Chapter 26 Part 1

Tong Yuwu furrowed her brows lightly. Moments later, as if she had pieced it together, she curled her lips into a mocking sneer.

Meng Yiran snapped out of her daze at Tong Yuwu’s sudden realization and grasped the thread of the truth herself.

“Why were we the only two to break free from the Illusion Realm first?” she said, voicing her speculation. “Because throughout the entire Illusion Realm, you and I were the only ones who never followed the instructions.

“Before we left, that male voice said he knew from our choices that this relationship had always been fake, so there was no need for a final meeting. He sent us straight out.”

Ming Ke turned his gaze to her. “What do you mean?”

But he quickly spotted another issue. “Who are you? Where’s your Student Badge?”

Meng Yiran didn’t falter, forcing a calm reply. “I’m not a student at Clarity Magic Academy. Wait until Ling Ze, Ling Ge, and the others come out, and you’ll see.”

Ming Ke frowned but let the matter drop for now.

“So what about the others? Did they make different choices?”

Meng Yiran nodded. “Are you investigating this incident?”

She went on, “This Illusion Realm stems from the mastermind’s personal emotions. He wanted to test someone’s feelings for him, I suppose. The other six of us were dragged in by mistake. Apart from us, everyone else chose to believe him to some degree—even one…” She furrowed her brows. “Chose to obey him from start to finish.”

Ming Ke asked, “What will happen to those people?”

Meng Yiran spread her hands. “How should I know?”

She could only reason it out logically. “Maybe they actually made it to the Art Studio and met the mastermind.”

No sooner had she spoken than the surrounding space rippled with fluctuations.

Everyone looked over and saw four more people materialize out of thin air—Ling Ze, Ling Ge, Ming Yi, and Kelly, the ones who had been pulled into the Illusion Realm together.

Ming Ke shouted “Bro!” and dashed over in a few strides. He pulled out a bottle of medicinal powder and sprinkled it over the wound on the other’s arm.

“Any other injuries? Do you need to head to the Temple of Light?”

Indeed, these four had been in perfect condition before they parted ways, yet now they bore varying degrees of wounds. The stripe-like gashes resembled those from some kind of whip, but they weren’t severe—mostly on their limbs, especially their arms. No damage was visible yet on their heads or torsos.

Moreover, the injuries differed among them; Ling Ge and Ling Ze had far fewer whip marks than Ming Yi and Kelly.

Meng Yiran hurried to Ling Ge’s side. “Are you okay?”

In the Illusion Realm, others had asked if she and Tong Yuwu were in danger. She never imagined that after escaping, the tables would turn, and she’d be the one worrying about everyone else.

Ling Ge’s expression was sullen, her vibrant eyes half-lidded. She shook her head at the question. “I’m fine. It’s just a few hits.”

She glanced at the unscathed Meng Yiran, then at Tong Yuwu standing nearby with blood still trickling from her forehead. “You… no, are you two alright?”

Meng Yiran explained what had happened to her. “As soon as we stepped into the Stairwell, that person sent us out.

“Said we’d never believed in him, so there was no need to meet—and he even wished us smooth sailing from here on out.”

She asked, “What about you? Did you meet him? These injuries… did he do this?”

Before Ling Ge could respond, the hot-tempered Kelly shoved aside the student blocking her path. “This little scratch is nothing!” she bellowed. “That softie is definitely still holed up in the Art Studio. I’m going to drag him out right now!”

True to her word, she stormed off alone, striding swiftly toward the east.

They had ambled down this path leisurely once in the Illusion Realm, so now she knew the way without a second thought.

Ming Ke watched her retreating back, a deep crease forming between his brows. Ming Yi patted his shoulder. “Don’t get mad. You haven’t known Senior Kelly for just one day.”

His own wounds had been mostly tended to by now. He walked up to Meng Yiran and the others. “Come on, let’s go check out the Art Studio too. We were all innocently dragged into this mess. Whether it’s the culprit or the academy, they owe everyone an explanation.”

