"Whatâs going on? Why canât I catch up no matter what?"
Cao Yingâs expression was incredibly grim...
Thinking carefully, Cao Ying realized he seemed to have fallen into some kind of vicious cycle.
"Could it be... could it be that Iâve been trapped in an array?"
The moment this thought appeared, he felt as if his heart was being squeezed.
"This is impossible, this is impossible, this is absolutely impossible!"
Thinking this, he heard footsteps again.
Looking up, he saw Hu Xiaobei, who had been impossible to approach, walking towards him.
Just as he was about to ask what was going on, he heard Hu Xiaobeiâs teasing, "Oh my, you really dared to come over, huh? Are you also an array expert? If so, Iâm truly impressed!"
"Hu Xiaobei, you... did you set me up? You bastard."
Cao Ying looked at Hu Xiaobei, hysterically shouting.
Although his brain worked a bit slowly, he knew that Hu Xiaobei had definitely set a trap for him, and it was a particularly nasty one.
Hearing such a frantic outburst, Hu Xiaobei chuckled lightly, saying, "Watch your words! What do you mean I set you up? Obviously, you were the one trying to dig pits for me before."
Glancing at Hu Xiaobei, he retorted, "I didnât! Before, I always wanted to work well with you."
"Enough, thereâs no outsider here, no need to keep acting. Arenât you tired wearing a mask and acting all the time?"
Hearing Hu Xiaobeiâs sarcasm, Cao Ying fell completely silent!
Soon, he lifted his head again...
"Master Xiaobei, I admit I had some thoughts before, but now, I still hope we can work well together. So please, tell me how to leave here."
Cao Ying was truly a formidable figure.
He knew when to bow down...
Just like now, though he wanted to tear Hu Xiaobei apart, he still spoke so calmly.
"Now you know how to cooperate well? Too bad, youâre a bit late!"
After saying this, Hu Xiaobei turned and walked away.
Seeing Hu Xiaobei leaving directly, he panicked completely, "Master Xiaobei, you canât leave, let me out first! Otherwise, Iâll be trapped here to death."
Knowing he was genuinely scared, Hu Xiaobei continued talking leisurely, "Donât say that. Youâre so smart, you can surely think of a great way to leave here. I wonât delay you."
"Damn it! Hu Xiaobei, stop right there! If youâve got the guts, let me out, and letâs face off openly. Whatâs the point of these tricks?"
"I just love playing such tricks. If you donât like it, come out and bite me. Oh, I forgot, you canât get out anytime soon!"
"You..."
Hearing he was about to say something useless again, Hu Xiaobei softly said, "Oh, I forgot to remind you that this prison is only part of the array, and thereâs a bigger trap coming soon. Hope you can hold on!"
"You... Master Xiaobei, I was wrong, I was really wrong. Give me another chance, I promise I wonât go against you again. I swear!"
"Now you know how to beg? Too bad, itâs a bit late. Hope youâll learn in your next life!"
After saying this, Hu Xiaobei turned and walked away.
Hu Xiaobei knew that Cao Ying couldnât break the array, so he would soon die under the arrayâs lethal move.
Over the years, the arrayâs power had been weakening gradually.
But even weakened, the final strike was terrifying enough, so there was absolutely no way Cao Ying could withstand it.
"Master Xiaobei, I was wrong, really wrong!"
Seeing Hu Xiaobei walking further and further away, he continued to shout wildly...
But it was all meaningless...
This led him to the height of despair.
"Before, I thought I was always in the advantageous position, but now it seems, I was the one being played all along!"
Sitting bitterly on the ground, he sighed in desolation.
Now he completely understood.
But unfortunately, itâs too late now to understand...
Because he had no chance of escaping.
...
"Once the arrayâs lethal strike is unleashed, the array will gradually dissipate, so at that time, Iâll have to set up another array, otherwise, this place will lose its mystery."
Hu Xiaobei knew that this place remained mysterious because of the arrayâs existence.
Without its deterrence, countless guys would swarm in, so he had to set up another array to protect this place firmly.
While secretly planning, Hu Xiaobei heard a sharp and miserable scream from behind.
Turning back for a glance, Hu Xiaobei knew that from now on, there was no more Cao Ying in this world.
"I thought he could hold on a bit longer, but it seems his strength was a bit less than I expected!"
Gently shaking his head, Hu Xiaobei stepped out of the array, arriving at a place full of birds singing and flowers blooming.
"This isnât quite what I expected!"
Listening to the chirping of birds and watching the flowing water, Hu Xiaobei was slightly stunned!
Previously, Hu Xiaobei thought this place, long unattended, would be desolate and overgrown with weeds!
But now, it wasnât like that; everything was orderly.
So Hu Xiaobei couldnât link this place with ruins; instead, he could associate it with Paradise.
...
"Canât remember how long itâs been, finally someone has returned! Are you from the Cao Family?"
While looking around, Hu Xiaobei heard such a soft inquiry. Quickly turning his head, Hu Xiaobei saw an old man in a long robe, smiling at him.
"Old man, when did you appear?"
Hu Xiaobei quickly asked back...
He asked this because he hadnât noticed any trace of him.
It was as if he had appeared out of thin air.
"I was sitting here all along; you didnât notice me because your mind wasnât on me!"
Hearing his explanation, Hu Xiaobei was still a bit surprised, but didnât pursue it further and instead answered his question!
"Hello, old man. Iâm not truly a Cao Family member, but I do have some connection with them."
Just after speaking, Hu Xiaobei heard his calm question, "Was that person who died in the array just now a Cao Family member?"
"Yes!"
Responding, Hu Xiaobei felt a bit wary.
He was worried that the old man might seek revenge for Cao Ying.
"No need to be nervous, nor very alert. I wonât deal with you because I can tell youâre not a bad person!"
"Oh? How can you tell Iâm not a bad person?"
Hearing his words, Hu Xiaobei softly asked back. At this moment, he became very interested in him...