The Portal of Wonderland - Chapter 275

Chapter 275: Cai Regains Consciousness
The setting sun looked like a blood-red ball . Its afterglow seemed to have smeared the vast sky with an intense bright-red color .




There was a large lake beside a wide main road .
The slanting rays of the setting sun fell upon the surface of this lake, and a faint golden light reflected from it… as if it were a mirror . The soft breeze that often blew across the lake set off sparkling waves on the translucent water surface .
A clatter of horses' hooves was heard far down the main road at this moment .
It was followed by hundreds of horse-riders who galloped over while raising layers of dust . The person at the forefront of this group was a grey-robed man; he had a thin stature .
The man looked at the color of the sky . Then, he stretched out his hand, and pulled the reins .
The people behind him also pulled their reins, and stopped their horses successively when they saw this .
"It's already too late . We will stay here for the night, and we'll forge ahead with our journey in the morning," the grey-robed middle-aged man said .
The group of five-hundred or more people complied loudly . After that, they dismounted their horses, and started to find places to rest .
This grey-robed middle-aged man was none other than Hou Sai Lei who had disguised himself using the Disguising Technique .
Seven or eight days had passed since they had left the Pi City .
The strength of the ancient Xixia country had languished a lot during these days . Also, the number of towns along the roadside seemed to be a lot less than before . These people seemed to be accustomed to outdoor camping in the wild since situations of this kind had emerged a number of times .
Shi Mu turned his body, and jumped off the horse . They had been moving constantly for an entire day . Therefore, the misery of the mixed-breed horse under him couldn't be explained in words . In fact, this horse might've collapsed to the ground owing to exhaustion if Shi Mu hadn't instilled his Real Qi into it from time to time .
Shi Mu pulled the horse to the lakeside so that it could drink water . He also fed it a few things . Then, he found a place and sat down .
"Brother Mu," Shi Mu had barely sat down when a grey-dressed young man walked over to him . There was a green tattoo on his face . It was that man from before — Yu Yi .
Shi Mu nodded to him .
Yu Yi would come over to get into a conversation with Shi Mu whenever Shi Mu got some free time during this journey .
Shi Mu had become aware of Yu Yi's purpose after he had gone through a series of conversations with him . Yu Yi also aspired to get selected for the sea-trip . And, he wanted to win over some powerful people so that he could get an advantage in the next selection matches .
The rumors that he had shared with Shi Mu suggested that a number of field matches would be conducted once they arrived in Quyang City; they wouldn't be one-on-one matches .




However, Shi Mu had always held a noncommittal approach toward such rumors . So, he hadn't accepted Yu Yi's invitation to join hands with him . However, Yu Yi was a very talkative person, and he would still come looking for Shi Mu to chitchat . And, Shi Mu had always seized this opportunity to inquire about the matters related to the Quyang City .
Quyang City was the national capital city of the ancient Xixia country . It was adjacent to the Gloomy Corpse Mountains where the Main Altar of the Dark Moon Cult was located . Moreover, its western border was near the Yellow Sea . So, it was considered to be a big coastal city .
The ancient Xixia country had been a very prosperous nation in the past . And, the Quyang City had once been considered a time-honored city that could be placed on par with the Heavenly Yu City of the Lu Shan Kingdom . However, the circumstances had greatly changed with the passage of time . The Xixia country's national power had been deteriorating ever since the Dark Moon Cult had suffered a crushing defeat a hundred years ago . So, the Quyang City had also been declining with each passing day .
However, Quyang City was still considered the most prosperous place in the entire Xixia country .
The sun was sliding down gradually, and the horizon was smeared with a hint of the residual glory of the setting sun at this moment .
Shi Mu and Yu Yi had been absorbed in a random conversation when Shi Mu's gaze turned toward the horizon .
The night was approaching, and the cluster of birds had already returned to their nests . However, Shi Mu could still see a few black spots in the high sky .
Shi Mi's brows creased .
"Brother Mu, what happened?" Yu Yi noticed that Shi Mu's expression had abruptly changed .
"Brother Yu, I wonder if you have noticed that there are always a few black birds in the sky these days… as if they have been following us . " Shi Mu hesitated for a moment before he said .
Shi Mu had been noticing these black birds in the sky ever since they had set out on this journey from the Pi City . And, they had been constantly following this group while maintaining an acceptable distance from them .
"Brother Mu is talking about those black-winged gryphons," Yu Yi glanced at the black spots in the sky, and said in a casual manner .
"Black-winged gryphons…?" Shi Mu looked astounded as he asked .
It seemed from Yu Yi's tone that he had also been noticing this for a while .
"They are a kind of birds that is raised by the Heavenly Demon Sect . They use these birds to scout their enemy to gather information," Yu Yi replied .
"The Heavenly Demon Sect? Brother Yu's expression makes… it seem that he isn't surprised to see these birds . Am I right?" Shi Mu asked .
"The Heavenly Demon Sect would often send these black-winged gryphons to infiltrate the territory of Xixia country several decades ago . These birds were considered very strong, and could fly at a good speed even at high altitude . Ordinary people hadn't been able to cope with these birds at that time . So, our Cult had dispatched some elite disciples to kill these birds . However, they also couldn't achieve any remarkable result . In fact, they had yielded negligible results even after spending an entire year . They had succeeded in killing these birds only when an Earth-ranked powerhouse or a few Star-ranked magicians had joined forces . And, it was extremely expensive for the Cult . But then, they had noticed that the Heavenly Demon Sect never made any move after sending these birds . So, this matter had been left unsettled . And, we got accustomed to seeing these birds over the time," Yu Yi explained in a confident manner . His facial expression hadn't revealed any strange look all along .
Shi Mu nodded in a silent manner .




