Chapter 117: Peach Blossoms Once More (Four Thousand Words)

"Have you seen enough!" Bai Yiyue, unable to bear the man's base gaze any longer, shouted with a flushed face.

"No," Yu Daoyi replied with utter composure.

"Help me up, then!" Bai Yiyue felt even more aggrieved. She had only meant to tease the man, yet she had no idea how she had fallen into his trap; under that pressure, she was completely powerless to resist.

"Hmph." Yu Daoyi curled his lip, then returned to his expressionless state, looking as if he were either disdainful or indifferent. Yet, his eyes remained fixed squarely on Bai Yiyue, entirely betraying his inner thoughts.

Despite his words, Yu Daoyi honestly leaned down to help Bai Yiyue up—though the way his large hands went about assisting her is best left undescribed.

As Yu Daoyi supported her, Bai Yiyue gritted her teeth. Feeling his hands wandering whether intentionally or not, she dared to be angry but dared not speak, fearing that if he let go, she would fall again.

Furthermore, having been scrutinized by a man in such a position for so long, her reaction was less of genuine rage and more of a shy, coquettish indignation. To outsiders, the usually bold, perhaps even indulgent Bai Yiyue now looked like a bashful young woman.

"Yu! Dao! Yi!" Bai Yiyue said, gritting out each word.

Yu Daoyi knew when to stop; he felt he hadn't lost out, anyway. He put on a look of bewilderment, as if he didn't understand why Bai Yiyue was so angry. Whether intentional or not, this little episode had significantly improved his previously irritable mood.

With a creak, the wooden door opened again. Long-settled dust swirled into the air as Xia Rong and Lin He stepped out.

Seeing Yu Daoyi supporting a blushing Bai Yiyue, Xia Rong didn't know what had transpired, but the scene was certainly suggestive. She couldn't help but frown, though she reminded herself that she had no right to interfere, so she said nothing.

Instead, she produced an elegant, ancient black box. It was crafted from an unknown material, covered in complex patterns that made one feel dizzy just by looking at them.

"What is this?" Seeing Xia Rong emerge, Yu Daoyi let go of Bai Yiyue without a word, acting as if nothing had happened, and walked over to take the black box.

Having been released, Bai Yiyue swayed, but she managed to steady herself. Her beautiful eyes, however, were fixed on the man named Yu Daoyi, filled with resentment.

"Is this the box?" Yu Daoyi took it, immediately feeling a chill; the temperature was far lower than his own body heat. He had no idea what the object was.

"Yes, but it's empty," Xia Rong said, frowning, not dwelling on the previous scene as she returned to business.

"Empty?" Yu Daoyi asked, though he wasn't surprised. After all, this was Baili Mo's lair; he wouldn't leave something so important sitting openly in a wooden shack.

Yu Daoyi gently pushed the box. It opened easily, without resistance or any strange occurrences. The interior was as black as the exterior, featuring the same complex patterns.

In a daze, Yu Daoyi felt the box before him waver, becoming somewhat blurred.

A petal drifted quietly before his eyes—a peach blossom petal. Then, everything returned to normal, and Yu Daoyi snapped out of his trance.

"It's empty. I don't know if the contents escaped or if Baili Mo hid them," Lin He chimed in from the side. As Yu Daoyi regained his senses and looked up, it was the first time he had seen such a grave and serious expression on Lin He's face.

So, this guy knew more than he let on. He had previously claimed to know nothing about the box, but from his words, it was clear he knew the contents might be alive. Could it be a living immortal technique? Yu Daoyi pondered.

"There's nothing else inside—just a bed and a table. This box was left out in the open on the table, as if..." Lin He continued.

"As if he’s telling us that what we want is in his hands, and if we want it, we must continue to obey," Yu Daoyi concluded, understanding Baili Mo's intentions.

"Yes," Lin He sighed.

