The more you believe me, the more real it becomes.

Chapter 345 Don't Force It (5k)

Seeing that the adult had walked over by himself, the leader hurriedly ordered the others to follow, while he himself remained in place to watch this increasingly strange man.

Everything went well up ahead, and everyone crossed the wooden bridge safely.

But when the last carriage reached the middle of the journey, everyone heard a strange creak, and the entire wooden bridge could no longer bear the weight of the carriage, and then collapsed.

Even the last leader was incredibly strong and quick-witted.

He barely managed to grab the reins of the two horses, and then watched helplessly as the force was too great, causing the reins to snap.

The carriage plunged straight into the river.

Fortunately, the current was not rapid and the bridge was not high, so the two horses and the coachman only suffered minor injuries.

The only problem is that the car is half submerged in water, but it can probably still be used after some repairs.

This scene, which should have been a close call, instead caused everyone's expressions to change.

Because the car had gone into the water, and their adult's surname was Wang, if they hadn't gotten out of the car...
After a brief moment of astonishment, everyone looked at Du Yuan on the other side of the bridge.

They unconsciously gripped and loosened their knives at their waists, then loosened and gripped them again.

Logically speaking, this must be a trick by the other party. It doesn't need to be very sophisticated. As long as the timing is controlled slightly, people can step on it without any problems, but a much heavier carriage will run into trouble.

The problem is, those few stones are something even their leader can't do anything about.

So for a moment, this put them in a difficult position!
I don't know whether I should believe it or not.

Du Yuan didn't say much about it, but simply cupped her hands and placed all the Yin Virtue Treasure Coins she had obtained on the stone.

Then, he strode away.

The leader's expression changed several times. After glancing at the old man behind him, he took a step forward at the old man's signal, crossed the broken bridge, and landed in front of the boulder.

He quickly stepped forward and tried to grab the Yin De Bao Qian (a type of coin).

It wasn't that I wanted to take it back, but rather that I wanted to move it away so I could try to move the strange stone without the other person's presence.

But as soon as they got their hands on it, the leader turned pale with fright.

This time, he couldn't even lift the several bags of Yin De Bao Qian (a type of in-game currency) placed on top of the stone, let alone the stone itself!

Startled, he quickly turned around and shouted to the crowd:
"Sir, I can't even lift this money!"

Upon hearing this, everyone suddenly realized that they had truly missed a tremendous opportunity!
The old man shouted urgently, "Go and bring them back quickly!"

Without further delay, the leader immediately turned around and chased after Du Yuan in the direction she had left.

Strangely enough, just a moment ago he clearly saw Du Yuan not far ahead, and he was getting closer and closer to her. But just as he was about to shout to stop her, he was shocked to find that after taking a step, the strange man had completely disappeared from his sight and appeared hundreds of feet away in an instant.

He was almost completely invisible!
The leader was horrified and tried even harder to catch up, but he only felt that the distance between them was getting further and further apart. In just a few blinks of an eye, he watched helplessly as Du Yuan faded out of sight.

He turned around and looked back, only to find that his group had long since been left far behind and could no longer be seen. Dejected, the leader had no choice but to quickly turn back and report what had happened.

After listening carefully, the old man asked a few more questions about the details, and then said in a deep voice:
"Take my token and go to the Taotu County Treasury to collect all the Yin De Bao Qian (a type of incense money)! Then order the Taotu County Magistrate to immediately gather the craftsmen and laborers, with the patrol officers providing full escort, and repair this broken bridge as soon as possible. Go quickly and return quickly; I will be waiting here!"

The leader was startled as he took the jade token that the old man tossed from his waist: "Sir, the imperial estate is not far ahead. Is it inappropriate to stop here now?"

The old man shook his head: "That's precisely why we must be even more careful. Go on, I'll be waiting for your news."

The leader said no more, bowed, and then galloped off towards Taotu County. To him, apart from the finest horses used by the imperial court, other horses were merely tools to save effort; if he was really in a hurry, it was more convenient to travel by himself.

Soon, under the summons of that jade tablet, Taotu County began to operate fully.

