"Did you already know?" asked Heng. If not, how could Shao Xuan tell in such a short time? He did not believe that Shao Xuan was guessing blindly.
"Yes, I knew," said Shao Xuan.
Gongjia Heng relaxed. So that was it. Where did this kid get the answer from? Did someone tell him before he came? Just as he thought about it, Shao Xuan said, "I got the answer when I was hunting this morning. I just confirmed it again."
"… You mean you knew when you went out this morning?"
"Yes."
"How did you know?"
"I saw it. I can tell which is fake." Shao Xuan did not tell her about his other vision. In his other vision, there were only physical objects, no illusions. Of course, he could tell which sun was real. He was just surprised this morning that he could see the sun in the sky.
Heng did not expect Shao Xuan to have this ability other than divination!
Heng knew the answer because of some secret tools and his past experience. It was Shao Xuan's first time here. However, if Shao Xuan could see through this environment, it would be a good thing for them to find Gongjia Mountain. As for how Shao Xuan saw through the illusion, Heng did not ask. Everyone had secrets, just like how he hid many things from Shao Xuan himself. Some things could not be told to outsiders, especially when it involved different tribes.
After eating the game Shao Xuan brought back, Heng rested for half a day before calling Shao Xuan to set off.
It was already noon. One of the two suns in the sky had disappeared. The illusion was gone.
"Here, the two suns only appear in the morning. They return to normal at noon. That's why, if you encounter a problem that you can't solve immediately, you should wait. Maybe the problem will solve itself. "Heng spoke like an elder, teaching Shao Xuan.
Shao Xuan listened carefully. Although Heng liked to show off sometimes, he was a Xia craftsman after all. He was a good person so Shao Xuan listened carefully.
As time went on, Shao Xuan understood why Gongjia Heng said 'two Heavenly Suns is nothing to be surprised about'. Shao Xuan encountered more illusions later on. It wasn't always the sun, sometimes it was mountains, sometimes it was an ordinary forest. In a forest like this, if you took the wrong path, the further you went, the more mistakes you'd make. The further they went, the fewer fearsome beasts they saw. Even normal beasts were rare. If they hadn't prepared jerky beforehand, they would have gone hungry.
However, if it was just these illusions, it wouldn't be a big problem. He just had to change his vision. The real problem was the real thing. Under the influence of many factors, it would interfere with one's mental state and affect one's judgment.
For example, Shao Xuan and Heng had walked in a forest for two days but in the end, they had returned to their original path. Both of them were not bad at directions. They knew how to judge the direction but in the end, they were back where they were two days ago. This was troublesome.
Gongjia Heng's experience was only useful for the first part of the journey. He couldn't be sure about the later parts of the journey. If he could decipher this easily, he wouldn't have been unable to find Gongjia Mountain after twenty years. He knew it was here but he couldn't find it no matter how hard he tried.
"I'm stuck here. I can't go any further," said Heng, wiping the sweat from his forehead in frustration.
The forest looked normal. There were no dangerous fearsome beasts. It even looked peaceful but Heng had to stop here.
"It took me fifteen years to get here but that's it. I've been walking in this forest for five years." Heng sighed, calming himself down. Now, he was no longer as anxious and depressed as he was when he was trapped. His voice was calm.
Shao Xuan stood where he was two days ago, looking away from the forest. He took out a straw rope and said, "Let me try again."
Two days ago, when Heng brought Shao Xuan here, he had asked Shao Xuan to do some divination to see which direction they should go. However, Shao Xuan had tried three times and failed. The rope broke before he could even make a knot.
"It's okay if you can't read it." Heng looked at Shao Xuan's persistence and thought that Shao Xuan must be upset. But if it was so easy to get out, why would he be stuck here for five years? He had a strong feeling that as soon as he got out of this forest, he would arrive soon. However, it was like a thick door, blocking him from his goal.
However, although Heng said it was okay if he couldn't read it, he was upset too. The more he thought about it, the more frustrated he became. His emotions that had just calmed down were stirred up again.
He shifted his gaze to Shao Xuan, wondering when Shao Xuan's knot would break. However, after a few breaths, one knot was done. After a while, another knot was formed, then the third …
Gongjia Heng was like a statue, frozen in place. His eyes almost popped out of their sockets as he stared at the rope in Shao Xuan's hand, his facial muscles twitching.
