Under the Banyan Tree, A Wedding

There was no road ahead; the car couldn't enter the woods.

And they should be inside the woods.

Xu Qiuyan and I got out of the car. I told Gu Song, "You and Dumb wait in the car."

I didn't know if there would be any danger in the old woods, and it would indeed be troublesome to bring Gu Song and Yin Wuyu along.

Gu Song had no combat ability, and Yin Wuyu only had the intelligence of an eight-year-old.

Gu Song was a little scared, but he also knew that following us into the woods would only be a burden, so he nodded.

"The keys are in the ignition. You know how to drive. Close the car doors. If anything really happens, you can drive away first and find a safe place to wait for my call."

Gu Song nodded. I glanced at Yin Wuyu, "Take care of him for me."

Yin Wuyu wanted to get out of the car, "I want candy!"

He sucked on his finger.

I was speechless. I took a lollipop out of my pocket, peeled it, and handed it to him. Xu Qiuyan had asked me to prepare it, saying it could be used to coax Yin Wuyu at critical moments. It had indeed come in handy now.

"Be good and wait here. We'll be back soon."

He took the lollipop, a smile appearing on his face. He licked the lollipop and waved goodbye to us.

With candy, he wasn't as clingy.

Xu Qiuyan and I entered the woods.

It was very dark inside the woods. I took out my phone to use as a light. Just as Xu Qiuyan was about to take out her phone, I stopped her, "Save your battery."

She put her phone away and stayed close beside me.

"Are you scared?" I asked her.

She shook her head, "With you here, I'm not afraid of anything."

"What's there to be afraid of? Don't I have you?" The one speaking was Chu Ge. I didn't know when he had appeared on my other side.

I felt like I was getting closer to Duan Hongbin and the others.

Suddenly, my phone ran out of battery, and we were plunged into darkness.

I felt a bit strange. I had just checked; there was at least 70% battery left. How could it be out of power so quickly?

"What's wrong?" Xu Qiuyan took out her phone and turned on the flashlight mode. I gave a wry smile, "I don't know what happened, my phone's out of battery."

"Oh," she replied.

But soon, I heard her scream, "Ah!"

I followed her gaze and was stunned.

This wasn't Shunhai Forest Farm at all; it was clearly Little Ancestral Hall Entrance.

And we were standing under that big banyan tree. I saw many red ribbons tied to the banyan tree. There was a local legend that this banyan tree was spiritual and could grant any wish made to it.

So, many people from Qiao City liked to come here to make wishes. After making a wish, they would tie a red ribbon. Over time, the tree became covered with such red ribbons.

"Wh-what's going on?" Xu Qiuyan asked softly.

I shook my head. When I turned to look at Chu Ge again, I realized he had disappeared.

"Chu Ge!" I called out, but there was no response.

I frowned. Chu Ge had actually disappeared.

This must be an illusion. Could Chu Ge and the others be restricted from appearing in this illusion?

I regretted it. If I had known we would encounter something like this, we should have brought Yin Wuyu along.

At least with him, we wouldn't be trapped by the illusion.

"Who is that?" Xu Qiuyan pointed a finger at a figure in front of us.

I narrowed my eyes. The figure was very familiar, but I couldn't recall who it was for a moment.

We slowly walked forward. The person was initially with their back to us, but now they slowly turned around.

I could see the person's face clearly. It was Yin Wuyu, and he looked like he did now, but without that crazed look, his expression was very cold.

It was at this moment that I noticed a full moon in the sky, its moonlight illuminating everything before us.

Xu Qiuyan turned off her phone's flashlight and put it back in her pocket.

She gently took my hand. I looked at her, and she was looking at me too.

"Boss, I've been waiting here for you for a long time," Yin Wuyu's gaze was fixed on my face.

I looked around. There were no other people on either side of the street.

"Are you waiting for us specifically?" I asked with a smile, but I was very wary.

I didn't know what this illusion meant, nor did I know if there were any dangers within it, but I had to proceed with caution.

"Otherwise?"

I asked again, "Why are you alone? Where's Gu Song?" I didn't mention Little Ancestral Hall Entrance. Even though we were right in the middle of it now, I couldn't show fear in front of them.

