Chapter 156 In and Out of the Mirror, Exactly the Same
As night deepened, the hustle and bustle of the streets faded away with the sound of footsteps.
As I walked along the bamboo path in the rain, my mind was still immersed in the line written by Feng Yi by the riverbank: "Year after year, we will never fail each other."
A smile played on her lips.
Suddenly, a swift demonic aura shot out. Tingyu's eyes narrowed, and she spun around while drawing her sword to strike.
The Shadowless Beast huddled in the shadows, instantly transforming into a two-headed monster with a human body, its massive head lunging fiercely at Tingyu.
Startled by the sound of rain, she tried to run, but it was too late.
Just as the Shadowless Beast's sharp fangs tore through her sleeve, an incredibly fast figure swept past like a gust of wind.
Before Tingyu's eyes could see, the halberd had already transformed into a streak of black light tearing through the air, precisely meeting the upper body of the Shadowless Beast.
Zheng—
The Shadowless Beast froze for a moment, then vanished instantly.
Tingyu looked up, still shaken, only to catch a glimpse of a dark hem of clothing disappearing swiftly behind the dense bamboo forest, as fast as a hallucination.
Rong Xing stroked his chin, watching this scene. "Could Feng Yi have a split personality? They were reluctant to part just now, but now he defeated the enemy with one move and hasn't shown his face. What's going on?"
Huali frowned as she looked at Tingyu, who was standing there in a daze. "I feel like something's not quite right."
“Halberd.” Shen Yu, who had been silent until now, spoke up. “Sword techniques emphasize the agility of the wrist and the movement of the body with the sword. Halberds, however, require the waist and stance to be in harmony, with the force of a thousand pounds.”
He looked in the direction where Feng Yi disappeared, "The foundation of their power is different, and their muscle memory is worlds apart."
He began practicing both sword and halberd at the age of four. Both the Lone Deer Sword and the Devouring Abyss were rare celestial magic weapons, and he saw the flaw at a glance.
Upon hearing this, the air above the three of them rippled instantly. As a fragment of a secret realm fell, the surrounding scenery receded once more like a receding tide.
At the same time, the headquarters system's voice sounded, "Fire-type card mission two, find Feng Yi, mission reward half a star."
*
In the courtyard, so quiet you could almost hear your own heartbeat, Kaori looked up at the deep night sky, where moonlight flowed like mercury.
A night breeze swept by, and the dense cherry branches trembled gently.
But it wasn't in its vibrant full bloom this morning; rather, it was late autumn, with only pale petals remaining on the branches. They resembled disturbed butterfly wings, carrying a fragile and desolate air.
Hua Li and Shen Yu exchanged a glance, suppressing the astonishment in their eyes.
Tingyu was putting on her coat when she came out of the house. She was slightly taken aback when she saw the two people in the courtyard. She smiled and said, "What's wrong? You two can't sleep either?"
Hua Li looked at her natural expression and opened her mouth, but her throat was inexplicably hoarse, "Sister Tingyu, you and Feng Yi?"
Tingyu paused for a moment, then said, "Well, I'm still thinking about it."
"What are you considering?" Huali pressed.
"It's about him proposing to me yesterday." A shy glint flashed in Tingyu's eyes. "It all feels like a dream."
A marriage proposal? Wasn't the third act supposed to be about their love blossoming at Jade Mountain? Why did it jump straight to the last act?
Looking at Tingyu's current state, Huali recalled the expression on Tingyu's face when she stood frozen in the bamboo forest a moment ago, and asked hesitantly, "Sister Tingyu, have you been to the Feng residence? Or rather, besides Feng Yi, have you had any contact with other members of the Feng family?"
Tingyu mistakenly thought that Huali was reminding her of the difference in their status, and smiled bitterly, "Fengyi said that if I don't like being kept at home, he is willing to travel with me to slay demons and monsters."
If it were before, Huali would have been utterly astonished to hear these words, but now, just the thought that the other person might be someone else makes her hair stand on end.
However, there are some aspects of this that don't make sense.
If the other party is not Feng Yi, then why is the test of the master of the secret realm that only by recreating these four scenes can one obtain the fragment?
If he is truly replaced, shouldn't they be allowed to find the real him?
But if this person is Feng Yi, then who was that man in black just now? And what is the meaning of the headquarters system's mission?
Huali's mind was a complete mess.
She knew that the secret mission couldn't be as simple as just watching someone fall in love; it was as mind-bending as a murder mystery game.
Shen Yu glanced at Hua Li and immediately understood her predicament.
Their task was simply to successfully complete these four acts.
If we were to say something now, Tingyu would most likely refuse Fengyi.
But if she didn't tell, she couldn't bear to see her kept in the dark.
A night breeze began to rise, carrying the chill of late autumn, causing the lanterns under the eaves to sway slightly.
When Huali was unusually silent, a coat that carried her body heat and a faint fragrance gently fell on her shoulder.
Huali looked up and met Tingyu's clear, smiling eyes. Tingyu naturally gathered her outer garment around Huali's shoulders, the night breeze ruffling the stray hairs at her temples, her eyes filled with utter concern.
"It's cool at night, and girls are more vulnerable, so they shouldn't get chilled."
Huali's hand, which was gripping her outer robe, suddenly tightened. "...Sister Tingyu, is it possible that Fengyi is actually someone else?"
Shen Yu smiled knowingly and leaned against the cherry blossom tree.
Just as Huali thought Tingyu would be shocked and realize what was happening, she suddenly smiled and said, "So you still remember the bamboo forest thing I told you about last time."
Tingyu pulled Huali's hand, "Fengyi is of course Fengyi." She reached out and took out the jade pendant she wore close to her body, "This is Qikuo jade."
"This jade is spiritually connected. It cannot be exchanged unless one's soul and name match perfectly. There is absolutely no possibility of it being faked."
After listening to Yu's story, she looked up at the sky, her eyes filled with longing. "After hearing him speak, I was actually happy. But I don't know why..."
She chuckled and stood up, rubbing Huali's listless head, then bent down to stroke the cat's head in her Qiankun bag. "I'm going to Jade Mountain to exorcise demons tomorrow, so you should all get some rest."
*
Rong Xing knelt on one knee, his hand resting on the barrier, and as he did so, intricate and precise circular star trails appeared in his palm.
Countless tiny starlight points leaped and collided along mysterious trajectories, directly imprinting themselves on the surface of the barrier.
With a soft shout, he silently opened a circular hole.
The once-in-a-century genius diviner at the astrological observatory chuckled, "No matter how difficult the barrier is, it can't withstand my grinding these past few days." He lifted his robe and carefully slipped inside.
The corridor was quiet. Feng Yi was sitting in the courtyard, the moonlight casting a faint shadow on his handsome profile.
He unconsciously stroked the jade pendant in his hand, and after a long while, he spoke, "I proposed to Tingyu today."
The wind swept across the surface of the pool, producing a low, mournful sound.
The shadow leaned against the cold pavilion pillar, gazing at the solitary moon and its indistinct reflection in the pool.
"Alright."
Rongxing peered out to take a look.
Just then, the moonlight poured down, and the figure standing on the Silver Frost Ferry gradually emerged, inch by inch, thread by thread.
That handsome face was exactly like Feng Yi's. Like the crescent moon reflected in water, in and out of the mirror, they were identical.
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