"So, what exactly is in this box that you both want so badly?" Bai Yiyue, who had been silent for a long time, interjected. Like Yu Daoyi, she was kept in the dark about many things.

"Miss Bai, I am not omniscient. How could I know what Baili Mo put inside?" Lin He smiled faintly. As for Xia Rong, whether it was because of the earlier scene or not, she ignored her completely.

"Tch, men are all trash."

Bai Yiyue crossed her arms and pouted. Her gaze met Yu Daoyi's, and she couldn't help but frown and glare back with wide, beautiful, clear eyes. Far from being seductive, her angry expression was rather cute.

...

"Let's go. We have to keep moving," Xia Rong suggested.

"I'm not going," Yu Daoyi said with a faint smile. "I'm going to stay here and wait for my brother to return."

"That's fine. Your body is very weak, and there will be many dangers ahead. You might be safest here."

After checking the surroundings and confirming there were no immediate threats, Xia Rong said no more. He was safe for now, but she had important matters to attend to and couldn't look after him forever.

"Yu Daoyi, I don't know what you're thinking, but it would be best for you to have as little contact with the Shadow Sect as possible."

"That is my advice. I have urgent matters entrusted to me by Mr. Mo, so I won't be staying here with you."

Lin He gave Yu Daoyi a profound look. It was clear he didn't want Yu Daoyi involved with the Shadow Sect, though it was unclear if this reflected the wishes of the mysterious Mr. Mo. Even with the scraps of information he now had, Yu Daoyi remained shrouded in heavy fog.

With that, the three of them—everyone except Yu Daoyi—walked toward the passage to the next stage. Without absolute benefit at stake, they would not attack each other; they all understood that when the crane and the clam fight, the fisherman profits.

Before leaving, Bai Yiyue glanced back, stomped her foot, and glared fiercely at Yu Daoyi one last time.

Once everyone had departed, silence returned. Xia Rong had taken the cold, black box with her.

Yu Daoyi walked toward the wooden shack, crossed the small herb garden, and pushed open the dilapidated door. It creaked once more as it swung wide.

The room was tiny, just as Lin He had described: a bed, a table, and nothing else.

Footprints of various sizes covered the dusty floor—left behind by them just moments ago.

Yu Daoyi took a deep breath, walked to the bed, and lay down. Suddenly, he felt a sense of peace.

For a long time—he didn't know how long—he lay there quietly until his heart was completely stilled.

Lying on the bed, Yu Daoyi smiled faintly, though the smile soon turned bitter. He really was quite weak. He reached into his robes and felt something. He chuckled softly, and the hesitation in his eyes vanished.

After a long while, as if he had made a final, desperate decision, he realized there was nothing else he could do—only what he was thinking now.

"Baili Mo." That was the last whisper before Yu Daoyi lost consciousness.

He had shattered his own heart meridian.

A cool breeze blew, carrying the scent of peach blossoms.

Who knows how much time passed before Yu Daoyi gently opened his eyes. He looked at the scene before him with a calm expression; it was as if he had anticipated this all along.

"Heh, welcome. So? How did you figure it out?" A voice that was both strange and familiar drifted over.

"Heh? That's not right. The opening line shouldn't be like that," Yu Daoyi breathed deeply—greedily—as the air was filled with the fragrance of peach blossoms.

"Ho ho, this is the first time I've seen someone foolish enough to bite themselves to wake up," the voice said, pausing before adding, "Is this better?"

Yu Daoyi rose slowly from the ground and stretched, looking at the familiar scene.

Birds sang, flowers bloomed, green mountains and clear waters stretched out, streams gurgled, and there were rolling hills, grazing cattle and sheep, white clouds, and a brilliant blue sky.

This was Peach Blossom Village.

"Xiao Qian, what should I call you?" Yu Daoyi turned slowly to look at the handsome youth in the tree. The boy was still dressed in peach-colored robes, with a flask of peach blossom wine at his waist, lying on a peach tree branch—as romantic as could be.

