It was yesterday’s forest keeper, the master of this Lost Forest.
Liuyun was not a reward given by the production crew either, but by that mysterious person behind the scenes.
After he died, Liuyun sealed itself away, and its spiritual power was locked up. No one except him could activate his magical artifact. Even if someone took it, it would be useless for anything other than nourishing the soul.
The person behind the scenes clearly knew that Liuyun was a magical artifact. What Xi Yu did not know was whether that person knew whose magical artifact Liuyun was.
Making such a huge spectacle out of a variety show was nothing more than an attempt to lure out someone capable of awakening Liuyun.
Xi Yu felt that person… no, more likely, it was a demon.
That demon knew how enormous the spiritual power contained within Liuyun was. He wanted to use it for himself, but he did not know whose artifact Liuyun was.
After his death, everyone in both the divine and demon realms knew about it. If that person knew Liuyun belonged to him, then they would not have gone looking for someone capable of opening it.
Or perhaps… someone knew that he had already been reborn.
Xi Yu pondered this. Even now, he still could not understand it. He had died so completely that he could not possibly have died any more thoroughly. His primordial spirit had been sacrificed by him and had already turned to dust.
His physical body was still there, though it should have been buried in the Sea of Annihilation. Yet he had been reborn inside a new body.
Xi Yu rested his chin on his hand. He was afraid this mystery would have to wait until he obtained Liuyun and found Zhuohua, then returned to the Heavenly Realm, before he could unravel it.
The most urgent matter now was to obtain Liuyun, find Zhuohua, and prevent the Demon Lord from descending into the mortal world.
Xi Yu looked at Lu Zhixing.
Lu Zhixing and Shen Linchuan were still talking. The two of them had lowered their voices so much that even though Xi Yu had exceptionally sharp hearing, he still could not make out what they were saying beneath the howling wind.
He could only see Lu Zhixing’s thin lips slightly pursed. As he listened to Shen Linchuan speak, the corners of his lips curved into a faint smile.
He looked very pleased.
Xi Yu raised his brows slightly.
Lu Zhixing seemed to sense something and slightly lifted his eyelids.
The two people’s gazes briefly collided. Just as Xi Yu was about to speak, Lu Zhixing looked away and continued talking with Shen Linchuan.
Xi Yu blinked. An emotion he could neither explain nor understand emerged from his chest, then quickly dissipated.
Before Xi Yu had time to grasp it and interpret it, his hand had already been taken by Luo Cheng’an.
“Brother, it’s so dark.”
Luo Cheng’an’s voice was somewhat hoarse. The swelling on his face had turned into bruises overnight, mostly hidden behind his sunglasses, with only the edges visible.
Xi Yu wanted to say, Of course it’s dark when you’re wearing sunglasses.
But then he thought about how bad Luo Cheng’an’s mood was.
He should be a little more patient with someone covered in so much merit.
He patted his head.
“It’s okay. Don’t be scared.”
Lu Zhixing turned his head slightly, taking in Xi Yu’s gentle movements and expression. He clicked his tongue against his cheek, and a hint of ridicule surfaced in his eyes.
Shen Linchuan was both surprised and flattered that Lu Zhixing had taken the initiative to bring up cooperation with him.
What other people saw was the commercial value and enormous traffic Lu Zhixing brought with him, but what Shen Linchuan saw was the Lu family behind Lu Zhixing.
Halfway through speaking, Shen Linchuan noticed that Lu Zhixing had stopped responding. Following his gaze, he saw Xi Yu gently coaxing Luo Cheng’an.
Of the five of them, Shen Linchuan was the only one who was married.
Unlike Yu Qian, who treated everyone as equal in the face of beauty, he noticed much more.
What was more, Lu Zhixing had not deliberately tried to hide anything.
Shen Linchuan was silent for a moment before quietly saying, “At any time, there’s a saying that striking first is the advantage. What does President Lu think?”
Lu Zhixing met Shen Linchuan’s gaze.
He did not answer, merely giving an ambiguous smile.
