Part 2
The face was small, but the features were exquisite. His eyes were round. When he looked up at Yun Wuxiang, he strongly resembled the little black cat Song Yilou had turned into before. He called out obediently and softly, “Temple Master.”
Scanning the five small moles on the child’s face and the faint demonic energy on his body, the identity of this Song Yilou was self-evident.
“You are Song Yilou’s Heart Demon?”
The mini-Song Yilou nodded. “Temple Master, don’t worry. I will work hard to kill him. We are the true kin!”
Yun Wuxiang: “…” It really was Song Yilou. How did Song Yilou manage to make even his Heart Demon a clone of himself? Where was the difference between the Heart Demon and the main body? Height and body size?
Immediately, the words Song Yilou had just spoken flashed through his mind: I wouldn’t be troubled by the past. And now, this appeared before him? That slap to the face came really fast.
Yun Wuxiang sized up this Heart Demon, then raised his hand to rest the blade against his neck, asking seriously, “Can a Heart Demon be killed by anyone other than the main body?”
“No. Heart Demons can only be killed by the main body. The Temple Master should be very clear on this.”
Mini-Song Yilou tilted his head, reaching out to grab Yun Wuxiang’s Daoist sleeve, looking completely obedient. “Temple Master, I’m much better behaved than him. More obedient. I’ll listen to whatever you say.”
“Look, I’m still so small. I won’t want to marry you. I don’t have those wicked thoughts that adults have. I just want to follow by your side.”
Little Song Yilou listed his advantages, his big eyes blinking as if saying pick me, pick me.
Yun Wuxiang remained unmoved. He looked down at the little boy under his sword. “If I go out now and refine the copper mirror, both of you will die together, right?”
Little Song Yilou’s expression instantly became very resentful. He cupped his face in his hands. “Temple Master really is cruel. Am I not cute like this? Why aren’t you soft-hearted at all?”
Yun Wuxiang looked down at this face from above. Cute was cute, but unfortunately, its owner was named Song Yilou.
“Don’t you know why yourself?”
“Fine. Dragged down by the main body. Sigh.” Little Song Yilou sighed. The ethereal sound of colliding mirror shards rang out again.
“Then I have no choice but to put the Temple Master in together.”
Within the illusory space, Little Song Yilou’s childish face revealed a gloomy, dark tone, like a ghost doll from a horror movie.
“Letting the Temple Master strike at the main body… the effect will surely be better than that other guy. Temple Master is a true genius, and he won’t be easily tricked by the main body.”
“If the main body is struck so hard he sees no hope of revenge and dies in the illusion, or is killed by the Temple Master, then the winner is me.”
After envisioning the future, Little Song Yilou began to consider reality. “Then I’ll have to think about how to survive the Temple Master’s hands.”
After thinking, his little face fell. “We’re done for. Doesn’t look like there’s much hope.”
Then, his eyes filled with malice. “If I can’t live, the main body shouldn’t dream of getting any benefits either. If we die, we die together.”
Yun Wuxiang’s vision blurred. When he opened his eyes again, his viewpoint was a head shorter than before, and his adult physique had turned into that of a thirteen or fourteen-year-old boy.
“Holy Son, please change your clothes.”
A woman wearing a silver headdress and clothes with a distinct Miao border style stood before him. In the tray she held lay a set of red clothes. Piled on the clothes were glittering silver ornamentsābracelets, necklaces, and many exquisite, beautiful small parts whose functions were unclear.
Yun Wuxiang glanced at the spider tattoo on her wrist, and the demonic energy around him condensed.
After killing his Heart Demon and fully recovering his memories, his strength had ascended another tier. He could forcefully break this layer of illusion.
Little Song Yilou’s childish voice rang out before he could act: ćTemple Master, this place is an illusion constructed from my main body’s past. He saw all of your past; don’t you want to see his? Dig out his weaknesses from inside, target him, mock him, step on his sore spots, and make every fragment of him unable to lift its head in front of you?ć
ćEven if you kill both of us, there are other Song Yilous. But what the Temple Master sees now in the past will be useful against every Song Yilou.ć
Yun Wuxiang paused.
Although he knew Song Yilou’s Heart Demon likely had no good intentions.
