Peach Blossoms in Chang'an

Chapter 251: Burn Your Boats and Win

"How could this happen?" Wu Tao's voice was trembling, her beautiful eyes were full of anxiety, she tightly grasped Hu Bugui's hand, "Are we really going to give up?"

Hu Bugui frowned, and a trace of pain flashed in his deep eyes, but he quickly calmed down, firmly shook Wu Tao's hand, and said in a steady and powerful tone, "No, Taotao, we must have other ways."

In the laboratory, technicians were still nervously troubleshooting equipment failures, but they could not find the cause of the problem. Time passed by, and the scheduled time for the crossing was getting closer and closer. The air was filled with anxiety and uneasiness.

"Taotao, don't come back. Don't give up!" Wu's father and mother walked forward anxiously, their eyes full of worry and encouragement.

"Yes, we all believe in you!" The companions also gathered around them. Their firm gazes and encouraging words rekindled the flame of hope in Wu Tao and Hu Bugui's hearts.

At this moment, the lights in the laboratory suddenly flickered a few times, and an illusory figure slowly appeared in front of everyone. It was the soul of the wise man from ancient times who had guided them.

"It's you!" Wu Tao shouted in surprise, "Why are you here?"

The wise man looked at them kindly and spoke slowly: "I know you are in trouble. I am here to help you."

"Do you know how to repair this device?" Hu Bugui asked anxiously.

The wise man shook his head. "This device is connected to the space-time tunnel. Its structure is far more complicated than you can imagine. I cannot repair it with my power."

Wu Tao and Hu Bugui's hearts sank suddenly. Are they really going to be trapped in this era forever?

"But..." The wise man paused and continued, "I understand the structure of this device. Repairing it requires an extremely rare material called 'Sky Star Stone'. This stone has powerful energy and can stabilize the energy fluctuations of the space-time tunnel."

"Heavenly Star Stone?" Wu Tao and Hu Bugui asked in unison, "Where can we find this kind of stone?"

The wise man looked deep and spoke meaningfully: "The Sky Star Stone, as the name implies, is the star that fell from the sky to the earth. It can only be found in..." He paused, his eyes fell on Wu Tao, "only in the Tang Dynasty, can its traces be found."

Wu Tao and Hu Bugui exchanged glances. They both understood what this meant. This would be an adventure full of unknowns and dangers, but in order to return to their time and space, and for their love, they had no choice.

"Let's go to the Tang Dynasty!" Wu Tao said in a firm tone, with a determined light flashing in his eyes.

"Taotao..." Hu Bugui held her hand tightly. He knew the road ahead would be difficult, but he would always be by her side and face all challenges together.

"But..." The technician looked troubled, "This equipment can no longer be started. How are you going to get to the Tang Dynasty?"

Wu Tao and Hu Bugui smiled at each other. They had already made the decision. Even without this equipment, they would try their best to return to the Tang Dynasty!

"We..." Wu Tao took a deep breath and was about to speak, when suddenly, a burst of hurried footsteps came from outside the laboratory, and then a panicked voice broke the solemn atmosphere in the room, "Oh no! Something happened!"

"What's wrong? What happened?" Wu Tao's heart tightened and a feeling of uneasiness spread.

The person who broke in was a partner who started a business with them. He was sweating and panting and said, "Police...Police...They...They are here!"

Everyone was shocked, and an invisible pressure enveloped the laboratory.

"Police? What are they here for?" Wu's mother asked anxiously, with a hint of panic in her tone.

“They…they said we were suspected of illegally researching and manufacturing dangerous goods, and they wanted to seal off this place!” the partner explained intermittently, his face full of fear.

"How could this happen?" Father Wu muttered to himself in disbelief, his already wrinkled face becoming even more solemn.

Hu Bugui's eyes shone, he realized that things were not simple, it was very likely that someone was deliberately manipulating behind the scenes to prevent them from returning to the Tang Dynasty. But he had no time to think about it, the most urgent task was to protect the safety of Wu Tao and his companions.

"Taotao, let's leave here first!" Hu Bugui said decisively, took Wu Tao's hand and walked out.

"But..." Wu Tao looked back at the complex and sophisticated equipment in the laboratory, his heart filled with reluctance and worry.

"Don't worry, we will be back." Hu Bugui gave her a firm look, telling her to rest assured.

Wu's father, Wu's mother and their partners followed closely and they quickly evacuated the laboratory.

After leaving the laboratory, they came to a secluded place to discuss their next plan.

"What should we do now? Where should we go?" one of the companions asked anxiously, his tone full of confusion and uneasiness.

"We can't just sit there and wait for death!" Wu Tao said firmly, "We must find the Heavenly Star Stone as soon as possible and return to the Tang Dynasty!"

"But we don't even have a place to stay now, let alone where to find the Sky Star Stone." Another companion said helplessly, with a hint of despair in his tone.

"We will find a way." Hu Bugui calmed everyone down while quickly thinking of countermeasures in his mind.

"Taotao, Bugui, you don't have to worry about us, just go and pursue your dreams!" Father Wu held Wu Tao's hand and said kindly, "Your mother and I are old, it doesn't matter where you are. As long as you are fine, we will be relieved."

"Yes, Taotao, Bugui, we believe in you!" Wu's mother also stepped forward and hugged Wu Tao and Hu Bugui tightly, "You must be brave to pursue the happiness that belongs to you!"

The love and support of their parents filled Wu Tao and Hu Bugui's hearts with warmth and strength. They knew that even though the road ahead was full of unknowns and challenges, they were not fighting alone, and they still had the unwavering support of their family and friends.

