Chapter 30

“My heart is set solely on the Dao! I will absolutely not fall in love early!”

Liuli swore to the heavens. Hoisting her banner and the Stone Puppet on her shoulder, she dashed away without giving Lin Mengxian and Liang Tianguang a chance to speak.

Her heart was too grieved and indignant. For a moment, she forgot to pay attention to the surrounding environment. When she finally stopped, Liuli found she had entered a Peach Blossom Forest.

Pinkish-white peach blossom petals were drifting down on the wind. At a first glance, it almost looked like Peach Blossom Mountain.

Liuli raised a hand to catch a petal and sniffed it gently. The fragrance filled her nose. She could see no other abnormalities. It completely seemed as if these were all just ordinary peach blossoms.

But how could there ever be a truly safe place in this Secret Realm? Liuli didn’t let her guard down and tried to retrace her path. When she turned her head, she discovered there was no path to walk back.

All around her, in every direction, was the peach forest. The peach trees layered endlessly, stretching for who knew how many thousands of miles.

With no other choice, she could only continue forward.

She walked for an unknown time but never encountered danger. Liuli gradually relaxed her vigilance. Half a day passed, and the faint sound of running water reached her ears. Liuli’s eyes lit up, and she quickly walked toward it.

Ahead, a small stream appeared. Peach blossoms bloomed on both banks, their pinkish-white petals falling into the flowing water, swiftly carried away. It was exactly a scene of “falling blossoms have intent, but the flowing water has none.”

Across the stream was a small wooden bridge, simple and rustic, wide enough for only a single person. Behind the bridge, a little courtyard appeared.

This courtyard was extremely familiar.

Feeling something was off, Liuli didn’t dare step onto the bridge. She turned around and walked back, only to find herself arriving in front of this bridge again.

It seemed crossing the bridge was unavoidable.

Afraid she might not be able to care for the Stone Puppet should an unexpected event arise, Liuli placed it on the ground and crossed the bridge alone.

When she reached the center of the bridge, the courtyard gate suddenly opened automatically, revealing an even more familiar pavilion and garden inside.

Liuli was very exasperated. “What’s this about?”

Such an obvious Illusion Realm—did it want her to enter, or not?

Isn’t this just the Phoenix Perch Residence!

Usually, the original owner of a Secret Realm died long ago. What remained were only the mechanisms he had set up before death. But still, Liuli had to say: “The Phoenix Perch Residence is on Parasol Tree Mountain. If you’re making an Illusion Realm, at least be a bit more rigorous.”

Liuli walked to the “Phoenix Perch Residence.” Although there might be danger inside, to break this situation, she couldn’t hesitate on the spot.

Liuli walked in. Just as she approached the edge of the pavilion, a sudden creaking sound drew her attention. Following the sound, a peerless beauty with a face like a flower and features like the moon walked out.

Liuli: “…So realistic!”

It was practically a perfect, one-to-one copy of the real person!

The one who walked out was precisely the master of the “Phoenix Perch Residence”—Feng Xiwu!

“Feng Xiwu” saw Liuli, and her vermilion lips parted slightly, as if a little surprised. “Why have you come? Is there something you don’t understand in your cultivation?”

Liuli pondered for a moment. “If I ask you, can you really answer?”

She actually could! Liuli rapidly asked several questions. This “Feng Xiwu” answered without any errors. Even when Liuli brought up something she truly hadn’t grasped and asked about it, the explanation was convincing.

For a time, Liuli got lost in listening.

Feng Xiwu clapped her hands and said, “Go water the flowers.”

Liuli nodded obediently. “Alright.”

Feng Xiwu went back inside the house. Only Liuli remained in the courtyard.

She took out the Water of Supreme Goodness Pot, hung it upside down atop the pavilion, and began watering the flowers. As she watered, she suddenly jolted, a violent torrent of water surging out and flooding the small garden completely.

Liuli hastily jumped back to the ground. No, something’s wrong. How could I have been drawn in unconsciously in such a short time, unable to distinguish the Illusion Realm from reality!

There was something wrong with this “Phoenix Perch Residence.” She couldn’t stay inside too long. If she stayed too long, she feared the Illusion Realm would brainwash her again.

But even though Liuli wanted to leave, “Feng Xiwu” wouldn’t let her off so easily.

As Liuli walked toward the courtyard gate, which had closed at some unknown time, a cool hand gently rested on her shoulder.

All the hairs on Liuli’s body instantly stood on end.

When did she come out?! When did she approach?! Why is she like a ghost, scaring people to death?!

Liuli tilted her head slightly and looked with a forced chuckle at the pale, slender hand resting on her shoulder. “Shizun, the flowers are watered. Is there anything else?”

Feng Xiwu said softly, “Liuli, where are you going?”

Liuli slowly moved her body away and abruptly spun around to face Feng Xiwu. “I want to go back to my own courtyard.”

