Chapter Sixty-Two: Illusions of Water and Moon (Part One)

Yi'er? Her image suddenly flashed in my mind, and I couldn't help but turn around. By the time my head started to turn, I remembered Hua Ying's warning, but it was too late.

A gust of wind blew against my face, and the surrounding darkness was replaced by a grey-yellow hue, which then shifted to another scene.

It was a desolate wilderness.

There were no flowers, no trees, no birds—only grey-yellow sand beneath my feet.

In the distance, it seemed like someone was crying. My curiosity got the better of me, and I followed the sound to find a little boy covered in dust and dirt.

"What's wrong? Tell me, did you get separated from your family?" I asked.

The little boy looked up at me, sniffled, and muttered in a disdainful tone, "What sister? You look about the same age as me…"

What nonsense was this child spouting? Annoyed, I reached out to pinch his cheek, but to my surprise, I couldn't reach him from this distance. Wait, had my arm gotten shorter?

No, it wasn't just my arm. Even my hand had become much smaller!

I hurriedly looked down at myself, and the sight made my heart sink. Oh no, how had I suddenly reverted to being a child?

As if that weren't enough, the boy, whom I couldn't reach, suddenly bit down hard on my hand. The pain was so intense that tears welled up in my eyes. I tried to shake him off while yelling at him to let go.

But my strength had diminished along with my body, and I couldn't muster any magic. Seeing the blood from his bite, I grew desperate and, without caring about his cleanliness, bit down on his shoulder out of childish anger.

I hadn't bitten for long before he let go, unable to bear the pain, and began to plead with me.

Once he let go, my jaw ached from the effort, so I released him and spat on the ground a few times.

"You little brat! That really hurt!" I complained, looking at the row of teeth marks on my hand with a mix of pain and anger. But seeing that he was also suffering from my bite, I felt a bit better.

"Hey! Why did you bite me?" I demanded.

His face turned red, and his previous defiance vanished, replaced by a shy, stammering reply, "Because my master said… if you like something, you should leave your mark on it, or someone else will take it away. I think… you're pretty."

"This is our first time meeting, right? You like me? Wait a minute, you're not trying to make me your possession, are you? What kind of nonsense has your master been teaching you?"

I couldn't help but feel indignant, thinking that this boy's knowledge must have come from his bad master. "I bet your master is an old, ugly, and wicked person, just like Hongyi—a heartless old monster."

He suddenly perked up and argued with me, "No, you can't talk about my master like that! Even if you're my wife, you can't! My master is great. If it weren't for her, I'd be dead."

What was this little guy thinking?

I continued my effort to make him see reason, "I'm not your wife, so stop calling me that! And if your master is so good, why did they leave you alone in this wilderness? You must have been tricked."

"No! My master left me here to train me, not to trick me! My master is really good, she…" He argued weakly, his voice hoarse, and then suddenly started coughing violently.

"Don't get worked up while you're talking. Are you thirsty? Wait, I have…" Almost instinctively, I reached for my waist and found a water flask. When did I start carrying this?

Never mind, no time to think about that now.

I untied the water flask from my waist and opened it, offering it to his mouth. He continued coughing for a while, then drank some water and finally calmed down.

"How do you feel? Do you want some more?" I asked.

He nodded shyly. "Sorry about your hand. I…"

I wasn't going to hold a grudge against a child, so I waved my hand dismissively, showing great magnanimity.

"Why are you still worried about that? I already bit you back, didn't I? But you mustn't bite others in the future. It's wrong to bite people. Your master taught you the wrong thing! Here, have some more water."

"Stop!" A voice shouted as a bright light struck the flask from my hand. The thirsty ground greedily absorbed the spilled water.

"Who's there?" I angrily scanned the surroundings, finally locking eyes on a suspicious woman in the sky. "Who are you, and why did you knock over my flask?"

"I knocked over your flask because you mustn't give him water or food," the woman replied lazily, her tone filled with impatience.

"How can you be so domineering? This is my flask, and I'll give water to whoever I please. Who are you to stop me?"

"Don't meddle in my affairs, little girl, or else…" The woman's voice was tinged with anger as she made a move to cast a spell. As she drew closer, I realized she was an extremely beautiful woman.

"Master! I was wrong! Don't blame her!" The boy suddenly scrambled up from the ground and staggered towards the woman.

For a moment, I was mesmerized by the woman's beauty and forgot what I wanted to say. The pain in my hand brought me back to reality. "She's your master? No, you've done nothing wrong. It's your master who's at fault. She's mistreating you!"

The woman let out a derisive laugh, looking at me with amusement. "Mistreating him? If it weren't for me, he'd be dead by now. Even a stray cat or dog owes its life to its rescuer. I don't need to explain that to you, do I?"

"Your logic is flawed. How can you compare a person to an animal? Moreover, even a cat or dog doesn't owe its life as property to its rescuer."

"Some might, but those would be ungrateful creatures. Pupil, do you wish to be an ingrate?" The woman's voice lowered, causing the boy to tremble in fear, unable to utter a coherent word.

"You don't need to threaten him. A selfish, cruel woman like you doesn't deserve to be his master. Hey, come with me." Impulsively, I grabbed the boy's hand and tried to lead him away.

"You dare court death!" The woman's brows furrowed in anger, and her eyes widened as she struck me with her palm. Blood spurted from my mouth as I felt my bones shatter. My vision blurred.

Damn it, I forgot I couldn't use my magic.

"Master! No, don't kill her! Please!" The boy pleaded on my behalf.

As the woman prepared to strike again, a sudden burst of light filled the air. A beam of blue light hit the boy, and the woman, shocked, leaped forward to shield him, blood seeping from her mouth.

"Harming my people in the mortal realm? That's a bit much, isn't it?" A man in a blue robe descended gracefully, carefully cradling me in his arms. He glanced at me briefly, then grabbed the boy's collar and flew into the sky.

The woman appeared frantic but, unable to muster her magic to follow us, could only shout after us. Her voice grew fainter until it was no longer audible.

Smiling triumphantly, I tried to get a clearer look at the man's face.

He looked exactly like Meng Xian.

No, he must be Meng Xian!