After Gu Yanshu remembered that the dragon's laughter was not suspicious, he saw it as an attempt to deny what he had just said. Suspicion was something on another level.
Gu Yanshu did not answer. He kept moving.
Qu Yaoyang said, "I heard something might happen."
He held up a newspaper.
Seventy thousand bounty.
A criminal called the Lord of Crimes.
Gu Yanshu looked at it once.
The man in the picture looked old. He wore a white shirt. The police were trying to catch him. The report said to inform the police if any crime was seen, and to give the location if possible.
Gu Yanshu said, "Sometimes it is true. Sometimes it is false. Keep that in mind. Ignore it for now. When it turns out to be true, do not react too much."
Qu Yaoyang threw the newspaper away.
The wind took it and carried it far.
Gu Yanshu stood there and focused on the next move.
The dragon smiled and said, "Are you angry at me? Why are you ignoring me?"
Gu Yanshu gave no answer.
He kept ignoring him.
He thought, the dragon might be trying to get his information, or he might only want someone to talk to because he was bored. Those two possibilities were enough for now.
Then they heard the same sound around them again.
Yu Chang panicked.
"We need to run quickly."
Gu Yanshu said, "Slow. Slow is better. Do not panic. If it attacks us, we can fight back."
Qu Yaoyang answered, "Okay. I will not panic."
Gu Yanshu nodded.
"Good."
After a while, they saw a golden tree.
Gu Yanshu did not rush toward it.
He knew the tree was a rare object and could strengthen someone's body. That was in his memory. But Area 917 had no golden trees according to the Library of Learning. If one appeared here, it meant it was artificial.
He could not trust the library completely.
He also could not trust the tree.
So he ignored both.
Qu Yaoyang looked at him and asked, "What are you thinking?"
Gu Yanshu did not answer.
He kept moving.
Then he stopped.
The others stopped too.
Gu Yanshu did not look back at them.
He knew they were watching him.
He still ignored them.
The dragon smiled again, as if he had done something outside the rules.
He tried to fly away.
Gu Yanshu sensed him on his shoulder.
He also knew the dragon could become useful.
"You cannot go," Gu Yanshu said. "If you stay on my shoulder, new rule. You cannot escape from me."
The dragon returned to his shoulder and said, "You did not even design rules for me."
Gu Yanshu answered, "You are right. I did not. But I will make them now."
He spoke clearly.
"Rule one. Never escape from me. Rule two. Be respectful to the other disciples. Do not attack anybody. Rule three. Do everything with my permission. Rule four. Do not do anything tricky that is not in the rules."
The dragon frowned.
"I will not follow one of yours."
Gu Yanshu looked at him.
"Then get tortured."
The dragon's face tightened.
"No. I do not want that. Fine. I will follow these rules."
The dragon stayed still on Gu Yanshu's shoulder after that.
The air around them settled for a few breaths.
Then Gu Yanshu looked ahead again.
The golden tree still stood in the distance.
Bright.
Silent.
Wrong.
Lan Wege narrowed his eyes.
"That tree is still there."
Qiu Weiran looked toward it and then at the road around it.
"No wind. No movement. It is waiting."
He Mulin kept one hand near his weapon.
"It does not feel natural."
Yu Chang looked uneasy.
"It feels like a trap."
Gu Yanshu did not answer immediately.
He was looking at the open space around the tree.
The ground was clean.
Too clean.
No broken leaves.
No birds.
No insects moving near the roots.
That made it worse.
Then a sound came from the tree.
A soft tap.
Inside the trunk.
He Mulin's eyes changed.
"There is something inside."
Gu Yanshu nodded once.
"Yes."
Qu Yaoyang asked, "Do we leave it?"
Gu Yanshu did not move forward.
"Yes."
The dragon tilted his head.
"You are really choosing not to touch it."
"I am choosing not to trust it."
The dragon gave a small sound.
"That is a good habit."
Gu Yanshu glanced at him once.
Then the sound came again.
This time from the side alley.
A dragging step.
Slow.
Heavy.
Everyone turned.
A figure moved out from the alley wall.
Its shoulders were bent.
Its body looked stiff.
Its face stayed in shadow.
Yu Chang backed up a little.
"That thing again."
Gu Yanshu looked at it.
The same smell had returned.
Cold.
Dead.
Wrong.
Not the tree.
Not the newspaper.
This one.
The figure stopped at the edge of the alley.
Then slowly lifted its head.
The face was pale.
The eyes looked empty.
It moved like a body being pushed by something else.
The dragon's small claws tightened on Gu Yanshu's shirt.
"That smell."
Gu Yanshu said, "I know."
