9. The Second Illusion
◎The Girl Being Hunted◎
The second illusionary realm had been open for several days, and Jiang Qiye was diligently cultivating in a pavilion in the middle of a lake.
The lake outside the pavilion was crystal clear, and the shimmering waves exuded a sense of tranquility, which helped him to calm his mind and immerse himself in the scenery.
He was fully aware of Pei Xueyan's experiences in her second dream, but he was not in a hurry to find her.
In this life, Pei Xueyan's name is Wei An.
His entire family was slaughtered by their enemies, leaving him destitute and alone, with only his young daughter remaining.
The parents wanted to name her "Wei'an" because it contained their simplest wish for her: peace and safety.
Wei An's home is located at the foot of the mountain. The family has lived in seclusion for many years, and everyone else thought they were ordinary fishermen.
It wasn't until his parents drew their swords and fought with someone that he realized they were martial arts masters.
Ultimately, he was framed and died tragically at the hands of his enemies.
Wei An, who was hiding deep in the cellar at that time, was lucky enough to escape with her life.
Although her past life wasn't wealthy, she was never short of food or clothing. Her parents loved her dearly and spoiled her into an innocent young lady who never taught her any martial arts.
Now, at the age of fifteen or sixteen, she has become a target of being hunted down everywhere because of her parents, and has been wandering around for more than half a year.
From being the apple of a family's eye in happiness to becoming a helpless orphan, such a dramatic change in circumstances must cause a tremendous shift in one's mindset.
If Jiang Qiye could put even a tenth of the effort he showed to "Miss Xue" in his previous life, he would surely be able to easily win over the heart of the female demon.
However, the entanglements and pain from the last illusion made it impossible for him to approach her again as her "lover".
If I continue, I'm afraid I'll fall into an uncontrollable flutter of excitement.
When he wakes up from the illusions three times and faces the real female demon, how can he guarantee that he won't feel pity for her?
After much deliberation, he finally made up his mind: in this life, he would pretend to be her father's sworn brother and protect her as an elder.
After all, Wei An's parents had lived in seclusion for more than ten years. How could she, an innocent young girl, know which brothers and sisters her father had in his early years?
Moreover, Jiang Qiye already knew everything about her background and would not leave any clues.
The bonds of family are often purer and easier to maintain than romantic love, and perhaps even easier to maintain than romantic love.
After sitting quietly in the pavilion for several more days, allowing the memories of his previous life to gradually settle in his heart and his emotions to completely subside, Jiang Qiye finally got up and went down the mountain.
To fit the image of an elder, he specially changed into more mature attire, and his words and actions also showed more composure and steadiness.
Upon seeing her again, Jiang Qiye felt a strange sense of nervousness welling up inside him.
I just saw Pei Xueyan's thin figure; she must be huddled in the dilapidated thatched hut right now.
He glanced down at the package in his hand, the new clothes he had specially picked out for her at the clothing store he had just passed by. He paused for a moment before steadily walking toward the thatched hut.
Through the dilapidated window, the girl in the thatched hut had already seen a young and handsome man approaching. His steps were light and steady, and it was clear at a glance that he was not weak in martial arts.
These past few days, she had been worn down by the relentless pursuit, and now she truly had no strength left to escape.
Despair overwhelmed fear. So be it, I'll die. Without my parents, this lonely life is already so bitter that it makes me lose all motivation.
Pei Xueyan heard footsteps approaching the door, and her survival instinct made her grip the sword left by her parents tightly.
Fight to the death.
Jiang Qiye didn't call her out, but gently pushed open the half-closed door and sat down on the only relatively intact wooden chair in the room.
She then gently placed the bag of clothes she was carrying on the table and said in a soft voice, "Wei An, come out. You don't need to hide from me."
Pei Xueyan hid in the inner room, her body trembling uncontrollably.
The man's voice was gentle, but it did not make her lower her guard in the slightest. She didn't even dare to breathe loudly, and just stared intently at the door.
“I am your father’s brother. Last year, he sent me a message by carrier pigeon, asking me to find an opportunity to take you away. You must be Wei’an, right?”
After a moment of silence, Wei'an, who was hiding in the next room, asked timidly and suspiciously, "I haven't heard Father mention you..."
Jiang Qiye appeared remarkably calm, but his heart was already pounding uncontrollably.
It wasn't the fluttering between a man and a woman, but rather a mixture of the heaviness of the past and the tension of the present moment.
Not long ago, he himself pierced her chest with a sword, watching her fall into a pool of blood and die tragically in the forest.
Now that they meet again in the illusion, she has become the bewildered and helpless Wei An, while he has to approach her as an elder. This sense of separation makes it difficult for her to calm down.
This was probably the first time in his life that he had connected with a dream world. Memories from his previous life kept intertwining with the scenes of this life, making it difficult for him to completely detach and break away from them.
Suppressing his turbulent emotions, his voice remained calm: "Believe it or not, it's up to you. These are the new clothes I bought for you on the table, change into them first. If you've thought it through, come with me, and I'll protect you from now on; if you insist on hiding alone, and if you encounter danger again in the future, whether it's life or death, it has nothing to do with me, and I will have a clear conscience towards your parents, both in heaven and on earth."
After saying that, he got up and went straight out the door. When he got to the courtyard, he deliberately slowed down.
He knew she would definitely come.