First, all the Yin De Bao coins in the county treasury were withdrawn, and when they found that they could not gather enough for one hundred bags, the leader simply went straight to the prefectural government to request more. The magistrate of Taotu County and the Left Chief of the Patrol Office, sweating profusely, gathered laborers and assembled guards, rushing to the broken bridge in a great hurry.

When a large number of people began to repair the broken bridge, the two highest-ranking officials in Taotu County knelt down in front of the old man in a panic and begged for forgiveness.

"My lord, I truly did not expect such a blunder to occur!"

The magistrate was on the verge of tears. He never expected that his official position would be in jeopardy because of a broken bridge.

If it really was his dereliction of duty, then so be it; we should just admit it.

The problem is that, with the world changing so much and a backlog of cases, he still managed to find the time to put the bridge's repair on the agenda.

Unexpectedly, before he could even get to the point of doing anything, he was hit with a stick.
To this, the old man simply waved his hand and said:
"Go and take care of your business; there's no need to come here."

The two bowed in alarm, preparing to leave, but before they could even stand up, they heard another sentence:
"and many more!"

That shout of "Wait!" really startled them both, sending a chill down their spines.

Is this not over yet?

Fortunately, the old man did not get angry; he simply summoned the scholar and gave him instructions:

"Your skills in painting are profound. Quickly make a copy of that master's appearance and give it to them to distribute. I will do everything in my power to find him!"

The scholar immediately accepted the order and turned to prepare pen and ink.

After the leader left, the group tried various methods to shake the rocks and the Yin De Bao Qian (a type of incense) on them.

But no matter how they tried to move the rock or cut it with a knife, or even take out the few magical treasures they had carefully accumulated, the rock and the precious coins remained unmoved.

At this point, the last glimmer of hope in everyone's hearts completely vanished, leaving only the words "it won't work" swirling in their minds.

Does all the hardships and sacrifices we've made along the way ultimately amount to nothing but a joke?
For a moment, people were panicked.

Before long, the scholar brought out his brush and ink, moistened the brush tip, and was about to put pen to paper.

His painting skills were extremely high, and even the emperor repeatedly praised him, while famous artists from all walks of life raved about him.

Even if it was just a fleeting glimpse, he was absolutely confident that he could accurately imitate Du Yuan's appearance.

At first, everything went smoothly, and Du Yuan's facial features were quickly outlined. But when he picked up his brush to draw the eyebrows, he suddenly realized that the strange man's face, which had been so clear just moments before, had suddenly become blurry.

He sensed something was wrong and hurriedly focused his mind, trying to recall the details of the face, but to no avail.

After a moment of stunned silence, he put down his brush and bowed respectfully to the old man.

"My lord, I suddenly can't remember what that extraordinary person looked like!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he was secretly surprised. Although he didn't have a photographic memory, he shouldn't be so forgetful.

Is there another hidden story?
After thinking about this, he hesitated for a moment and finally swallowed the idea. He was not of high status, and there were many things he could not say unless he was absolutely certain.

The old man frowned slightly, then stepped forward to take the brush and ink, intending to copy it himself.

Although his painting skills were not as good as the scholar's, they were still quite solid. But as soon as he stood in front of the painting, about to put pen to paper, Du Yuan's appearance became blurry in his mind, making it impossible for him to start painting!

At this moment, the old man suddenly realized that it was not that they were forgetful, but that the master simply did not want them to find him.

Fate, fate. Since we've already missed our chance, how can we talk about rekindling our connection?
Having understood this, the old man couldn't help but throw down his pen and sigh deeply:

"It is the will of Heaven!"

At this point, while everyone was even more amazed by Du Yuan's remarkable abilities, they also became increasingly anxious about the three words "cannot succeed".

Leaving aside their fame and fortune, all the hardships they endured along the way depended on this, and even the safety of the world largely depended on it!

How could it not work?

But just as everyone was filled with anxiety, a guard gritted his teeth, stepped forward, bowed to the old man, and said:
"Sir, perhaps we can try using that thing!"

Upon hearing the sound, everyone turned around and their gazes fell on the guard, their brows instantly furrowing.

