Heroes' Prison Chapter 56

The sun was gradually setting, and the yellow glow of the sunset sprinkled across the forest, blanketing each leaf as if there was a golden ocean with glittering waves. In this ancient village, some elderly people sat on wicker chairs at their doorsteps, watching the sunset with serene expressions, as if reminiscing about long-past stories.

This was just an ordinary small village; these elders had lived here all their lives, but for Huang Yi, the traveler, he might only pass through this place once in his lifetime.

"Meow~" Just at that moment, the Little White Cat stretched lazily, sleepily meowed, and opened her sleepy big eyes, her little head looking around left and right, as if searching for something.

When she saw Huang Yi standing by the window, her big eyes blinked suddenly, and she meowed affectionately again, "Meow~," dragging out the tone, coquettishly, but she did not get up.

"You’re so lazy! Do I have to pick you up out of bed?" Huang Yi turned around, glanced at the Little White Cat, shook his head with a smile, and walked over to pick her up.

The Little White Cat happily rubbed herself in Huang Yi’s arms, squinting her eyes, looking totally content. The sunset outside the window shone in obliquely, casting a golden soft light on them, and threw a long shadow.

"Let’s go! We need to get back on the road," Huang Yi said as he patted the Little White Cat’s head and walked over to Little Wang, giving it a gentle push.

Little Wang lay on the ground, deeply asleep and drooling. Roused by Huang Yi’s push, it didn’t want to wake up immediately, its tail swiped lightly with no real response.

Huang Yi didn’t bother with it and directly pushed the door open to go downstairs.

That finally got a reaction from Little Wang, who quickly stumbled to his feet, half-closing his sleepy eyes, and followed in a daze, drooling all along the way.

Downstairs, the inn’s young girl was sitting at the entrance, illuminated by the golden afterglow, propping her chin up, gazing toward the sunset-bathed distance, seemingly longing for the outside world.

Upon hearing Huang Yi’s footsteps, she turned her head and immediately stood up, her voice clear, "Big brother, are you leaving now?"

"Yes," Huang Yi nodded.

"Are you going to a far, far away place?" The little girl looked up at Huang Yi with longing.

"Yes," Huang Yi nodded again.

"I really want to go too," the little girl exclaimed enviously, "but I’m too young to go far. I’ve heard from Poet brother that in the faraway places there are oceans made of flowers, prairies that even dandelions can’t drift to, a World Tree taller than the giant tree at the edge of our village, the Giant Dragons that soar through the sky in legends, and heroes that are sung about in Epics, is that true?"

"Yes, it is," Huang Yi said as he reached out to pat her little head.

The little girl bit her lower lip, then suddenly ran to the inn’s cupboard, took out a doll, and handed it to Huang Yi, "Big brother, this is my favorite doll. Can you take it with you to the faraway places for me? That way, when I look toward the distance, I’ll know that my doll has been there, leaving my mark in the faraway lands."

Huang Yi smiled slightly and carefully accepted the doll as if he was accepting the little girl’s hope.

He then solemnly hooked the doll onto his back and took out a pair of shoes from the storage ring, handing them to the little girl. He touched her head and said, "These shoes represent the faraway places. They are for you. When you grow up, wear them and set out for the places you wish to visit!"

Having said that, Huang Yi, carrying the doll on his back, walked out of the inn and, in the light of the sunset, headed off into the distance.

...

The sun had set, and the giant Bright Moon, accompanied by seven Colored Stars, slowly rose.

Huang Yi, holding Little White Cat in his arms, made his way north through the forest.

He had been traveling like this for a whole night, crossing countless streams and climbing over countless mountains. Yet every time he reached the summit and looked down, he would only see more mountains, seemingly boundless, as if he would never make his way out.

At this moment, Huang Yi climbed over a new mountaintop and took a long look down.

Suddenly, he could no longer take his eyes off the scene.

Below the mountaintop lay a vast lake, its calm waters coated with a layer of bright moonlight, billowing with strands of milky-white breath. The radiant moonlight reflected off these strands, creating a spectacle of magnificent beauty.

In the darkness of the night, the lake seemed like a sacred realm.

Huang Yi took a deep breath. This lake was almost certainly the one the Beast God had spoken of, the place where the Holy Aura that could awaken Little White Cat resided.

Clutching Little White Cat, Huang Yi rushed down the mountaintop, with Little Wang furiously trailing behind, both headed towards the lake bathed in moonlight.

It didn’t take long for Huang Yi to emerge from the forest and arrive at the lakeshore, looking up in every direction.

The lake was vast, seemingly endless like an ocean; with the moon rising above the waters, it gave off the sense of "the Sea has brought forth the bright moon." The milky-white breath rising from the lake surface was powerful and boundless. Just standing on the shore and taking a breath made him feel refreshed, his fatigue vanishing completely, and he felt invigorated.

However, this milky-white breath was clearly not the purest Holy Aura that could awaken Little White Cat. To find that thread of divine breath in such a large lake would be akin to searching for a needle in a haystack.

Huang Yi speculated that the Holy Aura must be so precious that it would be located somewhere inaccessible to ordinary people. Such places could only be two: one at the bottom of the lake, and the other on an islet within the lake.

Unable to venture to the lake’s bottom, Huang Yi had no choice but to find a way to the middle of the lake and search for any suspicious islets.

With no boats in sight, reaching the center of the lake posed a significant challenge. After pondering for a while, he decided to first walk around the lake to see if there were any suspicious spots.

"Little Wang, your nose is sharp, so pay attention and sniff for any unusual scents along the way. It’s all up to you now," Huang Yi said, holding Little White Cat and looking down at Little Wang.

"Woof woof!" Little Wang barked twice, nodding vigorously with a proud and resounding voice as if proud to finally be of great use. Following that, it quickly began to scout along the bank, dashing forward and sniffing the ground in earnest.

Huang Yi followed closely, carefully observing the left and right for any clue.

And so, Huang Yi and Little Wang walked farther and farther along the lakeshore, gradually disappearing into the distance.

Just as they disappeared, the milky-white breath in the air suddenly churned, rapidly coalescing to form a faint Dragon Head that looked timeworn. It gazed thoughtfully in the direction Huang Yi had vanished...