Dao Companion Crippled, Coveters Move

Chapter 389 376: Trial of Heart Tribulation 10 - Real or Fake... It Doesn't Matter Anymore

"Pei Yuhang, although you asked me to leave with you."

Fan Xuan lifted her gaze slightly. Her eyes were as clear as water, yet they held a hint of imperceptible gloom.

"But I'm afraid I can't promise you that. I grew up in the Yin Yang Sacred Land. Everything I know, my only family, is here.

If I were to elope with you, I would be irresponsible toward my sister.

So, Pei Yuhang, I won't go with you. You should leave this place. This is your cage, not mine."

Fan Xuan looked up at Pei Yuhang again. Her smile was still gentle, yet it revealed an unshakable resolve.

But Pei Yuhang's mind was in turmoil, and he could no longer take in anything she was saying.

If the Fan Xuan before him was fake, and he was the only real person here, then there was truly no point in taking her away.

Fan Xuan was already dead. What good would it do to take a fake version of her to escape the Yin Yang Sacred Land, other than making his own escape more difficult?

'She isn't the real Fan Xuan, just a projection of my memory.'

Pei Yuhang thought mournfully.

His Adam's apple bobbed. It felt as if a heavy stone was pressing on his chest, making it difficult to even breathe.

In the end, Pei Yuhang himself couldn't even recall how he had said goodbye to Fan Xuan, nor how he had dragged his heavy feet back to his bed.

Everything just felt like a daze.

'This Illusion Realm is even worse than A Thousand Years of Great Dream.'

'It's dredged up my deepest fears and my greatest guilt.'

Pei Yuhang lay on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling as these thoughts ran through his mind.

An hour slipped by. The candle on the table had long since melted completely, its wax drippings solidifying into a twisted shape. The last wisp of smoke from its wick vanished in the moonlight.

Only the chilly moonlight remained, spreading across the floor like frost and casting Pei Yuhang's silhouette in light and shadow.

He sat silently on the edge of his bed, his lowered lashes casting shadows beneath his eyes. His slender fingers slowly clenched, then relaxed, as if he were adjusting to a long-absent lucidity.

Finally, he lifted his eyes. The daze in them receded like the tide, replaced by a cold, sharp glint.

——He had accepted the truth.

Since Fan Xuan was fake and this world was fake, he no longer had any attachments or ties to the Yin Yang Sacred Land.

Pei Yuhang stood up, his white robes flowing like a waterfall in the moonlight.

"Illusion Realms usually have a boundary."

He muttered to himself, his voice a bit hoarse, "If you constantly push against the boundary with a firm will, you can tear through the thin veil separating the Illusion Realm from reality."

Pei Yuhang raised a hand to press the spot between his eyebrows, as if trying to recall something. His brow furrowed, and a dark look flickered in his eyes.

"Although I don't remember how I fell into this Illusion Realm… whoever did this obviously knows me very well. Otherwise, they wouldn't have placed me in the Yin Yang Sacred Land, and they certainly wouldn't have brought Fan Xuan to my side."

"Since this is a trap they've set for me, I have to leave this place. I have to leave immediately… Fan Xuan."

'But…'

'This fake Fan Xuan said she'd help me leave. Can I trust her?'

A sense of déjà vu washed over him. This scene felt so familiar.

Back then, when Fan Xuan offered to help him escape, he had been just as wary, cautious, and distrustful.

History really does repeat itself.

He didn't trust Fan Xuan then, and he still didn't trust "her" now.

...

...

「Several days later.」

Inside the Saintess Hall, Fan Xuan's slender fingers nervously twisted the hem of her skirt. She glanced around the hall, seemingly searching for the person she longed to see.

"Pei Yuhang didn't come today either."

Fan Ya, who was watering the flowerbeds, saw right through her younger sister. Her expression was placid, but her words mercilessly exposed the girl's pining for her beloved.

"Who said I was looking for him…? Sister, don't be ridiculous."

Fan Xuan huffed. Her heart was pounding, but her soft lips remained stubbornly defiant.

However, after turning her back on her sister, an expression of unconcealable disappointment appeared on Fan Xuan's lovely face.

'It's been five days… and I haven't seen that guy, Pei Yuhang. Is he avoiding me on purpose?'

Fan Xuan felt a pang of melancholy.

But she could somewhat understand his reasoning. Pei Yuhang had started distancing himself from her the day she'd made it clear she would never leave the Yin Yang Sacred Land.

'Perhaps in Pei Yuhang's eyes, her choosing the Sect over him was a form of 'betrayal.'

'But… for Pei Yuhang to just cut me off and avoid me like this… it's too cold!'

In a fit of pique, Fan Xuan kicked out at a gallery pillar. The tip of her foot, clad in a milky-white sock, left a faint mark on the wood.

The young woman's eyes turned red as a film of tears welled up in them.

She felt so wronged.

'And here I was… still thinking about how to help him escape the Sect.'

'I might not leave with you, but I'm not your enemy.'

'Why are you pushing me away? What are you so afraid of?'

'One day you're calling me "Xiaoxuan" so gently and teasing me… and the next you just turn your back and act like you don't know me! Is that it?!'

'You jerk, Pei Yuhang! You awful man!'

'You idiot! Let's see you try to escape this place alone without my help!!'

'Hmph, you'll definitely be caught by the patrolling disciples halfway through.'

'When the lecherous women in the Sect see a fine specimen like you, they'll definitely have their fun with you before sending you off to the Ministry of Justice for execution!'

'Let's see who you'll cry to for help when you're being bullied and humiliated right before you die!!'

