What to do if you receive the wrong package?

Jiang Si and the others stopped and turned around. They saw an old man in a black robe with a gloomy face standing not far away.

"Oh, isn't this Xi Hui, the renowned Vice Sect Master of the Wind and Rain Sect? Long time no see." Xuan Yi couldn't help but greet him "enthusiastically" after recognizing the newcomer.

Jian Yuheng was surprised to hear Xuan Yi's voice, but he knew that now was not a good time to ask.

Seeing that Xi Hui ignored him, Xuan Yi became even more brazen and said, "I didn't expect you to dare to provoke us again. Didn't you suffer a crushing defeat last time? Old Jiang, do you remember whose head we chopped off last time?"

“Nobody here, I don’t remember.”

"That's true, how about we cut off Xi Hui's head this time?"

Listening to Xuan Yi and Jiang Si's back-and-forth banter, Xi Hui was so angry he gritted his teeth. His anger blazed, and he sneered, a ruthless glint flashing in his eyes.

He is determined to make these people pay the price.

Xi Hui took a deep breath, thinking about what Xuan Yi and the others would face next, and said with a hint of pleasure in his voice, "Heh, considering you're about to die, I won't hold it against you."

Upon hearing this, Xuan Yi and Jiang Si couldn't help but reveal a disdainful smile. Xuan Yi even laughed loudly and mocked, "Don't worry, you'll die even faster than us."

After saying that, Xuan Yi raised his hand and waved it, sending three throwing knives straight at Xi Hui.

Xi Hui didn't dodge the flying knife; instead, he sneered. The knife didn't pierce Xi Hui as expected, but instead passed right through his body and embedded itself in the tree trunk behind him.

"Is this...an illusion?" Jian Yuheng asked uncertainly, looking at everything that was happening before his eyes.

"Hahaha, today I'll show you what it means to come and never return." Xi Hui laughed loudly twice. His illusion became more and more ethereal, and finally turned into a wisp of white smoke and dissipated in the wind.

Suddenly, thick white fog surged up from all around, and Jian Yuheng, standing in the middle, quickly grabbed Xuan Yi and Jiang Si. When the three of them opened their eyes again, the scene before them was completely different. The original fog had dissipated, replaced by an unfamiliar environment.

They inexplicably found themselves in a strange mansion.

“Tell me something to prove you’re real.” Xuan Yi crossed his arms, took a step back, and looked at Jiang Si and Jian Yuheng with a hint of wariness.

Jiang Si glanced at Xuan Yi and said without thinking, "You like Miss Shen."

Jian Yuheng smiled slightly, "Just now, Palace Master Xuan swiped a luminous pearl from me."

Xuan Yi nodded, and just as he breathed a sigh of relief, he heard Jiang Si ask him the same question.

How can you prove you're real?

Xuan Yi first took out a luminous pearl from his pocket and waved it at the two of them, then said, "When do you plan to take Bai Yanhuai back to your Qingfeng Sword Sect? Hurry up and take her away, so she won't keep bothering my Mumu."

Only then did the three of them confirm that they were on the same page.

"Have we entered some kind of illusion?" Xuan Yi took a few steps around, looked up and touched the courtyard wall, but the touch felt very real.

"It should be, otherwise we wouldn't have been able to get from the wilderness to this mansion so quickly." Jian Yuheng

He looked around, his brow furrowing slightly. The patterns on the courtyard wall were clearly visible, as if they were made of real stone.

Jiang Si also walked to the courtyard wall, raised his sword hilt and struck it hard, making a crisp sound.

"It seems you two know that man in black robes?" Jian Yuheng asked with some curiosity.

“We’ve crossed paths before. He’s one of the mysterious man’s subordinates, but we didn’t see him have this ability before,” Xuan Yi briefly explained their connection with Xi Hui.

"The illusion probably wasn't set up by Xi Hui. If he really had that kind of ability, he wouldn't be wasting his breath talking to you," Jiang Si calmly analyzed.

Jian Yuheng: "Looking at it this way, that strip of cloth seemed to have been given with good intentions."

"Since he's so kind, could he be kind enough to help us one more time?" Xuan Yi turned around and looked at the tightly closed door. The carvings on the door were exquisite and detailed, but he wondered what he would find once it was opened.

"Let's go in and take a look. If we want to break the formation, we need to find the core of the formation first." Jiang Si took the lead and walked along the main road towards the inner courtyard.

