Even If You're My Senior, It's Still Forbidden - Chapter 47

The person being hugged had never experienced anything so abrupt. Her body instantly stiffened as she looked down at the little girl who only reached her waist, hesitating, “I… I…”

Just as she was about to lift the girl, the child dissolved into a cloud of black smoke and vanished before everyone’s eyes.

“De—demon energy?” The person stumbled backward, staggering a few steps before collapsing onto the floor.

The maids smiled gently and said, “Please, honored immortals, follow me.”

The one who had fallen was helped up by those around her, her legs still trembling so violently she could barely stand. Hearing the maid’s words, she grew even more panicked. “What if they’re all demons?”

“This isn’t demon energy, it’s an illusion,” someone reminded her.

Ji Weining announced, “The fourth round has already begun. If you’re afraid, you may untie the rope on your wrist and leave on your own.”

A low voice from the crowd asked, “Has this kind of illusion ever appeared before?”

“Has any round ever repeated the same scenario?” Ji Weining retorted. The third round of Qingheng Mountain’s selection trials had never featured such things, it had always emphasized adaptability.

No one dared to speak further.

Ji Weining added a warning, “Within the illusion, you must follow its flow. Otherwise, there’s no telling what you might encounter.”

A latecomer joined the back of the group, whom Ji Weining quickly recognized as Zhao Xi. Though she had arrived somewhat late, her timing was just right for this stage. The maids led them to a manor with a plaque above the gate that read: “City Lord’s Residence.”

“Your Excellency, the honored immortals have arrived.”

A woman stood waiting at the entrance, wearing a veiled hat that concealed her entirely from head to toe.

“Please, honored immortals, come inside.”

Since this was the illusion’s directive, Ji Weining led the group in. The moment everyone entered, the manor gates slammed shut. The city lord knelt before them all and pleaded, “I beg you, honored immortals, you must save Loulan City.”

It wasn’t even certain whether this was truly Loulan City, as the legendary Loulan had never been known for such events.

“Rise first, and speak slowly.” Ji Weining stepped forward and symbolically gestured to support her arm. Once the city lord stood, she asked directly, “What has happened to Loulan City?”

And why had it become an illusion? There were countless reasons to explain, but this city lord likely wouldn’t know.

“Demonic beings have infiltrated the city, they seek to bring ruin to all of Loulan.” The city lord removed her veil, revealing a face covered in demonic patterns and eyes as blood-red as a monster’s. She wore traditional Loulan attire, with traces of the demonic marks visible through gaps in her clothing. A demon-repelling bell was tied to her ankle, but its clapper had been removed. Like Ji Weining’s Qingxuan Bell, it now produced no sound.

Yet it was enough to suppress the demonic energy she emitted during the day.

“I have guarded this city for centuries, yet I never imagined I would end up like this.”

“May I ask how you became infected with this demonic energy?” Zhao Mu looked her over and inquired.

The city lord widened her eyes, appearing somewhat innocent, with tears welling in them. “I don’t know.”

A young woman in pale purple robes stepped forward from the group and bowed to her. “My name is Lu Mingzhu. May I ask the city lord’s name?”

“Jin Yishuang,” the city lord replied, closing her veil hat modestly. “You may call me Yishuang.”

“You don’t sound like you’re from around here, City Lord?”

The city lord reached out as if to take her hand, but Lu Mingzhu took a quick step back, avoiding the touch. She withdrew her hand and asked, “Miss Lu have you ever visited Loulan City before?”

“Sister Yishuang’s accent doesn’t sound much like the local people’s,” Su Jin’an answered for her.

The child’s voice earlier had clearly carried a hint of the local dialect, yet a city lord who had been here for over a hundred years didn’t have it?

“The city lord handles affairs within the estate. How would she pick up that accent?” a maid standing beside Jin Yishuang scolded.

Lu Mingzhu didn’t press further, quickly laughing it off as she apologized, “Sorry, I was just curious.”

The sky darkened rapidly. Another group of maids emerged from the inner courtyard, led by an elderly matron who seemed to have served in the estate for many years. “The city lord has arranged rooms for all of you. Please follow us to your respective quarters.”

Soon, they were led by the maids into the inner courtyard. There were many rooms there, and the maids assigned them one each, separating everyone. Ji Weining’s eyes flickered toward Su Jin’an, noting which room she entered.

Ji Weining was also led to a separate room, isolated like the others. Upon arriving, she heard footsteps near the window was someone coming for her?

“I’m going to rest now. You may leave.”

“Rest well, honored cultivator. Please do not go out at night,” the maid said with a bow before exiting and closing the door.

As soon as the maid left and shut the door, Zhao Xi slipped in through the window, arriving in her room.

Zhao Xi quickly produced a slip of paper. “Senior Sister Weining, the situation has changed. The sect leader wants you to take note of this.”

“Don’t tell me there really is demonic energy,” Ji Weining said, unfolding the paper. She rubbed her forehead, unsure how to react, and asked, “Should we have everyone remove their binding ropes and leave?”

Zhao Xi couldn’t make that decision, and the sect leader hadn’t instructed them to leave. After all, nothing too serious should happen.

Ji Weining sighed helplessly. “In this illusion, I’ve started to sense genuine demonic energy.”

