Chapter 65 Bewitching Words and Charming Hearts: Feng Xi finally reached out his hand...
Feng Xi finally reached out and hugged her tightly. Yan Chao heard his choked voice coming from above: "...I'm sorry, I couldn't protect you. I even thought..."
Yan Chao looked up at him and said, "It's my fault... I was rescued by a friend back then, and later I went back to that village, but not only did I not find you, the village was also empty. I thought our fate in this life was over, but I didn't expect Ade to be alright, and I never thought we would really meet again. Feng Xi, thank you." Not just Ade.
Feng Xi said, "There's no need for us to say thank you."
Yan Chao finally understood that the natural closeness that began when they reunited at the tavern, and the indescribable, elusive feelings that had once puzzled her, were not just because they were family. She finally found the answer.
Yan Chao released his hand, took a few steps back, and looked at him with a smile, feeling somewhat emotional and even more incredulous: "I never imagined that we had known each other so long ago."
Feng Xi chuckled, half-jokingly saying, "Perhaps even earlier?"
Yan Chao asked, "Really?"
Feng Xi asked, "If I said yes, would you believe me?"
Yan Chao said frankly, "If I don't trust you, then who can I trust? So when will we see each other again?"
Feng Xi, however, feigned mystery and said, "Actually... I'll tell you later." After saying that, he turned and left, his steps filled with undisguised joy.
Upon hearing this, Yan Chao, who had been listening attentively, instantly froze on his face. After a moment, he said in the direction Feng Xi had left, "Feng Xi, you just wait!" She knew he was telling the truth. Since he wasn't going to say anything, she wasn't in a hurry. They had plenty of time for each other anyway.
The next morning, Shan Qiaoying took the initiative to find Fei Lao and said that she had thought it through and was willing to return to Haishi with them.
Old Master Fei was overjoyed, though somewhat surprised that he had suddenly changed his mind. But now that he understood, those questions no longer mattered. The seven immediately set off back to Hai City. Just as they left the Ghost Realm, Feng Xi and Yan Chao appeared.
Yan Chao asked, "Where are you all headed?"
Yu Zhu glanced at her disdainfully and said, "Of course we will take Princess Shan Qiaoying back to Haishi."
Feng Xi said, "Oh, so you're leaving. You're in such a hurry to leave, leaving the Ghost Realm without informing me. Anyone who didn't know would think you were rushing to be reincarnated."
Yu Zhu's purplish-red face instantly turned black, his dark red veins bulging, and he angrily shouted, "Say that again!!" The spiked club in his hand was about to smash towards Feng Xi.
Chi Zhu stopped him, saying, "Don't be rude!" He turned to Feng Xi, bowed, and said, "I'm sorry, we were impolite. You've been so hospitable, sir, we should thank you before we leave." He said this, but it sounded completely insincere.
Yan Chao said, "No need, no need. We only have one request: we want to go to Haishi with you."
Upon hearing this, all seven were taken aback. Old Master Fei asked, "What do you mean by this, young lady?"
Yan Chao said, "The two of us, one saved him and the other raised him. Since he is a prince of your Hai City, shouldn't the people of Hai City thank us?"
Old Master Fei said, “What you say is true, young lady. We informed the King yesterday, and when we return to Haishi, the King’s gift of gratitude will be presented in due course.”
Feng Xi said, "There's no need for that. You just need to take the two of us to Hai City. A-Ying has been by my side for so many years, and now that he's going home, I need to see for myself what it's like before I can feel at ease. I've heard that Hai City is very big; surely it can accommodate the two of us?"
Upon hearing this, Elder Fei hesitated, his brows furrowed, clearly troubled. The seven exchanged glances, none of them speaking, yet it seemed they were discussing something. After a long while, Elder Fei said, "The two of you will accompany us on our journey. But we have one request."
Feng Xi said, "Speak freely."
As soon as he finished speaking, Chi Zhu produced two black ribbons from nowhere and said, "Hai City is not known to outsiders. To avoid unnecessary trouble, please make sure to cover your eyes along the way. We will lead you to Hai City."
Feng Xi took the black ribbon and laughed nonchalantly, "Alright. Don't even think about leaving us stranded halfway."
Chi Zhu said, "Your Excellency is overthinking this."
Before setting off, Yan Chao asked Shan Qiaoying, "Ade, are you really sure about this?"
Shan Qiaoying said, "Yes. I want to go back."
Yan Chao patted him on the shoulder and said, "Okay."
The three boarded a carriage. Shan Qiaoying, who wasn't blindfolded, sat between the two, his body ramrod straight. He could see the blurry scenery rushing past outside, not ordinary mountains and fields, but distorted light and shadows and unrecognizable terrain, moving at an astonishing speed. The four black horses pulling the carriage were silent, as if they were in the void.