The entire courtyard was deserted except for the three of them; it was quiet and still, without even a breeze. The buildings in the courtyard were somewhat dilapidated, and some tables and chairs were overturned. Only the flowers, plants, and trees in the courtyard were full of life, stretching their branches and leaves freely under the moonlight.

Xuan Yi looked around at the plants and suddenly seemed to smell an unusual fragrance.

He quickly held his breath and raised his hand to cover his mouth and nose.

"Hurry up, something's wrong."

The other two followed closely behind Xuan Yi, quickly retreating into a room and then closing the door tightly.

"What did you discover?" Jiang Si's expression was somewhat grave.

“Although this is an illusion, the house is so dilapidated, yet the plants are growing unusually lushly, which is very strange. Moreover, I suddenly smelled a strange fragrance just now.” Xuan Yi recounted all his discoveries.

"A strange fragrance?" Jian Yuheng repeated hesitantly. "But I just smelled a stench."

Upon noticing something amiss, the two immediately turned to look at Jiang Si.

Jiang Si shook his head. "I didn't smell anything."

After a moment of contemplation, Jian Yuheng said, "Since the three of us felt different, it suggests that there is something wrong with these plants, and it is very likely that the key to the formation is in these plants."

"What do you mean?" Xuan Yi asked, raising his eyes.

Jian Yuheng smiled slightly, "Just burn it." After saying that, he took out a tinderbox and two or three flints from his pocket.

"Haha, good idea. But I'm a little curious, how much stuff did you bring, Your Highness?" Xuan Yi agreed with Jian Yuheng's method; it was simple and straightforward, and he liked it very much.

Upon seeing this, Jiang Si dragged a wooden stool out of the room and slammed it to the ground, shattering it into pieces.

He picked up a wooden stick and took out a strip of cloth from his body. He intended to wrap it around the stick to make a torch, but he unexpectedly discovered that the strip of cloth had a "hidden secret".

"Wait, this piece of cloth seems to have something else in it." Jiang Si carefully smoothed out the crumpled strip of cloth, grabbed the top with one hand and the bottom with the other, and pulled hard, actually tearing the strip of cloth in two.

Xuan Yi vaguely saw that on the inside of the strip of cloth below, there was also a tiny, crookedly written character.

Take a closer look.

willow?

Jian Yuheng immediately went to the window, opened a crack, and looked out. Sure enough, there was a willow tree planted in the very middle of the group of plants.

Moreover, this willow tree looks quite old.

"What now?" Xuan Yi toyed with a flint in his hand.

Jiang Si: "Just burn the willow trees."

Since someone gave them a hint, whether it's true or not, they should give it a try.

"The willow tree is located slightly behind these plants. If we want to burn it, we'll not only have to go outside, but we might also have to get close to the plants," Jian Yuheng said, turning to remind them as he looked at the willow tree's location.

"Interesting. I'd like to see if these plants can actually become spirits. If they really are, let's see who's more powerful, the plant or me." Xuan Yi seemed to have heard something interesting, and the smile on his lips deepened.

Each person made three torches, carrying two on their backs and holding one lit in their hand. To prevent the initial smell from affecting them, the three of them also tied a black cloth around their faces before pushing open the door and going out.

Xuan Yi darted to the side of the road in one swift step, and was the first to step into the plants with a torch in hand.

They had barely taken two steps when Xuan Yi and his companions were met with a barrage of pine needles.

A barrage of pine needles, carrying a surging murderous aura, rained down on the three of them. Unperturbed, the three wielded their torches with ferocious skill, instantly knocking the pine needles down.

But when they stopped, they were surprised to find that the person beside them was gone. The plants in the yard had quietly shifted their positions while they were defending against the pine needles, separating them all.

"Old Jiang? Young Master?" Xuan Yi called out twice to the surroundings, but no one responded.

Xuan Yi shrugged helplessly, not bothering to look for others' thoughts or actions, but instead continued towards the willow tree with his torch in hand.

Yes, I trust Jiang Si and Jian Yuheng.

With their skills, there's definitely no problem.

Suddenly, a strange gust of wind blew by, and then Xuan Yi heard a familiar voice, the voice of "Shen Mujin".

"Where are you going?"

Xuan Yi hesitated for a moment, then stopped and looked in the direction of the sound. A blurry figure appeared not far away. However, the figure was hidden behind a low tree, making it difficult to see clearly.

