16. The second illusion ends.

◎Young Master Jiang, is that you?◎

“When have I ever lied to you? I’ve always told you that we are uncle and nephew, and that I am your third uncle.”

Yes, he never changed his mind; it was just that she refused to believe it.

She was probably too lonely, too isolated, and too afraid, which is why she developed feelings for him that went beyond blood ties.

When I first met him, I was mocking him and deliberately kept my distance. How did I gradually fall in love with him?

What do Father and Mother do when they like each other?

They would entrust her to a friend's family in the city, and the couple would go off to enjoy a few days of leisure.

They would joke and play around in front of her, just as her father cared for her mother and this third uncle cared for her in the same way.

Therefore, one can fall for someone in an instant.

If she's lonely, it would be good for them to be uncle and nephew. At least she could be protected by him for life and wouldn't have to face this dilemma of feelings.

Pei Xueyan's gaze fell on the unopened wine pot on the table, and then she looked at Jiang Qiye, who was carefully picking fish bones out of her.

He stood up and threw himself down hard.

The sound of the porcelain pot shattering was ear-piercing, and the wine instantly spilled all over the floor.

Jiang Qiye looked up at her, his face full of confusion. She was fine just now, why did she suddenly lose her temper?

Pei Xueyan sat down again, her voice tense: "You feel sorry for me?"

“It’s a pity to spill such good wine,” he replied truthfully.

She looked at him intently with deep eyes and said, "I'll buy another pot."

Jiang Qiye smiled faintly: "It's alright, I don't like drinking."

I only have a drink occasionally when I'm going down the mountain; otherwise, I'm not very interested in these things.

Thinking of my master, who was obsessed with martial arts cultivation throughout his life, and is now the number one in the world, revered as a patriarch in the martial arts world, he is clean-living and has no quirks.

He should not indulge in drinking and debauchery, nor should he be obsessed with women.

Although he wasn't particularly obsessed with cultivation at the moment, he was filled with admiration whenever he thought of his master being able to kill people from miles away with his internal energy, and he longed to become such a powerful person.

Pei Xueyan smiled and said, "My father and mother love to drink. I secretly tried it when I was six years old. If you come across a good wine from a good tavern, it is really delicious. I can drink two big bowls of it."

After saying that, she added slowly, "You and my father are quite different."

Jiang Qiye replied, "I entered the Daoist path at a young age and studied. I don't like the conflicts and disputes of the martial world, so I am naturally different from your father."

Will we go home in the future?

“If you want, I will take you home. I was thinking that you and your brother and sister-in-law have been living in seclusion for many years, so you should go to a bustling place. At your age, it is time to talk about marriage. If you go home, your father will probably make arrangements for you.”

Pei Xueyan did not speak again.

Neither of them ate much. In the summer heat, the extra food had to be thrown away to feed the chickens and ducks.

Pei Xueyan took the initiative to wash the pots and pans by the stream in the corner of the yard. By the time she finished, it was completely dark.

Three rooms, with the main entrance closed.

The two continued to live in separate rooms as usual.

Jiang Qiye closed his eyes and sat on the bed to meditate. Pei Xueyan stood outside his door for a moment before returning to her own room.

Lying in bed, she tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep, and even after midnight, she was still wide awake.

He got up and walked to Jiang Qiye's room, gently knocking on the bamboo door. His voice was low and dejected: "I know you can hear me. Third Uncle, I'm leaving early tomorrow morning. Don't look for me. From now on, we'll be separated. If Grandfather asks you, just say you haven't seen Chen Weian. If you really care about me, give me some more money."

Jiang Qiye did not meditate, so of course, he could easily sense any movement outside.

Upon hearing these words, he immediately sat up.

Her voice sounded genuine, and coupled with her performance these past few days, it didn't seem fake.

Based on their interactions over this period and his self-identification as his third uncle, he couldn't be someone who would pester others relentlessly.

