Mountain and sea lantern

Chapter 555 Drawing the ground as a prison
Shi Chun, with his thieving figure, stealthily slipped away, seized an opportunity, anticipated the approaching person's route, and after a brief stakeout, finally caught a glimpse of the person's true face through a gap in the bookshelf.

It would have been fine if he hadn't seen it, but after catching a glimpse of the other person's blood-red eyes, his heartstrings tightened instantly, and he immediately guessed that it was the demonic path of Wu Shanshan from the Valley of Oblivion.

The last glimmer of hope in my heart has been completely shattered.

Although I was nervous before, I still thought there were other possibilities, and that I might be overthinking things. But as soon as I saw the blood-red eyes, I was completely certain that they were really coming for me.

They also understood why the other party had suddenly appeared here; it must have been because their previous escape had attracted the other party's pursuit.

After learning about Wu Shanshan's tracking methods, he paid a heavy price to hunt her down, even openly revealing his secret technique of using a fifth-grade immobilization talisman, sparing no effort to cut off Wu Shanshan's pursuit.

Now that he has seen this technique again, and the cultivation level of this demonic visitor is far beyond what Wu Shanshan could compare to, clearly surpassing the level of the Earth Immortal he had ever seen, one can imagine that the cultivation level of this demonic visitor is extremely high, and he will definitely not be able to solve the problem as he did when he killed Wu Shanshan.

Having experienced the terror of Wu Shanshan's tracking techniques, he realized that he might truly be doomed this time.

My mind was already racing, trying to figure out an escape route. I was thinking about how to negotiate a cooperation with the other party if I got caught, and how to persuade them. After all, saving my life was the most important thing.

Of course, what happened after he was caught was unavoidable. He couldn't just surrender without a fight, and he had to find a way to escape no matter what.

Now I understand why the other party didn't use magic to investigate. They didn't need to; their demonic eyes could find him by following his trail.

Everything has its advantages and disadvantages. The fact that the other party gave up casting spells to investigate means that they have given me a chance to fight back.

He quickly devised another way to escape. If he could get away now, before the other party chased him out of the city, he could alert the city guards and activate the great formation to seal off the city. Perhaps he could keep the other party under house arrest for a while. Would the other party expose his identity and forcefully break out of the city?
If he can keep the other party trapped for long enough, he might be able to escape, because he knows that this tracking technique has a time limit. Once the traces of his passage disappear, the magic eye will lose its tracking clues.

So the key is whether we can shake off the other party right now.

So after luring the other person away from the stairwell, he quietly slipped towards the stairwell himself.

As I passed by a row of bookshelves, my eyes inadvertently caught sight of the words "Han Guang" on a book. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck me. My own demonic aura could contain even the smoke from burning incense, and even the golden threads that could connect to the underworld that grew from corpses. Could I then contain the aura that I was leaking and that could be detected by the demonic eye?
He acted immediately upon having the idea, activating his azure energy to protect himself, and slipped to the stairwell, descending in mid-air until he slowly sank to the bottom of the stairs.

However, life is unpredictable, and there are always reasons for it.

The gray-clad man, relying on his magic eye to track the situation, quickly realized something was amiss. Shi Chun's elusive aura had completely baffled him. There were confluences everywhere, with intersecting circles and rings, all fresh traces. Even a ghost wouldn't know which route to follow.

What's even stranger is that after wandering around for so long, he still couldn't find anyone.

Sensing something was wrong, he immediately crouched down, pressed his face to the ground, and searched for the target's feet in the gap under the bookshelf.

Didn't see it.

I went to several places and lay down in several places, but there was nothing there.

The only indication of the target's arrival was a single sign; there was no indication of it leaving.

The key point is that we haven't heard any footsteps leaving yet. No, the traces left by the target show that they've circled around so many times, how could there be no footsteps?
He suddenly realized something was wrong and remembered the warning he had received before setting off, that the thief was very cunning and slippery and should not be taken lightly.

