Chapter 24 Part 3

Ming Yi jumped in during the brief pause. “Tsk, karma from a fling, huh.”

Kelly furrowed her brow slightly, ignoring him as she turned to Elfa. His expression had soured, and she seemed about to speak when the voice cut her off.

“This illusion realm was created by a magic item. There’s only one exit—the art studio where we first met. If you don’t want to stay trapped, come find me there. I’ll be waiting.” The young man’s words were gentle and indirect, laced with sorrow and a hint of deep affection. “The realm is filled with dangers, but have no fear. I’ll guide you every step of the way along the safe path. Trust me, and you’ll avoid every peril, arriving safely by my side.”

Kelly seized the opening to shout skyward. “This is between you and me—leave the others out of it!”

She sighed. “Just calm down. Let these people go, and we can sit down and talk properly, all right?”

No response came. After a moment, the voice pressed on with its first instruction. “It’s time to move.

“Two hundred meters ahead, you’ll find two bridges. When you reach them, take the sturdy stone arch bridge, and you’ll cross safely to the other side.”

Kelly persisted. “Hey! Can you hear me?”

Ming Yi and Elfa tried addressing the voice too, but it ignored them all.

Ling Ze approached Ling Ge and Meng Yiran. “Let’s go.”

Ling Ge wrinkled her nose. “Go where?”

Ling Ze replied, “There’s a teaching building not far to the east. The art studio’s the only one nearby.”

Ling Ge shot a resentful glance at the couple before letting out a grudging “Mm.” “No choice—we can’t just sit here waiting to die.”

She sidled up to Meng Yiran, gently taking her wrist and whispering in her ear. “Sorry for dragging you into this mess. We’ll sort it out once we’re free.

” Traps lurk everywhere in this illusion realm. I won’t tie you down, but stick close to me and my brother. Whatever you do, don’t wander off.”

Meng Yiran wasn’t foolish. She understood Ling Ge’s concession stemmed partly from the dangers and partly from caution about prying eyes.

She stole a glance at Ming Yi, who clearly bore no love for the Ling family siblings, and pressed her advantage. “I won’t cause trouble, but whatever you two are planning, I refuse to be forced into it again.”

Ling Ge didn’t commit outright. Instead, she stuck out her tongue and winked playfully.

The siblings wasted no time. Once decided, they strode forward at once, with Meng Yiran trailing close behind. She couldn’t resist glancing back at Tong Yuwu, who remained rooted in place.

Seeing the trio move out, Ming Yi and Kelly exchanged a look and nodded in silent agreement before hurrying after them.

Two hundred meters passed quickly, bringing the seven of them to the bridges.

Just as the voice had described, two bridges lay before them: a solid stone arch bridge and a rickety wooden one, battered by years of weather. Even without the guidance, most would have instinctively chosen the stone arch bridge.

“Isn’t this wooden bridge the one they demolished two years ago during the school renovation?” Ling Ge pointed at the wooden bridge and looked up at her brother for confirmation.

“Mm,” Ling Ze replied.

Ling Ge smacked her lips. “The Illusion Realm actually recreated it.”

She stood between the two bridges, hopping back and forth from one side to the other. “Should we trust that voice? Stone Arch Bridge or Wooden Bridge?”

Ling Ze was focused on observing the bridges, lost in thought.

At that moment, Tong Yuwu—who had been keeping an unusually low profile—stepped out from the crowd and headed straight for the wooden bridge without a moment’s hesitation.

Kelly shot Ming Yi a questioning look. He shrugged with evident interest but said nothing to interfere.

Meng Yiran had planned to stick with Ling Ze and Ling Ge, but she couldn’t hold back any longer. Before Tong Yuwu could set foot on the wooden bridge, Meng Yiran broke free from Ling Ge’s grasp and dashed to her side. She grabbed the hem of Tong Yuwu’s clothes, stopping her in her tracks.

Tong Yuwu halted and turned to face her. In the gray surroundings, her purple eyes gleamed with crystalline clarity.

“You…” Meng Yiran licked her lips.

When she’d first shifted back to human form, she’d had a thousand things she wanted to say to Tong Yuwu. But now that she was face-to-face with her, her mind went completely blank.