Yin Wuyu's brow twitched. "Isn't he right there? Can't you see him?"

He pointed at the large banyan tree.

Xu Qiuyan and I looked in the direction he was pointing at the same time.

My heart leaped when I saw Gu Song hanging from the tree. Even though I knew I was in an illusion, I couldn't help but be startled. Gu Song should have been dead by now. He looked like he had hanged himself from the banyan tree, his head in the noose, his eyes wide open, and half his tongue sticking out, a picture of death with regrets.

I felt Xu Qiuyan's fear. She tightly gripped my hand, her fingernails digging into my flesh.

I gently patted her back. "Don't be afraid. None of this is real."

Yin Wuyu chuckled when he heard my words. "Boss, how can you be so confident in distinguishing what's real from what's fake?"

I remained silent, just looking at him.

Yin Wuyu took a step forward, closing the distance between us.

"Now that you're here, don't you want to go home and take a look?" Yin Wuyu asked me.

I pursed my lips. He had truly guessed my thoughts.

I did want to go home and take a look. Even if this was an illusion, this place still felt very familiar.

"Can you at least get him down first?" I pointed at Gu Song. Yin Wuyu nodded. "Of course."

I walked over and held up Gu Song's feet. "Give me a hand."

I said this to Yin Wuyu. He walked over and helped me untie the rope.

"Did you kill him?" I asked Yin Wuyu. He shook his head. "You know I get dizzy at the sight of blood."

That was right. Yin Wuyu had been afraid of blood since he was a child. Once, his hand was accidentally pricked by a shoemaker's awl, and the sight of a little blood had scared him unconscious.

I never thought this habit would persist.

But the Gu Song in front of me was clearly strangled, with no blood. So his excuse couldn't possibly hold up.

"How long have you been waiting here?"

This was Xu Qiuyan's question.

Unexpectedly, Yin Wuyu's expression turned strange when she asked.

He muttered, "How long have I been waiting? I don't remember how long I've been waiting here."

Xu Qiuyan asked again, "Why were you waiting for us? Was there something important?"

Yin Wuyu didn't answer. He looked like he was trying hard to recall.

He seemed to be in pain, clutching his head with both hands. "There must have been something important, but why can't I remember it?"

Xu Qiuyan sighed. "If you can't remember, then don't think about it."

She gently tugged at me. "Let's go. Let's go see your house."

I nodded, and Xu Qiuyan and I headed in the direction of my home.

We reached my house after passing through this short alley.

There was also a banyan tree in front of my house, but it was much smaller compared to the large one.

After all, that large banyan tree was a landmark of Qiao City, a living fossil.

There were people standing in front of my house, and it looked quite lively.

"Your family is celebrating a joyous occasion," Yin Wuyu said.

I asked, "What joyous occasion?"

"Boss, isn't your wedding a momentous occasion?"

I was stunned. My wedding? With whom? I, the person involved, didn't even know?

Xu Qiuyan also became nervous. She looked at me.

I gave a wry smile. "I don't know what's going on either."

I simply pulled her into the courtyard under the strange gazes of those people.

"Xiao Bai, where did you run off to? We've been looking all over for you." I recognized the person speaking. It was my elementary school teacher.

"Yeah, Xiao Bai, the wedding is about to start, and you're not even here. We thought you, the groom, had run off."

They chattered on and on. In the end, I was dragged along. I had to change into my wedding attire first.

There was one thing that puzzled me, though. They seemed to completely ignore Xu Qiuyan's presence.

"Xiao Bai!"

I responded. I saw my dad.

My dad and mom were standing not far from me.

They were smiling at me.

I walked up to them.

Dad patted my head. "I can't believe you've grown up so much. In the blink of an eye, you're getting married. To be honest, your mom and I are overjoyed. You two need to work hard so we can hold our chubby grandson soon. While we're still able to move around, we can help you look after the child."

My nose felt a little sore. I asked my dad, "Who is my bride? Is it Xu Qiuyan?"

My dad was taken aback. "Who is Xu Qiuyan? Your bride is Xu Anmei, the daughter of your Uncle Xu. You two are in love, and your mom and I didn't stop you."

Xu Anmei.

That name sounded a little familiar. After my dad said that, I felt a sense of clarity.