Chapter 75: Imagination

The girl who had killed a person with such casual indifference scanned the room and walked straight inside.

Mu Qiong sat paralyzed on the ground. The wave of grief arrived belatedly, leaving her face drenched in tears. Whenever Zora moved, Mu Qiong hurriedly lowered her head, not daring to look. The hem of a blue skirt flashed past her field of vision; after Mu Qiong couldn't help but let out a sob, the other party seemed taken aback, coming to an abrupt halt for a second.

Zora was simply startled by Mu Qiong's sudden sobbing. She cast a searching look at the woman slumped on the floor with her head bowed.

Zora made a judgment.

She doesn't look like she's in any danger, and Mu Qiong doesn't look like she's about to die, so my method hasn't gone wrong so far.

In any case, as long as the center of this illusion was still breathing, it was fine.

Relieved, Zora continued walking deeper into the house. She paced around the room once. In passing, she took a bite of the food stored in a basket. It had no taste at all.

Meanwhile, Yiling Ke and the others set off to find the pharmacy physicians and others, trying their best to prevent them from seeing Mu Qiong.

...Or rather, to prevent Mu Qiong from witnessing another murder scene.

Mu Qiong cautiously used the doorframe to steady herself as she stood up, tears still clinging to her lashes. Inside the room, the girl moved as if she were in an uninhabited place, searching for something with utter nonchalance.

Zora inspected the interior. The details of the house within the illusion were insufficient; she opened a rice vat, only to find a void of blue sky inside, as if there were a hole in the bottom.

"..."

She closed the lid of the rice vat. There was nothing of use.

Zora walked out the door. She glimpsed Mu Qiong's dodging gaze and looked away immediately. She came to a halt beside Mu Qiong and began to space out on her own accord, letting her spiritual power circulate through her body for proper cultivation.

Mu Qiong assumed the other party was thinking about how to deal with her. The earlier shock of "not being afraid of this girl's killing" gradually dissolved without a trace, replaced by a conventional, creeping dread. She wiped her tears, suppressed her sobs, and lowered her head in silence, terrified of provoking the girl.

Within the illusion, Mu Qiong was indeed the center; around her, the illusion became increasingly realistic. A surging breeze swept in, blowing cold against Mu Qiong's wet face. The corpse in the courtyard had vanished, yet Mu Qiong showed no reaction, not realizing anything was wrong, as if it were perfectly logical.

Zora continued to space out: "........."

The silent atmosphere was like a sword hanging over Mu Qiong's head. She struggled to suppress the rising fear in her heart: "........."

Zora remained in her daze: "........."

In Zora's view, she only needed to follow this Mu Qiong and kill anyone who tried to help her, without actively doing anything else. Unaware of this, Mu Qiong still looked to Zora as the leader; if Zora didn't move, she didn't dare move. Slight beads of sweat began to break out on her forehead. The wind blew between the two, and silence spread.

Knock, knock.

Suddenly, the courtyard gate was struck. A man’s voice called out loudly: "Granny Wang! I'm Dr. Su from the pharmacy. They said you rescued someone who looks very weak. The last patient just left, so I thought I'd come check on you! Granny Wang!"

—

Someone coming to help her?!

Mu Qiong broke into a cold sweat.

—

Someone coming to help her.

Zora’s expression remained indifferent.

Just as Zora was about to take a step, Mu Qiong boldly blocked her path: "I... I'll send him away right now!"

Zora: "?"

Life and death were on the line; she couldn't afford to hesitate. Without waiting for Zora's answer, Mu Qiong ran to the gate, opened a small crack, and said: "I am that person. Granny Wang went to the pharmacy to find a doctor for you..."

Dr. Su, who had a beard, said in surprise: "Then didn't you miss each other? Oh dear, I'll head back first and call Granny Wang over. Don't move around, miss."

For some reason, hearing his "don't move around" sent a shiver through Mu Qiong. It was a momentary sensation, one she couldn't quite catch.

"Alright... alright... thank you, doctor..." she stammered.

