radicalducati Page 144
Page 144
"All that time spent studying the art of deduction was wasted, and in the end, I perished in an illusion."
"Ah, I haven't seen a single person or animal in the mountains these past few days. If I could just have a steamed bun to eat, I would be completely satisfied."
Upon hearing Qi Tianchen mention steamed buns, Yuan Tiangang's stomach churned.
Looking back, as the head of the Bad Guys, what delicacies hadn't he eaten every day?
He disdained all rare mountain birds and beasts, and feasts of birds and fish.
But now, even a small steamed bun can tempt him to churn in his stomach and make his mouth water.
"Huh? Old Yuan, I think I'm hallucinating... I think I can really smell the steamed buns."
Yuan Tiangang sniffed: "Hmm? Me too. Hey, it's a steamed bun, probably beef..."
The two weak individuals struggled to their feet and looked up, only to see a figure emerge from the trees nearby.
The person happily munching on the steamed buns was none other than Xu Xiao, the Northern Cold King, who had only arrived at Wangjian Mountain that day.
Upon entering Wangjian Mountain, Xu Xiao was also trapped in this illusionary formation.
Unlike Yuan Tiangang and Qi Tianchen, he happened to have bought some steamed buns in the town at the foot of the mountain before going up, and he was enjoying them immensely.
Chapter 100: Xu Xiao, the King of Northern Cold! Kneels before Ye Fan!!!
You see, Xu Xiao, and the handful of steamed buns in his hand.
Both Qi Tianchen and Yuan Tiangang's eyes were sparkling, and they both swallowed hard.
Xu Xiao's lips twitched slightly. Was this still the arrogant and domineering Yuan Tiangang, the Grand Tutor of the Tang Dynasty, and Qi Tianchen?
It's unclear how long these two have been trapped in this environment, but they've ended up in such a sorry state.
Thinking that he had been too hasty and had forgotten the existence of this illusion, he watched as Qi and Yuan, who were skilled at deduction and decryption, ended up in such a predicament.
I'm afraid that in a few days, I'll end up in the same sorry state.
"Gentlemen... how long have you been here?" Xu Xiao tried to ease the awkward atmosphere between the three of them.
"...Maybe he's a few days older than the Prince." Yuan Tiangang still had some strength, but Qi Tianchen was so hungry he couldn't even speak.
Seeing how weak the two were, Xu Xiao handed them the breakfast he was holding: "You two are in such a sorry state. I have some dry food here. If you don't mind, please eat something to recover."
Xu Xiao was also helpless. If it were a battlefield attack, he would naturally not be afraid at all. He would not need to care about these two and could just kill them alone.
But when it came to this mysterious illusion array, Xu Xiao was completely stumped. Li Yishan wasn't by his side, and he could only rely on Qi Tianchen and Yuan Tiangang for any chance of escaping.
Although he didn't know, Qi Tianchen and Yuan Tiangang were also completely helpless against the illusion array set up by Ye Fan.
After receiving the steamed buns from Xu Xiao, Qi Tianchen and Yuan Tiangang struggled to swallow them in large gulps.
At this moment, what was merely a meat-filled bun made by a peasant woman in a mountain village was, in their mouths, far superior to the delicacies they usually ate.
Xu Xiao was dumbfounded by the sight of the two of them.
He also considered a possibility: if Qi Tianchen and Yuan Tiangang could really break out of the illusion set up by Ye Fan 447, how could they have ended up in such a predicament?
At this moment, Xu Xiao's impression of Ye Fan improved significantly once again.
It should be noted that, setting aside Qi Ertianchen and Yuan Jiutiangang's martial arts prowess, their ability to deduce and break through secret techniques is unparalleled in the world.
Such a person is trapped in the illusionary formation of Wangjian Mountain with no way to break through it.
To put it bluntly, this illusion array was probably just a random access control set up by Ye Fan, yet it was enough to leave Qi Tianchen and Yuan Tiangang completely helpless.
Doesn't that mean that Ye Fan's deductive abilities far surpass those of Qi Tianchen and Yuan Tiangang?
Thinking of Ye Fan's terrifying martial arts skills, Xu Xiao felt somewhat apprehensive.
Could this Ye Fan really be a celestial being descended to earth? Is he proficient in both literary and martial arts, and skilled in all sorts of extraordinary techniques?
With this in mind, Xu Xiao wasn't too worried.
He didn't expect himself, Qi Tianchen, or Yuan Tiangang to be able to break the illusion of Wangjian Mountain.
But he wasn't worried about being trapped in this illusion.
Before setting off for Wangjian Mountain, Xu Xiao had already sent his plans to his daughter, Xu Weixiong, via a secret carrier pigeon.
Xu Xiao vaguely remembered that his daughter, Xu Weixiong, had told him that Ye Fan had left her a secret method that allowed her to send messages to Ye Fan remotely at any time.
Xu Xiao calculated the time and estimated that Xu Weixiong should have received his letter by now, and would definitely communicate with Ye Fan at that time.