The carriage was unusually smooth, with almost no bumps. The only sound was the howling wind outside the window, carrying an increasingly strong scent, indescribable in nature, along with a faint, sweet floral fragrance, all blending together to create a unique, mirage-like atmosphere.
Shan Qiaoying lowered her voice and said, "Brother Feng, Sister Chao, the light outside is strange. It's like all sorts of colors are mixed together in the fog, and you can't see any shape. The smell is also getting stronger."
Feng Xi said, "Hmm." He propped himself up on one leg, leaning back casually, showing no sign of panic even though he was blind. One hand rested naturally on Shan Qiaoying's knee, conveying silent strength.
Yan Chao felt around and gently took Shan Qiaoying's hand, saying, "Ade, don't be afraid. We're all here. Just remember who you are."
Shan Qiaoying immediately stopped spinning, grabbed Yan Chao's hand tightly, and said, "I'm not afraid! I'm Ade! That's the name you gave me!"
Feng Xi smiled and gently patted the hand that was resting on his knee.
The carriage seemed to have entered a more peculiar area. The wind suddenly subsided, replaced by a strange buzzing sound, as if coming from all directions, or as if striking directly at the bones. The air became thick, the skin tingled slightly, and the mixed odors were so intense they were almost tangible.
The night owl driving the vehicle gave a hoarse reminder: "We're almost there."
Shan Qiaoying nervously looked out the window. The thick fog was no longer grayish-white, but a constantly shifting, discordant array of colors. A patch of scarlet was right next to a patch of aquamarine, and glaring yellow was splashed onto deep indigo. The fog itself seemed to be slowly writhing and swirling. He tried to make out something, but he could make out nothing but these wildly distorted colors.
Shan Qiaoying couldn't help but exclaim softly, "The fog... the colors of the fog are fighting!" It was dizzying to look at.
Fei Lao's hoarse voice came from the front seat, tinged with a hint of barely perceptible smugness: "Your Highness has been out here for too long, how could you possibly understand the beauty of chaos? The boundary wall is just ahead."
The words had barely left his lips when the carriage jolted violently! It wasn't a bumpy ride, but rather as if it had passed through a viscous film of water. The humming sound instantly rose to an ear-piercing level, then vanished abruptly. The suffocating, mixed odor also reached its peak, almost nauseating.
Then came absolute silence. The sounds of the wind, the hum, even the clatter of horses' hooves vanished.
Old Master Fei said, "We've arrived. You can take off your blindfold now. Welcome to Mirage."
Shan Qiaoying's heart pounded like a drum. He gripped Feng Xi and Yan Chao's hands tightly, feeling Yan Chao's hand tighten its grip slightly. Feng Xi slowly raised his hand, preparing to remove the ribbon that bound his vision. The blinding light made him frown. When he opened his eyes, a world even more bizarre and fantastical than the Ghost Realm appeared before him.
The sky over Mirage was an eerie pinkish-purple, while the mountains and rivers looked much like the outside world, lush and verdant, even quite beautiful. But the people living in this "Shangri-La" seemed to belong to a different space. They wore brightly colored, outlandish costumes, sported bizarrely styled, multicolored hair and masks, walked with exaggerated movements, and spoke in shrill, strange voices. Most outrageous of all were their vehicles—the wheels were square!
After all that commotion, sitting in this car now made Yan Chao's buttocks ache and she felt nauseous. She swallowed a pill and leaned listlessly against Feng Xi's shoulder. Feng Xi wasn't quite in that state, but this car was truly bizarre. He couldn't help but frown and sneer, "This car of yours is really something. Do you think your buttocks aren't painful enough? You have to get a few bruises before you feel comfortable?"
The palace's banquet hall was indeed magnificent, with long tables covered in exquisite fabrics, but the food laid out on them was utterly unappetizing. There were wriggling, suspiciously colored, gelatinous substances emitting an indescribable odor; charred, oddly shaped chunks of meat; the only edible items were a few plates of fruit that looked somewhat normal.
The king of the city, a man dressed in a deep purple robe with complex silver swirls painted on his face, and the queen, equally adorned and with a face painted like a peacock's tail, sat at the head of the table, both beaming with smiles.
Wang said, "Welcome, Young Master Lian and Miss Yan, who have come from afar, and my pearl who is finally willing to return home... my son Shan Qiaoying."
Feng Xi said, "A pearl? A pearl that was abandoned for so many years and almost died? The pearl of your land, the treatment is truly unique." His voice was lazy, with undisguised sarcasm.
The king's smile froze for a moment, and the queen quickly smoothed things over: "Many things in the past were misunderstandings. Today's banquet is precisely to make up for what we owed and to reunite the family. It is also to thank you both for taking care of my son over the years." She looked at Shan Qiaoying, her eyes almost too eager, "Child, it's good that you're home."
