Gao Yi and Fan Dayong's eyes are already fixed on Qin Tan, and even Feng Zhi is paying attention to his Tang sword. But Qin Tan himself didn't care at all. Instead, he went to see his own team members first to make sure everything is fine before finally noticing his sword.
Gao Yi: …
For the first time, Gao Yi felt so much difference between types of people. Advanced spirit weapon, the first time he's seen it in Lazuli after staying for so long. He looked at Qin Tan, could this person be the first person he could see going out of Lazuli? He thinks it should be.
There is a hint of light in Feng Zhi's always-cold eyes. She fondly stroked her umbrella, wondering when it would be upgraded again and bring her back to reality.
The sun rose and the warm sunlight shone on everyone’s body, dispelling the remaining coldness of the lake. The group of people scattered on the shore, some sitting while some resting.
The human skins have been taken out by them and are spread on the ground, all intact. When night comes, they will enter the woods again to find the black-robed man. Soon, this task will be completed. Lou Fan felt that he is in a good mood. He glanced at Jiang Dong who is applying medicine to himself while checking on Wen Lang, and the corners of his mouth curved up inexplicably.
On the other side, Nie Feng is talking to Chen Shuyang slowly. Not sure what Nie Feng said but the young boy who was sullen just now had a bright smile on his face.
His companions are all fine and that makes Lou Fan very happy. What made him even happier is that Qin Tan's Tang sword had been upgraded again. Lou Fan looked at the bow in his hand. Back at the time in the maze, he vaguely felt that his bow is a little different, but there was no upgrade. Maybe the time has not come.
At 2.00 pm, Wen Lang woke up leisurely. When he woke up, he jumped up like he got frightened, and immediately fell down again when he saw Jiang Dong who is in good condition beside him. His series of actions made everyone stunned, startled, and then burst into laughter. Wen Lang covered his face and said he doesn’t know anything at all.
Jiang Dong chuckled in Wen Lang’s ear and pulled his clothes, "Get up. Don't pretend to be dead and change your clothes. It's so dirty."
Wen Lang got up silently with his ears all red. Hiding behind the wooden house and changing into clean clothes, Wen Lang felt much refreshed. He felt less embarrassed when he returned to the house. However, when he turned his gaze, he met with Lou Fan's playful eyes.
"Ah Lang, do you feel any difference?" Lou Fan asked with a smile, his eyes swept up and down on Wen Lang.
Wen Lang immediately hugged himself tightly. Then, he turned to look at Jiang Dong, and asked hesitantly, "It’s, it's, nothing different, right?"
Hearing that, Lou Fan burst out laughing. He raised his chin and gestured, "Stupid, look at your poker."
Having seen Wen Lang’s poker forming a tornado-like vortex in the water before, and ground the surrounding ghosts to dust, Lou Fan felt that his spirit weapon is different. When Wen Lang took the poker out, Lou Fan revealed the ‘as expected’ expression on his face.
"My, my poker, upgraded again?" Wen Lang stammered, looking over and over at his poker in disbelief.
Gao Yi jumped up from the ground, his eyes wide with suspicion. What the hell did the intermediate team do in the water? Why did 2 of their teammates manage to upgrade their spirit weapons? This is impossible! However, the red light from Wen Lang's poker dazzlingly told him that this is the truth.
Lou Fan tsk-ed and commented, "It seems that you have a deep love for Jiang Dong. Otherwise, you won’t explode like a Big Bang."
Wen Lang doesn't care about blushing now, he just stares at his poker. The surreal feeling in his heart is smoothed out by the touch of his hand, telling him that this is the real thing. His spirit weapon has been upgraded. He became an advanced spirit weapon owner like Qin Tan, even more advanced than Lou Fan's spirit weapon.
"This, this..." Wen Lang is speechless from the excitement. He looked at Jiang Dong and Lou Fan and looked around at his other teammates. Seeing that they all smiled encouragingly at him, he immediately calmed down.
Chen Shuyang said with a smile, "Ah Lang, I will have to rely on you to protect me from now on."
Wen Lang is about to say sure but when he saw Nie Feng's face, he pouted, "Che, when will it be my turn? I want to protect Brother Lou."
