Chapter 167 The Face Beneath the Mask
At some point, someone had blasted a hole straight through the courtyard wall where the younger Lian had been in seclusion.
A massive crack split the wall clean open.
It looked less like an explosion and more like someone had been bottling up centuries of rage before punching straight through solid stone.
Broken rocks littered the ground.
The smell of gunpowder scratched at my throat.
Several piles of fallen leaves had caught fire, flames leaping high into the air. Fortunately, Hua and I had arrived quickly, and the patrol guards had been throwing water around like their lives depended on it.
Now only thick black smoke remained, stubbornly choking the courtyard.
I narrowed my eyes and peeked inside.
The younger Lian stood alone in the center.
His back was straight.
Motionless.
For some reason, the sight looked unbearably lonely.
As for the grown-up Lian...
He had mysteriously vanished.
I immediately relaxed.
Thank heavens they hadn't run into each other.
If the two Lians had actually locked eyes in the same place, this illusion realm probably would have exploded on the spot.
Forget the timeline getting messed up.
Our souls would probably have been launched clean out of the Three Realms.
But then...
Who started the fire?
I hadn't even begun thinking about it when the voices of the three elders rang out from outside.
Calling everyone together.
And there was something off about their tone.
It sounded less like a meeting...
and more like a public trial.
My heart dropped.
Oh no.
I immediately followed Hua toward the gathering.
By the time we arrived, the three elders had already arranged themselves into formation.
The message was clear:
Today, Hua Xiang would be punished no matter what.
Everyone on our side knew what was happening.
Hua Xiang intended to confess voluntarily.
He wanted to push the timeline back onto its original track.
Unfortunately, illusion realms never cooperate when you need them to.
The closer you get to the critical moment, the more stubborn they become.
And sure enough—
The moment Hua Xiang stepped forward—
the younger Lian moved first.
One hand rested on his sword.
His gaze was so cold it could freeze frost into blades.
“Hua Xiang.”
“I already told you.”
“You are not allowed to admit guilt.”
The three elders immediately darkened.
“Young Master, you must not interfere in this matter!”
The younger Lian couldn't have cared less who they were.
He stepped forward.
“If he confesses, it's because you forced him to.”
Looking at him standing there, furious enough to explode at any second, even my heart tightened.
But Hua Xiang seemed to have prepared for this long ago.
Gently—
he pressed down the hand gripping the sword.
His voice was calm.
Gentle.
Yet carried a certainty nobody could argue against.
“Young Master.”
“This matter began because of me.”
“It cannot be delayed.”
“The theft within the cult falls under my responsibility alone.”
“As does Liu's involvement.”
“It has nothing to do with you.”
The younger Lian froze.
As though someone had shoved him off a cliff.
“If you admit it...”
His voice trembled.
“You'll never be able to come back.”
A faint smile appeared on Hua Xiang's lips.
But it carried the taste of farewell.
“There is no need for me to return.”
The moment the elders saw him relent, they immediately pressed forward.
“Hua Xiang neglected his duties as Protector.”
“According to the rules, his cultivation must be abolished!”
A flash of fire erupted in the younger Lian's eyes.
“Who dares touch him?”
The atmosphere in the courtyard instantly sank.
My head filled with nothing but:
We're doomed. We're doomed. We're doomed.
Without thinking, I rushed forward to stop them.
I had barely taken a single step—
when a gust of force wrapped around me and dragged me backward three full paces.
I spun around.
And froze.
It was the present-day Lian.
A white cloth covered most of his face.
Only his eyes remained visible.
His aura was cold enough to make snow seem warm.
Completely different from the younger Lian.
Everyone was startled.
Yet nobody considered the possibility that they were the same person.
Only I knew the truth.
Lian was dancing on a knife's edge again.
One mistake and everything would be exposed.
Hua immediately grabbed my sleeve and yanked me backward.
“Little Gonggong.”
“Stop making things worse.”
The courtyard remained locked in a standoff.
Then—
Hua Xiang lowered his eyes.
As though he had finally made an impossible decision.
What was he afraid of?
He feared that if things dragged on any longer—
both versions of Lian would become involved.
The illusion would collapse.
The timeline would become even more chaotic.
And then nobody could be saved.
So—
he took a deep breath.
And placed a hand against his chest.
“HUA XIANG—!!!”
It was the first time I had ever heard the younger Lian lose control like that.
Too late.
BOOM.
A dull impact echoed through the courtyard.
The energy inside Hua Xiang instantly collapsed.
He had destroyed his own cultivation.
For a moment—
nobody spoke.
The entire courtyard fell silent.
The three elders had never expected him to shatter his own meridians.
The younger Lian's eyes widened.
Instantly bloodshot.
Hatred practically burst out of him.
