Chu Hanjin slightly turned his head and was met with a line of grayish-white eyes.

The face was handsome but had the dull gray pallor of a corpse. Blood veins criss crossed it, and the skin appeared uneven at the seams, like a body stitched together for burial.

The corpse rested heavily on his shoulder and said, “Ling’er.”

The voice was hoarse, but unmistakably Yue Lin’s, as he channeled the emotions of someone else entirely: “I told you, once this war was over, I’d come back to marry you. Have you been waiting for me? But why are you the only one crying on our wedding night?”

“Don’t cry. I didn’t abandon you. I just needed to sleep… When spring comes next year, I’ll take you to the fields to fly kites, high into the sky… I haven’t grown old with you yet… I promised, no matter what, I’d always be there for you, to make you laugh and keep you company…”

The voice was filled with deep sorrow.

But it was undeniably Yue Lin’s voice.

Chu Hanjin thought for a moment, and then it all became clear.

The stitched corpse appearance was an illusion—Yue Lin was the one before him. However, Yue Lin had fallen under the spell of the illusion, mentally possessed by another’s emotions, like a form of spiritual possession.

That’s why he was saying all these things.

Yue Lin’s hands trembled as he held Chu Hanjin, tears of blood sliding down his face, deeply immersed in the role: “Ling’er, knowing you for these eighteen years has been the luck of my ancestors. Thank you for always caring for me, looking after me. I’ve been worthless, following him into war, risking life and death, but you never despised me… You treated me so well. But it wasn’t meant to be… I’m not worthy… not worthy to grow old with you.”

Chu Hanjin pondered: Was this… the groom’s last words before he died?

Yue Lin’s voice was filled with such intense grief that his whole body trembled.

His throat made a light choking sound.

The depth of Yue Lin’s empathy made Chu Hanjin pause.

He hadn’t expected Yue Lin to be so deeply affected.

The groom who had been standing at the door was gone, replaced by a young girl in a red wedding dress, her figure graceful, but her hands clutching a handkerchief as she cried, “I don’t believe it! I don’t believe Brother Yun is dead! You’re lying to me! He isn’t dead, we haven’t even gotten married yet. I made him braised pork before he left, and he only ate half of it. He said when he returned, he’d eat another bowl… I don’t believe it…”

The bride’s grief was overwhelming, while Yue Lin, still immersed in the groom’s emotions, breathed heavily, weighed down by sorrow.

Was he crying? Chu Hanjin glanced at him.

Yue Lin had always seemed unserious in his eyes, but he was actually very smart and rational. Who would have thought he could show such raw emotion?

“Ah!!!” The bride’s cries were heart-wrenching as she tore at her wedding dress, screaming “Brother Yun” with all her might. At some point, a white silk noose appeared in her hand, and in an instant, she had it tied to the beam of the room—

Chu Hanjin knew this was an illusion and braced himself for what would come next.

The bride kicked over a stool and hanged herself from the beam. Her Dragon and Phoenix shoes fell to the floor as her neck twisted unnaturally.

But behind him, Yue Lin let out a painful sob, striding forward to try to save the bride. However, it was all in vain, as illusions can’t be changed. His movements were frantic, his hair falling messily as he choked out gasps, helplessly watching the bride die. His expression reflected a deep, futile agony.

This pain was the groom’s, but it was displayed through Yue Lin’s eyes.

Yue Lin was so devastated that it pricked at Chu Hanjin’s heart.

The overwhelming sadness made it hard to tell whether this pain belonged to the ghostly groom or Yue Lin himself.

Chu Hanjin sighed and had to remind him, “This is just an illusion. No matter what you do, it’s futile. Don’t fall into the heart demon.”

Yue Lin’s fingers were tense, hard as stone, his bloodshot eyes locked on Chu Hanjin.

For some reason, Chu Hanjin felt a brief moment of sympathy. He reached out and grabbed Yue Lin’s hand, saying, “Enough.”

Their fingers touched, the slight coolness sending a tingle through Chu Hanjin’s skin, and a warmth transferred between them.

