Don't provoke mentally ill people in the infinite flow genre!

[Jiang Ling]: Wu Ying seems to be quite different before and after drinking. Is her alcohol tolerance usually like this? Ah, of course, I have a terrible alcohol tolerance too. I didn't remember her much at the last gathering because I was completely drunk.

[Wang Mingyue]: I don't know, but it's true that Yingjie doesn't really like drinking. I occasionally try to invite her out for a couple of drinks, but she always refuses. She only goes to the gym or swimming.

[Qin Shaoyu]: I didn't pay attention that night; I was too busy helping Shen Yubai to vomit.

[Shen Yubai]: ...You threw up quite a bit too, even on my new shirt.

[Qin Shaoyu]: Really? I have absolutely no recollection of that! I'll get you one later.

[Su Su]: Actually, I think Wu Ying's alcohol tolerance is pretty good. That was a whole jar of Zhuyeqing liquor, which I just checked, and it's at least 38 degrees. She can still walk normally after drinking it all, only showing a little bit of genuine emotion. That's quite impressive. I definitely couldn't do it if it were me.

[Jiang Yao]: Indeed, what a genuine expression of emotion.

[Qin Shaoyu]: Wow, I didn't even see it for a second, how come they're all hugging each other? Why is our captain hugging everyone he can get his hands on?!

[Li Siqi]: Sure enough, just like in the TV series, whether it's a palace or a mansion, there's always a dog hole for the protagonist to freely enter and exit.

[Qin Shaoyu]: Oh, brother, your focus is quite unique.

[Jiang Ling]: I say, let's talk about something serious for a bit. How come the three of them, including the captain, left their room smoothly, but Wu Ying got into trouble with Liu Xian? Is there some kind of reason behind it?

[Jiang Yao]: If I remember correctly, besides the fox spirit, the willow spirit ranks second among the five immortals, so it's normal for her to have a bit of an odd temper.

[Du Songzi]: Moreover, this is Wu Ying's major qualifying round. If she's unlucky, she could very well be targeted by the system.

[Wang Mingyue]: Well... as far as I know, Sister Ying's luck rating is D+, which is only slightly higher than the second-in-command's.

[Jiang Ling]: Sigh.

……

Once they exited the dog hole, they were out of the Zhu family compound. Following Granny Jiang's advice, Yi Canglan led the three of them eastward toward the town to find the abandoned temple.

Given that Wu Ying was under the influence of alcohol and not behaving properly, she made a threatening remark.

"Stay put and don't wander off or talk nonsense, or I'll expel you from the team when we get back."

"No, Captain! I swear I will follow your leadership, obey your instructions, support your decisions, and serve Black Wind Stronghold forever. Even if they all leave the team, I will never leave!"

"Hey? Watch your attitude, don't point fingers at us." Tang Yunxi, who was standing next to him, leaned over angrily upon hearing this. "I will never leave the team! My immediate goal is even to defeat Brother Shen and become the third leader of Black Wind Stronghold—don't pretend to be drunk and try to take over the captain's position!"

Yan Zhao sighed: "It's a real pity that there's no recording function in the game, otherwise we could upload another video to the team."

"I'm definitely going to make fun of her tomorrow!"

"Yes, don't let this cunning assassin get away."

Wu Ying was in a state of excitement and couldn't hear what the two of them were muttering to themselves. She held tightly to Yi Zanglan's arm and followed closely beside him.

The four quickened their pace, traveling without stopping for a moment. The road became narrower the further east they went, until they finally entered a deserted grove of trees.

The woods were silent, the branches overhead obscuring the moon, leaving only scattered shadows on the ground.

The bushes on both sides were crowded, and the ground was covered with a thick layer of rotten branches and leaves. The view was limited, and the path was uneven, making it difficult to walk. One could easily slip and fall.

At first, they didn't know which way to go, so they could only try to walk towards the light. They walked like this for quite a while until Yi Zanglan in front of them stopped.

"Something's not right." Her face darkened as she looked around. "We just passed by here."

"It seems so." Yan Zhao immediately realized as well. "I remember this tree."

