Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 72: Illusion Symphony

After spending a few minutes in the seemingly peaceful guest room, Lu Yang felt like he was sitting on pins and needles. He would rather deal with the vague whispers and apparitions. At least he could see them, and they could see him. He knew what he was facing.

Not like now, where he had no idea what would happen next. Every breath felt like holding his breath three times over.

On the other side, despite taking a heavy blow, Master Jiang hadn’t lost his composure. He scooped up some talisman ash and dabbed it four times on his own forehead, then four times on A’Qiao’s.

A protective spell!

Lu Yang took a deep breath, ready to step forward and ask for one.

But just as he lifted his foot, a shadow suddenly loomed before his eyes. The back of a massive head blocked his view, the short black hair tickling his nose.

Lu Yang jolted and stumbled backward several steps. When he finally saw the full figure, his thoughts froze for a moment.

It was himself.

Same height, same clothes, his body. That familiar yet alien figure stood with its back to him, sweat glistening on its skin.

Out-of-body experience?

Lu Yang pinched his arm hard. The skin was warm, the pain real. His tongue felt dry and bitter, his heart pounded so hard it didn’t even need checking.

…No. This wasn’t a soul leaving the body. His own body was still intact, so what was this thing in front of him?

“Master…!” In panic, Lu Yang cried out hoarsely.

His voice echoed through the small living room, but Jiang Xun gave no response. A’Qiao didn’t react either, eyes fixed in place.

It felt like a bucket of ice water had been dumped on Lu Yang’s head. He lunged toward his teammates, shaking them and shouting, but not a single response came.

It was as if he’d been erased from the world or turned into a ghost.

As he struggled in despair, the “other Lu Yang” stepped forward, speaking timidly, “Master, the ash…”

This time, Jiang Xun heard. He dipped his finger into the ash and dabbed “Lu Yang’s” forehead four times while chanting.

“Stay close to me. No matter what you see or hear, do not believe it.” After finishing the spell, Jiang Xun gave a serious warning.

“I-I understand. Thank you, Master!”

The “Lu Yang” nodded nervously, voice and demeanor flawlessly identical to the real one.

No matter what you see or hear, don’t believe it.

…But you already did believe it!

Lu Yang clutched his hair and growled in despair.

This time, he finally got a reaction. The monster turned its back to him, and the back of its head slowly melted away, revealing a bald patch of skin.

Facial features began emerging from it one by one, warped and misplaced like a child’s crude face collage. The uneven eyes locked onto Lu Yang, then slowly stretched into a smile.

In the next instant, like a corrupted video frame, the face vanished.

Lu Yang couldn’t even scream. He backed up two steps and crashed into a small stool, its legs screeching loudly against the floor.

No. No matter what that thing was, he had to warn them…

Suddenly, Lu Yang had an idea.

He grabbed the two cans of soda from the table and started throwing them with loud clangs. When no one reacted, he opened one and splashed it straight onto A’Qiao’s face.

A sweet scent spread instantly. The milky-white liquid covered A’Qiao’s eyeballs, dripping like tears down his cheeks.

But A’Qiao just kept nervously staring at Jiang Xun, unfazed, as if the soda had never existed.

Sound didn’t work. Direct contact didn’t work. Indirect contact didn’t work either.

Lu Yang’s hand trembled, and the red can clattered to the floor. It slowly rolled past A’Qiao’s feet toward the wall.

After hitting the wall, the can suddenly stood upright, then slowly tipped over and rolled back toward Lu Yang.

Clunk… clunk…

It stopped at his feet, still sealed, full to the brim, as if never opened.

Lu Yang’s hands and feet turned icy, his mind numb.

Had he really thrown that soda at A’Qiao? Was this all just an illusion? Or was he trapped in a nightmare, paralyzed in a dream?

The can bumped gently against his shoe. Instinctively, Lu Yang kicked it away. A few seconds later, the cursed can bounced and rolled right back, sticking close to him.

A breeze brushed his ankle, chilling and unmistakably real.

Only now did Lu Yang truly understand the terror of this ritual.

What skills? What rules? What experts? In this damned place, anything could happen, and no one could be trusted!

He had to get help…had to make a bigger scene. But damaging the courtyard would violate a taboo… Desperate, Lu Yang’s eyes scanned the room and finally landed on the candles in the living room.

He stepped over the soda can that was stalking him, rushed forward, and blew out the candle in one breath.

The room plunged into darkness.

With the light extinguished, shadowy forms appeared in the corners. They lined up neatly along the walls, faint gazes locking onto Lu Yang.

But in the dark, Jiang Xun and A’Qiao remained perfectly still. They hadn’t noticed the candle going out. It was as if they were living in a different world.