Ling Ze gave him that much face with a quiet “Mm.”

The group set off for the Art Studio under Ming Yi and Ming Ke’s lead. Meng Yiran deliberately glanced back at Tong Yuwu and, sure enough, the noble miss hadn’t followed. Ming Yi turned back to intercept her, talking her around with some persuasive words until she rejoined the group.

Once she was back in line, Ming Yi pointed at someone amid the crowd. “Kaidike, yeah, do me a favor.”

“Senior.” The boy trailing Ming Ke turned to face him, his face flushed with barely contained excitement. “What can I do for you?”

Ming Yi’s expression was hard to put into words—gentle, yet tinged with embarrassment. “Could you please head to the school gate and find a servant named Jenny? Ask her to, uh, hurry back home and feed the cat…” He sounded a bit sheepish as he relayed Tong Yuwu’s request word for word. “Oh, and have her tell Miss Tong’s cat not to go running off anywhere. Miss Tong will be back soon.”

The crowd fell silent. Only Meng Yiran couldn’t hold back a soft “pfft” of laughter. It wasn’t loud, but in the pin-drop quiet, it stood out like a spotlight.

From a distance, Tong Yuwu shot her a look, her gaze deep and inscrutable.

Meng Yiran suddenly felt a pang of guilt, her smile freezing on her lips.

In her mind, she quietly defended herself: “I was already running around before you even sent Jenny back with the message. That doesn’t count as me disobeying.”

Even with her excuse ready, she didn’t dare meet Tong Yuwu’s eyes. Instead, her gaze darted nervously around the group.

The boy who’d been tapped for the errand scratched his cheek in confusion. “A cat? Can a cat even understand a message that long?”

Ming Yi clapped him on the shoulder. “Miss Tong’s cat is as clever as she is. Just do what she says.”

The boy nodded without argument and headed off toward the school gate.

The group set off again, temporarily shoving the cat drama to the back of their minds.

But Ling Ge latched onto the key detail, leaning in close to Meng Yiran’s ear. “That Miss Tong… Tong-something-wu—is she your, cough, the friend you mentioned?”

Meng Yiran felt a flicker of wariness, but she figured Ling Ge and Ling Ze would find out eventually if they kept hanging around. So she gave a soft “mm-hmm.”

Ling Ge let out an impressed “tsk-tsk.” “Who would’ve thought? She’s so icy with people, but she really cares about her cat.”

“She’s a good person,” Meng Yiran said, unable to resist defending Tong Yuwu. “Just a bit naive.”

She didn’t want to dwell on it, though, so she picked up her earlier question. “Judging by how Miss Kelly looked, none of you saw the master of the Illusion Realm?”

Ling Ge’s mouth twisted downward. “Nope.”

Meng Yiran eyed the wound on her arm. “Then how’d you get hurt?”

Ling Ge shuddered as she recalled the ordeal. “You two got booted out the moment you stepped into the stairwell. Not us.

“The second I walked in, it was like I’d entered this tiny room—all white, top to bottom, every direction. Completely empty.”

She glanced at Ling Ze. “What about you, bro?”

Ling Ze was succinct. “Same.”

“So the four of us ended up in the same place, just in separate spaces,” Ling Ge went on. “That voice showed up again, but this time it wasn’t giving hints. It was saying… saying…”

She gritted her teeth, looking utterly insulted. “It called me fickle, said I wasn’t serious about relationships at all, that I’d wasted all its efforts lately or whatever. That’s the gist—I can’t remember the exact words.

“Then, because of that ridiculous charge, I had to take punishment. Out of nowhere, these invisible attacks started—felt like lashes from a thick horsewhip, whipping right at me.”

She paused, grinding her molars. “But you know what was the worst part?”

