Hidden beneath the shadows of the trees, they stood in silence.
"With so many crows monsters appearing, even if Wuwang Hill is rarely visited, there should've been some kind of news, right? Hu Tao, do you have any idea what's going on?"
Lumine asked, glancing at the green-eyed crows perched on the branches ahead, finding the situation rather strange.
"If it were just one or two, we could assume they migrated from elsewhere. But with numbers this large... If there's any reasonable explanation, it's probably that they came from a secret realm(secret realm)," Hu Tao replied, pressing a finger to her chin as she thought it over.
"A secret realm!"
Nolan was somewhat surprised.
If it were from a secret realm, that could indeed explain where the crows were coming from.
"Why don't we follow these green-eyed crows to find out where that secret realm is? If we don't deal with them soon, it's only a matter of time before WuWang Hill is overrun," Nolan suggested after some thought.
The reason he wanted to find the secret realm wasn't just to handle the crows—it was also for the Adventure EXP.
Earlier, when using the "Lumine's Sword Intent" to defeat a number of green-eyed crows, Nolan saw a massive surge in his Adventure EXP on his character panel. His Adventure EXP jumped from 13,000 to over 97,000.
In other words, he had gained over 80,000 Adventure EXP.
Nolan had never been so well-off before, and he was eager to stir up more trouble with those crows. If they could find the secret realm, it would mean a treasure trove of Adventure EXP waiting for him!
"They do need to be dealt with, but have you forgotten how hard it was for us to escape earlier?" Lumine shot him an exasperated look, her pale hands resting on her hips.
"Haha, you're quite eager, aren't you?" Hu Tao chuckled, crossing her arms and giving him a surprised glance.
"However, we should focus on finding the Glaze Lilies first. The secret realm can wait. Even if we find it, there's no way we can handle it on our own right now."
"Alright, fair enough."
Since both Lumine and Hu Tao disagreed, Nolan had no choice but to put his somewhat reckless idea on hold.
At Wuwang Hill, near the side close to Qingce Village...
As they arrived, they realized they had finally left the gloomy central area. However, it seemed they had spent too much time inside, as the sun outside had already set, and it was nearing twilight.
"Hu Tao, are we almost there?"
Paimon was floating limply in mid-air, her limbs dangling in exhaustion. After flying for so long, she was both hungry and tired, with barely any strength left in her body.
"Stop rushing me, we're almost there," Hu Tao responded casually, though she had lost count of how many times she'd said that already.
Could she have remembered the location wrong? How could it be taking this long?
"Did we go the wrong way?" Nolan asked, glancing at Hu Tao with a hint of doubt in his eyes.
Hu Tao glared at Nolan with her plum-blossom-like eyes, clearly dissatisfied. "I'm telling you, it's definitely the right way. You have to trust me, the great Director!"
"How about we take a break here, and you go find it yourself? When you do, just use the 'waymark' to let us know, and we'll teleport straight to you," Nolan suggested with a grin.
"Hehe, sure. But if you make me do that, I'll have my little ghost haunt you every night, making you dream of nightmares every day!" Hu Tao smiled mischievously at him.
"Haha, I was just kidding!" Nolan quickly surrendered, laughing.
Lumine brushed a lock of golden hair behind her ear, ignoring the two as they bantered. She noticed something on the overgrown, muddy ground ahead—what appeared to be a small, light-blue flower.
Lumine jogged over, bending down to examine it closely, her palm resting on her knee.
The flower looked identical to the Glaze Lilies cultivated in the city. Given how remote and untouched this area was, and the fact that there was only one, it was likely a wild Glaze Lily.
"Phew, finally found it. Seems like this is the right spot after all. Can't believe it's still here after two months," Hu Tao said, hurrying over to see the flower for herself.
"Maybe it wasn't fully grown back then? Otherwise, Glaze Lilies usually don't last this long," Paimon suggested, spreading her hands.
"Maybe. But since it hasn't bloomed yet, we can't use it for the 'Rite of Parting' ceremony," Hu Tao replied, crossing her arms.
"I remember that Glaze Lilies bloom at night. Let's wait here for a bit—it's almost time anyway," Nolan said, glancing up at the sky, where stars had already begun to appear.
"Mhm, Paimon agree! Let's eat while we wait," Paimon added enthusiastically, nodding in approval.
"Alright," both Lumine and Hu Tao agreed.
An hour passed, and after finishing their dinner, it was now around seven in the evening, yet the Glaze Lily still hadn't bloomed.
Nolan suddenly recalled from the game's storyline that there was a singing element involved in making the wild Glaze Lilies bloom.
He turned to the girls and asked, "Does anyone here know how to sing? I heard that a beautiful song can help Glaze Lilies bloom. It's worth a try."
"Singing? Count Paimon out! Paimon have never tried it before," Paimon quickly shook her head, declining.
"Heh, that's easy. Leave it to me," Hu Tao said confidently, puffing out her chest. "Besides being the Director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, I'm also a well-known poet!"
Nolan knew Hu Tao's reputation as a "back-alley dark poet," but he wasn't so sure about her singing skills.
"How about you try it, Lumine?" Nolan suggested, ignoring Hu Tao and turning to the golden-haired girl.
"Hey! What's with that attitude? Don't think for a second that poets can't sing!"
Hu Tao protested, hands on her hips, glaring at Nolan. The cool night breeze gently blew her long split dress, causing it to flutter against her snow-white calves.
"I haven't really sung much before. Let Hu Tao give it a go," Lumine smiled.
"Alright, let's hear what our Director has to offer," Nolan said, knowing he was tone-deaf and incapable of singing anything pleasant.
"You'd better listen carefully!" Hu Tao declared as she approached the Glaze Lily. She cleared her throat twice with a soft "ahem," then began to sing:
"The first hilichurl falls ill, the second hilichurl checks;
The third hilichurl gathers herbs, the fourth hilichurl brews;
The fifth hilichurl dies, and the sixth hilichurl lifts~"
Sure enough, Hu Tao sang her bizarre "Hilichurl Song." But surprisingly, despite its oddity, the way she sang it made it sound unexpectedly beautiful.
Just as Nolan was taken aback, the Glaze Lily, which had remained motionless all this time, trembled slightly. Its tightly closed bud slowly and rhythmically began to bloom, as if responding to the melody.
(End of Chapter)
T/N: In English, 'Hilichurl Song' is 'Ten Rabbit Song'- Just Replace 'Hilichurl' with 'Rabbit'...
Here is the audio link [https://youtu.be/1Q1L2Yv1nK8?si=OjNigBGLo68v55Zg]
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