Peach Blossoms in Chang'an

Chapter 282: Growth in adversity, Phoenix Nirvana

The wind howled, sand and rocks flew, and the world seemed to collapse in an instant. Wu Tao closed her eyes tightly, and her ears were filled with Xingchen's frightened cries and the roar of the wind and sand. When everything finally calmed down, she dared to slowly open her eyes.

Where was the old man in front of him? Where was everything familiar? There was only the endless desert and the scorching sun above his head.

"Tao'er, are you okay?" Hu Bugui's anxious voice came. He looked Wu Tao up and down worriedly, and only breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that she was not injured.

"I'm fine." Wu Tao shook his head, supported Hu Bugui's arm and stood up, looking around, "Where is this..."

"It seems that this is the first test." Hu Bugui looked solemn and held Xingchen in his arms. "We must find water and food as soon as possible to survive in this desert."

The environment in the desert is harsh, with extreme heat, thirst, and sandstorms, each of which is fatal. Wu Tao and Hu Bugui did not dare to take it lightly. They relied on the survival skills they learned from the old man and moved forward in the desert with difficulty.

They searched for water, food, and sandstorms, and they also had to be on guard against dangers hidden in the dark. Along the way, they encountered various challenges, but they always supported each other and never left each other.

"Tao'er, drink some water." Hu Bugui handed the precious water bag to Wu Tao's lips with a gentle tone.

Wu Tao shook his head and pushed the water bag back to Hu Bugui, "You drink it. Xingchen also needs water."

Hu Bugui insisted: "I'm not thirsty, you drink it, you are weak and need more water."

"No, you drink it." Wu Tao refused to accept it. She knew Hu Bugui needed water more than her.

The two of them were in a stalemate, neither of them was willing to drink the water first. Finally, Xingchen spoke sensibly: "Daddy, Mommy, you both drink, Xingchen is not thirsty."

Looking at their sensible son, Wu Tao and Hu Bugui were deeply moved. They looked at each other, and finally stopped refusing and each drank a few sips of water.

"Xingchen is so good." Wu Tao touched Xingchen's head gently, his eyes full of love.

"We will definitely get out of this desert." Hu Bugui said firmly, his tone full of power.

At this moment, the sound of horse hooves suddenly came from afar, approaching from afar, breaking the silence of the desert. Hu Bugui's eyes were stern, and he protected Wu Tao and Xingchen behind him, looking vigilantly in the direction of the sound.

In the wind and sand, they could vaguely see several horses galloping towards them. The leader was a man wearing a black suit, with a long sword on his waist. He had a stern face and eyes as sharp as an eagle. He exuded a chill that kept strangers away.

He pulled the reins and stopped a few steps away from Hu Bugui. He dismounted and his eyes swept over Hu Bugui and Wu Tao, and finally fell on Xingchen. An ambiguous smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"Who are you?" Hu Bugui asked in a deep voice, with a hint of hostility in his tone.

"Heh," the man in black sneered, "It doesn't matter who we are. What matters is..."

He paused, staring at Xingchen with sharp eyes, "We want this child!" As soon as the man in black finished speaking, two of his men stepped forward and tried to snatch Xingchen. Hu Bugui was quick-witted and protected Xingchen behind him, while drawing his sword and fighting with the man in black. Wu Tao protected Xingchen and kept retreating, looking for a place to hide.

"Mom, don't be afraid!" Although Xingchen is young, he is not afraid of danger. He draws the dagger from his waist and stands in front of Wu Tao together with Yueying. His small figure reveals a sense of determination.

"Xingchen, Yueying, protect yourselves!" Wu Tao was touched, but she was more worried about the safety of the children. This group of men in black came with ill intentions and were obviously well prepared. Hu Bugui had to protect Xingchen and resist the attacks of the men in black, and gradually fell into a disadvantage.

"Tao'er, be careful!" Hu Bugui caught a glimpse of a man in black walking around behind Wu Tao and swinging a knife at him, and he immediately cried out in surprise.

Wu Tao heard the shout and instinctively wanted to dodge, but it was too late. At the critical moment, Yueying suddenly flashed in front of her and took the knife for her.

