However, beneath this enchanting scenery and fragrance, both Luo Yingbai and Xia Xianning were at their most alert. Luo Yingbai said, “It’s actually Shi Mei Xin Yang.”
Shi Mei Xin Yang was the name of these flowers. Though the name sounded pleasant, encountering them was not enjoyable, because they were not plants, but “monsters”.
These monsters could peek into people’s most cherished emotions – love, money, fortune, power – and then transform according to these emotions, entangling travelers’ steps while releasing a confusing fragrance.
Their magical power was low, and the illusions could only fool ordinary people. For Xia Xianning and Luo Yingbai, they weren’t difficult to deal with, but a whole field of them was quite annoying.
At this moment, the light red flower from before suddenly spread out its branches and leaves, with delicate flower stems gradually extending. Two leaves stretched and swelled, quickly transforming into the shape of half a naked girl in front of Luo Yingbai.
The reason for saying “half” is that her lower body was still in the shape of flower stems. Although her upper half was human-like, her body was still covered with many flower petals and leaves, obviously not fully evolved.
The surrounding flowers immediately began to curse:
“What are you doing!
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“Who told you to reveal your true form in front of an outsider!”
“Little slut, you forget yourself when you see a man!”
The flower ignored her companions’ words, extending a slender arm towards Luo Yingbai, seemingly waiting for him to hold her hand. She giggled: “Since you said so, I’ll let you take a good look at my appearance, and then kill you after you’ve seen clearly.”
Luo Yingbai’s face was full of amazement and joy: “I didn’t expect you to be so beautiful. Dying would be worth it.”
He softly said: “You must be the most beautiful flower among these, right?”
Being praised by a beautiful man, whether human or demon, would inevitably feel somewhat elated. The flower demon chuckled: “You really know how to talk.”
But she didn’t deny it, which offended the other demons. Why should this little slut be the most attractive? Who wouldn’t want to be beautiful?
Five or six flowers nearby rushed to transform and argued with each other: “I’m the most beautiful!” “No, I am!”
Luo Yingbai exclaimed: “You’re all so beautiful!” Then he frowned helplessly: “With so many of you, my eyes are dazzled. I can’t tell who’s the most beautiful…”
Luo Yingbai said: “Well… uh!”
Another flower beside him stretched out a leaf-covered arm, grabbing Luo Yingbai’s collar and pulling him close, demanding: “Look at me carefully! Aren’t I more beautiful than her?!”
Luo Yingbai secretly glanced at the first flower, still saying: “Well…”
The first flower grew angry, slapping the flower holding Luo Yingbai, causing petals to fall. She cursed: “Let him go! Didn’t you hear about first come, first served?”
The slapped flower released Luo Yingbai and retaliated with a slap: “Who says beauty has an order of precedence? I’m the most beautiful flower!”
The two flowers began fighting, with Luo Yingbai looking panicked. His fingers secretly dropped, using his body to conceal himself as he pulled a flower stem and slowly backed away.
The fight continued, expanding, with Luo Yingbai “helplessly” retreating, muttering: “How did this turn into a fight? Please stop, I still think the first flower is the most beautiful!”
Until he was almost at the edge of the flower sea, he heard someone say: “Since you’re tired of fighting, let that boy choose again and see who’s the most beautiful flower! The most beautiful flower gets to eat him… Oh no, he’s escaping!”
All the flowers turned to look for him. Luo Yingbai laughed: “Hahaha, goodbye, beautiful ladies!”
Before his words finished, he had already escaped using his skills, leaping over the flowers and clearing a path with a flash of red light.
He had successfully escaped, with no news from Xia Xian, who was presumably still fighting stubbornly. Luo Yingbai turned around to face a corridor lined with mirrors reflecting his image from various angles.
Luo Yingbai muttered to himself: “Oh, the difficulty has been upgraded.”
As he stepped forward, he heard a familiar voice call: “Yingbai.”
Luo Yingbai sighed, closing his eyes. He had been teasing those stupid flowers precisely to avoid seeing this, but he couldn’t escape.
As he closed his eyes, the mirror images paused. When he opened them again, the scene continued.
His reflection showed him sitting in a room with red wooden bookshelves, sleeping with a book over his face. A girl in a blue dress ran in, calling “Yingbai”. He removed the book, looking delighted, and stood up as she pointed to a high shelf, asking him to retrieve a book.
Luo Yingbai nodded and turned to reach up, but the girl suddenly pulled out a long knife and stabbed him through the back, pinning him to the bookshelf.
Multiple mirrors played this scene from different angles. Luo Yingbai took a breath, feeling the old wounds hurt from being stabbed multiple times.
Indeed, what he feared most was betrayal – and this path was still long, with this being just the first step.
Before him, those flowers twisted and turned, and they actually transformed one by one into Luo Yingbai’s appearance, with various age groups and different clothing styles.
Xia Xianning tightened his fist behind his back, then expressionlessly passed through a group of “senior brothers” and continued forward, looking straight ahead with uninterrupted steps.
Although the flower spirits were not beaten by him, they did not dare to block his path. The long-carried smell of various magical artifacts on Xia Xianning made these demons feel uncomfortable.
They tried to release white mist, and amidst the lingering flower fragrance, a “Luo Yingbai” quietly climbed onto his shoulder and whispered: “Don’t you like him?”
Xia Xianning paused and answered: “I like him.”
The flower spirit shook his shoulder: “Then turn back, just look back at me… My appearance is the same as his.”
Xia Xianning suddenly let out a cold laugh. Perhaps because he usually looked cold as frost, even just a cold laugh appeared extraordinarily stunning on his face.
He said: “The person I like is unparalleled in the world. You cannot compare to him.”
As soon as the words fell, the flower spirits suddenly let out a cry. Thousands of colors vanished, the illusions dissipating, and a world collapsed on the ground.
Xia Xianning breathed a sigh of relief. Although he knew these things were fake, he could not bring himself to act against a face resembling Luo Yingbai’s.
He casually threw out a yellow talisman, burning all the troublesome flowers, and then saw the mirror behind the flower sea and Luo Yingbai on the mirror’s path.
After Luo Yingbai took one step, the surroundings were chaotic. He stood in place, thinking for a few seconds, then embraced the origin and remained still, carefully concentrating, and then took a second step:
“The essence of the Tao, vast and obscure, without sight or sound. Embrace the spirit in stillness, and the form will naturally correct. Must be pure and clear, without laboring the form…”
His steps were neither fast nor slow, his voice steady and leisurely. His heart gradually became calm. As he stepped forward, the images in the mirrors began to disappear. After ten steps, all mirrors were empty, unable to reflect any human figure.
Luo Yingbai had just revealed a slight smile when a sharp breaking sound came from behind. Instantly, a golden light heavily struck the row of mirrors. Light and shadows splashed, layer upon layer of dazzling mist, and with a crisp explosive sound, the mirrors around him were instantly reduced to ashes.
