One of the men in black seemed to find Luo Shujing too noisy, so he struck him on the back of the neck and knocked him unconscious. After throwing Luo Shujing onto the helicopter, he came back down and said to everyone, “Considering the severe negative impact caused by Luo Shujing, we will now take him away and hand him over to the police. The remaining five of you will continue to complete the challenges. We wish everyone success in clearing the challenge.”
After the man in black finished speaking, he looked at Xi Yu again, the corners of his lips curling into a smile. “Mr. Xi, my master asked me to tell you: Have fun.”
Xi Yu raised his eyelids.
A demon actually dared to appear openly in front of people.
Shen Linchuan frowned. “Are you people from the production crew?”
“No. We are forest keepers.”
After saying this, the man in black did not linger and left with Luo Shujing.
【This is unbelievable. Luo Shujing, I’ve never seen someone so shameless.】
【Enough! I feel so bad for Luo Cheng’an!】
【We could never find evidence before that Luo Cheng’an bullied Luo Shujing. Now that he threw those punches, all I want to say is: Good job!】
【Xi Yu really knew from the beginning that Luo Shujing was going to kill him.】
【That Life-Exchange Lock thing was way too terrifying. What exactly was that? I was so scared just now that I completely forgot about it.】
【I don’t understand, but it sounds terrifying.】
【It’s like watching a TV drama. Luo Shujing’s entire family is terrifying. Absolutely horrifying.】
【Luo Shujing created some kind of Life-Exchange Lock because he wanted to exchange Luo Cheng’an’s fate. Then Xi Yu broke it, and Luo Shujing panicked and tried to kill him. Xi Yu must have known about it from the beginning and simply went along with the situation to expose Luo Shujing in front of everyone.】
【Exactly! And even though he could have saved Luo Cheng’an, he deliberately let him be pushed down. That’s solid evidence of attempted murder. If he had exposed him directly, the things Luo Shujing’s father did might not necessarily have been enough to make Luo Shujing pay the price.】
【I’m just glad Xi Yu came back. Luo Cheng’an wasn’t meant to die. That family is so vicious. From what Luo Shujing said, they even wanted to kill President Luo and his wife.】
【Oh my God, I actually used to be a fan of someone like this.】
【What are those men in black doing? What does “forest keeper” mean?】
【My older brother went to the Lost Forest before. After he came back, he was seriously ill for a while and was dazed for several months. Later, when he regained consciousness, he said there were people inside the Lost Forest. They seemed to be the forest keepers.】
【There are rumors that the Lost Forest has an owner. Looks like it’s true. That man in black even said his master wished Xi Yu a pleasant time.】
【Help, what exactly is Xi Yu? He feels incredibly powerful. That black snake was obviously terrified of Xi Yu and kept trying to please him.】
【Who cares about all that? As long as Luo Cheng’an and Xi Yu are fine, that’s enough. I was scared to death today. After seeing that black snake, I’m not even afraid of snakes anymore.】
Shen Qing had the same thoughts as the netizens. She had already forgotten about the sudden appearance of the black snake and everyone else.
As long as Luo Cheng’an was all right.
She covered her face, tears spilling through the gaps between her fingers. “We were the ones who caused Cheng’an’s parents to die……”
If Luo Shan had not wanted to harm them, Cheng’an’s biological parents would not have been implicated and killed.
Shen Qing had never done anything bad in her entire life, yet someone had died because of her.
Luo Yuan’s eyes were red as he pulled his wife into his arms. “We owe Cheng’an. We owe his parents. All we can do is desperately make it up to him in the days to come.”
Luo Cheng’an’s parents had not been killed by them, but they had died because of them.
Everyone, both in front of and behind the screen, felt heavy-hearted because of this murder.
Those who had made mistakes would be punished, but the innocent could never come back to life.
After all this commotion, it was already deep into the night. In just a few more hours, dawn would arrive.
Luo Cheng’an’s mood was gloomy. Yu Qian did not know how to comfort him and did not even dare to speak.
Shen Linchuan was slightly better at handling the situation. Although this was his first time seeing that black snake, he had seen demons before, so he was not frightened to the point of terror.
Moreover, he could tell that Xi Yu was capable of controlling those things.
Shen Linchuan’s gaze fell on Xi Yu, his expression solemn.
The others all wanted to move closer to Xi Yu, but Shen Linchuan began to feel afraid—so afraid that he wanted to quit the variety show immediately.
But they had already made it this far. They could not give up.
Shen Linchuan said, “Today is the sixth day. When we wake up tomorrow, there will be a new task. Are we still sleeping?”
It was already past midnight. At most, they would remain in the Lost Forest for another forty-eight hours.
“Sleep,” Luo Cheng’an said. “Get some rest and continue tomorrow.”
Luo Cheng’an forced a smile, but halfway through the smile, tears suddenly fell. He quickly wiped them away and crawled into the tent.
Yu Qian’s eyes were red. She was actually somewhat afraid, but Luo Cheng’an was right. There were still two days left. They had to sleep. They did not even know what they would face next.
Yu Qian dragged her tent beside Xi Yu’s tent and pressed it against his before crawling inside.
Shen Linchuan also returned to his tent.
Outside, only Lu Zhixing and Xi Yu remained.
Xi Yu said, “Thanks.”
Without Lu Zhixing calling the others out, this whole performance could not have been completed.
He had merely let Lu Zhixing sense his location. He had not expected Lu Zhixing to understand what he intended to do and bring everyone along.
Originally, he had thought Lu Zhixing would come out alone.
