VAP - Chapter 143
Chapter 143: The Intersection of Illusion and Reality (8)
The Scarlet Beasts stopped not far outside the stronghold, in the opposite direction from the mushroom jungle.
These creatures were as bizarre and treacherous as the world’s mutation they had brought about.
The Scarlet Rider was enormous, its body covered in black scales, like an ancient mammoth clad in scale armor. Beside it, about a hundred Scarlet Beasts paced back and forth, their hungry eyes fixed on the humans who were walking toward their predators of their own accord.
And on the towering back of the Scarlet Rider, a near-humanoid shadow stood silently.
Its body was covered in dark downy feathers, and the long hair on its head resembled the tail feathers of a bird. Its hands and feet were sharp, three-fingered claws. The scarlet in its eyes was richer than any of its kind, like an undissipating mist of blood.
This was that high-level Scarlet Beast.
Only Scarlet Beasts at the top of the pyramid in their pack had the right to ride a Scarlet Rider and gather so many weaker kin.
With Yue Du’s vision, she could clearly see the details of every single feather on the Scarlet Beast, even from such a great distance.
She silently tightened her grip on her little host’s hand, only to have her own hand gripped tightly in return.
In truth, not all high-level Scarlet Beasts were humanoid. For Scarlet Beasts, a human-like form had nothing to do with rank; it was just a relatively rare morphology.
The fact that this Scarlet Beast looked like a bird-man was purely a coincidence.
But due to the uncanny valley effect, it looked more horrifying than its kin, making one feel unconsciously uncomfortable.
Yue Du was among them.
But Ji You was different—she didn't have a single fearful bone in her body. She looked at the pack of Scarlet Beasts as if they were a table full of food, her face full of eagerness.
The two of them blended into the crowd bewitched by the illusion, slowly advancing, inching closer to the behemoth.
Everyone around them wore an indulgent smile, completely unaware that they were walking into a trap. If they were lucid, they would probably scramble away immediately, the farther the better.
As the distance closed, Yue Du suddenly heard Ji You let out a soft “ah.”
“There seem to be a few too many. I can’t eat them all at once,” she said, sounding rather troubled.
Yue Du turned to look at her with a dark expression.
Ji You quickly and flawlessly corrected herself: “I mean, the things we can trade them for will definitely be a lot.”
Yue Du sighed. “It won’t be a small amount.”
But it would be a bit troublesome.
For two people, a combination of a young woman and a little girl, to return fully loaded every time was already incredible.
If Yue Du hadn’t planned ahead, purchasing supplies in rotating batches to minimize their presence, the two of them would have been targeted by the stronghold’s upper echelons long ago.
And this time, the physical characteristics of the Scarlet Rider and the high-level Scarlet Beast were so obvious. To trade them for supplies without attracting outside attention…
Yue Du rubbed her temples and sighed again.
The short time they spent whispering was enough to close the distance between them and the Scarlet Beasts.
Ji You sensed something. She stopped in her tracks, looked up directly into the eyes of the sole high-level Scarlet Beast, and the corners of her mouth lifted slightly.
Within the range of her ability, Ji You was the master, even if she looked like a petite, harmless child who couldn’t even be considered a young girl.
But Yue Du didn’t stop.
Not only did she not stop, but she suddenly quickened her pace, moving much faster than the dazed people around her. In the blink of an eye, she was in front of the Scarlet Beasts.
Seeing prey deliver itself to its doorstep, the tall Scarlet Rider slowly raised its long trunk, making a coiling motion. Before it could get close, it and the humanoid Scarlet Beast on its back froze simultaneously.
The ability took effect.
Yue Du glanced back at the people lured by the illusion. Their movements had also stopped, but they hadn’t fully broken free from the false scenery, their expressions still dazed.
Ji You’s ability lasted for several seconds. The weaker Scarlet Beasts had already fallen, while the two stronger ones were still putting up a desperate struggle. Their huge scarlet eyes trembled rapidly in their sockets in a death struggle, as if they were suffering immense pain.
Yue Du watched intently, an untimely thought crossing her mind:
Does the illusion Ji You creates cause her opponents pain?
The thought lasted only an instant before she was pulled back by the Scarlet Beast’s sudden tensing. The beast finally lost the hopeless struggle, its massive body collapsing dejectedly to one side.
With quick eyes and deft hands, Yue Du raised her hand and collected all the Scarlet Beast corpses into her system space before turning nonchalantly to walk back to Ji You.
The Scarlet Beasts were dead, and all the illusions shattered with them. People gradually regained consciousness. They looked around in bewilderment, only to see other equally dumbfounded faces.
