Although Shen Qing thought Qing Qing was acting a bit strange, she didn't dwell on it and instead focused more on the surrounding environment.
After flying for a while, Shen Qing noticed that thick fog began to appear all around. The fog obscured her vision, and even her spiritual sense couldn't penetrate it.
This fog is eerie!
There was nothing she could do, so Shen Qing had to bring Qing Qing back to the ground.
After landing, when she looked up at the sky, it was clear and there was no sign of fog.
"We can't get out..."
The two stood on the road. After exchanging a glance, they ran in opposite directions in perfect sync.
They didn't follow the path but ran towards the grassland, one to the left and the other to the right.
But half an hour later, they met back at the same place, out of breath. They both saw helplessness in each other's eyes.
Qing Qing caught her breath. "What the hell? This is like getting lost in a ghost's maze. I was clearly walking straight ahead. How did I end up back here?"
Shen Qing didn't respond, but she was in the same situation.
They had run straight ahead, yet they ended up back at the place where they'd separated.
It seemed that they couldn't move forward until they resolved the matter in the village.
"Let's go back," Shen Qing suggested to Qing Qing.
Although Qing Qing didn't want to go back and face those strange villagers, at the moment, it seemed to be the only option.
The two had no choice but to return to the village dejectedly.
In the village square, the villagers had dispersed. Only He Yu was still tied to the cross, with Luo Ling and the Dark Wolf standing beside him.
When they saw Shen Qing and Qing Qing coming back, Luo Ling gave them a knowing smile.
"Big sister, how do you like the scenery in the village?"
Shen Qing returned a smile. "It's not bad."
Luo Ling's smile widened. She reached out and stroked the Dark Wolf's head.
"Dark Wolf, the guests you brought are really fun."
Seeing that Shen Qing was indifferent to his plight and still had the mood to look at the scenery, He Yu got extremely angry. Moreover, he felt a bit wronged, as if he'd been abandoned.
"Shen Qing, why didn't you save me? Have you forgotten that we're from the same sect, fellow disciples? Didn't you always say that I'm like family to you?"
He Yu questioned Shen Qing, angry and sad.
Luo Ling turned around and looked at He Yu. A malicious smile curled up on her lips. "You did something wrong. Why should someone else save you? Big sister isn't your parents."
The innocent words of the child left He Yu speechless for a moment.
"I... I just wanted to..."
"Do you want big sister to kill all the villagers and then save you?
"Tsk tsk tsk. What a vicious thought. If you're not a bully, who is?"
He Yu's face turned bright red with anger. "You little kid, don't talk nonsense. I just wanted Shen Qing to untie the ropes for me so that I could escape on my own."
"Why should big sister pay for your mistakes? If you make a mistake, you should bear the consequences yourself. Pulling big sister into this, have you ever considered her situation?"
"You!!"
He Yu was rendered speechless by a child's questioning. Could he admit that he really hadn't considered Shen Qing's situation?
In his heart, Shen Qing was just a plaything to amuse him when he was happy and a shield when he was in trouble. As for what would happen to Shen Qing, he simply didn't care.
Thinking of this, He Yu suddenly felt a sense of suffocation.
It turned out that he hadn't treated Shen Qing well. No wonder Shen Qing was starting to ignore him now.
"Shen Qing, don't listen to this kid's nonsense. Once I get out, I'll immediately plead with the master for you and get your status as a direct disciple restored."
For some reason, just thinking that Shen Qing might no longer be in Worry - Free Peak in the future made He Yu feel inexplicably flustered.
But Shen Qing didn't spare any thought for He Yu. Instead, she was constantly thinking about a way to get out.
She walked up to He Yu and asked, "He Yu, tell me exactly what happened after you separated from us."
He Yu was overjoyed. He thought Shen Qing was still the same Shen Qing who used to curry favor with him.
But on the surface, he still put on a cold - looking demeanor.
Seeing He Yu's annoying look, Shen Qing knew he was being stubborn again.
"Are you going to tell me or not? If not, just die."
He Yu was stung by Shen Qing's straightforwardness. Instead, he thought this kind of Shen Qing wasn't so bad...
"After I separated from you..."
After He Yu separated from Shen Qing and the others, he walked along the other side of the path. But he encountered the same situation as Shen Qing.
No matter how he walked, he couldn't seem to get out of that area. When he tried to fly with his sword, he would encounter the thick fog.
However, unlike Shen Qing, after He Yu landed, the thick fog still surrounded him.
He Yu was already a bit uneasy. Being in the thick fog where his spiritual sense couldn't reach made him even more terrified.
He could only grit his teeth and continue walking forward. But several dark shadows seemed to flash through the fog. A cultivator's intuition made He Yu summon his natal sword and hold it in his hand.
When the dark shadows in the fog rushed out and attacked him, he immediately counter - attacked and knocked them down.
He took a couple of looks and found that the things he'd killed were three two - meter - tall black wild boars.
The wild boars had green faces and sharp fangs. They looked extremely fierce and were holding big machetes in their hands.
Just as He Yu was feeling smug, the fog around him dispersed. He found himself in the village, surrounded by villagers.
But the villagers were all looking at him in horror and saying that he'd killed someone.
Strangely enough, after the fog dispersed, the three black wild boars He Yu had seen turned into pink piglets, and the things they were holding were big radishes.
Now it was He Yu's turn to look horrified.
Then, the villagers tied him up directly. He tried to resist, but the villagers were very strange. As soon as he looked into their eyes, he couldn't use his spiritual power.
Not long after he was tied up, the villagers dispersed in a rush. The next time they met was when the villagers brought Shen Qing and the others over.
As Shen Qing listened to He Yu's account of what had happened, she observed his expression.
The anger and terror on his face didn't seem fake. And the fact that the secret realm hadn't ejected him proved that He Yu was telling the truth.
Now, Shen Qing's mind was getting more and more confused.
The strange fog, the wild boars that turned into ordinary villagers...
What on earth did the Dark Wolf want them to do by bringing them here?
There was no clue, no hint. All the chaotic things made Shen Qing a bit discouraged.
"I know."
Seeing that Shen Qing didn't share his hatred and didn't show a concerned expression, He Yu felt a bit uneasy.
"Shen Qing, do you even believe what I said!"
Shen Qing's mind was still in a mess, and she nodded instinctively. "I believe you. Why wouldn't I?"
He Yu was satisfied and even a bit happy.
"Shen Qing, it turns out that no matter how many misunderstandings there are between us, you'll always choose to believe me. I was wrong before. I apologize to you. After we go back, come back to Worry - Free Peak. Let's be like we used to be."
Seeing He Yu's so - called "genuine feelings", Shen Qing felt extremely disgusted.
"What are you babbling about? Do you think I'm some cheap person? Can't you see how much effort I put in to break away from the sect?"
"Divine Gold!"