Paradise (2)
“That’s for sure. Once I deliver the goods, he promised that he will come out and handle these matters for me.”
“But why do you guys think Ye Lang forbids anyone from entering, even if it’s for privacy? Does he really have to exclude you lot?” a man took to ask, albeit frustratedly.
If it was Ye Lang’s intention to hide its identity from the outside world he would have opted against keeping it a secret from Ye Lanyu and company. Thoughts spiralled as suspicion grew.
It was however a thought that had crossed Zhen Xiaoyan’s mind, in which she did took to clarify, she believed it was spacious enough for few more within, and she was certain that Ye Lang would not have decided upon keeping a secret from Ye Lanyu and the seventh Princess, for they never kept secrets, never had, never will.
The only explanation she could muster was that it is currently off limits for the common folk, and it was why he had decisively prevented his dearest sister and his fiancee from entering.
The reason she got from Ye Lang provided Zhen Xiaoyan with further affirmations. The alchemy formation was sealed from the outside world. Excluding goods, no one was permitted in or out of the space.
Hence, it was beyond Ye Lang’s decision if he would prefer to exclude Ye Lanyu for peace and quiet.
“Why aren’t they out yet, how long more do we have to wait, it can’t be until the end of today right…?”
Time passed very slowly. The crowd waited until the sun slowly sank beneath the horizon. Yet at that moment, Ye Lang was still nowhere to be seen. The crowd shrank as patience wore thin.
Members of the Ye clan gradually returned home, naturally preoccupied with more pressing matters and having given up on this increasingly meaningless wait!
Yet the only ones who had yet to leave were those sitting at the teahouse, their faces glowing as they chatted the day away, with no signs of anxiety seen.
Right at that moment…
“Huh? What’s with the crowd?” Ye Lang and the little princess appeared before the eyes of the many.
“…”
The crowd went dead silent, unsure of how to react to Ye Lang’s abrupt reappearance.
“You little punk, took you long enough! If you stay in there any longer I would’ve blown the place up!” Ye Lanyu hurled herself towards him and gave him a little punch as formal greeting, completely devoid of any elegance.
“Huh, what’s up? It’s not that I wasn’t eager to leave, but I have to wait for my alchemy formation to take shape, and anytime before it does, no one is allowed to go in and out.” Ye Lang painstakingly explained.
“Take what shape?” Ye Lanyu quickly followed with a question.
“The thing inside, do you want to go take a look?” Ye Lang pointed at the alchemy formation. At that point, it was still shielded from the outside world.
“Well of course I do! I would die to know what you’ve been up to for an entire month!” Ye Lanyu was blunt, it was what everyone wanted to say. EVeryone wanted to know what he had in store.
“It’s not much, I did some timely modifications insde…I know all of you must be brimming with curiosity by now, so why don’t we all enter together! This will be open for the public in the near future, but for now, not yet…” Ye Lan chuckled as he waved his hand and cleared the alchemy formation.
That moment, everyone in attendance was certain that they had witnessed a miracle as it happened, and they knew it was the right choice to stay back.
The ones who had left before must have sorely regretted, but many on their departing ways did manage to witness this awakening, for it was too eye-catching to miss!
Before long, everyone in attendance found themselves promptly blinded by a sharp flash, and when they regained focus, what came next was a mythical setting, a setting that came so sudden many went into deep contemplation if they were only actually dreaming!
“Thirteen, is this an illusion from the alchemy formation?” the seventh and third brothers asked, dumbfounded.
“What you see before you is an illusion, but from here on out, everything is real and physically exists. Go on, enter, but take heed, stay close to me and don’t walk about on your own. If you get lost, this is the last time you’ll come in here again.” Ye Lang laughed as he briefed them, leading the pack into a realm of mystery.
It was all very mysterious. Seventh Brother was sure where he now stood was supposed to be a barren wasteland covered with yellow dirt. But now, it was a rainbow-coloured forest. All seven colors, no doubt!
And the colors were not restricted to just the flowers, but the trees themselves too, imbued with shades of green, yellow, red…
Although everything was rainbow-coloured, it presented a sight of harmony and balance, offering a layering sense of serenity to the beholder.
“Now remember, follow closely and don’t stray!” Ye Lang once again emphasized its importance, nonetheless there were a few who ignored his reminder because they were sure he was still in visible distance.
Yet quickly the crowd soon noticed that the people they had previously entered with were slowly vanishing!
Vanished, into thin air, with no precedents!
Leaving them flabbergasted, terrified and in a daze! As they came into their senses and wanted to give chase, the rest of the crowd were nowhere to be found by then!
“What’s happening?”
The ones that went astray aimlessly walked along the forest grounds and promptly found themselves to the exit.
Some attempted to reenter the space, but quickly found themselves tossed out to the outer ring over and over again.
Eventually, they gave up from utter frustration. Some waited outside, others decisively returned to their homes.
“Wait, where are the rest of the people?” Some folks with Ye Lang started to raise questions about the shrinking party.
“Those people couldn’t keep up. No worries, all is fated.”
Fate? He just wanted to avoid the hassle of explaining and casually chose some people to come in for a quick look. Once his motives from within were clear, the curiosity surrounding the townsmen would quickly dissipate.
“Boss…how did you do it, this is majestic, if only I could live here…”
The forest hardly resonated with Liu Feiyan. It was the flower beds that came after however, coupled with the petite lake with crystal blue waters, and the gorgeous little beach that she loved. She had understood the true definition of heaven on earth.
If she was to deny that, then heaven no longer existed!
Right at that moment, Ye Lang brought his sightseeing tour to the lake, and there stood Zhen Xiaoyan and Little Zero who were previously absent.
However, this place seemed to have changed dramatically since the last time Ye Lang was seen here. The little dock was gone, along with the house that they lived in!