"Yueying!" Wu Tao exclaimed and hurriedly supported Yueying's shaky body.

"I'm fine..." Yueying's face was pale, but there was a faint smile on the corner of her mouth, "Sister Taoer, I'm glad you're okay..."

"Damn it!" Hu Bugui's eyes were bloodshot and he was burning with rage. He raised his sword and killed the man in black who had attacked him. Then he turned around and handed Xingchen to Wu Tao. He then rushed into the enemy camp like a tiger descending from the mountain. His moves were ruthless and deadly. In a short while, he had killed all the remaining men in black.

Hu Bugui didn't even have time to catch his breath, and immediately ran to Wu Tao to check Yueying's injuries. He saw that Yueying was stabbed on the back, and the blood stained her clothes red, which looked shocking.

"Yueying, how are you?" Wu Tao asked anxiously, unable to hold back tears.

"I'm fine..." Yueying smiled weakly, "It's just a superficial wound, it's nothing serious..."

Without saying a word, Hu Bugui tore off his clothes and bandaged Yueying's wound. His movements were gentle, and his eyes were full of worry and heartache.

"Yueying, thank you..." Wu Tao said with a sob. She knew that if Yueying hadn't sacrificed herself to save her, she would be the one lying on the ground at this moment.

"We are friends, this is what we should do..." Yueying said with a smile, but a complicated look flashed in her eyes.

After this unexpected battle, the relationship between the four became closer. Xingchen and Yueying also assisted them, and the teamwork ability of the four was greatly improved.

The next test was even more difficult, but they supported each other and overcame the difficulties together. During one test, Wu Tao was accidentally injured, and Hu Bugui never left her and took good care of her, which deepened their relationship.

"Tao'er, have a good rest and leave the rest to me." Hu Bugui gently helped Wu Tao to the bedside, his eyes full of pity.

Wu Tao watched Hu Bugui's busy figure, and a warm feeling surged in her heart. She knew that no matter what happened, he would always be by her side, never leaving her... The smell of blood filled the air, mixed with the smell of sweat and soil, indicating a life-and-death struggle that had just been experienced. Hu Bugui knelt on one knee, his chest heaving violently, but his eyes were as sharp as an eagle, scanning the messy scene around him.

"It's over..." He whispered, with a hint of fatigue in his tone, but more of relief.

Wu Tao was holding Xingchen in his arms while Yueying was standing beside him. Both of them had expressions of relief on their faces for having survived the disaster.

"Congratulations, you have passed my test." An old and kind voice came from not far away, and an old man in plain clothes with white hair and beard walked slowly towards them. It was the mysterious wise man.

Wu Tao and Hu Bugui looked at each other, their eyes full of surprise. They knew that this long and difficult test was finally over.

"Thank you for your guidance, senior." Hu Bugui bowed respectfully.

The wise man smiled slightly, walked up to them, and his eyes fell on Xingchen, with a flash of admiration in his eyes: "Good boy, you are very brave and talented."

Xingchen lowered her head shyly and whispered, "Thank you, Grandpa."

The wise man nodded, then turned to Wu Tao and Hu Bugui and said, "You two are both talented and determined, and are the best young people I have ever met. Now that you have mastered the secret of the magic weapon of time travel, you can travel freely between the two worlds."

Hearing these words, Wu Tao and Hu Bugui were extremely excited. They could finally return to their own world!

The wise man seemed to see through their thoughts. He took out a crystal clear jade pendant from his bosom and handed it to Wu Tao: "This jade pendant can help you stabilize the space-time channel and return safely."

Wu Tao took the jade pendant with both hands and looked at the wise man gratefully: "Thank you, senior!"

However, just as they were about to say goodbye and leave, Yueying suddenly said, "Wait a minute, I have something to say."

Everyone looked at her in confusion, only to see Yueying's face showing a trace of solemnity. She slowly said: "When I was fighting with those men in black, I found a strange mark..."

She took out a piece of black cloth from her bosom, on which was embroidered a strange pattern, like some mysterious symbol.

