181 - Divine Mastering Dragon System

Chapter 851: The Deception A gray-white fox lay snoozing comfortably in a dry spot amidst the bamboo forest, its fur fluffy and sleek with moisture from the rain. It was curled up as if hugging itself, a large tail covering its body, with the white tip occasionally tapping its head. Suddenly, the serene fox jolted awake, fluffing up like a dandelion as every hair stood on end. Xiang Shi Yan's tiny paws scratched the ground for a moment before she shook off the experience of almost tasting death. Her dumpling-sized ears lay flat against her head, and her beady eyes warily surveyed her surroundings. "Host, you've returned to your original position. The looped information flow is back at the start." The crowd strolling through the circular streets also returned to their initial positions, as the entire illusion rebooted due to the illusion master's death. Illusions are perilous spells. Besides the risk of mental backlash when failing to entrap an enemy, even the simplest illusions can be fatal. There's also the danger of the creator getting trapped within their own illusion. The caster bears certain risks, but those trapped must remain extremely vigilant. Although they don't physically experience it, their consciousness is involved, akin to a cultivator's essence, risking being devoured by the illusion. Hence, the cultivation world commonly agrees that "dying in an illusion equates to dying in reality." The body of this common wild fox couldn't keep up with Xiang Shi Yan's reactions, making it impossible to react as she wished. The masked fox-faced man's strike was too swift. When the steel ball pierced the skull, Xiang Shi Yan was still conscious, even feeling a cold pressure bearing down on her. There were no flashing memories of her life; she simply died that straightforwardly. He He only intended to trap her within the illusion, not kill her. Did the black dragon risk injury just to keep her from hindering itself? Or was this never-ending temple fair, painstakingly crafted, trying to convey something to Xiang Shi Yan? However... wasn't Xiang Shi Yan urgently trying to capture Qin Miao precisely to meet He He's appointment? She initially thought that hastening her pace might allow her to catch the temple fair's last night but soon realized that the distance between them far exceeded her capabilities. Her regrets are confined to this. Xiang Shi Yan shook her fur: "Perhaps that is where the exit of the illusion lies. If the tragedy of my parents is my inner demon, breaking it might be the way out." However, the support staff didn't quite agree with her viewpoint. They babbled noisily in her mind. "Has the host been troubled by such inner demons before? I still think this is a facade He He created to confuse you, actually placing the formation's eye elsewhere." "That person has at least Nascent Soul-level cultivation. How could a little fox defeat him?" "Host, an Oedipus complex with love for the mother and hatred for the father is quite typical. Shouldn't you pay a bit more attention to this..." Xiang Shi Yan trotted towards where she previously encountered Xiang Huai Lei, addressing the doubts in her mind with just one remark: "This is the only noteworthy clue I can find now, so it's worth a try." Truthfully, Xiang Shi Yan wasn't fully confident. Perhaps the lonely and helpless child of the past feared her whimsical mother and hoped her unseen father could be a kind person. But now, she no longer resents that pitiful woman, nor does she hold any expectations for the heartless fox tribe man. Xiang Shi Yan had never seen her father. Even in fragmented memories, she'd never truly looked at the man's face; she only knew that the man who had ruined her mother's life was still living freely somewhere. Should events unfold as in the original work, that man would soon appear and act as a catalyst for Xiang Shi Yan to develop a deep connection with Qin Miao. Now Qin Miao is dead, and if she encounters that man in reality, Xiang Shi Yan would spare no effort to destroy him. But for now, finding a way out is the pressing concern. The little fox sat behind the bun stall where she met Xiang Huai Lei, its gaze fixed on the small bridge, not daring to look away. Unable to leverage her spiritual power in this illusion, just as someone