VAP - Chapter 160
Chapter 160: The Intersection of Illusion and Reality (25)
Humanity embarked on the most extensive, significant, and populous siege in a century.
And it was also a challenge more arduous than they had ever imagined.
But this had little to do with Yue Du and her companion. Since the Main System hadn’t issued any related missions, the two were happy to enjoy the peace and quiet.
Especially for Jealousy. Gluttony had once again fallen into a deep sleep. She wouldn’t wake up now, nor would she wake up when it was her turn to control the body. Could there be a more pleasant time than this?
That said, the two didn’t completely wash their hands of the matter.
As the first hunter to bring back the news, Yue Du only revealed the entirety of the Scarlet Beasts’ years-long plan after ensuring there were no half-bloods among the hunters participating in the siege.
Of course, she omitted the parts about Ji You.
Those who learned the news were all shocked and enraged, followed by waves of fear and relief. No one dared to imagine the consequences had the Scarlet Beasts’ plan come to fruition—it would have been a catastrophe for all humankind.
Fortunately, they had discovered it ahead of time.
Yue Du and Ji You, feigning severe injury and weakness, were only responsible for pointing the way at the start. Afterward, they were arranged to stay temporarily in the best area of a nearby stronghold.
The highest-ranked hunter in this stronghold was one of the commanders of the siege. Before departing, he made a special visit with his squad members. He had likely heard that the two who brought back the news were very young and wanted to offer some encouragement, promising rewards and honors once everything was over.
But upon arriving, he discovered both of their ranks were higher than his. The idea of encouraging and rewarding his “seniors” felt strange… So, the hunters awkwardly offered some words of admiration, felt too embarrassed to discuss commendations, and left together after a short stay.
The entire visit felt like they were checking on a sick superior. They even left a fruit basket on their way out.
The fruit didn’t look particularly appealing, but it tasted wonderful. Yue Du cut it up, arranged it on a platter, and shared it with her host, the two of them feeding each other bites like a snack.
With Gluttony absent, Wen Yilan gone, and the visiting third wheels departed, Ji You’s thoughts began to stray as she ate. The way they shared the fruit slowly drifted in a less-than-innocent direction, becoming a scene of vivid, fragrant temptation.
Some predators are themselves the bait that tempts their prey—Ji You, for example. And Yue Du was clearly a very cooperative quarry.
She grasped Ji You’s wrist, pulling it down toward herself. It looked as if she wanted to guide Ji You’s hand to her cheek or neck—which is what Ji You assumed as well.
Ji You was still holding a small fruit skewer, the purplish-red, juicy flesh of which would stain her sister’s face. Just as she was about to drop the skewer, Yue Du opened her mouth and deftly snatched the piece of fruit, savoring it. The pale pink tip of her tongue was faintly visible as she moved.
“Shall we?” Yue Du said nonchalantly. “They’ll probably be fighting for days and nights. We have plenty of time.”
What does a predator look like when it’s been mesmerized by its prey?
For a rare moment, Ji You was speechless. After a brief stupor, she seized the opportunity and pounced, pushing her sister down onto the sofa. Her movements were a little too eager, and she knocked over the fruit platter beside them.
The cut fruit scattered across the floor. Had Gluttony been awake, she might have spared a thought to mourn the wasted food. But alas, she was sound asleep and would never witness the scene.
The siege army returned in triumph after two days and three nights.
Facing a terrifying number of enemies, the hunters demonstrated the formidable qualities essential for survival in this dark era. But the Scarlet Beasts were not so easily dealt with.
The Scarlet Beasts, who had long since discovered the red crystal was missing, were filled with murderous intent, their tactics frenzied.
Most ordinary Scarlet Beasts were countered by those with the Reality ability; unable to use illusions, they resorted to tooth and claw. The massive Scarlet Riders trampled everything in their path, flesh and blood splashing beneath their hooves. Even the high-level Scarlet Beasts lost their usual “dashing” demeanor, viciously devouring their opponents right on the battlefield. They inflicted heavy casualties on the hunters, but this time, humanity claimed a pyrrhic victory. In the end, not a single Scarlet Beast escaped the confines of the nest.
This nest was important, but it was ultimately just one among many. Even if humanity razed it to the ground, the entire Scarlet Beast species was in no danger of extinction.
It wouldn’t lead to extinction, but damaging their foundation was an inevitable outcome. For the next fifty years, at least, the Scarlet Beasts would be unable to pose a major threat to humanity.
The hunters brought back the severed heads of high-level Scarlet Beasts.
Among them, Yue Du saw Gulun’s head. Its single horn had been hacked off by someone, and the eye on its forehead was wide open, the socket rimmed with dried blood. Its three blood-red pupils were empty and void.
