Liuli was so immersed in the illusion that she completely forgot about the real world. Bailing grew up day by day, gradually becoming a half-grown child, and then a thirteen or fourteen-year-old boy.

Dressed in clothes made of animal hides, he could already chase wild beasts through the forest with his homemade bow and arrows, hunting them down and roasting them into delicious meals to serve to Liuli. He would spend whole days chatting with Liuli, as if they had endless things to say. He would play all sorts of games with Liuli and play pranks on the sentient wild beasts in the forest with her.

Sunlight streamed down through the branches and leaves, and at that moment, Bai Ling was sitting cross-legged in front of him, letting Liu Li haphazardly play with his half-length black hair.

With a smile on her face, Liuli waited quite a while before finally tying his hair up high, securing it tightly with a strip of cloth about the width of a finger, then took a step back and said with a smile, "Alright!"

Bai Ling stood up, and in a turn, she suddenly grew much taller, slender and tall like a bamboo pole. Her gentle eyes were clear and wise, as calm as an ancient well. There was a smile on her lips, but that smile carried a sense of detachment.

Liuli's smile froze, and she stood there stunned. Her mind was a mess, as if she was about to remember something, but she couldn't grasp any of it. This feeling made her feel anxious and restless. She couldn't help but pat her head, trying hard to remember something.

Just then, Bai Ling's puzzled voice came from beside her, asking, "Liuli, what's wrong?"

The voice was gentle and warm, like a spring breeze. Upon hearing it, Liuli trembled and blurted out, "Little monk!"

Bai Ling looked puzzled and said, "What are you talking about? What little monk?"

Liuli touched her forehead, her brows furrowed, and mumbled, "That's right...right, little monk...looking for treasure, looking for...Yuntai Cave, two boys...right, illusion array!"

Although it was still somewhat blurry, Liuli had remembered everything. She took a step back and stared at Bailing, saying, "You are not Bailing. Nothing here is real. It's all part of an illusion, isn't it?"

Bailing followed Liuli's footsteps and said earnestly, "What do you mean it's not true, Liuli? I am Bailing, the Bailing you've been longing for... Liuli, shall we go play together?"

Everything that Liuli had remembered was about to vanish under Bailing's seductive voice. She grabbed those thoughts and shook her head, saying, "No, I remember everything. Li Molin and I entered the illusion array... You are not Bailing, you are a little monk, but how come you have hair? Little monks don't have hair."

Bai Ling stopped in his tracks, a wicked glint flashing in his eyes before quickly disappearing. His smile grew even gentler as he earnestly said, "Liu Li, believe me, I am Bai Ling. Liu Li, look at my eyes, aren't they exactly the same as when I was a child?"

“Yes, but…” Liuli stood there, stunned, unable to utter a rebuttal.

Bai Ling gave a wicked smile, which quickly turned into a gentle one, just like Shi Chan's. She smiled and said, "Liuli, come here and let's go play together, okay?"

Liuli was confused again. She lowered her eyes and thought for a while, then looked up and shook her head firmly, saying, "I don't want to. Everything here is fake, and you are fake too. You are not my Bailing, and you are not the little monk. I want to go back. How can I go back?"

A hint of disappointment appeared on Bai Ling's face, and she said sadly, "Liu Li, are you really going to leave me?"

Liuli paused, a hint of reluctance quietly creeping into her heart.

Bai Ling glanced at Liu Li's expression and continued pleadingly, "Liu Li, please don't go, okay?"

Liuli froze on the spot, her thoughts threatening to become a jumbled mess again. She quickly slapped her head and said firmly, "No, you're not Bailing, you're fake. I'm leaving, I must leave!"

A wicked smile slowly crept across Bai Ling's lips as he walked towards Liu Li, speaking in a seductive voice, "Liu Li, you're wrong. I am Bai Ling. This is what Bai Ling will look like when he grows up. Isn't this exactly what you've been longing for?"

Indeed, it was only because Shi Chan's eyes were exactly the same as Bai Ling's that Liu Li felt a sense of familiarity with him and was willing to cling to him and stay with him. Liu Li had thought countless times in her heart whether her Bai Ling would grow up to look like Shi Chan.

In the instant Liuli was stunned, Bailing had already quietly approached her. A cold light flashed in his hand, and a gleaming dagger stabbed fiercely into Liuli's heart.

Liuli snapped back to her senses and instinctively stepped back to avoid the dagger's edge. A flash of light appeared in her hand, and the Winged Spirit Whip appeared, lashing out at Bailing.

To everyone's surprise, Bai Ling neither dodged nor avoided the attack, but simply stood there with a smile. The long whip was about to strike Bai Ling's head, and if it landed, Bai Ling would surely die.

As Liuli looked at his face, which was exactly the same as Shichan's, she suddenly withdrew her whip just as she was about to strike Bailing's head. The wind from the whip caused Bailing's hair to be blown all over her head.

Bai Ling smiled wickedly and said, "If you want to get out, you'll have to kill me, but... can you really do it?"

Liuli was annoyed and raised her hand holding the whip high, but she couldn't bring herself to strike.

Bai Ling transformed in an instant, becoming the likeness of Shi Chan. Dressed in monk's robes, tall and thin, he stood quietly with his hands clasped together, his eyes gentle. Except for the wicked smile on his lips, he was identical to Shi Chan in every way. He chuckled evilly, "I'm standing right here. If you kill me, you can leave. But can you do it?"

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