Reborn As The Short-Lived White Moonlight of the Tragic, Powerful Male Lead - Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Is This Illusion of Yours… Genuine?

Once they were clear of the crowd, Gu Yunqi released the Water Spirit from his sleeve. The little spirit flew ahead to lead the way, spinning joyfully in the air from time to time.

Watching the Water Spirit draw flowery patterns in the sky, Chen Zhushu finally couldn’t resist saying, “Brother Gu, it seems to really like you.”

Gu Yunqi replied, “Yet I can’t think of anything on me that would attract it so.”

It’s your protagonist halo.

Xie Lanting saw through it but couldn’t say it aloud. He teased, “Perhaps it just likes you for who you are.”

In any case, it was a good thing.

Along the way, Xie Lanting asked Ge Wen about the “Merman’s Heartless Tear,” and Ge Wen once again had an answer.

“It’s actually a very special type of merman tear. It’s said to be related to illusions, though I don’t know the specifics.”

Knowing even that much was impressive. Xie Lanting suspected that given their high cultivation at such a young age and Chen Zhushu’s sincere nature, they were likely young masters well-protected by a great clan.

However, among the many sects and families that entered the realm today, none of their sect mates were to be seen.

It was true that not all sects reached the entrance in time, but most major human cultivation powers were present, especially since the realm opened in human territory. Given Chen Zhushu and Ge Wen’s knowledge, their master’s sect must have deep roots.

They were either from a hidden clan, or perhaps… they were demon or ghost cultivators.

This was no longer an era of continental warfare; different races lived together quite harmoniously. As long as you didn’t cause trouble, everyone was friends.

The Water Spirit’s fawning over Gu Yunqi didn’t hinder its navigation. The colors of this illusion layer were even more magnificent than the last, with glowing motes floating in the air. Staring at them for too long made one feel a trance-like relaxation, threatening to make them forget they were in a dangerous place.

Even Xie Lanting shook his head to clear it. “How long have we been walking? My perception of time seems skewed.”

Gu Yunqi spoke with certainty: “Nearly two hours.”

Chen Zhushu: “How much further… Whoa!”

A massive seashell entered their sight. Fearing it might be a dangerous unknown object, the group slowed down. The Water Spirit, however, forged ahead fearlessly. Worried Gu Yunqi wouldn’t follow, it used a trail of water to draw a “come hither” gesture in the air before diving toward the shell.

The shell’s surface was a beautiful pink, roughly sixty feet high and a hundred feet wide. It was stunning—and huge. Xie Lanting naturally thought of charcoal-grilled scallops and steamed clams… one with garlic and vermicelli, one to taste the original flavor, and another with a secret dipping sauce…

This shell… is it an edible variety?

Xie Lanting’s throat moved, making a slight swallowing sound. Gu Yunqi looked at the overwhelming shell, then at Xie Lanting’s intense gaze, and realized.

He pulled a pastry from his storage and handed it to Xie Lanting. “Immortal Lord, are you hungry?”

Xie Lanting took it and opened the wrapper. It was a Peach Blossom Cake from a shop in the east of Nanlin City. He had eaten several of them while window-shopping the other day; Gu Yunqi had remembered the shop.

Xie Lanting took a delighted bite. “You actually prepared snacks!”

“I prepared them before entering the realm. I have other things too. If the Immortal Lord wants to eat, just tell me.”

Xie Lanting nodded, thinking how truly thoughtful Gu Yunqi was amidst the fragrance of the pastry.

The Water Spirit turned into a stream and slipped through the cracks of the shell. The entire shell shuddered, stirring up the silt below, and then slowly opened, revealing the scene inside.

Inside, pearls served as a bed, and an extremely beautiful merman opened his eyes. His pupils were like the deep blue sea, surpassing any gemstone on earth. Meeting his gaze for the first time was enough to take one’s breath away—until he looked at Xie Lanting.

For some reason, this human looks… disappointed?

…An illusion. It must be an illusion.

The merman stopped his lounging pose and sat up straight, speaking formally: “Honored guests brought by the Water Spirit, if you wish to obtain the Heartless Tear, you must pass the trial of the illusion.”

His gaze swept over the four. “Whoever breaks the illusion first shall be the master of the Heartless Tear.”

“The illusion will evoke your deepest emotions—be it fear or hatred, greed or obsession. It will make you unable to distinguish reality from falsehood. If you fall deep within it, you will drown in the abyss. Those who fear may leave now.”

He tossed out a pearl, which landed and transformed into a circular gate. The merman said, “Please.”

Xie Lanting chuckled. “It really comes down to what Daoist Ge said—everyone for themselves.”

Clearly, none of the four intended to leave.

Chen Zhushu still wanted to enter the illusion with Xie Lanting but was dragged back by the collar by Ge Wen.

Thus, they stepped through the gate in pairs. As Xie Lanting crossed the threshold, his vision blurred, and a heavy fragrance hit him. He covered his nose and mouth with his sleeve in discomfort.

