Mu Yiran wrote "moon, incantation" on the paper, then looked up at the two: "Then let's continue the plot. After learning the wall-penetrating technique..."
Under Mu Yiran's guidance, Ke Xun and Wei Dong meticulously analyzed the plot of "The Taoist of Laoshan."
Time passed exceptionally quickly as they struggled to survive. When Qin Ci and Luo Wei returned to their initial room, it was already past eight o'clock in the evening.
The paper-like mutation of their bodies was quite severe, and every movement produced the sound of rubbing paper.
"I almost didn't make it back," Qin Ci said, looking at his flattened hands. "…The paper figures move slowly."
"You've worked hard," Mu Yiran said. "How did it go?"
"The 'Meijian Ruler' triggered the world of 'The Fisherman's Boy'," Qin Ci said. "In 'Meijian Ruler', there's a character named Heizi, who is Gan Jiang's apprentice. After Gan Jiang was poisoned by the King of Chu, Heizi took the Meijian Ruler and fled by boat. He was shot into the water by a treacherous minister of the King of Chu. Luo Wei and I pushed the story to this point. When we saw the boat they were on, we thought of the fisherman's boat in 'The Fisherman's Boy'…Luckily, we hit the mark."
"In that case, most of the worlds are connected!" Wei Dong quickly wrote on the paper.
Laoshan Taoist (speculation) → Heavenly Book Tales (speculation) → Tiger Learns Skills → Good Cat Mimi → Black Cat Sheriff → Snow Child (speculation) → Ma Liang's Magic Brush → Hailibu → Fire Boy → Nezha Conquers the Sea → Meijian Ruler → Fisherman's Boy → The World of Zhao Haicui's Death
"So—" Wei Dong looked at everyone excitedly.
Qin Ci continued, "The world that Zhao Haicui died in can trigger the world of..."
Ke Xun continued, ""Aww Meow"!"
Wei Dong: "..."The Taoist Priest of Laoshan"."
Around nine o'clock, Zhu Haowen returned, but he didn't say a word. After everyone asked him for a long time, he just pointed to the two books on the paper, referring to "The Snow Child" and "Ma Liang and His Magic Brush".
Ke Xun guessed that he could no longer speak human language, and was probably too embarrassed to speak the language of rodents, so he didn't say a word. He
's quite arrogant.
I really want to pounce on him and play with him.
Play him half to death, and then bite his throat...tsk tsk, just thinking about it makes me happy.
Ke Xun stared at Zhu Haowen, unconsciously licking his lips.
"Once we confirm that 'Snow Child' triggers 'Ma Liang and His Magic Brush,' this storyline can basically be connected," Mu Yiran glanced at him, raised his hand, pinched the back of his neck, making him freeze in a daze, and continued, "But a difficulty has also arisen. The worlds of 'The Taoist of Laoshan' and 'The Legend of the Heavenly Book' are connected; both are hidden worlds and need to be triggered. The world that can trigger 'The Taoist of Laoshan' is the world where Zhao Haicui died. No one has seen this animated film, and there's no way to deduce the key points. It's like we're stuck in this world now."
"I'll go check out the world where Zhao Haicui died," Luo Wei said calmly.
"Your condition probably can't hold on any longer," Mu Yiran looked at him indifferently. "We don't have much time left; it's almost eleven o'clock. We only have one chance. There
are six of us; let's divide the tasks now."
"Ke Xun and Hao Wen can no longer speak. If the Laoshan Taoist's incantation is the trigger point, someone who can speak needs to recite it. However, Dr. Qin and Luo Wei are severely paper-like and unable to move easily. Therefore, Ke Xun and Dr. Qin are in one group, and Hao Wen and Luo Wei are in another. Ke Xun and Hao Wen will carry them on their backs.
"Wei Dong and I are in the same group. My legs are now petrified and I can't walk, so I'll trouble Wei Dong to carry me.
"We will all enter from the world where Zhao Haicui died. The six of us will search together for the key to trigger the hidden world. If we're lucky, it won't take too long.