The "thing" he was referring to was immediately clear to everyone.

The next moment, everyone's expression changed drastically, and they all shouted angrily:
"Nonsense!"

"Ridiculous! Don't you know how evil that thing is?"

"We lost so many brothers back then just to barely keep that evil thing quiet, and now you want us to bring that damned thing out again?"

"Get out! Get out!"

The guard, his face flushed red from the scolding, dared not utter another word. He could only bow repeatedly and stagger to the side.

But the old man raised his hand to stop everyone, saying, "Use this!" "Huh?!"

Upon hearing this, everyone gasped in surprise, their faces growing increasingly grim, and they quickly stepped forward to dissuade them.

"My lord, you mustn't!"

"That evil creature is far too dangerous; we must not touch it!"

The most devastating loss they suffered on their journey here was when they inexplicably encountered a strange object while passing through Yanzhi Mountain.

The thing was initially just a slightly strange cloud of mist.

At first glance, it looked no different from ordinary mountain mist. But after they had stepped into the mist not far, one of the brothers in the group suddenly stopped, pointing beside him in utter shock and exclaiming:

"Zhang Laosan? Weren't you supposed to stay in Kyoto on duty? What are you doing here?"

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and, sure enough, saw "Zhang Laosan," whom they all knew well, standing peacefully at the edge of the line.

The crowd was taken aback at first, and some couldn't help but draw their swords—they clearly remembered that Zhang Laosan had not been selected for this mission and had stayed in the capital.

But "Zhang Laosan" looked completely bewildered and asked in return:

"When did I arrive in Kyoto? I wasn't selected at first, but then Li Da's wife was about to give birth, and I was temporarily transferred to replace him. Have you all forgotten about that?"

As soon as these words were spoken, vague memories began to surface in everyone's minds, as if there really was such a thing.

Someone scratched his head, then turned to ask the other brothers in the team. The others were taken aback at first, then echoed him with expressions of "How could you forget?"

"Zhang Laosan has always been with us!"

"Yes, yes, he and Li Da switched places, I remember that!"

Upon further inquiry, even people outside the same team provided more detailed corroborating evidence:
"Is that Zhang Laosan from your team? He was sharing a tent with me the night before last!"

"You can't even remember your own teammates? I remember them all!"

"Zhang Laosan, have you forgotten? When we were attacked in the wilderness, if it weren't for him taking a blow from that ghostly soldier for you, you would have been dead long ago. How can you forget?"

And so, this person named "Zhang Laosan" not only naturally infiltrated the group, but also continued to "increase in value" in everyone's memory.

At first, it was just "Zhang Laosan," but by the next day, "Li Laoliu" had joined the group; and then, those who had never actually set off with the group and only existed in past memories began to appear one by one, more and more!

In the end, the team, which originally had only a little over a thousand people, swelled to as many as three thousand!
Those fictitious memories flooded into everyone's minds like a tidal wave, filling in the gaps seamlessly.

From beginning to end, they were only briefly alert when "Zhang Laosan" first appeared. After that, they gradually sank into the altered memories without realizing it!
Originally, this strange object was made so perfectly that no one noticed it.

Until they encountered a ferocious evil spirit halfway through their journey, forcing them to change course and venture into a desolate mountain.

As we passed a dilapidated temple in the mountains, the bronze bell inside suddenly rang out loudly.

The sound of the bell made everyone dizzy and disoriented, while the "strange things" mixed in with the group covered their ears and screamed in agony, their human forms disintegrating to reveal their true forms of mist.

Those memories that had been so perfectly altered also began to show many flaws.

Only then did everyone realize something was wrong, and they hurriedly tried to subdue these evil creatures.

But these evil spirits were impervious to weapons and water and fire, and all the magical treasures they used were useless against them—they could only wail and disintegrate incessantly to the sound of the bells.

After a sharp, long howl, all the "people" that had appeared out of nowhere turned into mist and scattered in all directions, trying to escape the desolate mountains.

Anyone who was hit by the fog died instantly. Afterwards, it was discovered that each of them was unharmed and painless, yet they had no breath left!
Their ability to escape this calamity had nothing to do with themselves.