Time passed bit by bit.
Yu Qian glanced at the time on the communication device. It was already almost eight-thirty.
The contract had stated that a new notice would be issued this morning.
“Why haven’t they sent the notice yet? If I’d known, I would’ve slept a little longer.”
That was what she said, but in reality, she would not have been able to sleep anyway. They had gotten up without waiting for the notice purely because the wind was too strong, and the tent was making a tremendous amount of noise as it was blown around.
Luo Cheng’an had just been about to respond when the howling wind inside the Lost Forest suddenly stopped.
A mechanical voice peeled through layer upon layer of mist and reached everyone’s ears.
………………
“Congratulations to the five of you for successfully entering the depths of the Lost Forest and entering the reward competition.”
“Starting now, please split up and act separately. Search for the Golden Jade Bracelet and open the Lost Forest’s exit gate. The time limit is forty-eight hours.”
“If you are unable to find the Golden Jade Bracelet after forty-eight hours, the exit of the Lost Forest cannot be opened, which will be considered a failure to complete the challenge. The forest keepers will then escort everyone out of the Lost Forest.”
“If you encounter danger along the way, please activate your communication device. Someone will also escort you out. Reminder: Once the communication device is activated, it will be considered an exit from the variety show.”
“Finally, we wish everyone a successful completion of the challenge.”
The sky had collapsed.
“I don’t want to!”
Luo Cheng’an was the first to stand up in opposition. He had even taken off his sunglasses, looking pitifully at Xi Yu.
“Brother, I don’t want to be separated from you. I’m scared.”
Demonic aura was permeating the surroundings, and it was already on an entirely different level from the past few days.
Xi Yu thought about it and sincerely suggested, “How about you quit now?”
Luo Cheng’an pulled a miserable face.
“I’m not quitting. We’ve already come this far.”
Seeing that he was unwilling, Xi Yu did not force him. He instead looked toward Lu Zhixing.
Compared with Luo Cheng’an, he was more worried about Lu Zhixing.
Luo Cheng’an was different from Lu Zhixing.
Luo Cheng’an was merely afraid. The forest keepers would not let anything happen to him. At most, they would scare the guests.
But Lu Zhixing could truly be affected by the demonic aura.
Once he was affected, his demonic breath would become unstable, and the consequences would be unimaginable.
“Lu Zhixing, you…”
Before Xi Yu could finish speaking, Lu Zhixing shook his head.
His tone was slow but firm.
“I’m not quitting.”
Because he had discovered something very interesting that he needed to verify.
Neither Luo Cheng’an nor Lu Zhixing was quitting, so Xi Yu looked toward Yu Qian and Shen Linchuan.
Yu Qian was purely here to have fun. Since she felt there would be no danger, she thought they might as well continue.
Shen Linchuan could not possibly quit either.
He had come this far precisely for the bracelet.
【The production crew is being shameless again. If Suixing and Suoyu aren’t on the same screen, how am I supposed to ship them?!】
【Are you kidding me? It’s this dangerous inside the Lost Forest, and they want them to split up?! NO!!!!】
【I feel so bad for Luo Cheng’an. He’s such a Brother’s Boy. How is he supposed to survive without Xi Yu?! He’s about to fall apart.】
【Please have some mercy on the poor kid. Yesterday was already like that, and today he still has to go through this.】
【Yu-bao has started! He’s starting to hand out talismans!】
【Holy crap, what is Yu-bao doing? Hahahahahahahaha!】
Once Xi Yu confirmed that none of them was quitting, he pulled talismans out of his backpack and waved them.
“Evil-Repelling Talismans are 25 each. Demon-Driving Talismans are 30 each. Last time, I gave them to everyone for free as a trial. The law does not fall empty, so this time I’m charging.”
Luo Cheng’an’s eyes widened.
“Weren’t they only 20 each before?!”
“Oh, I’m raising the price on the spot.”
Xi Yu gave a smile that did not reach his eyes.
“You don’t have to buy them.”