He quickly walked to the door, unsure whether he wanted to persuade the other person to stay or simply wanted to say a few words of concern.

My hand is outstretched over the bamboo door, unsure whether to open it or not.

Pei Xueyan stood outside the door for a while, and seeing no movement inside, she turned around and went back into the room, gently closing the door behind her.

Before dawn the next day, Pei Xueyan got up, carefully folded the quilt, and planned to leave quietly.

As soon as I opened the door, I saw a man in the courtyard dressed in white, with his hair casually tied up, holding a sword in his hand. He seemed to have been practicing swordsmanship just now, and his movements were graceful and swift.

In this world, she spent the most time with two men: her father and the third uncle standing before her.

Jiang Qiye looked up and saw her standing in the morning light, dressed in a pink dress, her figure slender, truly like a fairy.

He sheathed his sword, walked slowly to her side, and said in an unusually gentle tone, "Why are you up so early today? Wash your face, and we'll go to the city to get something good to eat later."

I want to break up with you.

"What?" he asked again deliberately, "Divide into what?"

“My father and mother always told me that I have to walk my own path in life. They will grow old and leave us. We should live for the moment, be bold and generous, and be able to take things on and let them go.”

She spoke very seriously, and Jiang Qiye's heart skipped a beat.

This feeling is indescribable.

"You...you're too young to understand the dangers of the world." He instinctively tried to dissuade him.

"I don't understand, but I don't want to be sad like this anymore." Pei Xueyan's tears streamed down her face.

The sight of a beautiful woman shedding tears is already heartbreaking, especially since they have spent so much time together and are already familiar with each other's appearances. It is inevitable that they would feel reluctant to part ways.

Jiang Qiye had never experienced such a scene before, and he didn't know how to get along with a woman who was crying. He could only act and speak according to his own heart.

"I don't object to you wanting to travel the world on your own. But you should think about it for three days. After that, whatever decision you make, I won't stop you."

Pei Xueyan lowered her head; she didn't want to think about it at all.

However, perhaps it was just my imagination because of his reluctant tone, but I agreed.

They went into town for a nice meal, and she wanted to spend some quality time with him before parting, so she wouldn't be as gloomy as she had been these past few days.

The next day, they went fishing and flower viewing together by a mountain stream.

Tomorrow is the agreed-upon "decision day," the day they will part ways.

They had walked a lot of mountain paths all day. Pei Xueyan was only human and her body was weak. When they came back, she was too tired to walk anymore, so Jiang Qiye carried her down the mountain.

Once they reached the courtyard, they carefully carried her back to the room.

Whether it was the atmosphere or not, they silently clinked glasses before returning to their respective rooms.

Jiang Qiye noticed an unusual smell in the wine the moment his lips touched the water in the glass. Even though the smell was very faint, with his cultivation level, he reacted instantly.

He looked up and saw Pei Xueyan tilt her head back and drink the wine in her glass in one gulp.

He had practiced martial arts according to the rules of a prestigious sect since childhood, and his cultivation was pure. At this moment, he had only been exposed to a little bit of alcohol, and his body immediately reacted.

"You—" Jiang Qiye looked into her calm, smiling eyes, his voice filled with disbelief and shock, "How could you do such a thing!"

Flower wine is not an "aphrodisiac," but a more potent love potion.

Pei Xueyan leaned slightly, collapsing against him, her voice tinged with the seductive allure of the aphrodisiac: "Third Uncle, you seduced me. I was going to leave anyway. You like me too, don't you? You've been so good to me these past few days, so attentive, so caring. If it were like Father and Mother, how could there not be feelings between us?"

She wrapped her arms around his waist, stood on tiptoe, and kissed his lips. Her cheeks flushed, beads of sweat appeared on her forehead, and her breathing became rapid.

Jiang Qiye had never been so close to a woman in his life, how could he withstand such soft breath and touch?

I felt like my blood was boiling, and my whole body was on fire.