Just as the evil creature was about to escape, the bronze bell flew out of the dilapidated temple on its own, flashed in the daylight, and suppressed all the fog and evil spirits inside the bell.

Then the bell crashed to the ground, and everyone was saved by sheer luck.

Now, the adults are actually saying they want to 'release' this thing?
The old man, however, said with utmost seriousness:
“We’ve been carrying that divine object with us, and we’re also on guard against it. Have someone guard it. If anything seems amiss, ring the bell and take it away!”

Having survived this ordeal, they naturally took the divine bell with them. And their subsequent escapes were largely thanks to the divine bell.

The crowd looked at each other, hesitated briefly, and then brought out the sacred bell.

According to their experience, as long as the divine bell is lifted, the thing suppressed inside can be released.

At the same time, as long as the divine bell is rung, that thing will be taken back.

But this was only what they saw when they were preparing to take the divine bell away; they didn't know if there were any other variables.

If it weren't for the fact that it was of utmost importance, they wouldn't want to continue dealing with such a sinister thing.

Suddenly, a perfect person and an even more perfect memory appear beside you, and this 'person' will continue to increase in value.

Just thinking about it made them tremble and break out in a cold sweat.

Without this divine object, wouldn't it mean that everyone in the world could be replaced by it?

Under the extreme vigilance of everyone.

They slightly raised the divine object, while the old man and others standing before it tried their best to recall Du Yuan's appearance.

Based on their experience, this thing would become the person they imagined at the time, but who was not actually here.

As the mist climbed out of the bronze bell, it twisted and swayed.

It slowly took on a human form, and then, starting from its feet, it gradually transformed into Du Yuan's short-sleeved outfit.

The guards hurriedly gripped the hilts of their swords and hammers, ready to strike the sacred bell at any moment.

The scholar quickly picked up his brush, intending to use it to copy Du Yuan's appearance.

Unexpectedly, just as this thing was twisting and turning and about to take on a specific shape,

All that everyone heard was a voice suddenly coming from high above:
"what?"

The next moment, the constantly twisting mist suddenly stopped and then exploded on the spot!

It didn't even manage to let out a scream when it was subdued by the divine bell; it simply vanished without a trace.

The crowd was stunned and stood there dumbfounded. Some of the quick-thinking guards hurriedly rang the bell repeatedly.

They were afraid that the evil spirit had not been killed, but rather that it had changed its method to confuse them so that it could escape!
The sound of the bronze bell reverberated continuously throughout the surrounding area.

Even Du Yuan, who was far away in Taotu County, couldn't help but pick at her ears, annoyed by their excessive noise.

He didn't notice anything amiss at first, but suddenly a thought struck him, and he turned around, saying "Amitabha" as he transformed from a Confucian to a Taoist.

And so, we witnessed what had just happened.

However, Du Yuan did not expect that his mere "Huh?" would cause that bizarre thing to explode.

Amidst a chuckle, Du Yuan said to them:
"Don't force it, don't force it!"

Having said that, he shouldered his sword and left.

That left the group of people standing there dumbfounded.
-
Hearing the sound coming from high above, before the old man could react, he was astonished to see the divine bell, which had been silent ever since they took it, only unleashing its power when struck, suddenly ring out, and then its patina began to flake off and fly towards the sky.

It seemed to be flying to the side of the owner of that voice.

With the words "Don't force it," it flew down. The rust-covered divine bell that had flown away also slowly returned. The copper rust once again covered its entire surface, and it no longer possessed any of its former golden luster.

Once here, who would dare to doubt Du Yuan's identity?

The old man took the lead, kneeling on the ground and pleading with the heavens:

"I beg the immortal to show mercy, I beg the immortal to guide me!"

The others also hurriedly knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly.

"I beg the immortal to show mercy, I beg the immortal to guide me!"

But no matter how much they pleaded, it was no use.

The heavens had long since fallen silent, just as they had always been.

The heavens are always there, but they will always remain indifferent to human suffering.

(End of this chapter)