Yun Xi felt things were beginning to spiral in the worst possible direction. She grabbed Qin Tongshuang's sleeve and said quietly, "Tongshuang, don't bother trying anymore. Zhou Daoyou is right."
Qin Tongshuang looked a bit deflated, but with her companions nearby, she didn't feel quite so uneasy. She stopped walking and turned to Mu Ningzhu. "Marial Aunt Mu, looks like we'll need to enter the city after all."
Mu Ningzhu and Zhang Yan hadn't stepped into the mist again. They were simply waiting patiently while Qin Tongshuang ran her test. Once all four had come to the same conclusion, Mu Ningzhu finally spoke. "Let's go. We'll move together with Zhou Daoyou."
She glanced down at the red string tied to her wrist, then said to Yun Xi, "Junior Sister Wei, let's not undo the red string just yet. If anything unexpected happens, make sure to look after your companion."
"Understood, Senior Sister."
By saying this, Mu Ningzhu was implicitly acknowledging that Yun Xi could handle the responsibilities of a Foundation Establishment cultivator. In unknown circumstances like this, a shishu was expected to look after younger members of the sect, especially when they were also friends.
Mu Ningzhu turned to the only person not tied into their group, Zhou Langchen, and cupped her fists. "Zhou Daoyou, your cultivation is the highest among us. We'll do our best to keep pace. If we run into danger, I hope we can fight together."
"Of course."
Zhou Langchen agreed readily. He could tell the four of them weren't the kind to drag others down.
With that, the five stepped into the silent city of Shuangshan. Not long after they entered the gates, Zuo Die'er and Ming Ya were teleported to the same gate from elsewhere.
"Xiao Ya, what's going on? Didn't we already leave Shuangshan City? Why are we back again?"
Zuo Die'er frowned, staring up at the plaque over the city gate.
Ming Ya looked around carefully, then narrowed her eyes. The dense fog, the eerie quiet at the gates—finally, she spoke. "Die'er, I think we've been sent somewhere else. It only looks like Shuang'an City."
"But there's no one here. Do you think Big Brother Zhou might've been teleported here too?"
Zuo Die'er was starting to notice the same unsettling details and instinctively grabbed Ming Ya's hand.
Ming Ya was afraid too, though she kept her voice calm. "If Zhou Daoyou ended up here, we should hurry and find him. It'll be less dangerous if we're together."
"Then let's not waste time. Let's go—maybe they just left. We might still catch up."
Without another word, Zuo Die'er dragged Ming Ya into the city.
—
Backtracking to earlier, when Zhou Langchen had just left the inn with Yun Xi and the others—
Downstairs, while ordering spiritual meals, Ming Ya had seen Zhou Langchen leave with four unfamiliar cultivators. He looked serious. Her instincts told her something was off. She immediately returned to the room and interrupted Zuo Die'er's cultivation.
"Xiao Ya, what's going on? Why did you stop my cultivation?"
Zuo Die'er sounded annoyed at first, then noticed Zhou Langchen wasn't in the room. "Didn't I tell you to keep an eye on Big Brother Zhou? Where is he?"
"Die'er, that's why I came back. I went downstairs to order our food and saw Fellow Daoist Zhou leaving the inn with four unfamiliar cultivators."
"Strangers? Where were they going?"
"I don't know, that's why I came to tell you right away."
Zuo Die'er shot to her feet and opened the door, muttering, "Xiao Ya, you talk too much. Wasted all that time. Who knows if we can still catch up."
Ming Ya's eyes flickered, but she didn't argue. She simply followed closely behind, pointing in the direction Zhou Langchen had taken. The two hurried after him.
They soon caught sight of Zhou Langchen and the others exiting through another gate on the far side of Shuangshan City and rushed after them.
At the gate, they were stopped and questioned briefly. Zuo Die'er brushed it off with a few vague words and passed through quickly—only to find Zhou Langchen nowhere in sight.
"Where is he?"
Zuo Die'er frowned. She hadn't taken that long. How had she already lost him?
Ming Ya was confused too. "Die'er, we need to hurry. Zhou Daoyou's sword speed is much faster than ours."
"Right!"
They took a few quick steps, preparing to fly after him, but in the next instant, they were swept up in a teleportation array and sent elsewhere.
They had arrived only two incense sticks' worth of time behind Zhou Langchen, who was now carefully exploring the eerily empty replica of Shuangshan City with the others.
The layout was identical to Shuang'an City, down to the shop names. But all the buildings were deserted, and there wasn't a single cultivator in sight.
Zhang Yan murmured, "Is this a fake Shuangshan City?"
That seemed the most reasonable explanation.
Qin Tongshuang frowned. "What was the point of bringing us to an empty replica like this? What is the person behind this trying to do?"
Zhou Langchen's expression darkened. "We won't know until we find whoever's responsible."
Yun Xi looked around, quietly extending her divine sense. A moment later, she brightened."There's nothing here, but what if we check the city center? The City Lord's Manor is usually the core of any city. We might find something there."
Everyone agreed with her suggestion, and they turned to head toward the center.
That shift in direction was what led them to cross paths with Zuo Die'er and Ming Ya, who had just arrived in pursuit.
"Big Brother Zhou, you really are here!"
Zuo Die'er lit up with genuine relief, and even Ming Ya—usually good at managing her expression—let a smile slip.
Zhou Langchen rubbed his temples and frowned. "What are you two doing here?"
Ming Ya stepped forward, voice soft. "Big Brother Zhou, when Senior Sister Zuo realized you were gone, she came to find you. She saw you leaving the city with unfamiliar cultivators and was worried something had happened.
She thought you might've been injured or in danger, so we followed. We didn't get far past the gates before stepping into a teleportation array. That brought us here."
Mu Ningzhu and the others kept quiet. After all, they were the "unfamiliar cultivators" in question—the ones supposedly endangering someone else's Big Brother Zhou. Better to stay quiet and let the drama play out.
Zhou Langchen couldn't bring himself to scold them harshly. He knew they were just worried. Still, from his perspective, it was completely unnecessary. Neither of them had stronger cultivation than he did—Zuo Die'er was early Foundation Establishment, Ming Ya mid-stage. If danger struck, who would be saving whom?
In the end, he sighed and waved a hand. "Fine. Just stick with us. This Shuangshan City isn't right."
"Got it!"
The new arrivals exchanged names with the others. When Ming Ya learned they were disciples of Haoran Sect, she realized her earlier comments might have been offensive. She quickly stepped forward and bowed. "I hope you won't take offense. I didn't know your identities before. Zhou Daoyou disappeared so suddenly—I just got suspicious. I apologize for the misunderstanding."
Mu Ningzhu smiled politely. "Ming Daoyou's concern was perfectly understandable. In your shoes, I'd have thought the same. No need to apologize. What matters now is breaking this illusion. We can't stay trapped here forever."
"Agreed, Mu Daoyou."
As they walked, exchanging awkward small talk, the jade token hanging from Zhou Langchen's waist suddenly lit up.