"Your Brother Lou doesn't need your protection." Qin Tan said slowly. Then he raised the Tang sword in his hand and waved.
Qin Tan looked very much like a male beast declaring his territory so Wen Lang silently shut his mouth, and sat back beside Jiang Dong in a sullen manner.
Sitting not far away and watching the team playing around with envy, Jiang Rou said, "Sister Fei, their relationship is really good, and their luck is also very good."
"Their luck is indeed good." Tong Fei murmured. It is impossible to say that she is not envious. Everyone who is struggling in the mission world will have a dream that their spirit weapon can be upgraded as the spirit weapon is their biggest reliance to survive.
"But." Tong Fei continued sternly, "Didn't you see how they looked like when they came up from the lake? Everyone looked extremely exhausted and on the brink of death. They fought with ghosts in the water until the last of their breath, and their wounds were bloody. If you also can do the same, then your spirit weapon will also be upgraded."
The sound of Tong Fei's voice is not small so both Gao Yi and Feng Zhi who are sitting around her heard it. Gao Yi is stunned, the color on his face keeps changing. Tong Fei is right, it is impossible to get something without paying the price.
…
The group of people took the whole afternoon to rest. When the sun slowly went down the mountain, they packed their things and bags, and they waited for the forest to appear.
The fog is hazy and the shadow of the woods appeared in the distance. At the moment, the lake is calm and the waves nearby are calm as well. The dark clouds enveloped the night sky, and the group stepped to the edge of the woods. This time, Lou Fan is leading the way. Although he doesn’t know the location, he simply picked a direction and goes with it.
Facts have proved that his sense of direction is still very good. Soon, he saw the traps made by the villagers, which means they are close to their place of residence. At this point, Lou Fan is replaced by Qin Tan. He walked to the front, probing the traps to avoid them. After walking for a while, the group saw the stone mountain where the black-robed people lived again.
"Village Chief, Village Chief..." Lou Fan shouted a few times and saw 5 black-robed men appear.
Lou Fan immediately said, "We have been to Holy Lake City, and we also learned that there is no channel between the two lakes. The only way is for you to trust in the lake that nurtures you again."
Lou Fan said that, but he felt that the men in black robes are not happy to hear it. Lou Fan took out the jade in his arms and handed it over. The two fish jade, one blue and one gold, glowed faintly when it touched the man in black robe.
The black-robed man holding the two-colored jade stood silently. After a long time, he told the people around him in an elderly voice filled with infinite emotion, "Go and ask the villagers to prepare. Let's go out of the mountain."
"Village chief…"
"Go quickly."
"Yes."
While they are waiting, the surroundings are silent. Fortunately, it didn't take long. When all the villagers came out in black robes and stood together, Lou Fan remembered something.
"We forgot to give them back their thing," Lou Fan reminded.
Everyone suddenly realized that they have forgotten about the most important thing.
Qin Tan took out the tarp from his bag and handed it over. He explained, "This is what we found in the cave under the lake. It should belong to you, and I'll give it back to you now."
Several bundles of wrapped human skins are handed over one by one. The village chief accepted it with shaky hands and opened the tarpaulin. Dozens of human skins appeared in front of them, and the crowd screamed, not sure if it is surprise or other emotion.
The village chief suddenly knelt down in front of the group. Immediately, the villagers behind him knelt down one by one after him. The group of people got startled and they quickly came forward to support them.
"Thank you, thank you..."
The village chief thanked Lou Fan and looked up at the sky, "We have been waiting for this day to come."
"Let's go, it's time for us to go back." While being supported, the village chief said this and stepped forward.
Lou Fan and his party followed behind the black-robed people, watching them walk forward steadily while holding the most precious things in their hands.
Wen Lang approached Jiang Dong and whispered, "What did you think they are going to do?"
Jiang Dong shook his head, "How would I know?"
"Are your legs okay?" Wen Lang glanced at Jiang Dong’s legs.
"I’m fine."
Lou Fan watched the black-robed people stepping out of the woods, all the way to the ghost lake. Finally, they stopped at the edge of the ghost lake.
