Ch. 553 - Brother, I Can Tell The Difference

Tick-tock...

Tick-tock, tick-tock...

A ray of sunlight penetrated through the sunny window, shining on the face of the short-haired young man who was sitting in a swivel chair.

The young man appeared to be about twenty years old. His facial features were regular, and he was wearing a commonly seen plain round-neck sweater. His expression was slightly dull, like a baby who had just woken up, with a blank look in his eyes.

On the desk in front of him, there was a twenty-seven-inch monitor that he had bought with his pocket money a few days ago. The mechanical keyboard in front of him was littered with snack crumbs and dust between the keys, and the four 'WASD' keys had been polished to a shiny finish by his frequent touch.

On a small alarm clock on the corner of the table, the hour hand and the minute hand pointed to "5" and "11" respectively, meaning that the current time was 4:55 pm.

After a long time, the young man finally woke up from his wandering state...

"What..."

Ye Anping exclaimed in surprise, then turned his head to look at the window next to the computer desk. Outside the window, the sky was blue with white clouds, and the radio tower, a landmark building in the city center, could be seen in the distance.

Memories so long forgotten that they had faded like water, emerged from the depths of his mind.

Ye Anping smiled self-deprecatingly for a moment. He had never thought that he would return here one day and that it would happen through Gu Yan's spirit illusion.

Presumably, this illusion spirit had already peeked into the deepest parts of his memory. 

However, since it was an illusion, everything he saw was fake.

Just keep that in mind.

In the game, Feng Yu Die entered this fantasy world without being mentally prepared in advance, so she was initially confused by the illusions she saw.

Finally, Xiao Tian gritted her teeth and tore open the wall of the illusion, rushed in, and told her that everything was fake. After that, in a fit of anger, Feng Yu Die simply and roughly used her spiritual energy to blow up the entire illusionary world and successfully escaped.

Thinking of this, Ye Anping hurriedly made a sword finger with his hand, mobilized the spiritual energy in his body, and prepared to imitate Feng Yu Die to break through the illusion and escape from it quickly.

However...

"..."

Nothing happened.

There was no sudden flash of spiritual light, no shockwave or explosion...

There was only the ticking sound of the alarm clock gears on the corner of the table, the humming sound of the fan in the desktop computer... and a short-haired young man who was sitting on the computer chair, waving his sword finger like an idiot.

Ye Anping's dark eyes showed a trace of fear, and he turned around, facing the full-length mirror placed next to the closet in the room.

In the clear mirror, a young man who felt unfamiliar was sitting on a computer chair. His pupils were filled with fear, but the corners of his mouth were raised like a crescent moon in a creepy smile.

Even Ye Anping was frightened by the unaware hideous smile on the face of the young man in the mirror. His body shivered, and he screamed instinctively. "Ah--!!!"

Clang—

Along with the sound of glass breaking, Ye Anping felt a sudden burning sensation on the back of his right hand. He turned around and realized that he had accidentally knocked over a cup of hot coffee from the corner of the table. 

"Hiss--"

Ye Anping frowned, gritted his teeth, and covered the back of his hand, looking back at the mirror.

The smile on the young man's face in the mirror had disappeared, and he had become normal.

He looked at the coffee spilled on the wooden floor and frowned. "This is troublesome..." 

If he remembered correctly, the longer he stayed in this virtual fantasy, the more real the illusion would be. He might be able to rely on willpower for a short time, but what about a day, a week, or a month later? 

Besides, he didn't have time to stay in the fantasy now. 

Although the flow of time in the fantasy was different from that outside, Mo Chi Ling was still waiting for him at this moment. Even if it was a short time, later it would not only be Mo Chi Ling, but even Xuanji, who was fighting with Yu Yan, would... 

Ye Anping closed his eyes, put away the bad thoughts, and calmed down, thinking about how to break the situation. 

"Huh—" 

If he would have even a little spiritual energy, it would be easy. But this body had never practiced cultivation, and he didn't know what he would encounter next. 

Gu Yu Yan's illusory world not only confused people's minds, but also destroyed a person's mind using the most vulnerable part of their heart.

As for what his most vulnerable side was?

