As soon as Qu Wanyue finished speaking, a chill ran down the spines of his teammates.
In the pitch-black night, I witnessed the bride's wedding procession, but then the procession suddenly disappeared... This locked room is likely a supernatural theme. From the initial Mass Grave to the bride who has now vanished from the town, everything is eerie, and these phenomena are difficult to explain with common sense.
Xiao Lou quickly calmed down, pressed his earpiece, and whispered, "Let's figure out the maze's path first."
Old Mo picked up the half-drawn map and said, "This maze is too big. The part we just walked through is probably less than a tenth of the total area."
Xiao Lou thought for a moment and said, "Do you remember the conversation between those two maids just now? They said that Miss is going to get married at the hour of Yin... The hour of Yin is between 3 and 5 a.m. Soon, it will be dawn."
Yu Hanjiang said decisively, "Let's go, let's hurry. If these people in the town really are ghosts, then the town after dawn will definitely be different from the one at night."
Old Mo led the way, with the others following behind, heading in another direction.
The town's paths were all winding, somewhat like the "petal-shaped" maze we encountered in the ancient tomb. No matter which path we took, we would eventually return to the lake in the center of the town. And there were complex passages connecting the winding paths. Even with Lao Mo with us, after walking for a few minutes, everyone was completely disoriented and couldn't tell which way was which.
It keeps spinning in circles, one circle leading to another...
The town's intersections were covered with arrows of various colors. Old Mo, who was drawing maps, was getting a headache and couldn't help but complain, "This maze is too complicated. All the paths are similar to circles, one ring after another. I can't even tell which path we came on."
Everyone: "..."
Only after Lao Mo reminded them did they suddenly realize that they couldn't find their way back.
No matter which way they go, the destination is always this lake in the middle of the town. None of the forks in the road along the lake lead out... Are they trapped in the town?
Xiao Lou felt a chill run down his spine as he recalled the wedding procession that had just vanished. He said, " Qingfeng Town is likely an illusion, and we're trapped. Luckily, Ninth Brother is outside the town. If we really can't find an exit, we can have him use the Peach Blossom Spring to pull us out."
With Peach Blossom Spring as a fallback option, the group felt much more at ease and continued to explore the town.
There weren't many pedestrians in the small town late at night, and all the roads were clear, which provided great convenience for everyone. Old Mo led everyone around, and the paths on his map kept increasing.
They wandered around the town for an unknown amount of time when Yu Hanjiang heard Lu Jiuchuan's voice in his mind: "It's almost dawn, aren't you coming out yet?"
Yu Hanjiang paused, stopped, and looked up at the sky.
A crescent moon hung high in the night sky, surrounded by complete darkness, with no sign of dawn approaching. He frowned and asked, "Brother, are you outside the town? Is it already dawn?"
Lu Jiuchuan said, "There is light in the east, the sun hasn't fully risen yet, it should be around six in the morning."
Yu Hanjiang turned to Xiao Lou and asked, "How long have we been wandering around this town?"
"About two hours. The Peach Blossom Spring lasts for three hours. I think we can go out before it disappears." Xiao Lou realized something was wrong as he said this, and following Yu Hanjiang's gaze, he looked at the sky and said thoughtfully, "According to the time just now, Miss's wedding was at dawn, around 3 AM. It should be 7 AM now, so why isn't it dawn yet?"
"Yeah… Logically speaking, we've been wandering around here for two hours, it should be dawn by now." Long Sen scratched his head, looking at Yu Hanjiang with a puzzled expression. He noticed that the latter looked serious, with his brows slightly furrowed, as if he was thinking about something.
After a moment of silence, Yu Hanjiang whispered, "Ninth Brother said that it's already daylight outside, and the town we've entered at night is likely another world."
Qu Wanyue paused for a moment, then blurted out, "A ghost market?"
Xiao Lou realized something was wrong and immediately said, "Let's go!"
Yu Hanjiang called Lu Jiuchuan via Telepathic Connection and asked him to activate the teleportation. Everyone saw a message from Lu Jiuchuan inviting them to enter Peach Blossom Spring. Everyone clicked "agree," and the scene flashed, and everyone gathered again under the familiar peach tree.
Seeing the five people's pale faces, Lu Jiuchuan walked over worriedly and asked, "What's going on? I heard from Hanjiang that you're trapped in the maze?"
Ye Qi was also curious: "A ghost bride? A ghost baby?"
Shao Qingge gently pressed his temples and said, "So, is this a horror battle royale? Uncontrollable zombies, elusive ghosts? And some hunters who want to kill us?"
