Immediately afterwards, it went pitch - black in front of me. I couldn't see a thing, only feeling the howling wind outside.
"Hey, Gu Yuan, are you still there? What on earth are you up to?" I tried to get up.
But the space was so loose that I simply couldn't rise.
I could only feel around with my hands to figure out where I was.
It turned out that Gu Yuan had shrunk me to a tiny size and put me into his Qiankun sleeve.
It was soft inside. Gu Yuan was walking in a hurry, and I was rolling back and forth inside. I was almost shaken sick.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince."
Someone called Gu Yuan.
Gu Yuan answered, but was then stopped by the speaker.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince, His Majesty the Heavenly Emperor has given the order that you are not allowed to leave the Cloud Mist casually."
The Cloud Mist was that peach - blossom grove, a fragrant mountain floating in mid - air.
Come to think of it, it was more like a prison than a fragrant mountain.
Gu Yuan didn't seem to say much. When he let me out, we were already in the mortal world.
"How did you get out?" I asked in surprise.
Gu Yuan hooked the corner of his lips, his clear eyes as clean as a pool of water.
"A celestial has his own tricks."
I said playfully with a smirk, "It seems you often sneak out, right?"
"Never. I came to the mortal world this time because of the Golden Flower Cult Leader." Gu Yuan explained seriously.
"But I've heard that Hu Qingluan is in the main hall of the Third Elder Hu, deep in the inaccessible mountains of Changbai Mountain. But this is a bustling market. Did you go the wrong way?"
I smiled mischievously. In fact, I already knew in my heart that he had brought me here first because he saw I was hungry.
"I'm hungry. Let's eat." Gu Yuan put his hands behind his back, looking like an old celestial. I was overjoyed.
I quickly took a few steps to catch up with him, grabbed his hand, and intertwined our fingers. We walked through the market, eating and looking around.
It wasn't until Gu Yuan stopped and asked the peddler, "What's this?"
Seeing that Gu Yuan was well - dressed and good - looking, the peddler immediately replied with a beaming smile, "This is a Kongming lantern. At night, you write your wish on it and light it. It will carry your wish to the celestial gods in the sky, and your wish will come true."
Gu Yuan just said "Oh" after listening and then pulled me away.
I looked back at the orange Kongming lantern and asked Gu Yuan, "Don't you want to buy one?"
"I'm a celestial myself. There's no need to ask the gods for help."
Oh my goodness. Well, what a boast! I was left speechless.
After the meal, Gu Yuan took me to the main hall of the Hu family.
I have to say, it truly lived up to its reputation as a great family. The mountain was huge. The whole of Changbai Mountain was the territory of the Hu family.
Gu Yuan took me to the peak of the mountain range just in time for a cloudless sky.
The Tianchi Lake was separated from the sky by only a layer of mist. Above the mist, a vermilion - gate red building was faintly visible. Gu Yuan said that was the old mansion of the Hu family. From afar, it looked like a celestial wonderland on earth.
I gazed out at the Tianchi Lake, admiring the deep - blue water. It felt as if my body and mind had been purified.
Looking far away, a suspension bridge appeared in front of the Tianchi Lake. A young man in his early twenties walked towards us.
He was wearing a fiery - red long gown, his black hair tied up high with a red ribbon. He had delicate features, a somewhat feminine appearance on a male face, and a pair of charming fox - like eyes.
"Are you Lord Liu, I presume?" the young man was the first to speak.
Gu Yuan didn't answer but just nodded slightly.
"My name is Hu Xuanfeng. I'm the eldest grandson of the Third Elder Hu. He specifically ordered me to come and welcome you into the main hall." Despite his charming appearance, Hu Xuanfeng's voice was very masculine.
With his delicate features and such a rough voice, he gave people a rather jarring impression, like a "tough - looking doll."
Hu Xuanfeng led us into the main hall, but we didn't see the Third Elder Hu.
Hu Xuanfeng told us that the Third Elder Hu and his wife had been invited by Lord Liu to enjoy tea, so he was specially ordered to entertain Lord Liu well.
It was just as well that they weren't there. The Third Elder Hu was an old fox of thousands of years. If he saw through our disguise, it would be a great loss.
"Where's the Third Elder Hu's great - granddaughter? Take me to see her." Gu Yuan said to Hu Xuanfeng.
Hu Xuanfeng nodded and led Gu Yuan and me into Hu Qingluan's room.
As soon as I entered the room, I smelled a pungent fox odor. At that moment, I really wanted to cover my nose, but for the sake of courtesy and not to embarrass Gu Yuan, I had to hold my breath as much as possible.
At this moment, Hu Qingluan was lying flat on the couch, so thin that she was just skin and bones. She was covered with a quilt, and there was no bulge at all. One could easily imagine how thin she was.
From my angle, I could clearly see her face. Her cheeks and eye sockets were deeply sunken, her complexion as pale as if it were transparent. Her fox spirit was faintly visible. It seemed that she was seriously injured.
I stood in the room for a while. My vision became a bit blurry, my temples throbbed, and I could hardly stand.
Seeing that I was struggling, Gu Yuan said, "Chiyu, go outside and wait for me."
"It's okay. I can hold on," I said.
"She's protecting herself, which is why she emits this kind of odor. If you smell it for too long, you'll get a headache. So wait outside."
Since Gu Yuan said so, I had no choice but to walk out of the door reluctantly and eavesdrop obediently beside the window.
Thankfully, the people inside didn't seem to be avoiding anything. From my position by the window, I could both see and hear.
Gu Yuan turned his back to me and walked up to Hu Qingluan. He pinched a talisman paper between his two fingers and pasted it on Hu Qingluan's forehead.
"Hu Qingluan, wake up."
As his words fell, the talisman paper flashed a silver light. Hu Qingluan, who had been in a coma, slowly opened her eyes.
Her charming fox eyes were dull. She could only be said to have opened them, but there was no sparkle in them.
"Lord Liu is truly capable. Even the Third Elder Hu couldn't wake her up, but you managed to do it with just one sentence."
Hu Xuanfeng wanted to pull Hu Qingluan up to check on her condition.
But Gu Yuan stopped him, "Don't touch her. If the red thread breaks, not even the great celestial could save her."
"Red thread? What red thread?" Hu Xuanfeng was puzzled and scanned Hu Qingluan but saw no red thread at all.
Gu Yuan said calmly, "Pull out her hand."
Hu Xuanfeng didn't dare to delay for a moment. He quickly lifted the quilt and showed her arm.
Gu Yuan gently swept his left hand over the back of Hu Qingluan's hand, and then a red silk thread was seen tied to her left finger.
The red thread was very thin and extended all the way out from the finger. It was very long, and no one knew where the other end of the red thread led.
"What's going on? Why is there a red thread?" Hu Xuanfeng was stunned when he saw the red thread.
"You should really ask the person on the other end of the red thread about this," Gu Yuan said.
After Gu Yuan finished speaking, his finger gently vibrated on the red thread. The red thread was like a plucked string on a guqin, trembling violently.
As the red thread shook, the nail on Hu Qingluan's ring finger turned blue and bruised. Gu Yuan used a dagger to make a small cut on her fingertip. Instead of fresh blood, a bunch of black soft worms like leeches flowed out.
It made my scalp tingle. I really couldn't bear it anymore. I lowered my head and kept scratching the back of my hand, feeling as if the worms were crawling on me.
Suddenly, a red thread faintly appeared on my left ring finger. I was so scared that I shouted, "Gu Yuan..."