Someone was the first to shout, “Scarlet Beast invasion!”
Only then did everyone remember that they were supposed to be fleeing to safety. Why were they taking refuge? A Scarlet Rider carrying a high-level Scarlet Beast had been right at their gates!
The crowd instantly descended into chaos.
Yue Du had moved quickly, so no one saw the Scarlet Beasts fall. She moved through the crowd, inwardly calm, but her face wore the same panic-stricken expression as everyone else.
When Yue Du returned to her host’s side, she was about to say something when she noticed something was wrong with Ji You’s eyes.
They didn’t look like the eyes of someone who was conscious.
Yue Du quickly reached out to support her. Sure enough, the next moment, Ji You collapsed limply into her arms without warning.
Someone nearby noticed the scene. Some averted their gazes as if they hadn’t seen anything, but a young woman hesitated for a moment before kindly asking, “Is she alright? Do you need help?”
Yue Du lifted Ji You into her arms and said without batting an eye, “My sister isn’t in good health. She was probably frightened on the way to the shelter. She’ll be fine after some rest.”
The other person saw the part of Ji You’s face that was visible, pale as snow. At first glance, she really did look weak and sickly, so the woman didn’t suspect a thing.
Of course, if she had seen the color of Ji You’s lips, she wouldn’t have thought so at all. Those thin, moist lips, befitting a child, were a rich, deep crimson, as if nourished by blood. No one would think such a person was frail.
The woman glanced back and said worriedly, “It’s no wonder the child was scared. We were just running to the shelter, how did we end up here? I almost fainted from fright myself.”
By now, most people had woken from their initial bewilderment. They looked at each other and, as if by unspoken agreement, started walking back—not to the shelter cave, but back to the city.
Anyone with a bit of sense could figure out this was related to the Scarlet Beasts’ illusions. But the whole thing was strange. They had been so lost in the illusion that they couldn’t tell truth from falsehood, their minds in chaos, yet they had still managed to escape? Would the Scarlet Beasts just watch the meat in their mouths get away?
They couldn’t go to the shelter. What if this was a scheme by the Scarlet Beasts, aiming to have them lead the way to the cave? If so, the stronghold would be finished.
Yue Du continued to blend in with the crowd and returned to the city.
Only this time, she wasn’t walking side-by-side with her little host, but carrying her like a large doll.
Along the way, she had to feign exertion at appropriate times, even stopping to rest for a moment and politely declining the woman behind her’s offer to help.
Even so, she still earned the remark, “You’re so strong.”
This batch of lucky survivors who had just escaped peril returned to the stronghold. They waited anxiously and fearfully for a long time before the others returned from the shelter.
The people who had reached the cave in time were stunned to see these companions they had thought were doomed.
From the cave’s location, they could indeed see the forms of the Scarlet Beasts, but the cave openings faced different directions, so they couldn’t see what was happening from inside.
Both groups asked what had happened, but they just looked at each other, each more baffled than the last.
The events of this Scarlet Beast raid thus became an unsolved mystery.
On the other side.
Wen Yilan followed the crowd into the stronghold. As soon as she learned that the others were safe, she immediately ran home and knocked urgently on Yue Du’s door, only relaxing when it opened.
“I turned around and you two were gone! You scared me to death! Where did you go?”
Yue Du explained simply, “It was too chaotic. I lost my grip on Ah Jiu and we got separated by accident. I went back to look for her and didn’t make it in time.”
Wen Yilan shook her head. “You have to hold on tighter in situations like that. It’s a good thing you’re okay this time… Where’s your sister?”
“She got a little scared and just fell asleep,” Yue Du said.
Wen Yilan had no reason to doubt her. “She should get some good rest. I’ll get going then. Call me if you need anything.”
As soon as the door closed, Yue Du immediately dropped the gentle smile on her lips. She went back and sat by Ji You’s bed, paused, and took her hand.
It was ice-cold to the touch.
But Ji You’s expression was serene, her lips slightly pursed, like someone who had fallen asleep satisfied after eating and drinking their fill.
“—Could it be that she absorbed too much energy and needs to sleep to digest it properly?” Yue Du wondered aloud.
The more she thought about it, the more it made sense. But a guess was just a guess. Ultimately, she would have to wait for Ji You to wake up and ask her in detail.
So Yue Du waited quietly for her to wake up.
Ji You slept for an exceptionally long time. A whole night passed, and then it was noon the next day. Wen Yilan had even come by once, but she still showed no signs of waking.
In the afternoon, someone came to the door to conduct a routine investigation.
Living in the stronghold, such visits and investigations were routine. They were somewhat like a combination of a public opinion poll and a statistical survey of various sentiments, which played a role in the stable development of the stronghold.