Fan Xuan muttered resentfully in her heart, cursing Pei Yuhang. But then she worried her curses might actually come true. She bit her lip as a pang of guilt suddenly struck her.

Just as she was so worked up that her chest was heaving and her breathing grew labored, a pair of arms wrapped around her from behind.

"Don't be sad, Xiaoxuan. Your big sister is here."

The gentle voice was like a childhood lullaby, calming Fan Xuan, who had been on the verge of tears.

"All men are trouble… but your sister will always be by your side."

Fan Ya whispered softly in her sister's ear, but her eyes, looking toward Pei Yuhang's residence, grew dark and fathomless.

Fan Xuan nestled into her sister's embrace. After a long silence, she mumbled, "It's okay, Sister. I told you, I didn't want to see him. You're just imagining things."

"I have devoted my entire being to the Holy Daughter. I will not waste my emotions on anyone else."

Fan Xuan said this while giving her sister a sweet smile.

"...Let's hope so."

Fan Ya gave her sister a long, deep look, then picked up her watering can and headed toward the back of the Saintess Hall.

"I'm going to water the flowers elsewhere."

As Fan Ya departed, Fan Xuan took a deep breath, hurried out of the Saintess Hall, and, risking her life, headed in a direction that only Shang Miaoyan was permitted to go.

There were some things she had to ask about in person.

...

...

In a room with the curtains drawn tight against the light, Pei Yuhang studied a map of the Sect on his table by candlelight.

It was nearly impossible for a man to move freely in the Yin Yang Sacred Land, a place teeming with Witches.

In the Yin Yang Sacred Land, men were forbidden from leaving their "master" Female Cultivator and moving about the Sect on their own.

Whether it was to avoid arousing suspicion or to pass through necessary checkpoints, having a female companion for cover was essential.

Eighty percent of Pei Yuhang's hundreds of failed escape attempts in his past life were because he acted alone, without a "female master" to help him.

Although Pei Yuhang now had the experience of one successful escape under his belt.

'But without a woman's help… it's still going to be incredibly difficult.'

Just as Pei Yuhang was pondering what to do.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK—

A series of hurried knocks echoed.

Almost instantly, Pei Yuhang snatched up the heavily annotated map, ruffled his hair, and put on the expression of someone who had just woken up.

"Coming, coming, just a second…"

He deliberately drew out his words, his voice laced with an intentional rasp as if he had just been startled awake. Then, he cautiously turned the doorknob.

The instant he opened the door, a flash of brilliant white stabbed through the gap—

It was a long, slender leg, its skin dazzlingly pale in the morning light.

Pei Yuhang reflexively tried to slam the door shut, but that long, fair leg had already kicked through the opening.

The edge of the door barely scraped the young woman's ankle, and Pei Yuhang eased his pressure when he heard a familiar, soft huff of pain.

In the end, he couldn't bring himself to use his full strength.

The door was inevitably pushed open.

"Xiao-Xiaoxuan, you…"

Before he could finish, a figure fragrant with the scent of gardenias pounced into his arms like a hunting leopardess.

The young woman's almond-shaped eyes were wide, burning with twin flames. Her pearly teeth bit down hard on his neck.

Pei Yuhang hissed, stumbling backward. The back of his knees hit the edge of the bed, and he fell backward onto the mattress.

Fan Xuan took the opportunity to press down on top of him.

"Wait… Xiaoxuan, what's gotten into you?"

"You bastard! You scumbag! How dare you ask!"

Fan Xuan straddled his waist, strands of her hair tickling his face as they fell.

"Why have you been avoiding me all these days?

You were the one who was gentle with me first. I retreated, I tried to yield you to the Holy Daughter, but you were relentless! You said all those moving, nonsensical things to me and filled my head with hope and fantasies—"

"And now, you're pushing me away again, just like that, without a single word!"

"What do you take me for?! Do you think you can just play with my feelings because you're handsome and charming and know how to sweet-talk girls?!"

Her voice trembled and her eyes were rimmed with red, a picture of both extreme indignation and furious anger.

Pei Yuhang felt Fan Xuan's increasingly frantic movements, a look of complete bewilderment on his face.

He could feel her fiery emotions with startling clarity.

'Is the Fan Xuan before me… really just a false projection of my memories?'

"Why aren't you saying anything!"

Fan Xuan vented her frustrations, but all she received in return was Pei Yuhang's silence. It felt like she was punching a ball of cotton with all her might.

Even if Pei Yuhang fought back and called her a "crazy woman," it would be infinitely better than this torturous silence.

Looking at the young woman's red-rimmed eyes, Pei Yuhang was suddenly transported back to their parting all those years ago.

"Fan Xuan, I'm leaving… You really can't come with me?"

"Stop wasting time! If you're going, then go!"

The young woman urged him on stubbornly, then raised a hand to rub her reddening eyes.

"Stop staring… I just got something in my eye."

...

"Stop staring! I just got something in my eye!"

Fan Xuan, flustered by Pei Yuhang's constant gaze, felt the tips of her ears burn red.

She was just about to cover her face, to keep Pei Yuhang from seeing her vulnerable side, on the verge of bursting into tears.

"Ah—what are you doing?!"

Fan Xuan cried out in surprise as Pei Yuhang flipped her over and pulled her into his arms.

And then, her voice was smothered by something soft.

Panic and confusion flickered in her beautiful eyes, before slowly melting into acquiescence.

'I don't care anymore.'

'I don't care if you're real or fake…'

'This time, I'm not leaving you behind!'

Pei Yuhang released her bruised lips and made a promise to the shy, bewildered young Maid.