By the time they had walked halfway, the willow grove had become completely dark. Bai Lixin had some difficulty seeing the path, but the old man next to him was very familiar with the grove, leading him out effortlessly.
“You mentioned stone figures earlier. Were they placed in the innermost square chamber of the underground palace?”
In the darkness, the old man’s footsteps came to a halt, and his voice became excited, “Have you been inside?! Did you really see it too?”
“So, I didn’t just have a hallucination. There really is an underground, right? Did you see that statue too?”
Bai Lixin replied, “I probably didn’t see that particular statue. When I went in, the room was empty except for four maiden statues in the corner. But the room felt empty to me, like there should have been something in the middle.”
The old man exclaimed, “Huh? Nothing in the middle? There should have been a big female statue in the center. The light from above shines directly on that statue. I remember there were a few words inscribed on that statue… it said ‘Lady Yuexian.’”
Bai Lixin frowned at the mention of “Lady Yuexian.”
He shook his head, saying, “I haven’t seen it. When I went in, that statue was already gone. When you left, did the surrounding stone figures show any signs of movement? Did they chase after you or anything?”
The old man replied, “No, they were just ordinary stone figures. Why are you asking this? Did those statues move when you went in?”
Bai Lixin nodded, “Yes, they moved. Not only did they move, but they were also very agile and fast.”
The old man gasped, “What on earth do they want to do?! Isn’t it enough for one statue to come to life? Why are there so many, and do they all want to turn into humans?”
“Those damn monsters!”
Bai Lixin’s eyes flickered in the darkness. He walked silently along the path, not saying a word.
He couldn’t judge the motivations of those stone figures, and he didn’t feel the same intense disgust as the old man did. Instead, he felt more contemplative.
When humans needed the ancient gods, they came into being.
When humans no longer needed them, if they continued to exist, they seemed to become something intolerable.
They bore the title of “god”, but their destiny was controlled by humans.
Bai Lixin felt a bitter complexity at this moment.
S419M: [Why didn’t the stone figures attack the old man when he entered but they attacked you, Lord Host. Could it be because the old man was the girl’s father, so they spared him?]
Bai Lixin: [Not necessarily. From the time the old man entered the underground until now, several decades have passed. When the old man entered the underground, the school had only been built for two or three years. However, over these decades, the stone figures have continued to receive offerings. It’s possible that the power of these offerings has become so strong that it’s allowed these stone figures, which should have perished, to come back to life. Back then, it wasn’t that they didn’t attack the old man, but that they couldn’t.]
Escape System: [This explanation makes sense.]
S419M: [In that case, if the statue the old man was talking about represents the Lady Yuexian, whether it’s Miao Pan Er or Luo Mei, they’re all connected to this Lady Yuexian. The man with sunglasses indeed prayed to Lady Yuexian, but the one who killed the girl for the eyes wasn’t her. So, if it’s not her, then who could it be?]
Bai Lixin: [I’ve been misunderstanding something.]
S419M: [And now?]
Bai Lixin: [Heh, it was a clever misunderstanding.]
Under the guidance of the old man, Bai Lixin soon found the way out of the willow grove. When they were close to the edge of the grove, the old man stopped and clasped his fists, bowing sincerely to Bai Lixin. “Young man, I’ll accompany you this far. You can go on by yourself. I hope you can seek revenge for my daughter. Thank you.”
Bai Lixin gazed deeply at the old man, and in the end, he imitated the old man’s gesture, offering a respectful bow and saying, “I’ll do my best,” before turning and leaving.
S419M was somewhat puzzled: [Lord Host, are you sure it’s safe to leave an elderly man alone in this grove? Aren’t you afraid he might encounter danger?]
Bai Lixin frowned slightly, and his long, thick eyelashes concealed the glimmering in his eyes. [He’s already dead, he can’t leave this grove.]
S419M: [What? Dead? But didn’t the librarian say…]
Bai Lixin: [He hasn’t been dead for long. Just a moment ago, there was a pile of fallen leaves under the bench we were sitting on. When I accidentally touched that pile of leaves while placing my hand on the bench, I felt something cold. He lived alone, and even if the librarian occasionally saw him, it doesn’t mean they saw him every day. Not seeing him for several days would not raise any suspicion.]
S419M: [Oh…]
Tun tun tuuuuuuuuunnnn….the old man is dead 😮 interesting interesting…am really liking this arc so far, a lot of interesting mystery and old gong is also cute in this one hehe thank you for your hard work!