"Brother Mu, you didn't know about this matter?" Yu Yi looked surprised as he asked .
"I have been wandering around for the past few years . I have come to the Xixia country only recently," Shi Mu replied .
"Oh, Brother Mu has been wandering around in another country . I wonder where…" A gleam of curiosity appeared on Yu Yi's face .
"Lu Shan Kingdom," Shi Mu replied after a momentary hesitation .

Yu Yi's eyes moved .
"Lu Shan Kingdom has been driving the Dark Moon Cult's disciples out of its territory owing to the havoc caused by Palace Lord Liu An . Even I couldn't stay there any longer . So, I finally came to Xixia country . " Shi Mu continued .
"So, that's how it is," Yu Yi said
Shi Mu was about to say something again when his complexion suddenly changed, and he stood up .
"It's too late . I should now look for a place to rest . I would like to take my leave now," Shi Mu nodded to Yu Yi . Then, he pulled his horse and walked away .
Yu Yi had no option but to stand up and walk back .
The sky had been covered in a curtain of darkness by now . Everyone was tired after the long journey of the whole day . Therefore, some people had already lain down to take a rest . But, there were still some people who had gathered around the raging fire of the high-piled woods . They all seemed to be in high spirits as their cheerful voices and sound of laughter were constantly ringing in the air .
Shi Mu gradually came to the outermost part of this crowd while leading his saddle horse .
He swept his gaze around a few times to make sure that nobody was watching him . Then, his silhouette flashed, and he disappeared into the darkness . He drifted far away in a silent manner .
Shi Mu eventually stopped when he had come a few miles away from the crowd . Then, he extended his arm toward his bosom, and drew out a black parrot . It was none other than Cai .
A layer of red radiance could be seen gleaming on Cai's entire body at the moment . And, that radiance grew brighter with each passing second .
Cai had been very dull and drowsy ever since he had lost his consciousness .
Therefore, Shi Mu was exhilarated to see that the red radiance on Cai's body was becoming increasingly bright .
The red radiance on Cai's body continued to grow brighter for some time . Then, a light "Boom" sound was heard . And, the red radiance turned into a red flame . Then, that flame flared up, and started to peel off the black pigment which had smudged Cai's body .