“Liuli.” Feng Xiwu was absolutely a brilliant teacher, pressing cultivation at every turn. “You’ve been slacking off lately. Go to the Meditation Room to cultivate.”

Shizun’s words make sense! Liuli had just taken a step when she suddenly saw the garden, which was now flooded. “…!”

Crap, I can’t talk to her! I get bewitched the moment I talk!

Just then, Feng Xiwu’s voice, tinged with slight urgency, came from outside the courtyard gate. “Liuli, come out!”

“Coming, coming! Shizun, save me!”

Ignoring whether this fake one would get agitated and attack her, Liuli covered her ears and charged toward the courtyard gate. Reaching it, she excitedly pulled the gate open with both hands—and Liuli cried.

Where’s the Peach Blossom Forest?!

Where’s the flowing stream and the little bridge?!

What appeared before her was clearly another Phoenix Perch Residence and another Feng Xiwu!

Inside this gate was the Phoenix Perch Residence; outside the gate was also the Phoenix Perch Residence. The gate was like a mirror—inside and outside were identical.

Though there were some differences. The new Feng Xiwu frowned slightly, surveyed her surroundings, and said, “This Illusion Realm is exceptionally ingenious. Liuli, come here first and we’ll talk.”

Looks like… this one might be real…

Liuli eagerly extended one leg, but then the world spun. Clinging tightly to the doorframe, when she opened her eyes, she found herself facing the doorframe once more, utterly unable to tell the order in which the two Phoenix Perch Residences had appeared!

What was worse, the expressions on the two Feng Xiwus were completely identical, so both seemed real now!

Standing on the narrow threshold, Liuli felt weak, pitiful, and helpless. “Which one of you is real and which is fake?”

“I am real / She is fake!”

It felt like entering either courtyard was extremely dangerous. Only standing here, at the gate’s position, could Liuli’s mind maintain a sliver of clarity.

Liuli took a deep breath and howled to the heavens: “Shizun—help me—”

The Feng Xiwu on the left seemed utterly helpless with her. “Liuli, stop yelling. Haven’t you realized yet? We are trapped.”

Liuli had indeed realized it. Not only were there two Phoenix Perch Residences inside and outside the gate, but beyond the original wicker fence walls, everything had also become hazy and unclear.

Liuli said to the left Feng Xiwu, “How can you prove you’re the real one?”

The left Feng Xiwu pursed her lips and said nothing.

The right Feng Xiwu shook her head and said, “Liuli, everything you see now is false. The body I’ve borrowed is a Stone Puppet. Come over here and you’ll see clearly.”

The left Feng Xiwu retorted, “An Illusion Realm follows the heart. Fabricating a fake Stone Puppet would be simple. Liuli, do you trust me?”

She looked at Liuli very seriously. Liuli felt almost cowed into guilt just by that gaze.

Liuli gritted her teeth and said, “Both of you, reach out your hands. Let me touch them!”

Two arms extended toward Liuli simultaneously. She took one in each hand and felt them—both were soft, slightly cool, slender, and long.

This is completely indistinguishable!

Liuli thought of a rather shameless move—she tore off the sleeves of both Feng Xiwus in one swift motion!

Both Feng Xiwus frowned simultaneously, looking at Liuli with disapproval.

Liuli, whose smile was gradually turning perverse, gently stroked one arm in each hand and said, “Say what you will, but this Illusion Realm is too realistic. Shizun, your arms are so slender and smooth! Hehehe!”

The left and right Feng Xiwus both withdrew their hands, their expressions dark.

Liuli grinned cheekily. “How about this? Both of you go into the same courtyard. Shizun, you take out the fake one, and we can leave!”

The right Feng Xiwu gently flicked her intact sleeve. “There is a Restriction here; I cannot cross over.”

The left Feng Xiwu said, “Liuli, don’t hesitate. Come over!”

“Liuli, come to this side.”

“The longer time passes, the deeper the illusion grows. Liuli, you must make a decision soon.”

“Liuli…”

“Liuli…”

Called over and over, Liuli’s decision paralysis grew steadily worse. She looked at the left Feng Xiwu, then at the right Feng Xiwu. “I’ve made my decision.”

“Then hurry.”

“My decision is—I’m climbing over the wall to get out!” Liuli hooked her arm around the gate pillar, planted her foot on the latch, and flipped nimbly onto the top of the gate frame like a monkey. “I refuse to believe there’s another Phoenix Perch Residence outside the fence!”

Worst case, I’ll just fly straight away!

She had never been this agile in her entire life. Treading on the sharp, thin wicker fence, she navigated to a section of the fence without a gate.

After steadying herself on a wooden post, the white mist beyond the fence wall gradually thinned, revealing layers upon layers of shadows…

When she saw clearly what those shadows were, Liuli nearly slipped and fell outside—it was one “Feng Xiwu” after another, standing on the ground as expressionless and densely packed as trees!

