Chapter 101: Do You… Admire Me?
Her senior sister’s reaction was normal. She had even shown suspicion towards him. Mingyan realized she must have also encountered an illusion of someone else.
He thought for a moment, then asked, “Do you remember what you said to me when we first met, Senior Sister?”
Yue Qingying frowned, not answering immediately. Instead, she asked, “My junior brother admires someone. Do you know who she is?”
Mingyan relaxed and smiled. “Ning Feixuan.”
“The first time we met, you were still unconscious. I didn’t say anything to you. If you mean the first words I spoke to you after you woke up, it was ‘Fellow Daoist’.” Yue Qingying smiled faintly, her killing intent dissipating, returning to her usual self.
“Senior Sister, are you alright?” Mingyan approached and circled her, relieved to see she wasn’t injured.
“What could happen to me? I just don’t know why we were separated.” Yue Qingying shook her head, a hint of worry on her face. “I wonder where the other two are.”
“Let’s go find them.” Mingyan reached out and took her hand. Yue Qingying looked down, then withdrew her hand. Mingyan, puzzled, turned to look at her, and saw her smiling and shaking her head.
He raised an eyebrow, then quickly distanced himself from her, his voice filled with rage. “You dare to disguise yourself as my Senior Sister?!”
The fake Yue Qingying looked confused. “Junior Brother? What’s wrong?”
“Don’t call me Junior Brother, you monster!” Mingyan’s Qi Sea flashed, and the Netherworld Immortal Gold appeared in his hand. He used Star Gap and struck!
The fake Yue Qingying tapped her foot lightly and retreated, her gentle expression turning cold. “How did you see through my disguise?”
Mingyan, using Star Gap, was incredibly fast, but he couldn’t catch her. He remained silent. The fake Yue Qingying, seeing this, dissolved into mist and vanished.
He frowned. He wondered if the mist affected one’s mind, or something else. How did it know what his senior sister had said to him?
Were there profound laws at work here? Could this area be under the influence of some Emperor-level illusionary inheritance?
The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed. The illusion was likely a law inscribed by the Great Dao, automatically manifesting as mist, capable of affecting one’s mind.
If it was an Emperor-level law, it was understandable that it could penetrate one’s mind and access memories. After all, the laws of a Great Emperor were mystical and powerful.
But how could he break this illusion…? He left a spiritual energy mark on the ground and continued forward. Normally, such a mark would last for a long time, but he wasn’t sure if it would be erased here. At least, during his encounter with the fake Yue Qingying, the mark had remained.
He walked for a while and noticed the mist growing thicker. He stopped, sensing a change.
Previously, the airflow had been chaotic. Now, although it still came from all directions without any discernible pattern, there seemed to be a faint rhythm… He circulated the Wind Spirit Scripture and carefully sensed the airflow.
It seemed to change direction at regular intervals. He realized there must be something changing in his surroundings, causing the airflow to shift.
He couldn’t find the pattern of change, but he did notice the timing.
A day had twelve hours, an hour had four quarters, a quarter had three tea-times, a tea-time had two incense sticks, an incense stick had five minutes, a minute had six finger-snaps, and a finger-snap had ten moments. A moment was the most basic unit of time. And with every finger-snap, the airflow changed.
So, he had to determine the direction of the airflow and escape the illusion within a single finger-snap…
He considered his speed. Even with “Star Gap,” it wasn’t enough. He would likely have to use the “*” secret technique.
But he didn’t think the illusion would be so simple to break. There might be multiple layers. But he couldn’t find any other way… As he was contemplating his next move, he heard faint footsteps. He looked up and saw a blurry silhouette in the mist. He became wary, gripping the Netherworld Immortal Gold.
As the silhouette approached, he recognized it. It was Ning Feixuan.
His face darkened. So, first Feiyan, then his senior sister, and now Ning Feixuan? Were they all going to take a turn?
“Mingyan?” Ning Feixuan, seeing him, also looked wary.
He raised his hand and took a stance, his gaze cold. “Stop pretending. First you pretended to be Feiyan, then my Senior Sister, and now Ning Feixuan. Do you think I’m a fool?”
Ning Feixuan: “…I was about to say the same to you.”
“You’ve disguised yourself three times now. First as my friend, then as my respected Senior Sister, and now as the Yaochi Holy Maiden I admire. Unforgivable!” A faint silver light enveloped Mingyan, and a bright moon rose behind him, its light piercing through the mist, making him look holy and inviolable, like a god.
“?!” Ning Feixuan looked stunned. “Wait! What did you just say?!”
Mingyan didn’t waste any more words and, using Star Gap, rushed towards her, the moon behind him rotating slightly, its silvery light cascading down. Ning Feixuan suddenly felt her body grow stiff and slow. Her expression changed. Seeing him closing in, she bit her lip, and the vibrant lotus mark on her forehead bloomed, leaving a faint crimson imprint in the air. Her movements returned to normal, and she retreated. “You must be the real Mingyan. Wait! Don’t attack. I’m not made of mist…”
“Then prove it.” Mingyan continued his advance, not intending to stop.
Ning Feixuan was frustrated. She also used Star Gap to create distance. “Proof… My cultivation technique is proof. We learned Star Gap together. And I cultivate Yaochi’s ‘Western Emperor Scripture’. Isn’t that enough proof?”
Mingyan noticed her movement technique was indeed Star Gap and hesitated. He didn’t know the extent of the illusion’s capabilities, whether it could also replicate cultivation techniques and secret techniques…
And if this was the real Ning Feixuan… A cold sweat broke out on his forehead. Damn, he had just said it out loud, that she was the one he admired. She had clearly been avoiding him, not wanting to get too close. Although he didn’t know how to close the distance between them yet, he knew that for now, it was best not to let her know about his feelings. Now that he had said it, wouldn’t she be even more resistant?
“We first met in a remote village. You were attacked by an evil cultivator. I recommended you to Rain Terrace Blessed Land. The next time we met, at the Huang family, you had already reached the Great Brook Realm… Our masters are friends…” Ning Feixuan continued, seeing his hesitation.
Mingyan stopped, looking at her, deep in thought. He decided to feign belief. If she was the fake Ning Feixuan, she would likely attack him the moment he let his guard down. If she was real, she would have no reason to attack.
He put away the Netherworld Immortal Gold. “Are you really the Yaochi Holy Maiden?”
“Of course…” Seeing the killing intent vanish from his eyes, Ning Feixuan sighed in relief. She didn’t want to fight him. They had no reason to. But then she remembered his earlier words, and her expression turned strange. “You… what you said just now, was it true… Do you… admire me?”
She needed to know. If it was true, she had to tell him her feelings early on.
Mingyan opened his mouth, but for a moment, he didn’t know what to say.