Shi Mu's face revealed a sorrowful expression as he saw this . He released a stream of Xian Tian Real Qi . It gushed out of his hand, and cradled Cai's body . Simultaneously, he tried to extinguish the scorching flame that had shrouded Cai's entire body .
The black pigmentation on Cai's body got wiped away by the blazing flame . And, the feathers on its body became vibrant and multicolored once again .
Shi Mu got surprised as his gaze fell on top of Cai's head .
The fact was that Shi Mu hadn't noticed that a white feather had sprouted on top of Cai's head . Moreover, it had grown right next to that red feather .
Suddenly, Cai's body which had been curled-up in a blazing fire inflated to twice its original size . Then, it slowly opened its eyes, and a streak of white light emerged in its pupils .
Shi Mu's complexion changed . He couldn't understand why a slight chill had emerged in his heart . In addition, he was struck by a strange sensation… as if his innermost feelings were being seen through .
A streak of white light flashed in Cai's eyes at this moment, and then it disappeared without a trace . After that, his eyes returned to their original state .
"Shi Tou!" The raging flame on Cai's body dissipated at a fast speed . It then spread its wings, flew up, and landed on Shi Mu's shoulder . Then, it rubbed its furry head twice against Shi Mu's cheek .
"So, you've finally awaken?" Shi Mu pushed aside Cai's furry head and said… as if he was in a foul mood .
"Have I been asleep for a long time?" Cai asked .
"Hmm, you have been in deep slumber for over a month," Shi Mu replied .
"I slept for more than a month?!" Cai rolled his eyeballs as if he was surprised to hear Shi Mu's words .
Shi Mu looked at Cai, and sensed an intense aura around his body . This was a lot stronger than before .
"Is this a common phenomenon in your Gossiping Parrot Race? Does everyone in your race remain in a drowsy mode for a long time, and then undergo a transformation if they gobble-up a lot of spirit stones?" Shi Mu pondered for a moment . Then, he asked .
"Of course it's not a common thing . Only the Gossiping Parrots that possess the purest bloodline can undergo this transformation," Cai replied in a tone that was tainted with a hint of complacency .
Shi Mu's eyes flickered as if he was about to speak something .
"Shi Tou, be careful . Someone is coming!" Cai said as he looked in a particular direction .
Shi Mu was startled . He then also looked in that direction . Simultaneously, he assigned his spirit sense to scout around .
But, he couldn't see anything strange even though he had unique eyesight . This was due to the presence of a large dense forest in that direction . In addition, he didn't find any abnormalities within the exploration range of his spirit sense .
Shi Mu's eyebrows creased as an idea popped into his mind . He connected his eyes with Cai's vision .
The next moment, Shi Mu's body received a powerful jolt since a strange picture had appeared in his mind .
The sky, the trees, and the ground appeared very clear . In fact, everything that was before his eyes appeared much clearer than before . In addition, he could also clearly see the situation within the radius of few miles now .
The trees that had blocked his field of vision before seemed to have changed into a translucent grey color now . And, it seemed as if he could see through them…
Shi Mu was at the edge of the lake at the moment . However, the lake's water seemed like it had never existed in his field of vision since everything in the lake was clearly visible to him now .
Suddenly, the silhouette of a grey-robed middle-aged man appeared in Shi Mu's field of vision . That person was passing through the forest when he looked around and started to walk toward them .
"This person is Hou Sai Lei . He has turned into someone else with the help of the Disguising Technique," Shi Mu explained .
Cai patted his chest with his wings as he heard these words… It seemed as if he was relieved .
"Let's come to the point . Cai, how did your eyesight . . . " Shi Mu's gaze turned to see Cai as he asked .
"This . . . I'm not very clear about it either . I experienced a cool soothing feeling in my eyes when I woke up, and my eyesight had substantially enhanced . I can now see things that are a long distance from me very clearly . What do you think about it… isn't it awesome?!" Cai said .
Then, a thought crossed Shi Mu's mind . He gazed at the white feathers on Cai's head as a thoughtful expression appeared on his face .
But then, they heard the rustling sound of footsteps that was gradually approaching them . Simultaneously, the silhouette of Hou Sai Lei in disguise of the grey-robed middle-aged man appeared in Shi Mu's line of sight .
Hou Sai Lei revealed a delighted look as his eyes fell on Shi Mu, and he quickened his pace .
He had barely walked two steps when his eyes drew toward Cai on Shi Mu's shoulder, and he was left startled .
"Cai finally woke up?" Hou Sai Lei arrived in front of Shi Mu, and asked in a surprised manner .
"Well, he has just regained consciousness . " Shi Mu nodded .
"Hey, why have you come?" Cai shot a glance at Hou Sai Lei and asked .
"Senior Mu, there is a thing that I need to discuss with you . " Hou Sai Lei didn't care about Cai . His complexion became solemn, and he fished out the black jade from his bosom .

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