Ultimate Rice System 56 The Plan

"Quite. As long as we can identify it, finding a path out is not that hard. I mean, looking at this, the creature is obviously not innately evil."

Tian Hei turned around to look at the children wondering in a daze. Tianfei watched him as he talked slightly twitching at times. She could tell when she was lied to. Tian Hei lied about his name but didn't about the method out. This only piqued her curiosity of the real ident.i.ty of this boy.

"From my experience, only the true being does not disappear."

"Uhh...where am I?"

The child on Tian Hei's back started to shift and move around. He seemed to be slowly waking up. For a moment there, Tian Hei became was panicking. While hurrying to the side where there was no one around, he took off the child from the back.

"I'll be right back."

Everyone knew that this was a personal issue and refrained from eavesdropping on their conversation. While Tian Hei was busy Xin Fan was conversing with the others.

"So how do you think we got here?"

"I don't really know...All I know is that at one point, we met something. Now we are children."

Xin Fan contemplated for a bit. Hmm...could it be? No, can't be. Tianfei did not even see the creature. At first Xin Fan suspected the creature on the mountain, however after a thought, he threw away that notion. Tian Hei came back after a small chat with his his brother.

"Sorry for that. So as I was saying. All we need to do is search."

"Agreed."

They decided to split into smaller searching parties. Tian Hei and his brother ended up being grouped with Xin Fan and Tianfei. They headed back into the forest in search of this 'creature'. As they walked, Xin Fan and Tianfei stared at the boy in front of them.

"Hey say something."

"No you say something."

Tian Hei turned around to face the two.

"Is there something wrong?"

"N..No, Nothing."

He turned back and continued to trudge in search of the source of the world. Internally both Xin Fan and Tianfei had the same thing in mind. This person reminded them of Chilong. Of course, they knew well that Chilong was the same age as them and this body was pretty much double that.

-

Throughout the mountains behind Zhiqi Village, a voice echoed throughout the forest.

"You...return them..."

A figure turned around looked towards the sound.

"Land Guardian? Make me! I'm only here to feed off their evils and make them innocent."

"Don't talk about innocence in front of me...Go....master wolf..."

From the brushes emerged a large white wolf. If, Xin Fan had been here, he would have recognized this figure. It was the same wolf he had seen on that day. The wolf pounced on the figure however the figure dissipated into a puff of mist. The wolf dug at the air only to hit nothing. It howled in the sky in shame.

"Master...he's gone..."

"Don't worry...I'll personally deal with him."

A spectral hand materialized and stroke the wolf's head.

"How dare he mess around in my territory."

-

*Shuffle*

"We found it!"

Xin Fan dashed forwards to dive into the underbrush.

"Ouch!"

Instead of finding the creature, he instead collided with another boy. It was one of the boys from the other group they separated with.

"Huh? Why are you here?"

"Why are YOU here?"

Xin Fan's mind blanked. They left in completely opposite directions yet now they meet up. Xin Fan was sure that they had been walking straight. Tian Hei's expression turned dark.

"It's a smart one...It knows we are trying to find it. It must be in hiding to slowly break us apart. Try to control our mind so we won't fight back."

Tianfei suddenly interjected. She looked even more lost than before.

"What is this about mind control? You have all been acting weird ever since we left that clearing."

Tian Hei turned around to look at her in surprise.

"W...What do you mean? Didn't you experience it? That urge to join them?"

Tianfei shook her head. She looked worriedly at the rest.

"I didn't feel a thing. Also, who's them? You all started to shake for no reason."

"Big sister is right. There was nothing."

The 4 year old girl also agreed with her. She was one of the few people to be unaffected. From Tianfei's perspective, everyone started to act strange all of a sudden.

"Strange...very strange."

"I think we have to go as a group."

Suddenly a white figure flashed through the air. It was only for a moment but it definitely was there.

"Now it's mocking us. After it!"

Xin Fan was the first to move and maneuvered through the trees to chase that white creature. Due to his qi limitations, he was forced to use only his body. Xin Fan felt as if his body was not moving like it should and was weighed down. As Xin Fan neared the figure, the figure stopped and disappeared into thin air.

"Did you get it?"

"I..It disappeared!"

The rest hurried over behind him slowly catching up. Xin Fan was collapsed onto the ground exhausted.

"What do you mean it disappeared?"

"I mean exactly what I mean. It's gone."

"But that's impossible!"

"But it happened."

"It can't be. That shouldn't happen, unless..."

The sun started to set and a sole moon enveloped the sky. The group decided to have a break and think of other ways to escape.

-

A pair of beady red eyes shined in the darkness. The snow slowly blanketed the figure as it shook it's small body.

"Phew...that kid almost got me."

Just as he said it, a large shadowy figure loomed over his hiding location.

"Found... you."

The figure within the shrubs internally cursed before disappearing again into the air.

-

"So what do we do now?"

"I don't know..."

The group was dejected and there really wasn't anything they could do about it. The creature could appear and disappear at will. It could create illusions to slowly corrode one's mind. Furthermore, they could not even use any techniques.

"I...think I have an idea."

The three year old boy sitting besides Tian Hei spoke up. This may have been the first time he actually talked.

"You do?"

The boy chuckled with a glint in his eye. He had the expression of one who has been through many encounters with beasts and knew every move they could make.

"If we can't get to it, make it come to us."

"And how do we do that?"

"It's simple really. All we have to do is ..."

The boy explained an in depth plan that almost seems to work.

"How can you be so sure he would come?"

"I don't, that's why it's a gamble."

Tianfei looked at the boy in amazement. If all the a.s.sumptions were right, the plan had no flaws. If all went well, they could escape. Tianfei was the centerpiece of the whole plan.