"As soon as the hidden world 'Laoshan Taoist' appears, everyone will enter immediately. Wei Dong and I will try the moon, Hao Wen and Luo Wei will try the incantation, and Ke Xun, being fast, will return Dr. Qin to the initial room and then come in to join us."
"After triggering 'The Legend of the Heavenly Book' from 'The Taoist of Laoshan,' Ke Xun immediately went to find the fox. You're fast, and as an animal, you'll find other animals more easily than we are. Wei Dong, carry me, and Hao Wen, carry Luo Wei. Return to the initial room as quickly as possible.
"After triggering 'The Tiger Learns Skills,' Ke Xun returned directly to the initial room through that door.
"The purpose of doing this is to ensure that we have as many people as possible to find the trigger point in each world, and also to facilitate the fastest possible evacuation at the end.
"Does anyone have any other questions?"
"No!" everyone said.
"So it's exactly 10 PM now, and we only have one hour left. Once we enter, either we all die inside, or we can all survive." Mu Yiran looked at his companions who had fought to the very end. "If you don't have any last words, let's go."
"Meow meow meow." Ke Xun said to him, carrying Qin Ci, who had almost lost half his weight.
"Hmm." Mu Yiran smiled. "I trust your intuition." "
With everyone ready, Mu Yiran reached out and pushed open the door to the world where Zhao Haicui died.
A race against death had begun quietly. The six of them rushed into the boundless, snow-covered forest, relentlessly heading towards a cave with a burning fire. Inside, a monkey, an otter, a fox, and a… rabbit that looked remarkably like Zhao Haicui were sitting around the fire with an old man.
What was the trigger?
The monkey? The otter? The fox? The old man? The fire?
Or the fruit the monkey held, the fish the otter held, the lizard the fox held?
Why was the rabbit empty-handed?
Why did the rabbit jump into the fire? Why did it commit suicide?
The scene before them was so bizarre; everything the rabbit did was so abnormal and incomprehensible.
Luo Wei, carried on Zhu Haowen's back, wanted to jump down to grab the fruit from the monkey's hands. He didn't know which was the trigger, but he didn't want to miss any possibility.
Zhu Haowen, however, took a few steps back—Luo Wei was now half-paper-like, easily ignited by fire." They couldn't let him get too close to the fire.
Ke Xun, also carrying Qin Ci, stepped back, intending to put Qin Ci down first so he could go and question the animals one by one, when suddenly the rabbit leaped towards the roaring fire in the middle!
In that critical moment, everyone saw Mu Yiran, carried on Wei Dong's back, suddenly extend his long arm and catch the rabbit in mid-air.
Flames burned his sleeves, but he didn't let go; he lifted the rabbit away from the flames.
Wei Dong Completely bewildered, he was still shocked by Mu Yiran's actions—everyone else was trying to push the plot towards the ending, so why was Mu Yiran doing the opposite? He—he stopped the rabbit!
Wasn't the character supposed to be the trigger point?
But then the old man by the campfire suddenly stood up, took the rabbit from Mu Yiran's hands, and lifted it into the air, soaring straight into the sky. Above the sky, a bright, round moon shone brilliantly. The old man placed the rabbit in it, and the rabbit transformed into a clear shadow in the moon.
"—The Moon!" Wei Dong roared. Zhu Haowen reacted no slower, already leaping upwards with Luo Wei on his back. Wei Dong, carrying Mu Yiran, followed closely behind. Their bodies were drawn into the moonlight mid-air, a flash of light, and they found themselves in the world of the Taoist of Laoshan!
The moon was the trigger point, so what could trigger the next world was likely the incantation!
The four waited for the plot to advance to the point where the protagonist learned the art of walking through walls from his master. Looking at the protagonist with his yellowish face, everyone felt only heaviness and sighs.
Luo Wei, as expected of a top student, memorized his master's incantation perfectly after hearing it only once. Reciting the incantation, Zhu Haowen carried him towards the stone screen. In the blink of an eye, they had moved from the world of "The Taoist of Laoshan" to "The Legend of the Heavenly Book."
A trace of sadness crossed Luo Wei's lifeless face.
