Shen Muzhi had no idea what was happening outside. His current predicament was the illusion he was facing.
The illusion was like an endless corridor, long and dark, with only a faint light emanating from the very front, as if silently telling him that there lay the answers to all his questions, the destination he yearned for.
After all, Liu Buli had warned him. The moment he entered this place, Shen Muzhi had already sensed something was amiss. He knew this was a fabricated illusion, that everything within it was designed to lure him in and trap him here forever.
Yet, he couldn't stop his own footsteps.
A voice in his ear kept whispering that if he just kept walking forward, he would find the gateway to another world.
To others, such words would sound like a fairy tale. Simply walk down a corridor and reach another world?
How could such a good thing exist?
But Shen Muzhi dared not discard that one-in-ten-thousand possibility.
If he could truly find that gate, perhaps he could be with the person he loved, never to be separated again.
He had always known that You Siqi desperately wanted to go home.
This desire was expressed with absolute clarity, leaving no room for doubt.
So, Shen Muzhi had always believed he would strive to help You Siqi find his way home. Once found, he would guard their memories alone and live out his life.
It wasn't until Liu Buli mentioned that he could accompany him to that world that Shen Muzhi realized his ending could have a different option.
Now, he was desperately eager to verify the truth of that possibility. If he could indeed see that gate, could he then be a little more audacious and hope for a future with You Siqi?
Clinging to such a nebulous hope, Shen Muzhi walked down this path for an unknown duration. He could never reach the light, much like his relationship with You Siqi; no matter how much he chased or ran, he seemed unable to truly get close to him.
Frustration grew within him, and his pace shifted from walking to running. Eventually, he even used his spiritual energy to shorten distances. Yet, even so, the light remained at a constant, unvarying distance ahead of him.
He was on the verge of being driven mad by the light, unaware that outside the illusion, the others watching him were equally bewildered.
Although still in the form of a spirit cat, it was evident to everyone that Shen Muzhi was in a very bad state.
His spiritual energy was draining at an alarming rate. While the amount lost wasn't excessive, if he remained trapped in the illusion and unable to awaken, trouble would surely follow.
You Siqi, being an ordinary person, didn't know what to do to help and could only cast a pleading gaze to the side.
Lu Wuming scoffed dismissively, "I thought he was quite capable, but to be trapped by a mere illusion like this. Doesn't he know it's all fake?"
As long as there was an opportunity to criticize Shen Muzhi, Lu Wuming would seize it without hesitation. As for the fact that he himself had almost lost his senses in the illusion, no one would know as long as he didn't mention it.
You Siqi naturally knew how much Lu Wuming disliked Shen Muzhi, so he hadn't pinned any hopes on him from the start.
He looked pitifully at Liu Buli.
The latter walked over to him, observed Shen Muzhi's condition with a moment's thought, and then shook his head. "My karma is too heavy, and my cultivation methods are somewhat unorthodox. If I were to save him, it might cause him to go berserk, making the situation even harder to resolve."
You Siqi grew even more anxious.
Just then, a slender, jade-like hand reached out from the side. The fingertips gently touched the black cat, and a pure, clear spiritual energy flowed into Shen Muzhi's body.
You Siqi quickly looked to the side.
Yun Xiang stood there, smiling gently and serenely. She said, "He's probably just been caught in a delusion. If he's woken up, he'll be back. I tried to help, hoping it would work."
You Siqi knew that Yun Xiang genuinely wanted to help them, without any ulterior motives.
But seeing this scene, the plot from the novel flashed through his mind.
In the novel, Shen Muzhi's mind had also been ensnared by an illusion.
Then, Yun Xiang's spiritual energy became a guiding light, leading him out of the illusion.
And then.
Shen Muzhi fell in love with that spiritual energy that could burst forth like a light in the darkness.
He fell in love with Yun Xiang.
...
(I saw the comments section, and some of you are worried about angst? You clearly haven't read my other book, where Wu Ming and Bu Li are still together and doting on each other after thousands of years. What angst could there be in this one? [Manual doge])