He Mulin stepped slightly to the side.
"It is not alone."
Lan Wege looked at the rooftops.
"There may be more."
Qiu Weiran kept his eyes on the alley figure.
"It wants us to choose."
Gu Yanshu looked at the golden tree once.
Then back at the alley figure.
One was bright.
One was dead.
Both were wrong.
The dragon whispered, "Which one is the real trap?"
Gu Yanshu replied, "Both can be traps."
The figure in the alley took one step forward.
Then the tree cracked.
A thin line opened near the base of the trunk.
Very small.
But enough.
The dragon's eyes widened.
"That tree is not a tree."
Gu Yanshu's gaze sharpened.
"No."
Inside the crack, something red moved.
Not wood.
Not leaf.
Something alive.
Yu Chang swallowed hard.
"That is worse."
The figure in the alley moved again.
Its neck twisted slightly.
Then it stopped.
Gu Yanshu watched both at once.
The tree.
The figure.
One of them was bait.
The other was answer.
The dragon looked from one to the other.
Then said quietly, "I do not like this."
Gu Yanshu answered, "That is fine."
He Mulin moved one step back to keep the group balanced.
Qu Yaoyang kept the front line stable.
Qiu Weiran watched the space between the tree and the alley.
Lan Wege scanned the roofs again.
Yu Chang stayed behind the others.
The tree cracked a little more.
The red line inside widened.
The alley figure's mouth opened.
A dry sound came out.
"Return."
Everyone froze.
The dragon's body stiffened.
Gu Yanshu looked at him once.
He had heard that voice before.
Or something close to it.
The dragon did not speak this time.
He only stared.
Gu Yanshu's hand moved toward his sword.
Then stopped.
He did not rush.
The figure in the alley took another step.
The tree crack widened again.
The red line inside the trunk pulsed once.
Then the dragon spoke in a very small voice.
"That is the same smell."
Gu Yanshu nodded.
"Yes."
The tree and the figure were connected.
That much was clear.
He looked forward.
The town stayed quiet around them.
No one else reacted.
No one else turned.
Gu Yanshu's voice stayed low.
"Do not move first."
The others held position.
The figure in the alley shifted one shoulder.
The tree kept opening.
Then, from inside the red crack, a thin hand pressed outward.
A hand.
Small.
Pale.
Slowly pushing the trunk apart.Gu Yanshu looked at the tree.
The bark shifted.
A small hand appeared.
Then the tree opened wider.
The dragon brother stepped out.
The dragon froze and stared at him.
"Brother? Why are you here?"
His eyes widened.
"What is going on with the family? What happened? Why are you not in the family? You should be protecting the family from others. Why are you here?"
The dragon brother looked at him and answered, "I came here by accident. I sensed something from the dragon family. Something felt familiar. I followed it."
He lifted his hand and pointed at the tree.
"I entered this tree by mistake. It was a normal tree at first. Then it turned golden for some reason. When I sensed your voice, I came out."
He glanced at Gu Yanshu and the others.
"Do not worry. I already ordered some servants from the dragon family to protect the family side. Nothing is wrong."
His gaze moved across the group.
"Who are these people around you? I do not think I have seen them in the dragon family."
The dragon blinked once.
"Oh. They are my friends."
The brother looked at him.
"Then you will meet them later. But first, mommy dragon and daddy dragon want you to come back home and enjoy for a while. You can come here whenever you want. If they are your friends, they can be your friends too."
His eyes narrowed a little.
"There are seven of you here together. How did you meet them?"
The dragon answered quickly, "They are my old friends."
The brother frowned.
"You never stayed in the family when you were young."
The dragon waved the point away.
"I meant after I left the family. I met them later. We talked. We became friends. It is nothing suspicious. Do not worry. They will do no harm."
The brother nodded slowly.
"If that is the case, then I should leave."
He lifted a hand.
"Bye. We will meet again later."
The dragon smiled back.
"Bye-bye. We will meet later."
Then the brother left.
The dragon took a deep breath.
Gu Yanshu looked at him.
"So that was your brother?"
The dragon nodded.
"Yes."
Gu Yanshu looked at the tree again.
The opening had already closed.
The golden bark stood still.
No movement came from inside.
He Mulin stared at the trunk.
"That tree opens like a gate."
Qiu Weiran's eyes stayed on it.
"And your family can use it."
Lan Wege looked at the dragon.
"You did not say your family had this kind of route."
The dragon gave a small awkward laugh.
"I did not think it mattered."
Gu Yanshu looked at him.
"It matters."
The dragon paused.
Then lowered his head a little.
"Yes."
Yu Chang looked between the tree and the dragon.