If only we could have arrived here sooner, if only…
Wei Dong had already carried Mu Yiran back to the initial room. Ke Xun, after putting Qin Ci down, rushed over. He waved for Zhu Haowen to quickly take Luo Wei back, not only to save time, but also because he was afraid that if he looked at Zhu Haowen any longer, he wouldn't be able to resist the urge to pounce on him… and torture him.
Zhu Haowen frowned tightly as he watched him run away. He saw that Ke Xun's body had grown layers of dense cat fur, he saw that his eyes had become cat-shaped, he saw that he was running on all fours without realizing it. He was afraid that his husky had turned into a cat from then on.
Ke Xun ran swiftly, using the cat's sight, smell, hearing, and intuition he had gained, desperately searching for the whereabouts of the three foxes in "The Legend of the Heavenly Book" across the mountains and fields, and in the bustling markets.
But… cats are not animals that are good at long-distance running.
Ke Xun felt the pads of his palms and soles growing increasingly painful. He wanted to stop, to collapse on the ground like boneless rag dolls and take a long nap. Everything around him was drawing his attention; he wanted to figure out what it was. He wanted to play, to find a tree to sharpen his claws, to crawl into a cardboard box, to stomp on his boyfriend with his front paws, to lick his boyfriend's fur, to tease him with his tail, to be bitten on the scruff of his neck…
Ke Xun used all his energy and strength to suppress the animalistic instincts arising from his cat-like transformation, but he couldn't control his rapidly declining stamina. His cat paw pads were too soft, and his frantic running had left them raw and bleeding.
Back in the initial room, the five people anxiously waited for Ke Xun to successfully emerge from the door of "The Tiger Learns Skills," as the fox from "The Legend of the Heavenly Book" would trigger this world.
But time ticked by, and as the eleven o'clock hour approached, the gates of hell were about to close, and Ke Xun was still nowhere to be seen.
Seeing Wei Dong's eyes redden with anxiety, sobbing in front of the "Tiger Learns Skills" bookstore, Qin Ci tried to ease the tension and oppression before his death by asking Mu Yiran, "How did you know that the hidden world in which Zhao Haicui died required stopping the rabbit from throwing fire to trigger it?"
"I'm not sure," Mu Yiran replied calmly, though his gaze remained fixed on the door of "Tiger Learns Skills.
" "Although I haven't watched any animated films," he said, "through your descriptions of each one, I've discovered that while they're art forms aimed at children, each one has its share of regrets.
For example, the Snow Child, who ultimately couldn't stay with the rabbit, melting into water to save it. And the male praying mantis, bravely fighting locusts, driving away One-Eared Fox, playing guitar, and singing love songs, only to be devoured by its beloved bride."
"And Huo Tong and Hailibu, both end with the protagonist's sacrifice.
"The despicable yamen runners and officials in Ma Liang, the foreigners who bully the Chinese in Yu Tong, all evoke anger.
"The injustice of the good cat Mimi being bullied by the mouse, the helplessness of Nezha's suicide with his sword, the tragic self-destruction of Meijianchi… all of these are not intended to be perfect works just because they are aimed at children.
"I think, if I were a child and saw such scenes, wouldn't I feel indignant or regretful for these characters? Wouldn't I want to help save them or make amends? Wouldn't I want to change it to a perfect ending?
"Since this painting is called 'Pure Land,' I think the artist may have considered the small imperfections mixed in with these beautiful memories when creating it. Pure Land should not have flaws; Milen may have projected such emotions into the painting.
"Therefore, those trigger points may not only be key points in the plot, but also the points where he felt the most emotional ups and downs and the deepest regrets when watching the cartoon as a child."
"In the world where Zhao Haicui died, rabbits were the most harmless creatures. Why would they jump into the fire? A rabbit committing suicide—this would be a very negatively impactful plot for child viewers.
"Therefore, I think if Miren's emotional focus is on this, perhaps he also considered saving the rabbit, which is why I tried to reach out and save it."
Qin Ci nodded thoughtfully.
"How is Ke'er—how is Ke'er—" Wei Dong clutched his head in one hand, his other hand trembling as he held his phone. The time on the phone was one minute before eleven o'clock.
After eleven o'clock, anyone who hadn't returned would die.