Shan Qiaoying sat next to Yan Chao with a tense face, not saying a word. Yan Chao wore a polite smile, but his fingertips tapped lightly on the table. His eyes swept over the "delicacy" and finally picked up only a grape.
During the banquet, the King and Queen kept spouting platitudes like "blood ties," "glory of the mirage," and "my son's return to the rightful throne." Feng Xi responded with a few perfunctory words, Yan Chao smiled and agreed, while Shan Qiaoying remained as silent as a stone.
After several rounds of drinks, the music suddenly changed, shifting from its previous languid melody to a sharp, rapid tune with a strange rhythm. A troupe of dancers surged in, dressed in shimmering gauze robes, their painted faces writhing wildly, their movements contorted and suggestive. As they twirled and leaped, a cloyingly sweet fragrance filled the air.
Feng Xi and Yan Chao exchanged a very brief glance.
The music and the exotic fragrance seemed to have a physical presence, drilling straight into one's brain. Shan Qiaoying first felt a strong dizziness, and the scene before his eyes began to distort and deform. He shook his head violently, but saw that the candlelight on the table had turned into dancing little figures, and the reliefs on the wall seemed to be wriggling and crawling.
Yan Chao suddenly burst out laughing, pointing at the dance floor, her voice filled with innocent surprise: "Hey, Lotus-kun, look! Those grapes... are dancing? And those bananas... are actually singing! 'I am a banana~ fragrant and sweet~' Hahaha, so... so funny!" She laughed so hard she was shaking, but her eyes were somewhat unfocused.
Feng Xi shook his head and mumbled, "Nonsense...it's clearly the apple beating the drum..." Before he could finish speaking, his body went limp, and with a "thud," his head hit the table and he stopped moving. Immediately afterward, Yan Chao chuckled and slid softly to the ground.
Shan Qiaoying was shocked: "Brother Feng! Sister Chao!" He tried to rush over, but the intense dizziness and hallucinations overwhelmed him like a tide. In the end, he could not resist, and everything went black before his eyes, and he lost consciousness.
The smile on Wang's face vanished instantly, leaving only a cold calculation: "Done. Separate them. Take 'White Shackles' to the clean room. Dispose of the other two cleanly."
Feng Xi and Yan Chaobei, two tall guards, dragged them away from the main hall like sacks of potatoes. They passed through a dark corridor and arrived at a secluded stone chamber. The guards threw them to the ground, and one of them drew a bone knife from his waist.
The guard spat and said, "Hmph, so what if he's a ghost king? Once he's afflicted with 'Mind Bewitching,' even immortals will fall." With that, he raised his bone knife.
Just as the bone knife was about to fall, Yan Chao, who was "unconscious" on the ground, suddenly opened her eyes. Her body sprang up at an incredible angle, and she casually threw a handful of powder at him. With a crisp "crack," the guard didn't even have time to scream before his skull and neck bones separated.
At the same time, Feng Xi moved as well. He didn't even get up; lying on the ground, he swept out one leg with lightning speed, kicking the other guard hard in the knee! Another tooth-crushing sound of bone cracking rang out! The guard screamed and fell to the ground, and Feng Xi had already moved in front of him like a shadow, looking down at him coldly and saying, "You dare to show off such a simple trick?" With one stomp, the guard instantly fell silent.
The two moved swiftly and cleanly, in the blink of an eye.
Feng Xi snapped his fingers, and the two instantly changed into their clothes. Yan Chao looked himself over and said with considerable disdain, "I still have to say, their aesthetic sense is just awful. How could such a lovely child like Adele be born in Haishi?"
The two, disguised as guards, swiftly navigated the labyrinthine palace. Finally, they stopped before a stone door covered in strange runes. From within, they could faintly hear a buzzing sound and Shan Qiaoying's suppressed groans.
Feng Xi's eyes narrowed, and he struck the stone door with a palm strike. With a deafening roar, the runes dimmed, and the stone door was blasted open. The scene inside enraged the two men instantly.
Shan Qiaoying was bound naked inside a transparent, cylindrical container filled with a viscous, yellowish-green liquid! Countless slender, white-glowing insects gnawed at his skin, greedily sucking something from him. The container was connected to a magic circle; the Turbid Master manipulated the circle, causing the white mist to thicken, while the Erosion Master recorded the events, chanting incantations: "Strong rejection reaction... the purification level far exceeds expectations... simply unbelievable... with him, we can come and go freely..."
Yan Chao roared, "Let him go!" Before she finished speaking, she had already rushed forward like an arrow, her target the Eclipse Master who was recording.
