Four young men passed by Xiaosuisui, approaching the house and forcefully knocking on the door while shouting loudly for their parents.
Soon, the door opened from the inside, revealing a middle-aged woman, Xie Pan’Er. Beside her stood a white-haired Ji Youzhi!
Xiaosuisui stared at Ji Youzhi in sheer horror, mumbling under her breath, "How did Seventh Uncle end up like this? It’s only been three days!"
Ji Youzhi seemed unable to stand steadily; his body was so frail it seemed a light gust of wind could easily topple him.
Xiaosuisui’s heart ached for him.
She opened her mouth, inhaled deeply, and started to think about how she could help her Seventh Uncle break out of the Illusory Realm. Just then, she heard the young men shouting one after another.
"Father! Mother wrote to us saying you’re ill, so we’ve come to see you off on your final journey!"
There wasn’t even a hint of sadness on the young men’s faces. It seemed like they were discussing a mundane matter.
Send Seventh Uncle off on his final journey? That means... Xiaosuisui suddenly understood. Eldest Uncle said that if a person spends their entire life in this Illusory Realm, then they would... No! Seventh Uncle can’t die!
A light orb suddenly formed in Xiaosuisui’s hand. The moment it coalesced, she keenly felt Xie Pan’Er’s gaze fix upon her. In that instant, she could sense the panic and fear in Xie Pan’Er’s eyes.
"Just as I thought! How audacious of this demon to forcibly ensnare people’s minds, trapping them in the Illusory Realm and sapping their lives to strengthen itself!" As soon as Xiaosuisui finished speaking, she flung the light orb towards Xie Pan’Er.
"Where did this little baby come from, daring to meddle in my affairs!" Xie Pan’Er struck out with a palm towards Xiaosuisui, closing the distance almost instantly.
Xiaosuisui kept retreating, her heart pounding with panic. This woman’s martial arts far surpassed her own!
"What kind of demon are you? You didn’t just forcibly trap my Seventh Uncle here, but your martial arts skills are also astonishingly high!"
Xiaosuisui backed away again and again, right to the center of the Martial Arts Training Ground!
"So you’re his niece," Xie Pan’Er said. "Strange, why couldn’t I discern your existence from his fate?"
Upon hearing this, Xiaosuisui scrunched up her eyebrows and rubbed her little nose.
"That’s because you lack skill and aren’t proficient enough!
"Nonsense! How could I not be proficient? I am an elite disciple of the Illusory Fox Race! There isn’t a flaw in this world I can’t find, nor an Illusory Realm I can’t create!"
"Is that so? Then why can’t you create an illusion of my likeness? I’ve clearly always existed in my uncle’s destiny, yet you thought I had died prematurely?" Xiaosuisui crossed her arms, blinking her big eyes as she questioned Xie Pan’Er.
Xie Pan’Er instantly bristled, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
"I couldn’t create an illusion of you! I clearly read his fate—his destiny has no niece! Who are you? Why can’t I see through your fate either? You’re lying! You’re not his niece!"
Seeing Xie Pan’Er on the brink of demonic transformation, Xiaosuisui brought her index and middle fingers together, and a beam of golden light shot directly towards Xie Pan’Er’s brow.
However, the moment the golden light touched her brow, Xie Pan’Er’s body instantly transformed into a plume of black mist that swirled rapidly around Xiaosuisui.
Xiaosuisui quickly closed her eyes, sat down cross-legged, and focused, listening intently.
"HEHEHE! Little baby, you’re too bold! This is the heart of my Illusory Fox Race’s most powerful Illusion Array. Now that you’re in, don’t even think of leaving! Stay and keep me company!"
"KEKEKE... Stay with me! KEKEKE... Stay with me... KEKEKE... Stay... Stay..."
Xie Pan’Er’s voice suddenly became demonic, sounding nothing like her true self.
Fine beads of sweat formed on Xiaosuisui’s forehead. She kept her eyes tightly shut, her brows furrowed.
The bewitching voice still echoed in her ears, "Stay... Stay with me... KEKEKE..."
The voice drifted, near then far, high then low, utterly disorienting!
Xiaosuisui’s ears suddenly twitched. She then leaped forcefully towards her right front and threw a punch.
"AAARGH..." A miserable scream rang out. Xiaosuisui snapped her eyes open to see a small fox with three fluffy tails.
"A fox!"
The little fox was painfully thin, its eyes dull and lifeless. It looked as if it hadn’t eaten properly and had been starved severely, now just a bundle of skin and bones.
"I told you before, I am an elite of the Illusory Fox Race! I am an Illusory Fox, an Illusory Fox... an Illusory Fox!" The little fox, punched back into its original form by Xiaosuisui, began to roll on the ground.
"What’s an Illusory Fox? Isn’t an Illusory Fox still a fox?" Xiaosuisui asked provocatively.
The fox, infuriated, leaped up, its two front claws swiping towards Xiaosuisui’s face.
"Bring it on!" Xiaosuisui hollered. A knife suddenly appeared in her hand. She slashed it towards the Illusory Fox’s front claws.
"AWOOO..." A miserable yelp followed, and the Illusory Fox was back on the ground, rolling in pain.
"AAARGH... my claws!"
Xiaosuisui stood up, hands on her hips, and glared fiercely at the little fox. "If you dare try to scratch my face with your claws again," she threatened fiercely, "I’ll chop off all your claws and turn you into a clawless fox!"
The little girl’s fierce, cold warning actually made the little fox immediately retract its claws.
"Don’t chop off my claws! I won’t scratch your face again."
Xiaosuisui nodded, stood up, and looked at Ji Youzhi, who was barely conscious. "My Seventh Uncle is in this state," she asked. "How can I get him out of here?"
As soon as she finished speaking, she heard the little fox give a sudden, cold laugh.
"You want him to leave? Dream on!"