The group quickly packed their things and followed Bai Maomao toward the bamboo forest.
By the time they arrived, the sun was already setting.
The bamboo forest stood silently, and the dimming sky made it appear even more eerie.
Mo Qin and the others, unconvinced, shouted loudly a few times—only to be met with complete silence.
Bai Maomao exchanged a glance with Lang Junxian, who grasped his wrist.
“Let’s go in together.”
“Alright.”
Bai Maomao turned to Mo Qin and said,
“I’ll go in with Xiao Hei to take a look. You all search around before it gets dark and see if he left the forest.”
“Take care of yourselves,”
Mo Qin responded solemnly.
“The three of us will wait outside until you come out. We won’t leave without you.”
Bai Maomao smiled at him and, holding Lang Junxian’s hand, stepped into the bamboo forest.
Even the insects were silent inside.
The quietness was eerie.
Bai Maomao squeezed Lang Junxian’s hand and whispered,
“Don’t you think this place looks kind of familiar?”
Lang Junxian froze.
“You mean…?”
“Yeah,”
Bai Maomao nodded seriously.
“It feels just like that place.”
Lang Junxian looked around.
The sun had completely set, and the fog in the bamboo forest had grown thick.
Compared to the bamboo forest in Bai Maomao’s inner space, this one felt far more sinister.
They walked carefully hand in hand.
The tall bamboo stalks stretched endlessly ahead, one connected to the next.
From the mist came the faint sound of a song: “Phoenix, oh phoenix, return to your homeland,
Roaming the four seas in search of your mate…”
Bai Maomao tilted his head to listen closely, and couldn’t help but softly recite along: “Phoenix, oh phoenix…”
“What are you saying?”
Lang Junxian looked at him in confusion.
“You didn’t hear it?”
Bai Maomao asked in surprise.
“There’s singing in the bamboo forest.”
“What singing?”
Lang Junxian frowned.
“I don’t hear anything.”
Bai Maomao blinked and listened again, but the sound had vanished.
“Huh? It’s gone.”
“Did you mishear it?”
Lang Junxian tightened his grip on Bai Maomao’s hand.
Bai Maomao shook his head.
“No. It was Phoenix Seeking Phoenix. My mother used to play that song for me.”
Lang Junxian held his hand tighter, the two of them drawing closer.
“Let’s go see what’s ahead first.”
“Mm.”
Bai Maomao nodded and followed the direction of the music.
Soon, the densely packed bamboo trees began to thin out.
After walking a bit more, they saw a clearing with a bamboo hut in the center—identical to the one in the inner space.
Yan Miao sat with eyes shut, leaning against a bamboo stalk in front of the hut.
That ethereal singing sounded again: “Phoenix, oh phoenix, return to your homeland,
Roaming the four seas in search of your mate…”
Bai Maomao took a step forward—
Suddenly, the red birthmark on his forehead began to burn.
He reached up to touch it, and in a flash, he was transported into his spiritual space.
He hadn’t entered since the last time he brought his mother and Xiao Hei.
After coming down the mountain, one thing after another had happened, and he never had the chance to think about it.
Now, entering suddenly, he was hit by the fresh scent of bamboo leaves.
His previously foggy mind cleared instantly.
That outer bamboo forest was very similar to this one, but gave off a completely different feeling.
The bamboo forest inside the space felt sacred and pure—refreshing, ideal for cultivation.
The eerie forest outside, on the other hand, was suffocating for no reason.
And there was that creepy song playing now and then…
Bai Maomao and Lang Junxian exchanged glances, both realizing the forest’s strangeness.
“Staying in that bamboo forest too long dulls spiritual power and slows your thinking.”
Lang Junxian paused thoughtfully.
“Yan Miao’s coma—could it be related to that?”
“It’s possible,”
Bai Maomao said as he habitually touched the red mole on his forehead.
He walked up to a bamboo stalk and gently broke off a branch.
“Let’s try using this.”
The bamboo forest inside the space had a refreshing and invigorating effect—it might be the perfect counterbalance to that eerie forest outside.
With a focused thought, the two of them returned to the bamboo grove.
Yan Miao lay silently on the ground.
Bai Maomao cast a small spell to ensure he wouldn’t wake up anytime soon, then tossed him into the inner space.
“Let’s go have a look.”
Bai Maomao took the lead, pushing open the door to the bamboo hut.
Sure enough, the furnishings inside were exactly the same.
The only difference was that, instead of tea on the small table, there was an unfinished game of Go.
On the board, the white stones were in disarray, on the verge of collapse.
The black stones had completely surrounded them.
Lang Junxian stood silently in front of the board.
At first glance, the white stones seemed hopelessly suppressed by the black, but on closer inspection, they concealed a hidden killing move.
Lang Junxian picked up a white stone and gently placed it on the board.
The crisp sound echoed in the small bamboo room, sounding unusually sharp and clear.
