Chapter 074: Face Stings! Heart Aches!

Watching the scene within the illusion, Yan Shu inexplicably felt a sharp pain in her chest.

At this moment, the 'Yan Shu' inside the illusion had already closed her eyes. Xiao Jihan drew his long sword, letting the body of 'Yan Shu' fall limply to the ground, then lifted his gaze toward the void. His handsome face was cold as frost. "Where is she?"

At his words, both the woman and Yan Shu were startled. The two exchanged glances before the woman averted her eyes and spoke slowly, "When did you realize?"

Hearing this, Xiao Jihan’s lips curled into a mocking smile as he slowly uttered, "From the very beginning."

"Impossible!"

The woman shot to her feet, thoroughly exasperated. "Absolutely impossible! My illusions are flawless—even someone at the peak of the Tribulation stage couldn’t see through them from the start!"

Xiao Jihan did not argue, but his gaze was frigid, laced with unmistakable derision.

The woman was infuriated, like a top academic whose expertise was being questioned. "Such arrogance for someone so young! Then tell me, how did you see through it?"

Xiao Jihan snorted coldly. "There was nothing to see through. The moment I entered the illusion, I knew."

The woman was stunned into silence for a moment before she reacted, once again shouting in frustration, "Impossible!"

The illusion dissolved, revealing the cave’s original appearance. Xiao Jihan spoke indifferently, "Believe it or not, you could ask my master and see."

He looked utterly confident.

The woman hesitated for a moment, then seemed to understand something. Suddenly, demonic energy surged around her. She glared coldly at Yan Shu, enunciating each word, "You and he are colluding to trick me?!"

Her voice was icy, each word dripping with outrage and murderous intent, as if a single misstep from Yan Shu would mean instant death.

Yan Shu felt more wronged than Dou E herself. Perhaps she had grown used to Xiao Jihan’s killing intent, for even under the woman's lethal glare, she managed to remain composed, hastening to say, "Beautiful sister, how could I dare deceive you? Besides, what good would it do me to trick you?"

The woman fell silent, the demonic energy around her subsiding somewhat.

Seeing this, Yan Shu pressed her advantage. "Sister, think about it. I met you not long after entering the secret realm, and I haven’t said a single word the whole time. How could I have colluded with him?"

The woman recalled Yan Shu’s pained reaction in the illusion when Xiao Jihan pierced her heart, and her expression softened further.

She looked from the Xiao Jihan in the vision to Yan Shu, suspicion in her eyes. "Then why did he say you would know? Why was he able to see through the illusion so quickly?"

Yan Shu felt even more bitter than if she’d swallowed a gourd of bile. Had Xiao Jihan really let go of their old grudges? Was he not just framing her to use this woman’s hand to kill her?

How could she know how he saw through the illusion? He...

Suddenly, a thought flashed through Yan Shu’s mind. No, Xiao Jihan possessed a Pure Yang body—innately immune to all demonic influences and evil, always able to remain true to himself. In other words, he was naturally resistant to illusions!

But if he’d never truly fallen into the illusion, then what about untying the sash in the emotional trial, or the soup in the heart trial, or his tenderness and intimacy toward 'Yan Shu'?

Yan Shu looked at Xiao Jihan in the vision—it was true, his affinity score for her had not changed since it reached five (Acquaintance).

So could it be that he hadn’t noticed the illusion from the very start, as he claimed, but only realized after the words “heart’s blood” appeared and his affection score became five?

Yan Shu gazed at Xiao Jihan’s figure, her emotions in turmoil.

At times her chest ached, at times her cheeks burned. If her guess was right, then...

Xiao Jihan had genuinely been preparing to undress and save her.

If she was wrong, then no matter how he acted in the heart trial, in the emotional trial he truly wanted to kill her!

The woman stared at Yan Shu for a long while, watching her clutch her chest, blush, frown, and look utterly lost. Irritated, she snapped, "Enough!"

With a flick of her sleeve, she turned to look coldly at Xiao Jihan in the vision. "Whatever method you used to see through the illusion, you’ve passed. Your master is here in this cave. I’ll also tell you this: there is a mysterious treasure from the Upper Realm in this cave—the Longyuan Sword."

"If you want the Longyuan Sword, take the left path. If you want to save your master, take the right. The Longyuan Sword will only appear for a quarter of an hour—if you choose to save your master, you’ll miss your chance. If you choose the sword, I’ll kill your master immediately!"

"Will it be the man or the sword? Choose for yourself!"

Yan Shu frowned slightly at these words.

Was there even a choice? Of course, the sword!

Even if his affection for her was at five, even if he had truly meant to save her in the emotional trial, that was only as long as it didn’t interfere with his own fortunes.

As someone who had read the original novel, no one understood better than she did Xiao Jihan’s obsession with cultivation and power. He still carried the grudge of his mother’s murder! He was determined to destroy the Sima clan!

Sure enough, without the slightest hesitation, Xiao Jihan strode down the left path.

Yan Shu watched his departing figure. Though she had expected and understood his choice, she still couldn’t help but feel disappointed.

She let out a long breath—she had wanted too much, expected too much.

The woman, observing Xiao Jihan’s choice, fell silent for a moment before glancing at Yan Shu and offering a light cough of consolation. "It’s all right. If you lose this fish, there’s always another."

As she spoke, she waved her fair hand, and the previously frozen Yu Wenche and the 'Yan Shu' in his arms began to move again.

‘Yan Shu’ twisted in discomfort. "Blood, I need heart’s blood—a man’s heart’s blood can cure this poison."

Unlike Xiao Jihan, Yu Wenche did not ask, “Which do you want, me or my heart’s blood?” He merely paused for an instant, then nodded. "Very well, I’ll give it to you."

At these words, Yan Shu was momentarily stunned. She looked up at Yu Wenche in the illusion.

Could it be that after only a few meetings, his feelings for her already ran so deep that he’d rather endure the pain of gouging out his own heart than sully her purity?

The woman heaved a sigh of relief at Yu Wenche’s answer. "See? There are plenty of fish in the sea. If one won’t do, move on to the next. Sooner or later, one will be devoted to you."

Yan Shu nodded in earnest agreement. "You’re right, sister. There are millions of fish in the world. If one doesn’t work, just try another! Someone out there will truly care for me."

Thud!

The sound of a sword plunging into flesh.

The woman: ...

Yan Shu: ...

Damn! My face hurts! My heart hurts!