If Lu Zhixing had not gone, Xi Yu would have had to injure someone himself, which would inevitably expose the fact that he had never been drugged. That would have been troublesome and might even have led people to suspect that he had deliberately orchestrated everything.
But with Lu Zhixing saving him, things were different. Even if the netizens realized that he had set the whole thing up, he had merely put himself into the trap to seek justice.
Lu Zhixing looked at Xi Yu and suddenly raised his hand, lightly pinching something near his shoulder.
“Blood.”
Xi Yu followed Lu Zhixing’s hand and looked over. His clothes were light-colored, and when Luo Cheng’an had hugged him, some blood had rubbed onto them.
Lu Zhixing wiped it away, and the bloodstain disappeared.
There were two kinds of power within him. Although either kind of power he could control was extremely weak, getting rid of a little dirt was not difficult.
“Thanks.”
Xi Yu said it again, thanking Lu Zhixing for wiping away the bloodstain.
Xi Yu spoke casually, but Lu Zhixing’s gaze grew increasingly cold. He took a step back.
“Would you also say thank you to Luo Cheng’an?”
“Why would I thank him?”
Luo Cheng’an had never done anything that required Xi Yu to thank him, had he?
It was always Luo Cheng’an thanking him.
Xi Yu did not think much of it, but those words sounded completely different to Lu Zhixing.
With him, Xi Yu was always polite and courteous.
With Luo Cheng’an, there was no need for that.
How long had Luo Cheng’an even known Shizun?
Today, Luo Cheng’an had cried as though his heart had been torn apart, and Shizun had held him in his arms with such familiarity.
Clearly, Shizun used to hold only him.
“Xi Yu,” Lu Zhixing said, “go to sleep. Luo Cheng’an should be very sad. He needs you.”
Go accompany Luo Cheng’an.
……………………
【Brother Lu: Right! I! Am! The! One! Who! Keeps! Getting! Thanked! Luo Cheng’an doesn’t need to!】
【Brother Lu is jealous, hahahahahahaha】
【Even though Brother Lu is jealous, he still told Yu-bao to go accompany Luo Cheng’an.】
【No, Brother Lu and Yu-bao, just kiss already. This unresolved tension is killing me.】
【……Mm-hmm, mm-hmm, mm-hmm. Actually, I think the real young master and fake young master pairing is pretty good too. What do you guys think?】
【Heretical ship. Get lost.】
The netizens were briefly shocked by what had happened to Luo Cheng’an, but they could not truly empathize with him.
Only those directly involved could find it difficult to let go.
Luo Shujing had been forcibly removed from the variety show, and the tents became less crowded.
The golden light around Luo Cheng’an surged dramatically, becoming increasingly intense.
All the filth Luo Shujing had splashed onto him in the past had been washed away. Combined with Luo Cheng’an’s upbringing, character, and tragic background revealed during the variety show, countless people felt heartbroken for him, attracting a large number of die-hard fans.
Unlike the fans who had switched sides during the past few days, Luo Cheng’an had been put through hell tonight, and his fans had suffered along with him. Having witnessed such a past with their own eyes, Luo Cheng’an’s fans would certainly no longer be the type who could easily switch allegiance at any moment.
Xi Yu looked at Luo Cheng’an’s slightly trembling back and patted him.
Luo Cheng’an stiffened briefly. Then, uncontrollable sobs escaped his throat. He turned his head toward Xi Yu, his eyes swollen and red.
“Brother……”
“Sleep.”
Xi Yu snapped his fingers.
Luo Cheng’an’s eyelids grew heavy, and then his head tilted to the side as he fell asleep.
He was not good at comforting people, but people still needed to rest.
Xi Yu could no longer clearly remember what his parents had looked like. At that time, he had just been reborn and possessed almost no spiritual power. Even if he had possessed it, it would have been useless.
Their allotted lifespans had already ended. He could not interfere.
The next day, the netizens came online.
【I went outside and took a look. The sun is shining so brightly. Why does it look like a horror movie inside the Lost Forest?】
【My house is not far from the Lost Forest, and it’s sunny here too. Why is it so terrifying on the screen?】
【Luo Cheng’an and Yu Qian, I’m dying laughing, hahahahahaha】
At seven in the morning, dense layers of clouds filled the sky, pressing the gloom down toward the earth.
Inside the Lost Forest, fierce winds were howling, and visibility was only two or three meters.
The tents had not been properly staked down and were being blown over again and again. The drones struggled to circle in the air. Xi Yu put a protective barrier over them, preventing them from being blown away.
Yu Qian put on every piece of clothing she could wear and even put on sunglasses.
Luo Cheng’an was also wearing sunglasses.
It was rare for Luo Cheng’an to be so quiet. He simply sat on a rock.
Lu Zhixing and Shen Linchuan spoke in low voices while Xi Yu calculated with his fingers. Two seconds later, he spoke.
“The rain won’t come. There’s no need to worry.”
It was not rain. There was something filthy causing trouble.
They had already gone very deep into the forest.
Outside, the weather should actually be very good.
Xi Yu raised his head and looked through the overlapping branches at the pitch-black clouds.
They were no longer beneath the same sky as the outside world.
The Lost Forest.
The Forest of Lost Fog.
Where they were now was the true Lost Forest.
Ever since they had fallen asleep last night, the barrier within the Lost Forest had been slowly disappearing.
Xi Yu had originally still been uncertain, but now he could confirm it.
The one truly controlling the Lost Forest was not the production crew.