"What to call me? Call me whatever you like. But I'm still curious—how did you find me?" The youth in the tree took a swig of wine and asked nonchalantly.

"Well, Baili Mo, how much longer do you intend to play this game?" Yu Daoyi asked calmly. Seeing this at least confirmed some of his suspicions.

"Sigh~ it's been so long since I've heard that name used so formally. What's the matter? Didn't you say you'd beat me to a pulp the next time you saw me?" Xiao Qian—or rather, Baili Mo—laughed softly.

"Regrettably, unlike the previous cycles, I haven't recovered my consciousness, my spiritual energy, or my physical strength. I am currently just an ordinary person."

Yu Daoyi shook his head expressionlessly. He was indeed angry, but unlike the previous times, he was not consumed by it.

"That is a pity. Without the tree demon, this illusion array is incomplete; it's normal that your cultivation hasn't returned."

"But this game is indeed over. The moment you entered here, it came to an end."

Baili Mo stopped smiling and spoke softly, a hint of melancholy in his tone.

"Born of a blood array, existing in an illusion array. I should have guessed it sooner," Yu Daoyi said to himself.

"It's not too late to realize it now, is it?" Baili Mo took another sip of wine.

"I thought that once I broke the blood array, the illusion would naturally shatter. I neglected to consider whether I was still trapped within the illusion itself until I noticed the anomalies later."

"The blood array seals the physical body, the illusion array seals the soul. The two arrays check and balance each other, which led to the state of Peach Blossom Village. They are indispensable. If either array is lost, it cannot trap the entire village." Yu Daoyi seemed to have a sudden realization, organizing his thoughts.

"And then?" Baili Mo asked, unhurried.

"I am different from the people of Peach Blossom Village. I appeared directly in the illusion array, bypassing the blood array. So, even if the blood array were broken, there was no guarantee I had escaped the illusion."

"I was foolishly convinced that breaking the blood array would automatically break the illusion, so I didn't realize I was still trapped."

"And when I was with the Black Tortoise Flame Spirit, you mentioned that I had broken one array, not two. I didn't realize the significance then."

"That may be so, but these are still just your guesses, aren't they?" Baili Mo said blandly.

"Then, how about this?" Yu Daoyi pulled a withered petal from his robes. It was the petal the old tree demon had used to lend him power; he had cherished it ever since.

"It didn't disappear. That proves it, doesn't it?" Yu Daoyi stared at Baili Mo.

"At first, I was only suspicious, but the moment I reached that wooden shack, I felt something was wrong. That box—or rather, what was inside—seemed to affect you."

"The ancient box must have sealed something terrifying. Regardless of whether it was alive or dead, the moment it was opened, I clearly saw the array fluctuate. Anything capable of causing your array to falter cannot be simple."

"I could feel many flaws in that shack. Or rather, your array developed holes because of that box. Can such an array even be called an array anymore?"

"For example?" Baili Mo asked, suddenly interested.

"The herb garden. I suspect the shack was your third stage, and the garden was the next test. But due to the influence of the box, the garden changed and the test vanished. It had no medicinal potency, yet it constantly emanated such a rich fragrance; that is unrealistic. Unless they were special herbs, that shouldn't happen."

"Second, I recognize some of those herbs. They are hardy and only need spiritual energy to survive. Your array couldn't lack spiritual energy—most arrays need it to maintain themselves—and you didn't set up a great barrier to isolate energy."

"Yet they withered. They withered from the roots up. This means your array was affected by the box and lost most of its spiritual energy. The remaining energy wasn't enough to sustain them. In other words, your array was incomplete at that moment."

"And that blood moon above the shack—it was so similar to the one in Peach Blossom Village. But have you considered? There is a barrier protecting the outside world; how could you see the moon outside while the barrier is in place?"

"That only means there is a massive hole in the array above. It's just a pity that even with that hole, those of us at the Qi Condensation stage still couldn't get out."