Chapter 70 In the Illusion: "If this illusion could read people's memories, you'd be afraid..."
The vibrant red feather seemed to tremble slightly as if it heard the woman's tender words, its luster shimmering, exuding nobility.
Shen Lixia knew she was in an illusion, currently possessing the body of a girl called "Xiao Yu," using her eyes to see everything. Although she didn't know which mysterious force had drawn her into this illusion, she understood it must be related to Shen Yuanzhong's secret. The viper coiled in her palm, already excited upon seeing the woman in white.
"Luo...that's me. Luo saved me and even let me absorb her aura. It felt so good, so cool."
Even if you say that, I still don't know who she is...
Helpless, Shen Lixia chose to communicate quietly with the viper. But the owner of the body she was in also seemed to fall silent, feeling a slight pang of sadness at the woman's words.
It wasn't until the white-clad woman, known as Luo Yang, spoke up: "How's your sword practice going? Now that you're here, let me see what you've accomplished over this period."
The two emerged from behind the rocks, entered the city gate, and walked along the main road towards the moon-white palace. Those around them, especially Shen Lixia, bowed respectfully and addressed them as "Princess," while the woman in white was called "Lord Luo Yang." Hearing these two titles, she immediately understood their status and position in this place, becoming even more perplexed.
If such a prosperous maritime kingdom truly existed here, how could it have vanished without a trace in the cultivation world? Even if the Serpent said no one could venture this far, it shouldn't be that there wasn't even a hint of news about it...
After all, the Peach Blossom Spring is nothing more than an overly beautiful illusion.
No, the South China Sea Merfolk... The South China Sea Merfolk described in the book, who have long since disappeared, were they not the ones who once lived in the ocean of the First Domain?
Shen Lixia had a guess in her heart—if this place really was the old capital of the extinct merfolk, then what she was experiencing now was the history that had been buried in the vast waves and no one knew about it.
Since someone set up this scheme, there must be some purpose behind it. Moreover, she felt a sense of familiarity, as if that woman had a very deep connection with Qiao Yanshen. Perhaps by following the other person's trail, she could find out where her senior sister was.
Moreover, her figure and voice were more realistic than the others, and her eyes were smiling, as if she were looking into Shen Lixia's eyes through an illusion.
With that thought in mind, she let go of the unpleasant feeling of being driven by the illusion, quietly immersing herself in the role, listening to the unreal clamor around her, and silently walking forward with Luo Yang.
Halfway there, Luo Yang stopped. Shen Lixia stopped as well, but then Luo Yang said, "Walking there is too slow."
"I can swim you there," the boy heard himself speak. "Or... would you... fly on a sword?"
A wave of anticipation washed over her, making her tense up. The girl seemed to really hope that the woman would choose the latter, but Shen Lixia inexplicably thought of the way Yan Xueya had carried them earlier, and couldn't help but shiver.
Luo Yang shook her head. "Hold on tight to me."
As she spoke, she carefully took Shen Lixia's sleeve. Before the boy could even think about which method she had chosen, the world spun around him, as if his body had lost its shape and been crumpled into a tight ball. Various blurry things flashed by in an instant, and in the blink of an eye, he was already standing on a colder and wetter ground than before, in another place.
A wave of intense dizziness washed over her, and she bent over in sync with the girl she was playing in the illusion, covering her mouth and gagging.
You cultivators—
Just as she was about to think this, Luo Yang reached out and helped her up. A cool spiritual energy flowed through her, gently soothing her meridians and flowing with her blood, relieving much of her discomfort. The original owner of this body was somewhat moved, and her face flushed. She wanted to hold the other's hand, but he gently and subtly dodged her.
She suddenly understood Qiao Yanshen's feelings at that time, and quietly said sorry in her heart. He clearly wanted to treat her better and let her experience happiness without reservation, but instead he distanced himself and made her worry. What did that mean?
What kind of liking is that?
Luo Yang's aloofness wasn't intentional; rather, it was more like Qiao Yanshen's earlier dislike of being touched casually, merely maintaining the considerate demeanor of an elder. After the girl had rested for a while, she stepped back a few paces and said with a smile, "Cang Yu, let's begin."
She deliberately called out the girl's name. This change was indeed effective; the original owner took a deep breath, spiritual energy surging and flowing joyfully through her meridians. Driven by the illusion, Shen Lixia's mind stirred slightly, summoning the Flowing Fire sword. She gripped the black longsword tightly and swung it along with the original owner. The feeling was strange, as if she had become a puppet, guided by invisible strings to practice swordplay. The unfamiliar sword techniques, passing through her hands, were conversely drawn into Shen Lixia's consciousness.
The sword energy was like a vast ocean, drawing water to move it. Its momentum was immense, instantly stirring up silvery-white waves that surged towards Luoyang with unstoppable force!
However, as soon as the sword was unleashed, Shen Lixia suddenly felt a metallic taste rise in her throat, and her spiritual energy instantly felt depleted. After swallowing a mouthful of blood with difficulty, the sword in her hand slipped and fell to the ground.
Luo Yang frowned slightly, raised his sword to parry the powerful sword energy, then turned the sword around and extended the hilt for the boy to support him. His voice was still gentle but a little serious: "Cang Yu, you can't take chances in battle. If you're going to gamble, you have to wait until it's a matter of life and death."
Shen Lixia knew perfectly well that someone as skilled in swordsmanship as her wouldn't need to use a sword to parry, just as Qiao Yanshen could wield sword intent without a sword, it was merely to protect the boy's pride. The original owner of this body, however, seemed not to understand her intentions, stubbornly saying, "I've already learned it, why can't I use it?"
