Bamboo Crate Chapter 47: Truly, a Scholar Deserves to Be Called a Scholar

Inside the cave, Lu Yun sat cross-legged with a solemn expression.

"Ciling, have you made up your mind?"

Ciling nodded. "As long as you can get me out, anything is fine."

Hearing this, Lu Yun slowly raised his hand and pressed it against Ciling’s glabella.

This was the method Lu Yun had devised.

Ciling also seemed to have lost her memories, so could he assume that she was not a part of the illusion? If she awakened, would she break free from the illusion?

The next moment, Lu Yun found himself inside a dungeon.

"Is this the deepest part of Ciling's heart? Perhaps her memories are sealed here," Lu Yun murmured, intending to look around the dungeon.

"Hey, who are you?!"

Suddenly, a girl's voice rang out.

Lu Yun looked over and discovered that the voice came from a dimly lit cell not far away.

He walked up to the cell and saw a little girl in tattered clothes cowering in the corner.

The little girl was covered in dirt and was staring intently at Lu Yun.

"My name is Lu Yun."

Lu Yun squatted down and said softly, "I'm here to save you and get you out."

"Really?"

The little girl tilted her head, looking a bit skeptical.

Lu Yun nodded solemnly. "Really."

"Then—"

The little girl cautiously walked up to Lu Yun. Separated by the wooden bars, she pointed to the neighboring cell.

"Can you save Xiaobai first?"

Only then did Lu Yun notice that next to the girl's cell, a snow-white tiger demon was also imprisoned.

The tiger demon appeared to be heavily injured and was on the verge of death. Sensing Lu Yun's gaze, the tiger demon immediately flashed a fierce look and let out a muffled growl.

As if fearing that Lu Yun wouldn't agree, the little girl hurriedly promised, "Don't worry, Xiaobai is very well-behaved and won't hurt you! It's just a little scared..."

Lu Yun nodded and walked over to Xiaobai.

Under Ciling's appeasement, Xiaobai's aura gradually calmed down, though it remained vigilant, fixing its gaze firmly on Lu Yun.

Lu Yun reached out to touch the wooden bars of the cell and frowned.

They were very sturdy. Although they shook slightly, it wasn't enough to break them open and rescue Xiaobai.

"This is Ciling's inner world. Is Ciling resisting? Does she not want to leave this place?"

Lu Yun let go of the wooden bars and looked back at the little girl.

The girl tilted her head and asked, "Big Brother, what's wrong?"

"Your name is Ciling, right?" Lu Yun asked softly, "Do you not want to go out?"

"Ah, no, of course I want to go out, I..."

The little girl became somewhat incoherent. She nervously twisted her fingers together, seemingly hesitating about something.

What was Ciling hesitating about?

The most urgent task for Lu Yun was to figure this out first.

So he simply sat cross-legged in front of the little girl, comforting her through the wooden bars: "It's fine. Tell me everything you're afraid of and everything you dislike, and I'll help you."

"But—"

Ciling raised her head. "Why would Big Brother want to help me?"

Of course, Lu Yun couldn't tell her that he was helping her just to test whether recovering her memories would allow her to leave the illusion. He could only look into Ciling's eyes and say sincerely, "Because Big Brother is a good person."

"A good person?"

Ciling widened her eyes and murmured, "Big Brother is a good person..."

Was this going to be useless...

Lu Yun thought to himself. True, his lie was a bit too clumsy; who would believe it?

"Then, Big Brother, won't you find Ciling annoying?"

While Lu Yun was hesitating inwardly, the little girl asked timidly, "Everyone in the tribe finds Ciling annoying."

Lu Yun was stunned, then smiled. "Of course not."

Ciling looked at Lu Yun's smile and took a deep breath.

"Then, Big Brother, Ciling will start talking..."

...

The little girl's past experiences were described in a series of calm sentences.

Even Lu Yun was somewhat surprised that such a kind-hearted demon race could exist in the Wild Wilderness.

At the same time, he could vaguely sense that the number of "outliers" of the Wild Wilderness gathering around him seemed to be increasing.

Yuan Mo, An Luo, Deyue, Miss Fengfeng...

These people were all completely different from the natural ethos of the Wild Wilderness.

Up until now, Ciling didn't even seem like a demon of the Wild Wilderness at all; she was even a bit too kind, even by the standards of the Vast Land.

"Ciling, if I tell you that the future Wild Wilderness will become better and better, will you come out?"

Lu Yun asked Ciling.

Ciling looked puzzled and tilted her head. "The Wild Wilderness, becoming better and better?"

Lu Yun slowly explained, "It means people will accept your kindness, and no one will hate you anymore. They will return your smiles when you smile, they will thank you when you help them, and they will proactively help you in return..."

Ciling seemed to grow interested and asked happily, "Really?!"

Lu Yun looked into the little girl's blazing gaze, and after a long moment, he nodded.

"After I finish certain things, I will try my best to make this a reality. But for now, the Wild Wilderness is not like this yet, so—"

Before Lu Yun could finish, the little girl happily reached her hand out through the wooden bars toward him.

"Then Big Brother, let's make a pinky swear!"

Lu Yun was stunned for a long time before extending his pinky finger as well.

The two made a pinky swear through the wooden bars, and the little girl murmured, "Pinky swear, pinky swear... Big Brother must keep his promise!"

"Mn..."

Along with Lu Yun's response, the wooden prison began to distort. Xiaobai, in the neighboring cell beside the little girl, also began to fade away after letting out a soft roar.

The wooden bars gradually turned illusory. The little girl let go of her hand, stepped out of the wooden prison into a vast white world, and slowly opened her arms.

Lu Yun smiled, and the little girl smiled along with him.

"Big Brother, are there many people like you outside?"

"Not many."

"Oh..."

"Disappointed?"

"Not at all. Ciling just feels very lucky to have met a good person like Big Brother!"

"I'm not really a good person."

"If Ciling says Big Brother is, then Big Brother is!"

...

The wooden prison collapsed. Lu Yun opened his eyes and locked gazes with Ciling.

Ciling, no longer in the form of a little girl, was momentarily dazed, looking at Lu Yun for a long time.

Lu Yun suddenly had a bad premonition.

Sure enough, the woman with a graceful figure and lovely features opened her arms, lunged forward to hug Lu Yun, and shouted happily, "Big Brother!"

Song Lian, crouching outside the cave entrance, leaned against a rock and stared in utter astonishment at the scene unfolding before him.

"Goodness, Sir truly lives up to his name!"