Ye Anping himself had no idea. He always thought it was his little sister, but since the illusion constructed this scene, it meant that there was something he was even more afraid of.

He glanced at the computer screen, which displayed the main interface of 'Heavenly Sword Fantasy', a beautiful landscape of mountains and rivers. In the corner, Feng Yu Die and Gu Mingxin's spirit swords were crossed and inserted into the ground, and the sword tassels were swaying in the wind. In the center, there was a line of words "Press any key to enter the game".

Ye Anping suddenly remembered the first line of words in the game.

—[Immortal Heavenly Realm, the year 2105 of the Immortal Calendar... That day, the Hundred Lotus Sect was covered in blood. 

Under Wu You's bloody sword, the Patriarch's head fell to the ground, and his fifteen-year-old son became a delicacy for the dogs and beasts in the mountains...]

"Is this it?"

Ye Anping thought about it in silence and felt that it was not likely.

If the plot of the game could break his mind, he would have succumbed to his inner demons a long time ago and never even got around to building his foundation.

Right at this moment, a middle-aged woman's voice suddenly came from the bedroom door behind him. "Ye Ziqing! What's wrong? I just heard something break in the kitchen!"

"..."

Hearing this voice, Ye Anping's face showed confusion again, and he turned his head to look at the door.

A middle-aged woman with a strong mom hairstyle pushed the door open and saw Ye Anping sitting in the computer chair with broken glass and coffee scattered and spilled around his feet. With a helpless look, she walked up to him and squatted down to pick up the broken glass. "On holidays, you do nothing but play games at home. Why don't you go out for a walk and breathe some fresh air? If you sit here all day without exercising, you will be sick when you get old..." 

At this point, the middle-aged woman realized that her son was looking at her with a blank face. Confused, she stood up again, patting her son on the shoulder. "Ziqing, what's wrong with you? Did your games make you stupid?" 

"..." 

"Ziqing, don't scare me, what happened..." 

After being shaken several times, Ye Anping came back to his senses and looked up at the middle-aged woman in front of him. Although he knew that she was a figment of the illusion, he still couldn't bear to point it out or remove her hand. "Mom..."

"Are you okay? Your face is pale..."

"Mom..." Ye Anping was silent for a while, and replied softly, "Let me be alone for a while, okay?"

"Be alone for a while? Tell me if you have anything to say. What happened? You were unhappy when you came back just now, but suddenly... Are you possessed by something unclean? Why don't I take you to the Wenshu Temple next time to burn incense..."

Even her trait of believing in ghosts and gods could manifest in this illusion...

Ye Anping frowned deeper and deeper when he heard this. He finally understood what the illusion wanted him to witness, and he finally knew how to break it...

—Destroy the illusion by killing the middle-aged woman in front of him.

This was indeed worthy of the "demonic way".

Even if he knew that the mother in front of him was fake and was formed by the illusion, still...

It was not easy to make up his mind to attack her. How could he raise his sword and punch the mother who gave birth to him...

Ye Anping clenched his hands and bit his lips.

The middle-aged woman saw his uncomfortable look, and her face suddenly became more worried. "Are you feeling uncomfortable? Come on, I'll take you to the hospital! Did you play too many games? I saw a short video saying that some people died suddenly from playing games... Don't scare me..."

Hearing this, Ye Anping's heart suddenly felt a little stifled.

In the past, he always heard her say "games and such", blaming everything on "games", but now it seemed that she was just caring about him the way she thought was right.

Although this so-called right way was not right, the "care" was sincere.

"Mom..."

"Tell me."

"I..."

Ye Anping opened his mouth slightly, wanting to tell her about his time travel, but before he spoke, he remembered that he was talking to an illusion. Was he already trapped in the illusion?

He took a deep breath, his mood gradually calming down, and he answered in a cold voice. "Someone is still waiting for me..."

The middle-aged woman showed a puzzled look. "Waiting for you? Who is waiting for you?... What happened to you?"

"I..."

At this time, a stomping sound suddenly reached their ears.

Tap tap—

A girl with bloodied clothes and silver-white hair landed in the room. The moment she saw her, the middle-aged woman was so scared that she sat on the ground and exclaimed, "Whoa--!! Who are you?!"

