VAP - Chapter 140

Chapter 140: The Intersection of Illusion and Reality (5)

The bag of food Jiang Zheng had brought could only fill one's stomach; it was far from tasty. Among its contents, the coarse, hard biscuits were considered a delicacy.

Naturally, Yue Du couldn't let Ji You eat such things again.

She didn't take Ji You back to the Northern Stronghold. Entering and exiting the stronghold required an inspection, and if the gatekeepers recognized Ji You, it might alert the enemy and draw the Ji family's attention.

While the truth of the matter was still unclear, Yue Du didn't want to alarm the Ji family.

She bought plenty of food in the stronghold, then returned to her temporary residence to pack. Once everything was organized, she stored it all in her system space.

After her trip, when she returned to the woods, Ji You was still sitting quietly on a branch in front of the treehouse.

Hearing the sound of Yue Du's return, she immediately grabbed a branch, stood up, and leaped down as lightly as she had when they first met, landing straight in Yue Du's arms.

Ji You seemed to really enjoy this kind of interaction... or was it a game?

Yue Du set her down to the side and said gently, "That was a perfect landing, but please don't do that again. It's dangerous."

Ji You said, "You'll definitely catch me."

Yue Du replied, "There are always exceptions. What if the me you see standing under the tree is just an illusion created by a Scarlet Beast?"

Ji You said, "They can't fool me. I would recognize you."

Yue Du gave a soft laugh and said no more. She took the food out of her system space, laying it out item by item in front of Ji You.

Supplies in the Northern Stronghold were relatively abundant. As long as you had enough Scarlet Beast materials, you could buy whatever you wanted, including plenty of delicious food.

Fruits, vegetables, sweet cakes, and meat took up a considerable amount of space. Although they all looked like some kind of bizarre cuisine—for instance, there were strangely shaped, pitch-black fruits—their taste was guaranteed to be good.

In the very center was a huge roasted fish. This was the same type of fish Yue Du had once seen in the moat of the Qingzhi Stronghold. It was, in fact, an edible creature. The one before them was still a juvenile, yet it was already half a meter long.

Ji You lowered her eyes to look at the spread and asked, "Is this for me?"

Yue Du replied, "Yes, this is lunch for today. Pick what you like to eat, and I'll put the rest away."

Although she said that, Yue Du had spent many years with her host and knew her tastes like the back of her hand. She naturally wouldn't have picked anything Ji You disliked.

"Alright," Ji You said.

She picked up her chopsticks, served a piece to Yue Du first, and then began to eat herself.

Half an hour later.

Yue Du: "..."

Yue Du had always known her host had an inhuman appetite and never gained weight. Even Qi Jiu, whose constitution was the closest to an ordinary person's, could polish off an entire table of food by herself.

Even so, Yue Du was still stunned by Ji You's hearty appetite.

Ji You didn't eat slowly, but her movements were very elegant. Watching her eat was a pleasure, and Yue Du found herself eating more than usual. But the amount she ate was nothing compared to what Ji You consumed—not even a tenth. It was like a novice meeting a master.

In half an hour, the food before them vanished at a speed that was almost like a time-lapse. Half of it was gone.

As she ate, Ji You would occasionally glance up at Yue Du, her gaze serious, as if the sight of the person opposite her was the perfect side dish.

Her slender, petite frame was in stark contrast to the rapidly disappearing food, making one wonder just where it was all going.

Needless to say, this host corresponded to the sin of Gluttony.

Yue Du thought calmly to herself that she had bought too little. She would have to buy more.

But just in case, she decided to see if little Ji You would get indigestion before deciding whether to limit her food intake. After all, no matter how special Ji You was, she still looked human, and overeating couldn't be good for her.

A while later, everything before them was gone, including the roasted fish. Ji You held the last piece of fruit, nibbling on it slowly and deliberately.

Yue Du stared at the girl's abdomen with a complicated expression. It was perfectly flat.

"Do you feel sick?" she asked.

