Just as Mi Lu was about to tell Hulü Yan about this, he heard Hulü Yan say, “Observe your surroundings. Do you notice anything unusual?”

Mi Lu responded truthfully, “It seems like there are some changes.”

“What kind of changes?”

Mi Lu thought about it for a moment but couldn’t immediately answer Hulü Yan’s question. At first glance, the surroundings didn’t seem any different, but there was an indescribable sense of unease—everything was too quiet.

Though there weren’t many people left in the Medical Hall, and one could hardly hear any noise outside, Mi Lu had been here for several days and had never felt such silence before. It was as if even the sounds of birds and insects had completely vanished.

“Do you think it’s too quiet around here?” Mi Lu frowned uneasily. “I remember hearing some noises not long ago, but now there’s nothing at all.”

Hulü Yan didn’t reply.

Mi Lu took a few steps forward, suddenly realizing something was off. He quickly called out, “Hulü Yan?”

Hulü Yan had his back turned to him and didn’t even tilt his head.

Mi Lu couldn’t see Hulü Yan’s expression, nor did he know what Hulü Yan was thinking.

“Hulü Yan!” Mi Lu had no choice but to quicken his pace. “Can you hear me?”

Something was wrong!

Just a moment ago, Hulü Yan had clearly turned around to face him. How could he have suddenly changed to a position with his back to him in the blink of an eye?

Even if Hulü Yan had turned back around, it still didn’t make sense!

Mi Lu had been watching him the entire time—he should’ve noticed any movement.

A growing sense of unease quickly consumed Mi Lu’s heart. His entire being was shrouded in a sense of impending doom.

Like a startled bird, Mi Lu quickened his pace, eventually breaking into a jog toward Hulü Yan’s direction.

But for some reason, no matter how fast or how long he ran, the distance between him and Hulü Yan never closed.

Focused on Hulü Yan’s back, Mi Lu failed to notice that the scenery around him was changing at a pace visible to the naked eye.

By the time he realized, he had already plunged into a dense white mist.

In the next moment, Hulü Yan’s figure in front of him had vanished as well.

“Hulü Yan! Where are you?” Mi Lu panicked, like an ant on a hot pan, frantically calling out Hulü Yan’s name. “Hulü Yan!”

But each of his shouts vanished into the void, as though swallowed by the mist.

Mi Lu dared not move forward anymore. He stood in place, his face pale, scanning his surroundings nervously.

The white mist thickened, reducing visibility to the length of an arm.

Nothing was visible except for the mist.

Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, Mi Lu forced himself to stay calm.

There were less than ten people left in the Medical Hall, and all the high-level elders had died at the hands of the Corpse Puppets Hulü Yan had unleashed. The remaining people were so terrified by Hulü Yan’s actions that they had no strength left to resist.

Qi Wangtian and his two subordinates had shown up, only to meet the same fate.

Therefore, this phenomenon likely wasn’t caused by any person.

Mi Lu thought back to the rumors he had heard about the Medical Hall and quickly formed a guess.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

After repeating this several times, he finally calmed his mind, then sat cross-legged on the ground.

Placing his hands lightly on his knees, he began to recite the Calm Heart Formula under his breath.

The Calm Heart Formula was a basic technique that every cultivator had to learn. Its sole purpose was to help cultivators clear their minds, focus, and avoid being influenced by external factors.

Mi Lu didn’t know how long he had been chanting the technique. When he opened his eyes again, the thick white mist had transformed into a lush green field.

Warm sunlight slanted down, bathing him in its glow, a cozy warmth spreading from his feet to his heart.

A gentle breeze brushed past his ears, carrying a refreshing coolness.

It no longer felt like winter; it seemed like spring, when everything was coming to life.

Mi Lu gazed into the distance, and after a while, an understanding expression appeared on his face.

As expected…

It seemed they hadn’t been attacked by anyone but had instead unknowingly triggered one of the Medical Hall’s array formations.