If before it had been a Peach Blossom Forest outside, now it was a Feng Xiwu Forest!

Liuli gasped sharply and weakly returned to the gate. She was exhausted. Her heart was so tired. Flipping down from the top of the gate, she went back to sitting on the threshold between the two Phoenix Perch Residences, pulled a flatbread from her Storage Ring, and began nibbling it slowly.

The two Feng Xiwus were still asking, “Liuli, what did you see?”

“Is there a way out?”

Liuli swallowed the last bite of her flatbread and said, “No way out. I saw…”

“Saw what?”

“I saw…” Liuli’s expression grew heavier. “Lots of Shizuns doing square dancing.”

“…………”

“Dancing like spirit mediums,” Liuli corrected breezily. Then she pulled out her Big Wooden Hammer from her Storage Ring, swung it domineeringly in a circle, and declared, “Hmph! It must be those fake Feng Xiwus casting a spell. Shizun, since you can’t cross over here, I’ll just demolish this door, and we’ll fight them head-on!”

The face of the left Feng Xiwu suddenly changed. “Stop!”

“Why should I stop?” Liuli raised her giant hammer, bristling with aggressive momentum. “Could it be, Shizun, that you’re the fake one?”

The right Feng Xiwu seized the opportunity. “Exactly. She must fear that if the door is broken, I will be able to cross over. Liuli, breaking this Illusion Realm could still take who knows how long. Leaving as soon as possible is the best strategy. Liuli, though you see a courtyard here, I can see the path outside. Come over.”

Liuli smiled and lowered the hammerhead. She turned to the right Feng Xiwu and said, “I’ve finally figured out which one is fake. Shizun, let’s go!”

The right Feng Xiwu’s eyes followed the position of the hammerhead. She smiled gently, “Good, let’s—”

BANG—

Just as the hammerhead reached its lowest point, Liuli smoothly swung it in a grand arc and slammed the head of the hammer heavily onto the plaque of the “Phoenix Perch Residence.”

The world before her eyes suddenly rippled like the surface of water struck by a stone. Heaven and earth quaked, the scorching sun inverted. Liuli gave a light shout, surging True Qi poured into the hammer, and she smashed it down fiercely!

After nine hammer blows, the courtyard gate before her suddenly shattered into fragments, revealing the reality beneath the Illusion Realm—a somewhat short, wooden doorframe without door panels. Only a palm-sized Double-Sided Bronze Mirror was mounted at the very top.

What Phoenix Perch Residence? What Feng Xiwu? Everything had turned into a dense smoke and was sucked into the mirror.

Finally, the mirror trembled and fell to the ground. Liuli hurriedly picked it up and brushed off the dust. She discovered that although the mirror’s surface was smooth, it couldn’t reflect a person. Looking inside, she could only see a dark chaos, where stars and clouds swirled, as if it contained a small world of its own.

Liuli put the mirror away safely and looked toward the wooden doorframe. What was protected by such a grand Illusion Realm was just a somewhat dilapidated thatched hut.

This time, until Liuli walked inside the hut, she encountered no more mishaps.

Inside the thatched hut were a small bed, a table, a stool, and a withered lamp.

On the wooden table lay a thin pamphlet. The cover was yellowed and brittle, with no title. Opening the first page, four elegant calligraphy characters were written: A Gift for the Fated.

Liuli took the pamphlet. Finding nothing else in the hut, she walked out of the wooden doorframe. Behind her, a soft muffled sound suddenly rang out. Turning her head, she saw that the wooden door and thatched hut had, at some unknown moment, crumbled to dust.

A relic left behind by a mighty ancient cultivator had finally vanished completely.

Now, when she looked around again, the Peach Blossom Forest was still there, as were the little bridge and flowing stream. But they were no longer as breathtakingly beautiful as a fairyland. Seeing it now, the peach trees were somewhat dry and withered, the forest’s range had shrunk, the bridge planks were cracked in many places, and even the flowing stream was just a thin trickle.

Liuli retrieved the Stone Puppet and hoisted it onto her shoulder. Excitedly, she told Feng Xiwu about the wondrous Illusion Realm she had just experienced. Even though Feng Xiwu wouldn’t answer her, who told Liuli to be a good student who respected her teacher? Afraid Shizun would be bored, even if her mouth grew tired, she had to chat with her!

Liuli was almost moved to tears by herself. How many good disciples like me can there be under heaven?

Liuli chattered on for a while, recounting how she saw two Feng Xiwus, but how she was incredibly heroic and astute, seeing through both to be fake! Her true Shizun—she would absolutely never mistake her!

At this moment, Feng Xiwu finally couldn’t hold back any longer and spoke in her mind:

“No need to say more. I saw everything.”

Liuli froze. “You saw everything?”

“Mm.”

“…………”

Liuli fell silent.