Ji You shook her head, but after two shakes, she paused and quickly changed her tune. "I'm a little full. My stomach feels uncomfortable."

Yue Du chuckled, not calling her out. "Then let me rub it for you."

Ji You: "Okay!"

She cheerfully sat down beside Yue Du, rested her head on her lap, and stretched out her body like a cat showing its belly in a posture of complete trust.

How can she be so cute! Yue Du thought.

Yue Du placed her right hand on Ji You's abdomen, gently rubbing it through the fabric. With her other hand, she stroked the girl's beautiful, wine-red hair, marveling that her host was truly one of a kind. Even after eating those perfunctory foods that clearly couldn't provide adequate nutrition, she could still grow hair of such excellent quality.

Ji You suddenly rolled over and hugged Yue Du's waist.

Yue Du asked, "What's wrong? Does it still hurt?"

Ji You shook her head slightly. Her face was turned toward Yue Du, so Yue Du couldn't see her expression, nor could she see those eyes that were so dark they seemed strange and inscrutable.

So sweet. But I can't eat her. This is a non-renewable food source. Once she's eaten, she'll be gone forever.

But just a little sniff is okay, right?

After a long moment, Ji You reluctantly moved away and gave Yue Du an obedient smile. "You said you're my system, so you'll always be by my side, right?"

Yue Du paused before answering truthfully, "That depends on the duration of the mission."

A look of disappointment crossed Ji You's face.

Yue Du comforted her, "At least I can stay with you until you grow—" She gestured to the top of her own head. "—until you're a little taller than me."

Ji You: "Mmm..."

She lowered her head, still looking a bit dejected, but then she smiled as if she had just thought of something.

It's okay.

Since she has to leave sooner or later, I'll just wait until that day to eat her.

Yue Du had no idea what strange things her host was thinking. She was busy planning her investigation into Ji You's background and experiences, after which she would decide on a course of action.

Even in an era without the internet, gathering information wasn't difficult for Yue Du. Two days later, she had collected the necessary intelligence and pieced together the entire sequence of events.

Ji You was the only daughter of the current generation's "Miss Ji."

In the Northern Stronghold, the Ji family held absolute power. Logically, Ji You should have been showered with love and affection from the moment she was born. Even if she were an ordinary person, her family background should have allowed her to do as she pleased there.

Unfortunately, her birth was not welcomed by anyone.

Back then, Ji You's mother, Miss Ji, had a prestigious background and was a user of the Reality Ability. Her ambitions were sky-high. Unwilling to remain a pampered princess in the Northern Stronghold under the control of her father and brothers, she set out to make a name for herself.

Her goal was a lofty one—she wanted to eradicate a Scarlet Beast nest.

It would have been one thing if the young lady had been capable enough, but she wasn't. Her talent was above average, but she lacked experience. Things might have been fine if she had joined a reliable team of hunters, but unfortunately, her teammates were all young people just as naive as she was.

The result of their naivete was, predictably, a disastrous defeat. The entire hunter team was wiped out, and Miss Ji went missing. She didn't reappear until half a year later.

No one knew what had happened during that time.

But there was one change that everyone could see: Miss Ji's belly. Even the loosest robes could not conceal her swollen abdomen.

She was pregnant.

Miss Ji couldn't explain anything she had experienced during that time. Her thoughts and memories were a chaotic mess, and she was on the verge of madness.

Six months later, she gave birth to a child.

That child was Ji You.

The fact that Miss Ji had been missing in a Scarlet Beast nest for half a year... naturally led to some rather unpleasant speculation.

What's more, the newborn had some unusual traits. She didn't cry or fuss, simply lying there quietly. When her gaze swept over the people nearby, it held a kind of innocent yet cruel scrutiny that made one's skin crawl.

Everyone who knew was placed under a gag order, but that didn't stop them from whispering among themselves:

"She was in a monster nest for that long, and she went mad. Who would believe that child has nothing to do with the Scarlet Beasts?"

