Gazing at the Seven Emotions Branch in her hand, Ye Luqing seemed to steel her resolve.
In the next moment, she pressed the branch against her chest. The Seven Emotions Branch melted directly into her Spirit Palace.
If she wanted to trigger the Six Desires Triggering Array after entering the dream, this was the best method.
This Seven Emotions Branch had already gathered sufficient emotions; it could serve as a vessel for her emotional anchors.
The only downside was that after such use, this Seven Emotions Branch would be ruined.
Fortunately, she could simply purchase a new one from the Blackening Value Shop, sidestepping the branch’s current scarcity.
Having finished her preparations, Ye Luqing walked directly to the doorway and gazed into the distance at Xiao Qingxuan.
The moment Xiao Qingxuan reached the gate, Ye Luqing sprinted over to greet her.
“Sister!”
She threw herself into Xiao Qingxuan’s embrace, her cheeks flushed a peachy pink, her eyes slightly red-rimmed—the very picture of someone who had been bullied.
Her long, cyan hair wasn’t tied up in its usual efficient high ponytail but cascaded loosely, giving her a distinctly cute, girlish charm.
With a year’s worth of the original host’s memories, playing the role of “Ye Luqing” was now second nature.
“What’s wrong, A-Qing?”
Xiao Qingxuan looked at the darling girl in her arms with heartache. Since A-Qing’s severe injury and memory loss, this was the first time she had seen Ye Luqing looking so aggrieved.
“Sister, I… I went to the Heaven-Reaching Peak plaza today to watch the Grand Tournament, but someone cast an illusion on me. I almost didn’t make it back!”
When it came to the sneak attack by the Illusion God Sect’s Sect Master, Ye Luqing had her own way of handling things.
And that was to report it.
Given Ye Luqing’s own means, even adding the System’s power, plotting against Ming Mengmeng was impossible. The gap in their existential levels was simply too vast.
But just because she couldn’t deal with it didn’t mean others in the Profound Firmament Upper Sect couldn’t.
By relaying this information to Xiao Qingxuan, her sister would naturally go and tell their Shizun, Feng Linyi.
That innately evil brat from the Illusion God Sect should just wait for the Sect Master’s all-out investigation by sword qi!
“Illusions?” Xiao Qingxuan’s brow furrowed slightly.
Yesterday morning, after reshaping Ye Luqing’s memories and returning to Heavenly Sword Peak, she had been in closed-door cultivation within her own cave dwelling, debugging the Dream-Building Lotus to see if she could lessen the burden on Ye Luqing.
She had only emerged this afternoon, taking a brief stroll at the Grand Tournament site before returning. She hadn’t seen any expert particularly skilled in illusions.
Furthermore, this was the territory of the Profound Firmament Upper Sect. Who would dare strike against a Direct Disciple of the sect?
Could it be…
Her brow furrowed deeply as she seemed to recall a certain rumor.
“A-Qing, do you remember what you saw in the illusion realm?”
Ye Luqing pursed her lips slightly, her eyes trembling with unease, as if afraid to remember the event.
“I… I only saw a child with short white hair. I can’t remember anything else.”
Xiao Qingxuan’s eyes sharpened, and she gritted her teeth.
It was her!
Ye Luqing’s description confirmed her suspicion. The perpetrator was none other than the Sect Master of the Illusion God Sect, Ming Mengmeng.
In a crowd filled with Spirit Transformation and Void Comprehension Elders and great cultivators, pulling someone into an illusion right under everyone’s noses—only a Dao Venerable at the Dao Integration Stage could manage such a feat.
Although she hadn’t been present in the morning, she had heard some whispers in the afternoon.
On this first day of the Grand Tournament, there was only one Dao Venerable present, and it happened to be the Illusion God Sect’s Sect Master.
To call this a coincidence would be a stretch too far.
A-Qing didn’t lie. At worst, someone might be impersonating Ming Mengmeng to frame her.
But regardless, this matter was definitely connected to Ming Mengmeng. Looking for her was undoubtedly the right move.
Xiao Qingxuan gently stroked Ye Luqing’s long hair, her palm radiating a comforting warmth.
“Don’t be afraid. It’s alright, A-Qing.”
“When I return, I’ll report this to the Sect Master. Shizun will seek justice for you.”
Ye Luqing blinked her large, watery eyes, a soft, sticky hum escaping her throat.
