SQLJBFDTW Chapter 24

Chapter 24: Narrow Realm (1) First Encounter with Demonic Energy, Forced Cosplay…

Li Zhenzhen, in an untimely manner, teased, “Little Xue, don’t be shy.”

Chao Jianxue retorted immediately like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, “Who’s shy! I’ll draw one if I draw one.”

He strode to Yu Wei’s side, and the two stood shoulder to shoulder.

At such close proximity, he suddenly realized, how did Yu Wei, who was originally a little shorter than him, suddenly shoot up in height?

After Foundation Establishment, the body’s growth rate would slow down. Yu Wei achieved Foundation Establishment at a young age, so he naturally looked young. Unexpectedly, after breaking through to the early stage of Nascent Soul, he became even more handsome and compelling, almost like—

Like his body was preparing for its prime.

Chao Jianxue thought about it and felt a chill run down his spine. He maintained a tense expression and silently moved away, at least not standing too close to him.

The portrait-painting cultivator suddenly said, “The Taoist friend on the left, please move a little closer to the center, and smile!”

Chao Jianxue thought to himself that he was being overly suspicious, he should stay calm!

He moved closer, and the backs of their hands touched. Yu Wei’s warmth made Chao Jianxue try his best not to pull his hand away.

Yu Wei suddenly said, “Why are Senior Brother’s hands so cold?”

Chao Jianxue said awkwardly, “I’m constitutionally weak.”

Yu Wei: “Doesn’t Senior Brother usually use spiritual energy to protect himself?” With spiritual energy circulating, he wouldn’t be so cold.

Chao Jianxue: “I was born this way.”

“Is that so…” Yu Wei muttered to himself, seemingly lost in thought.

Chao Jianxue was afraid that he would keep asking questions, so he simply said, “Actually, I’m a little nervous standing next to you!”

This was the truth.

The words Yu Wei was about to say stuck in his throat, and he forgot whether he wanted to say “I see” or “Does Senior Brother need spiritual energy?”

Purple cherry blossom petals floated before his eyes, presumably falling on his and his Senior Brother’s hair.

Yu Wei felt the beating in his chest, unsure if it was slow or fast, but it definitely skipped a beat.

He stopped talking.

As soon as the portrait artist said it was ready, Chao Jianxue hurried over to take a look.

In the painting, the two were close together, with swaying flower shadows. The one on the left had an unmoving expression, looking dull. The one on the right, however, had a fleeting glimmer in his eyes, showing that he was slightly restraining himself, but making him even more handsome.

Chao Jianxue: Why does Yu Wei look more handsome with the same expression! This is favoritism!

Yu Wei smoothly took the painting from his hand and asked, “Does Senior Brother want to keep it?”

Chao Jianxue quickly said, “You can have it.”

Yu Wei actually kept the painting.

As night fell, the stone lanterns along the bank lit up one by one, ambiguously illuminating the flower shadows, and the gentle breeze intoxicated the tourists.

They first went up the Purple Horse Bridge, where yawns echoed in the hazy light.

After midnight, Hua Ze appeared at the head of the bridge as expected, beckoning them to go to the side.

According to him, the Hehuan Sect had a secret method for finding people. He had already set up the formation, which would send them to where Junior Brother Hua was.

Standing in the formation, Chao Jianxue watched Hua Ze make an unknown hand seal, and then chanted a phrase. Instantly, the formation surged with spiritual light, and in another moment of dizziness, the sky brightened.

They had returned to the Dream City during the day.

So, Junior Brother Hua was in Dream City?

But Hua Ze was nowhere to be seen.

The guide was gone, so what should they do?

Li Zhenzhen, as the eldest senior brother among them, actually asked Yu Wei for his opinion, “Junior Brother Yu, what do you think?”

Yu Wei said, “Let’s look around. This isn’t Dream City.”

After his reminder, the others realized that something was wrong.

Although the scenery here was indistinguishable from Dream City, every house they entered was empty. Some doors couldn’t even be opened, like invisible walls in a game.