"Ah?"

Feng Yu Die had a blank look on her face. She was also confused at the moment. 

Looking at the house full of objects she had never seen before, her eyes widened, but she soon remembered what she was here for.

After killing He Buqun with Gu Mingxin, she rushed to the forbidden area behind the Heavenly Demon Sect, wanting to help Ye Anping. However, when she arrived in front of the blood pool, she saw Mo Chi Ling panicking and pulling a huge blood ball tightly with a ribbon.

Seeing her coming, Mo Chi Ling hurriedly shouted. "Miss Feng!! Young Master Ye was swallowed by this blood ball!! Think of something quickly, I can't pull him out!!"

After taking a look, Xiao Tian hurriedly called her to rush into the blood that wrapped Ye Anping and pull him out.

Feng Yu Die didn't think about it at all at the time. She was only worried about Ye Anping in her heart and rushed in without saying a word.

As a result, the moment she touched the blood ball, she instantly came to this strange place.

Feng Yu Die shook her head, looked at the two people in front of her, and asked hurriedly, "Have you seen Ye Anping?"

The middle-aged woman was confused  "Who?!"

"It's… it's..."

Feng Yu Die was also very panicked. Although she had a clear image of Ye Anping in her mind, she hesitated for a long time and didn't know how to describe him. Finally, she simply shouted at the top of her voice, "Anping!!! Anping!! Do you hear me?!!!"

Then suddenly, Feng Yu Die's expression froze as she saw a painting on the wall that shocked her deeply.

Ye Anping followed her line of sight. On the wall beside the bed, there was a promotional picture of the game 'Heavenly Sword Fantasy', which showed Feng Yu Die holding a sword and Xiao Yunluo with a black stone sword behind her.

"Eh?" Feng Yu Die shrank her neck, frowned, and murmured uncertainly, "Isn't that... me?"

Looking at Feng Yu Die's silly look, Ye Anping didn't know why, but the heaviness in his heart dissipated. He nodded and smiled. "Yu Die, it's you..."

As soon as the word "Yu Die" came out, Feng Yu Die suddenly frowned, she instantly took out a short dagger from her storage bag and put it in front of Ye Anping's neck.

Whoosh—

The frightened middle-aged woman on the side saw the silver-haired girl suddenly taking out a short dagger and putting it at her son's neck. She was stunned for a moment and rushed over, but Feng Yu Die used her spiritual energy to hold her a foot away.

Ye Anping also quickly closed his mouth, pulled his head back, and gulped.

The slightly protruding Adam's apple slid up and down almost against the blade of the dagger.

"Gulp—"

Feng Yu Die looked at the short-haired young man with sharp eyes and asked, "Who told you to call me so intimately? The only man who can call me like this is Anping..."

Ye Anping was silent for a long time and looked at himself in the mirror. He felt happy and helpless at the same time. After a short silence, he asked back, "Why don't you ask me why I know your name first, but scold me for calling you so intimately instead?"

Feng Yu Die was stunned for a moment, and her eyes became more alert. She looked at him with her spiritual sense and found that he was really just a mortal. 

Then, she relaxed a little. "Yes, how do you know my name is Yu Die? Who are you? And what is this room? Where is Ye Anping? Why is the painting of me and Sister Xiao hanging on the wall? And the painting is so detailed..."

"Huh... Can you take the dagger away from my neck first?"

Feng Yu Die thought about it, took two steps back, and held the dagger in reverse.

At this time, the middle-aged woman next to him came forward and hugged Ye Anping, checked his neck for injuries, and then protected him behind her as she faced Feng Yu Die. "Who are you? How did you..." 

"Mom..." Ye Anping patted her shoulder, stood up from the computer chair, and smiled. "Mom, she is your daughter-in-law..."

? 

The middle-aged woman looked puzzled and asked in confusion, "Ziqing, what nonsense are you talking about... This..." 

She seemed a little confused about Feng Yu Die's sudden appearance in this room, not to mention that she took out a dagger, but then she rubbed her head and finally noticed that the silver-haired girl in the game poster on the wall looked almost exactly the same as the girl who just threatened her son with a dagger. It's safe to say that the real person was more beautiful than the one in the poster. 

