The ground trembled violently, and dust choked the air. Yu Zaixi endured the agonizing pain in his heart and limbs, turning away in silence.
As the world collapsed around them, the illusion dissipated like a desert mirage, leaving only the sound of cold, drizzling rain and the familiar pool in the courtyard.
The Luozhong illusion was dim and shrouded in low, heavy black clouds. The rain showed no sign of stopping. Yu Zaixi wiped his face, casually clearing the blood that had been washed from the corners of his mouth by the rain. He wanted to leave, but he hesitated, glancing back at Jiang Yan. When he finally spoke, his voice sounded as though he had swallowed sand, so raspy and muffled that it was difficult to discern his words.
After Yu Zaixi left, Jiang Yan stared at the empty courtyard for a long time, finally deciphering what had been said: “Hurry and find out what is wrong with this illusion.”
Yu Zaixi did not allow himself much time for melancholy or displeasure. He left the courtyard, opened a transport array to return to the inn, and quickly bathed and changed his clothes. Emerging again, he raised a crimson paper umbrella and joined the crowd on the main street.
The main street led to the new City Lord’s mansion. It was unnatural for two City Lord’s mansions to be operating in such a small city, especially given the ancestral hall in the old mansion filled with nameless tablets.
He had originally intended to avoid Jiang Yan, wait for him to figure out the secrets of the illusion, send the ghost Dalu spoke of into reincarnation, and investigate the truth about Qin Nai’s Master, only to slip away unnoticed. He had not anticipated this turn of events.
To be saved by Jiang Yan when I am at death’s door, Yu Zaixi sighed long and hard. After repeating a thousand times that it was useless, he arrived at the gates of the City Lord’s mansion and tilted his umbrella upward. Jiang Yan looked calm, as if nothing had happened. Qin Nai had changed into new clothes, looking composed and no longer so disheveled. Miao Pei was there too, looking bewildered, his wide eyes darting back and forth between the group.
Standing below the steps, the youth in black, holding a red umbrella, looked exquisite and noble, with gold silk shimmering against his chest and fine white fingers gripping the handle. Yet, in his eyes, there was only an unavoidable, weary mockery.
“We are all here,” Yu Zaixi remarked dryly.
It was not impossible to get them all together. From the moment they entered, no one had been truly focused on unraveling the secrets of the illusion. Now, with a little push, Miao Pei, who had disappeared, had returned, and Qin Nai, who had left the group, had arrived. This small, forced collective was filled with individuals harboring their own hidden agendas, only now peeling back the facade to reveal their true faces.
It did not matter. Whatever schemes they held did not concern him, as long as they did their part when the time came.
Jiang Yan gestured, and the gates of the City Lord’s mansion swung open. The servants and officials inside turned back in surprise. The three in front each deployed arrays to ward off the rain, leaving only Yu Zaixi following far behind with his umbrella. He had shed his usual slacker demeanor; the coldness in his eyes made anyone who caught his gaze shudder.
“Who are you people? How dare you trespass in the City Lord’s mansion!”
“Audacious! Who gave you permission to enter?”
“Go call the guards!”
They shouted but dared not approach. Anyone with eyes could see these were cultivators, so they kept their distance. Amidst the clamor, the four entered the inner courtyard. House servants and guards rushed out with thick wooden staves, surrounding them. One of the elders, who held no weapon, asked, “For what reason have you trespassed in the City Lord’s mansion?”
The area fell into dead silence; no one answered him. A moment later, Yu Zaixi slowly revealed half his face from beneath the umbrella, a cold sneer tugging at his crimson lips. Just as the servant was about to speak again, he timed his interruption perfectly: “This City Lord’s mansion is overflowing with ghostly energy. It does not look like a place where the living reside.”
His voice was heavy. As he finished speaking, the surroundings suddenly darkened. Wisps of black fog rose from all directions, and the entire mansion instantly vanished into the mist. Everyone’s faces became blurred, their features melting away; it was unmistakably a ghost mansion.
Jiang Yan turned to look for Yu Zaixi, but behind him was empty air. Miao Pei skillfully lit a God-Bone Candle, but because it was ghost energy, the flame was useless. He blew it out and rummaged through his storage bag for a long time until he found a golden light mirror embedded with glazed beads. As long as there was even a sliver of light, it could reflect it with the brilliance of the midday sun.
Miao Pei shone the mirror around, finally finding Yu Zaixi on the path toward the back courtyard. He felt a surge of joy, but before he could speak, he watched as Yu Zaixi’s silhouette flickered. His black clothes turned blood-red in the blink of an eye. Looking closer, it appeared he had been wearing white, but it was now dyed crimson, and the hand gripping the umbrella handle was covered in lacerations. Even the side of his face, revealed when he turned, was stained with blood.
“That is…”
Miao Pei’s voice trembled, unable to finish the sentence. After a long moment of shock, he turned to Jiang Yan, only to see the man’s face pale and cold, frost seeming to gather between his brows.
“Is this Yuan Qi after his suicide three hundred years ago?” Qin Nai’s voice emerged from the black fog, though the mist was too thick to see where he stood.
This was indeed how Yuan Qi had looked after his suicide. But why would he appear here? Was it a fake? All three knew it had to be fake, but the crucial question was whether this was Yu Zaixi transformed, or if he had been controlled by someone else without realizing it.
The mansion was eerily abnormal. They dared not alert the enemy for fear of harming Yu Zaixi, yet they could not stand idly by. They followed Yu Zaixi into the back courtyard.
