Chapter 34: Illusion

The red curtains slowly fell.

Su Jiu was in a state of collapse inside, yet her body was pressed tightly against Cang Qianxue, her hands slowly roaming over his chest and waist, then sliding down.

“My husband~”

She called out in a soft, delicate voice, while Cang Qianxue’s lips curled slightly, gently grasping her wrist and bringing it to his lips for a light kiss, his voice warm and lingering, “Don’t rush, my lady. I’ll undress myself.”

**[Ah, ah, ah, just kill me already!]**

Su Jiu watched helplessly as Cang Qianxue raised his hand and slowly untied the belt around his waist, revealing his broad chest. Suddenly, she regained a bit of control over her body and quickly shut her eyes.

**[Cang Shishu, don’t come any closer!]**

“Wait—” she opened her lips, but in the next moment, Cang Qianxue suddenly leaned down, his chest pressing against Su Jiu, swiftly covering her lips with his hand, whispering in her ear, “Shh.”

Su Jiu froze, instinctively opening her eyes, and found herself staring into Cang Qianxue’s deep black eyes.

Compared to the gentle and affectionate demeanor she had seen earlier, Cang Qianxue now appeared calm and serious, his voice carrying a hint of gravity.

Cang Qianxue pressed against her, his hand slowly opening Su Jiu’s clenched fist, using his fingertip to write in her palm:

This is an illusion, don’t be afraid.

Su Jiu blinked, though she didn’t understand why Cang Qianxue was here or why he had cooperated with “her,” she obediently closed her mouth, looking at Cang Qianxue, signaling him to indicate what to do next.

With a rip—

Cang Qianxue tore apart the thin fabric hanging beside Su Jiu, the sound akin to tearing her clothes.

At the same time, his voice, rich like wine aged for a thousand years, carried a fragrant tone as it reached Su Jiu’s ear.

“My lady, I’m about to start…”

“Ah!”

Su Jiu gasped sharply, unable to suppress a low cry of surprise.

Cang Qianxue had just pinched her!

She couldn’t help but widen her eyes at Cang Qianxue, who smirked at her with a hint of mischief, his lips slightly parted, letting out a sound that could easily be misunderstood.

Su Jiu felt herself about to faint.

What kind of epic scene was this!

Su Jiu wanted to say something, but at that moment, Cang Qianxue lowered his head, his warm breath brushing against her neck, like a feather gliding over her skin, causing her mind to go blank as she suddenly forgot what she wanted to say.

At that very moment, a shadow flickered outside the curtain. Su Jiu thought it was just her imagination and was about to focus her gaze, but Cang Qianxue suddenly flipped over, wrapping an arm around her waist to protect her in front of him, while his other hand produced a long red tassel spear, its tip shimmering with silver light.

He raised his arm and hurled the spear toward the shadow. Before Su Jiu could see clearly, she heard the shadow let out a shriek, which sounded somewhat like a woman’s voice.

Everything went blurry, and instinctively flustered, Su Jiu’s hand groped beside her, only to be firmly grasped by a strong hand.

“Don’t be afraid.”

Cang Qianxue’s voice rang in her ear, gentle yet steady, providing her with a sense of security.

“I’m here.”

Su Jiu rested her shoulder against a broad, solid chest, and she let out a breath of relief as her shoulders relaxed.

“Shishu, how did you end up here just now?”

As the light returned, Su Jiu realized they were in a stone chamber. There was nothing resembling a bridal chamber around them, and both she and Cang Qianxue were still in their own clothes.

After Cang Qianxue checked the stone walls around them, he turned to Su Jiu and said, “I’d like to ask you first, how did you end up here?”

Su Jiu furrowed her brow, thinking carefully for a moment before shaking her head, looking somewhat dejected.

“I don’t remember. Zhao Ning and I fell into the water together, and we ended up in this palace. Then it felt like something was controlling me… By the time I regained consciousness, I was already just now.”

Cang Qianxue noted that Su Jiu hadn’t revealed any thoughts, indicating that she wasn’t lying.

“I waited outside for you for three days. The Half-Moon Secret Realm is about to close, and yet you didn’t come back, so I entered the secret realm myself.”

His tone was light as if he were simply stating that he drank a glass of water.

Su Jiu was somewhat surprised. “Entering the secret realm? Does that mean the Half-Moon Secret Realm will soon dissipate?”

**[That can’t happen; the only clue to the beauty’s whereabouts is here, and it seems there are other secrets… Should I say it or not?]**

If she spoke, it would definitely involve the matter of poisoning Shen Wangchen.

Even though Cang Qianxue wasn’t making a move against her now, once he grew fond of her master, he would surely come to seek revenge.

But if she didn’t say anything…

Seeing Su Jiu’s conflicted expression, her face scrunching up like a bun, Cang Qianxue couldn’t help but find it amusing, recalling the scene in the illusion where the girl in red smiled charmingly.

Even knowing that she was being controlled by someone else at that time, Cang Qianxue couldn’t help but feel a slight stir in his heart. He raised his hand and gently pinched her cheek.

“Don’t frown; smile more.”

He tugged at the corners of her mouth to create a semblance of a smile, and then squinted his eyes in satisfaction, “That looks better.”

“Shishu!”

Su Jiu was so anxious that she felt like stomping her feet. “Actually, I—”

“Alright,” Cang Qianxue could see that she still had many concerns and didn’t want to make it difficult for her. He raised his hand, bent his fingers, and tapped her forehead.

“With me around, what is there to fear? Since the secret realm is about to dissipate, let’s figure out the secrets here before it does.”

“Come on.”

He extended a hand. Su Jiu slightly struggled, her gaze falling on the hand in front of her, then glancing at Cang Qianxue. After some hesitation, she placed her hand on his.

Cang Qianxue tightened his grip on her hand, forming a barrier around them, and then he pulled out the long spear in his hand.

“Summon! Break!”

With a low shout, the spear suddenly enlarged, shining with silver light, breaking through the heavens.

Su Jiu looked up in astonishment as the surrounding stone walls split apart, revealing a long, pitch-black corridor before them.

The spear sped down the corridor, leaving a trail of flashing silver light.

“Keep up,” Cang Qianxue’s voice rang in her ear.

The corridor was exceptionally long, and the spear summoned seemed to guide them, disappearing from view only to suddenly flash with blinding silver light again.

Su Jiu held back the rising taste of blood, gritting her teeth as she followed Cang Qianxue.

The further she walked, the more familiar this corridor felt.

Fragmented memories surged into her mind.

“The Holy Maiden has heard your call; from now on, you shall be a devout follower of the Holy Maiden.”

“The Holy Maiden will grant you everything you desire; as for the price…”

“You will naturally find out later.”

“Take this bottle of medicine, and your wishes will be fulfilled.”

Su Jiu suddenly stopped in her tracks.

“Shishu!”

She called out in a choked voice.

Cang Qianxue heard her and stopped, turning back to see her face devoid of color. He was momentarily taken aback, then immediately scooped her up.

“Summon, return.”

The spear swayed from side to side at the end, eventually turning back again, and its tip suddenly plunged into the stone wall beside Su Jiu, humming with energy.

Su Jiu, forgetful of being held by Cang Qianxue, grasped his wrist and said, “Shishu, I remembered! This is the ruins of the Holy Maiden’s palace in the demon realm. There’s a statue at the front—the statue is the Holy Maiden of the demon realm, and I—”

For a moment, she found it hard to say the words.

**[It was me who summoned the Holy Maiden of the demon realm.]**