“You forced him this far...”
“And you still expect to leave alive?”
His sword flashed from its sheath.
Cold light spread like frost.
The three elders nearly jumped out of their skins.
They hurriedly formed a defensive formation.
Present-day Lian moved.
Hua moved.
Both prepared to intervene—
And then—
a figure slowly approached from outside the courtyard.
His pace was neither fast nor slow.
Yet every step felt like it landed directly on everyone's heart.
We all turned toward the sound.
And saw—
Feng Yu.
The very same Feng Yu who had previously gone insane and declared war on innocent flowerbeds with a hoe.
Yet now—
his eyes were clear.
His expression calm.
More lucid than he had ever been.
He ignored everyone else.
Walking straight toward the younger Lian's sword.
Closer.
Closer.
Until the blade's tip was less than a foot away.
“Young Master.”
His voice was low.
The younger Lian's entire body stiffened.
Feng Yu raised his eyes.
His tone was quiet.
Hypnotic.
“Is it worth it?”
The courtyard became deathly silent.
Feng Yu continued.
His voice was rough.
Soft.
Every word sounded like a cry.
“Hua Xiang...”
“Is he really worth this?”
The question seemed to strike everyone at once.
Ironically—
the first person unable to endure it was Hua Xiang.
His body swayed.
As though he might collapse.
Yet in the next moment—
he forced himself upright by gripping his sword.
Then stepped forward.
Shielding Lian.
“Who... are you?”
His voice was hoarse.
His breathing chaotic.
Yet he still placed himself between Feng Yu and Lian.
Feng Yu stared at him.
One breath.
Then another.
And suddenly—
he threw back his head and laughed.
Like a madman.
The laughter didn't sound joyful.
It sounded like weeping.
It echoed throughout the courtyard.
Sending chills down my spine.
“Hahahahahahahaha—!”
He laughed until he doubled over.
As though he intended to split his organs apart.
“And you're still protecting him?”
He suddenly pointed at Hua Xiang.
As though pointing at the world's greatest joke.
“Idiot!”
“Idiot!”
“The biggest idiot under heaven!”
I was completely dumbfounded.
Even Hua's brow furrowed hard enough to squeeze water from stone.
Present-day Lian had quietly placed a hand on his sword.
The younger Lian's blade trembled.
As though one more insane sentence would result in Feng Yu being sliced into decorative pieces.
And just as Feng Yu's laughter reached its peak—
the illusion suddenly trembled.
Like a stone dropped into a still lake.
At first—
just a ripple.
Then—
the entire hall.
Everyone's shadows.
The pillars.
The lanterns.
Everything began to distort like water.
Then collapse.
“Watch out!” I shouted.
Nobody had time to answer.
Feng Yu's laughter fractured with the shaking.
Breaking apart.
Scattering into the wind.
I stared at him in horror.
And in the instant the illusion tore open—
I saw it clearly.
Absolutely clearly.
He reached up to his own face.
And peeled something off.
Like tearing away a mask.
Slap.
The face beneath—
looked like another face I knew far too well.
My heart sank.
But the illusion collapsed too quickly.
I didn't even have time to confirm what I'd seen.
The world went black.
Instantly.
As though someone had yanked me out of a dream.
When I opened my eyes again—
a bird chirped nearby.
The wind swept cleanly past my ears.
The scent of pine and mountain air filled my lungs.
I sat up.
And discovered I was lying on a grassy cliffside.
Clouds drifted through the valleys.
The mountains were bright.
The waters clear.
Nothing about this place resembled the Blood Lotus Cult.
The younger Lian was gone.
Hua Xiang was gone.
The elders were gone.
I sat there blankly for quite a while.
Then Hua's voice came from nearby.
“You're awake?”
I nearly launched myself into orbit.
“H-Hua?!”
He was dusting dirt off his clothes.
Looking as though he'd just woken from a pleasant afternoon nap.
I looked farther.
Lian was standing nearby.
His expression was dark enough to drip water.
Not far from him—
someone was sprawled on the ground.
Mu Cangli.
His eyes were still unfocused.
Like someone who had just woken up.
But the crazed look was gone.
I quickly scanned the area.
Feng Yu was nowhere to be seen.
Gone.
Completely vanished.
The mountain wind blew across the cliff.
And somehow made everything feel colder.
I swallowed.
“You guys...”
“Did you see it too?”
“Feng Yu...”
“Did he tear something off his face?”
“That face... was it—”
Before I could finish—
Lian suddenly looked up.
His face was dark.
Like frost accumulated over an entire night.
Yet his eyes were colder still.
Sharp enough to cut bone.
“...It was Hua Xiang.”
“That face.”
“It was Hua Xiang's.”
My heart slammed against my ribs.
Hard.