Flesh and blood splattered across his face, indescribably gruesome and terrifying.
The man slowly rose and suddenly flashed before her, raising a stone brick—
“Merely an Illusion demon, how dare you run rampant—” A clear, cold male voice rang out, causing Lin Yao to shudder and regain her senses. Before her eyes, there was no trace of any civilian residence or dry well—she had clearly fallen under an illusion technique!
Lin Yao was both furious and shaken by belated fear. She never expected this Illusion demon could see through her thoughts, creating an illusion the moment she found it to trap her inside. If not for this timely voice, she might have already become a pile of mud like the woman in the illusion!
The man swiftly untied the wooden qin from his back, flipped it over, and steadily plucked several crystalline notes in mid-air. As the music sounded, a cluster of crimson flames appeared before the crowd.
People screamed and scrambled away in panic.
The man’s fingers danced rapidly across the strings, sending waves of magical power shooting fiercely toward the crimson flames with each note—
Seeing the situation turning unfavorable, the crimson flames swiftly fled.
“Trying to escape? In your dreams—” Another man suddenly emerged from the crowd, giving chase.
The previous qin-playing man put away his instrument, watching his senior brother give chase while shaking his head with a hand to his forehead.
Only then did Lin Yao clearly see his appearance. The man appeared to be around twenty years old, with thick, slender eyebrows, slightly upturned eyes, a high and straight nose, and lips of moderate thickness. Paired with his towering, elegant stature, he truly possessed the transcendent grace of an immortal. However, his messy short hair combined with a water-blue forehead ribbon gave him a rather distinctive appearance…
“Xiao Yuanzi, bring the medicine,” he said to the young boy behind him.
The young boy had already taken out the medicine and, upon hearing his senior brother’s instruction, immediately walked to Xue Miao and handed it to the maid beside her.
“This medicine can dispel demon poison. Please take it quickly,” the young boy explained hastily, worried that Xue Miao might refuse. “We are disciples of Jade Capital Pavilion. This is my third senior brother, Yan Wuyou.”
Jade Capital Pavilion? Zhou Tianshi? That’s the director of the Demon Catching Division! However, in the current prosperous dynasty, traces of demons have become scarce, and the Demon Catching Division has closed down.
Xue Miao was already in so much pain she nearly fainted, beyond caring about such details. In her dazed state, she snatched the pill and quickly swallowed it.
Lin Yao suddenly turned to look at He Wanyin: “Miss He, you should take one too.”
Everyone looked at her in confusion.
He Wanyin sneered, “Have you lost your mind from fright? I wasn’t scratched by that demon creature. Why would I need medicine?”
Unexpectedly, Yan Wuyou also sneered, staring at He Wanyin, “You should take it.”
As he spoke, he grabbed her wrist and squeezed hard—
Everyone gasped in shock!
The originally delicate He Wanyin instantly contorted, her entire face twisting grotesquely. Within moments, a tall man emerged from her body—precisely the fair-skinned, tall man from the illusion!
The real He Wanyin stood with her mouth slightly agape, tears streaming down her dazed face, clearly trapped in the demon’s illusion.
“Interesting,” the Illusion demon chuckled contemptuously. “How about we play a game? If you can escape from here, I’ll tell you where your senior brother is.”
As soon as the words fell, everything before everyone’s eyes suddenly went black, and they found themselves in a residence—exactly the same residence from Lin Yao’s earlier illusion!
Everyone watched as the man stood before the blood-stained dry well, staring at them with a sinister gaze, and screamed in terror. Someone whispered, “Master mage, we’ll leave the demon capture to you. Let’s hide inside the house.”
Upon hearing this, the others nodded repeatedly and, without waiting for Yan Wuyou’s response, swarmed into the house.
Lin Yao couldn’t help but frown.
“Cousin, cousin,” she tried calling out to them, but the two paid no heed and headed straight inside.
Lin Yao’s brow furrowed even tighter.
Yan Wuyou shrugged at her, spreading his hands helplessly: Nothing to be done!
Sure enough, with a loud “bang,” the door slammed shut on its own, and the man by the well vanished—
“Giggle, giggle…” The lamplight went out, and a sinister female voice echoed inside the room.
“There’s a ghost—”
“Master mage, save us—”
“Wasn’t the male demon outside? How did a female ghost appear now?”
Those near the door pushed and rammed against it, but the door seemed sealed with yellow mud, refusing to budge.
Lin Yao and Yan Wuyou focused their energy, sending waves of palm force at the door, yet it remained unmoving!
“Who shall I devour first—” the female demon deliberately drew out her words.
Everyone was too terrified to make a sound, afraid the demon would choose them. The room fell into utter silence.
A moment later, the female demon chuckled seductively, “I choose you!”
“Ah—” Blood splattered against the window paper, dripping steadily—
Many fainted from fear. The rest frantically threw themselves against the door.
Suddenly, a cold breath brushed against Lin Yao’s ear, “Your turn—”
Gritting her teeth, Lin Yao clenched her fist, swung her arm, and struck her chest hard: Tao Tao, come assist me now!
Her palm instantly grew scorching hot. A surge of immense magical power gathered in her hand with a shimmering purple light, condensing into a faint purple flame that danced excitedly, ready to burst forth!
“It’s all an illusion—” Lin Yao shouted, throwing everything into striking the dry well—
In an instant, a buzzing filled her ears, like a drowning person just reaching shore—painful and suffocating.
“Finally out, that nearly killed me.”
“Third Brother, you didn’t see how disgusting that clump of hair was…” He Lian Mingche gagged as he spoke.