Ye Qi turned to look at him: "What is a ghost?"
Shao Qingge chuckled and patted the boy's shoulder, patiently explaining, "It means ghost. Usually, ghosts like to float behind people, so they are respectfully called 'ghosts,' didn't you know that?"
Ye Qi shuddered, "I've never seen it before!"
Xiao Lou's mind was a bit of a mess. He sorted out his thoughts and said, "What we can confirm now is that the town at night is a Ghost City where time has frozen. Once you go in, you can't get out. Lao Mo, show everyone the maze map you drew first."
Old Mo took out a handkerchief, the one Liu Qiao had given him years ago. It was a card that could be drawn directly on with your finger, making it very convenient to carry. The white handkerchief was covered with countless circles.
In the middle is a large circle with the words "Lake" and " Drunken Moon Pavilion " written on it.
Ye Qi was dizzy: "Is this maze a ring toss game? One circle after another connected together?"
Gui Yuanzhang walked over and carefully examined the floor plan, saying, "Which way did you enter? Looking at the map, it seems like a closed maze with no exit?"
Xiao Lou said, "I find it strange too. When we entered the town and found this lake, we left arrow marks on the original path, but after walking around and coming back, we couldn't find the marks anymore. All the paths are loops, and once you go in, you can't get out."
Lu Jiuchuan frowned deeply: "No way out? No way back?!"
Tang Ci said seriously, "Luckily, Captain Yu left the seven of us outside. If the whole team had entered the maze, we would probably be trapped in Ghost City by now."
Ye Qi's face paled, and he said, "If we're trapped in Ghost City and can't get out, we'll starve to death and become ghosts like them?"
Everyone who heard this was still shaken.
If Xiao Lou hadn't had Lu Jiuchuan open Peach Blossom Spring to recruit people, Yu Hanjiang would have cautiously sent only 5 people to scout ahead, while the rest stayed outside the town...
If we had been careless and all of us had gone in together, it would have been a dead end, a one-way trip!
This is the first major pitfall the Guardian left them with.
Old Mo looked at the map on the handkerchief and said, "Have you ever heard of the 'Honeycomb Maze'?"
Everyone else looked confused, but Xiao Lou quickly said, "I've heard of it. It's one of the most complex types of mazes in the world, often used in various maze challenge competitions. The principle of the honeycomb maze is based on the hive of bees. There are countless forks in the road, and if you take the wrong path, it's extremely difficult to turn back."
Old Mo nodded and pointed to the map, saying, " Professor Xiao, the maze layout of this town seems to be a variation of the honeycomb maze. However, the honeycomb maze is made up of countless hexagons connected together, while this one is made up of countless circles. The difficulty is about the same, but it is more visually dizzying."
Xiao Lou said, "Let's get out of Peach Blossom Spring first. I want to see what the town is like during the day."
Before leaving Peach Blossom Spring, Yu Hanjiang warned, "This is an ancient setting. If you're wearing shirts, jeans, and sneakers, the townspeople might see you as oddballs if you need to investigate clues during the day."
Shao Qingge said with a smile, "That's not a problem. Do you remember the clothing cards everyone got in Red Heart 8?"
Hearts Sister is always so "thoughtful." When they rewarded everyone with [clothing cards], everyone thought they'd never need the "cosplay" outfit. But they were proven wrong so quickly! Now there's an ancient-themed escape room where they need to wear period costumes...
Ye Qi blushed furiously: "Am I going to have to wear that women's clothing again?!"
Everyone had a "what else?" look on their faces.
Xiao Lou pretended to be calm as he changed into the women's clothing and became Yu Hanjiang's "wife" for life in Red Heart 8. His clothes and Lord Yu's clothes were even matching couple outfits in the same color scheme.
Lu Jiuchuan looked at his younger brother and Xiao Lou's matching outfits and commented, "Not bad, they match well."
Xiao Lou's ears turned slightly red. Ignoring the deeper meaning in his words, she asked, "Ninth Brother, I remember you guys also experienced an ancient secret chamber once. Did you get a costume card as a reward?"
Lu Jiuchuan chuckled and touched his nose: "The ancient secret chamber we went to back then, I was a general, Hua Ying was a female knight-errant, Tang Ci was a schoolteacher, and Old Gui was the emperor."
Gui Yuanzhang said calmly, "I also have a set of casual clothes for my incognito visit."
Lu Jiuchuan said, "Then let's change into them."
A group of people pulled out costume cards and instantly changed into ancient costumes. Ye Qi felt like vomiting blood. His bright red dress was the most eye-catching, after all, he played the top courtesan of Tianxiang Tower in Red Heart 8...
