Free Web NovelRipples spread out in the air, one after another. The faint light attracted by the Bamboo Scroll outlined a phantom, unformed vortex.
Seeing the "door" to the Bamboo Scroll Illusion gradually taking shape, Lu Yibei took two deep breaths, pulled the zipper of her Coat tight, pressed the velcro on her collar, and turned to look at Professor Ma.
"Professor, it's about to start. I'm not sure what unexpected situations might arise after the Bamboo Scroll Illusion is fully activated, so please stay as far away as possible later."
Is it about to start? Professor Ma looked at the Bamboo Scroll, which was decayed and blackened by the erosion of time, with a complicated expression, and nodded at Lu Yibei.
Seeing Lu Yibei walk towards the Bamboo Scroll little by little, he seemed to suddenly remember something and called out softly, "Lu Yibei!"
"Hmm? Professor, is there anything else?" Lu Yibei stopped and turned back.
"This Bamboo Scroll is really too dangerous. Uh, I mean, if you study similar ancient artifacts in the future, you have to help me keep a close eye on things. We can't let a similar tragedy happen again," said Professor Ma.
He actually wanted to say, 'Be careful, and come back alive,' right? He's so old, yet still so hesitant... Lu Yibei grumbled inwardly, nodding at Professor Ma. "No problem."
Saying that, she walked a short distance towards the Bamboo Scroll again, then immediately turned back and jogged.
"You..." Professor Ma was stunned for a moment. "Are you backing out?"
"No, I don't know how long I'll be gone this time. I'm worried there won't be food inside, so..."
Lu Yibei said seriously, bent down and grabbed a few half-cooked river fish from the ground, stuffed them into her Coat pockets haphazardly, and then turned around and continued running towards the Bamboo Scroll.
Professor Ma, "..."
...
The Bamboo Scroll frantically absorbed the Spiritual Energy scattered among the surrounding mountains and forests, quickly condensing into a vortex emitting a faint dark red light.
Through the vortex, which seemed to lead to another world, one could vaguely see a black and white world like a landscape painting. On the undulating black mountains, blood-colored light spots dotted the landscape like mountain fires.
Attracted by the continuously gathering Spiritual Energy, heart-palpitating sounds came from the surrounding barren mountains. Sometimes it was like the sad sobbing of a young girl, sometimes like the mournful sigh of an old woman, and sometimes a faint beast-like «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» low growl could be heard.
The moment before plunging into the vortex created by the Bamboo Scroll, Lu Yibei glanced back behind her. Accompanied by intense burning pain in her eyes, her pupils contracted in terror.
Through the distorted light and shadows caused by the Bamboo Scroll, she saw from a distance a dense expanse of eerie figures standing behind Professor Ma.
Women with long hair covering their faces floated in mid-air, rotten hands and feet exposed beneath their messy and tattered dresses.
Giant worm-like monsters were covered in tumors. Deformed tumors piled together, outlining painful and ferocious faces.
Seven or eight pale children stood back to back, dark red flesh wriggling in the gaps, tightly connecting their bodies.
Something in the river water cautiously extended its enormous head...
More strange figures were gathering behind Professor Ma in the distance, their number quickly exceeding fifty.
Those urban legend varied in strength; the weakest were just forming, while the strongest were existences of the third intensity level, causing Lu Yibei's eyes to burn intensely.
For a moment.
Dark red, pitch black, dark green, deep purple... various sources of foul and impure aura intertwined, forming a bizarre and terrifying picture, like a demon's lair. freeweɓnovēl.coɱ
...
The anomaly of the Bamboo Scroll attracted the urban legend hidden in the nearby barren mountains? This is bad, Professor Ma is in danger! Lu Yibei thought.
She opened her mouth wide, wanting to warn Professor Ma, but couldn't make a sound. The scene before her became blurry.
In an instant, violent shaking began. Amidst the dizzying screeching sounds, it felt as if something was being stripped away, perhaps sanity, perhaps air, or perhaps something else.
Her body felt like it had fallen into a pitch-black Cold Pool, constantly sinking. A cold and damp aura assailed her from all directions.
Her body was being pulled by a strange force. Terrifying roars seemed to bypass her ears and drill directly into her mind. In the midst of intense dizziness and pain, all light in front of her extinguished, plunging her into darkness.
She didn't know how long she had been sinking in the darkness; it felt like only an instant, yet also like a century.
The darkness was dispelled, the illusion of reality shattered, and she glimpsed the world hidden behind the Bamboo Scroll.
...
Following Lu Yibei's instructions, Professor Ma stayed far away, twenty to thirty meters away, watching the direction of the Bamboo Scroll.
His attention was entirely on Lu Yibei, and he completely failed to notice the terrifying scene of a large number of urban legend gathering behind him, or perhaps, he simply didn't know that urban legend were gathering behind him.
And those urban legend, as if fearing something, always maintained a certain distance from him, not daring to overstep in the slightest.
Occasionally, lower-level urban legend with low intelligence would shriek and charge towards Professor Ma, who was blocking their way, and would immediately be torn to shreds by powerful urban legend.
