Chapter 74: Midnight Encounter - I Forged Them in Darkness, and They Buried Me in It

Chapter 74: Midnight Encounter Wang Jing Rou's eyes widened as she paused, one hand stopping mid-air. She absentmindedly continued the words she hadn't finished saying earlier. "Once an ordinary person enters, they can only wander in circles inside, for as little as half an hour or as long as half a day..." She quickly snapped out of it and stamped her foot in a huff. "What kind of person is that? I'm kindly reminding you, and you just treat it like it's nothing!" Wang Jing Rou pouted at the crossroads, her face showing a flicker of indecision. She really wanted to just walk away, after all, they had only happened upon each other by chance; she hadn’t even had the opportunity to ask the boy’s name. But thinking of that handsome face, she couldn't help but want to stay a bit longer and have another look. After some moments of consideration amidst the bustling crowd, she bit her lip and eventually turned to leave. After all, she was going to live on Longhu Mountain eventually, so there would be more chances to meet later. ... Chen An walked along the path to the back mountain. The path wasn't wide, a bit rugged, but enough for two or three people to walk side by side. It was a very ordinary path. What was unusual, however, was that as soon as Chen An set foot on it, he could feel the spatial position around him changing. If it had been a normal person, walking for an hour or two might only result in walking in circles. This was a simple yet extraordinarily practical formation. It wasn't aggressive and only had the effect of causing those who stepped into it to lose their sense of direction unbeknownst to themselves, eventually becoming lost in thought as well. Once a person realized this and settled down to wait calmly for about ten minutes, the formation would naturally let them out. Chen An only needed a glance to understand all the clever uses of this formation. It couldn't stop highly skilled practitioners, but it could certainly deter the new ones who had yet to officially begin. Chen An slightly frowned. To him, the method of setting up the formation seemed a bit too crude. So crude that he felt like it was an eyesore. Thus, he casually made a few tweaks to subtly improve the formation. Not for any particular reason, just so it would be more pleasing to his eye. ... One minute later, Chen An stood back on the path. As he lifted his gaze, he noticed the road ahead branched out into many smaller paths, like the fine branches extending from a tree trunk. At the misty end where it was hard to see clearly, there appeared to be several independent courtyards. Chen An didn't stop walking. He planned to use the simplest method, exploring each courtyard one by one. Of course, he didn't need to enter each one and ask; he only needed to get close enough to sense Luo Cong An's presence. This method was undoubtedly time-consuming and rather clumsy, but time was something Chen An had in abundance. Perhaps luck was on his side that day; an hour later, Chen An stood at the entrance of a courtyard and paused. He thought for a moment and then politely approached to knock on the door. But just as he stepped up, the door swung open from the inside. Behind it, a woman appeared with an indescribably beautiful face. She looked at Chen An, her expression complex and difficult to discern, but thankfully her eyes didn't bear that obsessive red hue. "Why are you here?" Luo Cong An broke the silence first. Chen An was about to answer when she grabbed his arm and pulled him inside. He frowned slightly but remained silent. "Come in and talk," Luo Cong An said, her mind inexplicably filled with an odd sensation, as if she were secretly meeting someone for a tryst... For some particular reasons, it was difficult for her to view Chen An and her apprentice, Lin Jing Qiu, from the same perspective. In contrast to Luo Cong An, Chen An was much more straightforward, observing the layout of the courtyard, momentarily stunned. Except for the absence of the large locust tree he remembered, the stone table and bamboo chairs in the yard gave him an intense sense of déjà vu. Even their general arrangement was just the same. Her inquiry interrupted his reverie. "What brings you here suddenly? Is there something you need?" Luo Cong An asked. Chen An nodded slightly. "I'm here to inquire about how she's been recently." He looked at the woman in front of him. Compared to the youthful figure he remembered, she appeared more mature now. Perhaps describing her as "mature" wasn't accurate, as that word often carries a vulgar implication. But for Luo Cong An, it wasn't. Her thick, smooth hair was tied behind her head, and she still wore a plain azure Taoist robe, appearing very pure and elegant. Her presence was one to be admired from afar, untouchable and dignified, far from vulgar. Luo Cong An paused, lowering her eyelids, not directly answering but instead asking, "Are you concerned about her?" "Or is it... you actually want to see her, not me?" As Chen An spotted the bamboo chair, his body naturally gravitated toward it. He lay back skillfully, saying, "Concern... is an exaggeration. I just thought of it suddenly and came to take a look." He always acted on his impulses. "As for who I want to see..." Chen An recalled the time in that cave, the woman's red eyes with her pathological demeanor, still vividly in his mind. Thus, he candidly replied, "It's certainly easier being around you. At least I don’t have to worry about suddenly being tied up." Luo Cong An looked up, her face showing no change in expression, though she continued to inquire, "You’re not afraid? After all she's done to you? Even I think she's gone insane, completely enslaved by her emotions..." At those words, Chen An fell silent. After some time, he spoke softly, "I don't know." Luo Cong An found it amusing for some reason, a chill in her voice, "You might be disappointed; the backlash from the Heavenly Dao she suffered is severe. It might take thirty to fifty years before she resurfaces to compete with me for control." Hearing this, Chen An remained inscrutable. He calmly replied, "Thirty to fifty years may seem long, but for a practitioner, it’s merely a blink." "You must contemplate your strategy before then." Then suddenly, Chen An thought of something and asked, "By the way, since I'm here, do you know if any mystical realms have opened recently?" As spiritual energy slowly revives, mystical realms around the world are bound to gradually open. And given Luo Cong An’s status, she might know something about it. "Mystical realms? Why ask about this?" Luo Cong An wondered, perplexed. Chen An replied honestly, "I want to refine pills, but with the current environment on Blue Star, the materials I seek will likely only thrive in those energy-dense mystical realms." Luo Cong An grew even more bewildered. "You know how to refine pills? Speaking of which, I’m still clueless about your attained abilities." Chen An understood her curiosity. Because in those recollections, he should have been nothing more than an ordinary teacher. (End of Chapter)