When he lowered his sleeve and saw the scene before him, Xie Lanting froze in shock.

As a clean-living modern youth who had never even been in a relationship, he had certainly never entered a place like this. But even if he hadn’t eaten pork, he’d seen a pig run—

This place with red curtains, green willows, a courtyard pond, and the endless chirping of beautiful women… where else could this be but a legendary brothel?

Didn’t you say it would make me lose the ability to distinguish reality? This is an illusion; I couldn’t be more certain!

Gu Yunqi wasn’t by his side. It seemed that even if they entered together, they were separated in the illusion.

Xie Lanting thought to himself: I could never have this kind of inner desire. Did the illusion glitch?

As he was thinking, a charming middle-aged woman approached gracefully. “Oh, Young Master Xie, why are you so late today? Your usual seat has been reserved. I guarantee you’ll have a perfect view of that young master’s antics. He’s called for quite a crowd today—both men and women.”

Xie Lanting’s heart stirred. He followed the prompt: “Which young master are you talking about?”

“Oh, stop teasing me!” The Madam waved her scented handkerchief. “Who else but Young Master Gu! You paid us to make sure he was well-entertained. We would never dare be remiss!”

Young Master Gu? Gu Yunqi?

I paid for Gu Yunqi to go to a brothel?! This illusion has truly jumped the shark.

Very well, it successfully caught his attention. Xie Lanting admitted to himself: this story was too funny; he had to see it.

The Immortal Lord, his interest piqued, waved his hand. “Lead the way.”

“This way, please.”

In this place, Xie Lanting’s legs were back; he looked human. The Madam personally led him to a private room upstairs and opened the window. It faced a platform over the water downstairs, where a group of beautiful women and handsome men surrounded a person with Gu Yunqi’s face.

That person had his arms around them, tilting his head back to drink wine boastfully. One look told Xie Lanting this wasn’t the real Gu Yunqi, but a poor-quality construct of the illusion.

Xie Lanting had been thinking: If Gu Yunqi were really in this illusion, I might have seen how he reacts to being surrounded by beauties. In the book, after the original Xie Lanting died, Gu Yunqi remained loyal in heart and body; even if he entered a “pleasure house,” it was for a strategic plot, with no “fun” descriptions.

Would he be embarrassed and annoyed, or coldly tell everyone to stay ten feet away?

The latter was more likely.

But this fake before him was accepting everyone, with beauties sitting in his lap, looking no different from the other intoxicated regulars. After eating a few sunflower seeds, Xie Lanting found it incredibly boring. The illusion is too lazy. Is this it?

The only thing worth praising about this illusion was that the sunflower seeds tasted pretty good.

Xie Lanting wiped his hands and drew the Snow-Listening Sword. Without blinking, he slashed forward—a strike that looked light but tore a hole directly through the void. Spiritual energy rippled around the blade, and the hole acted like a black hole, sucking the illusion into the center. The entire scene collapsed like a house of cards.

Xie Lanting stood in place. Just as he was about to sheathe his sword, he paused.

A new scene appeared before him. It wasn’t over yet.

A moment ago he was in a bustling pleasure house; now, his surroundings were cold and desolate. Xie Lanting looked down at the full moon reflected in the lake at his feet and frowned. This scene was too similar to his dream.

In the dream, he was also standing in the middle of a lake. And… Xie Lanting looked up. Sure enough, there was a pavilion by the shore, and inside sat a person drinking alone.

That dream had made him feel a bit melancholy once, but not enough to lose his grip on reality.

Xie Lanting was increasingly certain the illusion had failed and was having no effect on him. He was about to slash through it again when he noticed the figure in the pavilion move.

In the dream, he had woken up before he could see who it was. In the illusion, the person in the pavilion stepped into the moonlight, revealing a clear face.

Gu Yunqi.

Xie Lanting’s sword-hand faltered.

In the previous illusion, he had insisted the Madam lead him to see “Young Master Gu” for two reasons: one, he found it funny; two, he didn’t know the mechanism of the merman’s trial. He thought if the real Gu Yunqi were in the same illusion, he could go to his side to look after him.

Therefore, before shattering this illusion, he’d better confirm if the person before him was real or fake.

Xie Lanting lowered his sword. He opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out.

I can’t talk, just like in the dream!

Is it really copying that? Xie Lanting was helpless. Seeing Gu Yunqi walk toward the lakeshore, he tapped his toes and flew across the moonlit reflection. At least it was different from the dream; he could move.

But even though he stood right in front of Gu Yunqi, there was no reflection of him in Gu Yunqi’s eyes. He clearly couldn’t see him.

Xie Lanting stepped lightly on the water, not even causing a ripple. Gu Yunqi smelled of alcohol, but his eyes were clear, staring blankly at the moon in the center of the lake.

The scent of wine drifted over; Xie Lanting recognized it as Snow Plum wine.

