Chapter 83: Yizhou’s Illusion (Part 11)

Chapter 83: Chapter 83: Yizhou’s Illusion (Part 11)

Inside Yizhou’s dream, he felt as though he were drowning in an endless nightmare.

Whispers echoed faintly around him, their voices filled with condemnation, but he could not clearly make out what they were saying. Even the figures and scenes around him were blurred and indistinct. He could not see or hear things clearly, yet he instinctively knew that none of it was good.

Intense grief and hatred gradually swallowed his heart, dragging him deeper into despair and toward depravity. The emotions were so overwhelming that it became increasingly difficult for him to hold on to himself.

Then, in the middle of that chaotic darkness, a faint golden light suddenly appeared.

It shone gently through the darkness, warm and comforting, carrying a strangely familiar fragrance. Compared to the suffocating despair surrounding him, the light felt peaceful, almost as though it were silently calling him closer.

Yizhou instinctively moved toward it.

As he approached, unfamiliar scenes suddenly began flashing through his mind.

In one scene, he was standing within the Wenjian Sect.

In another, he found himself inside an icy cave.

Then the scene changed again. He was sitting inside an inn, quietly looking at someone sleeping beside him.

There were other fragments as well, including one particularly embarrassing scene that made even Yizhou feel awkward.

They were clearly unfamiliar, yet at the same time, they carried a strange sense of familiarity, as though he had experienced them somewhere before.

When Yizhou finally woke up, the first thing he saw was a familiar face.

A young man was sitting beside his bed with his eyes closed, his lips pressed together in concentration. His expression was unusually serious, and faint spiritual energy was circulating around him.

Yizhou stared for a moment before realizing what the other person was doing.

Was this junior brother trying to soothe his spiritual energy?

A trace of surprise flashed through Yizhou’s eyes.

His thoughts naturally returned to what had happened earlier. He had not expected that, out of everyone present, the first person to stand up for him would be this junior brother.

After all, Yizhou had never paid much attention to Bai Sui Sui.

Most of the time, he was focused on his own cultivation and rarely had the patience to concern himself with other people’s affairs. Even when Bai Sui Sui secretly followed him around or found excuses to sneak into his courtyard, Yizhou had never really bothered to stop him.

Afterall, It did not affect him, and after a while, he had simply gotten used to the little fool’s presence. Sometimes, he even found Bai Sui Sui’s antics somewhat amusing, so he had always chosen to turn a blind eye.

He also knew about Bai Sui Sui’s feelings toward him.

Yizhou had never quite understood why the little fool was so attached to him, but he had always assumed that it was nothing more than a fleeting admiration. Bai Sui Sui was young, after all. Perhaps he would eventually grow out of it.

He had never expected those feelings to run this deep.

Bai Sui Sui had actually stood up for him in front of so many cultivators, despite knowing that they were far more powerful than him. He had even dared to argue with them when everyone else had chosen to remain silent.

Yizhou’s gaze softened slightly.

Perhaps he really had been too careless about this junior brother.

It seemed he would have to take some time to reflect on how he had treated him.

Regardless, he was genuinely grateful.

Because of Bai Sui Sui’s intervention, his current situation was already much better than he expected.

Yizhou’s gaze fell once again on the young man beside him.

For some reason, the sight of Bai Sui Sui quietly trying to help him left a faint warmth in his chest.

---

When Bai Sui Sui finally finished what he was doing, he slowly opened his eyes. The first thing that greeted him was a pair of obsidian-colored eyes looking directly at him. He froze for a moment before his ears and cheeks gradually turned red, clearly embarrassed at being caught so suddenly. His gaze darted away, and he nervously lowered his head as though he had suddenly forgotten what he was supposed to do.

"S-Senior Brother is awake?" he stammered. Inside his mind, Bai Sui Sui immediately turned toward the mysterious stranger and asked what he should do now. He had finally managed to gather enough courage to sneak into the room, only to be caught sitting beside Yizhou the moment the other woke up.

"Relax, relax. It’s fine. Just act normal," Sui Sui quickly reassured him. "It’s not like he’s going to eat you or anything. Just ask him how he feels or something."

Bai Sui Sui nodded slightly, though his nervousness clearly had not disappeared.

Sui Sui quickly advised him, though he couldn’t help wanting to facepalm. Guiding a fanboy through a conversation with his idol was proving to be much harder than he had expected. The funniest part was that he seemed to have completely forgotten that he had acted almost exactly the same way when he first met Yizhou.

However, before Bai Sui Sui could even gather his thoughts, Yizhou had already spoken. His voice was calm and steady, without any sign that he had just woken up. "Mhm, I am fine now. Thank you for your concern, Junior Brother Bai."

"Ah, that’s good, good!" Bai Sui Sui quickly replied, nodding a little too eagerly. "Don’t mind it. Sui Sui likes helping Senior Brother, hehe." His voice became increasingly awkward as he spoke, and he lowered his gaze, clearly unsure of what to say next.

From within his mind, Sui Sui immediately urged him to ask about Yizhou’s situation. This was exactly why they had come here in the first place. Bai Sui Sui hesitated, but eventually gathered his courage and tried to make the question sound as casual and concerned as possible.

"So, um... how has Senior Brother been lately?" he asked, glancing up at Yizhou before quickly looking away again. After a brief pause, he added nervously, "D-did they bully you here?"

Yizhou thought for a moment before answering, "I’ve been doing fine. The elders asked me a few questions earlier, and since I’m under house arrest, I’ll have to remain here until they finish their investigation."

He spoke calmly, but there was one thing he deliberately left unsaid—the elders had already confirmed that he possessed demonic blood. Although the situation appeared peaceful for now, Yizhou knew that his circumstances were far from safe. There was no telling what decision the Wenjian Sect would make once their investigation was complete.

Of course in truth, Even Yizhou himself was somewhat surprised by this revelation. For most of his life, his mother had never told him anything about his bloodline, so he had always assumed that there was nothing unusual about him. Now that the truth had finally come to light, there was little he could do except accept it and wait for the situation to unfold.

Hearing Yizhou’s answer, Sui Sui finally felt a little relieved. He could now confirm that he had indeed changed the direction of the illusion. At least this time, there was no scene of Yizhou being tortured or thrown into the underground prison. If things continued along this altered path, then perhaps it would not be long before he could finally break this damned illusion.

With that thought, Sui Sui relaxed slightly and continued guiding Bai Sui Sui through the conversation.

Most of the time, it was Bai Sui Sui asking questions while Yizhou answered them. As they continued talking, the atmosphere in the room gradually eased. Bai Sui Sui was clearly delighted to finally have the chance to properly speak with his Senior Brother, and a sweet smile remained on his face throughout the conversation.

Seeing that smile, Yizhou felt a faint warmth in his chest.

For some reason, he suddenly wondered how he had never noticed just how cute this junior brother was before.

Unfortunately, the peaceful atmosphere did not last long.

Before they could continue talking, footsteps suddenly sounded from outside the room. The approaching steps grew louder and closer, until the door was abruptly slid open.

Both Bai Sui Sui and Yizhou stopped talking and turned toward the doorway.

The moment the person entered, Sui Sui’s heart sank.

A woman’s furious voice immediately rang through the room.

"You! It’s all because of you! Because of you, my son has almost become a cripple! You must pay for it!"

Hearing those words, Sui Sui immediately knew who had arrived.

It was that unreasonable woman, Madam Jiang.