This reminded me of the last case, when someone strange pushed me from behind. At the time, I thought it was He Xiaoyu or He Jinghui, but they weren't here now, so it couldn't have been them. I then plunged into another dark, bottomless abyss, enduring the risk of being smashed to pieces. My body, however, was bound by something. Next, someone yanked me up. I turned to see it was He Xiaoyu. With incredible speed, she grabbed onto a step in the abyss with me, and we quickly ascended.
But the place we arrived at was not where Liu Yuning and the others were. He Xiaoyu and I stood at a high vantage point, and when we looked back, the cinema had caught fire!
He Xiaoyu, who had been pulling me, wanted to lead me away, but I forcefully pushed her hand away: "No! Not everyone is out yet!"
"There's no time, Young Master. This is a trap, do you understand? If I hadn't arrived in time just now, you would all be dead!"
"But if I leave alone, what about them?"
This time, I glared fiercely at He Xiaoyu. I had never treated her this way before, but things were different now. How could I leave alone? I turned and charged down from the cinema's rooftop. Yes, we had reached the rooftop. I didn't know what would happen if I rushed back now, but as I descended the stairs, I felt the temperature around me rising, and the walls on both sides were glowing red from the heat. Someone was chasing me from behind, as if worried about my safety.
We all reached the third floor together. I remembered Liu Yuning and the others were on the second floor. Suddenly, some footsteps rushed upwards. We met at a corner, and just as I was about to ask how they got up, Xiahou said, "There are traps everywhere here. We accidentally triggered something, and a new staircase opened up!"
"Then let's go! Everyone to the rooftop!" I commanded. Although the others saw He Xiaoyu, they didn't say anything. When we reached the rooftop, we all felt the floor was like burning embers, extremely hot. The soles of our shoes started to feel scorching. He Xiaoyu said to us from behind, "With my power, I can only take one person away!"
"How can that be?" Looking around, the place was completely empty, with no other buildings. Therefore, we couldn't escape through other floors. It was too late to call the fire department. Still, Xiahou made a call. He Xiaoyu ignored everyone's reactions and immediately grabbed me, intending to leave. I wanted to struggle at first, but I was no match for her. As we were leaving the cinema building, I tried to break free, but I suddenly received a heavy blow to my neck, and I lost consciousness.
When I woke up again, I found myself beneath a large expanse of green leaves. It seemed I was on a tree. Broad leaves surrounded me, and dappled sunlight filtered through the gaps, casting shadows on my body. I opened my eyes slightly, finding the light glaringly bright, and for a moment, I didn't want to open them fully.
At this moment, I noticed a graceful figure in purple clothing sitting beside me. Seeing me wake up, she couldn't help but curve her lips. She smiled at me, and with the smile, her eyebrows tilted upwards slightly. But at that instant, I suddenly sat up and forcefully grabbed her shoulder: "Where are they!?"
"I don't know. They should be fine. Don't think too much about it. This is He Family Village!"
"He Family Village? When did you bring me back?"
"Due to some urgent circumstances, the Clan Leader needs to see you immediately!"
"Uh, how so? I thought you came to save me specifically. So it was just to deliver the Clan Leader's message!"
"A bit of both. Otherwise, you would have been finished. My brother is also with the Clan Leader. It's time for you to go. You don't need to worry about Captain Liu for now, don't worry!"
Seeing He Xiaoyu's confident demeanor, I knew she wouldn't make a promise about something uncertain. So, I agreed.
I originally intended to walk down the tree, but after emerging from a treehouse, I found the place very strange. Everyone didn't live under the trees but on them, and many thick tree trunks were connected, forming pathways between each house.
Most of these treehouses were made of wood, with a section carved out from the center of the tree and the entire house built upon it. Many places were adorned with runes that I couldn't understand. For a moment, I wondered what the He family members did in the past.
I followed He Xiaoyu along a tree trunk. As we passed a few houses, many villagers greeted me, and I casually smiled back. When we arrived in front of a rather large house in the center, He Xiaoyu knocked and said, "We're here!"
"Come in!" A hoarse voice echoed from within.
He Xiaoyu carefully pushed the door open. A beam of light projected from inside, but my eyes had already adjusted to the surroundings.
Approaching the room, I saw a white-robed old man sitting on a yellow dragon-patterned stool. He held a teacup in his hand, and a staff with a snake's head stood beside him. His long white beard extended to his chest. His vigorous face, coupled with incredibly sharp eyes and thin lips, immediately addressed me upon seeing me: "He Sheng, it's good to see you back. It's been 20 years. How have you been living outside?"
"Clan Leader, I..." I was momentarily unsure how to answer, feeling a mix of emotions like meeting an old acquaintance after a long separation.
Seeing my awkwardness, the old man chuckled, "Actually, I'm not the Clan Leader. I'm the Clan Leader's husband! Hahaha!!"
What?
I stared curiously at the old man before me. A moment later, an old woman emerged from a room behind him. She wore a yellow kasaya and a silver-white coronet. She had a staff, but it was different from the old man's, appearing more finely crafted, with a lifelike and imposing dragon coiled around it.
As soon as the old woman saw me, she smiled, "He Sheng, you're back, it's good you're back! It's been 20 years since we last saw each other!"
"Yes, I'm sorry. It's my fault for misremembering!"
"Hehe, He Sheng, your grandfather didn't tell you clearly back then, so it's not surprising you got it wrong. You were so young then! Hehe! Ignorance is bliss, of course, you wouldn't know..."