had said, a wild fox couldn't be the opponent of a Nascent Soul cultivator. So, she had to find an alternative approach. As dusk gently settled, signaling the time she previously met Xiang Huai Lei, a girl in lavish attire slowly approached from the bridge. Although Xiang Huai Lei came from a merchant family, she preferred simplicity. The girl walked from a distance in a lake-blue dress, holding an oil-paper umbrella, appearing graceful and charming. For some reason, Xiang Shi Yan had the feeling that she had changed somehow. Clearly, her features hadn't changed, yet she seemed more radiant than before. It wasn't just her imagination; the girl before her had indeed become more beautiful. "This illusion seems to morph according to my thoughts…" Xiang Shi Yan cautiously approached, seated on the girl's path, wagging her tail to catch her attention. Xiang Shi Yan intentionally turned her back to appear unsuspecting. Her fluffy gray and white-tipped tail swayed on the ground, making her fur quiver slightly, luring the passing girl. Her triangular ears swiveled quickly, capturing every movement of the slowly approaching girl. Her sensitive nose twitched, indicating the target squatting behind her. It wasn't the eye-catching tail that was reached for; instead, the girl gingerly stroked Xiang Shi Yan's fur from her ear base down her back. The startled little fox instinctively flattened her ears, unwittingly delivering them into the girl's hand. The girl gently caressed the fluffy ear, chuckling softly. Xiang Shi Yan symbolically struggled, turning to push Xiang Huai Lei's hand away, yet made no attempt to flee, curiously sniffing the girl's hand. Seeing that she didn’t resist, Xiang Huai Lei boldly ran her hand over the fur on her back. The fox was smaller than a guard dog, with sleek, flowing gray and white fur. Its elongated snout, limbs, ears, and tail tip had turned white, resembling a well-loved pet. Xiang Huai Lei rubbed the tip of its ear. The little fox still didn't resist, instead nuzzling the girl's hand affectionately with her face. "Whose little fox are you?" The girl laughed, rubbing the fur on its chest and neck, warmth radiating from the small creature, "Such a plump fox..." "..." Xiang Shi Yan shook her fur to indicate that she was merely fluffy. In her ear came a concerned voice: "Host, is it really alright to compromise like this?" Everyone in the operations room remembered the past incidents. Ever since Xiang Shi Yan realized she'd been deceived both emotionally and physically, she experienced an unprecedented surge of emotion. They weren't sure how much her feelings for He He leaned towards love, but even if it was just the relationship between master and disciple, years of deceit and manipulation were enough to hurt. Since awaking in the illusion, however, Xiang Shi Yan seemed unaffected, making them worry about her mental state. "…Has that person shown up?" Xiang Shi Yan inquired, "I’ll delay here, keep them from encountering each other. As long as they don't meet, we’ve succeeded." "The signals from him and Xiang Huai Lei appeared simultaneously. He's likely still waiting at the mask stall." The serious gray fox spoke, its words transforming into adorable yips. Xiang Shi Yan stood silent for a moment, thankful that her fur concealed her blush. The girl squatted roadside, petting the fox for a while, then stood up contentedly, waving goodbye: "I must leave now. You should hurry to find your owner." No, letting her leave now would let Xiang Huai Lei meet that scholar at the mask stall. Decisively, Xiang Shi Yan rose on her hind legs, tugging at Xiang Huai Lei’s dress to prevent her departure. "Hmm? What's wrong?" The girl knelt down, stroking her gently, with such a tender voice that Xiang Shi Yan was momentarily taken aback. The round fox circled the girl's feet, tugging and whining, finally sprawling over her shoes. Astonished by the fox's clinginess, the girl became convinced it was someone's cherished pet, gently coaxing it away. The gray fox yawned, making no effort to rise, seemingly intent on clinging indefinitely. Helplessly, Xiang Huai Lei bent to pick it up, yet the frail young lady couldn’t restrain such a creature. Xiang Shi Yan squirmed free from her grasp easily, persistently steering her in another direction. The girl hadn't