Ye Anping looked at the confusion in her eyes, let out a small sigh, and considered his words before softly saying, "Mom, I can tell you the difference." 

"..."

"You are just a phantom created by this illusory world, and she is real... But it's really good to see you again after so many years."

"Ziqing, what are you talking about? I don't understand..."

Ye Anping did not continue to answer, but raised his hand to Feng Yu Die and said,

"Yu Die, pass on some of your spiritual energy to me..."

Feng Yu Die looked at the unknown young man in front of her. Although her eyes were still alert, at this moment, she felt that he seemed familiar, and there was a taste of Ye Anping in him.

She looked at the hand that Ye Anping stretched out, and after considering it for a while, she slowly raised her hand and reached out.

The two index fingers touched.

At the contact of the fingertips, a golden spiritual light appeared and then wrapped around Ye Anping's body, causing Feng Yu Die and the middle-aged woman in the room to cover their eyes.

After the golden light dissipated, a solemn young man replaced the short-haired young man who was slightly taller.

Ye Anping looked at himself in the mirror, then looked back at his "mother" who was terrified, and said with gentle eyes, "Mom, this is probably the last time I see you." 

"Who... are you?! My son..." 

Before he finished speaking, a golden light appeared from Ye Anping's hand and instantly enveloped the middle-aged woman. In the blink of an eye, her traces in this space completely disappeared. 

Boom— 

A muffled thunder sounded, and the clear sky outside the window was instantly covered by dark clouds. Raindrops fell, hitting the closed glass windows with a crackling sound. 

Ye Anping exhaled heavily, then looked back at Feng Yu Die who was standing there dumbfounded and had no idea what was going on. "Yu Die… thank you."

"Huh..."

Feng Yu Die still had some doubts that this Ye Anping was not fake, so she immediately used her spiritual sense to scan his body several times. However, this time at least, whether in appearance or spiritual energy, it was the familiar Ye Anping.

This spiritual sense check made Ye Anping's head hurt, but he was a little helpless.

So cautious at this time…

"Yu Die, stop scanning me, I'm real."

"Oh..." Feng Yu Die finally withdrew her spiritual sense, but she still didn't let down her guard. She looked around the room and asked, "Where is this? This painting... and this shiny thing..."

Feng Yu Die leaned toward the computer screen, squinted at the words on the screen, and read, "Heavenly Sword Fantasy? Press any key..."

"Can you understand it?"

"Just barely... um... um?"

Feng Yu Die was like a curious baby and suddenly noticed a color-covered book in the corner of the desk that also had her picture on it. It wasn't as pretty as the poster, but it looked a little shameless...

She reached out and picked it up, flipped it open, and then the hair on her head stood up straight.

"Huh?!!"

Ye Anping saw that she was holding a fan book of herself and Xiao Yunluo, and he rushed over to snatch the book away.

"Hiss– Don't mess things around here!"

"..."

Feng Yu Die shrank her neck, her cheeks slightly flushed, and whispered, "This is more detailed than the book that Sister Xiao gave me... It's also colored... And it's me and Sister Xiao..."

?

Ye Anping was speechless and looked at the book in his hand. There were still watery stains on the cover of the book from his youth and ignorance...

This illusionary world even restored this for him, really...

But, speaking of this.

Although it was a bit unexpected, if Feng Yu Die hadn't rushed in, he probably wouldn't have had any way to escape from this illusion.

"Yu Die, I owe you my life."

"Hmm?"

"Okay, I'll explain it to you later. Use the Spring Phase to blow up this space."

"Oh... Okay!!"

Feng Yu Die nodded, took a deep breath, and hurriedly made a seal with both hands. She mobilized the spiritual energy of the whole body and condensed a round golden ball in front of her chest.

Ye Anping looked at the room again. After pondering for a while, he raised his hand and pressed the "space" on the keyboard.

The main interface of the 'Heavenly Sword Fantasy' game on the display screen gradually zoomed in and out, and then a long reading bar appeared.

And just when the reading bar reached "100", the golden ball in Feng Yu Die's hand burst out with a golden light, swallowing up everything in this space.

Then, came a sharp tinnitus.

Buzz—!!

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