"Although Ji You doesn't have the signature red eyes of a Scarlet Beast, and it's doubtful whether Scarlet Beasts can even overcome the reproductive barrier with humans, who could say for sure? What if something that absurd really happened?"

"Besides, that child's eyes—so dark and deep—they just don't look normal!"

The Ji family was no kinder to Ji You. Miss Ji was the darling of the family, and now this darling was on the verge of a complete mental breakdown. Whenever she saw the child she had borne, she would let out a wretched scream like a dying bird.

By this point, the Ji family was already considering abandoning their own bloodline, and what solidified their decision was Ji You's ability.

Humans generally awakened their abilities between the ages of five and seven. The strength of one's innate talent wasn't strongly related to the age of awakening, but the earlier a person awakened, the sooner they could begin training, leading to stronger control over their ability.

Ji You awakened at the age of three.

She did not inherit her mother's ability; in fact, it could be said to be the complete opposite.

—It was illusion.

Having investigated this far, Yue Du wasn't surprised.

Jiang Zheng's earlier behavior had been very telling. When he came to deliver things to Ji You, despite being almost at his destination, he had gripped the device that could detect the true environment even tighter.

What was it that made him so wary?

Without a doubt, even if Ji You's ability wasn't illusion itself, it was related to it.

In the hundred years since the emergence of human ability users, not a single person had ever possessed the same ability as the Scarlet Beasts. Ji You was the first known case.

It was likely this ability that convinced the Ji family of her close connection to the Scarlet Beasts, leading them to expel her.

The above was everything Yue Du had found.

In the woods outside the stronghold, Yue Du walked onward, her thoughts still lingering on the results of her investigation.

At first glance, the reason Ji You was driven out of the stronghold seemed clear. But that didn't explain why the Ji family would place her in the woods right next to the stronghold and monitor her periodically under the pretext of delivering supplies.

If they truly despised her, wouldn't it have been more reassuring to send her far, far away?

Or could it be that the Ji family still retained a final shred of affection for her?

No matter how she thought about it, Yue Du found the latter possibility unlikely.

In truth, it was perfectly normal for the people of this small world to fear and detest the illusion ability.

The mindset of this era lagged far behind the modern world. The development of human rights had barely begun before it was brought to a halt by the arrival of the Scarlet Beasts. To them, expelling Ji You was probably a light punishment; not tying her to a stake to be burned was already a show of mercy.

But... thinking of that poor little thing stuffing coarse biscuits into her mouth made Yue Du's heart ache.

Her host, even as a child, was capable of finding her own food. Yet by staying here, she was forced to eat the terrible provisions sent from the stronghold. And the Ji family—if they were truly being merciful, why not send something decent? They were even monitoring her, both openly and covertly, preventing her from leaving. Couldn't Ji You eat better on her own than she did under their "care"?

Yue Du suddenly froze.

That's right. Ji You would absolutely be better off out there than she was here... So why didn't she leave?

By now, Yue Du had reached the base of the treehouse. She looked up thoughtfully and saw Ji You waving from above, indicating that she wanted to play their little game of "I jump, you catch" again.

Yue Du smiled with a mix of resignation and indulgence and opened her arms.

She temporarily set aside those two lingering questions.

---

After that, Yue Du casually asked Ji You about her past experiences.

Ji You seemed to have known all along that she couldn't hide it forever. She lowered her head and said, "They said I'm a monster, so they made me stay outside the stronghold and won't let me go back. I was afraid you would think so, too."

Yue Du couldn't help but think of the previous world.

The expression on her little host's face was identical to the one Sheng Xuejiu had worn at the beginning, when she had desperately tried to keep Yue Du out of her mental landscape.

Yue Du said, "To me, my host always comes first. Besides, an illusion ability is wonderful. It's very useful."

For instance, she had been wondering how her host became this world's final villain, and now it was clear—an ability like illusion, with its limitless potential for growth, was practically a cheat-level power.

Ji You: "Oh..."

Despite the implied praise, Ji You didn't seem to be in high spirits. She just sullenly hugged Yue Du's waist without a word.

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