The Vicious Beauty Faked His Death Three Times [Transmigration] - Chapter 32

Chapter 32: Illusion

By the time Hua Xueqiong dragged the unconscious people into the room, half an incense stick’s time had already passed. She immediately stepped out of the guest room and headed straight for the courtyard.

She had to be faster. Hua Xueqiong looked up at the blurred nightmare moon, her pace quickening, becoming almost frantic.

This was her first time using the Nightmare Moon Technique on such a scale, and she was uncertain of its duration. She had specifically added knockout drugs to the candle flames, but even so, she couldn’t afford to delay. She had to find Ling Yanhe and eliminate him as quickly as possible.

At this thought, Hua Xueqiong kicked off the ground, taking the shortcut across the flying eaves and walls. Before long, she arrived in the courtyard.

The candles had been extinguished, leaving only the spilled moonlight to provide a blurred view of the scene.

Hua Xueqiong was at the Nascent Soul stage, and her vision was superior to that of ordinary people. Combined with the fact that she had specifically noted Ling Yanhe’s position before leaving, she stepped into the courtyard and reached the spot in her memory within a few strides.

Seeing Ling Yanhe half-leaning against the table, Hua Xueqiong’s heart sank.

Someone had arrived here before her. Was it Big Brother?

Hua Xueqiong had no time for deep thought. An ice blade suddenly materialized in her hand; she swiftly raised her hand and lunged straight for Ling Yanhe’s heart.

As long as this man died, the Hundred Demons Sect and Big Brother would be safe!

“Bang—”

The ice blade shattered into two pieces in her hand. Hua Xueqiong’s movements halted. Her body went stiff, and she stared in disbelief at the broken blade sliding from her palm, her heart feeling empty.

In an instant, the candles were lit once more, though this time the batch of candles had been replaced.

“You truly intended to kill him.” Lin Qinghan stepped out from the shadows, his voice calm.

Hua Xueqiong did not look up. Instead, she manifested another ice blade and repeated her previous action.

This time, the ice blade did not shatter, but her wrist was seized firmly.

Lin Qinghan used force to pull her wrist upward, forcing Hua Xueqiong to meet his gaze. Seeing the disbelief in her apricot eyes, his expression remained normal: “Tell me, what is going on?”

“Why the marriage proposal, and why set this trap today?” Lin Qinghan swept a calm glance over Hua Xueqiong. “You are not old acquaintances with him. Where did this murderous intent come from?”

“Hua Xueqiong, I want to hear your explanation.”

“It’s over… everything is over. He must die… he has to die…” Hua Xueqiong seemed not to hear him, only shaking her head gently, her eyes vacant as she whispered.

Lin Qinghan instantly frowned: “What do you mean ‘must die’?”

The one who responded to him was not Hua Xueqiong, but a sudden surge of black mist beside them.

As the black mist began to slowly envelop them, Hua Xueqiong finally regained some focus. She looked up at the black mist surging before her eyes, and in an instant, she felt as if she had fallen into an ice cellar.

It was as if she had been suddenly stripped bare, her deepest fears dragged up from the depths of her heart. In an instant, she felt as if she were in a place of extreme cold, with no sensation other than the freezing chill.

Hua Xueqiong looked down in a daze and saw the source of the black mist. Her body trembled.

This black mist would spread to every corner of the Hundred Demons Sect. She had made the wrong decision; her failure would cause the destruction of the Hundred Demons Sect.

Her failure would bury the life of the person she loved most.

Before being swallowed by the black mist, Hua Xueqiong thought in a daze.

“Go!”

Suddenly, someone shoved her shoulder, pushing her out of the place of extreme cold.

Congratulations to the Host for completing the side mission. The plot development is currently being accelerated for the Host. Please be prepared.

Hearing the system’s notification, Lin Qinghan’s heart sank. He had no time to think; he could only push Hua Xueqiong out first, then quickly form hand seals to set up a barrier to enclose himself and the black-mist-covered Ling Yanhe.

“Damn it, who gave you permission to accelerate the plot?!” Lin Qinghan questioned the system.

This is a pre-set program and cannot be changed. Please be prepared as soon as possible.

Hearing this, the ruthlessness in Lin Qinghan’s eyes deepened. He had no time to deal with this damn system; instead, he knelt down to look at Ling Yanhe, whose condition was clearly wrong.

A blood-red mark was gradually appearing at the center of the youth’s brow. Even though Lin Qinghan had not yet grasped the world-building of this realm, he could realize that this mark was nothing good.

The black mist, restricted by the barrier and unable to spread outward, now surged toward Lin Qinghan. The chill drilled straight into his bones, making him shudder.

“Ling Yanhe, wake up!” Lin Qinghan frowned at Ling Yanhe and called out sharply.

But the other party did not respond. Instead, the surrounding black mist intensified, almost completely swallowing Lin Qinghan.

“You really are a huge trouble!” Lin Qinghan said harshly to the unconscious man. Then, as if accepting his fate, he raised his hand and pressed his finger to the center of the youth’s brow.

In an instant, the black mist around Ling Yanhe grew even heavier—so heavy that it completely filled the entire barrier.

“Big Brother!” Hua Xueqiong shouted, seeing the situation inside the barrier.

Her face was deathly pale. She rose and ran toward the barrier but was tripped by a rug on the ground, falling wretchedly. Yet she disregarded the pain, immediately propping herself up to continue toward the barrier.

The black mist completely blocked Hua Xueqiong’s vision. She stood frozen for a moment, appearing stunned, and then knelt straight on the ground.

She could no longer see Big Brother.

Lin Qinghan had been swallowed by the black mist.