expected to be entangled by a fox, finding it somewhat troubling, yet a sudden look of understanding crossed her face. Kneeling, Xiang Huai Lei smiled at her, "Are you hungry, trying to coax me into buying you food?" She scratched the gray fox’s neck fur while rubbing behind its ear. When Xiang Shi Yan looked back, she realized that in her efforts to keep Xiang Huai Lei away from the fox-faced scholar, she had inadvertently led her to the very bun stall. "Host, the target is moving in your direction, probably realizing that Xiang Huai Lei hasn't followed her intended path and is coming to check," the urging voice in her ear prompted Xiang Shi Yan to act quickly. She leaped forward, as if affirming the situation, coaxing Xiang Huai Lei to move along. "Alright, alright, I'm coming..." The girl helplessly followed, eventually buying the clingy little fox a bun and a meat bun. She spread the paper bag on the ground, placing the bun halves in front of the pacing fox, tearing the bread in her hands into small pieces. "I really need to go. Stop clinging to me." A chill swept through, and as Xiang Shi Yan contemplated how to keep Xiang Huai Lei from leaving, she suddenly felt a shiver, every hair on her petite body standing on end. She raised her head and let out a whimper, rekindling the girl's interest and delaying her departure. Danger loomed. The little animal's acute sensitivity to peril set off alarm bells in Xiang Shi Yan's mind. Having been killed by the man half an hour ago, she knew the fox-faced man would stop at nothing, even if it meant eradicating a fox that dared glance at his prey. Xiang Shi Yan was at a loss on how to handle this. Peeking between the girl's shoulder and neck, she noticed the man approaching, and realized that he, too, had morphed in her perception. Earlier, even though she hadn't seen the man's full face, she caught a glimpse of handsomeness beneath the mask. His eyes and lower face weirdly mirrored her own—the impression of her father that had looked back at her. Now... Maybe it was having died once or her natural disdain. The fox-faced man's mask seemed fused to his face, the ethereal white learned mask now eerily sinister. The upturned eye openings concealed eyes filled with shadows, nothing reminiscent of the attractive gentleman. "What's wrong?" Xiang Huai Lei asked, concerned as the little fox made a low growl, patting its back softly. "Burn yourself?" The fox-faced scholar drew nearer and was just about to speak when Xiang Shi Yan sprang to her feet, barking a couple of times at the girl and then dashing into the crowd. After a short distance, she paused, confirming Xiang Huai Lei's anxious voice: "Be careful not to get stepped on." Xiang Shi Yan scurried a few more steps, glancing back as if urging the girl to follow. Sighing, the girl followed, resigned to being attached to this gray fox for the evening, curious about her destination. The man knew the timing was wrong, choosing silence but casting a cold glare at the gray fox looking at him from a distance. No matter how they maneuvered, escaping him entirely in this endlessly looping street seemed impossible. And there was no predicting how long they’d have to run. The fox's intention was likely a sincere encounter with the girl. But he neither wanted to mess up his orchestrated drama nor allow a wild fox to disrupt it. The trio thus proceeded with Xiang Shi Yan leading the way, Xiang Huai Lei scanning the ground for a gray shadow, while the man trailed behind. Eventually, Xiang Shi Yan arrived at an open lakeside space. From this vantage point, she could see a large stage set on a boat in the lake's center. A crowd gathered on the shore, engrossed in the story of a white-clad immortal braving a snowy mountain, battling fox spirits, and rescuing a little girl. The gray fox sat obediently by the lake, her innocent gaze fixed on the panting girl. Xiang Huai Lei's umbrella had been lost in the crowd. Though initially annoyed, the little fox's endearing expression softened her, and she lifted the chubby fox, affectionately smoothing its fur. "Did you just want to watch this?" The stage scenes showed the immortal wielding a sword in one hand and holding a young girl in the other, cutting down "demon foxes" one by one. Clearly, Xiang Shi Yan wasn't one for entertainment, nor did