Li Zhenzhen used his early cultivation experience and suddenly realized, “This is a man-made narrow realm.”

A narrow realm, as the name suggests, is created with spiritual energy to form a barrier, a private space squeezed into the real world, like opening a crack in reality.

“So, the alchemist disciple hid Junior Brother Hua here?”

But only cultivators above the Transformation God stage could create a narrow realm. Could it be that the disciple had already reached the Transformation God stage? Then he shouldn’t be unknown.

While they were pondering, Qiu Shui had already gone straight to the point, putting his hand on a passerby’s shoulder and unfolding Junior Brother Hua’s portrait, “Excuse me, have you seen—”

She suddenly withdrew her hand and jumped three steps back to hide behind Yu Wei.

“Little junior brother, help!”

Upon closer inspection, the passerby’s face didn’t look like a living person at all. The features were all blurred, as if they were hastily drawn on a blank face, and the eyes were empty and terrifying.

Looking around, all the passing pedestrians looked the same.

Yu Wei thoughtfully said, “I see. For the master of the narrow realm, unimportant places that don’t leave a deep impression would naturally only be given a rough shape. So, we should look for places that are intricate and detailed.”

The most intricate and detailed place here…

They turned several streets and alleys, and finally arrived in front of a familiar pavilion.

Li Zhenzhen flashed into the building first, and then flashed out, delighted, “It’s packed inside!”

Chao Jianxue looked up at the plaque on the door and read it out, “Fragrant Flower Dream Tower.”

Wasn’t this the place that even Yu Wei was hesitant to enter?

Once they determined the location, the laughter and cheers inside the building, the flirting and teasing of the male courtesans, all gradually became clear. The fake narrow realm instantly surged with the scent of real flowers.

The faces of the three younger ones flushed red, while Chao Jianxue and Li Zhenzhen excitedly took the lead.

“Aiyo! Welcome, esteemed guests! See what refreshments you need?”

As soon as they entered, a plump woman enthusiastically greeted them. Compared to those outside, the people here all looked like individuals, and most were even beautiful.

Being their first time experiencing such a scene, Chao Jianxue’s face immediately turned hot, wishing he could hide behind Li Zhenzhen.

Li Zhenzhen chided him for his lack of resolve, “Where’s the excitement you had just now? You’re a fake.”

Without them saying anything, the woman naturally led them to their seats, right in front of the stage in the building.

Then, performers came to pour wine and coax them with gentle words.

Compared to the surrounding people, the few of them sat stiffly at the table, their limbs also stiff, almost turning into wooden figures.

The most serious was Xie Bingyuan, who had already turned as red as a shrimp, his eyes almost swirling into mosquito coils, on the verge of fainting.

Li Zhenzhen thoughtfully let him faint face down on the table, sighing, “Youngsters, tsk tsk.”

After a while, having finally driven away the performers, Qiu Shui wiped the fine sweat from his forehead and asked, “Can you see anything strange here?”

After they came in, they were like Tang Sanzang entering the Women’s Kingdom, with no intention of observing the surrounding environment. Only now did they recover.

Chao Jianxue scanned the crowd, but didn’t find anyone who looked like Junior Brother Hua.

Qiu Shui had been observing the fragrant cakes on the plate for a long time, and asked Yu Wei, “Little junior brother, can we eat these?”

“Why don’t you try it?” Chao Jianxue said.

Seeing that Yu Wei didn’t object, Qiu Shui cautiously took a bite, and immediately spat it out, “Disgusting, so bitter, like paper!”

Listening to the revelers next door talking eloquently about “Young Master Liushuang presenting a song later”, “a once-in-a-century opportunity” and so on, they were painting a vivid picture.

The few of them understood that this Young Master Liushuang must be the key figure.

They sat in the flowery world like monks in meditation for half an hour. The gauze curtain on the stage fell, and a figure holding a zither came gracefully.