As soon as the white stone landed, the scattered white stones on the board instantly connected, flipping the game.
The white stones turned the tables on the seemingly victorious black stones.
A clear and melodious cry came from outside.
A phantom of a phoenix rose from the Go board, flapping its wings as it circled twice in front of them before letting out a long cry and flying out through the window.
The Go board on the table suddenly burst into flames and turned to ashes.
Startled, the two looked at each other.
Bai Maomao grabbed Lang Junxian and chased after the phoenix.
The milky-white fog in the bamboo forest had already dissipated.
The former sense of heaviness and stagnation was gone.
A gentle evening breeze rustled the bamboo leaves with a soft rustling sound.
But the phoenix’s shadow had vanished.
Pale moonlight spilled down, casting a silver glow on the ground.
The shadows of the bamboo fell in mottled patterns, giving off a transcendent and otherworldly feeling.
Bai Maomao glanced back unintentionally and saw that the bamboo hut behind them had also turned to ash.
Only a single green bamboo branch lay alone in the middle of the clearing.
He picked it up and sniffed it.
A refreshing bamboo fragrance reached his nose, stirring his spirit.
His cultivation, which had plateaued since forming his foundation, now showed signs of loosening.
“Smell it, quick.”
Bai Maomao shoved the branch into Lang Junxian’s hands and immediately sat down to meditate.
As soon as Lang Junxian held the branch, a cool sensation flowed from his palm to the top of his head.
The sudden clarity that hit him made his heart tremble, and he quickly sat down to meditate as well.
The two of them sat facing each other, and the rapidly circulating spiritual energy formed a small vortex around them.
The energies collided and merged, gradually forming the outline of a hazy Bagua (eight trigrams) symbol.
By the time they came out of meditation, it was already broad daylight.
Bai Maomao was glowing with energy, eyes sparkling.
“How do you feel?”
Lang Junxian checked his condition and smiled slightly.
“I’ve reached Foundation Establishment.”
“Foundation Establishment?!”
Bai Maomao’s eyes widened in shock.
“Why wasn’t there a heavenly tribulation?”
Lang Junxian poked his cheek.
“Nowadays, reaching Foundation Establishment doesn’t trigger a tribulation. The fact that you had one is what’s surprising.”
Bai Maomao puffed out his cheeks in protest.
“That’s not fair! Why was I the only one who got struck by lightning?”
Lang Junxian gave him a mischievous smile.
“Hmm~ Probably because you’re too pretty—like a seductive little demon.”
Bai Maomao’s cheeks puffed up even more.
Xiao Hei actually dared to tease him!
Mo Qin and the other two waited outside the bamboo forest all night.
It wasn’t until dawn that Bai Maomao and the others finally came out.
Lang Junxian was supporting the still-unconscious Yan Miao.
Bai Maomao had already lifted the spell and had even let Yan Miao smell the bamboo branch—he should be waking up any moment now.
Mo Qin carefully took Yan Miao and laid him on a sleeping bag.
“Is he alright?”
“He’s fine—just affected by the miasma in the bamboo forest.”
Mo Qin finally relaxed and quietly kept watch by his side.
The morning sun slowly rose, and the bamboo forest became increasingly translucent under the light, eventually vanishing completely from sight.
“Look!”
Meng Qu exclaimed with his mouth agape as he watched the bamboo forest disappear before their eyes.
Mo Qin slapped his forehead.
“Huangliang Bamboo!”
Huangliang Bamboo was named after the saying “a dream of golden millet.”
Its leaves emitted a fragrance that caused those who inhaled it to fall asleep and dream of what they most desired.
This type of bamboo only appeared at night—once the sun rose, it disappeared.
But the bamboo they encountered had seemed…strange.
Mo Qin gave them a brief explanation about Huangliang Bamboo, but didn’t dwell on it too much.
Perhaps it had simply mutated.
This small secret realm had existed for so many years—seeing a few oddities wasn’t too surprising.
Where the Huangliang Bamboo had disappeared, it left behind a wooden token with a phoenix emblem.
There were three kinds of emblems on the test tokens: phoenix, dragon, and cloud.
Phoenix was worth 50 points, dragon 40, and cloud only 30.
Bai Maomao picked up the token and pulled out the one they had taken earlier from the rhinoceros beast’s lair.
Now they had two tokens: one phoenix, one dragon—a total of 90 points.
Based on past records, 60 points was enough to pass.
The number of teams who found either phoenix or dragon tokens could be counted on one hand.
These two tokens alone were enough for the group to achieve an excellent assessment score.
Liu Lei and Meng Qu had spent the entire night on edge.
Now that everything was resolved and their score secured, they began yawning nonstop.
Even Mo Qin, affected by them, let out a yawn.
Bai Maomao was still full of energy, so he told the three of them to catch up on sleep while he and Lang Junxian kept watch.