Chapter 79: Breaking the Illusion
“Jiajia? Can you hear me? Jiajia? Jiajia?” Xiao Nian shouted, patting her face, but Jiang Jiajia didn’t react at all.
Cold sweat was constantly breaking out on her body. Her brows were tightly furrowed, her lips were pressed together, and she kept waving her hands, groaning in pain.
Seeing her like this, Xiao Nian was extremely anxious. She turned her head, her eyes red, and looked at Liu Chuxia and Li Hanyan, asking anxiously, “What’s wrong with Jiajia?”
Liu Chuxia knelt beside Jiang Jiajia, thought for a moment, and then looked at Li Hanyan. “Do you know how to break an illusion?”
“You suspect Jiajia is in an illusion?”
Liu Chuxia frowned and nodded in agreement.
Hearing this, Xiao Nian immediately wanted to help Jiang Jiajia break the illusion, but Li Hanyan stopped her.
“Don’t be rash. There are many types of illusions. You might harm Jiajia if you break it like this.”
“We don’t have time to check what kind of illusion it is now. Let me break it. Jiajia is most afraid of pain. I can’t just watch her suffer like this.” Xiao Nian wanted to break through Li Hanyan’s obstruction, but Li Hanyan was very strong, and she couldn’t break through at all.
Liu Chuxia looked at the already irrational Xiao Nian and sighed.
“Calm down. Although I haven’t learned how to break an illusion yet, I’ve read a lot of theoretical knowledge. You must know this much better than I do. If you want Jiajia to die, then go ahead,” Liu Chuxia said in a low voice, looking at Xiao Nian.
Xiao Nian was already a mess of tears. Hearing Liu Chuxia’s words, her rationality slowly returned. She knelt down with red-rimmed eyes, then slowly stood up.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t control my emotions. I can’t calm down when it comes to Jiajia. I’m sorry,” Xiao Nian said, wiping her tears and apologizing to Liu Chuxia and Li Hanyan.
“You should get some rest too. Just leave Jiajia to us,” Li Hanyan said, patting her on the shoulder.
Xiao Nian nodded, turned to look at the pale-faced Jiang Jiajia, her heart aching. She quickly took out a wet wipe from her bag and wiped the sweat from Jiang Jiajia’s face and neck.
“A Xia, if it’s the yellow flower that Yu Tingting mentioned, then this is a bit difficult. After all, a Heart Bewitching Ghost’s illusion is very hard to break. I need to calm down and draw a few types of talismans. You can help me keep watch,” Li Hanyan said, taking out the materials and speaking to Liu Chuxia.
“Okay.” Liu Chuxia also went over to help Li Hanyan sort the materials.
Just then, Xiao Xu and Ke Yan flashed back. Seeing Jiang Jiajia’s state, Xiao Xu asked, “What’s wrong with Sister Jiajia?”
“She might have fallen into an illusion set by the Heart Bewitching Ghost,” Liu Chuxia said.
“What? No, sister, what do you mean ‘might’? Are there other factors?” Xiao Xu quickly walked to Liu Chuxia’s side to help her pack the materials.
Ke Yan also walked to Li Hanyan’s side to help.
“We don’t have time to check if she’s in the Heart Bewitching Ghost’s illusion or not. But on this mountain, only this ghost can do this kind of thing, so it’s very likely the Heart Bewitching Ghost’s. You guys go and lay Jiajia flat on the ground,” Li Hanyan said as she packed her things.
Xiao Xu and Ke Yan nodded in agreement, quickly took a blanket, and walked over to Jiang Jiajia.
Li Hanyan’s arms were now covered in red runes. Liu Chuxia had already cut off her half-sleeves. They couldn’t help it; they had come out in a hurry and hadn’t brought any vests.
Liu Chuxia followed Li Hanyan to Jiang Jiajia’s side with the materials.
Liu Chuxia first spread a yellow cloth on the ground and, following Li Hanyan’s instructions, placed some necessary talismans on it. Three incense sticks were inserted in the very center. Since there was no incense burner, they could only insert the incense in the center of the yellow cloth.
After all this was done, Li Hanyan immediately sat cross-legged on the ground, her hands clasped together, and began to chant a mantra.
Liu Chuxia, on the side, drew that simple kind of talisman paper and then placed ten of them in the directions Li Hanyan had indicated.
Then she self-ignited an evil-dispelling talisman at these locations. After all the simple talisman papers were lit, Liu Chuxia sat on the side and kept watch.
“Sister, have some water,” Ke Yan said, handing her a bottle of water.
Liu Chuxia took it and took a sip, then looked up at her. “You and Xiao Xu go and stand guard around. Don’t let anything else disturb Hanyan.”
Ke Yan nodded in agreement, took Xiao Xu, and floated out.
It was very quiet around, with only the chirping of insects and the sound of Li Hanyan chanting. After about two shichen, Li Hanyan finally opened her eyes. Without even wiping the sweat from her face, she ran to Jiang Jiajia’s side and pinched her philtrum.
Not long after, Jiang Jiajia woke up with a start, her eyes wide open, gasping for breath. After calming down a bit, she sat up on her own.
“What’s wrong with me? I was just at A Nian’s funeral. Right! A Nian! Where’s A Nian?” Jiang Jiajia said anxiously, wanting to get up.
“Don’t be anxious. How are you feeling now?” Liu Chuxia asked, wiping the sweat from Li Hanyan’s face and then turning to look at Jiang Jiajia.
“Where’s A Nian?” Jiang Jiajia didn’t answer her question, just looked at Liu Chuxia with a persistent gaze, as if she wouldn’t care about anything else until she saw Xiao Nian.
“Xiao Nian went to rest. She cried for a while before, and with the excessive grief, her spirits are not very good. She’s sleeping in the tent now,” Liu Chuxia said, handing Jiang Jiajia a bottle of water.
Hearing this, Jiang Jiajia wanted to prop herself up to see with her own eyes.
“Just don’t move. I’ll go and get Xiao Nian,” Liu Chuxia said, standing up, patting the sand from her hands, and sighing.
Jiang Jiajia nodded, then looked at Li Hanyan. “What was wrong with me just now? I remember I suddenly entered a scene, and then I saw A Nian lying beside me. I didn’t have the mind to care about anything else.”
Li Hanyan took a sip of water and then said, “You were in an illusion. I can now confirm that you were in the Heart Bewitching Ghost’s illusion. Can you recall what happened before you fell into the illusion?”
Just then, Xiao Nian came running over. Liu Chuxia couldn’t catch up at all.
Xiao Nian hugged Jiang Jiajia and asked, crying, “Jiajia, are you uncomfortable anywhere? Let me see if you’re injured.”
Seeing the real person, Jiang Jiajia’s eyes also turned red. She looked at the person in front of her and said with a smile, “It’s so good that you’re okay.”
“What do you mean it’s good that you’re okay? It’s good that you’re okay,” Xiao Nian said in a muffled voice, already a mess of tears.
Neither of them spoke after that.
Li Hanyan and Liu Chuxia also kept some distance from them, leaving them some space to talk.
“Hanyan, how are you? Are you uncomfortable anywhere?” Liu Chuxia asked, holding her hand and looking at her.
Li Hanyan shook her head. “I’m fine, just a little exhausted. I’m going to the tent to sleep for a while.”
Liu Chuxia nodded and helped her to the tent.
Xiao Xu and Ke Yan got the news and rushed back. The two ghosts flashed directly to Jiang Jiajia and Xiao Nian’s side.
The two of them almost attacked them.
“Sister Jiajia, Sister Xiao Nian, it’s us!” Xiao Xu immediately took Ke Yan and left their side, shouting from a distance.