No one likes living a life of hiding and running, so she had no reason not to grasp at this "lifeline".
There are two sets of clothes on the table, one light yellow and one green.
Sure enough, not long after, they heard light footsteps behind them.
The girl changed into the new green dress, the color of which made her originally pale face look much more delicate and vibrant.
Pei Xueyan stood a few steps away from him and tentatively asked, "You...you're really my uncle?"
Jiang Qiye stopped in his tracks, not turning around to look at her, but simply raising his chin towards the corner of the courtyard, saying in a natural tone, "Go wash your face."
There is a stream that flows down from the mountain in the corner of the yard.
Pei Xueyan looked in the direction he pointed and indeed saw a small stream of clear water flowing in the corner.
She hesitated for a moment, then walked over and used her sleeve to dip into the stream water to carefully wipe the dust off her face.
When she walked back to Jiang Qiye's side, her already beautiful face looked even more clean and charming in the morning light, and she blinked her eyes, looking extremely playful.
Jiang Qiye then turned around and met her gaze.
The girl exclaimed "Ah!" and instinctively covered her mouth.
His heart skipped a beat, and he blurted out, "What? Is it ugly enough to scare you?"
Seeing the self-deprecating humor in his tone, and noticing his upright appearance and lack of fierceness, Pei Xueyan's wariness instantly lessened. She quickly waved her hand and said, "No! That's not what I meant... I just... I just think that you and my father don't look alike at all."
Jiang Qiye feigned understanding and scoffed lightly, continuing to elaborate on their identities as she spoke: "Naturally, they are not very similar, and they do not share the same mother."
"What?" Pei Xueyan's eyes widened slightly, and she asked with a hint of confusion, "Then you are my grandfather's... grandfather's concubine's child? What should I call you?"
Jiang Qiye strode forward, his voice casually drifting over: "Call me Third Uncle."
"Third Uncle?" Pei Xueyan quickly followed, walking beside him with small steps, and repeated thoughtfully, "He's my father's third brother, right?"
"I guess so," Jiang Qiye mumbled, unwilling to elaborate further on the matter.
Since it's a fabricated identity, saying too much about it will only make it easier to expose flaws.
Pei Xueyan didn't press for details about her third uncle's identity and quickly followed him out of the mountain.
Her experiences over the past six months have taught her that if the other party truly wanted to take her life, they wouldn't have gone to such lengths, sending her new clothes and fabricating an identity.
The person before me was handsome and upright. People always say that one's appearance reflects one's heart, so someone like him couldn't possibly be a bad person.
Whether he is his father's brother or not, we can't worry about that anymore.
Jiang Qiye walked ahead, his back to her, cold and indifferent. He neither turned around nor took the initiative to speak, leaving Pei Xueyan to follow quietly behind him.
After crossing the mountain, they arrived at the town. Pei Xueyan was very happy, finally able to have a good meal.
If it weren't for our escape, this secluded mountain forest would have been an excellent place, with birdsong and the fragrance of flowers, and rushing streams. It would have been a tranquil and beautiful place, very cool and refreshing.
Although it was a pity, Pei Xueyan had been used to such scenery since childhood, so she was not reluctant to leave.
Seeing that the person in front remained silent, she hesitated for a moment before taking the initiative to start a conversation: "My father and mother used to say that the martial arts world is full of fighting and killing, which is exhausting. Does Uncle want to continue to roam the martial arts world?"
He was dressed as a chivalrous knight, holding a sword in his hand, looking just like a chivalrous江湖人 (jianghu person, a person who roams the martial arts world).
Jiang Qiye did not stop walking, his voice calm and even: "A sword is for self-defense, not necessarily for killing."
Pei Xueyan laughed, "If it were an ordinary person, why would they carry a sword for self-defense? Those who practice martial arts naturally enter the martial world, which is all about fighting and killing. My father and mother used to kill people. When they got tired of killing, they hid and lived in seclusion. More than ten years later, people still came looking for revenge. If the hatred in my heart is strong enough and cannot be resolved, I will definitely seek revenge on those people in the future. This cycle will continue endlessly."
These insights are remarkably profound for someone of their age.
Jiang Qiye's heart was filled with turmoil.
If it weren't for the karmic cycle of the martial world, after the three illusions ended and he woke up from his dream, would he really develop different feelings for the female demon in front of him?
Looking at her now, she no longer evokes the same indifference she felt when they first met in the illusion.
Fortunately, she could be erased of her memories of the illusion by magic, but what good would that do?
She already knew it was him before she traveled through time. When she became a mortal without any cultivation or magical power, she would definitely hate him to the core.
Jiang Qiye sighed inwardly. Let her hate him if she wants. As long as he can keep up with his master's orders and save her life, this is the only way.
Thinking about it, I suddenly felt sad.
Pei Xueyan saw that his expression had darkened and assumed that her words had displeased him.
In the past, she was spoiled and straightforward, and would never have been willing to be warm to someone with a cold face. Now that she is alone and helpless and in need of help, she can only make do with it.
After walking for about half an hour, it was still more than an hour's journey to the town.
She was too tired to walk any further, so she squatted down and sat on a rock, rubbing her aching arms and gently massaging her legs.
When Jiang Qiye heard the footsteps stop, he turned around and saw that she looked exhausted. He squatted down as if possessed, reached out and held her ankle, and gently rotated it a few times.
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