"So your family can move through trees?"
The dragon shook his head.
"Not all trees."
Qu Yaoyang folded his arms.
"Then what kind?"
The dragon hesitated.
"A few."
Gu Yanshu stayed silent.
He was already thinking.
The brother had come out quickly.
Too quickly for a random visit.
That meant the family was watching this area already.
Or the tree had been used for something important.
Gu Yanshu asked, "Your brother sensed you?"
The dragon nodded.
"Yes."
"He came here for you."
"Yes."
"Why?"
The dragon looked uneasy.
"I think he wanted to check me."
Gu Yanshu's gaze sharpened.
"Check you for what?"
The dragon did not answer right away.
Then he said, "For danger."
That answer stayed in the air for a moment.
Gu Yanshu looked at the tree again.
Then back at the dragon.
The dragon family had shown one hidden route.
They had a door inside a tree.
They had servants nearby.
They had a brother who could appear without warning and leave without conflict.
That meant the family was not weak.
It also meant they were keeping something controlled.
Gu Yanshu said, "Keep moving."
The others followed him at once.
The golden tree stayed behind.
No one touched it again.
After a while, Yu Chang spoke quietly.
"So your family is still close?"
The dragon nodded once.
"Yes."
He Mulin looked at him.
"And they are strict."
The dragon made a small sound.
"Yes."
Lan Wege asked, "Do you want to go back?"
The dragon did not answer immediately.
Then he said, "Not now."
Qu Yaoyang glanced at him.
"Why not?"
The dragon looked away.
"I left once. That is enough for now."
Gu Yanshu listened to all of it.
He kept the dragon on his shoulder and the road in front of him.
The tree had become a clue.
The brother had become a clue.
The family had become another layer.
That was enough for now.
Gu Yanshu said, "We do not trust the tree."
He Mulin nodded.
"Agreed."
"We do not trust the family either."
Qiu Weiran nodded too.
"Agreed."
The dragon gave a small annoyed sigh.
"You people are all suspicious."
Gu Yanshu answered, "That keeps us alive."
The dragon looked at him, then stayed quiet.
The group kept walking.
The road moved forward.
The town stayed calm around them.
But the place had already changed.
Behind them, the golden tree no longer looked like a tree.
And Gu Yanshu already knew that this family had access to deeper things than they had first thought.Yu Chang was hearing all of this.
He tried to hold his anger, but it was already slipping.
Then suddenly, he shouted.
"Hey! Bullying a small dragon? What is wrong with all of you?"
His voice echoed.
"Let him go back to his home. He has feelings. Everyone has feelings. Everyone should have feelings. Let him go. He did nothing wrong."
He stepped forward.
"If you still want to bully him, don't do it. If you do it again… I will kill all of you."
His voice started shaking.
"I hated everybody… I hated everyone here…"
His breathing got heavier.
"I hated all of this…"
Then his tone changed again, unstable.
"Get out of here! No one is allowing you to stay like this! You don't even understand how Lord raises us! He gives everything to us!"
His eyes were not steady anymore.
"If you are angry, then leave! Leave everything! Then be homeless! Think properly! Do you even have a mind?! Who cares about a dragon?!"
Qu Yaoyang looked at him.
Then said, "I don't agree with you."
Yu Chang turned instantly.
"And Lord… you keep forcing me again and again."
Gu Yanshu did not react immediately.
He just said, "Over and over… I see."
Yu Chang clenched his fists.
"Yes. You dragged me again and again. You don't understand what I go through. You were controlling me."
Before anything else—
Qiu Weiran moved.
A sharp kick landed on Yu Chang's face.
"You are wrong."
Yu Chang dropped to the ground.
His vision blurred for a second.
Then he said, "Have mercy… we have feelings too… everyone has feelings…"
Gu Yanshu looked at him.
"Stop forcing me," Yu Chang said again.
Gu Yanshu replied calmly,
"Forcing you? That was your choice."
Silence.
Then—
"If you want to leave, then leave."
Yu Chang stood up slowly.
His face was angry.
His breathing unstable.
Then he turned—
and walked away.
Then ran.
He disappeared.
Gu Yanshu did not look back.
He kept walking.
Just like nothing happened.
Yu Chang was already removed from his mind.
Far away—
Yu Chang slowed down.
His steps became uneven.
The anger was still there.
But now something else was coming in.
Silence.
"No food…"
"No place…"
He looked around.
No one.
Nothing.
He stopped.
Then whispered,
"…what did I just do?"
He tried to stay angry.
But it was breaking.
"I had a place… I had people…"
He clenched his fists again.
"No… they forced me…"
But that thought didn't stay strong.
His stomach tightened.