She had expected the woman to adopt Yan Xueya's demeanor—after all, the two were quite similar—but the coldness on her gentle face quickly faded, like snow bathed in a spring breeze.
Luo Yang smiled, "I know you learn quickly and have good talent and aptitude. But your mother cherishes you, and as her best friend, I've practically watched you grow up, and I hope you cherish yourself too. As a sword cultivator, the sword is a part of your body, yet you let it slip from your hand. Aren't you giving your opponent an opportunity to take advantage of you?"
Then, she gently touched Chen Lixia's brow. The coolness of her fingertips seemed to travel through an illusion and land on her brow.
"The art of 'rain' is difficult enough to learn, and your mastery of it is already remarkable. You don't need to prove your abilities to me; I've seen it all. Just be yourself."
She spoke gently, clearly addressing Cang Yu, yet it seemed as if she were speaking to Shen Lixia.
Just be yourself and cherish yourself.
Shen Lixia paused, noticing that the woman's figure had suddenly faded considerably and the surrounding fog had risen again. Knowing that the illusion was about to dissipate, she carefully reached out her hand, with almost devout hope, wanting to touch the other's sleeve.
She felt inexplicably sad; this emotion had nothing to do with the original body in the illusion, but rather welled up genuinely from the bottom of her heart. She remembered Qiao Yanshen's words, his repeated admonitions, with tears in his eyes, telling her not to use the divine fire, not to gamble with her life in a self-destructive way.
But there were far too many situations where she had no choice but to use it...
An absurd thought suddenly popped into my head—could it be that Senior Sister was so diligent in her cultivation that she almost disregarded everything, precisely because she wanted to avoid this situation?
The boy pursed his lips, feeling a slight coolness on his fingertips. Although the woman's figure was disappearing, she still looked up at him, her smile undiminished.
"What do you want to do?" Shen Lixia asked.
Luo Yang said softly, "To allow you to leave this place."
After speaking, her figure was shrouded in thick fog and disappeared in the blink of an eye. Shen Lixia silently clenched her fists, her thoughts returning to that earlier thought. Suddenly, she hated herself for not being serious enough in her cultivation. Just how much more focused and diligent did she need to be to catch up with Qiao Yanshen's pace, to stop her from constantly worrying about protecting her?
She had a premonition that only by peeling back this overly protective layer could she touch the true feelings hidden beneath the other's layers. If she were forever just someone being protected, how could they stand side by side, how could she confirm their feelings?
Qiao Yanshen said that was fine with her being this way, and Luo Yang also said that she wished her to be herself and cherish herself. She knew that Luo Yang's second half of the sentence was not meant for Cang Yu, but was specifically meant for her.
Overwhelmed with mixed feelings, she sighed deeply and thought with melancholy: It turns out that caring about someone is such a complicated thing, so complicated that it is almost painful.
Shen Lixia was alone since childhood. At first, she couldn't get along with the children in the orphanage. Later, she went to a different school and found her own place to live. She had very little contact with the people around her. Although she learned about human relationships through hardship and gradually became able to interact with people and become more successful, she never really cared about anyone.
How can she properly sculpt this nascent emotion, erase its ambiguity, and confirm its true nature?
The fog dissipated silently, revealing the desolate landscape once more. Where once magnificent and beautiful buildings stood, only the remains of structures overgrown with plants and corals, teeming with small fish, remained. Some were riddled with holes from corrosion, while others were completely destroyed, leaving no trace. In an instant, time seemed to have flown by like smoke, and prosperity had been reduced to utter desolation.
A familiar figure ahead made her quicken her pace. The person stood amidst the ruins, turning around warily at the sound of footsteps. Upon seeing her, a smile instantly bloomed on their face, but then, as if afraid they were still hallucinating, they quickly spoke:
"Who is your senior sister? Who is your master?"
Shen Lixia rolled her eyes speechlessly, "If this illusion could read people's memories, you probably wouldn't even live to see me."
Simmons chuckled and said, "I knew you'd say that."
She tidied her hair and pulled her coat tighter. "Ugh, this place is chilly, like a mass grave..."
Mass grave.
Shen Lixia's heart sank upon hearing this. Considering the wreckage scattered everywhere, it seemed that Simmons's unintentional words were indeed true; the remains had long since been buried deep in the sea and vanished.
If that's the case, then who created this illusion? A name surfaced in my mind, stirring up another worry.
Luo Yang...
Could she have perished here too?
Shen Lixia quickly reached out and patted her face. What was she thinking? With the opponent's strength, it was unlikely that she would perish here. She should worry about herself first.
When Simmons saw the small snake coiled in her sleeve, she immediately rubbed her hands together, her eyes sparkling: "Where did you find this snake, fellow Daoist? Let me play with it for a bit!"
Shen Lixia lowered her head and asked telepathically, "Would you like to play with her?"
The viper remained silent, slowly crawling across her wrist and coiling around Simmons' outstretched hand. Shen Lixia breathed a sigh of relief, her gaze fixed on the deep, unseen silence beyond the reach of the secret realm.
Senior Sister...
She lowered her eyes and suddenly felt an urge to take out the bamboo bow, examine it closely, and caress it.
It was as if this could alleviate her anxiety—after all, this was the only gift Qiao Yanshen had ever given her.
But she hadn't yet given the return gift, and hadn't decided when to hand over the little titmouse to the other party.
-----------------------
Author's Note: Xia (author of "One Hundred Ways to Call Someone Stupid")
Master Xi: True wisdom appears as foolishness.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com