This situation continued until Lu Yibei's figure completely disappeared from sight. Only when Professor Ma walked to the side and sat down, waiting for the Bamboo Scroll's anomaly to end, did things change.
The moment Professor Ma moved out of the way, the swarming urban legend, like a flood of water released from a gate or like elementary school students hearing the bell and getting the Teacher's dismissal order, rushed towards the Bamboo Scroll like mad.
However.
Even until the last Strange Tale disappeared into the vortex formed by the Bamboo Scroll, Professor Ma did not detect any abnormality.
Oh, no, he did notice something was a little off...
"What's that terrible smell? Dead fish?"
"Ugh—! It's still cold by the river at night! This river wind is chilling. I should have taken the Coat from the car."
Professor Ma's soliloquy echoed over the river surface and quickly fell silent.
...
Half an hour later.
The light surrounding the Bamboo Scroll gradually contracted, then flickered a few times like a faulty light, and dimmed.
In the darkness, Professor Ma quietly observed the direction of the Bamboo Scroll for a while. After confirming that there were no more anomalies, he got up and walked over, bent down to pick up the Bamboo Scroll, and turned to walk towards the car parked on the mountain road in the distance.
Just as Professor Ma started the car, drove along the mountain road towards the city center, and finally disappeared from sight, across the river on the opposite bank, a silver light gradually brightened in the darkness, flashed, and instantly disappeared.
...
A few minutes later.
On a military off-road vehicle speeding towards the desolate riverbank.
"I knew it, I knew it all along!" Li Xuan said, looking at Jiang Li across from him with a serious expression. "That Lu Yibei is definitely problematic!"
"See, I've been keeping an eye on the area around University City, and sure enough, we found something, right?"
An Qing, "..."
In this world, the number of urban legend in any given city is almost one-tenth of the population. If you keep an eye on one place, you're bound to find something, aren't you?
As An Qing was thinking, the car door was suddenly pulled open by something. A strong wind rushed in, and then it closed with a "bang". Accompanied by a dazzling flash of silver light, Bai Kai appeared in the car.
"Just got back. Went to the bureau and heard there was an operation, so I tagged along. What's the situation now?" Bai Kai said with a smile, his gaze intentionally or unintentionally drifting towards Li Xuan.
"Half an hour ago, colleagues performing a task near Laotan Village detected a large gathering of urban legend. The situation at the scene is unclear," An Qing explained.
"No wonder you were driving so fast! I almost couldn't keep up."
An Qing, "..." That Bai Kai, always exaggerating!
How could he not keep up with a car at his speed? An Qing thought.
Perhaps in this world, top sports cars at full speed could rival Bai Kai's speed.
But.
Sports cars need well-maintained roads to go at full speed, whereas Bai Kai can completely ignore the terrain.
"But, that place in Laotan Village..." Bai Kai frowned.
"What? Is there a problem there?"
"No, no!" Bai Kai gently shook his head. "It's just that I just came from that direction, and I didn't find anything unusual!"
"How is that possible?!" Li Xuan suddenly exclaimed.
Bai Kai glanced at Li Xuan. "Oh? Are you doubting my judgment?"
"I..."
"'I' what?" Bai Kai rolled his eyes. "Oh, right, since you spoke up, I suddenly remembered I brought you a little gift on my way here."
"A gift?" Li Xuan looked at Bai Kai in confusion, tilting his head.
How could this annoying guy suddenly be so kind?
Bai Kai smiled mysteriously at Li Xuan, reached into his Coat pocket, pulled out a dark object, and threw it to Li Xuan.
"Take a look? How about it, surprised, unexpected, do you like it?"
Li Xuan held the dark object and studied it for a few seconds before distinguishing from the pattern that it was a piece of tire debris, exactly the same model as his beloved car's tire.
Suddenly coming to his senses, the corner of his mouth twitched uncontrollably, and then he yelled, "Bai Kai! You ***! I'm going to complain about you to headquarters!"
"Then go ahead! Hundreds of people complain about me every year, who are you?" Bai Kai said, shrugging his shoulders, leaning back in his chair, closing his eyes to rest, as if he couldn't hear Li Xuan's noisy shouting beside him.
Late at night, why would Xiao Bei's Professor be in that place? Bai Kai thought quietly.
Yes, he knew Professor Ma. Before Lu Yibei enrolled, he had already secretly investigated all of her Teachers.
Later, when he found that Lu Yibei had frequent contact with Professor Ma, he investigated Professor Ma again and found nothing unusual.
Judging from the residual Spiritual Energy fluctuations at the scene, at least a hundred urban legend had appeared there, yet he was just an ordinary person and couldn't see anything unusual at all...
This matter is too strange. What happened while I was away? Will Xiao Bei be involved?
There are no humans living within a radius of more than ten miles around there. When I went there, the urban legend also disappeared inexplicably. It shouldn't cause any harm in a short time, so arriving a little later should be fine. Bai Kai thought.
Even if it's for Xiao Bei, what if... he's really up to something?
(Today... second update... should be there...)
