northernbook Chapter 277 I am a little fish (32)
Chapter 277 I am a little fish (32)
The puppet silk, as thick as a little finger, resembled a small snake, quietly watching its prey.
It exchanged a glance with the fake Meng Li, and then the fake Jing Li attacked Chun Xiaopian first, followed closely by the fake Meng Li, who cut off Chun Xiaopian's retreat. At the same time, the puppet silk gathered its strength and moved forward, about to pierce Chun Xiaopian's temple.
However, at the critical moment, Chun Xiaopian's figure suddenly transformed into a smooth long strip, which instantly strangled the fake Meng Li's neck. Sharp teeth pierced out, accompanied by streams of venom. The mask on the fake Meng Li's face almost collapsed, and the puppet silk also fell limply to the ground.
The illusion shattered, and Chun Xiaopian was still in front of the flower boat. However, this time the bow of the boat was empty, with only the sound of sloshing liquid and a strong smell of blood.
Within this, there still lingers a familiar, spring-like atmosphere, a feeling that belongs to the scenery.
If Chun Xiaopian were truly a snake, all its scales would be standing up at this moment.
He anxiously thrashed his short legs back and forth, trying to discern the direction of the breath in order to find where he was in the scene.
The lingering trace of aura seemed ominous to Chun Xiaopian. He could sense that something was lurking all around Jingli, coveting him intently.
Although his master cultivates every day, the powerful yet warm energy within him has not yet reached the point where it can be fully released, which makes Chun Xiaopian very anxious.
However, all around him, except for the spot where he stood, was a long staircase that seemed to have no end.
At the end of the stairs was a palace, but Chun Xiaopian knew it was fake.
The stairs are endless, and the palace is unreachable.
With nowhere else to go, Chun Xiaopian took a couple of deep breaths, furrowed his brows, and resolutely stepped onto the stairs that he knew he would never reach the end.
The twists and turns of the story are not explained in detail to Jingli in the short film.
He only said that he woke up in a coffin, defeated two swindlers and villains, climbed a long flight of stairs, and finally found the palace gate and Jingli.
Throughout the entire journey, Chun Xiaopian uttered only three sentences, plus one exclamation—
"I walked for a very, very long time."
Chun Xiaopian seemed a little tired. He rested his little face against Jingli's palm and rubbed it gently.
In fact it is.
Refining a portion of the dragon within Meng Li's inner palace was merely one of his opportunities. Transforming it into a snake-like form in a very short time was extremely taxing on him, especially after walking for a long time on the seemingly endless staircase.
Before the illusion was opened, time was essentially frozen. Chun Xiaopian didn't know how long he had been walking. He only wanted to see Jingli, nothing more.
Jingli gently rubbed Chun Xiaopian's head, her heart melting.
"You've worked hard. I'll treat you to candy later."
Chun Xiaopian hummed contentedly twice, then leaned against Jingli and closed her eyes.
Meng Li is very strong. That liar is no match for her now. With me by Jing Li's side, Jing Li will not be in danger.
He needs to rest now, recharge his energy, and protect his little master.
Sure enough, Meng Li's battle ended in less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.
When the mask in the fake scene landed, only half of the face that was revealed resembled the scene's appearance; the other half was a face without any features.
Meng Li had already put away her whip and calmly walked over to Jing Li and Chun Xiaopian. After confirming that the two were not injured, she raised her chin towards the half-human face.
“That was the Imperial Advisor.” She paused, then added, “To be precise, it was the Imperial Advisor’s afterimage.”
Like Jingli and Chun Xiaopian, Mengli also experienced a similar "role-playing".
She plays the role of the Imperial Advisor, and the scene is the same as the dancers and puppet children who are sacrificed. The Imperial Advisor, whom she plays, is in the formation and watching the dancers walk towards the puppets.
Of course, what she saw was all an illusion, not reality.
Meng Li doesn't have Chun Xiaopian's keen sense of smell, nor can she directly interact with as many NPCs as Jing Li, but that doesn't matter. She is incredibly powerful and escaped the original illusion with sheer force, triggering a "plot correction."
The dancer, Jingli, emerged from the illusion she had witnessed and attempted to bewitch Mengli once more. The two then began to fight, and as Jingli disrupted the script, they fought their way from the upper to the lower levels of the palace.
This also means that the illusion has been completely shattered.
"The three of us are in the same scene, and the others are probably in a similar situation, but we don't know if they are all in the same scene."
As Meng Li finished speaking, the scene in front of them slowly began to dissipate, leaving only an empty hall with only puppets, a set of bracelets with silver bells, a ball of puppet silk, and a mask that had fallen in front of them.
Jingli didn't immediately move the three items, but first asked Meng Li, "With these, can we leave the formation?"
Meng Li nodded: "Shall we leave now?"
Jingli glanced at Chun Xiaopian; the little guy had completely relaxed after Meng Li finished the battle and was now asleep.
"Let's go."
Jingli picked up Chun Xiaopian and, after Meng Li confirmed it, put all three items into the system.
Then, the main hall began to dissipate.
The three did not leave the formation directly, but instead saw stories belonging to other illusions like a revolving lantern.
For example, in the filthy back alleys, there are witch doctors with pustules all over their faces, glamorous rouge shop owners, and beggars with bellies swollen like drums.
For example, outside the cemetery there are lonely grave keepers, weeping grave children with bloodshot eyes, and tomb-guarding maids underground;
For example, the mute actors on the stage in the city center and the audience cheering wildly in the audience.
……
Scene after scene, each different, yet each one truly captures the essence of the Spirit Puppet Immortal Abode at a certain time, imagining and recording it as it appears within the array.
Gradually, darkness returned to Jingli's vision. The restraint of his dance costume disappeared, Chun Xiaopian was still asleep in his arms, and Meng Li was still beside him.
Just like when they came out of the first formation.
But this time, what they were facing was the abdomen of a puppet.
Compared to the puppet's head, the abdomen was much smaller, about four times the size of a normal person's.
In terms of shape, this abdomen is more like a human body. Although it is still recognizable as a bronze artifact, it already shows the texture of skin.
Jingli thought of the flower boat made of skin and couldn't help but shudder.
He stopped looking at it and put the bronze belly away.
The bronze belly transformed into a simple prop card and fell into the system, and several people gradually emerged from behind them.
Perhaps because they didn't actively break the formation, few of these people were normal; most were insane.
The one with the most severe symptoms kept grinning foolishly and saying he was hungry, saying he wanted to eat his hands and feet.
Jingli had some recollection of this person; he was the beggar from the back alley. Jingli had taken a few extra glances at him because of his large belly.
A young disciple from the sect plopped down on the ground, shouting hoarsely:
"They're all dead...they're all dead!"