Chapter 181: with translation of chapter title

Mu Yuanzhi: "What should we do now?"

"How did you just wake up?" Gu Rongjin asked Mu Yuanzhi.

Mu Yuanzhi: "I bit my own hand."

She raised her hand to look; indeed there were traces of blood seeping from her arm.

So is this real or illusory?

Mu Yuanzhi already couldn't figure it out.

"Alright, I'll bite myself; maybe then we'll both wake up." Gu Rongjin said, preparing to bite, but he couldn't bring himself to do it.

He had no choice but to draw his sword and cut.

The sword was very sharp; a light slash split open a wound and blood came out.

Mu Yuanzhi and Gu Rongjin waited a while, but nothing happened.

Gu Rongjin:...

"I made a pointless cut." Gu Rongjin felt sorry for his hand.

So is this actually an illusion?!

"How about you slash me with a sword?" Mu Yuanzhi said, "Maybe my blood would work better."

"No, I can't bear to." Gu Rongjin was reluctant.

"We have to try every method." Mu Yuanzhi snatched Gu Rongjin's sword without hesitation.

Gu Rongjin furrowed his brows: "Be careful, don't cut too deep."

Mu Yuanzhi: "Don't worry, I'm still afraid of pain."

She raised the sword ready to slash, when suddenly she felt a wave of dizziness.

"Rongjin?"

Mu Yuanzhi instinctively reached for Gu Rongjin, fearing he would disappear.

Gu Rongjin gripped that nervous hand: "It's okay, I'm here."

He was a bit unsteady on his feet.

No way? He wouldn't faint from just a small cut, would he?

This can only mean...

Gu Rongjin suddenly opened his eyes; the first thing he did was look for Mu Yuanzhi.

Mu Yuanzhi likewise, upon waking, instinctively sought Gu Rongjin.

"You're awake."

The two people who had sat up stared blankly at the National Teacher before them.

They glanced at each other, then looked puzzled at the National Teacher.

Mu Yuanzhi asked: "Where are the Qilin and Master Yuan Yan?"

The National Teacher shook his head: "I don't know; I didn't see them when I woke up."

Again, plum blossoms bloom twice... What level of illusion is this! Gu Rongjin felt dizzy.

Mu Yuanzhi was also dumbfounded, wondering if it would ever end.

However, the National Teacher said: "You have already fully awakened; you are not deeply trapped in the illusion."

"Really?" It wasn't that Gu Rongjin wanted to doubt; it really was exactly the same as when Xiao Zhiyan woke up.

"Indeed, I could have woken you earlier." The National Teacher put the small incense burner in his hand into his sleeve, smiling: "But I think you might need an illusion to deepen your feelings for each other."

His smile was unfathomable, with a hint of teasing, like someone watching a show.

Upon hearing this, Mu Yuanzhi glanced at Gu Rongjin.

Indeed, without that illusion, perhaps she would struggle to see her own inner self clearly, to confront her feelings.

Between her and him, there would always be a barrier.

Gu Rongjin expressed gratitude: "Thanks a lot, Xiao Yang."

"You're welcome, Xiao Gu."

"Why did we fall into the illusion?" Mu Yuanzhi asked.

"It's because of the jade-red grass here." The National Teacher explained: "According to the Classic of Mountains and Seas, eating jade-red grass makes one drunk for three hundred years without waking; although you didn't eat it, you drank stream water steeped in jade-red grass, and that water also has hallucinogenic properties, so you fell into the illusion."

"No wonder you didn't drink when we did; why didn't you warn us?!" Gu Rongjin put his hands on his hips.

The National Teacher still wore that smile: "I said before, you need an illusion."

"How would the National Teacher know what we would dream of?" Mu Yuanzhi asked.

Could the National Teacher possibly control dreams?

"Heaven's secrets must not be revealed." The National Teacher gave a mysterious smile.

"Alright, you're being cryptic again, all mysterious." Gu Rongjin scoffed.

Mu Yuanzhi frowned: "We need to hurry and find the Qilin."

She went forward to examine the ground; indeed, there was no differently colored soil as in the illusion.

In other words, now there isn't even a single clue!

"If the Qilin is together with Master Yuan Yan, there probably wouldn't be any danger." The National Teacher said.

"With you saying that, that monk is the biggest danger!" Gu Rongjin didn't trust such a turncoat.

Mu Yuanzhi also wasn't completely unaffected by that reason: "We don't even know whether the Qilin is actually with Master Yuan Yan."

"I just divined another hexagram for us, and it's ominous."

"? Why are you laughing while saying that? Do we have to thank you for our feelings?!" Gu Rongjin was speechless.

Do you know, what I previously divined was extremely ominous.

Gu Rongjin couldn't say anything this time.

It's either the worst or it's good, right?

"Xiao Yang, can you take a moment to see where the Qilin is?" Gu Rongjin asked, "My wife only has this one junior disciple, I only have this one disciple, and he's also your cheap disciple—you can't just stand by while he gets into trouble, can you?"

National Teacher said, "The Qilin is fine; he's capable and smart, you parents should worry less."

"Big brother, this is a primeval forest, that kid's not bright!" He didn't want to be someone's father.

But I have to say, the National Teacher's way of speaking always gives people a sense of reassurance, even though he often doesn't speak like a human.

Mu Yuanzhi said, "Fire off a signal flare and see if the Qilin can see it."

"Aren't you afraid of attracting monsters?" Gu Rongjin said.

"We can't worry about that anymore."

Gu Rongjin nodded, he took out the signal flare he carried and threw it into the sky.

The signal flare exploded in the air above the primeval forest!

"It's Gu Rongjin!"

The Qilin, not knowing where he was, suddenly lifted his head, saw the signal flare in the distant sky, and his smile collapsed in an instant.

But he's just wandering around here and can't get out!

It's already been several hours, and he still can't find a way out.

He was fine, sitting on a stone, although he knew the stone was actually a mechanism, he fell right in; luckily he was quick-eyed and quick-handed, pulling the monk down as well, otherwise it would be even worse for him alone now!

They walked along the underground path all the way, only returning to the surface near here, and upon looking, they saw no trace of the others.

The Qilin gazed in the direction of the smoke bomb; it was really far away.

"Hey Yuan Yan, are you just messing with me? You said you were powerful, so why can't you even get out of a simple labyrinth?"

"This is an Eight Trigrams Formation." The monk drew with a stick on the dirt, "Without some time and patience it can't be solved; spinning around like a headless fly like you will only waste stamina."

"You're out of options." The Qilin sat down mockingly, "You've puzzled over it for half a day and still can't solve it—just admit you're stupid."

"I don't know who's stupid enough to sit on a mechanism." The monk was completely unfazed; he was very interested in this Eight Trigrams Formation, so he didn't care at all how long he'd be trapped here.

Bored, the Qilin began studying the ground pattern, then suddenly shouted, "Hey! You couldn't have already solved it, could you?!"

This clearly has already been solved!