Chapter 005: Illusions and Arrays

Mu Yi sighed and said, "Alas, don't mention it. I don't know whether we are holding him hostage or he is holding us hostage. With his frail body, just taking care of him along the way has been quite a challenge. Now, I fear he has already fallen asleep again. He sleeps soundly, but it is us who suffer!"

Rest assured, Brother Mu, the others are completely unaware of your true situation at this moment. What they see is merely the illusion I have conjured. I will release you now!" The voice of Ling Luoyu timely reached Mu Yi's ears, and immediately, Mu Yi's eyes brightened as Ling Luoyu's figure appeared before him

Fortunately, at that moment, Mu Yi rushed forward and delivered a swift punch. It was a true punch, a strike as quick as lightning, with the fist generating a series of piercing howls.

The curtain of the car was gently lifted, and Ling Luo Yu poked her head out, glancing around before saying: "This place is so desolate! Chen Kong, were you just calling me? Is there something you need? If there's nothing particularly important, please don't disturb me; I had just fallen asleep when you woke me up!"

Han Xiao shook his head and said, "What a pity, I enjoy killing, I enjoy hitting people even more, and right now the thing I want to do the most is to beat you up thoroughly. Even if I really ended up killing you, I would accept my fate!"

Due to the urgency of their journey, when the group arrived outside Jinzhou City, the city gates were already closed, making it impossible to enter the city

Ling Luoyu smiled and said, "In fact, I also know that the four of you do not really intend to fight me. You are all renowned figures in the martial world; why bother to stoop to the level of a humble scholar like me?"

Ling Luoyu smiled and said, "The place is not very far, just to the west of Jinzhou City, not far from the Canglang Sea?"

Chen Kong chuckled and said, "For certain reasons, we will definitely not kill you. However, it should be no problem to give you a good beating to vent our anger, right?"

Just as Mu Yi was in a state of panic, Ling Luoyu's voice reached his ears: "Brother Mu, I wonder if you have heard of the Fiery Demon Refining Array of the Seven Fiends Venerable from two hundred years ago? I am not sure if you have the confidence to pass through this array, Brother Mu?"

After a pause, Ling Luoyu continued, "In fact, with each of your unique abilities, it would be quite easy to kill Luoyu. For instance, Miss Qin, your poison; Brother Han, your hidden weapons; a casual area attack would suffice. Even if Luoyu's illusion skills are exceptional, it would be difficult for him to escape!"

Mu Yi glanced at Han Xiao and said to Chen Kong, "I have no objections, but it still depends on what Brother Chen and Han Xiong think about it"

After a pause, Ling Luoyu continued, "Therefore, considering the four of you, I still hope that everyone can coexist peacefully. Moreover, Luoyu really dislikes the feeling of being hit by others!"

Therefore, Chen Kong drove the caravan to a desolate area outside the outskirts of Jinzhou, where he stopped in front of a barren forest. Chen Kong jumped down from the yoke, followed closely by Han Xiao, and Mu Yi and Qin Ling'er also successively jumped out of the carriage.

Ling Luoyu gently shook her head and said, "Since I have come with you all, I did not intend to deceive you. I truly do not possess any martial arts skills, yet I do not know how to express this so that you will believe me"

Qin Ling'er let out a soft snort and said, "Ling Luoyu, since you are aware of this, why do you still stand there and let us four take our frustrations out on you?"

Throughout the journey, Ling Luoyu took advantage of their fear of killing him, barking orders at them. Chen Kong had long been seething with pent-up frustration.

After more than ten days of travel, the entire group was thoroughly exhausted. Those driving the carriage were tired, and even the few passengers and the books were utterly worn out.

Jinzhou is approximately a thousand miles away from Jinyang, and Jinzhou is already close to the shores of the East China Sea. To the east, just a few miles further, lies the Canglang Sea

Qin Ling'er was taken aback and said, "Ling Luoyu, do you know where this place is?"

At this moment, if Ling Luoyu wanted to kill him, it would be an excellent opportunity. Qianshou Han smiled, as he rarely afforded anyone such a chance in his lifetime

Ling Luoyu looked around and said: "This is a wilderness, I can see it, truly a good place for murder and silencing, but unfortunately, you won't kill me"

Chen Kong remained a silent observer, his demeanor inscrutable and enigmatic, leaving Mu Yi unable to discern whether he had already perceived something.

As the palm was about to strike Ling Luoyu's chest, she still showed no signs of evasion, prompting Han Xiao to slow his momentum and reduce his strength even further

That palm struck firmly against Ling Luoyu's figure, yet it did not linger for a moment, passing straight through Ling Luoyu's form. Han Xiao was unable to stop his momentum, stumbling uncontrollably, and his expression changed drastically.

Qin Ling'er was also somewhat annoyed and coldly said to Ling Luoyu: "Ling Luoyu, come out. Don't think that we really dare not harm you!"

After a brief contemplation, Mu Yi said: "Since Young Master Ling is already willing to cooperate, should we find a place to stay for the night? After all, it is not very suitable for our group to be staying in this desolate wilderness"

Ling Luoyu slowly dismounted from the carriage. He seemed particularly fond of white, as he was once again dressed in a long white robe today. He walked slowly to Qin Ling'er and said: "Miss Qin, you called me down for something? It is truly an honor for Luoyu to assist such a beautiful woman as you!"

Suddenly, Ling Luoyu, who had already entered the caravan, spoke up: "If your matters are not too urgent, there is a farm not far ahead where my father resides. It is a quiet and spacious place, and the wine brewed by Manager Yang at that farm is quite excellent"

Qin Ling'er smiled charmingly and said, "It seems that Brother Mu is in favor of us going to that farmhouse."