Yue Lin’s expression gradually relaxed. He lifted his face, repeatedly looking at Chu Hanjin, as if to confirm something.

His eyes returned to their deep golden hue, and the ghostly illusion dissipated along with the corpse’s appearance. But Yue Lin’s face was still pale, drained of energy, as he gazed at the hanging bride.

Chu Hanjin found his reaction strange.

Could the illusion really drain that much energy? He seemed almost soulless.

However, Yue Lin braced himself on his sword to stand but didn’t give himself any time to rest. The first thing he said was, “Let’s go, leave this place.”

As they stepped out of the door, the grand mansion with its bright red lanterns vanished, transforming into a scene of desolate ruins and scorched earth. The once red door plaque had faded to a dull red, and a cold wind swept through, bringing with it a bleak sense of abandonment.

Yue Lin glanced back, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes. “Let’s head back to the city. I’ll explain everything later.”

They retraced their steps.

The town was large and bustling, and Chu Hanjin had chased too far earlier, making it difficult to find their way back. All they could do was head toward the lights in the distance.

But after a while, they realized the lights weren’t from the city but from a village.

An old man with a headscarf was sitting by a well, fanning himself, cradling his young grandson in his arms. He was comforting the child, “Don’t cry, don’t cry, your mother’s green onion pancakes are almost done. They’ll be crispy and hot, just for you.”

The child had been crying over a lost candy, but after hearing this, he nodded. “Hmph.”

Yue Lin approached and asked, “Excuse me, sir, which way is it to the city?”

The old man waved his hand dismissively. “The city? Oh, the city is far from here. It’ll take you a few hours to walk there. By the time you reach the gates, they’ll be closed. You won’t be able to get in! Why are you heading to the city now, anyway?”

Chu Hanjin glanced at him. “How many hours?”

The old man responded firmly, “At least three!”

Impossible.

Chu Hanjin couldn’t recall the exact direction, but he had a sense of the distance—they couldn’t be more than half an hour away from the city, certainly not three hours.

Meeting Yue Lin’s gaze, Chu Hanjin spoke in a low voice, “Another illusion.”

The sky stretched overhead like a dome, encircling them. From the moment they started walking, they hadn’t truly moved forward.

The old man’s eyes rolled shiftily. “It’s already late. Why don’t you stop for the night? You must be travelers. You can find a place to stay in our village. Don’t keep going. Up ahead is a man-eating forest, and at night, spirits and monsters come out to cause trouble. Don’t go there after dark!”

The child echoed, “Don’t go, don’t go.”

It seemed the illusion’s creator wanted to keep them here.

Chu Hanjin muttered, “What’s their game this time?”

Yue Lin pondered for a moment and then said, “Let’s stay the night and see what they’re planning.”

They entered the courtyard, and the old man cheerfully said, “There’s only one guest room. My son is out hunting and won’t be back until winter, so we have an extra room available. It’s a humble farmhouse, but I hope the two immortal masters can make do for the night. If there’s anything you’re not comfortable with, just let us know.”

Chu Hanjin stepped onto the dry straw floor, with Yue Lin moving a little closer.

Yue Lin said, “Be careful.”

As he spoke, he gently took Chu Hanjin’s wrist.

“…”

That was unnecessary.

Chu Hanjin moved to push his hand away, but just as their fingers brushed, he remembered the deep sorrow in Yue Lin’s eyes when he saw the bride die.

Even though the sadness had been due to the groom’s illusion, it still left a strange… soft feeling in Chu Hanjin’s heart.

Chu Hanjin lightly tapped his pinky against Yue Lin’s hand, allowing him to hold on, and they walked side by side into the main hall.

The farmhouse had four or five thatched huts. The side rooms were for guests, and behind them were the kitchen and animal pens. From the kitchen, the smell of onion pancakes wafted through the air. The young child ran into the kitchen, hugging the woman’s waist, “Mom!”

“Ah-Yu, be good. I’m making pancakes for you right now. Don’t come too close—watch out for the hot oil, it might splash and hurt my little Ah-Yu’s face,” the woman said warmly. “Go sit in the main hall. The pancakes will be ready soon.”