Of course, the current situation wasn’t right for chatting about trivial matters anyway.

Meng Yiran took a deep breath and shook her head to clear away the untimely thoughts. “Wait just a second.

“This wooden bridge looks suspicious. What if something dangerous happens when you step on it?”

Tong Yuwu turned sideways, trying to tug her hem free, but Meng Yiran held on tight. She couldn’t break loose.

The Noble Miss’s gaze lingered for a moment on Meng Yiran’s long silver hair before she replied impassively, “What’s it to you?”

Seeing that cold, distant expression, Meng Yiran felt an itch in her teeth. Suddenly, she had an urge to chew on one of Tong Yuwu’s new skirts until she’d gnawed holes right through it.

Unable to express her concern as a stranger might, she said stiffly, “The hint told us to take the Stone Arch Bridge. You’re really going with the wooden one?”

“Mm,” Tong Yuwu replied.

Meng Yiran reined in her impatience. “Why? Did you notice something different?”

“No.”

“…”

“Then why go up there?”

Tong Yuwu lowered her eyes, clearly done talking. But every time she moved, the gripped hem restricted her.

After a two-second standoff, she spoke. “I don’t believe what he said.”

Meng Yiran wasn’t entirely sure herself. “That voice…”

Tong Yuwu cut her off. “Someone who’s been betrayed but still pulls something this foolish—why should anyone trust a word from them?”

She didn’t lower her voice, so everyone present heard it clearly. Ming Yi arched a brow slightly, while Ling Ge rubbed her chin and nodded in sudden realization.

Meng Yiran was convinced by her words. “You’re right.”

She slowly released her grip, letting the hem of Tong Yuwu’s clothes fall back into place. To fill the awkward silence, she added, “Ahem, if it were me, I’d cut ties completely with anyone who’d hurt me—never see them again. I wouldn’t go to all this trouble just to sit down and talk it out.

“Isn’t that just offering up your neck for another slash?”

Tong Yuwu had already turned away and resumed walking toward the wooden bridge.

They were very close to it now. By the time Meng Yiran finished speaking, Tong Yuwu had already placed one foot on the bridge surface. The elegant Noble Miss paused abruptly, then stepped forward with her other foot as if nothing were amiss.

She walked with her usual grace, though a bit slower than on level ground.

Eager to bridge the gap between them, Meng Yiran followed close behind. “What would you do, then?”

No sooner had the words left her mouth than she mimicked Tong Yuwu, lifting one foot onto the wooden bridge.

The instant her shoe sole touched the bridge, a searing pain shot up from the bottom of her foot.

Meng Yiran, who had been standing ramrod straight, was caught so off guard that she nearly crumpled to her knees. Her instincts screamed a warning—if her knees hit the bridge, it would be pure agony—so she barely managed to steady herself into an awkward, hunched-over stance.

Ling Ge jumped in fright and rushed over to pull her away. But since Ling Ge wasn’t on the bridge, she couldn’t touch Meng Yiran, whose other leg was still off it. Their hands passed right through each other in a visual overlap, grasping only air.

Ling Ge shouted anxiously, “What’s happening? Can you still move? Get off there quick!”

It felt like there was an invisible wall at her back. Meng Yiran knew retreat wasn’t an option. Gritting her teeth, she forced herself upright and stepped fully onto the bridge with her other foot.

In her past life, acupressure mats had been all the rage for a while, and Meng Yiran had jumped on the bandwagon, buying a few herself.

Standing on the bridge felt like going barefoot across the most excruciating acupressure mat imaginable—multiplied by ten. She knew there was no risk of her feet being sliced open, but the searing pain still pushed the limits of human endurance.

Fortunately, once the initial shock wore off, the agony dulled to something she could just barely tolerate.

Meng Yiran regulated her breathing and prepared to take her first step forward.

But fortune never came in pairs, and misfortune never struck alone.

Before she could lift the foot she’d planted on the bridge, the surface suddenly gave way beneath it. The fragile planks, weakened by the prolonged pressure, cracked open into a yawning black void!