Lu Jiuchuan looked at Xiao Ye, who was dressed in a red dress and adorned with hairpins and jewelry, and couldn't help but burst into laughter: "What kind of outfit is this? Could it be that you're a Qing..."
Tang Ci coughed lightly, interrupting Ninth Brother's joke.
Ye Qi gritted his teeth in anger: "I need to change my clothes after we enter the town!"
Shao Qingge chuckled and straightened a crooked hairpin on Ye Qi's head, saying, " Xiao Lou, let's arrange how to divide into groups. In case there are people in the town during the day, and there are twelve of us with different clothes, we can't just rush in all at once, can we? The locals will immediately notice something's wrong."
Xiao Lou looked at Yu Hanjiang, who said calmly, " Xiao Lou and I are pretending to be husband and wife. Long and Qu are with us. The four of us are just tourists passing through this place." The attire of the four of them—the master, the lady, the guard, and the maid—was appropriate and unlikely to arouse suspicion.
Xiao Lou continued, "Old Mo and Xiao Liu will play the roles of master and apprentice. You are wandering pharmacists who have come to the area to collect herbs."
Yu Hanjiang said, " Hua Ying and Senior Gui are in one group, a mobile group, and will act independently."
Chu Huaying and Old Gui are both highly capable individuals who can investigate clues independently when no one is paying attention.
The remaining four need no further explanation. Shao Qingge took the initiative to speak, "As a rich young master, I have no choice but to bring Miss Ye along." Seeing Ye Qi blush, he leaned closer and chuckled, "Once we get to town, I'll buy you a set of clothes you like and change out of that gaudy red dress."
Ye Qi was delighted: "I want to change into men's clothes!"
Lu Jiuchuan said, " Tang Ci and I will stay behind. In case anything happens in the town, I'll just use another Peach Blossom Spring map." "The card forcibly dragged you out."
The town at night is like a ghost city; once you enter, you can never leave, so you have to be careful.
Shao Qingge handed the copied [ Tao Yuanming ] card to Lu Jiuchuan, Yu Hanjiang, and Lu...
Jiuchuan's Telepathic Connection can last for another 20 hours, so if danger occurs, Lu Jiuchuan can restart Peach Blossom Spring in time.
After discussing it, everyone left Peach Blossom Spring in batches.
Yu Hanjiang, Xiao Lou, Long Sen, and Qu Wanyue were the first to enter the town.
Sure enough, it was getting light outside, and a red sunrise appeared in the eastern sky, waking the quiet town. After the downpour, the air seemed exceptionally fresh, and you could even smell a faint scent of grass.
As Xiao Lou and his group entered the town, they saw a woodcutter with tools, seemingly preparing to go up the mountain to chop firewood.
The old man was slightly taken aback when he saw them, but did not take the initiative to speak and continued walking forward.
Yu Hanjiang stepped forward to block his way and politely said, "Sir, my wife and I are passing through this area and are looking for a place to stay. May I ask if there is an inn in this town?"
The old man said, "There is an inn. You can see it if you keep walking west along the mainland."
Yu Hanjiang nodded: "Thank you, sir."
The four entered the town. It was still early, and there weren't many pedestrians on the streets, but some vendors were already preparing breakfast, and the aroma of meat buns wafted through the air. The town, brimming with life, was completely different from the quiet, eerie town of the previous night; it truly felt like two different worlds.
Based on his memory, Xiao Lou walked to the center of the town and indeed saw a lake.
The willows are reflected on the lake, and a gentle breeze makes the clear lake water sparkle. The scenery is a hundred times more beautiful than at night.
Xiao Lou remembered that if you walked to the third fork in the road to the right along the lake, you would reach the house where a bride had been married that night. He and Yu Hanjiang exchanged a glance and walked towards the house of the bride they remembered.
As I approached the door, a gust of wind blew by, and the leaves that had been battered by the rain were suddenly swept up by the wind, making a rustling sound. The atmosphere inexplicably became eerie.
Yu Hanjiang stopped and looked at the deserted street.
The entire street was deserted.
Xiao Lou gave Qu Wanyue a wink, and Qu Wanyue and Long Sen quickly sneaked into the yard using their Chameleon cards when no one was around.
A moment later, the two returned. Long Sen said with a grim face, " Professor Xiao, this courtyard has been abandoned for a long time. There's no one inside. However..."
Xiao Lou asked, "What is it?"
Qu Wanyue gritted her teeth and said, "There's a row of memorial tablets."