The laughter was so loud it shook the entire valley. It was so strange it didn't sound human. Echoing through the mountains, it startled countless birds and dislodged snow from the trees.
Hahaha...
The laughter grew louder and closer. Then she saw two figures. One drifted down from the eastern cliff, draped in ancient Indian robes, adorned with mysterious face paint, and gazing with eyes as deep as ancient wells.
Drifting down from a cliff in the west, dressed in classic American Western attire—the kind you only see in old cowboy movies: wide-brimmed hat, riding boots, and a revolver holstered at his waist.
They floated in midair with nothing beneath their feet.
Otherworldly Person
True extraordinary individuals.
They stopped three zhang in front of Qianlan, staring at her with eerie smiles.
"Finally..." the person dressed in ancient Indian attire spoke, their voice raspy and seeming to come from far away. "I've finally led you here."
Qian Lan's heart sank.
"It was a dream," she said. "You created that dream."
The Old American nodded, speaking in broken American Chinese: "Dream Magic. It took us fourteen years to find a way to break through your mental defenses."
"Fourteen years?"
"Fourteen years ago, we lost a batch of precious data in the Data River," said the Ancient Indian. "That data was stolen by someone named Qingmingzi and sealed in a place we cannot find."
Qianlan's pupils contracted.
Master.
"We've been searching for years and finally discovered that the key to unlocking those data seals lies within you," said the old American. "Your emotions, your memories... and that person named Xuan Lin."
"So you created that dream," Qian Lan said coldly. "Using him to lure me up the mountain."
"Correct." The ancient Indian smiled. "The Hundred-Poison Golden Root Grass is real. It does exist here, and it indeed requires the Blue Butterfly to grow. But what we need isn't the grass—it's you. Drawn by the legend of the grass and driven by worry for that person, you've walked step by step into our trap."
Qian Lan's hand tightened into a fist.
She should be afraid. These two異人 can conjure such vivid illusions and move freely through the treacherous伏虎梦幻山; their power is immeasurable. She stands no chance against them alone.
But she wasn't afraid.
She just regrets it.
I wish Xuanlin had come with us.
If he...
II. Transactions
"He's waiting for you." The ancient American seemed to read her mind. "In your cabin, wait two hours. Now, those two hours are almost up. He won't wait for you."
The ancient Indians took a step forward and reached out their hand.
Surrender the memory seal Qingmingzi left within you. We can make your death quick and painless.
Qian Lan looked at him without speaking.
She thought about what her master had said.
Golden Root Weed is a mutated plant with golden-yellow, grass-like foliage that shimmers in the sunlight.
The sun is out.
The very moment the ancient Indian reached out, the first ray of sunlight crested the mountain peak and bathed the Thousand-Poison Golden Root in its glow.
A burst of golden light.
In that instant, the entire stone wall was bathed in gold. The Ten-Thousand-Toxin Golden Root Grass shimmered in the sunlight—like burning flames, like solidified sunbeams, like a sacred relic from legend.
The two strangers' attention was briefly drawn to the light.
Just this moment.
Qianlan moved.
She didn't charge at the异人—that would be suicide. She charged at the Thousand Toxins Golden Root Grass instead.
Her speed was like lightning; in an instant, she covered the three zhang. She grabbed the golden-yellow herb and pulled hard—
The weeds were uprooted completely.
At the same time, a sharp pain surged from the palm.
The poison of the Hundred Poisons Golden Root Grass.
Ancient Indians laughed.
"Foolish," he said. "Did you think we didn't know the grass was poisonous? We left it here on purpose to lure you to your death."
Qian Lan staggered, her face turning pale in an instant.
But she did not fall.
She turned around, looked at the two異人，and a smile actually formed on her lips.
"You... are wrong." Her voice trembled but remained clear. "My master... taught me... how to use the Hundred-Poison Golden Root Grass..."
She held the grass up to the sun.
Golden light burned in her hand.
Even the deadliest poison... holds the key to its own cure...
She bit her tongue until it bled and spat the blood onto the grass.
The golden light on the grass blades suddenly turned blood-red.
Then, she squeezed hard----
The grass exploded in her hand.
Golden powder mixed with crimson light erupted violently in all directions.
III. Counterattack
The two outcasts scrambled backward, but the powder was too fast and dense for them to dodge.
Powder fell on them.
They both screamed in agony.
The screams were so piercing and terrifying, as if something was being ripped out of their bodies.
My Data
"My Memories ----"
They frantically slapped their own bodies, but the powder had already seeped into their skin, their blood, and every corner of their existence.
Qianlan looked at them, her expression calm.
"You used illusions to lure me here," she said. "You poisoned me with the Ten Thousand Poisons Golden Root Grass. But you forgot one thing."
"W-what...?"
"My master, Qingmingzi, long anticipated someone would target that data," Qianlan said. "What he left within me wasn't a memory seal—it was a counterattack program."
The bodies of the two outsiders began to warp.
Their existence is collapsing.
The figures of ancient Indians are fading, like pencil sketches erased by a rubber. The bodies of ancient Americans are beginning to split, like shattered mirrors peeling away in fragments.
No----
Do not----
Their screams echoed through the valley, fading and growing distant.
Finally, disappear completely.
Only Qian Lan remained, standing before the stone wall.
Her body swayed and she slumped softly to the ground.
She saw the sky spinning, the sun growing brighter, and the blue butterflies' bodies slowly weathering into dust in the morning light, scattered by the wind.
Then, everything faded into darkness.