Su Muqing really didn't want her little animals to be tormented by these two mischievous brats anymore. She thus tossed Huo Qixiao, who was about to be confined within the space and taken to Emperor Rui, to an eagle and a fish, indirectly finding them some amusement to redirect their attention.
However, Huo Qixiao was still useful to them, so Su Muqing reminded them that they could tease and torment him however they pleased, as long as they didn't go too far or kill him. Otherwise, she'd turn them into specimens!
As expected! With new toys, the two creatures found new fun. Teasing a living person was much more stimulating than teasing voiceless little animals.
Huo Qixiao's appearance saved the little animals from their clutches. It was just his days that became quite unlucky. In just a few days, he was tormented by the creatures until he was neither human nor ghost.
Su Muqing and Huo Qiyuan stroked the eagle's feathers. The eagle let out comfortable cooing sounds. Fearing they might wake Leng Si and the others, they quickly flew up and sat on its back.
The eagle carried them towards the capital's imperial palace. Soon, the figures of the two and the eagle merged into the dark night sky.
At this moment, within Su Muqing's space, a person in tattered and disheveled clothes was frantically trying to evade something.
He had finally found a large rock and, upon discovering a not-insignificant gap in its center, he quickly squeezed himself into it. Patting his thumping chest with lingering fear, he gasped for air.
Huo Qixiao surveyed his surroundings, unsure of where he was now. He wanted to peek out to see if the eagle and the slippery, giant monster were still there, but the terrifying moments of the past few days made him too scared to move.
After being chased by two monsters for another day, Huo Qixiao felt truly exhausted. He leaned his back against the rock, his eyelids growing heavy and refusing to stay open.
Suddenly! He felt a cool breeze. Upon opening his eyes, he found himself surrounded by a hazy mist once again. For some reason, seeing this, the anxiety he had been holding onto finally subsided. He then closed his eyes and began to sleep without restraint.
In his dreams, Huo Qixiao's brows were furrowed, as if he had returned to the time when he first appeared in the sea of mist.
He remembered how Huo Qiyuan and Su Muqing had interrogated him. Afterwards, his injuries worsened, and Huo Qixiao once thought he was surely going to die.
Unexpectedly, when he woke up, he found himself no longer in that dirty, messy prison. Instead, he was in a dense fog where he couldn't see anything around him. And besides him, Wang Bingchang had already frozen into a block of ice.
At first, he thought he had been rescued by someone, so he tried very hard to find a way out.
However, after searching for a long time and trying many times, Huo Qixiao had to give up. Following that, the fear in his heart grew stronger.
Because he discovered that this place was very strange!
The fog was dense, with no day or night! Huo Qixiao felt dazed every day, unable to keep track of time. He didn't know how long he had been here.
The surroundings were vast and empty. Apart from himself and Wang Bingchang, there was nothing else. Although he didn't see any other people, a small amount of food would appear at regular intervals at the edge of the thick fog.
At first, he didn't know where he was or who was helping him in secret. So, he didn't dare to rashly eat the things that suddenly appeared.
But later, Huo Qixiao discovered that if the suddenly appearing food was not eaten, it would disappear automatically after a certain period.
After starving for a long time, Huo Qixiao finally couldn't resist. The moment the food appeared again, he reached out and firmly grasped it, then devoured it ravenously.
Eating food naturally led to bodily waste. Huo Qixiao held it in at first, but later, unable to hold it any longer, he went to the edge of the fog and relieved himself on the spot.
But what was peculiar was that his waste never had a chance to touch the ground before it disappeared the next second.
Also, there were no directions here. No matter how long he walked in the front, back, left, or right directions, when he turned around, he always returned to the same spot. This was because the moment he turned, he could always see Wang Bingchang's corpse not far away.
Huo Qixiao didn't know how long they had been there, but he knew it certainly wasn't a short time. But strangely, Wang Bingchang's body's ice had not melted at all in this environment.
Although the climate inside was neither cold nor hot, and very pleasant, after such a long time, the ice on the man's body should have melted a little.
But it hadn't! Not the slightest change!
Huo Qixiao struggled for a long time with no effect and finally gave up.
He felt that his body must have already died. After all, he had been so seriously injured, and Huo Qiyuan hated him so much, how could he possibly be willing to save him?
This meant that he was probably just a wisp of a soul now. Because Huo Qiyuan hated him too much, he had someone cast a spell to confine him, which was why he couldn't escape this sea of mist.
Huo Qixiao thought, it must be like this!
But after some more time passed, he discovered something was wrong. His wounds still hurt, and his stomach also felt hunger. How could a soul have these sensations?
It seemed his previous guesses were all incorrect. But since these strange things were indeed happening before him, Huo Qixiao could only comfort himself by calling it a miraculous encounter.
Once he figured this out, Huo Qixiao simply settled down completely. Every day, he would just sit by Wang Bingchang's side, talking to him when he was bored. When food appeared, he would mechanically stuff it into his mouth.
It was unclear how long this life lasted. Just when Huo Qixiao had grown accustomed to this pace of life, and even felt that his physical condition seemed to have improved.
He had suffered so many injuries before, yet here, they seemed to heal on their own! Huo Qixiao's inner joy intensified. It seemed he had indeed encountered another miraculous event.
Why use the word "again"? Because for him, living another life was already a miracle. It was entirely possible that heaven favored him and arranged another one.
Just as Huo Qixiao was lost in his own thoughts, the scene before him changed drastically again.
Azure seas and blue skies, lush green grass, beautiful as a fairy realm on earth. Huo Qixiao thought he had finally made it, encountering such a divine place!
But when he saw the enormous giant eagle in the sky, and the mountain-like, wet monster in front of him, his eyes, which had been mesmerized by the beautiful scenery, instantly became clear and vigilant.