Over the past two years, the Medical Hall had become unusually cautious, not only hiding the entrance to the sect with an array but also setting up numerous formations within its grounds.

Rumor had it that the conditions for triggering these arrays were random and trivial.

Perhaps one day, it would be triggered by throwing a stone somewhere. The next day, it might be by spilling some water or even accidentally stepping on a particular spot in the flower field.

However, those within the Medical Hall knew how to navigate these formations. If they accidentally triggered one, they could simply walk out. It was no big deal.

But for Mi Lu and Hulü Yan, who didn’t know how to exit, it was a very big problem.

It was said that most of the formations within the Medical Hall were illusions. If someone stayed too long, the formation would invade their consciousness, extracting their most emotionally charged memories to create illusions, trapping them within.

The longer one stayed, the more real the illusion would become.

In just a few days, the person would become so immersed in the illusion that they would forget who they were and die within the formation.

It must be said that this kind of formation matched the Medical Hall’s typical style—vicious and ruthless.

Of course, if an outsider accidentally fell into such a formation, there were still ways to resolve it.

As long as one maintained a certain level of inner peace, the chances of being trapped in the illusion would decrease, and they could find an exit to escape.

But Mi Lu had also heard that, in the past two years, the number of outsiders who had successfully exited such formations was zero.

Those with deep obsessions were more likely to get trapped.

Once trapped, they would no longer hear the voices of others.

Judging by the changes in the scenery within the formation, Hulü Yan had likely already fallen for it.

Just as Mi Lu was thinking this, he suddenly heard a woman’s laughter, drifting with the wind, pleasant like the sound of silver bells.

The laughter wasn’t far away.

Mi Lu turned his head, following the sound.

On the previously empty grassy field, two figures had appeared—one large and one small. A woman dressed in a light blue gown was playing with a boy of about four or five.

The boy was dressed in clothes of a similar color to the woman’s gown. His thick black hair was tied high on his head, revealing a chubby side profile, his delicate skin glowing pale under the sunlight.

With just one glance, Mi Lu recognized the boy.

It was Hulü Yan.

So the woman playing with him must be Hulü Yan’s mother.

Unfortunately, the woman had her back to Mi Lu the entire time.

From Mi Lu’s perspective, all he could see was the woman’s long, flowing black hair cascading down like a waterfall and her graceful figure. She had plucked a branch of peach blossoms from somewhere, and the pink petals trembled in the wind, ready to fall. The slender branch made her fingers look as delicate as jade.

“Little Yan, do you think the peach blossoms are pretty?” The woman held the branch in front of Hulü Yan, her voice as gentle as flowing water, filled with soft laughter.

As the woman bent down, her smooth black hair slipped from her shoulder, perfectly hiding her side profile.

The young Hulü Yan looked up, his eyes even more beautiful than the peach blossoms, wide and round. He nodded vigorously, “Pretty!”

“Then shall we pick a few more branches to take back home?”

“Okay!”

The woman held the peach blossom branch in one hand and took little Hulü Yan’s tiny hand in the other. As they walked forward, she spoke softly, “When we get back, I’ll use these peach blossoms to make peach blossom cakes. Does Little Yan want to eat some peach blossom cake?”

“Yes!” Hulü Yan shouted eagerly, but then he seemed to think of something, and his face fell. His small, round cheeks drooped as he sulked, “But Mother, if we use Granny Li’s small kitchen, she’ll definitely scold us again.”

The woman laughed helplessly. “What else can we do? Our Little Yan wants to eat peach blossom cake.”

At this, Hulü Yan suddenly stopped in his tracks, flustered. He hugged the woman’s waist, burying his face in her dress. His young voice was tinged with sobs. “Mother, I don’t want the peach blossom cake anymore. Don’t make it.”