At this moment, Xu Xiao could only rest where he was, waiting for Ye Fan to let him go up the mountain.
Meanwhile
Ye Fan's residence at Wangjian Mountain.
Ye Fan was practicing martial arts as usual.
But then he suddenly opened his eyes.
There was a slight ripple around him, and then a letter appeared out of thin air.
Ye Fan glanced at the letter, and as he thought about it, he remembered that he had taught Xu Weixiong this special communication technique earlier.
And this letter was naturally sent by Xu Weixiong.
Open the envelope.
Ye Fan glanced at the contents of the document.
The preceding text is roughly Xu Weixiong expressing his longing for him.
The second half of the letter said that Xu Xiao would come to Wangjian Mountain to visit him today.
Ye Fan was puzzled. He probably didn't have much interaction with Xu Xiao, right?
Why would this Prince of Beihan personally visit a mere ninth-rank martial artist like himself at Wangjian Mountain?
Before Ye Fan could ponder it further, he suddenly remembered something.
"Damn it, the formation down the mountain hasn't been removed yet!"
Ye Fan wasn't afraid of anything else, but the formation was no simple matter. If someone were to fall into it, they would probably be trapped and die inside.
Thinking of this, Ye Fan got up and used a secret technique to remove the illusion array at the foot of the mountain.
He wasn't worried about any trouble that might arise after the illusion array was removed.
After all, he was just a ninth-rank martial artist and had never been involved in the trivial matters of the outside world, so who would care about him?
He never expected that, in the two great empires under heaven, there were powerful figures who coveted him.
And on the mountainside of Wangjian Mountain.
Qi Tianchen and Yuan Tiangang looked much better after eating the steamed buns.
After all, both of them were relatively weak. Although they hadn't eaten or drunk anything for several days, this meal of steamed buns was enough to keep them from getting seriously injured, though they were still feeling weak.
"Thank you for the steamed buns, Your Highness. If we have the opportunity in the future, we will never forget this kindness."
After thanking Xu Xiao, Qi Tianchen and Yuan Tiangang sat cross-legged on the spot without saying a word.
Xu Xiao didn't go forward to chat. Although he didn't know the details, he knew that no matter what, Yuan Tiangang and Qi Tianchen had come to Wangjian Mountain on behalf of the Tang Dynasty, and their purpose must also be to win over Ye Fan.
The three of them then sat in two separate groups, facing each other in silence.
But at that moment, an invisible wave streaked across the sky.
Then, in the blink of an eye, everything around them changed drastically.
The scenery remained the same, except that the blazing sun that had hung high in the sky disappeared in the blink of an eye, replaced by a bright moon hanging obliquely in the sky.
"The sky...the sky has actually darkened?" Qi Tianchen murmured in utter astonishment, his mouth agape.
Hearing Qi Tianchen murmur, Yuan Tiangang, who had been resting with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them as well.
Xu Xiao, on the other hand, didn't seem to notice anything amiss. After all, he had only just entered Wangjian Mountain today and assumed it was just another change in the illusionary formation.
However, Qi Tianchen and Yuan Tiangang had been here for several days.
In the past few days, neither the surrounding scenery nor the clouds and sun in the sky have changed in the slightest.
The sky is always bright, and they haven't seen the moon for days.
"The illusion array... the illusion array has actually been dispelled!" Tears even welled up in Yuan Tiangang's eyes. It's no wonder he was so excited. Only the two of them, who were trapped in the illusion array and unable to extricate themselves, could understand the feeling of helplessness and despair, as well as the joy of being reborn.
"The illusion array has been dispelled?" Looking at the excited Qi Tianchen and Yuan Tiangang, Xu Xiao didn't feel much, but when he heard the two say that the illusion array had been dispelled, he understood that his daughter and Ye Fan must have informed them.
Ignoring Qi Tianchen and Yuan Tiangang, who were cheering as if they had been reborn, Xu Xiao quietly headed towards Wangjian Mountain first.
He knew his purpose in coming here, and he went ahead of Qi Tianchen and Yuan Tiangang to tell Ye Fan his purpose.
Qi Tianchen and Yuan Tiangang quickly became alert and, seeing Xu Xiao walking rapidly up the mountain, hurriedly chased after him.
Qi Tianchen and Yuan Tiangang were unaware of Xu Xiao's purpose in coming here, since the two had arrived earlier. However, Ye Fan was the only one on Wangjian Mountain who could be the reason for Xu Xiao's visit.
Qi Tianchen and Yuan Tiangang came with a mission. If Xu Xiao gets there first and they return empty-handed, how can they explain it to Li Shimin?
Even though they were still very weak, the two of them still chased after Xu Xiao with all their might.
The three of them arrived at the summit of Wangjian Mountain, near Ye Fan's residence, almost simultaneously.
After all, although Qi Tianchen and Yuan Tiangang were physically weak, their strength far surpassed that of Xu Xiao, who was only a second-rank martial artist.
This resulted in the three arriving at almost the same time.