“Mhm, thank you, Sister…”
The cyan-haired girl’s voice was like a little hook, tugging at the heartstrings.
A faint blush rose on Xiao Qingxuan’s usually aloof face. She coughed lightly twice and then directly scooped up Ye Luqing, who was still clinging to her, carrying her with impressive girlfriend strength.
In her arms, Ye Luqing squirmed gently, like a shy little beast.
This sensation of feigned resistance was like a tease, making Xiao Qingxuan’s heart itch.
For some reason, A-Qing seemed even cuter today, or perhaps more alluring, making her want to steal a kiss.
Entering the main bedroom of the courtyard, Xiao Qingxuan still felt a flurry of butterflies in her stomach.
Inside the room, the last remnants of Verdant Wood Flower fragrance, mingled with other scents, quietly slipped past her nose unnoticed.
Ye Luqing, meanwhile, breathed a sigh of relief.
Integrating the Seven Emotions Branch beforehand had been the right call.
Half an hour before this destined female lead arrived, she had been engaging in intimate acts with Pei Ruyi.
Even though it was in a side room, the traces left throughout the entire courtyard likely couldn’t escape the divine sense of Xiao Qingxuan, who was at the Half-Step Spirit Transformation Stage.
Under these circumstances, the only way to conceal her affair with Pei Ruyi was to actively disrupt Xiao Qingxuan’s divine sense.
Thankfully, she had succeeded.
“Sister, let’s begin today’s memory reshaping,” Ye Luqing urged.
Hearing this, Xiao Qingxuan nodded heavily, her joy overflowing.
A-Qing was willingly accepting the memory reshaping. This was wonderful.
She took out the Dream-Building Lotus, her fingertips moving with nimble grace, even her True Qi flowing much smoother than before.
Looking at Xiao Qingxuan, who was clearly in a great mood, a flicker of guilt crossed Ye Luqing’s eyes.
Thinking that the real purpose of all this was to mask Pei Ruyi’s presence, she felt a little sorry for Xiao Qingxuan.
It was like a cheating wife sending a “Love you” message to her partner, the act of kissing and hugging actually prompted by an entanglement with some blue-haired cheating cat.
It felt like… this destined female lead was being cuckolded, a touch of green adorning her head…
Moments later, as a familiar deep violet light flashed, Ye Luqing sank into a deep slumber once more.
…………
-Splash-
Ye Luqing was abruptly jolted awake by the sound of water.
Opening her eyes, she was met by a waterfall cascading from above, splashing against the rocks.
“A-Qing, be careful.”
Xiao Qingxuan’s voice came from behind, brushing past her ear like a sword tassel, tickling her slightly.
Ye Luqing lifted her head a little, her gaze meeting Xiao Qingxuan’s deep purple eyes directly.
Ye Luqing’s breath hitched, and a stream of information flooded her mind.
It was the spring of the third year since she met Xiao Qingxuan. While searching for a suitable Sword Nurturing Spring for Xiao Qingxuan’s Lifebound Spirit Sword, she had gotten lost in the back mountains of Azure Sky Peak.
In the original storyline’s corresponding scene, the Ye Luqing of that time stumbled into Xiao Qingxuan’s arms. Next, she was supposed to slip on the mossy rocks and fall into the spring, dragging Xiao Qingxuan down with her.
They had both become Golden Core Stage Cultivators by the end of the previous year. The notion of slipping and falling into water was something that would be laughed at by Perfected Persons of the same rank. Yet, they both tacitly chose not to mention anything.
Those without a Dao Companion to snuggle with simply wouldn’t understand.
Ye Luqing trembled slightly. The cool, elegant fragrance from Xiao Qingxuan’s sleeve, mixed with the water vapor, entered her nostrils. Even the vibration of her sister’s chest as she spoke seemed to transmit through their touching backs.
Nevertheless, with her prior experience of entering dreams, Ye Luqing immediately grasped the situation.
“This is a dream…”
Without the slightest hesitation, she directly activated the Seven Emotions Branch hidden within her Spirit Palace—the same branch she had brought into the dream.
The Array Runes of the Six Desires Triggering Array suddenly flared with heat, and the divine sense anchor deep within her Spiritual Platform began to waver.
The array was taking effect. She could even feel her consciousness being pulled by a rubber band, gradually breaking free from this body.
Whether she could escape the original host’s memories depended entirely on this attempt.