His body felt weaker.
His head felt heavier.
He looked at the road.
Then behind.
Nothing.
Now the loop started.
"I go back?"
He took one step.
Stopped.
"No."
Another step.
Stopped again.
"If I go back… they will see…"
His pride stopped him.
His fear pushed him.
Both sides pulling him.
He walked again.
No direction.
Just walking.
"I stay… I die."
"I go… I lose everything."
His breathing became rough.
"I hate them…"
"…but I need them."
He stopped again.
Same place.
Same road.
Same thinking.
Loop.
Meanwhile—
Gu Yanshu kept walking.
Lan Wege glanced once behind.
"He left."
He Mulin said, "He won't last long."
Qu Yaoyang stayed silent this time.
The dragon on Gu Yanshu's shoulder spoke quietly,
"You didn't stop him."
Gu Yanshu answered,
"He chose."
The dragon narrowed his eyes.
"That's cold."
Gu Yanshu said nothing.
Then after a few steps—
"He will either return… or break."
The dragon smiled slightly.
"Then this is a test."
Gu Yanshu didn't deny it.
He didn't confirm it either.
He just kept walking.
Forward.Forward.
The road stretched longer than before.
No one spoke for a while.
The silence wasn't empty. It was heavy, sitting between them, moving with them.
Lan Wege adjusted his pace slightly, keeping closer to Gu Yanshu.
He Mulin kept scanning the sides, his eyes sharper now.
Qiu Weiran walked like nothing had happened, but his steps had slowed just a little.
Qu Yaoyang looked ahead, jaw tight, but said nothing.
The dragon shifted on Gu Yanshu's shoulder.
Its eyes moved once toward the back, then forward again.
It did not speak this time.
Gu Yanshu's gaze stayed straight.
But his mind wasn't empty.
He replayed it once.
Yu Chang's words.
The hesitation.
The contradiction.
The moment he chose to leave.
Then he stopped thinking about it.
Ahead, the road curved slightly.
A narrower street appeared, quieter than the others.
Less movement.
Less sound.
Gu Yanshu slowed down.
The others noticed immediately.
They stopped a step after him.
He didn't turn.
He didn't explain.
He just looked at the street.
Lan Wege spoke first, "Something?"
Gu Yanshu said, "Nothing confirmed."
That was enough.
They stayed alert.
He Mulin stepped slightly to the side, checking the angle.
Qiu Weiran shifted his stance.
Qu Yaoyang stayed where he was, but his eyes sharpened.
The dragon leaned forward slightly.
"What is it?"
Gu Yanshu said, "Pattern."
The dragon narrowed its eyes.
"Explain."
Gu Yanshu didn't answer directly.
He stepped forward into the narrow street.
The others followed.
The air felt different here.
Not heavier.
Not lighter.
Just… still.
Too still.
A cloth hanging from a window didn't move.
A piece of paper on the ground stayed in place.
Even the faint sounds from the main road felt cut off.
Lan Wege noticed it first.
"The air isn't moving."
He Mulin added, "No wind."
Qiu Weiran said, "Not natural."
Qu Yaoyang looked around.
"Trap?"
Gu Yanshu said, "Maybe."
The dragon's tail moved slightly.
"I don't like this."
Gu Yanshu walked deeper.
One step.
Two steps.
Three.
Then he stopped again.
This time, he looked at the ground.
A faint mark.
Almost invisible.
A line.
Not straight.
Not random.
Repeated.
Lan Wege stepped closer.
"…I see it."
He Mulin crouched slightly.
"It's not drawn."
Qiu Weiran added, "It's worn."
Qu Yaoyang said, "Like something keeps passing here."
Gu Yanshu nodded once.
"Yes."
The dragon leaned down further.
"What passes?"
Gu Yanshu said, "Same path. Same direction."
Lan Wege looked up.
"Loop."
Silence again.
Gu Yanshu's eyes moved once along the street.
Then to the corner.
Then back.
"Someone is stuck here."
The dragon blinked.
"Yu Chang?"
Gu Yanshu didn't answer.
But he didn't deny it either.
Far away—
Yu Chang walked again.
Left.
Right.
Forward.
The same wall appeared again.
He stopped.
His breathing got heavier.
"No…"
He turned back.
Walked faster.
Another turn.
Same place.
His steps stopped.
His chest tightened.
"This… again?"
He looked around.
Same broken stone.
Same wooden door.
Same small crack on the wall.
His fingers tightened.
"I already passed here…"
His voice came out low.
He turned again.
Faster this time.
Walked straight.
Didn't turn.
Didn't hesitate.
Ten steps.
Twenty steps.
Thirty.
