The five stepped into the Secret Realm's gate, leaving behind the twilight glow and distant clamor completely. What met their eyes was the nighttime of Corpse Bone Forest, starless skies and dry branches blocking out the light, forming a cage that draped over the earth.
Yan Qing wondered if it was just his illusion; it seemed the leaves on the ground had multiplied, the trees appeared even more barren, and even the two white-skinned mourning lanterns at the manor's gate were dimmer. Yet, after crossing the threshold, the fire pits inside blazed as if trying to burn a great hole in the night, with the entire manor luminous as if set to ignite.
Crossing the empty front hall, the backyard remained untouched for nearly a hundred years. The ground was immaculate, and the courtyard's flora still alive, as if time had halted since Si Wuxie arranged it, unchanged in the slightest.
