Feng Qingyi wandered aimlessly through the ancient tower, entering each room to look around, but didn't find anything particularly special.
Since they were searching for treasures, she thought they should stand out from other objects, but every item in the rooms seemed completely ordinary.
After exploring all the rooms on the first floor, Feng Qingyi went up to the second floor. On the stairs, she saw a snow-white cat.
Feng Qingyi picked it up, feeling its soft fur which was very pleasant to touch.
At this time, Xu Linghe on the third floor was eating pastries from a plate in one of the rooms, though they had no taste at all.
Moreover, after eating one, another would quickly appear on the plate to replace it. The same happened with the teacup - after drinking, it would soon be full again.
Upon discovering this strange phenomenon, Xu Linghe didn't dare to eat or drink anymore and continued searching for treasures in other rooms.
Meanwhile, Zhao Yiqing was in a study reading books, seemingly having forgotten about the task of finding treasures.
The study contained numerous books, many of which he had never seen before, and he became completely engrossed in reading them.
As for Qian Jue, he was extremely relaxed, taking a casual stroll around before picking up a pot with blooming flowers and returning to the main hall.
An hour later, Feng Qingyi, Xu Linghe, and Qian Jue were all waiting in the main hall, but Zhao Yiqing was nowhere to be seen.
Xu Linghe grew worried, "Qingyi, you two wait here for a moment. I'll go look for him."
Feng Qingyi replied, "I'll come with you!"
Just as the two were about to search for him, Zhao Yiqing walked into the hall, still holding an unfinished book.
"I'm sorry I'm late!" he said.
Xu Linghe responded, "It's alright, we just arrived. Quickly, let's see what treasures you've all found."
Feng Qingyi, stroking the cat, said, "I explored all the rooms on the first floor and some on the second, but I didn't find any treasures. So I'll let this little white cat serve as my treasure for now!"
Qian Jue pointed to the flower pot on the ground, "This is the only real flower in the tower, so it should count as a treasure."
Xu Linghe took out a snowflake, "I found this non-melting snowflake on the third floor. I think it could be considered a treasure too."
Zhao Yiqing held up his book, "I've never seen this book before, so it's a treasure to me."
Feng Qingyi looked around, "Since we've all found our treasures, let's put them on the small pedestal under the pillar and see what happens."
The four of them placed their treasures on the pedestal under the pillar they had seen earlier, but nothing happened.
"Could we be wrong?" Feng Qingyi wondered, puzzled.
Qian Jue moved the flower pot to the pedestal under another pillar. Suddenly, the pillar lit up, and both Qian Jue and the flower pot vanished.
Xu Linghe exclaimed in shock, "Where did he go?"
"Into the pillar, I suppose!" Feng Qingyi was equally surprised.
Zhao Yiqing suggested, "We should each choose a pillar and place our treasures on the corresponding pedestal. That should allow us to enter."
Xu Linghe worried, "What if we can't get out once we're inside?"
Feng Qingyi said, "Let's try it. We won't know what's inside unless we go in."
"Alright, finding a treasure shouldn't be too dangerous," Xu Linghe reassured herself.
Although Zhao Yiqing was also concerned, seeing that both girls had agreed, he nodded in assent.
The three each chose a pillar and placed their treasures on the corresponding pedestals. All three pillars lit up simultaneously, and in an instant, the trio vanished from the main hall.
When Feng Qingyi woke up, she found herself lying on a familiar large bed. She got up and opened the curtains, seeing a view no different from what she had seen in the past few days.
Walking out of the room, she saw Feng Qingci wearing his favorite shirt.
"Have you seen what time it is? Why aren't you going to class yet?" he asked.
Feng Qingyi replied, "Isn't it Saturday today?"
"Saturday? Have you lost your mind?" Feng Qingci said before hurriedly leaving.
Feng Qingyi tried to recall the events of the past two days but couldn't remember anything. It was as if a part of her memory was missing.
Seeing that her phone displayed Monday, she quickly got ready, gathered her books, and rushed to the teaching building for class.
Although she was late, the teacher didn't say much, only asking her to be more punctual next time.
Feng Qingyi felt something was off. The first period teacher on Monday mornings was known for being incredibly strict.
Being late for other classes might not matter, but for his class, latecomers would definitely be noted down and have points deducted from their coursework grade.
How could he let her off so easily today? She didn't think he would make an exception for her.
Feng Qingyi looked around at her classmates. Everyone was listening attentively to the lecture. As she gazed around, she couldn't spot a single person playing with their phone or daydreaming - a scene that hadn't occurred even in their final year of high school.
The events of the day felt surreal to her.
After the morning classes ended, Feng Qingyi called out to Shen Hanyue, "Yue Yue, let's go eat together."
"Qingyi, I need to go to the library to review. The final exams are coming up soon. You go eat by yourself!" Shen Hanyue declined.