Yue Du had to temporarily leave the bedside to speak with the visitor in the living room.
The bedroom door closed softly. A gentle breeze passed through the half-open window, making the blackout curtains sway and rustle.
Without any warning, Ji You’s eyes snapped open.
Her pitch-black eyes stared unblinkingly at the ceiling. After a long moment, she blinked slowly.
Then, a light and cunning smile seeped into her eyes.
She propped herself up and sat against the headboard. Her gaze turned to the closed door and didn’t move away.
In the living room, Yue Du stood by the door, watching the investigator leave.
This person knew Yue Du was a fairly strong Reality ability user, so his attitude was naturally very good. As he walked down the steps, he kept looking back, repeatedly saying, “Please, go back inside, no need to see me out.”
This investigation was mainly about yesterday’s raid. Ordinary people knew nothing about it, but the hunter teams were questioned more extensively.
But the famous hunter teams were the main targets of inquiry. Someone like Yue Du, who was practically a solo operator, would only be asked a few simple questions as a formality.
The stronghold wouldn’t be able to find out anything. In the end, they would just make some hasty notes. In an era where one’s life was in danger at any moment, the surprise from this incident would fade soon enough.
Thinking this, Yue Du pushed open the bedroom door and looked up to see her little host sitting there, smiling at her obediently.
—So healing!
Before, Yue Du had never associated this word with her host. After all, the word “healing” seemed completely out of place when put together with Qi Jiu, Nai Yin, Yun Yijiu, or Sheng Xuejiu.
They were just… completely different categories.
But in this small world, Yue Du had already used this word to describe her little host several times.
Besides that, the most frequently used phrase was “so cute it makes you tremble.” These two descriptions seemed tailor-made for Ji You.
Yue Du walked forward, her tone softening. “Ah Jiu, you’re awake. How are you feeling? Are you uncomfortable anywhere?” She expertly took the small hand resting outside the blanket and immediately frowned. “Your hand is still so cold…”
Ji You gently squeezed back, smiling sweetly. “I’m fine. It’s just the aftereffect of eating too much. It’s pretty normal, don’t worry.”
Yue Du: “Is that so.”
This host of hers… yesterday she was being stubborn, saying it was to trade for lots of supplies, but today she was willing to admit it.
But on second thought, this was indeed her usual temperament.
Yue Du shook her head in amusement. “Are you still hungry, then? Wen Yilan just brought over some food.”
Ji You said, “Not hungry. I just want some water.”
Yue Du: “Wait a moment, I’ll go get it.”
The water in the kettle had been boiled earlier. She had just poured a cup for the investigator, so it was still steaming hot.
Ji You’s cup was on the left. Yue Du picked it up to pour water. Halfway through pouring, a vague thought suddenly surfaced in her mind: Was this cup here before?
Of course it was.
Her memory was very clear.
The thought vanished as quickly as it came. Yue Du carried the cup back to the bedroom and saw Ji You reaching for a hair tie on the nightstand.
Yue Du handed her the cup and casually took the hair tie, slipping it onto her other wrist.
With the hair tie on her wrist, Ji You held the cup without drinking, just looking at Yue Du with a smile.
Yue Du: “It’ll get cold if you don’t drink it.”
Ji You: “Let’s wait a bit. It’s still a little hot.”
A child’s mouth is always more delicate; they find things hotter than adults do.
Yue Du took the cup and set it aside. Ji You snuggled up again, leaning against her chest and whining, “My body feels so heavy. I have no energy and don’t want to move.”
Yue Du: “That happens when you’re too full. Do you want me to rub your tummy?”
Yue Du was a bit hesitant as she said this. After all, satiety from spiritual energy wasn’t the same as being full from food. Rubbing her stomach wouldn’t help. If anything, rubbing her head might be more effective?
But Ji You looked very happy, as if she had been waiting for those exact words, so Yue Du went along with it.
Warm, soft fingertips and palms pressed gently on her abdomen. Ji You narrowed her eyes, a look of cat-like contentment on her face.
Almost at the same time, Yue Du heard the long-absent mechanical prompt.
“Ding! System mission complete. Points have been awarded. Please check your account!”
Yue Du: “…”
Such a cold, mechanical sound suddenly ringing out during a warm, domestic moment really ruined the atmosphere.
She shook her head. Her fingers continued their methodical, moderately-pressured massage, but her thoughts had already turned to the question of “why the mission suddenly showed as complete.”
In her arms, Ji You’s lips suddenly curled up at the corners.
And behind her, a single hair tie lay quietly on the nightstand. Other than that, it was empty.
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