It was Liang Ping who knew best where Ye Wuji had been discovered in the city of Xiao Jing.
Thus, Liang Ping led Nie Chongyang and Xiao Miaomiao to the very spot where he, Ye Tiancheng, and the little fox had found Ye Wuji.
Liang Ping found the mechanism door.
Fortunately, the mechanism hadn't changed much.
Since Liang Ping already knew the solution, he didn't have to exert much effort to open the door.
When opening the door, Liang Ping was a little wary.
This was because Liang Ping knew that when he, Ye Tiancheng, and the little fox had found Ye Wuji, Ye Wuji had flown out as soon as they opened the door. Therefore, if there truly was a Ye Wuji here,
then the Ye Wuji inside this door, barring any surprises, should also be able to move freely.
However, after Liang Ping opened the mechanism door, he discovered that the situation this time was different from his memory. This time, when he opened the mechanism door, no black bird flew out.
Let alone a black bird, nothing happened the moment the door opened.
Liang Ping was a little puzzled.
He wondered if there really was no Ye Wuji in the real world.
Then, what exactly was Ye Wuji?
What kind of existence was Ye Wuji?
Before Liang Ping opened the mechanism door, Nie Chongyang and Xiao Miaomiao had already learned about the situation from Liang Ping. Liang Ping had recounted the circumstances in detail.
Therefore, Nie Chongyang and Xiao Miaomiao were also paying close attention to the situation.
However, nothing happened the moment the door opened.
They felt both a little surprised and as if it were expected.
After all, they already knew that Ye Wuji could freely enter and exit the city of Xiao Jing, precisely because there was no other Ye Wuji in the real world, which led to this outcome.
However, the moment this was truly verified, it couldn't help but cause confusion.
Thinking about it seriously, what was the situation with Ye Wuji?
Liang Ping glanced back at Nie Chongyang and Xiao Miaomiao, then tentatively asked, "Shall we go in and scout ahead?"
The door was already open, so of course, they had to go in.
Nie Chongyang and Xiao Miaomiao both nodded, agreeing to Liang Ping's suggestion.
Thus, the three of them walked into the space behind the mechanism door together.
Upon entering the door, Liang Ping looked around, observed the scene behind the door, and then his eyes widened slightly in surprise.
"It's pretty much the same as I remember, not much has changed, but... what exactly is that?"
Liang Ping pointed to a place behind the door where a cage was placed.
That was where they had originally placed Ye Wuji along with the cage.
The cage itself wasn't originally behind this mechanism door; it was something they had found behind another mechanism door, but it was eventually used here.
As Liang Ping pondered, he quickly recounted the differences he remembered to Nie Chongyang and Xiao Miaomiao.
The three of them immediately walked over to the cage.
Upon closer inspection, there was indeed a bird inside the cage.
At first, they were startled, thinking that there really was a Ye Wuji in the real world, so how could the Ye Wuji in the city of Xiao Jing move so freely?
However, after seeing the bird in the cage more clearly, they realized that the situation was a little different from what they had imagined.
When they first saw the bird in the cage, they were thinking that since Ye Wuji hadn't flown out of the door in bird form when they opened it earlier, perhaps it was because he had been locked in the cage and placed here, so Ye Wuji naturally couldn't get out.
However, after they all looked closely, they discovered that the situation was not as they had imagined.
The bird in the cage looked lifelike at first glance, the entire bird was vivid. If it weren't for its stillness, it wouldn't have looked much different from a real bird.
Moreover, the appearance of this bird was identical to Ye Wuji.
It was just that this bird was not alive.
But there was one thing that made them feel a little confused.
That was, why was the color of the feathers of the bird in the cage different from the color of Ye Wuji's feathers they remembered seeing?
The bird in the cage had patches of black and white feathers, the coloring was exceptionally mottled, looking very comical and strange, as if it had faded.
Liang Ping looked at the bird in the cage and said, "Why are its feather colors like this... Is it because it's not alive, so the feathers have faded from being here for too long?"
Nie Chongyang looked at the bird and was a little speechless.
"Even if it faded, it wouldn't fade like this. It's definitely not because of fading; there's another reason."
Liang Ping rested his chin on his hand and looked at the bird. After thinking for a moment, he said, "But we can probably confirm that this bird is related to Ye Wuji, right?"
Nie Chongyang said, "It should be."
Liang Ping asked Nie Chongyang, "Should we take this bird with us? What if it's exploited by others and harms Ye Tiancheng and the others if we leave it here? Wouldn't that be troublesome?"
