On Shu Mountain, There Was a Little Fox

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Chapter 28: The Magical Realm

Hua Qing gently stroked Cancan’s fur, using his magic to reduce her pain and discomfort. Despite not being able to heal her wounds completely, Cancan laid comfortably with her eyes half closed. With a snap of his fingers, Hua Yun and Big Green quickly woke up looking confused. Hua Yun remembered Mo Yuan’s visit and immediately asked, "Where is the Demon Lord?"

Hua Qing replied coldly, "He’s gone."

Seeing Cancan’s injuries and the aftermath of the fight, Hua Yun realized the intense battle that had taken place. He sat silently, feeling powerless and shocked.

Meanwhile, Big Green rubbed his arms and legs, not hiding in a corner but staying quiet.

Hua Qing continued to comfort Cancan with gentle touches, and she murmured, "So comfortable."

Hua Qing smiled and tore a piece of his clothes to dress Cancan’s wounds. Cancan stopped him, saying, "Wait, let me turn back into a human before you dress my wounds."

Smiling, Hua Qing watched as Cancan transformed back into the serene woman and cared for her wounds. Cancan grimaced but proudly said, "Hua Qing, do you know? I’m very talented. I’ve been studying hard and even used magic on him earlier."

Hua Qing raised an eyebrow, "I thought you were biting him."

Cancan thought to herself, "I bit him and even hit him. Aren’t I strong? I didn’t know what I was silently saying just now, then suddenly I was able to use magic. When he grabbed my neck, I scratched his hand and he threw me against the wall. He didn’t show any mercy at all. I look exactly like Xian Yue, but he didn’t care and wanted to beat me up until I was all bruised."

Hua Qing unexpectedly smiled, as he rarely did, and Cancan, upon seeing it, blushed with delight.

Hua Yun, upon seeing this, cleared his throat and said, "I’ll go out and check again." He seemed unable to shake off the tragedy of not being able to resist the Demon Lord’s attack.

Big Green stood up and said, "I’ll go with you." Seeing Hua Yun looking at him intently, he sincerely added, "If we encounter that Demon Lord again, I can still pass on messages, right? It’s not safe for anyone to be alone!"

Hua Yun didn’t say anything and walked out, with Big Green following behind him.

Hua Qing noticed a scratch on Cancan’s face and gently touched it. Cancan felt Hua Qing’s cold hand and asked, "Hua Qing, are you feeling cold?"

Hua Qing shook his head, "No, I’m always like this."

Cancan sighed in relief, "Hua Qing, take care of yourself! But I think you’re right; I should learn magic properly so I can protect myself from bad people. I was really scared when the Demon Lord appeared earlier, but I pretended not to be afraid. I know you’ll come back." Cancan looked up with her trustful eyes.

Hua Qing stared at Cancan’s expression, noticing the bruises on her face and bandages on her arms. Yet, seeing her like that, he felt his heart beat a little faster. He quickly stood up, "Alright, take care of yourself, I’ll go out and take a look."

He felt more and more like his breathing was unsteady.

Cancan tilted his head and asked, "What’s wrong with you? But I feel very relieved when you go out."

Hua Qing turned around and asked, "Why?"

Cancan scratched his head and said, "Because I feel like the big Demon Lord can’t beat you. Before you came back, the Demon Lord was very powerful, easily beating Hua Yun the Immortal and Brother Wolf. He was tough on me too, but as soon as you returned, I felt his strength weaken. So he definitely can’t beat you, that’s why I feel relieved."

Hua Qing stood still, silently watching Cancan, and asked again, "Are you sure?"

Cancan stood tall and said, "Of course! I’m telling the truth. I don’t know why, but I suddenly felt powerful, like I could fight him a few rounds. I’m even stronger than Hua Yun the Immortal, so amazing!"

After thinking for a moment, Cancan said, "When he first came in, he was just a black shadow, but even so, I recognized him at once, he is Demon Lord Mo Yuan, I’m the best!"

Saying this, Cancan felt proud, but seeing Hua Qing’s expression turn darker.

Cancan was puzzled and asked, "Is there something wrong?"

Hua Qing stayed silent for a moment, then went outside to look at the sky, with Cancan following him, not sure what was happening.

Hua Qing looked at the rain in the sky, reached out his hand to catch it. Cancan peeked over and saw that it was black. She gasped, feeling confused.