Dr. Su walked away with his hands behind his back. Mu Qiong watched blankly. It wasn't that she hadn't thought about hinting for help, it was just that... that girl’s skills were too high, and she didn't want to involve innocent people.

When Mu Qiong was about to close the gate, Zora walked over from the roadside—the roadside outside the courtyard.

When did she flip outside?!

Mu Qiong froze.

Zora watched the doctor's departing back with a hint of curiosity.

Will this person also vanish like the one just now when he dies? This illusion is so convenient; it would be nice if the real world were like this.

The long-term accumulation of foul-smelling corpses often bred very bad things; the arena had once faced a crisis because of that.

She turned her head and looked at the rigid Mu Qiong again. Mu Qiong's heart was racing, her nerves throbbing; she couldn't even feel her facial muscles.

...

Will she kill her? Or is she going to kill that kind doctor from just now?

She didn't understand when she had ever provoked someone who killed people as easily as slicing vegetables.

The girl lifted her hand. Mu Qiong instinctively closed her eyes.

—That hand landed on Mu Qiong's head, patting it like a watermelon, as if a buyer were checking if the fruit was good and sweet inside.

Mu Qiong was stunned by the pats and opened her eyes.

Zora thought for a moment, deciding this was a moment to praise someone, so she said: "You did very well. Don't let anyone but me help you next time, either."

But she was only afraid the girl would kill an innocent person...

Mu Qiong swallowed, forcing a smile: "...Alright."

She paused, then carefully added: "I understand."

Zora nodded and walked back into the courtyard. Mu Qiong didn't dare run away, following her with her head bowed. Thus, the two returned to a state of silence, passing the time. The difference was that this time, they were sitting inside the house.

Zora was waiting for Mu Qiong to leave the city to cultivate. She felt she had been very clear: she was here to help Mu Qiong, so she naturally only needed to wait for Mu Qiong to act. Mu Qiong, however, thought she was facing a hurdle and didn't dare act rashly, sitting opposite her as if on a bed of needles.

After a long time, the scorching sun in the sky hadn't moved an inch. The fear and grief in Mu Qiong's heart over Granny Wang's death were gradually fading.

Suddenly, she saw Zora pull a book out of thin air. Then, the sword on the girl's back suddenly flew out, floating toward the outside to do who-knows-what, before returning quickly. Mu Qiong was instantly agape. This kind of magic-like existence was something she had only heard that cultivators possessed—and only those with exceptionally high cultivation.

"Are you a cultivator?" she blurted out. She immediately regretted it, and as she was about to apologize, she heard the girl say: "Yes."

"..."

Mu Qiong stared at her like an idiot.

Zora asked in confusion: "What. Aren't you also going to cultivate?"

"...I am," Mu Qiong replied in a daze, then repeated it softly, "I am, I am."

She didn't ask how the cultivator knew her destination; in Mu Qiong's heart, cultivators were omnipotent.

She fell silent again, but it wasn't the deathly stillness from before. Mu Qiong was restless, looking at Zora from time to time.

A cultivator. This is a cultivator.

Mu Qiong's heart felt hot, as if boiling; something wanted to burst through her throat, and she wanted to speak freely.

She hurriedly squeezed the jade lock hanging around her neck through her clothes, not realizing that her heart, which should have continued to grieve for Granny Wang, had somehow calmed down. There was even a faint, indescribable joy bubbling up.

Zora didn't focus her attention on Mu Qiong. She checked her sword; there was no blood on the blade. Indeed, illusions were convenient. Zora sheathed her sword with a calm expression.

It was simply that because she hadn't seen the doctor, she was fine, but once she glimpsed him, she felt that letting him go was a hidden threat. She felt a tiny bit of restless annoyance; since she couldn't leave Mu Qiong, she placed a wisp of her spiritual sense on the sword and let it go pierce the doctor.

Yiling Ke and the others had locked up the doctor, the blacksmith, and all the others. It was clearly an escapable array cage, yet in the blink of an eye, the people inside had vanished.