In the dream, he felt the person in the pavilion was very sad. Now that Gu Yunqi stood before him, the feeling was even more pronounced. To put it bluntly, the aura he radiated was so sad he seemed to be dying from it.

He can’t see me, and I can’t talk. How do I know if it’s him?

Xie Lanting thought for a moment and used his spiritual energy to craft a butterfly. The deep blue butterfly reflected a tiny glimmer in Gu Yunqi’s dull pupils. Xie Lanting clearly saw Gu Yunqi’s eyes light up; the man seemed to come back to life.

But this butterfly was even more fragile than in reality. Without even being touched, it shattered into pieces from a gust of wind.

The spark of life that had finally gathered in Gu Yunqi’s eyes faded away as the butterfly vanished.

This path was blocked. Xie Lanting was racking his brain for another way when he suddenly saw Gu Yunqi miss a step and fall directly into the lake.

Xie Lanting was startled and instinctively reached out to catch him, but Gu Yunqi passed right through his body. His hands grabbed empty air.

The splashing water also passed through Xie Lanting’s body, as if the world was real and he was the shadow.

The water was clear, and the moonlight was bright. With a cultivator’s excellent vision, Xie Lanting saw that Gu Yunqi didn’t struggle at all. He let himself sink into the depths until he was swallowed by the darkness and could no longer be seen.

Case closed. This is still a fake created by the illusion.

The real Gu Yunqi, even if momentarily confused by an illusion, would never give up on life. Even knowing it was fake, Xie Lanting felt a tightness in his chest.

He even felt a bit of anger: Why does the Gu Yunqi created in my illusion have to be either a brothel-goer or a suicidal wreck?

Even if it were a decent construct, what did Gu Yunqi have to do with his “deepest desires”?

Xie Lanting drew his sword and slashed at the water. Because he was a bit annoyed, this strike was much more violent. The illusion collapsed faster than before. When all the fragments receded, he finally returned to the giant shell. His legs turned back into a tail.

The Shell Merman was playing with the Water Spirit. He looked surprised to see Xie Lanting. “So fast! You’ve broken the record of the Merman Race!”

Xie Lanting was the first one out. The other three were still in their illusions.

“There’s something wrong with your illusion,” Xie Lanting said. “If I hadn’t wanted to watch a bit longer, I would have been out even sooner.”

The Shell Merman was more lively and emotional than the one in the main hall. He asked, “What’s the problem?”

Xie Lanting: “It wasn’t what I fear most, nor what I desire most. It had nothing to do with my deepest emotions. I knew I was in an illusion from the very start.”

“Impossible!” The merman’s tail slapped the ground. “The trial of the Heartless Tear has never failed. It strikes directly at the depths of any soul.”

“Even a ‘Seven-Apertures Exquisite Heart’ would be confused for a moment.”

The merman tilted his head, seemingly remembering something, and his tail stopped. “However, there are two situations where the trial might not work, though I’ve never seen them.”

“So there is a problem,” Xie Lanting said. “Which two?”

“Either the person is a fool, or their memory is damaged.”

Xie Lanting considered himself to have a decent memory—except for directions—so it couldn’t be the latter. He reached a conclusion: “I suspect you are insulting my intelligence.”

Can an illusion NPC be this smart and tease the contestants?

The Water Spirit circled the merman, making “puji puji” sounds as if confirming his words. Xie Lanting couldn’t understand, but the merman nodded to the spirit. “Yes, I’m right, he just doesn’t believe it.”

He sighed and looked back at Xie Lanting. “If you don’t believe it, there’s nothing I can do. According to the agreement, you are the first to pass the trial, so the Heartless Tear is yours.”

The merman held out a small shell and opened it. A drop of water slowly flew out and stopped in front of Xie Lanting. The merman said, “Reach out your hand.”

Xie Lanting wasn’t in a hurry. “Does this merman tear have an expiration date?”

Could the illusion have failed because the tear is expired?

Merman: “…”

If he weren’t an illusion construct but a real person, he probably wouldn’t want to give it away anymore and would have some choice words for Xie Lanting.

Xie Lanting dropped the act. “Just a joke. Since it’s mine, I should be allowed to keep it or give it away as I please, right?”

Unfortunately, the merman was not a real person. Facing the question, he dutifully entered business mode: “The Heartless Tear chooses its own master. Having chosen you, it will not choose another. Unless you die, it will have no new master.”

The book never mentioned the Merman’s Heartless Tear. Was it never part of Gu Yunqi’s fate?

Xie Lanting pondered for a moment and finally raised his hand. The moment the droplet touched his fingertip, it melted into his body. His sea of consciousness stirred as all the information regarding the Heartless Tear flooded in. He closed his eyes to digest it.

When he finished, Xie Lanting slowly opened his eyes and felt like things were going south.

Oh boy. It seems like… I might have actually stolen the protagonist’s opportunity.