Chapter 34: The Truth of Peace Blossom Town

"Gu Xu, I've taken care of all the ghosts in this neighborhood!"

Ma Qin forcefully dispelled the jumbled thoughts in his mind and walked confidently toward the location where Gu Xu was.

He felt that he was no longer a good-for-nothing who only relied on Gu Xu's support. Even if he didn't shine as brightly as Gu Xu, his solid swordsmanship should leave a good impression on the important figure from the capital.

"Well done, Ma Qin!" Gu Xu turned his head, smiled, and gave Ma Qin a thumbs-up. "Let's move on to the next neighborhood!"

Ma Qin's expression froze instantly.

He had hoped to catch his breath during this opportunity!

However, Ma Qin was a person who cared about his reputation. He thought it would be very embarrassing to admit exhaustion in front of Gu Xu, considering he was a Second Realm cultivator.

So, he nodded, made an effort to appear energetic, and prepared to continue walking along the riverside path with Gu Xu.

After a few steps, they heard the distant temple chiming with a melodious and continuous sound of bells.

A black-covered boat drifted slowly on the river while the boatman sang a lively fishing song, rowing with his pole.

A group of children, wearing only shorts and bare-chested, happily took turns jumping into the water to play.

An old woman started arguing with a vegetable vendor because the price of greens suddenly increased.

"Gu Xu, have you noticed that the surroundings look somewhat familiar?" Ma Qin hesitated for a few seconds before speaking to Gu Xu.

"More than just 'familiar'," Gu Xu replied calmly, "It's almost identical to the scenes we encountered before."

As soon as he finished speaking, a waiter from a nearby restaurant ran up to them, staring straight at Gu Xu with eager enthusiasm. "Sir, have you had a meal? Our restaurant serves the best wine and braised pork on the whole street. All the customers who have been here praise the delicious taste..."

Ma Qin stared at the waiter, wearing a bewildered expression.

Gu Xu ignored the waiter and teasingly said to Ma Qin, "Look, Ma Qin, this waiter is inviting us again to that restaurant that specializes in selling offerings for the deceased."

"But... but this waiter was dead just now," Ma Qin stammered.

Because he distinctly remembered that all the ghostly staff in that restaurant had been completely vanquished by Gu Xu's "Supreme Northern Pole Demon-Slaying Ghost-Killing Talisman"

Could it be that the ghosts in Peace Blossom Town were different from those in other places? Could they resurrect even if reduced to ashes?

That sounded too far-fetched!

"He was indeed dead," Gu Xu said calmly, "but Peace Blossom Town itself is not a real place. Here, everything beyond common sense is possible, such as the cyclic flow of time and the infinite resetting and refreshing of ghosts."

"Not a real place? What do you mean?" Ma Qin clearly didn't understand what he was saying.

But Gu Xu didn't explain immediately. Instead, he asked, "Ma Qin, do you remember the mantra inscribed on the jade pendant given to you by Lord Chu?"

Ma Qin thought for a moment and answered, "'All appearances are illusions..' If I recall correctly, it should be that."

"I have long thought that the important figures in the capital wouldn't carve meaningless words on this jade symbol," Gu Xu paused for a moment and continued, "Ma Qin, in my opinion, this phrase is not only the mantra to enter the illusory realm but also a crucial hint to help us pass the assessment."

"A hint?"

A glimmer of inspiration flashed through Ma Qin's mind.

But just as he tried to grasp that thread of insight, he felt his thoughts become chaotic and couldn't make sense of them at all.

Seemingly aware of Ma Qin's confusion, Gu Xu smiled gently and explained, "Since I entered Peace Blossom Town, I have been observing every detail of the surroundings.

"I noticed that during the half-hour, we stayed in Peace Blossom Town, neither the position of the sun in the sky nor the shadows of the trees on the ground changed at all.

"But in the real world, the sun climbs higher as time passes, and the shadows of trees become shorter. Obviously, the passage of time in Peace Blossom Town is abnormal."

"You actually pay attention to these details!" Ma Qin was amazed.

After entering Peace Blossom Town, his mind was filled with thoughts of "killing ghosts, killing ghosts, killing ghosts." How could he care about the length of tree shadows, which seemed trivial and insignificant?

"My colleagues praise me as the most detail-oriented man in the Yishui Exorcism Bureau," Gu Xu chuckled modestly. "Once I've seen something, I can't forget it... It can be a bit of a nuisance!"

Seeing Gu Xu's calm expression, Ma Qin suddenly had the urge to punch him in the handsome face.

He struggled to control his emotions, repeatedly telling himself, "I, Ma Qin, am a magnanimous person who doesn't care about these small matters," and then continued to ask, "But Gu Xu, I don't care whether this world is real or not, or what secrets Peace Blossom Town hides—I just want to complete the mission quickly and leave this place.

"However, if the ghosts here keep resurrecting, then it seems impossible for us to complete the mission of 'killing all the ghosts in the illusory realm' in our lifetime, right?"

"No," Gu Xu gently shook his head, "I believe the important figures in the Exorcism Bureau wouldn't deliberately toy with us. Perhaps the ghosts that Lord Chu wants us to eliminate are not these residents, but Peace Blossom Town itself."

"What do you mean by that?" Ma Qin squinted his eyes.

Gu Xu explained, "Just now, I used the 'Six Coin Divination' to perform a divination and obtained the hexagram of 'Heaven and Earth Negation.' This means that Peace Blossom Town is a world isolated from the outside in terms of time and space.

"Furthermore, since entering Peace Blossom Town, I've always felt that this place is unrealistically beautiful. Now I know the reason— even with my powers of observation and memory, I can't remember the faces of every person here. The impressions they leave in my mind are all blurry.

"Ma Qin, let me ask you a question: When you dream, can you clearly see the faces of people in your dreams?"

Ma Qin pondered for a moment and nodded, "Indeed, I can't see them clearly."

"So, Ma Qin, we are actually in a dream right now!" Gu Xu smiled and continued, "The so-called Peace Blossom Town in the world is nothing more than an ethereal dream."

As soon as he finished speaking, a thunderous roar echoed through Peace Blossom Town.