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墨書 Inktalez
Grandma Jiang was not Grandma Jiang, Xiao Juan was not Xiao Juan, and even Mu Yan was not Mu Yan; how could this be possible?
Although I followed Zhou Zhen closely, my steps slowly moving forward, I furrowed my brows deeply, feeling that this was simply too unbelievable.
Xiao Juan and I had never parted since we left Grandma Jiang's side; how could she possibly not be Xiao Juan?
Moreover, it was Mu Yan who had called out during my moment of crisis. It was precisely because she delayed the Yin Soldier Officer that Xiao Juan and I were able to wait for Grandma Jiang's Ghostly Gu Worm to come to our rescue.
Yet now Zhou Zhen suddenly appeared, claiming they were all illusions and that I had fallen under someone else's spell. No matter how I looked at it, I found it hard to believe.
In fact, the more I thought about it, the stranger Zhou Zhen's appearance seemed. He had appeared behind me without any warning, in such a bizarre manner.
And why had he come? Did Grandma Jiang notify him to come and get me?
But Grandma Jiang never mentioned anything like that.
As I pondered this anxiously, a sharp pain struck my head as if someone had hit me hard with something. Wincing in pain, I quickly turned around and saw Grandma Jiang glaring at me coldly with her cane raised high.
My heart raced; could it be that this Grandma Jiang was truly an imposter? I hurriedly glanced at Mu Yan and Xiao Juan to confirm whether they were real or not.
At that moment, they both looked at me with curiosity. Mu Yan even asked, "Where are you planning to go?"
Xiao Juan chimed in, "Hey, are you okay? Why are you talking to yourself? Where are you headed?"
Talking to myself?
I was alone, talking to myself?
Xiao Juan's words made me furrow my brows even deeper. Ignoring Grandma Jiang standing beside me, I quickly turned back to look at Zhou Zhen. I found it strange; how could they not see Zhou Zhen, such a large living person?
But when I turned around, I discovered something terrifying—Zhou Zhen was gone.
He had just been in front of me, and suddenly he was gone. How could this be possible?
I rubbed my head, which still stung from Grandma Jiang's earlier knock, feeling utterly confused.
"Hmph, still looking? You don't even realize you've fallen under an illusion," Grandma Jiang said with a cold snort.
"An illusion?"
Just a moment ago, Zhou Zhen had also mentioned that I was caught in someone else's illusion, and that the Grandma Jiang in front of me was fake.
But now Zhou Zhen had suddenly vanished, and Grandma Jiang claimed I was under an illusion. So who was the real one?
I stared at Grandma Jiang, uncertain, and asked, "You... you really are Grandma Jiang?"
"Of course! If I'm not, am I a ghost?" Grandma Jiang snapped, clearly annoyed and ready to hit me again. I quickly dodged.
If the person in front of me was indeed Grandma Jiang, then Xiao Juan and Mu Yan must also be real.
If they were all real, the only explanation was that what I had seen of Zhou Zhen earlier was fake.
Grandma Jiang asked me, "What did you see just now?"
I replied, "Uncle Zhou. It was Uncle Zhou. He said I was under someone else's illusion."
Grandma Jiang snorted again. "Then he must have told you that we are all fake too."
I nodded and curiously asked, "Did none of you see Uncle Zhou just now?"
Xiao Juan replied, "Who saw him? Grandma already said you were under an illusion. Of course, only you could see him; how could we possibly see him?"
I furrowed my brows and turned my gaze towards Mu Yan, revealing a questioning expression. Mu Yan shook his head, indicating that he hadn't seen anything either.
A sense of dread filled my heart; it seemed I had indeed fallen victim to an illusion just now.
This realization startled me. I hadn’t even noticed the slightest detail, almost falling into a trap, and it happened right next to Grandma Jiang and the others. What would have happened if I had been alone?
I hesitantly asked Grandma Jiang, "Who exactly cast the illusion on me?"
Grandma Jiang looked into the distance behind me, her expression seemingly grave. Only when I asked did she retract her gaze and shake her head, saying, "How would I know?"
"Then what were you looking at just now?"
I turned to glance behind me, thinking Zhou Zhen might have reappeared or that something else was there. But as I turned around, there was nothing but emptiness.
However, judging by Grandma Jiang's earlier gaze and demeanor, I was certain she must have noticed something terrifying, which was why she looked so serious.
But why was she unwilling to speak about it?
At that moment, a sudden ghostly wail pierced the air as the Yin Soldier Officer transformed into a vapor and was swallowed whole by the Ghostly Gu Worm.
The creature, resembling a snake yet not quite one, towered above us. Its head—whether dragon or serpent—was wide open, exuding a foul stench. Once the black vapor that had been the Yin Soldier Officer completely entered its mouth, it closed its jaws with a gulp.
I felt a chill run down my spine.
The remaining Yin Soldiers and Wandering Spirits scattered in an instant, disappearing without a trace.
Wait a minute—I suddenly realized something strange.
The disappearance of the Wandering Spirits and Wild Ghosts, along with the Yin Soldiers, seemed rather strange. They vanished all at once—how could they possibly disappear simultaneously?
Not a moment was lost.
I furrowed my brow and looked at Grandma Jiang, seeking answers. Xiao Juan also frowned slightly, directing her gaze toward Grandma Jiang, who had noticed the issue as well.
At that moment, Mu Yan approached me, seemingly about to say something important.
But she was abruptly interrupted by Grandma Jiang, who shot a sharp glance at Mu Yan and coldly stated, "Enough. Don't say anything more. Let's go; I will personally take you to find Zhou Zhen and Mao Guoxue."
