Free Web NovelChapter 424: Chapter 354: I’m Really Too Bad
Yan Qing, who was sweeping through the Demon Gathering Land, suddenly paused and turned to look at the clock tower in the center of the Demon Gathering Land. The Heavenly Demon of Transfiguration and Freedom, who was full of himself, stood right in front of the Skeleton Document Square.
It was 2:00 PM, and the Demon Gathering Land had opened at this time eight days ago. Ye Si arrived six nights ago, Yan Qing descended five days ago, and Ying Rushi entered this place four days ago.
Just now, Yan Qing had a sudden insight. He could leave the Demon Gathering Land at any time through the four gates. However, once he left, he could never enter again, and his personal score would be settled upon departure.
Yan Qing had read the rules before; if he aimed for the Legendary Foundation Establishment Pill, he only needed to ensure he ranked in the top fifty upon leaving. Upon departure, he would immediately drop off the leaderboard. This design was certainly to facilitate those players who were solely after the reward; once they had achieved a sufficient ranking, they could leave, thereby maximizing the number of players obtaining the Legendary Foundation Establishment Pill.
Upon reflection, this design was indeed ingenious. Only the top fifty could obtain the Legendary Foundation Establishment Pill, making all players believe it to be exceptionally precious. However, as long as players entered the top fifty once, they could leave immediately. Perhaps thousands or tens of thousands of players would end up obtaining the Legendary Foundation Establishment Pill. Though it seemed rare, as long as players tried hard, they could get it, making everyone feel like the protagonist in this online game experience.
But Yan Qing didn’t need to worry about rankings; only he and Ye Si were in the Demon Gathering Land. As long as his score was sufficient, he would surely obtain the Legendary Foundation Establishment Pill.
"You can leave now, hey!" Murong Hui said next to him, "Interested in visiting Lin Ya City in Yanzi Military Town? My family has a super large basement that’s super interesting, with cats that can do backflips. Want to see?"
"Why does it sound like a trap..."
"How could it be? You’re my best friend. How could I imprison you in the underground where no one could hear your cries, feeding you well and playing together happily for a lifetime?" Murong Hui paused: "If you come next year, there’ll be a basement tailor-made for you."
"So your current basement is..."
"Definitely prepared for the Little Fox!"
"A guest room?"
"Hmm..."
"You mean a guest room, right?"
Ying Rushi listened to their idle chatter from behind. Seeing Murong Hui’s arm brush against Yan Qing’s, she subconsciously tensed her knuckles, gripping the Heaven-Swaying Sword’s hilt, but quickly relaxed.
This wasn’t an illusion or a dream, but reality... This wasn’t an illusion or a dream, but reality... Ying Rushi repeated these words in her mind, but when she looked at Yan Qing and Murong Hui, her memories floated to the surface like icebergs, forcing her to overlap their naked bodies in the illusion with reality.
Ying Rushi had seen them undressed long ago; Murong Hui had been her playmate from childhood, and she’d seen Yan Qing bathe twice.
Yet even without clothes, it was different. Past memories were joyful, playful, infused with feelings and norms, whereas the illusion’s memories were sticky, obscene, insatiably desperate. If the former were pure jasmine flowers, the latter were blood lotus flowers flamboyantly blooming in the mire.
"Have something to eat!"
Murong Hui’s little feet were once again drawn to the aroma from a roadside cake shop, directly opening the glass cabinet and taking out piping hot egg waffles. Egg waffles, a sweet treat that smells more fragrant than it tastes, with crispy outer skin and fluffy egg yolk filling, were greasy if eaten too much, but Murong Hui seemed to particularly like them, tearing and eating one after another.
Ying Rushi wasn’t hungry; they’d just been traveling today without any battles.
Once entering battle, first is "Heavenly and Earthly Unrivaled Blade" aided by "Qiong Qi", then "Double Entry" to replicate a "Qiong Qi", two Qiong Qis together ’attack first’, ’furiously double strike’, ’splash group damage’, totaling over a hundred thousand of area damage, instantly melting even a full-four-turn Seven Demon Fiends team.
