! If it weren’t for Her presence, which could activate the power of the weird corpse dragging on the ground, he would have likely died countless times.
However, if he hadn’t met Earth Mother Divine Official, he would have been as thoroughly cold as the corpse dragging behind him.
Thinking of this, he couldn’t help but feel ashamed of the fear he had shown when he first met Earth Mother Divine Official.
This Tian Shikang was, naturally, the scholar Liu Sheng had met on the first day.
At that time, he had fled in a panic because he was afraid of Little Tentacle.
As a result, upon returning home, he had to face his Tian Shi Kang's Close Friend and classmate, who was becoming increasingly strange.
“Shikang, can you untie me now? I feel much better.” In the dimly lit corner of the hall, Tian Shi Kang's Close Friend’s voice sounded, very weak.
Tian Shikang listened; his speech was clear enough, and his thoughts flowed smoothly, so he knew he had indeed recovered.
So, he sighed lightly and walked towards Tian Shi Kang's Close Friend, who was tied to a pillar.
He saw Tian Shi Kang's Close Friend looking up at him, revealing a pale, feigned relaxed smile, but the beads of sweat on his face, the trace of blood at the corner of his mouth, and his clothes soaked with sweat, all indicated that he was not truly relaxed.
“Your hysteria is too terrifying when it acts up, you even hurt yourself. Open your mouth, let me see?”
Tian Shikang untied Tian Shi Kang's Close Friend’s ropes while looking into Tian Shi Kang's Close Friend’s open mouth.
His tongue was somewhat bloody and mangled, clearly bitten during his hysterical fit; it was a miracle he could still open his mouth to speak.
“It seems next time I’ll have to gag your mouth too. I’ve seen people in the village stuff cloth into the mouths of those having epileptic seizures.”
“Hmm, alright…” Tian Shi Kang's Close Friend shook his stiff wrists and nodded.
“Is your hysteria getting worse?” Tian Shikang frowned, worried, “At first, it seemed like you just talked nonsense all night, then you started talking nonsense and wandering around, and later you began smashing things… Now, you’re hurting others and yourself…”
“Shikang, you’re right, you should leave…” Tian Shi Kang's Close Friend smiled sadly, “The further away from me, the better. I’m scared.”
Tian Shikang hadn’t slept for several nights to take care of him, and he ran around every day helping him look for any possible treatments.
He looked at Tian Shikang’s increasingly gaunt face and felt a pang of pity.
Moreover, he could feel that the bloodthirsty and cruel part of himself was gradually gaining the upper hand, and the time he could remain clear-headed was getting shorter and shorter…
He was afraid that one day he would completely lose himself, or even harm Tian Shikang…
“That won’t do. We grew up together, and we traveled together from over the mountain just to study here, although the academy is closed now… But that’s not important. In short, when you’re away from home, you must look out for each other. This was your parents’ entrustment to us before we left.”
Tian Shikang glared at him, annoyed, “You should still rest well, don’t think too much.”
“You should continue taking those few doses of medicine prescribed by the old physician at Zhongyuan Hall. I’ll go brew the medicine now.”
“Shikang, honestly, I don’t think those medicines are doing anything…” Tian Shi Kang's Close Friend grabbed Tian Shikang’s sleeve and said.
He had begun to vaguely suspect that he might not be suffering from hysteria, but rather had been infected by the most terrifying “weird objects” of the present.
If it truly was the legendary “weird objects,” then it was beyond medical help.
“You’ve only taken it for two days, maybe it just hasn’t taken effect yet,” Tian Shikang stopped him from continuing.
“That strange woman I met today made me so uneasy that I even forgot I still needed to go to Fuxian Hall in the east of the city to see if it was open…” he mumbled, “I heard that the physicians at Fuxian Hall are more skilled at treating hysteria.”
“Strange woman?” Tian Shi Kang's Close Friend asked, puzzled.
“Yes, I met a terrifying strange woman today,” Tian Shikang didn’t want to talk about it anymore and changed the subject, saying, “It doesn’t matter, I’ll go brew the medicine first.”
At that time, Tian Shikang didn’t expect that just one day later, he would brave the rainy night, knocking on the door, just to see that terrifying strange woman.
“You, coming so late, what do you seek?” A middle-aged woman wearing the same gray clothes as the strange woman pushed open the door a crack, yawning, and asked, looking strangely at the young man outside, who was drenched in rain from head to toe.
“I… I’m here to find, Earth Mother, is that right? Is there such a woman?”
Tian Shikang wasn’t quite sure if the name “Earth Mother” was correct; it sounded a bit strange, and he even suspected that the woman might have just made it up.
“Earth Mother?” The middle-aged woman’s brows furrowed even more, making Tian Shikang’s heart pound.
“What exactly do you need to see Earth Mother Divine Official for?”
Fortunately, the middle-aged woman’s words confirmed that such a person existed, and she was even a “Divine Official,” though he didn’t know what deity she worshipped.
Tian Shikang’s heart sank back into his chest, and then he anxiously knelt on the ground, saying, “Please, Earth Mother, save my friend!”
The middle-aged woman then noticed that the puddle of water beneath the young man was full of bloody traces.