Seeing that Grandma Jiang seemed to be deliberately concealing something, I felt puzzled but could only nod in agreement. "Then I’ll trouble you, Grandma Jiang."
Grandma Jiang remained silent but glanced at the menacing Ghostly Gu Worm not far away.
In an instant, as if understanding her cue, the Ghostly Gu Worm transformed into a mass of darkness, making it impossible to discern what form it truly took.
If I hadn’t already known where the Ghostly Gu Worm was located beforehand, it would have been quite difficult to spot such a thing floating in the night.
Xiao Juan then proudly remarked, "Grandma's Ghostly Gu Worm has already become a Gu Demon; it can freely change its form to conceal itself."
Upon hearing this, I couldn’t help but scrutinize the shadow formed by the Ghostly Gu Worm again. Such a creature that could freely morph into various shapes for concealment was indeed terrifying.
As I pondered this, Grandma Jiang waved her hand and said, "Let’s go."
Nodding in agreement, Xiao Juan and I followed her.
After what had just happened, Mu Yan seemed uneasy about leaving my side and insisted on accompanying me until we reached Upper Clear Academy. I could only nod in acceptance.
When we arrived at Upper Clear Academy, nearly all the students were already asleep. In fact, there weren’t many students here—altogether probably just over a dozen.
Mu Yan had already left by the time we arrived. Grandma Jiang took me directly to find Mao Guoxue, and we settled down in the living room.
Mao Guoxue first assessed my condition, confirming that the Yin Qi that had invaded my heart veins had been completely removed. He then smiled and praised Grandma Jiang.
Even Zhou Zhen hurried over after hearing from Mao Shiba that Grandma Jiang had brought me back.
Once he confirmed that I was fine, he finally let out a sigh of relief.
At that moment, Grandma Jiang glanced at us and said to Xiao Juan, "Xiao Juan, you and Shiba can go out and play for a while. I need to have a word with them."
Xiao Juan pouted and replied, "What are you talking about? Why so mysterious?"
Nevertheless, she obediently looked at me and Mao Shiba, saying, "Let's go."
Mao Shiba chuckled and grabbed Xiao Juan's hand, saying, "Come on, I'll take you out to play."
"Where are we going?" Xiao Juan asked with a confused expression. However, she didn't forget about me and quickly grabbed my hand as well, pulling me along.
Being dragged by Xiao Juan and following her and Mao Shiba, we ran out of Upper Clear Academy.
After everything that had just happened, and considering it was already the middle of the night, I was initially reluctant to go out. Yet I found myself helplessly pulled along by them.
Throughout the journey, I couldn't shake off a nagging question: it felt like Grandma Jiang was hiding something from us. Now that she had sent us away, did she have some secret to discuss with Mao Guoxue and Zhou Zhen?
Or perhaps this secret was related to me, which is why Mao Shiba and Xiao Juan were instructed to take me out.
Lost in thought, I suddenly felt a chill in the air; a cold breeze made me shiver uncontrollably.
I quickly looked around. Wow, where did all the time go in just a short while?
At that moment, Mao Shiba released his grip on Xiao Juan's hand and told her to let go of mine as well, saying, "Alright, we’ve arrived."
I frowned slightly as I took in the scene before me. On both sides were towering mountains and dense forests, and in front of us was a large reservoir, the sound of waves crashing powerfully. We stood on the embankment of this reservoir.
I couldn't help but turn to Mao Shiba and ask, "What did you bring us here for?"
Xiao Juan also furrowed her brows and said irritably, "Mao Shiba, are you out of your mind? Did you really bring us out here in the middle of the night just to enjoy the cold wind?"
Mao Shiba replied, "Of course not."
Xiao Juan retorted, "Then what is it? Are we supposed to go down for a swim?"
Upon hearing this, Mao Shiba chuckled and said, "If you're willing, I wouldn't mind sharing a bath with you."
Xiao Juan shot back, "You're crazy."
Mao Shiba wasn't offended; instead, he reached out and grabbed Xiao Juan's hand tightly in his palm.
Xiao Juan frowned slightly, trying to shake him off, but Mao Shiba said, "Don't move. Close your eyes. I have a surprise for you."
"What surprise?"
"Just close your eyes. When I tell you to open them, you'll find out."
Though she seemed a bit reluctant, Xiao Juan obeyed and closed her eyes. At that moment, Mao Shiba pulled out an exquisitely packaged box from his pocket. When he opened it, I saw a dazzling ring inside.
I was somewhat speechless; it turned out that Mao Shiba had brought us here to confess to Xiao Juan.
And here I was tagging along—this was clearly setting me up to be a third wheel. I shook my head in frustration and decided I didn’t want to stand there any longer. So I walked down the steps of the embankment.
The wind from the water was cool against my skin, making me feel a bit chilly but also refreshingly awake and at ease.
I walked down to the steps leading to the Water Surface and sat down. Aside from the sound of the waves, I felt an unprecedented tranquility. So much had happened recently that I truly needed a moment of peace to enjoy the comfort that nature provided.
Soon, I heard Xiao Juan's voice coming from above, seemingly talking about Mao Shiba being sick or something along those lines. Without needing to think too much, it was clear that Mao Shiba had failed in his confession.
I chuckled silently to myself and chose to ignore it.
However, at that moment, a few droplets of water splashed onto my legs, wetting my pants and sending a chill through me. I thought nothing of it, assuming it was just the waves splashing too high.
But the next second, I felt what seemed like a cold hand grabbing my foot. I looked down and couldn't help but scream as I saw a wet head bobbing on the Water Surface.
Before I could react in any way, I was pulled into the water.
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