Chapter 27: The Black Key

  When I woke up, my head was still a bit dizzy. I didn't open my eyes and just lay on the long chair thinking. I don't know where that Qing Ning is, it's been so long and he hasn't even made a phone call. Now that the Ming Hun Road has been blocked by the government, I can't and dare not rush in casually, otherwise I will either be caught for questioning or get lost!

  I irritably got up, but at the moment I opened my eyes, I suddenly saw someone sitting next to me! I was startled and had no idea how long that person had been sitting there.

  "Awake?" The man's voice was very flat, seemingly coming from a distant place, ancient and ethereal.

  I looked at him and immediately showed a smile, excitedly saying: "Lemon, when did you come? You didn't even call me to wake up!" Actually, I wanted to say, can you not be so sneaky, coming out without making a sound, it's scary!

  He didn't answer my question, but instead looked at me very seriously and said: "You look very weak."

  "Is it? Maybe I've been running around too much lately and haven't been getting enough sleep." I yawned, feeling a bit tired.

  "Haven't you encountered anything else?" He looked at me suspiciously, his eyes were really clear, and I suddenly came to my senses. Holding onto his arm, I hurriedly said: "I have a friend who needs your help!" As I spoke, I told him everything about Da Bao from start to finish.

  He looked at me, his expression still didn't fluctuate much, but I knew he had taken it in, so I asked nervously: "Is there still a chance to save him?"

  He nodded slightly and said, "There is a way, but you can't be sure." He looked at me, seemingly expressionless yet suspicious, and suddenly asked me, "Have you thought about what would happen if you came into contact with him?"

  "What's the result?" I stared at him blankly, unsure why he was asking this, although being with a ghost was a bit eerie, but Da Bao was my brother after all, and had died because of me...

  "Do you really believe he won't harm you?" Qing Ning asked me back, I immediately assured him that he wouldn't, but he asked again: "Why can't others see him, only you can see him?"

  I just wanted to refute him, but I couldn't find any reason to do so. Yeah, he said that no one else could see him, so why can only I see him? Am I the only special one?

  "You've been drained of a lot of energy by him these days, wait until your strength recovers a bit before following me in."

  "No... " I subconsciously didn't want to think about those dirty things regarding Da Bao, so I changed the subject and asked: "I've rested well, how do we get in?"

  Qing Ning let out a soft sigh and said: "Let's go again at night, there are too many people around during the day. Besides, you know that someone has been keeping an eye on you all along."

  I nodded, knowing that even in the daytime, for someone like Qing Ning, it was wherever she wanted to go, coming and going as she pleased. But I couldn't do that, I didn't have those skills, and I had many doubts. However, he seemed to have understood my thoughts, stood up and said: "Let's talk more on the mountain."

  So I bought two tickets and after taking the bus to the top of the mountain, I continued walking with Qingning. The deeper we walked, the fewer people there were, until it was just the two of us left. It wasn't until then that I couldn't help but ask: "I felt like that living dead person last time seemed to know you, what did he say to you at the time?"

  "What's with the 'living dead'?" Qing Ning shot me a sidelong glance, then slowly opened her mouth: "Nothing was said."

  I said it clearly! Forget it, since you don't want to say anything, I'll hold back my urge to break the vase and ask to the end. "So what did you take out of that hanging coffin? It seems that Xianxian didn't get anything and is very angry?"

  "It's just a key." Qing Ning said calmly, but I was startled and asked: "Is it the black key they've been looking for?"

  Qingning nodded, then pulled out a key from his bosom. I immediately took it from his hand. The key looked very ancient and different from the modern ones. It was almost as long as two of my little thumbs, entirely black but seemed to have other colors mixed in. It felt cool to the touch, with a hint of eeriness.

  Perhaps seeing how much I loved it, Qing Ning generously said: "I'll give it to you to keep."

  "Why? Isn't it safer to leave it with you?" I almost blurted out, but then I couldn't help but want to slap myself after reacting, when in fact I wanted it myself and was advising others to take it back.

  I looked at Qing Ning, but saw him smile helplessly and say, "It can save your life."

  "Really? Then I'd better keep it safe!" Seeing that Qing Ning was being sincere and considering me, my heart felt even more moved. I carefully put the key into my pocket, but still feeling uneasy, I took it out again and put it into the inner pocket. Only then did I smile and ask: "You said how many keys are there in total?"

  "A lot." Qing Ning seemed to have expected me to ask and said calmly without any surprise.

  "Really? Could it be...?" I suddenly had a bad premonition and hesitantly asked, "This can't be fake, could it?"

  "True and false, false and true, when pretending to be true, the truth is also false. It's only after trying that one can tell what's real or fake." At this time, Qing Ning suddenly became interested in playing word puzzles.

  I blinked and still couldn't tell if the key was real or fake, so I asked, "Have you tried it?"

  "What do you think?" Qing Ning teased me with a glance, still not telling me whether this key was real or fake. Perhaps he himself wasn't sure either. After all, those people who hide secrets wouldn't let someone find the real key so easily. Whether it's true or false, it's better to keep it safe!

  I followed Qingning as we walked non-stop, winding around and around, without knowing where we were going. Anyway, everywhere was mountains and trees, lush and green, with clear streams flowing occasionally, truly a place of continuous peaks and water vapor reaching the sky. Various strange rocks and landscapes all emitted a natural spirit, reminding me of Liu Zongyuan's famous poem: "In the pond, hundreds of fish swim freely, as if they are wandering aimlessly without any dependence!"

  After admiring it for a while, I felt exhausted all over, so I found a place to rest with Qingning. Anyway, it's not early anymore, and after resting, we should head to the Soul Maze.

  The sky is gradually darkening, and all the beautiful scenery is hidden in the darkness. I and Qingning have entered the forbidden area of Wawushan - Mihun Valley. To be honest, when we first came in, I was still a bit curious, but now I don't have the heart to be curious anymore. Walking under the dense branches, I suddenly feel so small and powerless. The moonlight seeps through the gaps between the leaves and falls quietly on the withered branches and rotten leaves, leaving patches of frost. Although autumn is approaching, the cold air here still makes me feel chilly. I closely follow Qingning's back as we walk, afraid that if I'm not careful, I'll get lost.

  "Eh, Lemon, where's your treasured sword?" I've been wanting to ask this all along the way, but it slipped my mind for a moment.

  "A sword?" Qing Ning looked at me and shook her head helplessly, then lifted the hem of her clothes and suddenly pulled out a beautiful black longsword from her waist.

  "This is actually a soft sword!" I couldn't help but exclaim, Qing Ning hooked the corner of his mouth and rewrapped the sword around his waist, covering it with his clothes so that nothing unusual could be seen.

  ……

  The deeper I walked, the colder it felt around me. I couldn't help but wrap my clothes tightly around me. At this moment, suddenly I heard Da Bao say: "Feng Die, is that person your new friend?"