Peach Blossoms in Chang'an

Chapter 281: The fog is thick, but we must move forward courageously

Wu Tao's heartbeat quickened slightly. Hu Bugui's eyes could easily stir up the adventurous factor in her heart. Ever since the three of them returned to the modern era from the Tang Dynasty, the magic weapon had been well kept, like a piece of dusty history, lying quietly in the corner of time.

"You mean, we can go to other worlds?" Xingchen's eyes lit up, and his young face was full of desire for the unknown.

Yueying couldn't hide her excitement. She held Xingchen's hand tightly and said softly, "Xingchen, we can go on adventures together again."

Hu Bugui nodded, took out an exquisite brocade bag from his arms, and slowly opened it. Inside lay a crystal clear jade pendant. This jade pendant was the magic weapon that took them through time and space.

"I've always had a hunch," Hu Bugui's eyes fell on the jade pendant, as if he could see through the secrets hidden in it, "The function of this jade pendant is far more than this. It may take us to more unknown time and space."

"You mean, we can go to other dynasties or other worlds?" Wu Tao asked in surprise, his eyes full of curiosity and expectation.

"Maybe," Hu Bugui raised a mysterious smile, "You won't know until you try."

After saying this, he held the jade pendant in his palm, closed his eyes, and slowly injected his inner strength into it. As the inner strength was injected, the jade pendant emitted a soft light, illuminating the faces of the four people. The light became brighter and brighter, and finally enveloped them completely.

When the light faded, they found themselves in a completely unfamiliar place. This was no longer the familiar modern city, nor was it like the prosperous scene of Chang'an in the Tang Dynasty. Before them was a vast grassland, with two suns of different colors hanging in the sky, dyeing the earth with a layer of fantasy colors.

"Where...is this place?" Xingchen looked around with a hint of disbelief in his tone.

"It seems that our journey has just begun." Hu Bugui held Wu Tao's hand tightly, with excitement flashing in his eyes.

"But," Yueying suddenly spoke, frowning slightly, "how can we go to other time and space?"

Hu Bugui smiled and answered confidently, "Don't worry, I've found a way..." He paused, his eyes fell on Xingchen and Yueying, with a hint of deep meaning in his eyes, "But we need your help."

Hu Bugui kept the secret and did not explain directly. Instead, he took out an ancient book from his pocket. There was no word on the cover, only complicated patterns, exuding a mysterious atmosphere. "I found this ancient book in a hidden ancient tomb. It records the method of controlling this jade pendant, but..."

He paused, turned the pages, and pointed at the densely packed symbols and pictures on it. "I have never seen these words and patterns before, and I can't understand them."

Xingchen and Yueying came forward and carefully examined the contents on the page. Xingchen frowned and fell into deep thought, while Yueying exclaimed: "This is... a star map from ancient times?!"

It turned out that Yueying came from a future world with highly developed technology and was well versed in ancient astronomy. She pointed to the patterns on the pages and explained, "These symbols represent different galaxies and constellations, and these lines..." She paused and pointed to one of the winding lines, "This line should be the space-time channel we are looking for!"

"Space-time channel?" Wu Tao asked in surprise, "You mean, we can go to other time and space like traveling through a wormhole?"

Yueying nodded, with a hint of excitement and worry in her tone: "It is theoretically feasible, but it requires very precise calculations and manipulation. If we are not careful, we may get lost in the turbulence of time and space and never be able to return to the original world."

Xingchen also added with a serious expression: "Yes, we need to find a stable space-time node to travel safely."

In the next few days, Xingchen and Yueying devoted themselves to the study of ancient books. According to the guidance of the astrological map and combined with modern technology, they tried to find a way to open the space-time channel. Although Wu Tao and Hu Bugui could not help much, they were always by their side, serving tea and water and asking about their well-being.

"Tao'er, do you think we will succeed?" Late at night, Hu Bugui stroked Wu Tao's long hair and asked softly.

"I believe in the stars and the moon," Wu Tao raised his head, with a firm light in his eyes, "and I believe in you too."

Hu Bugui felt warm in his heart, and he held her in his arms, whispering, "No matter what happens, I will protect you and the child."

Finally, after countless attempts and failures, Xingchen and Yueying finally found a way to open the space-time channel. They used modern technology to create a special device that could resonate with the jade pendant and accurately locate the coordinates of the target space-time.

"Everything is ready!" Xingchen announced excitedly.

Yueying took a deep breath and looked at everyone with a firm gaze, "Get ready to go!"

Hu Bugui placed the jade pendant into the device, and with a flash of dazzling light, the space-time channel slowly opened. Just as they were about to step into the channel, a powerful energy wave suddenly appeared, and the entire space began to vibrate violently...

Just as Wu Tao and Hu Bugui were about to step into the space-time passage that was flashing with strange light, a powerful energy wave came without warning, like the roar of a giant beast, and the entire space shook violently. The device made a teeth-grinding metallic twisting sound, and a dazzling light exploded in front of everyone's eyes, swallowing them up.

