Like Zheng Qing, Xiao Xiao became separated from the companion in front of him shortly after entering the magic mirror passage.
But unlike Zheng Qing, Xiao Xiao had no chance to turn around and grab the companion behind him—because before that, his rather unreliable captain had already let go.
So he could only fall alone into the Illusory Dream Realm.
Fortunately, Xiao Xiao landed in a broad river with a gentle current. He did not even need to use the spells copied into his spellbook. He merely paddled with his arms and swam ashore.
As he stood on the bank, took off his robe, and wrung out the heavy water from it, the surrounding landscape had already been committed to memory.
This was a river valley. Behind him lay hills covered in shrubs and small patches of farmland; before him was the river he had just swum across. Its waters were calm, clear, and blue-green, with a streak of golden scales of light stretching from upstream to downstream. White waves drifted upon its surface, frozen within the water.
From afar, it looked as though someone had torn off a piece of the sky and tossed it into this valley, forming this river.
On the opposite bank stood a small city.
Its walls were not tall. The rooftops within and travelers outside gave it something of an eighteenth- or nineteenth-century European style. Dark and murky, it exuded an eerie, silent air.
After putting his dry robe back on, Xiao Xiao pondered for a moment and did not immediately summon Maodou.
He did not share Zheng Qing's urgency after entering this world.
On the contrary, Xiao Xiao personally preferred to remain in this fantastical world a while longer and enrich the contents of his black notebook.
"For safety's sake, I can't just