Could it be that I'm about to suffer a humiliating defeat, like an eagle being pecked blind by a hen?
Upon waking up, he no longer dared to act with composure and restraint. He immediately spread his magical power, exploring the upper and lower floors.

Shi Chun, with his thieving figure, was tiptoeing half a foot off the ground on the second floor. There was a shortcut downstairs—the sliding door—but he dared not make the slightest noise of opening it. He decided to take a detour; safety first.

There was also a shortcut to leave the library. The glittering window was tempting Shi Chun. The free light outside seemed to be beckon to Shi Chun. As long as he went over and opened the window, he could jump out and run away.

But he didn't even dare to make a sound when sliding the door, nor did he dare to put his feet on the ground, so how could he dare to pull open the window latch and make a noise?

Once you alert them, do you think you can escape by jumping out of the window first?
There was no other way but to walk to the end of the partition wall and go around.

Upon reaching the end, one will naturally see a scholar in a blue robe sitting on the floor in the passageway, leaning against a bookshelf and reading.

The scholar in the blue robe didn't notice anyone approaching at first. He looked up because he felt something was blocking the light from the window at the other end of the alley.

You wouldn't believe it until you see it; what you see is unexpected. You're stunned to see a stealthy figure moving silently through the air, like a thief.

The reason for the surprise was that someone could walk in mid-air without any fluctuation of magical power, and he hadn't even noticed it if he hadn't gotten close.

Shh, Shi Chun put one index finger to his lips, then clasped his hands in a pleading gesture, and then pointed to his mouth again with a sinister smile. His begging for mercy was all too obvious.

Even a fool could see that it meant he was begging her not to make a sound.

The scholar in the blue robe opened his mouth slightly, intending to speak up and ask him what he was doing like a thief. Was he trying to steal books from the library, or was he just being so refined?
As a result, Shi Chun's actions effectively shut him up from speaking.

His gaze slid down, revealing his keen eye; he immediately locked onto the shoes on Shi Chun's feet and began to scrutinize them closely.

At the counter, a woman in red, propping her head up as if dozing, stroked the ledger with her fingertips, a slight smile playing on her lips.

Upstairs, Shi Chun, who had reached the corner of a row of bookshelves, bowed and repeatedly expressed his silent gratitude to the scholar in blue. He was about to turn and slip away when his wandering gaze was abruptly pulled back, and his bewildered eyes fixed on the source of Dharma in the scholar's dantian.

I hadn't noticed before because I was far away, but when different images appeared in my left and right eyes, it was hard to see clearly if I wasn't focusing on one side. But now that I'm closer, I suddenly felt like I was being dazzled by something abnormal. It's no wonder it was so powerful and profound, surpassing even the demonic energy from upstairs.

What the hell? Shi Chun was so scared that his liver trembled. He thought he was seeing things. Could there really be two of these things at once?

He even forgot to run away, quickly raised his hand to rub his eyes, then closed his left eye and used his right eye to look. When he found out that it was true, he turned pale with fright.

Then he thought about it again and realized that it was not right. Was it really necessary to send two experts of this level just to deal with him?
Furthermore, he had checked with his right eye before arriving and determined that this person had arrived before him, making it unlikely that he was waiting for him here.

The other person's eyes held an open and honest gaze, along with a sense of surprise at the unexpected encounter. Seeing the way that the other person read—a gesture usually reserved for those who read regularly—made him suspect it might truly be a coincidence.

That's incredible luck!

His first thought was that he might be able to take advantage of it, but he was also afraid that he wouldn't be able to enjoy it.

Time is of the essence; running away is the best course of action. Running away first is the best policy.

Being overly polite is never a bad thing. After bowing silently to the other person again, he immediately turned around and ran away.

However, because of this delay, his right eye ability failed to notice the unusual actions of the gray-clad man upstairs in time. By the time he looked up and noticed the abnormality, it was too late. A surge of magical power had already swept down from upstairs and landed on him.

Oh no! Shi Chun's face paled. He knew that if he were discovered in front of such an expert, he would have no chance of escaping.

