Techniques and Dao

Chapter 146 Lost in the Forest
Leaving the Champs-Élysées, a brand-new red Ferrari drove south through the streets of Paris.

The car moved slowly and intermittently through the congested streets of Paris, and once on the highway at night, the surrounding scenery became quite monotonous. After a while of swaying, Hanahara felt herself getting sleepy.

Having not slept all night, he felt even more drowsy when he first got on the highway, his eyelids feeling incredibly heavy.

Hua Sheng turned to Mie Ying and said, "I'm going to recline the chair back and lie down for a while. Be careful not to pinch your legs."

Only then did they realize that Mieying had already fallen asleep by the window.

It seems that the long flight and the continuous hustle and bustle of the past two days have exhausted a lot of energy, and even a celestial spirit like Mieying couldn't withstand it.

Hua Sheng was worried that if they both fell asleep, Jane, the magician, would have an opportunity to escape. But as sleepiness grew stronger and he could no longer stay awake, he simply said:
“Jane, we Easterners value keeping our word. Although the purple-gold thread in the Magic School’s treasury was from my clothes, I have never actually been to France. That’s why I need you to come with us to Nice to find out the reason. If you weren’t looking for the truth, you could have just left.”

Jane didn't answer, but just stared quietly at the road ahead.

Hua Sheng felt that she didn't seem like a wicked person, so she continued, "So I hope you won't try anything funny on the way. It would be better for everyone if we could find out the truth sooner."

As he spoke, he was about to succumb to sleepiness and turned his head to the other side.

Exhausted, Hua Sheng soon closed her eyes and gradually lost consciousness.

In a blur, various noises and images swirled in Hua Sheng's mind. She didn't know what kind of dream she was having. One moment it was a dilapidated hospital, the next it was the stratosphere at night; one moment it was a city covered in ravaged vegetation, and the next it was a purple light streaking across the dark universe like a shooting star.

Some are memories from my own mind, while others have no discernible pattern. Everything is like a scattered jigsaw puzzle.

I was half asleep when I was suddenly awakened by a piercing crackling sound!
Hana opened her eyes a crack. Her head throbbed with pain, and she felt a little dizzy.

Then came another series of rattling noises, and the car body vibrated slightly. It turned out to be a series of gravel hitting the undercarriage.

The view outside the window wasn't a highway, but a dark forest at night.

The wheels are slipping! Dozens more gravel hit the bottom of the car.

Hua Sheng suddenly became alert because he realized that the scenery outside the car was not moving backward!
The car is parked?
Jane ran away?

He turned to look at Jane in the driver's seat.

Fortunately, Jane didn't run away, but she fell asleep just like me.

"Jane! Jane! Wake up!" He quickly pushed Jane's arm.

After being nudged a few times, Jane opened her eyes and asked groggily, "What? Are we here?"

Hua Sheng said, "Weren't you driving? The car is stuck in a ditch!"

Jane rubbed her eyes, sat up straight, craned her neck to look ahead, and said, "Didn't you say I don't have a driver's license? I'm not driving this car."

"Isn't controlling the car your magic? Where are we now...?"

Another noisy clatter of gravel hitting the chassis interrupted the blooming of flowers.

Jane put the car in park, turned off the engine, and opened the car door. Hua Sheng also got out of the car.

They then realized that they were surrounded by dense forests with similar scenery. For some reason, the car drove onto a forest path, which was a dark, gravel road in both directions.

The surrounding area looked like a primeval jungle. Apart from the road ahead, which was illuminated by the bright headlights, it was difficult to see the road for about 100 meters. Beyond that, it was difficult to discern the road for more than a few meters.

Jane pulled out a wand, its tip emitting a bright light. She crouched down, looked under the car, shone the light on it, and then murmured, "Strange..."

Hua Sheng was looking around when he casually asked, "What did you find?"

He replied simply, "All four wheels are stuck and slipping at the same time."

What does this mean?

Jian said, "Usually, a car will only slip when the drive wheels get stuck in gravel or mud. Whether it's the front or rear wheels, only the drive wheels will get stuck and the car won't move. But all four wheels of our car are stuck."

"That's why you can't move?"

"Yes, it's very strange..." "How did you control this car just now?"

"Use magic to set the destination and let the car drive itself."

"Why is this route designed as a narrow path in a primeval jungle? Shouldn't we have chosen the main road instead?"

“I’m not sure. Maybe we forgot to set highway priority?” Jane shook her head. “I can’t quite remember.”

Seeing that arguing about this wouldn't solve the problem, Hua Sheng could only say, "Fine, no matter what, let's just go back the way we came. Let's get back to the main road first, and then take the highway."

Hua Sheng gently pushed the rear of the car with his hand, using some brute force. The car then pulled itself out of the crater. Jane waved her wand, causing the sports car to turn around on the spot.

Jane and Huasheng each opened the car door and sat back in their seats.

Then Hua Sheng slammed the car door shut and said, "Watch your step carefully this time, don't fall asleep again."

She replied simply, "I don't drive. Why can't I take a nap like you guys?"

Hua Sheng suddenly became serious and said, "We're different! No matter what, since you're sitting in this position, you should take responsibility. We can slack off, but you can't."

Jane was somewhat displeased: "What are you saying? This is a driver's seat, not a politician's office. Besides, even politicians don't necessarily get things done while sitting in their seats!"

"It's so noisy!" Mie Ying, who was in the back row, was woken up by the noise and exclaimed, "Huh? Why did we stop?"

Hua Sheng turned around and said, "Everyone was asleep just now, and the car veered off course for some reason. We're turning back to the main road now."

Looking out through the glass, Mieying saw that the woods were pitch black, so she simply leaned against the car window and stared blankly.

The car drove back a few hundred meters, and fog began to rise from the surrounding woods, reducing the distance that the headlights could illuminate.

Jane turned on the fog lights, but the lighting effect did not improve significantly, so she had to slow down the car slightly.

The gravel path ahead grew narrower and narrower, and the surroundings were eerily quiet. The only sound that could be heard in the entire forest was the roar of a Ferrari sports car engine.

Within minutes, the fog thickened rapidly. The temperature also dropped. Looking up through the car window, the sky was completely obscured by the fog, and not a single star could be seen.

Mie Ying crossed his arms and asked, "Could you please turn this broken engine down a bit? It's too noisy. And this place is a bit creepy. Will making such a loud noise attract any danger?"

Jane said, "That's how loud a Ferrari's engine is. Weren't you so tough just now? Why are you scared of the dark now?"

Mieying pouted: "Sixth Sister likes black, but I just don't. Why are you bringing this up? Just keep driving!"

Hua Sheng interjected, "Don't be afraid, I'm here! At worst, we can just leave this broken-down car here and fly away on the clouds."

“Who said I was going to throw it away? This is my dream car!” Jane glared at Hua Sheng.

Hua Sheng said, "Then let your precious ride take us away..."

Before he could finish speaking, he looked ahead, his mouth half-open and remained silent.

The gravel path had not only turned into a muddy path, but it was also blocked by bushes.

The car stopped at the end of the muddy road.

Hua Sheng craned his neck to look, then asked in confusion, "How come it's a dead end?"

Mieying quickly said, "In such a dark place, don't talk about decapitation or not. It's kind of creepy..."

"That's a dead end?"

"Don't say 'death,' just say this road is blocked."

Mie Ying looked uneasy.

(End of this chapter)