This was where the City Lord and his family rested, now concealed in black fog. Yu Zaixi moved with grace, stepping quickly into a grand hall. Tall jade pillars supported a vast ceiling, and the polished green stone floor reflected the intricate, bizarre carvings above.
Miao Pei looked around after entering the bedchamber, unable to identify what was wrong. Just as he was puzzled, Qin Nai hissed, signaling them to look at the windows. The windows of this chamber were opened very high, narrow strips near the ceiling, while below were high walls of jade stone. Even the door they had entered through was narrow.
Qin Nai scanned the room, noticing that all the furniture was a size smaller than usual and placed without regard for feng shui—or rather, without regard for the feng shui of the living. He suddenly realized, his brow knitting: “This is not a bedchamber for the living. It is a tomb!”
Miao Pei let out an exclamation, his expression growing strange. He looked at Yu Zaixi, who was sitting in the center of the room. He had not closed his umbrella; he held it open, covering his face.
Yu Zaixi was naturally thin and lean. Normally, his outer robes gave him some presence, but now his fragile frame was visible. Sitting on a chair that was clearly too small for him, he seemed strangely suited to the space. Coupled with the red umbrella, the scene was spine-chilling.
Miao Pei retreated behind Jiang Yan. He had vanquished countless demons, but this was his first direct encounter with a ghost, especially one as blood-soaked as Yu Zaixi. When Jiang Yan had brought Yuan Qi’s body back to Wushang Peak years ago, Miao Pei had only glanced at it once; the state of the corpse had been too tragic to bear. He had assumed Jiang Yan forbade anyone from going near it later.
He mentally prepared himself for what lay beneath the umbrella, relieved to find it was not as bad as he imagined, only for that relief to be sucked away when the red umbrella shivered and was folded, revealing the blood-soaked features beneath.
Yu Zaixi’s features were handsome with a touch of seduction. He was actually suited for red; his skin, pale as paper, now radiated an eerie, demonic quality. When he raised his eyes, he exerted an indescribable pull, like a peach blossom soaked in blood. He spoke softly, his words tapping against their hearts: “Are you afraid of me?”
“Why be afraid?” Yu Zaixi looked at them with a smile. “I am already dead. There is no need to fear.”
It was even more bizarre. No one could tell if he was Yuan Qi or Yu Zaixi.
“Miao Pei.”
Yu Zaixi spoke his name softly. Miao Pei felt as if a beast had gripped his throat; his face flushed red, and he forgot how to breathe, his entire body stiffening. Cold sweat soaked his clothes, and he waited obediently for the next sentence.
“Why did you switch to practicing the blade?” he asked.
Miao Pei and Qin Nai gasped simultaneously, leaving only Jiang Yan standing motionless, his brow furrowed in deep thought.
Yu Zaixi locked eyes with Jiang Yan, offering a cold, chilling smile, his voice light and illusory. “Why are you so unhappy?”
Jiang Yan’s gaze remained fixed, as if he were looking through him at someone else.
Yu Zaixi asked again, “Why have I not been reincarnated? Jiang Yan, what method did you use to keep my soul trapped?”
As soon as he finished speaking, a cyan light flashed in the room, and the intent of the Wushang sword flooded the space. Jiang Yan slashed his sword, but the place where Yu Zaixi had been sitting was empty; the tables and chairs split and shattered to the ground.
Miao Pei cried out, rushing to intervene: “Master, that is Brother Yuan!”
But the next instant, his hand was gripped by an ice-cold hand. Miao Pei turned back, dazed. Yu Zaixi had flashed before him, offered a faint smile, and struck toward his heart.
In the flash of lightning, the Wushang cyan light arrived. Qin Nai threw a talisman, and Miao Pei reacted quickly, blocking with his other hand. As the four forces collided, Yu Zaixi flipped backward, evading the follow-up attack. Miao Pei was sent stumbling back several steps, clutching his chest in pain.
Before he could scream, Yu Zaixi was back before them. Golden light flooded the room as Qin Nai burned a talisman, briefly obscuring Yu Zaixi’s vision. Panting, he dragged Miao Pei out of the tomb, slammed the door shut, and slapped several talismans onto it, quickly encircling the building to create a containment array, trapping Yu Zaixi and Jiang Yan inside.
Miao Pei caught his breath, shocked: “Why would Brother Yuan want to kill me?”
He stared, thinking for a moment, and seemed ready to cry out of grievance: “When I wanted to go down the mountain with him, he clearly told me to stay at Wushang Peak and cultivate properly with Master. He must blame me. He blames me for not rushing to save him when he was at his most helpless.”
Qin Nai checked the array again before relaxing. “He told you that before he went down the mountain?”
Miao Pei nodded: “He only told me that. And about me switching to the blade—he gave me a sword. I thought he wanted me to switch paths.”
“The sword he gave you?” Qin Nai looked at Miao Pei, confused.
Miao Pei responded, then froze.
“That’s right, the blade Brother Yuan gave me.”
So, the person inside the room who did not know why Miao Pei switched to the blade was not Yuan Qi!
“Who exactly are you!” Jiang Yan forced the lunging Yu Zaixi back with a single stroke. Cyan light surged from his hand, transforming into a dragon that lunged at the ‘Yu Zaixi.’
‘Yu Zaixi’ cackled, dodging. His skin grew paler, losing its paper-like appearance and becoming like that of a corpse, his voice turning sharp and buzzing: “Just how did you manage to trap Yuan Qi’s soul!”
“By what right? By what right is it so easy for you to do these things, while I give everything and still cannot!”