Xuan Yi's lips curled into a cold smile, and he replied loudly, "Go do something important."

"Can you not go? I want you to stay with me." Shen Mujin's voice appeared again, this time almost tearful, making people feel sorry for her.

Xuan Yi sighed silently. He had to admit that the fake voice was quite similar, but that was all it was.

Mumu would never speak in that tone.

Xuan Yi didn't bother to respond and continued walking towards the willow tree without looking back. As Xuan Yi got closer to the willow tree, the voice became more and more urgent, eventually turning into a shrill scream.

Xuan Yi frowned, almost reaching the willow tree. Suddenly, the plants in the courtyard went berserk. A huge vine lashed out at him like a sharp blade, and Xuan Yi could only dodge backward to avoid being entangled.

The vines seemed unafraid of the torch in Xuan Yi's hand, lashing out at him fiercely each time. Xuan Yi held the torch in one hand and a dagger horizontally in the other, his figure weaving among the plants, each swing precisely piercing the vines.

However, the vine seemed tireless, continuing to grow and expand, forcing Xuan Yi to retreat step by step, further and further away from the willow tree. Sweat beaded on Xuan Yi's forehead, but his eyes showed no sign of retreat; instead, they held a strong interest.

Just as Xuan Yi was struggling against the vines, two figures suddenly appeared in front of him.

Jiang Si gripped his longsword, and the sharp sword light cleaved a vine in two. Jian Yuheng's weapon was a black iron fan. The two joined the battle without hesitation.

With the help of Jiang Si and Jian Yuheng, Xuan Yi and the other two finally suppressed the vines' attack.

"Xuan Yi, leave this to us. Go and burn the willow tree." Jiang Si cut off another vine with his sword and shouted to Xuan Yi.

"Okay." Xuan Yi caught the tinderbox that Jian Yuheng threw to him, and with a light tap of his toes, he quickly leaped towards the willow tree. The vines and plants that were blocking Xuan Yi's way were firmly blocked by Jiang Si and Jian Yuheng.

The moment Xuan Yi approached the willow tree, it seemed to come alive. Its branches seemed to have their own consciousness, chasing after him and constantly lunging at him.

Xuan Yi's heart tightened, and he immediately threw the tinderbox at the willow tree. Before it even reached the tree, it was mercilessly swept aside by a willow branch. Xuan Yi frowned; he knew this willow tree was no ordinary tree, and that it must contain some kind of hidden power. He quickly circulated his inner energy, nimbly dodging the willow branch's attacks while searching for a way to escape this predicament.

Suddenly, he noticed a faint rune on the willow tree trunk, shimmering with a dim light. Xuan Yi immediately understood that this rune must be the willow tree's weakness. He quickly decided that he had to destroy the rune to free the willow tree from its restraints.

He circulated his inner energy, pulled a flint from his sleeve, and hurled it at the willow tree trunk. The flint sliced ​​through the air, creating a burst of intense heat, and instantly struck the runes.

The willow tree let out a sharp scream, as if the entire tree was being tormented by intense pain, its branches and leaves flailing wildly. The flames grew larger and larger, engulfing not only the willow tree but also the surrounding plants, all of which emitted painful howls that were agonizing to hear.

Xuan Yi quickly retreated to Jiang Si and Jian Yuheng's side, and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the two of them were safe and sound.

"What do we do now?" Xuan Yi asked.

"Let's wait and see how things go." Jiang Si looked around; the flames from the burning plants hadn't reached them.

"What happened to you guys just now? You turned around and everyone was gone." Xuan Yi asked casually, but in reality, he gripped the dagger tightly in his hand, ready to deal with any unexpected situation.

“It seemed like I deliberately separated the three of us just now. I looked around but couldn’t find you, so I burned the willow tree myself. Then the scene changed and I saw you being attacked by vines.” Jian Yuheng closed his fan and tapped it lightly in his palm.

“My situation is similar to that of the Crown Prince; I also got out after burning the willow trees.”

"It seems this time it was really willow trees that were burned, but I wonder..."

Before Xuan Yi could finish speaking, the three of them suddenly lost their footing and plunged into a dark abyss. They looked around and saw only endless darkness all around them.

Suddenly, a bright light flashed, startling them so much that they instinctively closed their eyes. When they opened their eyes again, they were back.