Chapter 36

The painting was simple, just an old man in a long robe with wide sleeves, lying on his side on a stone, sound asleep.

In terms of style and theme, this was very much in line with the characteristics of the works of the idle rich. After all, the wealthy, with no worries about food and clothing, had nothing to strive for. They spent their days doing nothing, sleeping until they naturally woke up, living a very leisurely and comfortable life.

Such a lifestyle indeed matched the painting very well.

However, what Qi Xiang was most concerned about was not the theme of the painting, but the obscure and elusive aura that the painting emitted. He hung the painting and observed it intently.

After a long time of focused observation, Qi Xiang gained nothing. If it weren't for the obscure aura that remained on the painting, he might have thought it was just an ordinary painting with no hidden secrets.

Qi Xiang pondered for a moment, then summoned the turtle shell and cautiously approached the painting.

... No reaction.

There was no reaction at all...

This greatly surprised Qi Xiang. The failure of this trump card naturally made him frown.

"Could it be that I sensed it wrong?" Qi Xiang frowned and thought, "That's not possible."

Qi Xiang tossed and turned, unable to find an answer. Time passed, and before he knew it, it was evening. The sky was dark, and the lights of thousands of households and the brilliant stars shone together, creating a splendid scene.

Qi Xiang was also tired. He took a fragrant pill, kneaded it into a long, thin line, and then lit it.

Soon, a wisp of smoke spread, and the fragrance filled the room. Qi Xiang lay down in his clothes, and the fresh, elegant scent quickly made him feel a strong drowsiness.

Under the influence of the fragrance, Qi Xiang was half asleep, in a state of confusion and drowsiness.

It's worth noting that he had spent the entire afternoon studying the painting, so the image of the painting was deeply etched in his memory.

Therefore, while sleeping, Qi Xiang subconsciously imitated the old man in the painting, resting on his side with his wrist under his head.

The two were in perfect sync, identical in both form and spirit.

The smoke, thin and wispy, twisted and spiraled, changing endlessly, wandering through the room, and easily dissolving into the air, disappearing in an instant.

The smoke was intangible, but the fragrance was real. Though invisible and intangible, it could be smelled.

The fresh, light fragrance had a calming effect, purifying the air and soothing the mind.

Qi Xiang fell into a deep sleep. The room was very quiet, and the night breeze became very gentle. In this extremely quiet environment, his breathing was particularly clear.

One breath, one inhalation, the breath was continuous.

At first, it was a bit chaotic, but over time, it gradually became regular.

It was more like a resonance. If Qi Xiang were still awake, he would have noticed that his breathing frequency had synchronized with the obscure aura in the painting, responding to it from a distance.

At that moment, an intangible and formless aura suddenly spread from the painting, enveloping everything. The wisps of smoke were drawn by some force, quickly gathering to form a sea of mist.

The dense smoke, under the influence of the aura, easily seeped into Qi Xiang's pores and entered his body.

Suddenly, Qi Xiang felt something, and his eyes "opened."

Qi Xiang "woke up" but was shocked to find that the scene before him had changed dramatically. He was not in bed but in an open space, surrounded by mist and fog.

Next to him was a large stone.

He was lying on his side on the stone, inexplicably resting with his wrist under his head.

"What's going on?"

Qi Xiang was startled and quickly jumped up. However, he found that his body seemed to have no weight and immediately floated into the air, as light as a feather, drifting aimlessly.

This state naturally made him flustered, and he struggled with his hands and feet.

Unexpectedly, with a wave of his arm and a kick of his foot, he flew up. It was like swimming in water, using the water's force to propel himself out of the mist.

Outside the mist, the world was vast and wide.

At this moment, the familiar environment reappeared. The room was the same, and the placement of the cabinets and tables had not changed at all.

However, on the bamboo bed, Qi Xiang saw himself.

To be precise, he seemed to have flown to the roof, hovering in the air, and saw his own body.

He could see very clearly that he was lying on the bed, eyes closed, face pale, breathing shallow and intermittent, as if he were asleep.

The problem was, if the one on the bed was him, who was the other one in the air?

"What's happening?"

Qi Xiang was stunned, feeling his mind go blank, and it took him a while to recover.

At this moment, a gentle breeze blew in from the window, and the curtain moved slightly. The night breeze was very gentle, but at this moment, Qi Xiang felt a bone-chilling cold, as if he were in a frozen wasteland, frozen stiff.

