Chapter 78

When asked how they had entered the pool, all thirty-odd people mumbled and stammered, and no one could give a clear answer. Most of them seemed to have lost their memory of that period, with only a few vaguely recalling that after entering the palace, they had split up and each searched for valuable treasures. However, they hadn't walked far when, like the second brother Gui, they saw a vague figure, and then everything went black, and they inexplicably fell asleep. When they were awakened by a thunderstorm in their dreams, they found themselves at the bottom of the pool.

There was still no clue, but at this point, Gui Bu Gui seemed to have lost interest. When the two brothers of the Gui family asked, he only listened for a few moments, then shifted his gaze to Wu Mian. After his eyes darted around, the old man sauntered over to Wu Mian, bared his teeth in a grin, and said, "I suddenly have a feeling that we might soon encounter a place we've been to before."

Wu Mian gave him a cold look and said, "What place are you talking about that we've been to before?"

Before speaking, Gui Bu Gui first looked down at the innocent-looking little child Ren San and smiled at him. Then he refocused his gaze on Wu Mian and said, "Let's wait and see. Maybe I'm overthinking it." After saying this, he gave Wu Mian another strange smile.

At this moment, the two brothers of the Gui family also came over. The elder brother respectfully said to Gui Bu Gui, "We've asked everyone, and no one can explain how they ended up at the bottom of the pool."

Seeing Gui Bu Gui's strange expression, the two brothers misunderstood and thought their master had some doubts. The younger brother Gui Qu added, "Rest assured, they are all rough people. They can rob and plunder, but if you ask them to lie, none of them have the wit for it. They have been with us for at least five or six years, and we know them well."

"That means they were tricked by someone else," Gui Bu Gui glanced at the group of followers behind the two brothers, hesitated for a moment, and then continued, "I originally wanted you two to take them back, but now that we've reached this point, I'm not comfortable sending you back."

After saying this, Gui Bu Gui paused, lowered his head, and hesitated for a long time before continuing, "Let's do this: go back and ask them what they want to do—whether they want to continue with us or return now. At least the way back won't be as dangerous as here."

The two brothers of the Gui family agreed and went back to gather the followers, explaining Gui Bu Gui's intentions. However, the old man seemed to have underestimated the loyalty of these followers. At first, they were silent, but when asked what the two brothers planned to do, Gui Lai and Gui Qu immediately declared that as disciples, they would naturally stay by their master's side. Wherever Gui Bu Gui went, they would follow.

Hearing that their leaders were not leaving, these people immediately became determined, all expressing their willingness to follow the two brothers. In the end, not a single person wanted to leave.

Seeing that no one intended to leave, the old man nodded and chuckled, then looked down at the little Ren San and said, "There are quite a few people now. Will it affect your ability to find the way?"

Little Ren San gave a smile identical to Gui Bu Gui's, staring into the old man's eyes, and said, "The more, the better. It's more lively. Even if we call your parents and my older brother and sister, it wouldn't be a problem."

Gui Bu Gui, as if he hadn't heard the child's cheeky retort, still had a smiling face. After looking around, he said to little Ren San, "There's nothing else here besides this pool. There's no path ahead. Should we go back, or do you have any ideas to create a room or passage?"

Ren San rolled his eyes and looked at Gui Bu Gui, saying, "I'm a ginseng! Not a mole! Have you ever seen a ginseng create rooms or passages for humans? This is how it is. If you want to continue exploring the palace, we need to go out and choose another path."

Wu Mian watched Gui Bu Gui silently from the side, but in his heart, he was puzzled. Given the old fox's nature, how could he be satisfied without investigating further?

Gui Bu Gui seemed to have completely lost interest in the area. After Ren San finished speaking, he had the two brothers of the Gui family organize the forty-odd followers and start retreating in the direction they had come from.

After the group returned to the starting point of the several exits, the little ginseng child pointed to the third exit and said, "I've only been in there once, and inside..."

Before he could finish, Gui Bu Gui suddenly interrupted, "Wait a moment, there's no rush. I left something in the main hall just now. Let's go back to the main hall first. Once I find that thing, we can continue."

As the old man spoke, little Ren San suddenly froze, his face showing a conflicted expression that didn't match his apparent age. He hadn't expected Gui Bu Gui to make this request and couldn't find a reason to refuse him. The old man was smiling at Ren San, and it seemed that this reaction was exactly what he had anticipated.

Without giving Ren San a chance to react, the old man immediately added, "Is there any inconvenience? Is the door already locked, and do you need to go in first to unlock it..."

This reminded Ren San. Before Gui Bu Gui could finish, the little boy suddenly turned and ran towards the main hall's entrance. Just as he was about to pass through the door, Ren San's neck tightened, and a large hand had already grabbed him, lifting him up.

The one who grabbed Ren San was the white-haired Wu Mian. After grabbing Ren San, he kicked the door with his foot. There was a "bang!" and the door was kicked open, revealing the scene inside. When Wu Mian saw the inside of the main hall again, he was stunned and almost let go of Ren San.

The scene inside the main hall had completely changed. A peach grove had appeared out of nowhere, and it looked exactly like the peach grove they had seen in the governor's residence in Liaoxi County, with no differences at all. Even in the center of the peach grove, there was an identical stone house. It was as if the underground peach garden from the governor's residence had been moved here intact, except for the absence of the mist-like spiritual energy.

"Is this what you were talking about?" Wu Mian turned to look at Gui Bu Gui and continued, "The previous scene wasn't an illusion, and I'm sure the current scene isn't an illusion either. Can you explain this?"

As Wu Mian spoke, Gui Bu Gui had already come over and glanced inside the main hall. Seeing that it matched his prediction, the old man became excited, smiled at Wu Mian, and said, "There are some things I can't explain, but let's go in and see. Maybe we'll understand everything once we're inside. There might be something valuable here, too."

After saying this, the old man didn't wait for Wu Mian and stepped over the threshold, entering the main hall again. Seeing their master enter, the two brothers of the Gui family and the followers also followed. The main hall seemed to have no dangerous spots other than the changed scene. Wu Mian, with little Ren San, was the last to enter.

Once inside, Gui Bu Gui, as if he knew the way, ignored the two brothers and the followers behind him. He walked through the peach grove and entered the stone house. When the others reached the stone house, the old man was already coming out. He squinted at Wu Mian, who was the last to enter, and said, "It's exactly the same as in the governor's residence, even the texture of the stone bed is the same."

Wu Mian and Gui Bu Gui exchanged a glance, but he had no intention of going in. After letting Ren San go, he looked at the stone house and said to Gui Bu Gui, "Can you explain what's going on now?"