Chapter 129: A Custom-Made Illusion
This novel is translated and hosted only on BCatranslation
“Senior Sister Yu Zhao!”
Ji Han Zhou couldn’t help but feel that Yu Zhao was being too impulsive. This bet was completely unfair. If Senior Sister Yu Zhao won, all she got was for that guy to leave her alone. But if she lost, she’d have to bow and admit she was wrong! How was that fair?
However, Ji Han Zhou didn’t realize that from the very beginning, all Yu Zhao wanted was to sever ties with these people. As long as Lan Zi Yu stopped bothering her, she would be more than satisfied. As for the possibility of her losing… neither Yu Zhao nor Ji Han Zhou even considered it.
With the Dark Pavilion’s bounty still active, the two of them had faced several assassination attempts along the way. Yet, Yu Zhao remained unscathed, even managing to control the assassins, using them as sparring partners for Ji Han Zhou. While Lan Zi Yu might be considered a standout among his peers, his complacency had left him far behind Yu Zhao.
“I’ll let you make the first move, so no one can say I bullied you,” Lan Zi Yu said, raising his chin confidently.
Ji Han Zhou scoffed at the audacity. How could he dare to let Senior Sister Yu Zhao strike first? He was courting death. Quickly, he retreated to avoid being caught in the crossfire.
“Fine,” Yu Zhao agreed, her voice calm. For her, it made no difference who moved first.
Lan Zi Yu, outwardly dismissive, was secretly on guard. He waited, but when Yu Zhao didn’t make a move, impatience began to gnaw at him. “How much longer are you going to drag this out?”
“Lan Zi Yu, remember what you said: from now on, when you see me, you’d better take a detour!”
Lan Zi Yu’s face darkened with anger, ready to lash out at Yu Zhao’s arrogance. But suddenly, a strange fragrance filled his nostrils. His expression softened, his rigid features relaxing as a look of bliss spread across his face. In an instant, he felt as if he had been transported to a place of absolute joy. His mind swayed, and a wave of ecstasy surged through his body.
“Ugh!”
He bit his tongue, trying to regain control, but the pleasure that radiated from deep within his soul was unstoppable. Before long, he lost all sense of reason. Reaching into his storage space, he pulled out his life-bound weapon, a flute by the name Cloud Breaker, and began to play.
The melody was hauntingly beautiful, its notes swirling in the air. Lost in the music, Lan Zi Yu’s body began to sway, dancing to the rhythm.
Su Ming and Ye Cong Xin, drawn by the sound of the flute, arrived at the scene only to find the usually aloof and proud Lan Zi Yu singing and dancing alone in the forest.
Su Ming’s jaw dropped. “Little Junior Sister, pinch me! Have I lost my mind too? Am I really seeing Second Senior Brother dancing? It has to be an illusion, right?”
Ye Cong Xin reacted faster. She pinched Su Ming hard, her voice urgent. “Third Senior Brother, it’s not you who’s lost it, it’s Second Senior Brother! You need to help him!”
She hadn’t yet gotten what she needed from Lan Zi Yu. He couldn’t be allowed to fall now.
“Oh, oh,” Su Ming stammered as he ran over to Lan Zi Yu. He scratched his head, completely at a loss. “Little Junior Sister, what am I supposed to do?”
Ye Cong Xin was nearly driven mad by Su Ming’s cluelessness. How could he be so dense? Obviously, he needed to wake Lan Zi Yu up with a slap!
Taking a deep breath, she gently suggested, “Third Senior Brother, you need to wake Second Senior Brother up.”
Su Ming glanced at the entranced Lan Zi Yu, then down at his own hand. With a pained expression, he muttered, “Second Senior Brother, forgive me.”
With that, he unleashed a powerful slap, putting his full strength into it, just to be sure it would work. Lan Zi Yu was caught completely off guard, and the force of the blow sent him flying through the air in a graceful arc.
“Second Senior Brother!”
Ye Cong Xin was stunned.
Su Ming was dumbfounded.
Lan Zi Yu, still disoriented, struggled to sit up in a pile of fallen leaves, his mind a haze of confusion. He rubbed his aching head, trying to piece together what had just happened.
“Second Senior Brother, are you okay? I didn’t mean it, but you were acting so strange! Do you still feel dizzy? Is there anything else wrong?” Su Ming babbled, his words tumbling out in a rush.
Lan Zi Yu looked at the worried expressions of Su Ming and Ye Cong Xin. Slowly, his hazy memories began to return. As he recalled what had just transpired, a wave of shame washed over him, so intense that he wished he could simply disappear.
“Second Senior Brother, what happened just now? Why were you dancing in the forest? Weren’t you here to watch a fight? Where are the others? Why is it just you?” Su Ming’s questions pierced through Lan Zi Yu’s mortification.
Never before had Lan Zi Yu loathed Su Ming’s chatter more than at this moment. He didn’t want to think about what had happened, let alone discuss it.
At the same time, a deep, unspoken fear gripped his heart. When had Yu Zhao become so powerful? He had been utterly helpless against her illusion, toyed with as she pleased. The change in her was so drastic that he couldn’t help but wonder… Was she really Yu Zhao?
“Second Senior Brother, why aren’t you saying anything? Are you—”
“Shut up!” Lan Zi Yu’s furious shout cut Su Ming off, leaving him to close his mouth, stifling the urge to laugh as he caught sight of the bright red mark on Lan Zi Yu’s cheek. It took all his willpower to keep his emotions in check.
“If you still consider me your senior brother, then don’t mention what just happened to anyone! Not even to our master!” Lan Zi Yu’s eyes were cold as he issued the warning, determined to keep this humiliating incident a secret.
“Oh,” Su Ming replied reluctantly, though his curiosity was burning. He knew he should have come earlier.
Ye Cong Xin nodded obediently. “Senior Brother, we won’t say a word. Lone Moon Peak is a team; we share honor and disgrace together.”
Lan Zi Yu’s anger subsided a bit at her soothing words, but his mind was still a storm of frustration. It was Yu Zhao’s fault he had ended up in this situation. His face flushed with rage, and his emotions swung from cold to hot.
Yu Zhao! I underestimated you this time, but next time, I won’t let you off so easily! Just you wait!
…
This novel is translated and hosted only on BCatranslation
“Hahaha!”
“HAHAHAHA!”
Yu Zhao looked helplessly at Ji Han Zhou, who was laughing so hard he nearly fell off his flying sword. “Is it really that funny?” she asked, her ears ringing from his laughter.
“It’s hilarious!” Ji Han Zhou clutched his aching stomach, trying to regain his composure. “Senior Sister Yu Zhao, how did you come up with the idea of making him dance in the woods? It’s just too funny!”
Yu Zhao’s lips curled into a slight smile. “I got a little inspiration from Xuan Ling.”
Back in the Siren Pavilion, Xuan Ling had trapped her in an illusion where Fang Cheng Lang, Lan Zi Yu, and a few others were dancing before her in disheveled clothes. Earlier, she had a sudden idea to create a custom illusion for Lan Zi Yu that would fully unleash his inner self, and it had worked surprisingly well.
Given what she knew about Lan Zi Yu, he was probably fuming right now. She was certain that every time he saw her from now on, he would remember this humiliating experience and hopefully keep his distance, honoring his promise to leave her alone.
At least, that’s what Yu Zhao hoped.