Bamboo Chest Chapter Forty-Eight: What Lies Within the Heart

"Ciling, don't be like this!"

Lu Yun quickly stepped aside, and Ciling lunged into empty air, her lips pouting in a aggrieved manner.

"Big brother, do you still dislike Ciling?"

Lu Yun hurriedly waved his hands, feeling it necessary to set things straight with this demonic girl whose innocence was as pure as a blank sheet of paper.

"Ciling, I certainly don't dislike you, but acting like this... for a man, it's far too intimate."

Ciling blinked her eyes and nodded thoughtfully.

Fearing that she still hadn't quite grasped it, Lu Yun explained further, "Of course, there's nothing wrong with Ciling wanting to express joy, but there's no need to do it this way. When you meet a man you fancy in the future..."

Before Lu Yun could finish, Ciling obediently said, "I understand, big brother!"

You'd better really understand...

Lu Yun thought with helpless resignation. Knowing he shouldn't say too much more, he changed the subject and asked, "Ciling, after your memories returned, did you notice anything unusual?"

Ciling nodded. "I saw three other people."

Lu Yun asked, "Were they the three you mentioned—one who calls himself the Old Man of Baiyuan, one monarch, and another man wearing a scholar's robe?"

"Yes! The last one even smiled at me and said it was only right, as if he had woken up too."

Ciling added, "There was also another person who suddenly had a sword beside him. It wasn't there the first time I saw him."

The Monarch's Sword?!

...

Within the imperial palace of Qianjing City, Yuan Mo stepped out of the magnificent Jinluan Palace, a brand-new long sword materializing in his hand.

A crazed old man appeared beside Yuan Mo, murmuring, "In a great dream, who awakens first? It is fate, and time!"

"Do you think he can win?"

Yuan Mo—or rather, the remnant soul of the monarch playing the role of Yuan Mo within this illusion—asked, "With the three of us, plus this Monarch's Sword, we can't defeat just one person?"

The crazed old man did not answer, instead bursting into wild laughter.

"Even a hundred of us couldn't fight a single Ascendant Realm cultivator."

The voice of a youth in a scholar's robe emerged behind Yuan Mo, smiling faintly as he gazed at the back of the sword-wielding monarch.

"I am quite curious. Your memories should have mostly returned by now. What does it feel like to be the most noble emperor in the Wilderness World?"

Yuan Mo fell silent for a moment before turning to lock eyes with the scholar, the corners of his mouth curling upward.

"Exhilarating."

"Then do you dare to play a game? A single move to decide victory and defeat?"

The scholar waved his sleeve grandly. "If we lose, there might still be a chance to leave. If we win, we rid ourselves of the future torment of the Scribe of the Pen, Wuming. Do you not wish to leave this Nine-Lamp Disk and make this great dream reality?"

The monarch gazed down at the sword in his hand and nodded.

"Very well."

The scholar then looked toward the crazed old man and smiled, "To know the past and the future, yet remain lost in the present—it must be agonizing, no? Would you like to see that young man's answer?"

The crazed old man stumbled over to stand before the scholar, slowly raising his head.

The old man's eyes were exceptionally bright now, resembling a pool of clear spring water.

"Can he... give me an answer?"

With his hands clasped behind his back, the scholar replied calmly, "Without trying, you will never know the answer."

The old man looked somewhat dazed before nodding as well. "I agree to it too."

...

Outside the chessboard, the Scribe of the Pen wore a face of ashen fury.

He knew it!

These four had harbored resentment toward him for a long time; given the slightest opportunity, they were bound to try something!

Beside him, Bai Ze suddenly uttered a soft exclamation and looked toward the old blind man.

"Well? Shall we give that little fellow a reminder?"

The old blind man shook his head. "If he cannot even clear this trial, then he is not fit to be my disciple, nor is he fit to go to that impending, crumbling grotto-heaven. And reviving his sister will remain nothing more than a distant hope."

...

The sky was just beginning to grow light, and the streets of Qianjing City were still mostly empty.

Lu Yun walked through the deserted streets with Song Lian.

"Sir, are we... truly going to make a move against that person?"

Song Lian hesitated. Having not yet recovered his memories, in his heart, the man upon the throne still represented absolute dominion.

"I am already weary."

Lu Yun had no wish to waste time lingering in this illusion. At this point, the Scribe of the Pen had withdrawn from the board, and finding the other three was his only chance to escape.

Furthermore, judging by Ciling's words, it seemed one of those three had already awakened.

The crazed old man possessed the ability to drag others into illusions, and the monarch—playing Yuan Mo within the illusion—now possessed the Monarch's Sword.

Neither was easy to deal with, but Lu Yun was currently in the Ascendant Realm.

With the power of the Ascendant Realm, none of these obstacles mattered anymore.

Since the Scribe of the Pen—the one who doubted him most in this world—was no longer around, his Ascendant Realm status here was as real as it could possibly get.

"Brother Lu!"

Suddenly, a familiar voice echoed behind Lu Yun. Startled, Lu Yun turned around and saw An Luo.

An Luo was clad in the unique black dragon-patterned robe of a different-surnamed prince, his eyes revealing a mature composure and a faint hint of majesty.

Seeing Lu Yun turn back, An Luo waved and smiled, "I've been waiting for you in Qianjing City for a long time! Let's go drink!"

Lu Yun stared at the carefree, smiling An Luo, feeling momentarily dazed.

"Strike!"

Suddenly, a booming shout rang out. Lu Yun snapped back to reality instantly, but it was already too late.

The Bright Moon phenomenon instinctively unfolded, mostly blocked by Yuan Mo using the Monarch's Sword.

The scholar in robes raised his hand, his sleeves sweeping away the remaining wisps of fine sword qi.

Both of their expressions turned somewhat grim. Blocking an instinctive strike from an Ascendant Realm cultivator, even with an immortal weapon, was an immense struggle.

"As expected, in his memories, this person still carries some weight. Though it was only for a moment, it was enough for Old Man Baiyuan to cast the Heart-Inquiring Illusion."

The scholar looked back at the crazed old man behind him.

The old man who called himself the Old Man of Baiyuan was currently sitting cross-legged, lost in deep meditation.

...

Still within Qianjing City, Lu Yun looked at the dazed Song Lian beside him without saying a word.

"Kill! Kill him!"

The sound of a massive army erupted from behind. In an instant, the entire Qianjing City transformed into ruins, the flames of war engulfing the entire city as the mournful cries of countless souls echoed in a tragic chorus.

Lu Yun remained utterly unmoved.

If this was the extent of the illusion they had painstakingly constructed, then he was nothing short of disappointed.

With a flash before his eyes, Lu Yun and Song Lian arrived inside the imperial palace. The magnificent Jinluan Palace was now reduced to broken walls and utter ruin.

An Luo knelt before Yuan Mo, crying out loudly, "Farewell to Your Majesty!"

"Tiresome."

Lu Yun turned to leave, but the scene before his eyes shifted once again.

Lu Yun paused his steps for a brief moment before continuing forward.

This was Zhiwei City.

The city appeared exactly as it did in Lu Yun's memories. Passersby seemed entirely unaware of Lu Yun and Song Lian, even walking straight through their bodies as if they were ghosts.

Lu Yun's pace grew faster and faster, leaving Song Lian struggling to keep up behind him.

Puzzled, Song Lian panted for breath when Lu Yun finally came to a halt in front of a courtyard, asking, "Sir, where is this? Are we still trapped in an illusion?"

Hearing this, Lu Yun turned his head and looked at Song Lian.

After a long silence, he spoke: "Who are you?"