Lingxiao Sect, Immortal Cloud Terrace.

“Mars stays in the Heart; the Malignant Star descends to the world.”

An elder with half-white hair and beard stood before the Immortal Cloud Terrace. The vast starry sky was reflected before his eyes. As a meteor streaked past, breaking through the void, the elder’s expression became even more unpredictable.

“An omen of demonic calamity, the Companion Star falls. The heavens are about to change.” The elder looked up into the distance.

The youth who had been standing behind him seemed puzzled. He took two steps forward and leaned in to ask, “Master, do we need to inform the Sect Leader of this?”

Hearing this, the elder looked back at him and shook his head gently: “No need. This Malignant Star appears together with its Companion Calamity; there is naturally a way to break it.”

The youth was confused but nodded blankly.

“Wanwan, Master needs to go down the mountain to investigate. If the Sect Leader asks, tell him I have been in closed-door cultivation for many days.” The elder waved his hand, and the stars were gathered into his palm. Below the Immortal Cloud Terrace, the swirling mists returned to their previous state.

The youth froze and looked up to ask, “Is Master going to deal with that Malignant Star?”

Hearing this, the elder shook his head gently and looked at him with an inscrutable gaze: “Destiny is set; no one can break it.”

As the words fell, the youth blinked in confusion. the elder’s figure had already vanished.

The youth quietly looked up at the ink-black sky, his voice cold: “Isn’t destiny meant to be broken by people?”

“Where is the jade pendant Father gave you? Hand it over!”

A tyrannical and childish voice fell, so noisy that Ling Yanhe couldn’t help but frown.

“I’m talking to you!”

His shoulder was shoved violently. He took a step back, his foot stepping into something icy.

It was snow.

Ling Yanhe snapped his eyes open. the light before him stung him, and after a moment, he saw the scene before him.

A plump boy dressed in fine silk, with a bright long-life lock around his neck, was looking at him in terror. The hand that had shoved his shoulder was still suspended in mid-air.

It was Ling Yuan or rather, Ling Yuan at the age of ten.

It seems I have entered an illusion, Ling Yanhe thought.

Ling Yuan watched as the gloom on the face of the thin youth before him gradually faded. The cowardice in his heart was replaced by shame and anger. He shoved the person again, though not as hard as before, as if trying to save face. He glared at Ling Yanhe: “Hand over the jade pendant Father gave you!”

Looking at the dirty hand reaching toward him, Ling Yanhe’s eyes darkened, and he stepped aside to dodge it.

He remembered now. This was the day of his twelfth birthday. That father of his, who was never home, had given him a jade pendant on a whim.

It was given during the day, and within two hours, Ling Yuan had come over in a huff to demand it.

This kind of thing hadn’t happened just once or twice. It had occurred frequently since Ling Yuan and Concubine Xu arrived at the Ling household. Sometimes they would steal his books, or throw him into the ancestral hall to kneel for two or three days on some random pretext, or deprive him of charcoal, clothing, or even food without any excuse at all.

Ling Yanhe had no time to deal with these idiots, and that jade pendant was a useless object to him anyway.

But back then, he hadn’t given the pendant to Ling Yuan. Instead, he had thrown it directly onto the frozen surface of the lake and shoved the boy in after it.

The frozen lake in the dead of winter was bone-chillingly cold. Ling Yuan had been bedridden for half a month because of it. Afterward, he felt a deep-seated fear whenever he saw Ling Yanhe and didn’t dare provoke him casually again.

Seeing him dodge, the last shred of cowardice in Ling Yuan’s heart was completely incinerated by rage. He suddenly scooped up a handful of slush mixed with stones from the ground and threw it at the person in front of him.

the sharp edge of a stone struck the youth’s temple heavily. A streak of crimson slid down, turning Ling Yuan’s face pale with fright. Yet he refused to back down, forcing himself to shout at Ling Yanhe: “A low-born like you isn’t worthy of such a good jade pendant. Hand it over now!”

The scent of blood filled Ling Yanhe’s surroundings. A terrifying black mist rose within those pitch-black eyes.

His calm chest was currently clamoring, as if someone were crouching by Ling Yanhe’s ear, whispering constantly.

Kill him. Kill him. Kill him.

Ling Yuan shivered at the dark expression of the person before him. He instinctively took a step back, looking almost in terror at the person who had suddenly become different.

Ling Yanhe looked at the child before him, the wicked thoughts in his heart growing more intense.

A fine thread was already wrapped around his fingertips. He only needed to lightly crook his index finger to make the person before him lose his head and never speak again.

Perhaps he could simply cut out the other’s tongue and sever his tendons and hamstrings, making him live like a piece of trash… that seemed… not bad either.

The black mist in Ling Yanhe’s eyes churned more violently. the fine thread on his hand tightened. In an instant, the thoughts in his heart would be realized.

“Tsk, idiot.”

A clear and refined voice, carrying a hint of disdain, fell into Ling Yanhe’s ears.

The clamoring wicked thoughts were suddenly hit with a pause button. the fine thread on his fingertips also stopped contracting.

A moment later, a flash of green crashed into Ling Yanhe’s vision. A familiar figure stood before him, shielding him.

Ling Yanhe lifted his eyes to look at the person’s back.

In this illusion, what will Lin Qinghan do?

Will he show the same disgusting, pitying look as others, or will he show undisguised mockery toward such a weak version of me?

Ling Yanhe watched him. Lin Qinghan turned around, and then Ling Yanhe met those eyes, eyes as calm as water.

There was nothing.

There was only endless calm in those eyes.

Yet it was like a spring breeze, blowing away the wicked thoughts in his heart bit by bit. His empty chest was slowly filled with something else.

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