Feng Xi was even faster! He flashed in front of Zhuo Shi, his face, clad in a mirage mask, almost touching the other's sickly face, and snarled, "You dare do this to my son? You're asking for death!"
Zhuo Shi was terrified and tried to retaliate. But Feng Xi gave him no chance to react. He grabbed Zhuo Shi's neck and lifted him off the ground. Crack! Zhuo Shi's neck snapped at an unnatural angle. His other palm shattered the formation.
On the other side, Yan Chao poured a bottle of liquid onto the Corruptor, who had already turned into a cloud of foam. She pulled out the guard's bone knife, and with a flash of cold light, cleaved the container open. The viscous liquid gushed out, and Shan Qiaoying weakly fell forward, but Yan Chao caught her steadily and quickly wrapped her in an outer robe.
Yan Chao patted his face and said in a trembling voice, "Adele! Wake up!"
Shan Qiaoying coughed violently, spitting out several mouthfuls of yellowish-green liquid. She slowly opened her eyes and saw Yan Chao's anxious face and Feng Xi's tall back. Her eyes instantly filled with grievance: "Sister Chao... Ade wants to go home..."
At this moment, the king, queen and others who rushed over after hearing the noise blocked the doorway. When they saw the terrible scene inside and the three conscious people, their expressions changed drastically!
King Wang trembled with rage, his face contorted with rage: "You audacious madman! How dare you trespass into the forbidden area, destroy my sacred artifact, and kill my important minister!"
Feng Xi ripped off the Hai Shi mask from his face, shielding Shan Qiaoying behind him, and said sternly, "A sacred artifact? A high-ranking official? Hai Shi is utterly rotten!"
Yan Chao, supporting Ade, smiled faintly and said, “What a wonderful ‘family reunion’! Your Majesty, your method of reunion is truly ingenious.”
Looking at his so-called "relatives" and the mess around him, Shan Qiaoying, though somewhat prepared, still hadn't expected this outcome. A surge of anger, resentment, and bitterness, suppressed for centuries, welled up inside him. He broke free from Yan Chao's support, and despite his weakness, straightened his back, roaring at the calculating face of his "father" with all his might, "Who's your son?! Every word you say is utter bullshit!"
"My name is Adele! My bones, my blood, are engraved with their names! Not your Haishi!"
"You threw me away like trash! Now you've brought me back as a guinea pig! You don't deserve to be my parents! You don't deserve to call me by my name!"
His voice echoed in the stone chamber, each word like a whip dipped in salt water lashing the faces of the king and queen.
The king's face turned ashen, and a flicker of panic and shame flashed in the queen's eyes.
Feng Xi chuckled, patted Adele on the shoulder, and said, "Well said!" He turned his head and looked at Wang with a sinister gaze, "Did you hear that? His name is Adele, he's ours. Your Hai City doesn't have that kind of luck."
Yan Chao stepped forward and helped Adele up, saying, "The show's over, the score's settled. We're not staying in this awful place anymore." Ignoring the angry stares, she looked at Adele and said firmly, "Adele, let's go home!"
The Sea City King finally roared in exasperation, "Stop them!" Chi Zhu's scepter burst forth with blinding light, and Fei Lao's hands formed a seal, causing space to distort.
Feng Xi grabbed Ade with one arm and Yan Chao with the other, then leaped into the air. A barrier blocked all their attacks.
Feng Xi scoffed, "Trying to keep guests here? Too bad, I find this lousy place disgusting!"
He ceased fighting and instead led the two towards the boundary wall of the sea city. When the people of the sea city reached the edge of the boundary wall, they could only watch helplessly as they broke through the thin membrane that protected and imprisoned the sea city.
Feng Xi stopped before the boundary wall, glanced back at the pursuing crowd, and, as if suddenly in a leisurely mood, said to them with a smile, "What did I say before? To see my true form, one must offer their soul as a sacrifice. Since you all like hiding in this shell so much, then stay inside forever and never come out!"
As he finished speaking, he slammed his palm down hard on the boundary wall. There was no earth-shattering explosion; the previously invisible boundary wall instantly solidified, becoming dozens of times thicker!
"No—!" Hai Shi Wang roared in unwilling anger, but they could no longer hear him.
Outside the boundary wall, Feng Xi casually clapped his hands, as if he were just dusting off a bit of dust. He took Yan Chao and Ade's hands again and said, "Let's go home for dinner. The food in this lousy place is even worse than what Yao Xu made at first."
Adele glanced back at the bizarre and fantastical land that had given her a nightmare, her eyes now devoid of any lingering affection, only filled with an eagerness to return home.
"Yes. Let's go home!"
Three figures, bathed in the afterglow of the setting sun, disappeared into the distance without looking back. Behind them, the mirage remained forever trapped.
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