The third knot was done, the fourth knot, the fifth knot …
He watched as Shao Xuan's rope formed one knot after another, then another, forming even more complicated knots.
Just a little bit more, just a little bit more! Please don't break, please don't break!
Heng was screaming in his heart but he clenched his teeth, not daring to make a sound. He was afraid that he would disturb Shao Xuan.
He had searched for twenty years, been stuck here for five years and had not made any progress. Now, the rope that he thought was hopeless was slowly forming knots. One could only imagine how Heng felt.
Heng prayed in his heart, 'Oh, straw rope, please don't break, please don't break. I'll just make every strand carefully, every knot will be carefully tied.'
Heng regretted not suggesting Shao Xuan to use a stronger material when he was making the rope for the divination. What if the straw rope was accidentally broken at a critical moment?
Heng did not move but he was sweating. Large beads of sweat rolled down his forehead but he did not wipe them away. He was still staring at Shao Xuan's rope.
Thud —
There was a soft thud. It was the sound of Shao Xuan's fingers sliding across the rope after he finished the divination. At the same time, it meant that the entire process was over.
Shao Xuan let out a long sigh of relief. He had used up a lot of energy this time, as if he had been hunting for days in the forest. He was exhausted and his mind was still numb. After a while, he snapped back to reality and realised that Heng was still leaning against the tree. His face was red and sweating profusely, his eyelids twitching.
"Master Gongjia, what's wrong?" Shao Xuan asked in surprise.
Heng's flushed face trembled violently. Then, in a strange voice, as if he was trying to suppress something, he asked, "The divination is out?"
"Yeah, it's out." He could only get the result if he walked the path himself. If he only listened to Heng's explanation, he would not be able to get the result.
As soon as Shao Xuan finished speaking, Heng, who was leaning against a tree, leapt up from the ground. He jumped so high that he didn't even care if his head broke a tree branch. Then, he took deep breaths and swung his fists up and down as if he was swinging a hammer.
This grandmaster … seemed to be a little abnormal. Shao Xuan thought.
When Gongjia Heng finally returned to normal, he ran to Shao Xuan and asked excitedly, "Which way?"
"Follow me."
Shao Xuan changed his field of vision and focused. He blocked out all external disturbances, as if he had locked himself in another world. Then, he lifted his feet and walked over according to the instructions on the knot.
Heng did not say anything when he saw Shao Xuan like this. No matter how curious he was, for the sake of finding Gongjia Mountain as soon as possible, he had to hold it in. He could not interfere with Shao Xuan's judgment.
The two of them did not speak. Their footsteps were light. Only the rustling of leaves could be heard in the forest.
Half a day later, they finally stepped out of the forest. There were no tall and dense trees blocking their view. They could see the mountain in the distance.
Before sunset, they reached a valley. They could only rest here tonight.
There were no caves so they found a place to rest.
This was not Gongjia Mountain but Heng had a feeling.
"We're almost there. I can feel Gongjia Mountain calling me." Heng looked in a direction, his expression solemn.
The closer they were, the more cautious they had to be. They could not fall before dawn. This seemingly ordinary valley might not be as easy to traverse as the forest from before.
Shao Xuan leaned against the mountain wall to rest. He had used up a lot of energy today. He did not rest after reading the divination. When he walked out of the forest, every nerve in his brain was in a state of high tension. He only relaxed now. In his mind, on top of the totem flame, threads of energy extended out, following his blood, along with his muscles and bones, circulating in his body over and over again. Every time it circulated, the nearly exhausted power in his body would increase, and he would quickly recover.
Shao Xuan's pale face gradually faded. His face was rosy again but it was not obvious at night. Heng could not tell but if he knew, he would be shocked at Shao Xuan's recovery ability.
Shao Xuan originally thought that such a situation would not happen in the depths of the forest, but he did not expect to encounter it here.
The night was very quiet. Other than the occasional sound of sand rolling in the wind, there was no other sound. When the wind stopped, he could not hear anything else. The gusts of wind when he walked out of the forest during the day were like an illusion.
The next day, when Shao Xuan woke up, he was no longer tired. The sun had just risen so it was not bright.
In the 'U' shaped valley, the thick mountain walls on both sides were about one to two hundred metres high. If you stood on the mountain, you would realise that the further you walked, the higher the walls became. That was why Shao Xuan could not see the details of the valley. He could not see where it led to.
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