Staying in this illusion a little longer wouldn’t hurt. He could shatter it anytime anyway.
“Holy Son, please change your clothes,” the woman in the illusion said again, her tone exactly the same as before.
“Put it down. Get out,” Yun Wuxiang said coldly. He had no hobby of changing clothes in front of others.
The woman put down the clothes without objection and went outside to wait.
Yun Wuxiang glanced at the outfit, his gaze wandering over the pile of silver ornaments of unknown use.
How do you even wear this stuff?
Yun Wuxiang gave up the research after two seconds. Not wearing it. Why does an illusion need to be so comprehensive?
Yun Wuxiang looked around and began to examine the things in the room. Mn, dried spider corpses, centipede necklaces, snake bones. Summary: bugs, bugs, and all kinds of bugs.
Worthy of being the headquarters for playing with Gu poison. Very local flavor.
“…”
Unwilling to believe it, he flipped open a few more books. White. White. All blank.
Yun Wuxiang closed the book and let out a long breath.
Song Yilou, are you truly a complete and utter illiterate?!
This was a Heart Demon illusion woven from Song Yilou’s memories. The books being blank had only one explanation: Song Yilou had never read these books, or rather, he read them but didn’t retain them in his brain. Even digging through his memories and subconscious revealed not a trace.
What a guyādoesn’t even know his own family’s secret manuals. How did he refine those Gu of his?
Knock knock knock. The woman outside urged, “Holy Son, have you finished changing?”
As the voice fell, the clothes on Yun Wuxiang automatically switched to the Holy Son set.
ćI helped the Temple Master change~ć
Yun Wuxiang glanced at the jingling string of silver ornaments on his body. Just sayingāwhat advantage does this burden provide in combat?
Can’t read books? Then go look at people.
Yun Wuxiang followed the woman out. Along the way, there were people with poisonous insects hanging on them everywhere. Upon seeing the woman and Yun Wuxiang behind her, they all lowered their heads, and the poison Gu on their bodies also adopted a posture of submission.
“Lord Spider Envoy. Lord Holy Son.”
Yun Wuxiang noted the order of the titles and the sequence in which these people looked at the Spider Envoy before looking at him. He understood clearly: his status as Holy Son was high, but his strength seemingly couldn’t yet command the masses.
This was normal. What strength could a child have? At most, he was a potential stock with good talent.
Song Yilou had said he hated geniuses. The Heart Demon arranging this identity for him definitely had a purpose. Could this Holy Son be the genius Song Yilou hated in his childhood?
Interesting. He was now someone Song Yilou would hate.
Ignoring the passersby in the illusion, the Spider Envoy led Yun Wuxiang to a high platform built of bamboo and wood.
Below the high platform was a line of figures in thin, ragged clothesāmen and women, old and young.
The Spider Envoy asked, “What kind of Gu slave does the Holy Son want?”
Yun Wuxiang scanned the group of people below. He looked around but didn’t see Song Yilou.
Hm? He’s not in there? He thought he would run into Song Yilou the moment he stepped out.
Suddenly, Yun Wuxiang narrowed his eyes. Behind a certain tall individual, he spotted a blurry figure.
Found him.
The corners of Yun Wuxiang’s mouth ticked upward slightly. A look of playful mockery flashed through his eyes as he slowly spoke: “The shortest one.”
Soon, the shortest little speck was hauled in front of Yun Wuxiang.
The child, wearing the same face as the Heart Demon outside, looked at the Spider Envoy with confusion and fear. That expression almost made Yun Wuxiang doubt if he had the wrong person.
The Spider Envoy frowned upon seeing him. “Holy Son, this is the Toad Envoy’s son. Do you want to swap for another?”
“The Toad Envoy’s son?”
Yun Wuxiang looked nonchalantly at the fragile, little white flower-like Song Yilou before him. His eyelid twitched uncomfortably as he said, “Not swapping.”
Son of one of the Five Venom Envoys. Song Yilou was a second-generation poison master. But clearly, his mom had no intention of backing him up.
“If the Toad Envoy cared about this son, he wouldn’t be appearing here.”
The boy lowered his head, seeming very sad.
Yun Wuxiang pinched his chin, lifting his head, and saw a gloominess in the other’s eyes that he hadn’t had time to conceal.
Good. Right person.
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