Fortunately, it was her, she wasn’t afraid of demonic energy. If it were anyone else, they might truly have to remove the binding ropes and evacuate.

Zhao Xi nodded in agreement. “No one entering the secret realm was detected carrying demonic energy, but the demonic cave connected to the realm’s entrance has been leaking demonic energy.”

“So that’s what formed this illusion?”

They were playing for real now.

Ji Weining quickly pondered the situation. This stage would require them to either resolve the demonic energy or wait for the illusion’s time limit to expire.

“The illusion lasts at most three days. If we endure until then, we can proceed to the next illusion.”

“I’m afraid we might not last three days,” Ji Weining mused, turning the paper over to show Zhao Xi the line below. “The sect leader’s priority is for me to ensure their survival. If the score difference isn’t too great, he’s willing to make an exception and allow more people to advance.”

Zhao Xi’s expression remained calm and unreadable. “The sect leader’s orders for me are to assist you, Senior Sister.”

“Alright, let’s gather everyone in secret first, right here in my room.” Ji Weining looked around the room it was spacious enough and reminded them, “It seems things will likely start tonight.”

The secret realm was progressing rapidly, not following its original timeline. Yet this segment might have truly existed once; this Loulan City might have also been real at some point.

The secret realm wouldn’t unfold exactly as it had before, but it must have been witnessed by someone from Qingheng Mountain.

And that person from Qingheng Mountain, how did she want everyone to break this illusion?

“I’ll go find my junior sister and bring her over a bit later,” Ji Weining informed her.

Zhao Yu was momentarily speechless but finally responded, “Mm.”

The two exchanged glances, then slipped out through the window. Ji Weining remembered Su Jin’an’s direction and, calculating the location, quickly found her room and climbed in through her window.

Su Jin’an was sitting in a chair, waiting for Ji Weining. She had anticipated her coming to find her and, sure enough, she had waited successfully.

“The demonic energy here is real,” she met Ji Weining’s gaze and warned her that this place was dangerous.

“Yes, I plan to lead everyone in breaking through this secret realm.”

Ji Weining asked, “Junior sister, have you discovered anything else?”

After a moment of thought, Su Jin’an replied seriously, “The layout here is very similar to the Five Elements Gathering Array.”

She had once seen Leng Qiudie set up this array, but in the illusion, the changes in spiritual energy were unclear, making it impossible to confirm if it was indeed the Five Elements Gathering Array.

“However, in some aspects, it’s not as refined as the Five Elements Gathering Array.”

Ji Weining clapped her hands. “I see, this must be the precursor to the Five Elements Gathering Array.”

“How can you be so sure, senior sister?” Su Jin’an had only just said one sentence, and she was already this certain?

Ji Weining declared righteously, “Intuition. If junior sister senses something, there must be a problem. You know I’ve always trusted you the most.”

Su Jin’an glanced at her, unsure what to say, and finally blurted out, “If you say so, then it is.”

Ji Weining always seemed rather unreliable, yet she had never let her get hurt. It seemed she had some confidence in her actions.

A roar came from outside the door, and Ji Weining murmured, “It seems it’s already begun.”

Upon hearing the sound, Ji Weining shed her usual carefree demeanor, took Su Jin’an’s hand, and couldn’t help giving it a slight squeeze, it truly felt like jade.

In the secret realm, she hadn’t had much chance to talk with her lately.

“Senior sister really remains calm in the face of danger,” Su Jin’an remarked, glancing down at the hand holding hers.

Ji Weining continued holding on, unwilling to let go. “Ahem, I’m just checking if junior sister is injured.”

She then looked Su Jin’an up and down, ensuring she was unharmed, before leading her to climb out the window.

“It’s a bit high here; let me carry you down on my back,” Ji Weining suggested.

Su Jin’an looked at the window, it wasn’t really that high, but she had never climbed out of one before. She nodded; window climbing wasn’t really her style.

Ji Weining released her hand, crouched down slightly, and waited for her to wrap her arms around her neck. Then, holding her legs, she lightly leaped onto the table, flipped over, and jumped out the window. Following the path she had taken earlier, they returned to her room.

Just as they entered her room, a startled cry echoed.

“Senior Sister Weining!”

“Junior Sister Jin’an!”

Zhao Mu had arrived early in the room and watched in astonishment as Ji Weining carried Su Jin’an on her back. Uncertain thoughts crossed her mind before she turned away, covering her eyes with her hands.

“I ran into my sister on my way to find Senior Sister Weining. She told me to wait here,” Ji Weining explained as she set Su Jin’an down and approached Zhao Mu, who gradually lowered her hands from her eyes.

“You noticed something unusual about this place too?” Ji Weining expressed surprise, not expecting Zhao Mu to have detected the anomalies.

After all, there was still a significant gap between Zhao Mu’s abilities and her sister’s, making it somewhat challenging for her to spot these peculiarities.

“Yeah, that maid even warned me not to leave the room,” Zhao Mu complained briefly, venting her dissatisfaction with the place, then added confidently, “But this doesn’t count as leaving the room, I’m just going out the window.”

Ji Weining had initially thought Zhao Mu had discovered something major, but she chuckled softly upon hearing this. “Well, we’re going out the window too, not through the door.”

Support Even If You’re My Senior, It’s Still Forbidden