Chao Jianxue turned his head and said, “Here he comes!”

As he turned his head, he realized that Yu Wei was not looking at the stage, but looking up at the high area on the second floor on the left.

“Did you find anything?” He tilted his body to the side and asked.

Yu Wei said, “As soon as that person came in, the show began. Looking at his attire, he’s also a cultivator.”

As he spoke, the sound of the zither was like pearls falling on a plate, initially gentle and melodious, then becoming faster and faster, eventually turning into thunder, with the force of ten thousand horses galloping and swords flashing, shocking everyone.

They originally thought it would be a melodious and elegant piece, but unexpectedly it was a martial song with the spirit of a thousand armies.

After the song was over, everyone couldn’t react.

Until the gauze curtain on the stage fell, and the performer revealed his true face, he looked five parts like Hua Ze, but with more charm than Hua Ze. It was hard to believe that such a person would play such a martial song.

“It’s him!” Li Zhenzhen slammed the table and stood up, taking the lead in flying onto the stage, trying to capture the person.

However, the moment he flew onto the stage, black and red light spots overflowed from the entire building, turning into clusters of black mist, and instantly gathered to envelop him.

Yu Wei shouted, “Not good!”

He flew out his Only Sword, and the bright spiritual light pierced through the black mist. Li Zhenzhen broke out of the mist and rolled on the spot.

“My goodness!”

Chao Jianxue then reacted. Could this be the legendary demonic energy?

Things had become much worse than they thought. The master who created this narrow realm had most likely become a demon.

Junior Brother Hua, dressed in green, with a peaceful and serene face, continued to play the zither without knowing or feeling anything. The demonic energy, as if guided by the sound of the zither, densely attacked them.

Xie Bingyuan was still unconscious. Li Zhenzhen reached out and grabbed Xie Bingyuan on the left and Qiu Shui on the right, creating a protective barrier.

Chao Jianxue skillfully summoned his spiritual sword and used a set of the Wuwu Sect’s sword techniques that he had practiced for a long time. The effect was immediate, and a wave of demonic energy was indeed repelled.

He subconsciously wanted to find Yu Wei, and in a glance around, he saw Yu Wei flying towards the higher area.

He thought to himself, why isn’t anyone taking care of him? Did they become carefree after knowing he was at the Golden Core stage?

He repelled another wave of demonic energy with another sword.

Taking advantage of the small gap between the black and red energy, Chao Jianxue saw Yu Wei on the second floor, also fighting with the cultivator.

It seemed he had to rely on himself for good fortune!

He had only learned the basics of the Wuwu Sect’s sword techniques, and gradually his physical strength became exhausted. Seeing that no one was coming to save him, Chao Jianxue activated the Thousand Mile Mind-Clearing Technique in his dantian.

The sword strike that followed was indeed satisfying.

The black shadow demonic energy surrounding him suddenly dissipated for the most part. Chao Jianxue was about to be delighted when he looked up and saw Yu Wei falling from the second floor.

He subconsciously flew to catch him. Their bodies collided in his arms, and the world spun, his vision blurred, and his ears rang.

When he came back to his senses, the two of them were one on top of the other, his hands pressing on the other’s chest, in an unknown position.

Only then did he see clearly that Yu Wei’s shadow was gradually being covered by a black-clad, cold-faced youth, and the clothes he was wearing were none other than the stage performer Hua Liushuang’s clothes?

The surrounding scenery had also changed from the hall to a wing room, with red lanterns.

Chao Jianxue wasn’t a fool. In an instant, he thought that they had been possessed by the memory illusion of the master of the secret realm.

Secret realm, narrow realm, they were basically the same thing!

They were both formed by the memories of the master, and it was possible for some deep memory fragments to be left behind.

He was possessed by Hua Liushuang, so Yu Wei was possessed by the master of the narrow realm, the alchemist kidnapper.

More accurately, the alchemist kidnapper who had become a demon!

What was this sudden cosplay going towards?