"What are you doing!"
Ji Qingpei had just sheathed his sword, but he quickly drew it out again, glaring fiercely at Pei Chiyao. It was as if he would chop off Pei Chiyao's head with his blade if Pei Chiyao tightened his grip on the white fox even a little more. His face was filled with an almost overwhelming sense of protectiveness.
Zhi Yao also hurriedly said, "Pei Chiyao, don't be so fierce."
Seeing this, Pei Chiyao finally loosened his grip, and the fox immediately fell onto Zhi Yao's soft chest, with a sensation as light and fluffy as cotton. The white fox squinted its eyes, instinctively nuzzling its cheek against that softness, and remarked with relish, "So comfortable, Master... Fragrant and soft... I love it."
In an instant, Pei Chiyao's face darkened even further.
Fearing that Pei Chiyao would get angry, Zhi Yao quickly scooped up the little fox before Pei Chiyao could act. She raised a finger and gently tapped the little fox's head, asking, "May I?"
The white fox knew what Zhi Yao intended to do and nodded, saying, "Yes, please read my memories, Master."
Zhi Yao narrowed her eyes slightly, and spiritual energy instantly gathered at the tip of her finger. However, three seconds later, Zhi Yao opened her eyes, revealing a bewildered look in her golden irises.
How could this be...
"There's nothing?" She looked down at the white fox in her arms. "Why is there nothing?"
"How is that possible?" The white fox also seemed surprised. "It can't be, Master! Let me return to your consciousness!"
As the white fox was about to act, Ji Qingpei grabbed it and said, "No! Even if you go back, she won't be able to retrieve your memories."
"Why?" The white fox looked at Ji Qingpei in confusion.
"The spiritual energy in this illusion is becoming increasingly rarefied. It can't sustain you or me anymore. I think... it's because you and I are gradually dissipating, so the memory fragments of what happened in the past can no longer be preserved."
To put it simply, the white fox before them was more like a recorder left behind by Zhi Yao before she fell into a coma, or a collection of memory fragments.
To prevent her from waking up without knowing or understanding anything, Zhi Yao had intentionally left this behind.
Realizing this, Zhi Yao quickly withdrew her hand and asked the white fox, "Since I can't retrieve your memories, just tell me directly - who placed the seal on me?"
The white fox was about to blurt out the answer, but the words caught in her throat. "It was... who was it again...?"
She looked at Ji Qingpei in bewilderment. "Who was it? Why... why can't I remember?"
Ji Qingpei's expression suddenly changed. "Not good! The spiritual energy in the illusion is fading! If this continues, the two of us will disappear soon!"
Hearing this, Zhi Yao also became anxious. "How could this be? What should we do?"
She still hadn't figured everything out yet!
"It was... who was it..." The white fox weakly lay in Zhi Yao's arms, murmuring.
At the same time, a familiar figure flashed through Zhi Yao's mind.
He had held her in his arms, and then... placed a seal on her body.
But when Zhi Yao tried to see more clearly, her head suddenly felt an intense pain.
Pei Chiyao immediately noticed Zhi Yao's discomfort and gently massaged her temples, saying to her, "It's alright, don't force yourself to remember if you can't. I think there must still be clues left in this illusion. Let's keep looking."
He tenderly supported Zhi Yao as she stood up.
The white fox had fallen unconscious in Zhi Yao's arms.
"What's wrong with her?" Zhi Yao looked at the sleeping white fox in her arms, feeling anxious.
Ji Qingpei also felt his body growing weaker, and he sensed something amiss. "Something's not right... Something's not right! The spiritual energy in the illusion wouldn't dissipate this quickly! Someone must be deliberately sabotaging the illusion! Where's the person who came here with you before?"
That person?
Ji Qingpei meant... Anthony?
Zhi Yao and Pei Chiyao exchanged a glance, then quickly headed out. But after taking just a step, Zhi Yao suddenly remembered something. "No, this place is quite far from Xuanling Town. By the time we get there, this illusion might have already disappeared."
Disappearing would mean they might never have a chance to enter it again. This was the closest Zhi Yao and Pei Chiyao had been to the truth, and they absolutely couldn't give up now.
Just as Zhi Yao was at a loss, Ji Qingpei suddenly spoke up, "I can take you there."
He raised his hand and waved it forcefully. In the blink of an eye, Zhi Yao felt the surrounding space and time seemed to distort. But in just a moment, they found themselves at the entrance of the Ji Family Mansion.
Ji Qingpei explained, "Everything here is formed by spiritual energy. Similarly, by using spiritual energy, I can take you to any place in this illusion."
"Thank you."
Zhi Yao nodded at Ji Qingpei, then quickly pulled Pei Chiyao into the Ji Family Mansion. As soon as they entered, the two noticed something unusual.
Especially in the study room - books were scattered all over the floor, and there was no telling what Anthony had been doing in there.
"Anthony, are you here?"
There was no response from inside.
With no choice, Zhi Yao had to go further in. The deeper they went, the more they realized that the once well-organized study room had practically turned into a dump.
Books were damaged everywhere.
Soon, they saw Anthony.
He was rummaging through everything, his demeanor betraying a hint of madness. "Where is it? Where is it? Where is that Demon-catching Secret Manual?"
"Spiritual energy! I need spiritual energy!"
Zhi Yao was stunned, staring at Anthony's frenzied state, unable to speak for a long time.
However, Pei Chiyao curved his lips into a slight smile. "So, this is his aim."
Anthony must have had some scheme in mind when he came back here. Although it was Pei Chiyao who had bound him to this place, this man had been guiding Pei Chiyao to remove Zhi Yao's seal from the very beginning.
Wasn't there a saying?
High-level hunters often appear in the form of their prey.
Anthony himself could not touch anything in the illusory realm, but because of Ji Qingpei and Zhi Yao, he could now touch things.
Perhaps Anthony knew this from the beginning. He knew that Zhi Yao had some connection with Xuanling Town, so he wanted to lure Zhi Yao back to Xuanling Town. Unexpectedly, he actually succeeded in doing so by chance.
