Just as Yun Qingxue was at a loss for how to explain her and Hua Yin’s sudden appearance to the household, the door to the inner room opened.
A man in his fifties lifted the curtain and stepped out.
Yun Qingxue turned around and gave him an awkward smile, feeling somewhat flustered.
“Have our esteemed guests risen?”
Before Yun Qingxue could speak, the old man addressed them first, his expression perfectly natural—as if he had known all along that Hua Yin and Yun Qingxue were there.
“Ah… good morning, uncle…” Yun Qingxue forced a stiff smile.
At that moment, an elderly woman emerged from behind the curtain, likely the old man’s wife.
“You two are up quite early,” she said warmly, smiling at Yun Qingxue and Hua Yin. “I’ll go prepare breakfast right away. Please wait a moment.”
“Thank you for your trouble,” Yun Qingxue replied stiffly.
The elderly couple headed to the small kitchen in the courtyard to prepare breakfast. Yun Qingxue turned to look at Hua Yin.
Their reaction was completely abnormal—no, utterly bizarre!
If Yun Qingxue hadn’t clearly remembered sneaking in with Hua Yin in the dead of night, she would have thought, based on the couple’s behavior, that they were long-awaited, honored guests!
The only explanation for this strangeness was that Hua Yin had done something to them.
Meeting Yun Qingxue’s questioning gaze, Hua Yin looked back at her innocently and uttered two flat words: “Illusion.”
Yun Qingxue instantly understood. No wonder…
She had thought the old couple’s reaction was too odd, while Hua Yin remained eerily calm. It turned out he had cast an illusion on them, making them believe the two were invited guests!
With a temporary place to stay, their next step was to wait for the city gates to reopen. A day passed in the blink of an eye, with no news from outside.
Yun Qingxue didn’t know exactly what kind of illusion Hua Yin had used, but after breakfast, the old couple returned to their room and went back to sleep. Around noon, they woke up again, busied themselves with lunch, cleaned up afterward, and then went straight back to bed.
By dinnertime, they would wake once more, prepare the meal, eat, and then sleep again. This routine ensured neither party disturbed the other.
A day and night passed peacefully.
But sometimes, beneath the calmest surface lurks the most treacherous undercurrents.
The next day arrived, the eastern sky lightening as the sun slowly rose. The elderly couple, still under Hua Yin’s illusion, repeated their cycle of waking, cooking, eating, and sleeping.
Two more days passed like this, with no word from outside.
Only the still-closed city gates served as a reminder that something unusual had happened—and the danger had not yet passed.
Meanwhile, the old couple ate and slept, slept and ate. Yun Qingxue felt that in just a few days, they seemed to have gained noticeable weight. She suspected that if the demon didn’t show up soon and they stayed much longer, the couple might grow too plump to walk.
During the wait for the city gates to reopen, Yun Qingxue didn’t idle. She diligently studied the spells recorded in the pearl Jin Lin had given her.
Perhaps thanks to the innate advantages of her current body’s bloodline, she had cultivated a small amount of magical power in just over half a month.
Though meager, it was enough to practice some basic spells—like the simplest Wall-Passing Technique, Telekinesis, and the slightly more challenging Wind-Riding Flight.
Of these, Yun Qingxue most wanted to master Wind-Riding Flight. It was the most practical: not only would it save energy while traveling, but it could also serve as an excellent escape tool if they encountered powerful spirits or monsters.
Yet, frustratingly, this essential spell for travel was still beyond her current ability.
Reluctantly, Yun Qingxue settled for practicing the simplest spell first: Wall-Passing.
Though it seemed suited to her current level of power, executing it proved trickier than expected…
For her first attempt, Yun Qingxue steeled herself, closed her eyes, and charged straight at the wall of the side room.
After a few steps, no pain came. Overjoyed, she thought her first try had succeeded!!!
But when she opened her eyes, she realized her body hadn’t even touched the wall yet. －_－||
Fine. Back to the starting point…
Gathering her courage again, she carefully counted the steps from her position to the wall to avoid repeating the earlier awkwardness.
(As for why she didn’t just stand right against the wall to attempt the spell, she reasoned that this first attempt was like an athlete warming up before a race—didn’t she deserve a proper run-up?!)
Once ready, Yun Qingxue reviewed the Wall-Passing technique in her mind, then carefully calculated her steps and controlled her momentum as she dashed toward the wall again.
Leaning forward, she jogged up to the wall, squeezed her eyes shut at the last moment, and threw herself against it. When she expected her head to collide with the surface, she felt… nothing.
Success!
Her heart leaped with joy as she opened her beautiful eyes.
On the other side of the wall, Hua Yin sat in a chair, staring at her in astonishment.
“What… are you doing?” His dark eyes were full of confusion.
“It’s been a while since I practiced. I wanted to test my Wall-Passing Technique,” Yun Qingxue replied without batting an eye.
“Oh.”
Hua Yin gave her a glance before frowning and turning his attention outside.
Night had fully fallen. A dark cloud drifted across the sky, blotting out the moon and stars. The once-gentle breeze gradually grew fierce.
Yun Qingxue, still basking in the triumph of her successful spell, completely missed the ominous shift outside.
But her joy was short-lived. Soon, she sensed something was… off.
“Hey!” she called to Hua Yin.
“I’ll go check outside,” he said gravely, vanishing like a shadow before she could say more.
“Wait! Don’t leave yet!” Yun Qingxue cried helplessly toward where he’d disappeared…
Couldn’t he have pulled her out of the wall before running off? 〒_〒!
Her second attempt at Wall-Passing was half-success, half-failure…
The upper half of her body had made it through—but the lower half was now firmly stuck.
And of course, Hua Yin had left just when she needed help most, before she could even call for aid.
Yun Qingxue turned her head toward the door. Only then did she notice how oppressively dark the night had become, so thick it felt hard to breathe…
She tried wriggling free, but it was useless—she couldn’t move backward or forward.
Another attempt. Still not a budge. :::>_<:::
P.S.: Thanks to those who voted for recommendations! o(≧▽≦)o
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