Feng Qingyi asked, puzzled, "Go to the library to review?"
"Do you want to come along?" Shen Hanyue offered.
Feng Qingyi shook her head, "No, you go ahead."
Not only were the events happening strangely, but even the people she knew daily had changed.
The Shen Hanyue she knew would usually only go to the library to cram in the few days before the final exams. She wouldn't normally be so proactive about studying.
Back in the main hall of the ancient tower, Xu Linghe and Qian Jue were cooking the self-heating hotpot they had found in Feng Qingyi's backpack.
Qian Jue looked at the scenes appearing on two of the pillars and sighed, "These two don't look like they'll be coming out anytime soon. But little Xu, how did you manage to get out so quickly?"
Xu Linghe replied, "Mainly because the people in that illusion were too ridiculous. My father was actually kind and gentle, worried about me getting hurt when I went out and wanting to accompany me."
"I knew something was off right away. My father usually beats and scolds me at the drop of a hat. When has he ever been so tender?"
"So I gave him a good thrashing, and instantly everything around me disappeared. Then I came out."
Qian Jue remarked, "You're quite clever, aren't you!"
"How did you get out?" Xu Linghe asked.
Qian Jue fell into deep thought. In the illusion, he had seen his former family members, their faces adorned with fake smiles.
On the surface, they claimed to have his best interests at heart, but in reality, they wanted to squeeze every last bit of value out of him.
In the past, he lacked the strength to resist, but now he finally had the power to deal with them all, even if only in an illusion. It was enough.
After so many years, he had actually let go of the past. If not for the illusion bringing back those memories, he probably wouldn't have thought about that period of his life again.
Some people are destined to walk alone in this world. Not having received their love, he didn't need to be bound by them either.
That he could encounter a miracle in such dire straits was already a gift from this world.
If he could, he would choose to stay here and seal all past events in the annals of time.
Seeing Qian Jue's silence, Xu Linghe said, "If you don't want to talk about it, I won't ask. The hotpot seems ready, let's eat!"
Qian Jue snapped back to reality and looked at the projection of Zhao Yiqing's situation on another pillar. "Aren't you worried that your sweetheart won't be able to get out either?"
"...I think he probably won't think about coming out until he's finished reading all the books in there," Xu Linghe sighed.
It wasn't that she lacked faith in him, but he was so engrossed in reading in that enormous study. Since she had come out, he had already read three books.
Qian Jue remarked, "There must be thousands of books in there, if not tens of thousands. It'll be the year of the monkey before he finishes reading them all."
"So what should we do now?" Xu Linghe asked.
Qian Jue shook his head, "All we can do is sit here, eat well, drink well, and wait for them. After all, we can't enter their illusions. Whether they can get out and when depends entirely on them."
"I feel like Qingyi has already noticed something unusual. She should be able to get out soon," Xu Linghe speculated.
Qian Jue ate the hotpot leisurely, "Let's hope so. As long as they don't come out, we'll have to stay here."
"What time is it now? If my parents find out I didn't come home last night, I'm done for!" Xu Linghe said.
Qian Jue replied, "Well, now you can only hope that those two will quickly notice something's wrong and come out. Otherwise, none of us can leave."
Inside the ancient tower, with no distinction between night and day, Qian Jue and Xu Linghe could only guess what time it might be.
In the illusory realm, Feng Qingyi continued her routine of attending classes, eating meals, and resting, living a life that seemed just like before. She felt that something was missing, but when she tried to recall what it was, her mind drew a blank.
Zhao Yiqing's situation differed from Feng Qingyi's. He willingly confined himself in an enormous library. When hungry, he would eat some pastries from the table; when thirsty, he would drink the tea.
He didn't seem to notice that the pastries and tea on the table never ran out, no matter how much he consumed.
In the hall where the space stones were kept, Qian Jue and Xu Linghe could see the situations of both Feng Qingyi and Zhao Yiqing through the pillars at any time, but they couldn't offer any help.
Soon, a day passed, and both Qian Jue and Xu Linghe felt tired. They found rooms to rest in for the night.
In Shengjing, the news of Xu Linghe's disappearance had thrown the entire Xu Mansion into turmoil.
Grand Tutor Xu and Madam Xu waited anxiously at the gate.
"My dear, did Linghe mention where she was going this morning?" Grand Tutor Xu asked.
Madam Xu replied, "She's always running off every few days, but she usually comes back early in the evening. The butler just told me that the household coachman has been waiting for her at the foot of Eastern Emperor Mountain for several hours now."
"Eastern Emperor Mountain? What business does she have up there?" Grand Tutor Xu inquired.
Madam Xu said, "I think I heard her telling Hong Ying yesterday that she was going treasure hunting on the mountain with some friends."
"Treasure hunting? It's already dark out there. Quick, send our people to search for her!" Grand Tutor Xu ordered.