The old man also called out, “Immortal masters, please sit. I’ll brew some tea.”

The scene was peaceful, like a normal farm family enjoying a quiet evening after a long day.

It was a stark contrast to the deadly tension of the wedding scene earlier.

Whoever created these illusions wasn’t trying to hurt them. What was their intention?

Chu Hanjin asked, “Is the one controlling the illusion that man in blue?”

The one Yue Lin had fought on the stone bridge.

Yue Lin replied, “Yes, it’s him.”

Chu Hanjin fell silent in thought.

The old man poured hot tea into their cups and urged them to drink. “Go ahead, immortal masters, it’s just some simple tea from our humble home. Ah-Yu’s mother will be done with the pancakes soon, too. She’s a great cook! The pancakes are delicious, and she’s raised that boy of hers nice and strong.”

Chu Hanjin drank the tea. It tasted rough, as expected.

He also tried the pancakes. They weren’t bad, though a bit salty.

Everything seemed perfectly normal.

But as they prepared to retire to the guest room, the woman suddenly pulled Chu Hanjin aside and whispered, “Immortal master?”

Chu Hanjin followed her to the side of the yard, out of Yue Lin and the old man’s earshot. She lowered her voice and said, “If you need to get up at night, use the outhouse on the left. Don’t go to the one on the right—that’s for the men. It’s dirty! Stinky! The one on the left is clean, for us women.”

Chu Hanjin: “………”

So in this illusion, he was being seen as a woman now?

His expression remained stoic as he lowered his gaze without responding. The woman glanced over at Yue Lin, then whispered, “Your husband is very handsome!”

“……”

If it weren’t for the fact that Yue Lin had just been possessed by the illusion earlier, Chu Hanjin might have suspected Yue Lin himself had created this ridiculous scenario.

Chu Hanjin reluctantly thanked her and returned to the guest room. Yue Lin had already set aside his sword and was adjusting the brown bracers on his sleeves, his face illuminated by the oil lamp’s glow.

The woman brought in a basin of hot water, “Immortal master, you’ve had a long day. Soak your feet and relieve your fatigue.”

She took on the role of a doting elder sister, then turned to Yue Lin with a scolding tone, “Your wife’s been walking all day. Women have weaker bodies, not like you men, running around all the time without feeling tired. My husband’s the same—out hunting for ten months of the year and only coming home for the New Year to see the kids. Hmph, no sense of responsibility.”

“…”

Wife?

Woman?

Yue Lin’s expression mirrored Chu Hanjin’s at that moment.

His gaze darkened slightly, and after a long pause, he responded, “It’s my fault.”

“……”

Chu Hanjin bit his lip in frustration.

Even in this situation, he was taking advantage of it? Of course, it was Yue Lin.

The woman continued, “Your wife’s feet look swollen. He’s beautiful, but delicate. Probably walked too much today. You’d better massage his feet, or he won’t be able to walk tomorrow and continue your journey.”

For a brief moment, Yue Lin seemed surprised. He nodded.

Once the woman had left the room, Yue Lin latched the door behind her, then walked over to Chu Hanjin and asked, “Are your feet swollen?”

There hadn’t been any pain earlier, but now that it was mentioned, Chu Hanjin did feel a slight tingling in his feet, as if they were a bit swollen.

Yue Lin crouched down slightly, his long fingers reaching for Chu Hanjin’s leg, “Take off your shoes, let me check.”

“…”

Chu Hanjin wasn’t used to physical closeness and refused, “There’s no need.”

Yue Lin’s deep golden eyes were full of patience as he said softly, “Take them off.”

He gently gripped Chu Hanjin’s leg, his touch firm but respectful, as if asking for permission. “I just want to see if they’re swollen. I heard pregnant people are prone to swelling.”

There it was again—those shameful words.

Chu Hanjin’s face remained calm, even indifferent, but the backs of his ears had turned a bright pink.

Yue Lin tilted his head slightly, his palm now resting on Chu Hanjin’s ankle, slowly rubbing along his silk sock. His voice lowered, “Just let me take a look, okay?”