“Yao Yao—” Ji Shiyun was on the verge of tears from anxiety.
Only then did Lin Yao finally catch her breath, coughing heavily a few times before waving her hand. “I’m fine.” She scanned the surroundings—it was still the same Matchmaker Temple, and everyone appeared unharmed. She then asked, “Where’s Xue Miao?”
Ji Shiyun pointed toward a willow tree not far away. “Sitting over there. Someone bumped into her earlier, and she sprained her ankle.”
Lin Yao followed her gaze and indeed saw Xue Miao sitting angrily on a stone bench, her mouth moving as if muttering something. Her face, however, was completely unharmed!
How could that be?
“Yao Yao, these mages said you were possessed just now…”
Hearing this, Lin Yao looked up at Yan Wuyou, puzzled. “I heard your zither music. Didn’t it break the illusion?”
He Lian Mingche shook his head. “Not exactly. We were passing by and saw you staring blankly, unresponsive no matter how this young lady called out to you. That’s when we realized you were under an illusion technique.”
Xiao Yuanzi nodded. “The three of us, fellow disciples, joined forces to enter your illusion. Third Brother used his zither music to guide you out of the formation.”
“What a pity your mental fortitude is insufficient. No sooner had we escaped the illusion than you forcibly dragged us all back in.” Yan Wuyou shook his head with a hand to his forehead, then added, “If Xiao Yuanzi didn’t possess a Pure Yang constitution, he’d be like Second Brother—chasing a clump of hair through the streets…”
“So that’s what happened. I was careless.” Lin Yao finally understood. From that first scream, she had fallen into an endless illusion. It wasn’t until the final moment, when she noticed something strange about her cousins, that she suddenly came to her senses!
“Not completely foolish after all. Tell me, how did you detect that something was wrong with Miss He?” Yan Wuyou crossed his arms, waiting with interest for her answer.
“It wasn’t difficult,” Lin Yao recalled. “In the first illusion, the demon misled me into thinking the evildoer was a man. But the hand holding the brick clearly belonged to a petite woman. In the second illusion, He Wanyin was far too calm.”
“Exactly! I was wondering too—how could such a tall man have such small hands!” Xiao Yuanzi scratched his head as he spoke.
Yan Wuyou gave a slight nod and asked, “How did you see through the third illusion?”
“That was even simpler. How could my cousins possibly abandon me and run away on their own?” Lin Yao smiled faintly and leaned closer to him. “I’d like to ask the master—if I hadn’t seen through it, what would you have done?”
“Simple.” Yan Wuyou’s lips curved as he turned to stare at Xiao Yuanzi.
Steeling himself, Xiao Yuanzi bit his index finger and pressed the blood to Lin Yao’s forehead—
Lin Yao: Damn! Fell for that wretched Demon Hunter’s trick…
Yan Wuyou: Huh? Why isn’t there any reaction? Her aura is clearly abnormal…
Xiao Yuanzi: That hurts…
Lin Yao now understood—Yan Wuyou was after Tao Tao. While the warmth on her palm remained, she immediately sent a mental message: Someone’s targeting you. Be careful!
Tao Wu: Did you have to hit so hard?
The group exchanged glances, each with their own thoughts, the atmosphere growing slightly tense…
Ji Shiyun looked utterly confused: “Master, what are you all talking about?”
“Simply put, your cousin has been possessed by evil, and Xiao Yuanzi’s Pure Yang blood can ward it off.” Yan Wuyou cleared his throat lightly and continued, “Additionally, that demon has now disappeared and will likely come after her again.”
He Lian Mingche and Xiao Yuanzi both nodded in agreement.
“What should we do then?” Ji Shiyun asked anxiously.
“Turn passive into active!” Lin Yao interjected. “Instead of waiting for it to find me, the masters should go find it first!”
Yan Wuyou rested his chin on his hand, showing an approving expression.
Before Ji Shiyun could react, Lin Yao asked another question: “Cousin, do you know which family in Yidu has a dry well?”
“A dry well?” Ji Shiyun frowned slightly, thinking it over. “Yidu is near water, so few households dig wells. Prominent families especially avoid leaking their fortune. However, there is one exception—the He family!”
Then Ji Shiyun explained the He family’s background…
The He ancestors were Fengshui and divination masters. Perhaps for peeking into heavenly secrets, they suffered divine retribution—the He family line became sparse. To accumulate blessings for their descendants, the current head, He Zhang, turned to maritime trade.
Both the He and Ji families were merchants relying on the sea, so naturally they maintained close relations.
Ten years ago, He Zhang’s wife, Mrs. Lin, passed away from illness. The seven-year-old He Wanyin became increasingly melancholic and often fell ill. Being the same age and with their families close, Ji Shiyun frequently visited the He residence to check on her.
One time, when the four siblings from both families were playing hide-and-seek in the courtyard, it was the Ji siblings’ turn to hide. Unintentionally, they wandered to the front of a locked courtyard and grew curious…
“Big brother, let’s just take a peek.”
“Alright, just one look—but remember, do not gaze upon impropriety.”
Unable to resist his younger sister’s persistence, Ji Shiyue had no choice but to lift her up, hoisting her high.
As Ji Shiyun climbed onto the top of the wall, she saw what appeared to be a deserted courtyard, bleak and lifeless. In the yard stood a well, its rim mostly worn away, the mouth sealed with several talismans crossed over it. Beside it grew a sickly, drooping willow tree.
Just as she was feeling puzzled, He Changfeng’s anxious and restrained voice came from behind.
“Come down quickly—”