In the pitch black, A’Qiao wiped his forehead. “M-Master, why’s it so quiet? The candle’s brighter than last night.”

“When a Great Evil enters, the minor spirits grow silent.”

Jiang Xun’s tone was calm. “Whatever entered is smarter than the rest. It doesn’t want to offend the Master of this place. It won’t act directly. It’ll try to lure us outside.”

The “Lu Yang” shuddered. “But it clearly locked the door…”

“Locking the door is meant to drive us out. Don’t be deceived,” Jiang Xun whispered. “My talismans can’t stop it, but they’re enough to mask us. As long as we stay still…”

“But it locked the door.”

“Lu Yang” interrupted. “I don’t like being locked in. It feels like being sealed in a coffin. I don’t want to stay here. I don’t want to be a burden. I want to leave. But opening the door means death. Opening the door means death. Opening the door means death…”

“What kind of crap are you spouting?!” A’Qiao shouted.

“A’Qiao, I mean you should open the door for me.”

The “Lu Yang” replied in a disturbingly flat tone. “I don’t know how to open it myself.”

“You said the talismans could hide us. What the hell is wrong with him?!” A’Qiao backed away behind Jiang Xun, forgetting to even call him “Master”.

Jiang Xun didn’t answer. His face darkened as he stared at the expressionless Lu Yang.

In the midst of the muttering, “Lu Yang” collapsed to the ground, limbs planted flat.

Sickening cracking noises echoed. His limbs twisted 180 degrees, elbows and knees bent backwards. His waist arched, and his head lifted high. His neck bent at a sharp right angle, vertebrae seemingly snapped.

He looked like a dog.

“Open the door. Open the door. Open the door,” he repeated loudly. “Help me open the door. I want to go out and play.”

Seeing this twisted version of himself, Lu Yang clutched his mouth but still vomited. Precious food came up in a sour wave that triggered another wave of nausea.

He wanted to faint like the night before, but couldn’t.

Jiang Xun threw a talisman at the “dog-man’s” forehead.

It didn’t react. Instead, he—it tiptoed backward a few meters, twisted its body unnaturally, and casually shook the talisman off.

Jiang Xun frowned. Then something clearly dawned on him. “This thing…”

“Open the door. Open the door. Open the door.”

The dog-man stopped next to the terrified “Lu Wei”, barking like a machine. Its voice drowned out Jiang Xun’s muttering.

“Fuck your mother…”

A’Qiao snapped. He grabbed a bowl from the cupboard and threw it at the dog-man. But from Lu Yang’s perspective, he was clearly aiming at Lu Wei’s body.

The bowl shattered with a crash, and blood immediately poured from Lu Wei’s flesh. Strangely, the dog-man also sprouted the same wounds, like the dish really hit it.

Seconds later, cuts appeared on A’Qiao himself. His loose pants darkened with spreading blood.

…No violence allowed inside the courtyard. The Master’s “taboo punishment” had arrived right on time.

“Liar!” A’Qiao’s eyes bulged, voice cracking. “You said your talismans could protect us! You said we’d be fine!”

Jiang Xun: “It’s an extremely powerful illusion…”

“Fuck your illusion! That’s Lu Yang! I hit him, and I got punished!”

With one teammate mutating before his eyes, another’s soul swapped, and himself about to be left alone, A’Qiao couldn’t take it anymore. His face spasmed, unable to hear another word.

“You lied about Lu Wei too, didn’t you? That soul-swap is fake! Bring him back…right now!”

“Lu Yang” flashed a wide, eager grin and barked on cue. “Open the door!”

“That’s not me!” Lu Yang shouted in vain.

In the chaos, Jiang Xun clicked his tongue softly.

His gaze flicked between the dog-man and A’Qiao, then landed on the “playing dead” “Lu Wei”.

He pulled out the red soul-swap talisman and tore it in half.

Hidden from view.

“Nice,” Fang Xiu said contentedly, drawing the attention of many spirits.

One of tonight’s goals was complete!

Fantastic. This was even more fun than he’d imagined…

Not long ago, after he brought Bai Shuangying and the dog into the house, all the spirits immediately quieted down. They didn’t even try to run. Instead, they neatly lined up along the walls, trying hard to minimize their presence.

It looked exactly like a group of criminals caught in a raid.

With the spirits calmed, the room suddenly became bright and peaceful, almost cozy.

The little dog sat wagging in the center of the living room happily at Fang Xiu.

“Good dog.”

Fang Xiu locked the door and rubbed its head. “Don’t worry, I won’t hurt anyone and upset you.”

“Woof woof!” The dog panted happily.

“Bai Shuangying, it’s been a while since we played a good stealth game.”