The village chief took the lead and knelt down, with a human skin in front of him, which belonged to him. He raised his arms and stretched forward. Next, he bowed down to the ghost lake and knocked his forehead strongly on the ground. He reverently kowtowed 3 times and stood up tremblingly. His black robe is taken off, revealing the body inside. Under the shocked eyes of the group, the villagers took off their black robes as well and put on their human skins.
It's as if the people have grown a new layer of skin, the human skin fits the body perfectly. The old village chief turned back and smiled at them, kind and gentle.
"We have returned." The village chief said to the ghost lake.
The dark lake's surface tumbled as if something is about to emerge from it. Lou Fan clenched the bow in his hand, ready to pull the arrow at any time. The expected big boss did not appear. Instead, transparent figures emerged from it. They looked at the black-robed man below and waved their hands with relaxed smiles.
The village chief also smiled, and his perfectly fitting human skin made him look natural[1]. He walked forward slowly and dipped his feet into the lake water. Soon, the villagers behind him followed him into the water. When the waters of the lake went over their heads and they disappeared into the lake, a layer of water rippled and 2 fishes jumped out of the water. The golden fish is dazzling while the blue one is lively and lovely. They overlapped each other in mid-air above the water, and then jump into the water again.
The air felt like a cool wind blowing on a hot and dark night, and it began to spread out from the center of the lake. Visible to the naked eye, the jet-black lake water began to turn clear, and finally, it became crystal clear and one could almost see the bottom of the lake. The rising sun rises from the lake, and under the sun, the ghost lake becomes indistinguishable from the holy lake.
Countless ghosts floated up from the bottom of the lake. They turned out to look like the same group of villagers just now. The ghosts turned to face the sun with relieved smiles on their faces. Like punctured bubbles, they disappeared in mid-air, turning into dust and dissipating.
Lou Fan closed his eyes, facing the sun and the lake. He seemed to be in a soft beam of light. It’s like he could see the bundle of light (from the painting) again, and a steady stream of power emanating from it. Lou Fan kept breathing heavily, wanting to breathe in all that power into his body.
The group of people is still sighing in relief that the ghost lake had finally changed, only to hear a hum. Next, the aura around Lou Fan's body changed, and the bow in his hand glowed dazzling red.
Gao Yi and Fan Dayong's eyes are already fixed on Qin Tan, and even Feng Zhi is paying attention to his Tang sword. But Qin Tan himself didn't care at all. Instead, he went to see his own team members first to make sure everything is fine before finally noticing his sword.
Gao Yi: …
For the first time, Gao Yi felt so much difference between types of people. Advanced spirit weapon, the first time he's seen it in Lazuli after staying for so long. He looked at Qin Tan, could this person be the first person he could see going out of Lazuli? He thinks it should be.
There is a hint of light in Feng Zhi's always-cold eyes. She fondly stroked her umbrella, wondering when it would be upgraded again and bring her back to reality.
The sun rose and the warm sunlight shone on everyone’s body, dispelling the remaining coldness of the lake. The group of people scattered on the shore, some sitting while some resting.
The human skins have been taken out by them and are spread on the ground, all intact. When night comes, they will enter the woods again to find the black-robed man. Soon, this task will be completed. Lou Fan felt that he is in a good mood. He glanced at Jiang Dong who is applying medicine to himself while checking on Wen Lang, and the corners of his mouth curved up inexplicably.
On the other side, Nie Feng is talking to Chen Shuyang slowly. Not sure what Nie Feng said but the young boy who was sullen just now had a bright smile on his face.
His companions are all fine and that makes Lou Fan very happy. What made him even happier is that Qin Tan's Tang sword had been upgraded again. Lou Fan looked at the bow in his hand. Back at the time in the maze, he vaguely felt that his bow is a little different, but there was no upgrade. Maybe the time has not come.
At 2.00 pm, Wen Lang woke up leisurely. When he woke up, he jumped up like he got frightened, and immediately fell down again when he saw Jiang Dong who is in good condition beside him. His series of actions made everyone stunned, startled, and then burst into laughter. Wen Lang covered his face and said he doesn’t know anything at all.
Jiang Dong chuckled in Wen Lang’s ear and pulled his clothes, "Get up. Don't pretend to be dead and change your clothes. It's so dirty."