“Oh no,” Meng Yiran had time to think, and then the sensation of plummeting overwhelmed her. Her entire body pitched toward the hole.

In the nick of time, her flailing hand snagged something solid. Like a drowning swimmer clutching a piece of driftwood, she gripped it desperately and used it to haul herself away from the breach.

“I won’t let go.”

Meng Yiran looked up to see Tong Yuwu, who had been several paces ahead of her, doubling back. The girl moved with calm assurance, utterly unaffected by the pain, as if it didn’t exist for her at all. She pulled Meng Yiran to safety, then took hold of her forearm and guided her forward at a cautious pace.

“N-No, what won’t…?” Meng Yiran was in too much pain to think straight. She clung to one vital lesson: don’t linger in the same spot too long, or the bridge would cave in. Cold sweat soaked her back, but she gritted her teeth and endured, shuffling step by step in Tong Yuwu’s wake.

Tong Yuwu gave her a faint glance but said nothing more. She didn’t release her arm, either.

Down below, the others—who had been drifting toward the wooden bridge—halted once again.

A faint smile played on Kelly’s lips as she toyed with the necklace at her chest. “Looks like Damage Sharing was the right call. Someone’s testing the waters for us, after all.”

Ming Yi shot her a glare but held his tongue.

Kelly patted his shoulder. “Don’t be such a sore loser. You said yourself she wasn’t your new arm candy.”

Her gaze shifted to Tong Yuwu’s back. “Besides… doesn’t she seem totally unaffected? Is the pain singling out that poor little commoner girl?”

Ming Yi let out a chuckle. “Heh.”

He turned to Kelly’s boyfriend. “Better keep a close eye on your ‘new girlfriend,’ then.”

Kelly frowned. “I don’t need your advice.”

She approached her boyfriend, Elfa, her eyes fixed on the stone arch bridge. “What do you think?”

“I…” Elfa’s throat sounded clogged with thick phlegm, his voice rasping dryly. “He doesn’t like playing tricks on people. I don’t think he’d deceive us.”

Kelly nodded. “Then let’s go.”

She took the lead, striding boldly onto the stone arch bridge.

Compared to the decrepit wooden span, the stone bridge felt far sturdier and more reliable. Kelly proceeded with caution, but after several steps, she detected no danger whatsoever. Elfa and Ming Yi followed close behind. They crossed three-quarters of the bridge without incident—even overtaking Tong Yuwu and Meng Yiran, who had started ahead of them—and still, nothing went wrong.

Ling Ge tugged at Ling Ze’s sleeve. “Bro?”

Ling Ze glanced at her. “Your choice.”

With that, he stepped forward onto the wooden bridge.

Pain erupted from the soles of his feet, stabbing like hot needles into his heart. His knees buckled slightly, but he straightened up quickly, skirted the hole Meng Yiran had made, and advanced slowly. Seeing this, Ling Ge clenched her jaw and followed suit.

The siblings’ pain tolerance outstripped Meng Yiran’s. They reached the far shore without mishap.

As their feet touched solid ground again, Tong Yuwu remained as impassive as ever, while Meng Yiran leaned against a tree, panting raggedly in some disarray. Ming Yi and his companions, meanwhile, looked entirely unscathed, their gazes brimming with amused schadenfreude.

“You alright?” Ming Yi called to Tong Yuwu. “You were moving too fast. You should’ve taken the stone arch bridge with us—it’s perfectly safe.”

Tong Yuwu shook her head and lowered her eyes to Meng Yiran.

The moment they stepped off the bridge, the pain vanished, leaving only faint echoes lingering in their bodies. Once Meng Yiran caught her breath, she wiped the cold sweat from her brow and regained some composure.

The clear, pleasant male voice that had gone silent returned, ringing in everyone’s ears.

“I knew you’d trust me. I’m so happy. Back when we first met, I guided you just like this—do you remember?”

“Never mind that for now. There’s miasma up ahead. Charging in blindly will leave you lost in the thick fog. First, find a kind of small blue flower beneath the bridges—at least three of them. Crush them up and hold the pulp in your mouth, then proceed.”

“I can’t wait to see you again.”