She went to the ice cabinet, took out a bottle of water, and before she’d taken a sip, Murong Hui moved over, stuffing egg waffles in her mouth. Egg waffles were fragrant, and soft to eat. Murong Hui’s feeding was thoughtful, yet as Ying Rushi watched Murong Hui subconsciously lick cake crumbs off her lips with her tongue, she suddenly recalled what else that cute lilac tongue had licked in the illusion, a strange flame burned through her stomach.
She could only pretend to drink water, averting her gaze from Murong Hui, fearing if she watched further, she wouldn’t hide the irrational urge to kill within.
Murong Hui didn’t favor anyone, feeding her Little Fox and then Noble Consort Quan. Yan Qing was eating fruit cream cake, Murong Hui wiped the cream off the egg waffles and ate it, her eyes lit up enjoying it so much. She tore off a small piece of egg waffles, spread cream on it, and stuffed it into Yan Qing’s mouth.
"Too sweet."
"No way, it’s clearly just perfect together."
Ying Rushi turned her head upon hearing this and suddenly felt blank. She saw Murong Hui’s lips covered in cream actively kissing Yan Qing!
Reality... or illusion!?
As she reached her hand towards the Heaven-Swaying Sword hilt, Murong Hui bowed her head to continue eating egg waffles, and Ying Rushi realized she was mistaken. It was just visual misalignment; from her angle, it seemed they were kissing.
Anger and suspicion dispersed, replaced by deep guilt and confusion.
If it were before, even seeing such visual misalignment, Ying Rushi would never react so severely. But post last night’s enchanting and wild illusion, every action, every touch, every detail involving them stirred waves within Ying Rushi’s heart.
Too wrong.
I’m really too wrong.
Ying Rushi felt she’d turned into a resentful woman from a play, though nothing had happened, everything was only her fantasy, yet she refused to believe them, relentlessly seeking evidence of their adulterous affair.
She detested that side of herself. Murong Hui was her closest sister, always caring for her from childhood, while Yan Qing was... naturally wicked and lecherous, so her defiling him in fantasy was one thing, but how could she defile Murong Hui?
In fact, in last night’s illusion, Ying Rushi wasn’t truly angry over [Yan Qing] and [Murong Hui]’s entwining—perhaps a little, maybe mildly irritated—but was alarming and almost vicious accusation, as if Yan Qing had turned into a wanton beast, Murong Hui into a shameless woman, disregarding her feelings, humiliating her, their beloved exchanges right in her face.
What’s different from publicly insulting them in front of Ying Rushi? Hence her unyielding rage, mercilessly eliminating the illusionary shadows, perceiving them as monsters, devils, beasts disguised in their appearance, killing them to protect the friends and loved ones in her heart.
But what was she thinking now?
No illusion, no dream, yet she saw them through the lens of illusion, her imagination sullying their character. Further frightening Ying Rushi was her hidden unease and anticipation she wouldn’t face, a murderous intent rising anytime illusion and reality blurred.
Illusion is illusion, reality is reality!
Ying Rushi left the cake shop, took a deep breath as if expelling all vile fantasies from her mind. She turned to see if they were done, yet what she saw left her bewildered again.
From her angle, she only saw Yan Qing’s back, yet Murong Hui’s arms clearly wrapped around Yan Qing’s neck, their posture seemingly a girl stealing a moment with someone she liked.
As Ying Rushi blinked and looked again, Murong Hui was already up at the ice cabinet taking a drink, still chewing, indicating she’d just been eating... but maybe she was sharing a cake mouth-to-mouth with Yan Qing... No, no, am I mad, why think that way!?
Familiar, sticky, subtle sounds resonated near, Ying Rushi’s body froze, tracking the noise to see Yan Qing wiping his mouth corner, seemingly water spilled when drinking, yet the sound distinctly was Murong Hui’s licking sound, she could even visualize Murong Hui’s tongue suddenly attacking...
Her grip on the Heaven-Swaying Sword tightened, then eased, tightened again.
Am I truly in reality, or... still in illusion?