The tree was to her right. It looked like an old locust tree, with its trunk twisted at strange angles and its bark covered with dark brown spots, like it had been covered with plasters. It was easy to spot.

"Have we gone in circles and ended up back where we started?" Tang Yunxi asked nervously. "Should we take another route?"

"You're leading the way this time, you'll be lucky, maybe you'll choose the right one."

"Okay, I'll give it a try."

……

About ten minutes later.

The three expressionless people, along with a dazed Wu Ying, stood once again in front of the old locust tree.

Yes, the trees are still the same trees, but they have clearly chosen completely opposite paths and have been moving forward. Logically and emotionally, they should never go back to where they started.

unless……

"Damn it," Yan Zhao muttered under his breath, "Could we be stuck in a maze?"

"There's no other explanation." Yi Zanglan looked at the thick fog that was gradually spreading into the woods, his expression grave. "If we delay any longer, we'll probably be completely trapped here."

They needed to figure out a way to leave the forest as soon as possible before they were completely swallowed by the fog.

Tang Yunxi tried it and found that the system's skill interface could not be accessed, which meant that she was prohibited from using the Lucky Wheelchair in this area.

"My skills are limited!" she slapped her thigh in frustration, then grabbed Yan Zhao's hand, her words earnest, "Zhao Zhao, did our dear grandmother teach you anything else? Like, how to deal with being lost in a maze when walking alone in the wild?"

"She didn't teach me everything, did she?" Yan Zhao was speechless, but after calming down and thinking carefully, she seemed to remember something, "...No, it seems she did teach me."

"What? What? Speak up!"

"Yes... to form a human chain."

A human chain, as the name suggests, involves four people linking shoulders in a line, blindfolded, and walking together.

There are indeed some rules involved: the leader needs to be resolute, while the person following behind needs to have a strong destiny.

Fortunately, there are people on the team who meet this standard.

"Alright, you lead the way, I'll bring up the rear." After listening, Yi Zanglan decisively gestured to Yan Zhao, "Yunxi will take Wu Ying in the middle and be responsible for keeping her in check. Any problems?"

"no."

Yan Zhao and Tang Yunxi carried out the order quickly, and arranged for Wu Ying to stand in the middle. Yan Zhao also emphasized this point.

"Remember, no matter what you hear or feel later, absolutely do not turn around, do not make a sound, do not let go, and do not stop walking. We need to keep walking in a fixed direction until we get out of this forest. Any carelessness could lead to the failure of all our efforts."

Tang Yunxi put one hand on Wu Ying's shoulder and covered Wu Ying's eyes with the other: "Don't worry, I absolutely won't let her open her eyes!"

After thinking for a moment, Yi Zanglan felt it wasn't safe enough, so he took out an orange from his pocket and stuffed it into Wu Ying's mouth.

"From now on, you must remain silent and hold onto Yan Zhao's shoulders tightly," she warned Wu Ying in a low voice. "If I find out you're disobedient, Black Wind Stronghold will no longer recognize you as a member, understand?"

"……Uh-huh!"

Wu Ying, biting into an orange, paused for two seconds, then nodded vigorously.

"Very good, everyone get ready."

After saying that, Yi Zanglan went around to the back of the group and put his arm around Tang Yunxi's shoulder.

The four of them closed their eyes and followed Yan Zhao's lead, walking forward through the thick fog.

At first, they could feel the rustling of fallen leaves and shrubs under their feet, and the trees on both sides were still bumping against their bodies.

But as time went on, my five senses began to fade, and even the sound of the wind in my ears gradually became blurred.

They seemed to have vanished into some kind of desolate darkness.

……

—My dear Zhao Zhao, it's best not to walk alone at night, and don't go to any strange places.

—But if you accidentally do go someday, don't forget what your grandmother taught you.

As the saying goes:

Close your eyes and don't look; don't break the leash on someone's shoulder.

Later generations listen to the wind, while our predecessors go straight to the source;

To speak is to err, to stop is to scatter;

Do not respond to strange noises; the illusion will dissipate on its own.