Seeing the building in front of her, even the well - informed Ning Yitao never expected that there was such a place on campus.
Compared with the spacious and bright classroom buildings, this place looked extremely dilapidated. The building in front of them was not as tall as the other teaching buildings. It had only three stories, looking like a small three - story house.
From the appearance, one could tell that the owner of this place was full of childlike innocence, as the decoration leaned towards a cute style. However, one could still vaguely see the hidden luxury beneath the rusty decorations.
Overall, it looked like a dilapidated building. It wasn't a teaching building but an abandoned villa, standing out oddly among the surrounding tall buildings as if it had appeared out of thin air.
The old house was in ruins. When they pushed open the creaking wooden door, they found that the wall of the western room had collapsed. This old house, after years of erosion, seemed to have deep wrinkles carved on its "face".
Ning Yitao and the others walked along the brick - paved path lined with weeds. They saw faint moss growing in the damp brick joints and intertwined vines sprawling everywhere.
When they entered the courtyard, they saw several ancient trees blocking out the sky. The branches and leaves rustled in the wind, and under the trees, there was a desolate scene of overgrown weeds.
There were fitness equipment and a swing in the courtyard. There was no wind, but the swing was swaying constantly. Under Eve's gaze, the swing's amplitude increased until it was almost 180 degrees.
Eve's eyes widened in surprise as she stared at the scene in front of her.
Even Grandma Grace noticed something strange. Following Eve's gaze, she couldn't help but ask Ning Yitao and the others, saying,
"Is there a child laughing on that swing all the time?"
They kept walking, but the happy laughter of children kept ringing in their ears.
Ning Yitao couldn't hear those sounds. These little ghosts didn't dare to provoke her. Just the energy aura she exuded made them back off.
But they pestered Eve and Grandma Grace. Ji Wangqiu smiled faintly, then casually kicked the short - statured Zhaocai and said,
"Hey, go and deal with them."
Zhaocai pouted so much that one could hang an oil pot on it. With anger in his voice, he said,
"Can you be nicer to me when you ask me to do something? You keep saying that Taotao doesn't like me eating evil qi, but then you ask me to do it in front of Taotao. Are you doing this on purpose? I can hear the scheming in your mind."
Ji Wangqiu didn't care whether he was angry or not. Teasingly, she said,
"Who told you to be a kid now? You're too short. I don't want to bend down."
Ning Yitao held back the angry Zhaocai. While her eyes were still scanning the house, she said to Zhaocai,
"Just drive them away. Those kids are harmless. They're just children whose souls are trapped here. You guys stay here. There are no illusions here. The entrance to this house is enchanted. I'll go find the entrance first."
After saying that, Ning Yitao left. Ji Wangqiu was left to guard Eve and Grandma Grace.
Ji Wangqiu could sense Ning Yitao's location. Once she found the entrance, Ji Wangqiu could lead Eve and the others to Ning Yitao.
This house was the place with the thickest resentment in the whole school.
All the illusions here were concentrated at the entrance. The people inside didn't want outsiders to enter this place casually.
Ning Yitao had to find the right illusion among so many. It would take too much time for Zhaocai to tear them down one by one. There were too many and too dense illusions. Even if Zhaocai worked until the next day, he might not find the right entrance.
The illusions were so dense that as soon as Ning Yitao turned around, she fell into another illusion.
Ning Yitao watched as the scene in front of her completely changed.
The house had been transformed and looked brand - new.
The season had also changed. The house was no longer desolate and showed its original appearance.
The once withered trees now looked full of vitality.
It turned out that they were flowering trees. The blooming trees were connected, and the branches were covered with flowers, swaying in the wind. The colorful and mottled leaves on the trees were as bright as the brilliant morning glow.
Children were playing and laughing under the trees, but none of them could see her.
Ning Yitao looked up. The once rusty and incomplete fitness equipment was brand - new, and there were groups of children playing on the swing. Everything seemed so natural.
Ning Yitao was observing. She had to find the flaw and break these illusions completely with one blow.
A soothing piece of music sounded, followed by a clear and pleasant children's voice.
"Ring - a - ding, ring - a - ding, kids, it's time for class. Hurry into the classroom. I say hello to the teacher, and the teacher praises me as a good boy/girl."
"Ring - a - ding, ring - a - ding, kids, it's time for class. Hurry into the classroom. I say hello to the teacher, and the teacher praises me as a good boy/girl."
The voice was abrupt and ethereal. When it repeated for the second time, if one listened carefully, they could find that the originally clear children's voice had a mechanical delay and stutter.
The children who heard the class bell didn't notice anything strange. They all rushed towards the door and ran upstairs to the classroom for class.
After all the children had run upstairs, a little girl was still sitting alone on the swing.
She was sitting there, gently kicking the ground with her feet to make the swing sway slightly.
She had her head down, and her hair fell, so Ning Yitao couldn't see her expression.
Ning Yitao walked towards her.
The little girl should have been unaware of Ning Yitao's approach.
But as soon as Ning Yitao stood still, she looked up at Ning Yitao.
She was just like a cute doll in the window. Her skin was as white as porcelain. Her long chestnut curly hair fell quietly on her shoulders, and her bangs covered her fair forehead.
Her long curly eyelashes cast a shadow on her eyelids. Her clear eyes were gently curved like a bright crescent moon, and her cherry - like soft lips slightly raised in a perfect arc.
She looked like a creation of God, with a holy light shining behind her.
She gave Ning Yitao a bright smile, stopped the swinging swing, and steadied her feet on the ground. Then she said,
"Hello, my name is Liu Qiaoz. Do you want to be my friend?"
Ning Yitao didn't act high - and - mighty. She knew that Liu Qiaoz in front of her might be the key to breaking the illusion.
Ning Yitao half - squatted down to look Liu Qiaoz in the eye and said,
"Okay, I'll be your friend."
As soon as Ning Yitao said that, Liu Qiaoz giggled.
Her eyes were curved, and her smile was bright, like the warm and gentle sun in winter. The girl's eyes were bent into two crescent moons, and the joy on her face seemed to overflow from the dimples on the corners of her mouth.
Liu Qiaoz said happily,
"That's great. I have a new friend again. Come and push the swing for me."
Ning Yitao obediently stood up. Whatever Liu Qiaoz said, she did.
The swing went higher and higher.
Liu Qiaoz's laughter never stopped. She cheered as she felt the wind blowing past her ears. She shouted,
"Higher, swing higher. I'm going to fly."
Ning Yitao added more strength to her hands.