she have a knack for it. The stage with its awkward characters and strange singing only enhanced the flying fox cutouts. "Do you like seeing little foxes too?" The girl took the opportunity to stroke the fox's belly, gently smoothing its tail while holding it. As the lake remained still and the lakeside crowd occasionally cheered, Xiang Shi Yan shyly eyed them, perplexed by the enthusiasm for the puppet show. Finally, the man approached, his expression courteous yet monstrous in Xiang Shi Yan's eyes. Speaking to the girl toying with the wild fox, he said, "Miss, is this fox yours?" Caught cleaning the fox's paws, Xiang Huai Lei startled at the stranger's voice, glanced at the peculiar man, and murmured, "No, I found it by the stone bridge..." The fox-faced man chuckled, "I saved this creature on the mountain last year. It's been following me since, and I was searching for it when it wandered off." Xiang Huai Lei hesitated. Apart from being clingy and well-behaved, the gray fox didn't exactly appear like a clean house pet. Still, she held it tighter, skeptical of the man's claim. "No surprise, given how attached it's grown to you. Most others couldn't even touch it." The man squinted, a cold glint flickered in his eyes. "Come here." The oppressive aura overwhelmed Xiang Shi Yan, rendering the petite fox limp, not a hair bristled. His voice seemed to weave spiritual power, clouding her mind in confusion, and despite herself, she struggled free from the girl's arms, leaping into the man's hands. With the fox gone, Xiang Huai Lei had no grounds to argue, watching as it left like a little traitor. The fox-faced scholar brushed off the gray fox's neck fur, disliking the contact with the filthy wild fox. He opened his mouth to speak but felt the fox, presumably befuddled by his illusion, start to wriggle furiously. The gray fox whimpered pitifully, extending its short paws towards the girl, as if pleading for rescue. "Why... why are you squeezing it!" Xiang Huai Lei exclaimed, prying open the man's hands to let the fox drop to the ground. Startled, the man couldn’t imagine exerting force on such a fragile being... yet this animal dared ruin his scheme! Seeing the icy flames in his eyes almost materialize, Xiang Shi Yan didn’t dare stray from Xiang Huai Lei's side, clutching her skirt and peering out with half her head, looking forlorn. "Leave, or I'll call for help!" The girl warned the eerie man, cradling the playful fox tenderly, smoothing its chest fur. "Does it hurt?" Xiang Shi Yan curled in the girl's arms, smugly peeking at the man, head shielded by her tail, appearing quite pleased. In reality, if his plan had unraveled this way, the man might have reacted with anger. However, the illusion, designed by He He, constrained the characters' actions under certain conditions. Watching the man retreat felt surreal to Xiang Shi Yan. "It's like a scene out of a children's comic," the system commented, concerned, "Can we really escape the illusion this way?" It suspected the host's intelligence had slightly diminished since becoming a wild fox, her behavioral patterns and thinking somewhat aligning with a small animal's, contrasting her usual demeanor. "I don't know." Xiang Shi Yan lifted her head, sniffed the girl's hand, and gently nuzzled her face, seemingly unhurried. The woman who knocked her to the ground wouldn't tenderly caress her face and ask if she was hurt. The disheveled girl had clumsily wiped her forehead, leaving her face bloody but didn't dare breathe too loudly, discreetly exiting the room. She remembered meeting someone in the corridor... Who was it, who gently wiped away her tears and held her tightly? Perhaps her mind was truly muddled. Xiang Shi Yan shivered, finding herself want to remain in the girl's embrace. So that was it, the truth of this illusion? The inner demon keeping her wasn't her father but... Her consciousness drifted, slipping into a hazy sleep. But when she awoke, it was the same familiar bamboo forest. It felt like being abruptly ousted from a tender embrace. Stunned, the fox stood frozen, staring blankly at the lantern lights peering through the bamboo, feeling hollow inside. Xiang Shi Yan frowned, shaking her head. The heart's demons... illusions were insidious, targeting the soul's vulnerabilities. Despite cultivating for over