Wen Lang got up silently with his ears all red. Hiding behind the wooden house and changing into clean clothes, Wen Lang felt much refreshed. He felt less embarrassed when he returned to the house. However, when he turned his gaze, he met with Lou Fan's playful eyes.
"Ah Lang, do you feel any difference?" Lou Fan asked with a smile, his eyes swept up and down on Wen Lang.
Wen Lang immediately hugged himself tightly. Then, he turned to look at Jiang Dong, and asked hesitantly, "It’s, it's, nothing different, right?"
Hearing that, Lou Fan burst out laughing. He raised his chin and gestured, "Stupid, look at your poker."
Having seen Wen Lang’s poker forming a tornado-like vortex in the water before, and ground the surrounding ghosts to dust, Lou Fan felt that his spirit weapon is different. When Wen Lang took the poker out, Lou Fan revealed the ‘as expected’ expression on his face.
"My, my poker, upgraded again?" Wen Lang stammered, looking over and over at his poker in disbelief.
Gao Yi jumped up from the ground, his eyes wide with suspicion. What the hell did the intermediate team do in the water? Why did 2 of their teammates manage to upgrade their spirit weapons? This is impossible! However, the red light from Wen Lang's poker dazzlingly told him that this is the truth.
Lou Fan tsk-ed and commented, "It seems that you have a deep love for Jiang Dong. Otherwise, you won’t explode like a Big Bang."
Wen Lang doesn't care about blushing now, he just stares at his poker. The surreal feeling in his heart is smoothed out by the touch of his hand, telling him that this is the real thing. His spirit weapon has been upgraded. He became an advanced spirit weapon owner like Qin Tan, even more advanced than Lou Fan's spirit weapon.
"This, this..." Wen Lang is speechless from the excitement. He looked at Jiang Dong and Lou Fan and looked around at his other teammates. Seeing that they all smiled encouragingly at him, he immediately calmed down.
Chen Shuyang said with a smile, "Ah Lang, I will have to rely on you to protect me from now on."
Wen Lang is about to say sure but when he saw Nie Feng's face, he pouted, "Che, when will it be my turn? I want to protect Brother Lou."
"Your Brother Lou doesn't need your protection." Qin Tan said slowly. Then he raised the Tang sword in his hand and waved.
Qin Tan looked very much like a male beast declaring his territory so Wen Lang silently shut his mouth, and sat back beside Jiang Dong in a sullen manner.
Sitting not far away and watching the team playing around with envy, Jiang Rou said, "Sister Fei, their relationship is really good, and their luck is also very good."
"Their luck is indeed good." Tong Fei murmured. It is impossible to say that she is not envious. Everyone who is struggling in the mission world will have a dream that their spirit weapon can be upgraded as the spirit weapon is their biggest reliance to survive.
"But." Tong Fei continued sternly, "Didn't you see how they looked like when they came up from the lake? Everyone looked extremely exhausted and on the brink of death. They fought with ghosts in the water until the last of their breath, and their wounds were bloody. If you also can do the same, then your spirit weapon will also be upgraded."
The sound of Tong Fei's voice is not small so both Gao Yi and Feng Zhi who are sitting around her heard it. Gao Yi is stunned, the color on his face keeps changing. Tong Fei is right, it is impossible to get something without paying the price.
…
The group of people took the whole afternoon to rest. When the sun slowly went down the mountain, they packed their things and bags, and they waited for the forest to appear.
The fog is hazy and the shadow of the woods appeared in the distance. At the moment, the lake is calm and the waves nearby are calm as well. The dark clouds enveloped the night sky, and the group stepped to the edge of the woods. This time, Lou Fan is leading the way. Although he doesn’t know the location, he simply picked a direction and goes with it.
Facts have proved that his sense of direction is still very good. Soon, he saw the traps made by the villagers, which means they are close to their place of residence. At this point, Lou Fan is replaced by Qin Tan. He walked to the front, probing the traps to avoid them. After walking for a while, the group saw the stone mountain where the black-robed people lived again.
"Village Chief, Village Chief..." Lou Fan shouted a few times and saw 5 black-robed men appear.
Lou Fan immediately said, "We have been to Holy Lake City, and we also learned that there is no channel between the two lakes. The only way is for you to trust in the lake that nurtures you again."