The street opened slightly.
Hope.
Then—
The same corner.
His steps froze.
"…no."
His breathing broke for a moment.
He looked around again.
Nothing changed.
The loop tightened.
Back with Gu Yanshu—
He stepped forward once more.
"Stay close."
They moved together now.
Closer than before.
Lan Wege kept to the left.
He Mulin to the right.
Qiu Weiran slightly behind.
Qu Yaoyang near the center.
The dragon stayed quiet.
Gu Yanshu walked slowly.
Deliberately.
His eyes tracked everything.
Ground.
Walls.
Corners.
Spacing.
He stopped again.
"Count your steps."
Lan Wege nodded.
"Understood."
They began moving again.
Each step measured.
One.
Two.
Three.
The air stayed still.
Ten.
Eleven.
Twelve.
Nothing changed.
Twenty.
Twenty-one.
Then—
Gu Yanshu stopped.
"Repeat."
Lan Wege's eyes narrowed.
"…same distance."
He Mulin said, "We didn't turn."
Qiu Weiran added, "Still same position."
Qu Yaoyang looked around.
"…we looped."
The dragon exhaled slowly.
"So it's confirmed."
Gu Yanshu nodded once.
"Yes."
Silence again.
Then the dragon spoke,
"So what now?"
Gu Yanshu didn't answer immediately.
He looked at the ground again.
Then at the walls.
Then at the spacing between buildings.
Then he said,
"Not a full loop."
Lan Wege looked at him.
"Explain."
"External loop."
He Mulin frowned slightly.
"Meaning?"
Gu Yanshu said,
"The path repeats. The space does not."
Qiu Weiran's eyes sharpened.
"…illusion layer."
Gu Yanshu didn't confirm directly.
But his gaze stayed steady.
Qu Yaoyang said, "Then how do we break it?"
Gu Yanshu finally moved again.
This time—
He stepped toward the wall.
Then placed his hand on it.
The surface was solid.
Cold.
Rough.
But something was off.
He pressed slightly.
Then stopped.
"Distance is wrong."
Lan Wege stepped closer.
Measured with his eyes.
"…it should be shorter."
He Mulin added,
"But it feels longer."
Qiu Weiran said,
"Perception shift."
The dragon tilted its head.
"You're saying we're not where we think we are."
Gu Yanshu said,
"Yes."
Far away—
Yu Chang dropped to the ground.
His legs felt weaker now.
He had been walking too long.
Same streets.
Same turns.
Same result.
His anger was gone.
Only frustration now.
"Why… can't I leave…"
His voice cracked slightly.
He hit the ground once with his fist.
Then again.
Nothing changed.
He looked up.
Same sky.
Same walls.
Same emptiness.
"I go back…"
He said it again.
This time quieter.
His pride didn't answer.
His fear didn't answer.
Only silence.
Back with the group—
Gu Yanshu stepped back from the wall.
Then said,
"Close your eyes."
Lan Wege didn't question.
He closed his eyes.
He Mulin followed.
Qiu Weiran too.
Qu Yaoyang hesitated—
Then did the same.
The dragon blinked.
"…seriously?"
Gu Yanshu said,
"Do it."
The dragon closed its eyes too.
Silence.
No movement.
Gu Yanshu spoke,
"Walk forward."
Lan Wege took the first step.
Careful.
He Mulin followed.
Qiu Weiran.
Qu Yaoyang.
The dragon stayed still on his shoulder.
Another step.
Another.
No one opened their eyes.
Gu Yanshu watched them.
Then—
"Stop."
They stopped.
"Open."
They opened their eyes.
The street had changed.
The angle.
The spacing.
The light.
Not the same.
Lan Wege looked back.
"…we passed it."
He Mulin exhaled once.
"That worked."
Qiu Weiran nodded.
"Perception trap."
Qu Yaoyang looked at Gu Yanshu.
"You already knew."
Gu Yanshu said,
"No."
Silence.
The dragon opened its eyes wider.
"…so you tested it."
Gu Yanshu didn't reply.
But that was the answer.
He turned slightly.
Looked deeper into the path.
Then said,
"He's inside."
Lan Wege's expression changed.
"Yu Chang."
Gu Yanshu nodded once.
No emotion.
Just confirmation.
The dragon asked,
"Do we pull him out?"
Gu Yanshu didn't answer immediately.
He looked at the path ahead.
Then said,
"He's already breaking."
Silence.
Then one more line.
"If he can't step out himself…"
He didn't finish it.
But no one needed him to.
The path ahead waited.
And somewhere inside it—
Yu Chang was still walking.
Still turning.
Still stuck.
Loop after loop after loop.