The woman sighed softly, kneeling down to put the peach blossom branch on the grass beside her. Then she gently stroked Hulü Yan’s back, soothing him in a tender voice. “If Little Yan wants peach blossom cake, then Mother will make it. If it makes Little Yan happy, I don’t mind being scolded by Granny Li.”

“I don’t want that!” Hulü Yan cried out, his small shoulders trembling. “I don’t want you to be scolded by Granny Li. I hate Granny Li!”

The woman seemed amused by Hulü Yan’s words, laughing softly. With a gentle “Oh dear,” she scooped up the crying Hulü Yan, cradling him like a baby and rocking him gently. “Mother’s little Yan is truly my treasure. I’m so happy to be your mother.”

Hulü Yan, after all, was just a child. His emotions came and went quickly. Before long, the woman had coaxed him out of his tears.

He raised his little hands to cup the woman’s cheeks, still hiccupping between sobs. “I’m happy too, as long as you’re with me, Mother.”

The woman smiled. “Then Mother will always be with you. Will Little Yan be happy with that?”

Hulü Yan nodded seriously. “Yes!”

“A man’s word is his bond. If Little Yan says it, you can’t go back on it.” The woman’s voice grew even softer, like a spring breeze, about to melt into the warmth of this spring day. “As long as Little Yan keeps his word, Mother will also keep hers. I will stay with you forever.”

Hulü Yan obediently replied, “I will always stay with you, too.”

“Mother’s Little Yan is so well-behaved.” The woman stroked Hulü Yan’s head, then picked up the peach blossom branch from the grass and took Hulü Yan’s hand again. “Shall we go pick more peach blossoms?”

“Okay.”

Mi Lu watched as the woman and Hulü Yan walked farther and farther away, and only then did he suddenly snap out of his daze.

Something was wrong!

This was very wrong!

“Hulü Yan!” Mi Lu shouted, starting to run toward them. “Hulü Yan! Wait! Don’t go!”

Little Hulü Yan seemed to sense Mi Lu’s call. His steps slowed, and he turned around, looking back in confusion.

But just as his head began to turn, a pale hand gently covered his face.

“What’s wrong, Little Yan?” the woman asked.

“Mother,” Hulü Yan blinked in confusion, “I think someone is calling my name.”

“There’s no one, you misheard,” the woman said with a smile. “It’s just the two of us here. I didn’t hear anything.”

“But…”

“Come now, it’s getting late,” the woman gently interrupted, pulling Hulü Yan closer by his shoulders. “Let’s pick the peach blossoms quickly and head home before it gets dark.”

“Okay.”

“Hu Lü Yan!” Mi Lu kept shouting, his voice hoarse.

He ran as fast as he could, even using his spiritual energy, but it was as if an invisible force was stretching the distance between him and Hulü Yan—he couldn’t get any closer.

Damn it!

It had to be the work of the array!

Mi Lu cursed inwardly. His heart raced with anxiety, but he was completely helpless.

The formation contained restrictions, preventing the use of storage artifacts, and any spiritual energy he sent out was absorbed by that invisible force.

His instincts told him that if he allowed that woman to take Hulü Yan away, it wouldn’t be long before Hulü Yan would become another lifeless corpse trapped within the formation.

Even though Hulü Yan, being the protagonist, likely wouldn’t die just yet, he would still be trapped in the array forever.

That wasn’t the outcome Mi Lu wanted!

Mi Lu’s expression darkened as he gritted his teeth and chased after them again. “Hu Lü Yan!”

This time, he infused his voice with spiritual energy.

The wind carried his shout, rippling outward like waves on a lake.

He could hear his own echo.

Hu Lü Yan, Hu Lü Yan, Hu Lü Yan…

His ears were filled with the sound of Hulü Yan’s name.

“Hu Lü Yan! If you dare leave, I’ll make you stop right now!!”

And so, little Hulü Yan stopped.

In that moment, the wind ceased, the swaying grass stilled, and the scene before him froze like a painting. Only Hulü Yan slowly turned his head, locking eyes with Mi Lu.