Lou Fan said that, but he felt that the men in black robes are not happy to hear it. Lou Fan took out the jade in his arms and handed it over. The two fish jade, one blue and one gold, glowed faintly when it touched the man in black robe.
The black-robed man holding the two-colored jade stood silently. After a long time, he told the people around him in an elderly voice filled with infinite emotion, "Go and ask the villagers to prepare. Let's go out of the mountain."
"Village chief…"
"Go quickly."
"Yes."
While they are waiting, the surroundings are silent. Fortunately, it didn't take long. When all the villagers came out in black robes and stood together, Lou Fan remembered something.
"We forgot to give them back their thing," Lou Fan reminded.
Everyone suddenly realized that they have forgotten about the most important thing.
Qin Tan took out the tarp from his bag and handed it over. He explained, "This is what we found in the cave under the lake. It should belong to you, and I'll give it back to you now."
Several bundles of wrapped human skins are handed over one by one. The village chief accepted it with shaky hands and opened the tarpaulin. Dozens of human skins appeared in front of them, and the crowd screamed, not sure if it is surprise or other emotion.
The village chief suddenly knelt down in front of the group. Immediately, the villagers behind him knelt down one by one after him. The group of people got startled and they quickly came forward to support them.
"Thank you, thank you..."
The village chief thanked Lou Fan and looked up at the sky, "We have been waiting for this day to come."
"Let's go, it's time for us to go back." While being supported, the village chief said this and stepped forward.
Lou Fan and his party followed behind the black-robed people, watching them walk forward steadily while holding the most precious things in their hands.
Wen Lang approached Jiang Dong and whispered, "What did you think they are going to do?"
Jiang Dong shook his head, "How would I know?"
"Are your legs okay?" Wen Lang glanced at Jiang Dong’s legs.
"I’m fine."
Lou Fan watched the black-robed people stepping out of the woods, all the way to the ghost lake. Finally, they stopped at the edge of the ghost lake.
The village chief took the lead and knelt down, with a human skin in front of him, which belonged to him. He raised his arms and stretched forward. Next, he bowed down to the ghost lake and knocked his forehead strongly on the ground. He reverently kowtowed 3 times and stood up tremblingly. His black robe is taken off, revealing the body inside. Under the shocked eyes of the group, the villagers took off their black robes as well and put on their human skins.
It's as if the people have grown a new layer of skin, the human skin fits the body perfectly. The old village chief turned back and smiled at them, kind and gentle.
"We have returned." The village chief said to the ghost lake.
The dark lake's surface tumbled as if something is about to emerge from it. Lou Fan clenched the bow in his hand, ready to pull the arrow at any time. The expected big boss did not appear. Instead, transparent figures emerged from it. They looked at the black-robed man below and waved their hands with relaxed smiles.
The village chief also smiled, and his perfectly fitting human skin made him look natural[1]. He walked forward slowly and dipped his feet into the lake water. Soon, the villagers behind him followed him into the water. When the waters of the lake went over their heads and they disappeared into the lake, a layer of water rippled and 2 fishes jumped out of the water. The golden fish is dazzling while the blue one is lively and lovely. They overlapped each other in mid-air above the water, and then jump into the water again.
The air felt like a cool wind blowing on a hot and dark night, and it began to spread out from the center of the lake. Visible to the naked eye, the jet-black lake water began to turn clear, and finally, it became crystal clear and one could almost see the bottom of the lake. The rising sun rises from the lake, and under the sun, the ghost lake becomes indistinguishable from the holy lake.
Countless ghosts floated up from the bottom of the lake. They turned out to look like the same group of villagers just now. The ghosts turned to face the sun with relieved smiles on their faces. Like punctured bubbles, they disappeared in mid-air, turning into dust and dissipating.
Lou Fan closed his eyes, facing the sun and the lake. He seemed to be in a soft beam of light. It’s like he could see the bundle of light (from the painting) again, and a steady stream of power emanating from it. Lou Fan kept breathing heavily, wanting to breathe in all that power into his body.
The group of people is still sighing in relief that the ghost lake had finally changed, only to hear a hum. Next, the aura around Lou Fan's body changed, and the bow in his hand glowed dazzling red.
