Yin Ming got goosebumps listening to the white-clad man's mutterings.
Going back to square one?! It's not like playing a game, deleting your save file and starting over, is it?!
Wouldn't everything start over? Ling Yao would suffer all the hardships he endured, and all of Yin Ming's previous efforts would be in vain?!
Lingyao would no longer remember who he was, and with this white-clad man watching him intently from the sidelines, Yin Ming would likely be instantly killed the moment he showed his face...
We must not let him succeed in stirring up this tide of Qing!
Yin Ming raised his eyes with a solemn expression to meet Ling Yao's gaze, and saw the same deep concern in his eyes.
Lingyao, without saying a word, once again offered blood as a sacrifice to the sword, raised the Lingming Sword, and fiercely slashed at the man in white.
Despite his powerful strike, the barrier around the white-robed man remained completely unmoved and showed no signs of cracking.
Yin Ming watched as the wound on the white-robed man's shoulder gradually healed. He feared that once the wound was completely healed, the white-robed man would begin to activate the Qing Shi Tide that he had been constantly talking about...
"What should we do?" Yin Ming frowned, urgently thinking of ways to break the white-robed man's barrier and interrupt his spellcasting.
"He won't recover his strength anytime soon... Let's go find Liuying first."
Lingyao carefully observed the white-robed man's condition and made a decisive decision.
"……good."
Yin Ming responded, knowing that he could only take it one step at a time.
Before they could emerge from the illusion of the fireflies, the man in white had fully recovered...
All I can say is that they've done their best.
***
Unlike Yin Ming and Ling Yao's illusions, Liu Ying's illusions can be described as a paradise on earth, a fairyland.
In the peach grove nestled by the water, a sizable wooden house could be seen looming in and out of sight.
A wooden wall was built around the log cabin, and a few green plants climbed on the wall, adding a touch of vitality to the cabin.
In the courtyard enclosed by a wall, a cobblestone path winds its way to the front of the wooden house.
Unidentified white flowers were planted on both sides of the path, and the remaining space was neatly divided into several vegetable plots.
There was an open space about five zhang (approximately 10 meters) in front of and behind the wooden house. To the right of the wooden house, there was a peach tree that took two people to hug, and a swing set covered with wisteria flowers was placed on its curved branches.
When a gentle breeze blows, the petals fall in profusion, creating a scene as beautiful as a traditional Chinese ink painting.
This must be the house where Liuying and the original author once lived together.
It must be said that the author of the original work was quite good at choosing the location.
Nestled amidst mountains and water, with birdsong and fragrant flowers, being there feels like a purification of both body and mind.
If it weren't for the urgency of the situation, Yin Ming would have loved to linger a little longer in such a beautiful place.
Meanwhile, the firefly that Yin Ming and his companion were looking for was sitting quietly on the swing.
Just as Yin Ming was wildly speculating in his mind what obstacles the man in white would set up in Liu Ying's illusion, or how many of her memories he had sealed, Liu Ying seemed to sense something, and her deep eyes slowly turned to the two people standing outside the door.
"You've come..."
Her eyes dimmed for a moment, then she quickly lowered her eyelids, tugged at the corners of her mouth, and when she looked up again, her expression had returned to its usual calm.
Yin Ming was somewhat surprised and walked towards the swing set with Ling Yao.
"Senior Liuying, do you still remember us?"
Firefly gently shook her head. "I haven't forgotten anything..."
"He knew I wouldn't want to leave this place, and he also knew I wouldn't kill him..."
Liu Ying gave a self-deprecating laugh, "Everything is exactly as he predicted."
'Him'? Yin Ming frowned in confusion.
Yin Ming knew that the first and third "he" referred to the man in white, but who was the second "he"? Who wouldn't Liu Ying kill?
As Liu Ying glanced back at the wooden house with a hint of reluctance, Yin Ming followed her gaze and saw the figure busy among a pile of kitchen utensils.
It dawned on me in an instant.
The second "he" actually refers to the original author in this illusion.
Yin Ming had noticed the figure earlier and was originally going to go up and say hello, after all, this person was a fellow sufferer who had also inexplicably transmigrated into a book.
But then he realized that this person was just an illusion created by the man in white, and not the real author, so Yin Ming gave up the idea.
Nothing more, what's the point of reminiscing if it's all fake?
But what did Liu Ying mean by that? Why was the man in white so certain she wouldn't kill the original author? Did Liu Ying have any reason why she absolutely had to kill the original author?
“He is the key to this formation.” Lingyao glanced at the figure and said in a deep voice. His tone was not a question, but a statement.
Liu Ying twitched the corners of her mouth and nodded slightly.
Yin Ming: ...?
The key point of the formation? I see.
If Liu Ying wants to leave this illusion, she must first break the array's core, but the core is the original author... Having already experienced the pain of separation once, she can't even leave quietly now, and even has to kill him with her own hands...
Even if he wasn't the original author, his appearance was exactly the same as the original author's, even his way of speaking and behavior were a perfect replica. How could Liu Ying possibly have the heart to do it...?
Tsk, this man in white really knows how to kill someone by destroying their spirit.
"You two should get to work... It's time to leave this place." Liu Ying took a deep breath and said this to Yin Ming and the other man.
"Senior Liuying..." He originally thought that waking up Liuying would take a lot of effort, but he didn't expect everything to go so smoothly, so smoothly that Yin Ming felt a little sorry for her.
Those who are consciously sinking into depravity are the ones who suffer the most.
Because while they are clearly aware that they shouldn't be doing this, they can't help but get deeper and deeper into it...
Thus, they will forever be adrift in entanglement and struggle, never attaining true happiness.
"Don't worry about me... I should have left here a long time ago. I've been willful for too long, that's enough."
"Being able to experience that life again makes me very content..."
Although I always subconsciously want more, I continue to live here in self-deception even though I know it's just an illusion.
Now, with the help of others, I finally have the opportunity to break free... This is perhaps a kind of liberation.
Yin Ming didn't know what else to say for a moment, so he could only sigh silently.
Knowing full well that the original author is dead... knowing full well that Liuying longs to stay here... knowing full well that once she leaves this place, Liuying will never have the chance to see that figure again...
Yin Ming couldn't bear to be the villain... but he had no choice but to be the villain.
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