Chapter 25: The Magical Store (Thirteen)
The always-warm breeze turned cool, and the red sun hanging in the pale blue sky instantly shifted to a cold, pallid green. This untimely verdure seemed like an ominous sign, cruelly tearing away the mask of this heavenly paradise called Mirror-Flower Water-Moon.
The originally docile doll suddenly burst forth with a startlingly fierce aura, and the ghosts following its lead began to bare their fangs and claws. The faintly suppressed black mist gradually rose. The legendary malevolent spirits had finally revealed their ferocious side. Qi An narrowed his eyes at this abrupt change and lightly raised an eyebrow, then as if startled, watched the transforming sky.
This was a sign of spatial instability. Once space was compromised, things that were supposed to remain fixed would deviate from their proper course.
The green hue grew thicker and thicker, instantly spreading across the entire visible sky. The doll's expression gradually grew grave. When Qi An felt the ground begin to tremble, it somewhat unhappily tugged at its own dress hem, then with great reluctance turned to look at Qi An.
"We need to go out for a while." The doll's voice carried a hint of anger and reluctance. "You must stay here乖乖的, understand?"
Its tone transcended what a doll should possess—equally resembling an undeniable command and a pitiful plea. Qi An's mood suddenly became rather complicated. He glanced at the doll that had been watching him all along, fell silent for a moment, then softly asked, "What happened?"
The doll's expression grew even more displeased. From its tone, Qi An detected a thick, murderous intent. "Some unwelcome visitors have come here. Through some opportunistic methods, they've arrived at a place they shouldn't be..."
"Not only that, they actually want to explore Master's secrets..."
"And steal Master's treasures..."
The surrounding ghosts' eyes filled with unanimous fury and malice. Their pupils nearly crimson, as if something most precious had been snatched away—teeming with irritation and madness. This explosive, murderous energy born from anger caused Qi An's expression to shift subtly.
He listened with an unreadable look as the doll and ghosts vanished, catching their final words.
"So, Master must give them a little punishment."
This was spoken in unison by all the ghostly creatures. Voices of varying timbres intertwined, creating an atmosphere of blazing fury. Qi An stared at the space that had returned to normal, pondering as he抿了抿嘴.
Some kind of energy had impacted this space.
Combined with what the doll had said, it wasn't hard to guess—this spatial disturbance had something to do with Zhang Zhaoqi and his group.
They must have come into some kind of conflict.
This impact had provoked the ghosts' displeasure, yet they hadn't rushed to confront Zhang Zhaoqi's group. Instead, they quickly restored this paradise-like space.
They seemed to treasure this space dearly, or perhaps they treasured... whatever it represented.
Qi An's dark eyes deepened. His figure remained emaciated, but the expression hidden beneath his lowered head was like an abyss that could captivate souls. He沉思了片刻, then finally walked toward the central ivory palace.
[An'an, are you going to defy the dolls' wishes?] The system spoke up with some surprise as Qi An's foot was about to land on the palace steps.
[En.]
[Are you really sure about this? I feel like they wouldn't harm us. As long as we wait, the main quest can definitely be completed. And... don't think they're calm now, but I always feel like if you really go against them, they might...] The system paused here for a long time, as if struggling to find words for what it wanted to express, [...Anyway, An'an, you'll suffer greatly.]
[I want to...] Qi An's footsteps faltered, then decisively came down. [Confirm something.]