three hundred years and experiencing many illusions, she had still fallen prey. What next? Xiang Shi Yan now felt a strange fear towards the girl resembling her mother, unsure how to proceed. Just then, the system interjected, "Based on the analysis of the information flow by the staff, this illusion, though produced by your memories and consciousness, is not under your control. On the surface, it seems autonomous, but tracing it back reveals He He's influence in many facets." "She must have left a trail, didn't she?" In these typically uncontrollable illusions, manipulating illusions requires He He to leave signs. By finding that loophole, Xiang Shi Yan could escape without finding the formation's eye or breaking the illusion. "Where is it?" "...Not known yet, but for He He to tap into your consciousness, she must leave behind an anchor that holds significance to her—a matter of great importance." "In this illusion rooted in my mind, the one impossible element must be He He's oversight, right?" The little fox rekindled her spirits, shaking off the mud, and resumed her search among the crowd. For the third time, night descended as Xiang Shi Yan wandered along the lake embankment, glancing up at the silver moon. She enigmatically observed the girl, now more radiant than before, wearing a lake-blue dress and engaging animatedly with a fox-faced creature beneath dirty white fur at a mask stall. In reality, this would be the temple fair's final night. For some reason, Xiang Shi Yan felt a pang of disappointment. After all, this was merely her fantasy. The secluded female cultivator’s scant perception of temple fairs was only strings of dragon-like lanterns and a liveliness she had yet to comprehend. Perhaps that's why every passerby in this illusion brandished a lantern, with no exceptions. For those who had savored genuine warmth and festive scenes, her hallucinations likely seemed so false they failed to deceive anyone. At that moment, she noticed someone unique. In a world where everyone, even hawkers, possessed lanterns, those without one were: the incapable gray fox, the illusionary girl confining Xiang Shi Yan, the fox demon beguiling women, and this woman. Draped in a white robe with subtle silver patterns, the woman had a jade pendant shaped like the insignia of the Taixu Sect at her waist and carried herself with detached indifference. She stopped to buy candied hawthorn from a vendor. For a fleeting moment, Xiang Shi Yan thought she saw a resemblance. Facially, they were very different. In terms of elegance, this woman couldn't match the mixed-blooded exquisiteness of the jade fox. Yet, her ethereal aloofness bore a remarkable likeness to Xiang Shi Yan's own persona. No… this woman emanated even more of a supernatural aura. She strolled the vibrant temple street, nibbling on the worldly treat devoid of any benefit to cultivators, exuding an icy grace as though traversing clouds. The gray fox dumbfoundedly watched the listless woman, instinctively moving closer. Here lay He He's anchoring "trail"—an unmistakable mismatch, glaringly misplaced. The woman munched her hawthorn and, noticing the small creature fixated on her, returned the gaze with equal curiosity. Suddenly, the crowd seemed to pause. From a gap, Xiang Shi Yan scrutinized her features. They bore no overt resemblance, yet a certain spirit was shared. Could there be anyone more tragic than herself? Xiang Shi Yan laughed bitterly, realizing she had lost far more miserably than she imagined. The woman's gaze lifted slightly to someone approaching from behind the fox. In the mere seconds of Xiang Shi Yan’s distraction, someone closed in and lifted her. A strikingly familiar embrace brought her gaze upward, revealing what seemed to be the just-departed Xiang Huai Lei smiling down. She sat motionless in Xiang Huai Lei's arms, pondering whether this illusion was an endless loop of torment she could never escape, only to witness the mother-like visage transform into an unfamiliar woman. "Xiang Huai Lei's" face wore a familiar expression. It was the playful smirk she'd seen on the black dragon’s face right before she was trapped within the illusion. Author's Note: Fooled again, so pitiful. The fluffy creature was tricked into cuddles for so long. 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