Yue Du had seen Gulun before in the images from the red crystal. It and its brother had once held a position near the leader within the nest, but after its brother’s mysterious death, it had been reduced to an ordinary high-level Scarlet Beast.
Gulun was far less clever than its brother; Ji You could trick it into utter confusion even without using illusions. Now, as nothing more than a severed head with eyes that would not close in death, it was even more helpless.
Ji You gazed at Gulun’s head—her biological uncle—and suddenly remarked, “Good thing half-bloods look human.” If she looked like this bizarre Scarlet Beast, how could she possibly use her face as bait?
Yue Du pictured Ji You with a single horn, a third eye on her forehead, eerie scarlet markings on her cheeks, and a swaying scorpion tail. She couldn’t help but add, “It wouldn’t matter. You’d be beautiful even if you looked like a Scarlet Beast.”
Yue Du had no doubt that even if her host grew a tail, she would simply transform from a beauty into a femme fatale.
With the source of the threat eradicated, the next task was to completely root out the hidden dangers the Scarlet Beasts had planted over the years.
That’s right: the half-blood Scarlet Beast brats hiding in every stronghold, waiting for a chance to strike.
Even though Ji You had drained most of the power from their sacred relic, the effects of the brainwashing would not be reversed. Those half-blood brats would still assassinate Reality ability users at any cost, seizing any opportunity, and would not stop until they were dead.
The stronghold where Yue Du was staying was the closest to the Scarlet Beast nest, a fact that made its leader extremely anxious. He himself was a Reality ability user, and the thought of pairs of scarlet eyes lurking nearby made his skin crawl. The idea that the half-blood brats were constantly plotting to murder defenseless, unlucky people like him terrified him.
Thus, as soon as he finished arranging compensation for the families of the fallen hunters, he impatiently sought out Yue Du to ask for a method to identify the half-bloods.
During the meeting to expose the Scarlet Beasts’ plot, Yue Du had personally stated that she had a way to differentiate between ordinary people and the half-blood brats. At the time, their focus had been on exterminating the Scarlet Beasts, so they had only made a mental note and hadn’t pressed for details.
Now that the Scarlet Beast nest had been dealt with, everyone’s attention naturally shifted to the lingering threat of the half-bloods. They wouldn’t know a day of peace until all five hundred and twenty-eight of those brats were ferreted out.
Yue Du didn’t waste any words. She simply handed the man a bag of crystal fragments and briefly explained that they would grow hot in the presence of Scarlet Beast blood.
The leader knew exactly what to do. He had his men portion out the fragments and carefully carried them away.
Beyond that, there was the matter of compensation for Yue Du and her companion. Although Yue Du never mentioned it, insisting that fighting the Scarlet Beasts was a hunter’s duty and that she would die a thousand times for humanity, they couldn’t possibly offer nothing in return.
Before his visit, all the stronghold leaders and hunter organization managers involved in the siege had held a meeting. One of the main topics of discussion was how to reward merit.
After some deliberation, they unanimously decided to raise the pair’s rank by three stars and allocate a certain amount of supplies to them.
It was worth noting that a representative from a large-scale stronghold had expressed an interest in recruiting them.
Hearing this, Yue Du asked, “You’re not going to tell me that this stronghold is the Northern Stronghold, are you?”
The leader said in surprise, “How did you know?”
Yue Du felt a headache coming on and had the urge to rub her temples. “The representative was from the Ji family… Ji Zhouzhang?”
The leader replied, “Well, you’re spot on. Young Master Ji even said he would choose a day to pay you a visit.”
Yue Du, however, had no desire for a visit from the Ji family. Even though Miss Ji had said her nephew wasn’t cut from the same cloth as the rest of them, Yue Du had no intention of getting involved with him.
Ji You was equally displeased. In fact, she was displeased whenever anyone tried to make their presence felt in front of her sister.
The leader sensed something was amiss and asked tentatively, “Do you two have any thoughts on the matter?”
Yue Du was direct. “We’ve already settled in another stronghold. We’ll return in a few days once we’ve recovered from our injuries. We have no intention of moving at the moment, so I’m afraid Young Master Ji will be disappointed.”
The leader didn’t quite understand why they had rejected the Ji family’s invitation so quickly, without even giving it much thought. But what did that have to do with his stronghold?
After promising to convey their polite refusal, the leader took his leave without staying much longer.
Afterward, Ji Zhouzhang did indeed cancel his arrangements for a visit.
To avoid complications, Yue Du put dealing with the Ji family on her agenda. Frankly, it wasn’t difficult. How upright and honorable could a family that always placed its own interests above all else possibly be?
From the main house to the side branches, the guilty secrets uncovered could fill a basket. Beneath their glamorous facade, they had been rotting for years, their crimes so numerous they were impossible to record.