She took a deep breath. “The room was freaky—no magic worked, all my items were useless. You couldn’t even spot the attacker, so no way to fight back. You just had to stand there like an idiot and take the hits!”

As she spoke, she held out both arms to show Meng Yiran her wounds. “If I hadn’t reacted fast and blocked them with my arms, these scratches would’ve been the least of it.

“You have no idea how nasty that thing was—no holding back. Two of the lashes were aimed straight at my face.”

She gave Meng Yiran a pitiful look, fishing for sympathy. “I’m so cute—what if my face got messed up?”

Before Meng Yiran could offer any comfort, Ling Ze cut in. “How many did you take?”

Ling Ge looked up at him and answered honestly. “Three.”

She turned back to Meng Yiran, puffing out her cheeks in a huff. “After the third one, the voice said our grudge was settled and to cut down on the bad deeds from now on.

“Yeah, right—when have I ever done anything bad?”

Meng Yiran nodded. “And then you got let out?”

“Yep.” Ling Ge nodded, looking hard done by. “Popped out of the Illusion Realm and there you were.”

Being wrongly accused by that voice had clearly infuriated her far more than the actual beating.

Ling Ze said nothing, his gaze fixed on Ming Yi, who was walking ahead of them.

Unlike the light injuries on him and Ling Ge, Ming Yi looked far more battered, his body crisscrossed with wounds that appeared somewhat frightening.

Ming Yi noticed his stare and turned his head with a casual smile.

“Ah, looks like you can’t get something for nothing after all. Whatever favors you receive, you have to repay the debts they create.”

Ming Ke frowned. “What do you mean?”

Ming Yi stuck out his tongue and pointed at the Ling Family siblings. “There were four hints in total.

“The two young ladies ignored every single one, while Ling Ze and Little Ling Ge accepted one.”

Ming Ke asked, “And you?”

Ming Yi lifted his chin proudly, showing no shame. “I ignored one.”

Ming Ke scoffed. “Heh.”

“Ming Ke, you’re really hurting your big brother’s feelings like this.” Ming Yi clutched at his chest dramatically. “I was deceived too, you know. He was a student from Clarity Magic Academy—how could I possibly suspect a fellow classmate?”

Ming Ke turned his face away, not even bothering to spare him a glance.

Outside the Illusion Realm, it didn’t take long for the group to reach the Academic Building where the Art Studio was located. The building had been temporarily sealed off, and they ran into Kelly downstairs. She had set out ahead of them.

When Kelly spotted them, she waved them over hurriedly. “You guys climbed all the way here? You’re so slow!” She jabbed a finger at the people blocking her path. “Hurry up and tell these Inspection Team guys to let me through.”

The Inspection Team looked equally troubled, but the sight of Ming Yi and Ming Ke brought them visible relief. They finally managed to hand off the troublesome Kelly.

After exchanging a few words with them, Ming Ke smoothly led everyone inside.

The group made their way to the 3rd Floor, where the Art Studio was. By then, everything had already been settled.

Elfa, covered in blood, was being carried out on a stretcher by two students and rushed off for treatment. As they passed by, Elfa was still conscious and shakily extended a hand toward Kelly. She recoiled in disgust, turning her face away with a scowl.

The hand received no response and eventually fell limply, pointing lifelessly at the ground.

Meng Yiran and Ling Ge both sneaked a glance at Kelly, only to get caught red-handed.

The fiery Senior Sister didn’t hold back, rolling her eyes at each of them in turn. “What are you staring at me for? That jerk brought it on himself.”

Meng Yiran and Ling Ge exchanged a look before silently hanging their heads.

But Elfa wasn’t the main focus on the 3rd Floor. Once the stretcher carrying him had been wheeled away, a plump middle-aged female teacher emerged from one of the Art Studios, escorting a male student whose hands were bound in shackles. The boy had fresh bloodstains on his hands and clothes, but his calm expression and steady gait made it clear he himself wasn’t injured.