Chapter 453 - 357
The journey took two days and one night. Thankfully, the vehicle was very spacious, and Little White and Kong Jian would occasionally drag the driver along for a shopping spree at the rest stops, so the time passed rather quickly.
The destination was not what Wen Ying had imagined.
She had expected something like a traditional courtyard home, or perhaps a secret, hidden location.
Instead, it was a mountain in full, brilliant bloom.
The mountain wasn’t large, but the flowers blanketing its slopes seemed utterly out of place for the season.
The driver offered no explanation. After getting out of the car, he looked at Wen Ying. "Doctor Wen, the person you’re here to see is on the mountain. I won’t be going up."
"All this stuff..."
The driver looked at the two large boxes of snacks Little White and Kong Jian had bought, pondering for a moment.
"We’ll carry these ourselves! We don’t need you to hold onto them for us, sir!"
Little White spoke up immediately. In her experience, adults offering to "hold onto" things for kids was a particularly unreliable business.
Take lucky money, for example. They "hold onto it" and "hold onto it" until it’s been "held onto" right out of existence.
’It’s absolutely terrifying!’
’So they had to carry their own snacks!’
The driver smiled and said no more. Then, he watched as Wen Ying took out a plastic bag and stuffed the two large boxes—each several times bigger than the bag itself—right inside.
She then tied the bag shut, and Little White picked it up with ease.
The movements were so natural and smooth, it was as if they had practiced it hundreds of times.
The driver stared, stunned. He then recalled the stories he’d heard about Doctor Wen.
’This must be one of those so-called Kongjian Talismans, right?’
He’d never seen one before, but he had heard of them. It was just that an ordinary person like him would never have the chance to see such a profound and mysterious piece of talisman paper.
’I’m so jealous.’
’All I can do is be jealous.’
But to his surprise, after taking only a few steps, Doctor Wen suddenly turned, looked back at him, and walked over.
"Thank you for all your trouble these past two days. You played along with Little White and Kong Jian and even bought them things to eat. Please, take this as a thank-you gift."
Wen Ying held a Space Talisman between her fingers.
The driver froze on the spot.
’It’s talisman paper... Could it be a Space Talisman?’
’So the rumors about Doctor Wen being a psychologist are true too. It wasn’t just a cover.’
’Did she somehow see how much I longed for a profound item like a Space Talisman?’
Wen Ying just smiled, then turned and truly departed this time.
Holding the Space Talisman, the driver watched as the trio vanished from sight with incredible speed.
His mind raced, a whirlwind of excitement and conflict. ’Something this valuable... should I turn it in?’
’But Doctor Wen said it was a thank-you gift for me.’
’That makes it mine, right?’
The driver carefully folded the Space Talisman and tucked it into an inside pocket, his movements deliberate and reverent.
The path up the mountain wasn’t steep, but it was long.
The scenery along the way was beautiful.
But Kong Jian’s expression was grave. Standing beside Wen Ying, he asked worriedly, "Liger, how can so many flowers be blooming this time of year?"
Well, that was a question Wen Ying didn’t have an answer to either.
Logically, only a few types of flowers should be blooming in this season, and they certainly wouldn’t be found on a strange little mountain that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.
Although the fields of flowers were strange, they gave off a comfortable, pleasant feeling.
"Is this an array?"
Kong Jian asked again.
Little White didn’t quite understand and sidled up to them. "What array? You don’t mean like the ones in legends, do you? Aren’t those supposed to be impossible?"
Kong Jian looked at Little White patiently. "Well, Da Guo, you’re also the stuff of legend..."
It only took half a sentence for Little White to understand what he meant.
’Oh, right.’
’If a fox like her could take human form, what was so impossible about a legendary array appearing in the real world?’
Little White reached out and patted Kong Jian’s head. "You’re the smart one, alright. But no matter how smart you get, you’re still my little sidekick."
"It is an array."
Vague memories flashed through Wen Ying’s mind. She felt as if she had forgotten everything about arrays, yet at the same time, it seemed she still remembered something.
Seeing Liger’s pensive expression, Kong Jian looked a little dejected and disappointed.
’Liger still can’t remember, can she?’
"The art of arrays is profound," Wen Ying said. "It’s said they even have the power to reshape the world. This mountain’s true appearance is likely concealed by an array. Ordinary people can’t get here, or if they do, what they see is completely different from what we see."
"Well, I just think the mountain is pretty," Little White said, feeling that with such great scenery, her mood was also great.
Wen Ying smiled. "Since you like it, let’s enjoy the beautiful scenery as we make our way up."
Given the skills of the trio, ascending the mountain should have only taken a moment.
But with two children in tow, they spent the whole way picking petals and weaving flower baskets, having the time of their lives.
Now and then, a shower of colorful petals would rain down; now and then, a butterfly would flutter by.