âYes.â Meng Qi replied in a low voice. She looked at the closed door with some reluctance before turning around and going to the bamboo house next to Yun Qingyanâs. All the furniture in this house was made of large green bamboos. Although simple, they gave her a warm feeling.
Meng Qi sat on the bamboo bed dazedly. Even the bedding here was the same as before. She looked around the room and found no change in the furnishings she remembered in her memory. Everything looked and felt the same, so much that she felt like she had a long, long dream. It was as if she would soon wake up to find that she had never died, and Yun Qingyan also returned three months later as he promised. The two of them would then continue to live here together, carefree and peaceful, like two immortals in seclusion.
Meng Qi lowered her gaze and caressed the quilt on the bed. The neatly stacked quilt felt very soft to the touch. Very realistic. Meng Qi felt that she had forgotten something, but her head was full of the image of Yun Qingyan, in his usual white robe, smiling gently at her.
âIâm indeed exhausted.â Meng Qi murmured: âLetâs rest for a while.â She took off her shoes and lay on the bed, pulled the quilt over her body, and slowly closed her eyes.
Meng Qi quickly fell asleep. Inside the beast house in her storage space, the little white tiger opened his eyes. A big dipper constellation flashed inside those azure blue eyes of his. He then stretched out his small paws and pressed them to the ground. âMeng Qi.â The little white tiger suddenly called. His voice was deep and as pleasant as the sound of a jade flute. It was not at all like the voice of a cute and fluffy cub might have.
âMeng Qi.â He called again. But the blue-robed girl still slept soundly on the bed, showing no reaction.
âHumph.â The little white tiger snorted softly. The big dipper in his eyes flashed again. He stretched his paw, and a white light flashed on the tip of his claws. The next moment, Yun Qingyan appeared inside Heaven And Earth Bookhall.
âOh?â Inside the bookhall, the old man owner was lazily leaning on a pile of soft cushions with a bamboo slip in his hand. Sensing the movement, he raised his eyes and saw Yun Qingyan. The old man chuckled lightly: âYoung Daoist Meng didnât come today, but you are actually here. Say, whatâs the matter?â
The old man stood up and lightly moved his body: âSpeak the truth. This granduncle of yours is already very old. My brittle bones can no longer withstand the burden like the last time. Donât think that us elderly are like you young people, crossing over thousands of miles every minuteâŠI was almost broke apart.â
âShe came to chat with you. Why are you unhappy?â Yun Qingyan snorted and stepped up. In one step, he instantly reached the twelfth floor of the bookhall.
The twelfth floor was already very high. The bookshelves here were tall and spacious, no different than the lower floors. However, there were very few bamboo slips here, placed sparsely with many continuous empty spaces. In the blink of an eye, Yun Qingyan had already walked through several rows of bookshelves.
The old man followed Yun Qingyan to the twelfth floor. He stood on the side and watched the younger manâs movement with his eyes: âWhat are you looking for?â
âIllusion array.â Yun Qingyan said casually and threw two bamboo slips back onto the bookshelf.
âHuh?â The old man raised his eyebrows in surprise, âThere are actually arrays you donât know about?â
Yun Qingyan replied as he walked: âTen thousand years ago, countless arrays lost in Three Thousand Worldâs catastrophe. Many of which that I donât know.â
âWhat?â The old man smiled teasingly, âThat little girl is trapped inside?â
Yun Qingyan didnât answer.
The old man persisted and continued to ask: âYou are helpless and canât wake her up?â
Yun Qingyan: ââŠâ
âInteresting.â The old man shook his head. His face beamed with a smile as he walked forward. âWhat happened to that little girl that made you this anxious?â
âShe met me in that illusion arrayâŠto be precise, she met a man who looks exactly like me.â Yun Qingyan said. âHe is obviously not me, but it is as if she was being bewitched and unable to notice the differences.â As he spoke, he threw another bamboo slip back.
The old man glanced at Yun Qingyan and slowly said: âAlthough I donât know what illusion array is it, many methods originated from the same roots. The easiest way to break an illusion is to let the person entering it perceive something wrong by themselves, thus destroying the illusion without attacking.â
âI see.â Yun Qingyan nodded. This old man was an elder of their clan. Although his individual talent was not extraordinary, and the power of arrays he created couldnât be compared to Yun Qingyan, he was in charge of the celestial demon White Tiger Clanâs library on the celestial tree. The elderâs understanding of arrays didnât lose to anyone, not even to Yun Qingyan.
âSo Young Daoist Meng is trapped in the illusion and refuses to wake up?â The old man chuckled.
ââŠYes.â Yun Qingyan threw back another bamboo slip, âThe man obviously didnât say or do anything, but Meng Qi is so obedient.â
âAnd you are bothered by this?â The old man suddenly turned around. A smile flashed in his eyes as he looked at Yun Qingyan.