When everything calmed down, Wu Tao felt dizzy and her ears were buzzing. She struggled to open her eyes and found herself in a completely unfamiliar environment.

This was no longer the room they were familiar with, but a barren Gobi Desert. Looking around, there was only endless yellow sand and jagged rocks, emitting suffocating heat waves under the scorching sun. The sky above was a strange dark red, with no sun in sight, only a thick layer of clouds oppressively covering the earth.

"Xingchen! Yueying!" Wu Tao struggled to stand up and anxiously called out the names of her companions, but the only response she got was an empty echo.

Hu Bugui looked around solemnly, held Xingchen in his arms, held Wu Tao's hand tightly with one hand, and said in a deep voice: "Be careful, something is wrong here."

They tried to contact Xingchen and Yueying, but there was only disturbing silence in the communicator. Fear and anxiety were like poisonous snakes entwining their hearts, and the fear of the unknown enveloped everyone.

"Dad, Mom, I'm scared..." Xingchen grabbed Hu Bugui's clothes tightly, his little face pale.

Wu Tao suppressed his inner fear, squatted down, gently stroked Xingchen's head, and comforted him softly: "Don't be afraid, Dad and Mom will protect you."

However, even though Wu Tao was trying to remain calm, he was still feeling uneasy. This strange time and space was full of weirdness and danger. They didn't even know where they were or how to get back.

Just when they were at a loss, a vague figure appeared on the distant horizon. The figure was tall and thin, as if blending into the desolate scene around it.

"There's someone!" Wu Tao lowered his voice and pointed at the figure.

Hu Bugui vigilantly protected Wu Tao and Xingchen behind him, staring at the figure with sharp eyes, and secretly clenched the dagger he carried with him in his hand.

As the distance got closer, the figure gradually became clearer. It was an old man, wearing coarse linen clothes, with white hair and beard, and his face was full of traces of time, but his eyes were bright and seemed to contain endless wisdom.

The old man walked towards them step by step, leaning on a cane. His eyes fell on the jade pendant in Hu Bugui's hand, and a strange light flashed in his turbid eyes.

"You..." the old man said in a hoarse voice, "Where did you get this jade pendant?"

Hu Bugui asked cautiously: "Who are you? Why are you here?"

The old man did not answer his question, but stared at the jade pendant with burning eyes, and said slowly: "This jade pendant leads to..."

His words stopped abruptly, as if interrupted by an invisible force. He raised his head, a trace of fear flashed in his turbid eyes, and his lips trembled slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but he couldn't say anything.

"Where does it lead to?" Wu Tao couldn't help but ask. However, the old man seemed not to hear her question. He just stared at the jade pendant, his body trembling slightly, as if he had seen something terrible...

The old man's words were like a stone dropped into a calm water, stirring up thousands of waves in Wu Tao's heart. She asked anxiously, "Where does it lead to? Old man, what do you know? Please tell us!"

The old man seemed to have heard nothing, and just stared at the jade pendant in Hu Bugui's hand, muttering to himself: "The gears of fate... have begun to turn..."

Seeing that he could not get the point, Hu Bugui stopped asking. He hugged the anxious Xingchen tightly and bowed to the old man, saying, "Old man, we have no intention of offending you. We just came here by mistake. Please tell us how to leave."

The old man then turned his cloudy eyes away from the jade pendant. He took a deep look at Hu Bugui's family of three and said slowly: "This space and time is called the 'Lost Land'. It is easy to get in but difficult to get out. If you want to leave here, there is only one way..."

Wu Tao and Hu Bugui immediately held their breath and stared at the old man closely, afraid to miss every word he said.

"The jade pendant in your hands is not an ordinary ornament," the old man pointed at the jade pendant in Hu Bugui's hand, his voice low and hoarse, "It is the key to open the door of time and space, but it is also full of unknown dangers. Only by passing a series of tests can you truly master its power and open up more journeys through time and space."

"Test?" Wu Tao couldn't help but ask, "What kind of test?"

The old man did not answer directly, but turned his head to look into the distance, his eyes deep, as if he could penetrate the barriers of time and space and see the distant past and future.

"These tests will involve your wisdom, courage, and even..." The old man paused, his tone becoming meaningful, "your feelings."

"Feelings?" Wu Tao and Hu Bugui looked at each other, and a bad feeling arose in their hearts.

"That's right," the old man nodded slowly, "Only when your feelings have withstood the test and your hearts are strong enough, can you resist the erosion of the turbulence of time and space and eventually find your way home."

As soon as the old man finished speaking, the surrounding scene suddenly began to distort and change, with strong winds howling and yellow sand filling the sky, as if the end of the world had come.

"Not good!" Hu Bugui was shocked and instinctively protected Wu Tao and Xingchen behind him.

"Remember my words..." The old man's voice was torn into pieces by the strong wind, but he still tried hard to convey something, "Only by passing the test... can you..."

Before he could finish his words, he was sucked into the void by a powerful force and disappeared without a trace.

"Old man!" Wu Tao exclaimed, but could only watch the old man disappear before his eyes.

Before they could react, the scene before their eyes changed again...