But as the saying goes, he's the kind of person who'll seize any opportunity to escape a desperate situation; how could he possibly surrender so easily?

He suddenly turned around and looked at the onlooker who had just made him feel unworthy of the attention.

The scholar in the blue robe, holding a book, also encountered the sweeping magical power. He raised his eyes to look at the floor above, then lowered them again, only to see that the thieving fellow had suddenly twisted his waist in mid-air and instantly appeared in front of him.

Shi Chun knelt down beside him with a thud, forcing a smile and saying, "What a wonderful book! Sir, you are clearly a learned man. I was immediately filled with admiration upon seeing you, and I regret not having met you sooner..."

He was incredibly enthusiastic, but his eyes weren't even on the other person's book. He probably didn't see a single word clearly, and his gaze kept wandering elsewhere.

Seeing that this fellow was practically snuggling up to him, the scholar in the blue robe turned and stared at him, saying, "Young man? Why do you look older than me? Do you know me?"

"..." Shi Chun turned around blankly, only then realizing that he had grown a beard and disguised himself, and in his panic he had indeed spoken without thinking.

But he had no chance to explain. He looked up and saw a figure flash in front of them like a gentle breeze, staring down at them with a chilling blood-red gaze.

The scholar in blue robes, who was sitting cross-legged and leaning against the bookshelf to pick up a book, also looked up and stared at the person in front of him. After seeing the blood-red eyes, he said indifferently, "Demon eyes."

Shi Chun tried his best to approach the scholar in green robes in a way that wouldn't offend anyone. He didn't know anything else, but he knew that the scholar was definitely a master. He wanted to make it seem like he was very familiar with the visitor from the demonic path.

Hearing him utter the words "demon eye" as soon as he opened his mouth, I knew he was indeed a knowledgeable person.

They also confirmed that the two sides were not on the same side, which made them even more eager to get closer to each other.

The crimson in the gray-clad man's gaze, which had been fixed on him from above, had quickly faded. As if he hadn't seen Shi Chun, he stared intently at the scholar in the blue robe, his eyes clearly showing surprise and astonishment. He obviously hadn't expected to meet this person here.

The scholar in the blue robe seemed to sense something and asked, "You know me? Are you an old acquaintance?"

The gray-clad man's gaze finally fell on Shi Chun. When Shi Chun met his eyes, he immediately put on a mocking expression.

"I don't know him," the man in gray replied, then turned and left, disappearing into the distance and heading straight for a window.

The woman in red, who had been dozing behind the counter in the lobby, had a cold smile on her lips. Her fingers, which had been idly drawing circles, suddenly slammed heavily onto the ledger. Thump!

The chattering in the hall suddenly stopped, as if everyone had been frozen in place.

The flowers and leaves in the backyard that were swaying in the wind stopped swaying for a moment, and the young lady Dong Liangyi, who was working, froze as she turned around.

Outside the courtyard, the streets were bustling with people, the noise and activity continuing as before.

Hearing the sounds of conversation coming from behind the bookshelf on the second floor, Dong Liangyu, who was about to get up and go take a look, didn't get up but instead bent over and half-squatted there without moving.

As Shi Chun leaned against the bookshelf, he felt a powerful force suddenly surge from the floor, forcefully binding him along his body. It was much faster than the immobilization talisman, and he was instantly unable to move. He was quite frightened, but his resistance was futile.

The gray-clad man darted to the window, pushed it open with one hand, but failed to open it smoothly. He landed and looked around warily.

The scholar in blue robes, who was leaning against the bookshelf, stood up leisurely, put his hands behind his back, and said, "Since you are a friend from the demonic path, it would be unbecoming to let you leave so easily."

Seeing this, the man in gray waved his sleeve and tried to take the initiative, attempting to overturn the bookshelf beside him. However, the wind blew but nothing moved. He discovered that not only was the bookshelf still standing, but not even a single page of the books on it had been moved. He was shocked and exclaimed, "You've drawn a circle on the ground and imprisoned yourself!"

(End of this chapter)