Pei Xueyan pressed her lips to his and whispered, "After we do this, we won't have to worry about our uncle-nephew relationship anymore. Let's find a place where no one knows us, change our names, and live happily ever after as a couple, okay?"

"You're insane!"

"Yes, I'm crazy." She kissed him again, biting his lips, mimicking her mother's actions towards her father, and rubbing Jiang Qiye's chest. "I want you to be my husband, my sweetheart. I don't want any 'Third Uncle.' I want you to call me An'an, call me my good wife."

Jiang Qiye pushed her away forcefully.

This time, he pushed her away not because they were uncle and niece.

Instead, it was Jiang Qiye who was talking to Pei Xueyan.

Even if this is an illusion, it is Pei Xueyan's illusion. The person in front of her is the female demon's clone. How can they kiss? How can they be so intimate?

If his master knew that he had done such a shameful thing with the female demon in his dream, wouldn't he be utterly disappointed?

Pei Xueyan was pushed and fell onto the bed. Her body was burning with heat and her heart was filled with shame. Tears mixed with sweat slid down her face, making her look extremely disheveled and embarrassed.

She has lost her parents and will not go back to her so-called grandfather.

The person I like now is actually my own uncle.

The grief of her parents' tragic deaths and the despair of being pushed away by Jiang Qiye overwhelmed her instantly.

She knew that by using such despicable means as aphrodisiacs and strong liquor to break the taboo, even if they were to be together, their happiness would not last.

The more she thought about it, the more ashamed she felt. She supported her weak body and walked up to Jiang Qiye. She suddenly drew the sword from his waist and stabbed herself in the abdomen without hesitation.

Blood gushed out instantly, staining her dress red, and she collapsed straight into a pool of blood.

Jiang Qiye had no time to react and instinctively tried to use his magic to save her.

As soon as he reached out, he saw that the "condensed elixir" inside her body had already taken shape.

This is the end of her fate in the fantasy setting.

Pei Xueyan curled up on the ground, her face contorted in pain.

How should he react?

Why am I so sad and heartbroken?

Why did his confidently created concept end up like this?

Pei Xueyan did not die immediately; she collapsed to the ground in agony, but was not quite dead.

Jiang Qiye looked at her and unconsciously reached out to hug her.

Such a scene is too sentimental and too bloody.

But what good would it do to save her if she immediately regained consciousness?

The illusion will end sooner or later; prolonging it for a few more days is futile and meaningless.

Pei Xueyan's lips trembled slightly as she looked at the cold yet conflicted man before her.

Yes, when he saw that she was about to die, his face showed only shock and bewilderment, without a trace of excitement or sadness.

It turns out, he really didn't like her.

At least she understood this before she died.

It takes several hours for a person to die completely from bleeding, during which time they will suffer endless pain and torment.

Seeing her pained expression, Jiang Qiye stepped forward and gently pulled the sword out of her abdomen.

Then, he stabbed it again.

Pei Xueyan was still conscious when she watched helplessly as her nominal third uncle ended her life with his own hands.

The body was no longer curled up, nor was it struggling; it simply lay quietly on the ground.

Perhaps the sadness and pain were too profound, because the memory of the previous hallucination suddenly surged into my mind.

Those images flashed by rapidly, one after another.

Her vision blurred, and she murmured unconsciously, "Young Master Jiang... are you Young Master Jiang... or Third Uncle? Young Master Jiang, is that you?"

After Jiang Qiye thrust out that sword, he turned his back and dared not look at her again.

Xue Lian's last look has left him reeling for days.

Besides, it's her.

Therefore, Pei Xueyan probably didn't hear clearly the "Young Master Jiang" she was talking about.

He's always been very accurate when it comes to killing.

A short while later, the woman on the ground was completely dead.

Jiang Qiye slowly turned around and saw that her eyes were still open, and there seemed to be lingering resentment or fear in them.

He walked to her side, knelt down, and gently closed her eyes.

After a long silence, he finally channeled his spiritual power and extracted the "heart elixir" from her body.