Logically, the gentle night breeze should have been soothing, but it felt like sharp knives, and he was like a tender sprout. The wind cut through him, causing unbearable pain.

Worse still, he felt as if he were suffocating.

He felt as if he had fallen into a deep, boundless sea, surrounded by endless waves. No matter how he struggled, he could not rise to the surface to breathe.

His body was frozen, and he was swept to the bottom of the sea, his oxygen supply gradually depleting.

At this moment, Qi Xiang realized that his current situation was very dangerous, and he wanted to save himself but was powerless. He kept moving, but felt his body becoming weaker and lighter, lighter and lighter...

In an instant, Qi Xiang suddenly realized that he seemed to have left his body.

The one lying on the bed was indeed him. However, that was just his physical body, while his soul was floating in the air, as if it were about to dissipate and be lost forever.

"Return to the body..."

Qi Xiang knew this was the only way to survive. He adjusted his direction and desperately rushed toward his body.

However, the distance from the roof to the bed, which seemed to be only a few meters, felt like an insurmountable chasm. No matter how he struggled, he could not close the gap.

On the contrary, due to his violent movements, his soul became even more scattered, and his consciousness became increasingly blurred.

"Can't give up..."

At this critical moment, Qi Xiang, who had similar experiences, was ignited with determination. Like a moth drawn to a flame, he used his last bit of strength to collide with his body.

"Boom!"

Suddenly, a thunderclap echoed, and a burst of light filled the space, driving away the cold. For a moment, the room was filled with a warm current, as comfortable as spring.

The warm, soothing air quickly stabilized Qi Xiang's nearly dissipated soul. Before he could figure out what was happening, he was enveloped by a brilliant light and drawn into a strange place.

The world spun, and the light flickered.

Qi Xiang steadied himself and looked around, only to be startled again. He seemed to be in the vast universe, surrounded by a sea of stars.

The stars were countless, twinkling and flickering, their light ever-changing.

Upon closer inspection, Qi Xiang found that each star was not stationary but constantly moving. Each star followed a specific orbit, revolving in a cycle.

The countless orbits intertwined, forming a mysterious and magnificent star map.

Under this vast expanse of stars, Qi Xiang felt extremely insignificant, so small that he was less than a speck of cosmic dust.

In awe, Qi Xiang's mind immersed itself in the starry sky. Vaguely, he felt as if he had transformed into a star, moving along the mysterious and profound paths of the universe...

One circle after another, with each revolution, he felt a sense of fulfillment, as if his chaotic thoughts were being purified, gradually becoming clear and pure.

"Bang!"

Qi Xiang was enjoying it, but suddenly something seemed to shatter. The brilliant starry sky twisted and distorted, like a firework that had just extinguished and disappeared.

At the same moment, Qi Xiang looked around and was shocked to find himself high in the air, with a city of skyscrapers stretching out below him, the entire city in view.

Rows of streetlights illuminated the city, the warm, orange light very comforting.

It was late at night, and most residents were resting. Some were still awake, either busy or enjoying themselves, a variety of activities.

In that instant, Qi Xiang felt as if he were a god, high above, looking down on the world. The city was like a giant sandbox, and he had a god's perspective, able to see everything clearly.

However, this feeling of superiority did not last long.

A gentle breeze blew, and Qi Xiang felt a chill. Instantly, his face changed, and he instinctively headed toward the brightest and warmest part of the city.

This leap covered a thousand miles in an instant, and he quickly returned to the familiar room, seeing his body on the bed.

Without hesitation, Qi Xiang lay down lightly...

His soul returned to his body, and Qi Xiang suddenly sat up, moving his limbs, touching his face and patting his legs. The feeling of blood and air flowing through his body, the tangible and real sensations, were undeniable.

"Finally, I'm alive." Qi Xiang sighed, then suddenly remembered something and quickly reached into his pocket.

He frowned, his fingers trembling slightly, as he pulled out some things.

It was a small handful of sand...

Qi Xiang knew this was star sand, brought from the cave heaven world. However, at this moment, the star sand had shattered into fragments, the brilliant starlight gone, leaving it dull and lifeless.

The star sand was broken, and Qi Xiang felt a mix of emotions, filled with gratitude. If it weren't for the star sand, he would have been completely finished.

"But then again, why did my soul suddenly leave my body without any reason?" Qi Xiang pondered for a moment, his gaze falling on the painting hanging beside him...

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