Yiling Ke: "What the—!?"

Vane: "The illusion is likely proceeding in a fixed manner. As long as Mu Qiong doesn't personally witness the fact that they are locked up, they have a chance to escape. But it's certain that it takes time for the phantoms to return to their positions; they don't vanish in an instant."

He summarized: "We can strike when they try to find her."

Song Zhihuai nodded: "Junior Brother Vane is right."

Yiling Ke: "Then where else do we look for them?"

Vane pondered for a moment. When Zora wasn't around, he was the one who made the decisions for the team. Ultimately, he had Yiling Ke and Song Zhihuai find the blacksmith and simply monitor him; there was no need to strike until the right moment. He, meanwhile, went to find the doctor.

The moment Vane returned to the pharmacy entrance, he happened to catch Dr. Su returning from Granny Wang's house. The youth, arms crossed, narrowed his eyes slightly. Clearly, the doctor had returned in disappointment. Dr. Su was muttering to himself that the girl at Granny Wang's looked weak even at a glance; he was walking along the small path to the pharmacy, only a few steps away from the shop.

But the youth suddenly lifted his eyes, looking straight at a point in mid-air. A sword whistled through the sky, piercing the bearded man's throat without mercy. Blood sprayed in a fountain-like shape, a terrifying sight.

Vane watched the indigo-colored sword without blinking. After a long while, his cold expression broke, and he suddenly let out a small laugh.

She really would take such a simple and smart approach. Eliminating the nuisances.

Vane's first reaction had been the same, but because he was traveling with Song Zhihuai and the others, no matter what—regardless of whether they would care—he would never rashly commit such a murder. This was something carved into his bones; he maintained a sliver of suspicion toward everyone.

—Except Zora.

Whether it was her personality and actions, the Master-Servant Oath, or their day-to-day interactions, Vane felt there was no longer a need to hide or pretend. When they met, they were each in different predicaments, revealing their vulnerable sides; their hearts moved amidst the turmoil, and they fit together perfectly over time... Perhaps it was just him fitting her perfectly. He could see through human hearts clearly, yet in this matter, his eyes seemed clouded, and he could never reach the truth of her heart.

the spiritual sense on the Jiangxue Sword didn't notice Vane. It circled the corpse once before leisurely heading back. The corpse vanished on the spot. After a while, that Dr. Su walked out of the pharmacy again; he had no memory of death, still muttering about what herbs he should gather for the weak girl at Granny Wang's.

The youth's gaze lingered on the man's neck. That spraying blood just now, staining her sword—it was truly beautiful.

She must have killed that Granny Wang. Killing that "person" in front of the illusion's eye would surely kill the phantom for real.

Vane understood Zora's thinking with just a little thought.

"Granny Wang" and "Dr. Su" were nuisances and potential threats. Zora never underestimated any enemy; even if it were a mortal, she had to see the other party take their last breath, killed with one strike. If they couldn't get out of the secret realm, they would eventually perish; she would never be soft-hearted toward any obstacle preventing her survival.

Dappled shadows fell under the scorching sun. The youth in the tree suddenly suppressed his voice and let out a few low laughs. He propped himself up with one hand on a branch and sat down, his left leg resting on the branch while his right leg swung leisurely in mid-air, appearing to be in high spirits.

While monitoring the doctor, he thought:

Regarding that phantom, I wonder if she pierced the throat with one strike like just now, or if she hit the heart or cut off the head.

He loved bloody scenes and leaned toward Zora with all his soul; with the two overlapping, the youth couldn't help but feel very excited, his blood racing.

But as he sat there thinking with a calm surface, she still occupied the primary place in his mind, rather than some bloodthirsty hobby.

So, after the Zora in his imagination finished killing, she could go to Falling Rock Forest to practice her sword, sit on a stool to eat some pastries, or act willfully in various places across the world.

And then, she could wrap herself in a quilt, curling into a ball on the bed, and fall asleep with a hint of drowsiness.