Ling Luoyu's agile gaze swept over a few individuals, and he smiled, saying: "I wonder if any of you are familiar with the renowned Tianhuan Jushi from a century ago? Tianhuan Jushi is most famous not for his martial arts, but for a particular skill known as illusionism. He could create various characters and environments by manipulating the refraction of light and exploiting blind spots in perception. However, it is unfortunate that while Tianhuan Jushi's illusions are impressive, they lack any offensive capability. Nevertheless, this illusionism is quite effective for escaping danger. I, Luoyu, have had the fortune of obtaining half of the illusionist's notes from the legendary Qianhuan Jushi years ago, and after studying it for some time, I have gained some insights!"

Having learned from Han Xiao's previous experience, Mu Yi threw a punch into the air, immediately halting his momentum, and coldly remarked: "As the second son of the Snow Mountain Manor, your martial arts should be quite impressive, which we should have anticipated long ago. However, Young Master Ling has been concealing this for some time; what could be the intention behind it? Are you perhaps trying to lead a pig to eat a tiger? We are not so easy to deal with!"

Turning around, Chen Kong shouted loudly at the tented carriage: "Ling Luoyu, come down here!"

Qin Ling'er exclaimed angrily: "Ling Luoyu, how can you still claim that you do not know martial arts in light of the current situation? How do you explain what just happened?"

Mu Yi coldly said: "With the strength of the Snowfall Mountain Manor, if they truly wanted to find Ling Luoyu, we would probably have been intercepted by them before we even left Jinyang"

Han smiled and nodded, coldly saying: "Indeed, it is very desolate here; even if someone were to be killed, no one would definitely see it! These past few days, you have been summoning us around, making us all feel quite frustrated!"

The fist struck Ling Luoyu, yet it felt as if it had hit nothingness; that sense of ineffectiveness was particularly oppressive and maddening

"The Fiery Demon Refining Array? Two hundred years ago, the Seven Fiends Venerable used this array to slay hundreds of masters from both the righteous and evil paths. It has never been heard that anyone trapped in this array has survived!" Mu Yi gasped in shock

Chen Kong hurriedly asked, "Is the farm far from here? If it is not far, we can just go there to stay for a while, as there are still ten days left until August!"

Just as Mu Yi was about to seal Ling Luoyu's acupoint, he suddenly felt the scene before him shift. Ling Luoyu's figure had vanished, and he found himself as if trapped in a lava hell, surrounded by a raging sea of fire

Ling Luoyu smiled slightly and said, "What, you wouldn't be thinking of killing me, would you? I have been calling on you these days, and you have endured it all. Just as we are about to reach our destination, you would kill me, would you?"

Ling Luoyu maintained her composure and said: "So, are you all prepared to give me a good beating today? In fact, I am aware that I have been a bit excessive these past few days, and it is quite normal for you to want to hit me. However, I have been frail and sickly since childhood, and my body is quite weak. I fear that if you do not control your strength properly, what if you accidentally kill me? I am sure those behind you would blame you for it. My life may not be worth much, but if it were to cause harm to any of you, I would feel deeply troubled in my conscience"

Finally, on the day of July 20, Mu Yi, Chen Kong, and their companions arrived at the outskirts of Jinzhou with Ling Luoyu

Qin Ling'er expressed some displeasure and said, "After putting in so much effort to capture Ling Luoyu, isn't it equivalent to sending him back to Piaoxue Villa!"

Han Xiao and Mu Yi both nodded in agreement, but Qin Ling'er felt that something was amiss, though she could not pinpoint exactly what was wrong

Mu Yi's face was suffused with a heavy aura of killing intent as he coldly said, "Ling Luoyu, it would be best for you to obediently let us beat you up to vent our frustrations!" Suddenly, Mu Yi swiftly lunged towards Ling Luoyu, his right hand reaching out, intending to seize her wrist. Mu Yi had made himself very clear; if Ling Luoyu used an illusion to evade this strike again and refused to comply, he might resort to drawing his blade to take her life.

Where is Ling Luoyu? Why hasn't she come down yet? We've already missed the curfew, it seems we'll have to endure a night here in discomfort!" Seeing that Ling Luoyu in the carriage remained motionless, Chen Kong gently inquired.

Chen Kong glanced at the others and slowly said, "Then I would appreciate it if Young Master Ling could guide us on our journey"

He has confirmed one thing: this Ling Luoyu not only possesses martial arts skills, but also has exceptionally advanced martial arts abilities

After speaking, Han Xiao swiftly struck towards Ling Luoyu with a palm. However, Han Xiao was aware of Ling Luoyu's frail condition, so this strike was merely for show and lacked any real force. Even if it were to hit Ling Luoyu, it would only cause him a slight discomfort.

Suddenly, Ling Luoyu's figure gradually faded until it disappeared. Ten zhang away, Ling Luoyu's figure slowly reappeared, coldly saying to Mu Yi: "Brother Mu, do you know that if your punch had truly struck me just now, it would certainly have killed me with a single blow? It seems I was mistaken; you truly harbor the intent to kill me!"

Mu Yi's thoughts turned rapidly, and his gaze swiftly swept over the faces of Qin Ling'er and Chen Kong. He laughed heartily and said, "Since Young Master Ling is willing to cooperate with us, why must we insist on giving you a beating? Wouldn't it be better for everyone to be honest with each other?" Mu Yi immediately found a way to ease the situation for himself