Fang Xiu hugged the dog and petted it heartily. “Help me hide Lu Yang. Make it thorough.”

Bai Shuangying complied easily. But just as he began, Fang Xiu activated his own illusion skill, “Phantom Creation”, standing right beside him.

As Lu Yang disappeared, another version of him appeared at the center of the room. The dog sniffed wildly, black-bean eyes full of wonder.

“Alright, next let’s compete at haunting.” Fang Xiu declared seriously. “I’ll control the Lu Yang illusion. You distort the space. Let’s see who can drive them out of the courtyard first… how about it?”

Bai Shuangying perked up immediately.

In all his years, he’d never met a human who wanted to compete at scaring people. It sounded even more fun than counting corpses at the Mid-Autumn Ritual.

“How do we determine the winner?” he asked with dignified restraint.

Fang Xiu thought for a moment. “Jiang Xun won’t be scared by the spatial illusions. If he runs first, that means my Lu Yang illusion scared him, so I win.”

“If the others run first, it means your environmental illusion spooked them into abandoning Jiang Xun, so you win.”

Bai Shuangying agreed happily. Scaring regular folks sounded much easier than outwitting a cultivator.

“I just lent you my vision. Take a look.”

With a swing of his Peach Bone Evil, Bai Shuangying’s illusion wrapped around everyone but Lu Yang. Fang Xiu blinked. The scene before his eyes doubled, overlapping like two mirrored worlds.

Lu Yang was left alone in the real world, while the others were immersed in the illusory one. The “Lu Yang” among them was actually Fang Xiu’s skill-generated illusion, meaning even though they were in the same room, Lu Yang had essentially been exiled to another dimension.

No matter what he did—even if he set the room on fire—the others wouldn’t notice.

This illusion was terrifyingly clever. If Lu Yang had been any more impulsive, he might have run out of the room by now. Fang Xiu watched in awe.

After Lu Yang kicked the can, Fang Xiu pulled out a fresh one and started playing fetch with the dog, driving Lu Yang into a cold sweat.

When it got even more fun, Fang Xiu turned “Lu Yang” into the dog-man. The little dog didn’t understand the terror of transformation. Thinking a fellow pup had arrived, it barked happily and wagged its tail.

Bai Shuangying cheerfully manipulated the illusions to sync with Fang Xiu’s. He tweaked the lighting; Fang Xiu adjusted movements. Bai Shuangying altered A’Qiao’s aim; Fang Xiu faked injuries. There was no communication needed. Their coordination was flawless, like instruments in symphony.

In the dilapidated house, they wove a beautifully twisted nightmare.

The little dog hadn’t played with a human in a long time. It frolicked through the illusions, rolling on its back and flailing its paws in glee.

Watching the ghost frolic and the humans scream, Fang Xiu smiled. Bai Shuangying, seeing this, was in a great mood too.

“Fun, right?” Fang Xiu asked while having the dog-man spout nonsense.

“Mm.”

This kind of game was immensely satisfying, Bai Shuangying thought. He’d thought he’d have to be free to cause such chaos.

But his human had endless ideas. He actually started looking forward to the next ritual… No, wait. He should encourage Fang Xiu to stay here longer!

No more stalling. Time to win.

Now that Lu Wei had been recalled, all three newbies were back. If he scared off just one, he’d win.

…and once he won, he could ask Fang Xiu for something. Surely Fang Xiu wouldn’t say no.

“Jiang Xun’s figured out it’s an illusion. He has some real skill,” Bai Shuangying admitted. “His strength clearly exceeds what he showed earlier, yet he still walked into this trap.”

Fang Xiu patted the little dog: “Honestly, it has nothing to do with strength.”

The real issue was A’Qiao, who trusted Jiang Xun recklessly before, then flipped out the moment Jiang Xun didn’t meet expectations. When chaos breaks out, people like him can’t handle complex truths. To keep order, Jiang Xun had no choice but to end the soul-swap.

Nearby spirits whispered among themselves, and one even tried clapping before being tackled by the others.

The most fidgety one caught the dog’s attention. The dog bit it twice and swallowed it whole, leaving just half a claw.

It placed the claw in front of Fang Xiu, whimpering.

“Good boy. You can eat it yourself.” Fang Xiu smiled.

He snapped his fingers and the dog-man vanished from the living room. From the locked east bedroom came a voice. It was Jiang Xun’s voice.

“That ‘me’ is a fake… Run!” the illusion shouted. “The one I summoned back isn’t Lu Wei!”

Jiang Xun had barely started to explain when Bai Shuangying, unwilling to lose, swung his Peach Bone Evil again, warping the scene.

He transformed the “interior” into the illusion of the courtyard.

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