"However..." Liang Ping said, turning his gaze to Xiao Miaomiao, "Miaomiao, do you know what this is?"
Xiao Miaomiao had been observing the bird without speaking.
Only when she heard Liang Ping's question did Xiao Miaomiao shift her attention slightly and say, "Dai Xing."
Nie Chongyang and Liang Ping looked at Xiao Miaomiao with some confusion.
Nie Chongyang asked Xiao Miaomiao, "What is Dai Xing?"
Seeing that Nie Chongyang and Liang Ping both seemed unclear, Xiao Miaomiao explained to them, "After the tribulation, to take my form, it can be understood as a doppelganger, but it's not quite the same as a doppelganger. This doppelganger is not a split soul like me; it has no life."
"However, by using the Dai Xing method, the Dai Xing can replace the original body and serve the same purpose as the original body. Moreover, if the original body can control this Dai Xing itself, when the original body encounters unavoidable danger, it can use the Dai Xing method to endure the harm in its place, allowing itself to escape. It is a very powerful magical technique."
"Some cultivators, by using the Dai Xing method, are like a centipede with a hundred legs; they die but do not stiffen, and can always leave a sliver of hope."
Nie Chongyang's eyes widened in surprise.
He exclaimed, "It sounds very powerful. Is this Dai Xing method difficult to practice?"
Xiao Miaomiao glanced at Nie Chongyang.
She said, "For people nowadays, it is certainly very difficult to practice. Everyone is a materialist. Asking them to concentrate their minds, believe that such a Dai Xing truly exists, and then cultivate this Dai Xing is basically impossible."
"Moreover, unless you have exceptional talent, this thing must be practiced from a young age; otherwise, it is useless."
Nie Chongyang could only shake his head helplessly.
He knew that such a powerful method would definitely not be easy to master. Anyway, it seemed that there was no hope on their side.
Liang Ping listened for a while and then joined the conversation, asking Xiao Miaomiao, "Miaomiao, what do you think this is here?"
Xiao Miaomiao said, "It should indeed be related to Ye Wuji, but this Dai Xing may not have been created by Ye Wuji himself, or perhaps it is related to him, but he himself doesn't know."
"Moreover, this should be a correspondence."
Liang Ping pressed, "Correspondence for what?"
Xiao Miaomiao replied to Liang Ping, "The real world and the city of Xiao Jing are not necessarily completely symmetrical, but if symmetry is formed, they will definitely resonate with each other, affecting both worlds to achieve certain effects."
"Given Ye Wuji's background, it should have become part of the plan after he was schemed against and fell into ruin."
Nie Chongyang and Liang Ping both felt a chill run down their spines.
"What do these people want to do? To do such cruel things to such a young child, it's too inhumane."
"Yes, Ye Wuji's child is indeed quite pitiful."
After hearing Nie Chongyang and Liang Ping's words, Xiao Miaomiao thought for a moment and then replied, "It might be related to Ye Wuji's destiny, or some other identity. That child might have a hidden background."
"Because he met the conditions, he was chosen."
"It's like some mad demons and heretics capture young boys and girls, and also require them to have certain yin or yang destinies. These things may not be useful, and might even harm them, but these people are still very stubborn, ultimately harming themselves and others."
After Xiao Miaomiao finished speaking, Nie Chongyang and Liang Ping both sighed.
Xiao Miaomiao added, "Regardless, it's better for us to take this Dai Xing. It might affect Ye Wuji. For the sake of caution, we cannot leave it here."
Nie Chongyang and Liang Ping both agreed with this statement.
However, as Nie Chongyang reached out to take the bird with mottled feathers from the cage, he said, "However, whether Ye Wuji's destiny or identity has other mysteries, we can only see if Ye Tiancheng and the others can achieve any results on this trip to the city of Xiao Jing."
Liang Ping said, "There's no need to worry. With Ye Tiancheng and the others on the case, no matter what situation they encounter, can't they accomplish anything? Besides, they'll be out soon, and we can ask them about the situation then."
Nie Chongyang nodded and said, "I hope that after Ye Tiancheng and the others leave the city of Xiao Jing, at least by then, the little fox's condition will have improved significantly."
Liang Ping said, "Of course, such a rare opportunity, they shouldn't miss it."
Ye Tiancheng and his group, of course, would not miss this opportunity, but Ye Tiancheng and his group had temporarily encountered some minor difficulties, which had caused their progress to stall.
Because Ye Tiancheng and the others helped Ye Wuji's mother return to her hometown, they were unexpectedly schemed against by a girl named Aya from Ye Wuji's mother's hometown. Now, they had no memory of anything outside.