While it was inevitable for any great family to have some dark secrets, the Ji family simply had far too many…
Of course, the Ji family was not without its good people, and there were others who, while not necessarily good, had never done anything evil—like Young Master Ji, some of his peers, and the younger children.
With the Ji family’s decline, their lives were bound to plummet. Yue Du would not kick them while they were down, but neither would she show them any mercy.
As members of the Ji family, it was impossible for them to be completely ignorant of their close relatives’ conduct. Among those the Ji family had harmed, were there not people more innocent than them? Yet who had ever shown those victims any pity?
No one had.
In just over ten days, the Northern Stronghold had a new master.
The Ji family, once a colossus, came crashing down. Other powers seized the opportunity to snatch up benefits, while those with grudges against the family exacted their revenge—many of whom had been deceived for years and had only just learned their enemy’s name was Ji.
Having come this far, Yue Du had no intention of pressing further. Sometimes, letting people live was more agonizing than death, and it spared her from accumulating the karma of killing.
Ji You agreed, but that didn’t stop her from secretly visiting the Ji family’s current residence to stir up trouble.
Seeing Ji You appear silently, Ji Zhouzhang vigilantly shielded his parents.
When he learned of the evil his closest relatives had committed, Ji Zhouzhang had been tormented and lost. For a time, he hadn’t known how to face these family members who seemed like strangers. Ultimately, however, he couldn’t bring himself to abandon them.
This was especially true after his grandfather was gravely wounded by an avenger and his father was stabbed by his aunt during a sudden relapse of her illness.
Ji You’s comment on this: “Indecisive.”
Ji Zhouzhang tightened his grip on the hilt of his weapon. “Are you here for revenge, too?” he asked in a low voice.
Ji You replied nonchalantly, “Yes and no. I just came to make your lives miserable.”
Ji Zhouzhang was taken aback by her answer. After a moment of silence, he continued, “My parents are powerless now, and my grandfather is on the verge of death. Whatever they did to wrong you, I can compensate you on their behalf.”
Ji You sneered and suddenly asked, “I’m a little curious. Were you truly completely oblivious to what your parents and grandfather were up to?”
Ji Zhouzhang froze and stammered, “I—”
“Forget it.” Ji You shook her head. With no discernible movement, she moved past Ji Zhouzhang, who stood frozen like a wooden post. With lightning speed, she pressed the short blade in her right hand against the carotid artery of the Ji family patriarch.
For a moment, a horrifying, bone-chilling killing intent erupted from her, as if in the next second she would run the patriarch’s neck through and follow up with a series of stabs to other vital spots, not stopping until he was completely dead.
I can’t… I can’t let her kill Father!
No matter what, that was still his father!
Ji Zhouzhang’s mind went blank as his body reacted on instinct. By the time he came to his senses, he had already unleashed his ability on Ji You.
Mental Strangulation.
This ability was a fatal move, yet Ji You was completely unharmed. Ji Zhouzhang felt his attack hit nothing and, assuming he had missed, couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.
If he had killed an innocent person seeking revenge, he feared he would never be able to live with himself.
Ji Zhouzhang didn’t know that his aim had been true. But how could Ji You have possibly let him land a real hit? The killing blow had struck an illusory Ji You, landing on empty air in the real world.
But regardless of whether it landed, the fact remained that Young Master Ji had used a killing move.
Her objective achieved, Ji You let out an exaggerated shriek and deadpanned, “How terrifying. You actually tried to harm me. What a truly regrettable act.”
Ji Zhouzhang was dumbfounded. He tried to explain, “I didn’t! I just acted in a moment of panic—”
Before he could finish, Ji You unleashed her ability with a triumphant smile. An illusory torrent surged silently, and the entire room fell quiet.
Ji Zhouzhang’s expression shifted from anxious to vacant, then slowly morphed into one of terror. His grandfather and parents had also been plunged into a terrifying illusion.
Ji Ruying was not among them.
Back when Ji Ruying had her relapse and stabbed her brother, the Ji patriarch had killed her in a subconscious counter-attack—it seemed both father and son had a nasty habit of killing on instinct.
Before she died, Ji Ruying had, for some reason, shown a smile of relief—a relief so complete it was chilling.
The other descendants of the Ji family blamed the main house for all the trouble. To show their resentment and to escape their enemies, the side branches had long since parted ways with the main family.
Only four members of the Ji family were here. Besides Ji Zhouzhang, all of them had been insiders and participants back then.
Ji You took out several fragments of the Scarlet Beast sacred relic. In her palm, they slowly grew hot, their color gradually shifting to pure black.
This was the sign that they now carried her own power.
“May you have… pleasant nightmares,” Ji You said.
She placed the fragments beside the Ji family members. Thinking about what delicious meal she would make for her sister that night, she turned and departed with a light step.
In fact, from her perspective, what had just transpired was truly not as important as deciding what to have for dinner.
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