"I have seen this mark in the organization's books before..." Yueying's voice trembled a little, "This is... this is..."

"What is it?" Wu Tao asked, feeling a little uneasy.

Yueying took a deep breath and said word by word: "This is... the mark of the remnants of the mysterious organization!"

The air seemed to freeze at this moment, and everyone's face became extremely solemn.

"You mean... those men in black are the remnants of the mysterious organization?" Hu Bugui's voice was low and dangerous.

Yueying nodded, her eyes full of worry: "They are lurking in the dark, they must be plotting something..."

Wu Tao and Hu Bugui looked at each other and understood in their hearts that this matter was of no trivial importance.

The mysterious organization is an extremely dangerous evil force that attempts to use the power of time travel to subvert history and rule the world. Although the organization has been destroyed, the remnants are still hiding in the dark, waiting for revenge and a comeback.

"It seems that we can't leave like this..." Hu Bugui said in a deep voice, with a determined light flashing in his eyes.

Wu Tao clenched the jade pendant in his hand and said firmly: "We must stay and investigate this matter thoroughly. We must not let their conspiracy succeed!" Yueying's words were like a stone thrown into a calm lake, stirring up thousands of waves. Wu Tao and Hu Bugui knew that the remnants of the mysterious organization were like poisonous snakes hiding in the dark. Once bitten by them, the consequences would be disastrous. They could not sit idly by and let the two worlds fall into chaos and panic again.

"Tao'er," Hu Bugui held Wu Tao's hand tightly, his eyes firm, "We can't stay out of this. We must find out the truth and completely eradicate this cancer."

Wu Tao held Hu Bugui's hand with his backhand and nodded firmly, "I will stand with you."

Xingchen also clenched his fists, his young face full of determination, "I want to help too!"

Yueying looked at the people who were determined to protect the two worlds, and a warm feeling welled up in her heart. She knew that she was no longer fighting alone.

In the following days, the four of them began an intensive investigation. They disguised themselves and shuttled between the streets, collecting all the clues related to the remnants of the mysterious organization. They visited many people who had been associated with the organization, not letting go of any suspicious clues.

Hard work pays off, and by chance, they discovered a hidden cave. The entrance to the cave was blocked by dense vines and could not be detected without a careful search.

"This place is very suspicious." Yueying pointed at the entrance of the cave and said solemnly, "I feel a familiar breath, very similar to the forbidden technique used by the organization."

Hu Bugui drew the sword from his waist, carefully pushed aside the vines, and stepped into the cave first. The cave was dark, with only a faint light coming in from the cave entrance. They groped their way forward, and the air was filled with a nauseating smell of decay.

Suddenly, the scene in front of them became clear. A huge underground space appeared in front of them, with torches lit all around, illuminating the entire space. On the ground were placed all kinds of strange-shaped instruments, emitting strange lights.

"This is..." Wu Tao covered his mouth and looked at everything in front of him in disbelief. "This is the device that the organization once used for time and space teleportation!"

Yueying's face turned pale, and he said in a trembling voice: "Yes, and... this device is larger and more powerful than any I have seen before."

Hu Bugui looked around, and his eyes finally fell on a high platform in the center of the space. On the platform was a crystal ball, and the inside of the ball was shining brightly, as if it contained huge energy.

"If I'm not mistaken, that crystal ball is the key to controlling the entire device." Hu Bugui said in a deep voice, "As long as we destroy it, we can stop their conspiracy."

"But..." Wu Tao looked worried, "How can we approach it? There are traps everywhere. If we are not careful, we will be doomed."

At this moment, a burst of cold laughter came from all directions, echoing in the empty underground space.

"I didn't expect you could find this place." A figure wearing a black cloak and whose face could not be seen slowly walked out of the shadows, "But, this is the end of your journey."

As he finished his words, countless men in black emerged from all directions and surrounded them.

"Protect Xingchen!" Hu Bugui protected Xingchen behind him, drew his sword, and pointed it at the leader of the men in black, "Today, let's end this!"

Wu Tao also drew his dagger and fought side by side with Hu Bugui, with a determined light in his eyes.

A war is about to break out.

"Do it!"