"Thank you, Dad. Thank you, Mom!" Wu Tao hugged her parents tightly with tears in her eyes.

"Thank you, uncle and aunt!" Hu Bugui also bowed to the two old people with gratitude.

"We..." A companion stepped forward, hesitant to speak. "We..." A companion stepped forward, hesitant to speak. He took a deep breath, as if he had made an important decision, "We will go with you too!"

As soon as this was said, the other partners nodded in agreement.

"That's right, it's better for us to work together to find a solution than for you to fight alone!"

"Taotao, Bugui, don't worry, we will do our best to help you!"

Wu Tao and Hu Bugui were deeply moved by their partners' enthusiasm and loyalty. They knew that they were not fighting alone. They had a group of like-minded partners around them who were willing to fight alongside them and face challenges together.

"Thank you everyone!" Wu Tao and Hu Bugui said in unison, with determination flashing in their eyes.

With the support of their partners, Wu Tao and Hu Bugui were more confident and powerful, and they began to prepare everything they needed to travel back to the Tang Dynasty. Using their own resources and connections, their partners provided them with the necessary supplies and information, including maps, compasses, and some items that might be useful in ancient times.

However, their actions were soon discovered by the villain forces who had been secretly monitoring them.

"What do they want to do? Are they trying to escape?"

"We must not let them succeed!"

After the villains learned of Wu Tao and Hu Bugui's plan, they became furious and decided to stop them from leaving the modern world at all costs. They sent their men to hunt down Wu Tao, Hu Bugui and others.

With the help of their friends, Wu Tao and Hu Bugui avoided the villains' pursuit everywhere. They were like a group of prey being chased by hunters, shuttling through the streets and alleys of the city, surrounded by dangers.

"They are catching up, let's go!"

"This way!"

The friends used their familiarity with the city to cleverly escape from crisis again and again, but the villains pursued them relentlessly, and Wu Tao, Hu Bugui and others were never able to completely get rid of their pursuit.

"This is not a solution. We will be caught by them sooner or later!" Wu Tao said anxiously.

"We must think of a way to get rid of them completely!" Hu Bugui frowned, his brain working rapidly, looking for a countermeasure.

Just then, a partner who was well-versed in ancient culture provided a clue.

"I know a place that may be able to help us!" He pointed to a remote corner on the map and said, "It is said that it was once the residence of an ancient hermit and is full of mystery. Perhaps we can try our luck there."

Wu Tao, Hu Bugui and others decided to take a risk. Under the guidance of their companions, they came to the remote corner marked on the map.

It was a deserted suburb with overgrown weeds and dense trees. A dilapidated wooden house stood alone in the woods, as if telling the vicissitudes of time.

"Is this the place?" Wu Tao looked at the dilapidated wooden house in front of him, his heart full of doubts.

His companion nodded, signaling everyone to keep quiet. He walked carefully to the wooden house and knocked gently on the wooden door.

"Dong dong dong..."

The wooden door made a dull sound that echoed in the silent woods, but there was no response from inside the house, as if the place had been abandoned for years with no signs of life.

"Is anyone there?" the companion raised his voice and knocked on the wooden door again.

At this moment, the door of the wooden house suddenly opened automatically, and an old voice came from inside the house:

"come in……"

Wu Tao and the others walked over the threshold with a little trepidation and entered the wooden house. The house was dimly lit, and the air was filled with a stale smell. The furniture was simple, with only a table, a few chairs and a bed. It looked like no one had lived there for a long time. In the back of the room sat an old man with white hair and beard, wearing a washed-out coarse cloth gown, but he was energetic and his eyes were bright.

"Who are you? Why are you here?" The old man spoke slowly, his voice low and powerful.

The companions looked at each other, and no one dared to speak first. Wu Tao took a deep breath, walked forward, and told the old man in detail their purpose and the difficulties they encountered.

After listening to Wu Tao's story, the old man was silent for a moment, then slowly said: "You want to go back to the past, which is not easy, but I can help you."

Wu Tao, Hu Bugui and others were overjoyed when they heard this and hurriedly thanked the old man. The old man asked them to be patient, then took out an ancient wooden box from his arms and handed it to Wu Tao.

"There is a magic weapon inside that can help you open the door of time and space and return to the past." The old man said, "However, time travel is full of unknown risks, so you must be mentally prepared."

Wu Tao took the wooden box and nodded solemnly to show that she understood. She opened the wooden box and saw a crystal clear jade pendant lying quietly inside. The jade pendant was engraved with complex and exquisite patterns and exuded a faint warm light.

Under the guidance of the old man, Wu Tao, Hu Bugui and others were ready to travel through time. They formed a circle, placed the jade pendant in the center, and then injected their own energy into the jade pendant according to the formula taught by the old man.

As energy was injected, the jade pendant emitted a brighter and brighter light, and gradually, the light enveloped the entire room, forming a huge ball of light. Wu Tao, Hu Bugui and others were in the ball of light, and felt a powerful force enveloping them. Their bodies became light, as if they were floating.

"The door of time and space is about to open. You must hold each other's hands tightly and don't let go!" The old man's voice echoed in my ears, "I wish you good luck!"

As soon as the words fell, the ball of light suddenly vibrated violently. Wu Tao, Hu Bugui and others held each other's hands tightly, not daring to relax at all.

"boom!"

With a loud bang, the light ball exploded instantly, turning into countless light points and dissipating into the air. Wu Tao, Hu Bugui and others only felt their eyes go dark before they lost consciousness.

……

When Wu Tao opened his eyes again, he found himself in a completely unfamiliar place...