Hua Qing’s expression changed again, making Cancan think she had done something wrong. She asked nervously, "Did I do something bad?"

Hua Qing shook his head, "Of course not!" He bit his finger, and a drop of blood fell, disappearing in mid-air, creating a puff of smoke.

Confused, Cancan indicated that she didn’t understand. Hua Qing immediately used his mind to call back Hua Yun.

Hua Yun and Big Green hurried back, looking puzzled.

Hua Qing said, "Were you defeated by Mo Yuan in just one move earlier?"

Hua Yun felt ashamed but nodded, "I need more practice."

Hua Qing said seriously, "I think we were tricked." After a moment of thought, he continued, "It was Cancan’s accidental remark earlier that made me realize. She mentioned that there were noticeable differences when Mo Yuan faced you and me. In fact, our skills wouldn’t have such a big gap, and at the same time, Cancan couldn’t have suddenly become so powerful to master several spells at once, even using ice magic to injure Mo Yuan. These things could never have happened."

The others all said they didn’t understand.

"I just did two tests. One was to check the rain, which was rootless and black; the other was to cut my hand, but instead of blood falling, it was absorbed in midair. This shows…"

Hua Yun suddenly understood, "It’s an illusion."

Hua Qing nodded, "Even though I don’t know where the mistake happened, what triggered it, there must be a trigger. This trigger led us not to the real Shadowless City, but to the illusion set by Mo Yuan. Because Cancan is a demon, her power was enhanced in a critical moment; and you are an immortal, so your true energy was suppressed and you couldn’t perform well. That’s why you were defeated by Mo Yuan in one move."

Hearing this, Cancan was puzzled and asked, "Then why didn’t you have any problems? Aren’t you an immortal too?"

Hua Qing admitted, "It’s because I have the Guide Bell on me, so I’m not affected by the illusion at all. That’s also why you felt Mo Yuan’s strength fluctuating wildly."

Cancan felt proud of herself thinking she gave a useful clue. But then she hesitated and asked, "So, did I actually learn those spells… or did I not learn them at all?"

Hua Qing nodded, "In theory, that’s the case. But it’s also possible that you really did learn them. However, that possibility is very low." This shows Hua Qing’s understanding of Cancan’s true abilities.

Cancan felt her life was turning dark.

Hua Qing kindly said, "You don’t need to feel too upset, this indirectly shows that if you study hard, you can learn."

Cancan nodded with her head hanging down.

Hua Yun asked, "Brother, how should we break this barrier?" Little did they know, they had entered Mo Yuan’s barrier without realizing it.

Hua Qing used his own blood to draw symbols, Cancan felt a bit sad seeing his indifferent expression, but she quietly watched as he completed the spell and quickly set up a formation before leaving.

Cancan and the others stood aside, watching as Hua Qing’s Icebreaker Sword continuously pierced the symbols in the air. The symbols kept making a deafening sound. Cancan was a bit scared, she covered her ears and hid behind Big Green. Big Green’s eyes flashed, then he patted Cancan, saying, "Don’t worry. We will get out of this illusion."

Cancan raised her head, "I’m not worried about that, I believe in Hua Qing. I’m just worried… he might lose too much blood and die."

Big Green snorted, while Hua Yun twitched his mouth while looking at her.

Cancan continued to worryingly watch Hua Qing.

Just as Hua Qing pierced the final symbol, the sky suddenly cleared up. Cancan looked up, the sunshine was bright, the sky was cloudless for miles. She looked at the sky, then at herself, feeling a huge impact.

Seeing Hua Qing walking over, Cancan immediately ran to him and asked, "Are you okay?"

Hua Qing gently patted Cancan’s head and said, "I’m fine." It turns out the sudden palpitation he had just experienced was completely due to the influence of the illusion, and Hua Qing felt relieved.

"So, are we heading to the real Shadowless City now?" Big Green asked.

Hua Qing nodded, "Yes, although it may be too late."

The group quickly departed and soon arrived at the real Shadowless City. Upon reaching the city, they found it in ruins, with the Qilian Mountain group they had encountered before lying in pools of blood upon the wreckage.

Cancan hurried forward and checked for a pulse, saying, "Hurry, Yu Xiu is not dead yet."

Hua Qing raised an eyebrow, "The illusion began when we met Yu Xiu."