Shen Linchuan had not expected Xi Yu to pull something like this either. He asked awkwardly, “Can I write you an IOU?”
He trusted Xi Yu’s abilities. Having his talismans would make acting alone much safer.
Yu Qian hurriedly nodded.
“I want some, I want some. I’ll definitely pay you when we get back!”
Luo Cheng’an was still hesitating over the price increase, but when he saw Yu Qian already holding out her hand, he hurriedly said, “I want ten. Put it on my tab.”
【Such heartwarming prices.】
【Crying. Where can I buy talismans personally drawn by Yu-bao? I really need them.】
【Luo Cheng’an, do you even understand how to use them?! Give them to me! (reaches out)】
【A talisman that sent the Wolf King and the giant snake flying only costs 25?!】
【My dad bought a Luck-Transfer Talisman from somewhere a while ago and stuck it beside his bed. It cost 198,000. He’s screaming right now while watching the variety show.】
【Rich second-generation confirmed.】
【No wonder Xi Yu is so powerful yet still lives under a bridge. After raising the price and selling them for 25, with prices like this in A City, he couldn’t afford a house even if he drew talismans until his hands broke.】
【It’s obvious Xi Yu isn’t doing this to make money. I study metaphysics. The first lesson for beginners is that the law does not fall empty. If you want to ask for something, you have to exchange something for it. He’s just charging a little, then helping others. That’s great love.】
【Damn it, I want to steal some.】
【What is my Brother Lu doing? There are almost none left! Why isn’t he going forward?!】
Xi Yu had handed out almost all the talismans. There were only three left.
He looked at Lu Zhixing.
Lu Zhixing stood not far away, his hair slightly disheveled by the wind. His pupils were pitch-black, and his complexion was pale. Although his back was straight, there was a sense that he was on the verge of collapse.
In a place filled with demonic aura, Lu Zhixing was indeed feeling even more uncomfortable.
Following Xi Yu’s gaze, Luo Cheng’an finally realized what was happening.
“Brother Lu! I’ll give you a few!”
Xi Yu only had three talismans left in his hands, while Luo Cheng’an had taken a thick stack.
Luo Cheng’an took the ones in Xi Yu’s hand, then split half of his own share and ran toward Lu Zhixing with quick little steps.
He stuffed the talismans into Lu Zhixing’s hands.
“25 each. You have eight, so I’ll round it down for you. 300. When this is over, transfer it to my brother.”
Yu Qian calculated it and was shocked.
“Who taught you to round it down like that?!”
“My brother. He rounds it down for me like this.”
Xi Yu: “…”
Yu Qian had originally been questioning it, but after hearing Luo Cheng’an say that, she immediately felt that it made sense.
Perhaps this was just how powerful people did things.
She counted her own talismans.
She had twelve, which came to 300 yuan.
“Then how do I round mine down when there’s nothing to round?”
Xi Yu walked toward Lu Zhixing. Hearing her, he did not even raise his head.
“For a beautiful girl, I’ll round off two zeros. Give me 3 yuan.”
Luo Cheng’an watched helplessly as the usually carefree Yu Qian pressed her lips together, her cheeks quietly turning red.
Luo Cheng’an instantly exploded.
“Brother! How can you favor girls over boys?!”
Xi Yu ignored him and tossed the talismans Luo Cheng’an had handed to Lu Zhixing back.
“He doesn’t need these.”
They were not particularly useful to Lu Zhixing.
He turned his palm over.
On his originally bare hand, a dark green ring had appeared at some unknown point.
“Huh? Where did that come from?”
Luo Cheng’an leaned over to take a look.
Xi Yu found him in the way and kicked him away. Then he took Lu Zhixing’s hand and was about to put the ring on him.
But when the ring touched Lu Zhixing’s fingertip, Lu Zhixing curled his finger.
Xi Yu raised his eyes.
Lu Zhixing’s eyelashes fluttered as he softly said, “Isn’t this ring very important to you?”
Xi Yu remembered that he had never said that this ring was very important to him.