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

"Dream Immortal, where are you taking us?"

"What are you talking about?"

Thinking he hadn't heard me, I raised my voice and asked again. To my surprise, he suddenly cast a spell and descended, causing a slight tremor that made me cough.

"Have you forgotten the spell I taught you so quickly? Do I need to teach you again?"

Was he talking to me? I looked at him uncertainly and pointed at myself. "Me?"

"Have you forgotten the incantation for the Spirit Command Spell? Fine, let's see when you'll learn to gather the world's spiritual energy to heal yourself and move on." He suddenly let go of me, gently "dropping" me onto the ground, raising his eyebrows at me.

"What are you talking about? I've never even heard of it, how can I use it to heal myself?" This strange person was definitely not Dream Immortal. I could barely sit up, and speaking a few more words felt like torture. How could he expect me to remember an incantation I'd never heard before?

"Immortal brother, please save her. Please," the boy who was dragged along pleaded tearfully.

I couldn't bear to hear this any longer.

"Hey, don't beg him. If I die, I die. At least he'll have to watch." I was sure he wouldn't let me die, so I spoke more forcefully.

"Please save her! I beg you!"

"Tsk." The man in the blue robe looked displeased and pouted, pulling a brick from his robe and tossing it just inches away from me.

My heart skipped a beat.

"Are you trying to kill me?" I glanced at the brick. No, it was actually a long, rectangular jade block. Do immortals always use such expensive methods to kill?

The boy's eyes lit up as he pointed at the jade block. "It looks like there are words on it!"

Words? Could the incantation be written on it?

"Hurry up and read it. I'll give you half an hour. If you can't learn it, it'll save me the trouble of watching you embarrass me, Qingwu." Though he said this, I couldn't reach it. The boy, seeing this, broke free of his grip, picked up the jade block, and read the words aloud.

Was I supposed to cultivate here? I wondered as I began to silently recite the incantation. After a while, I sensed a faint trace of spiritual energy within me. I guided it to circulate around my body, feeling the abundant spiritual energy in the surroundings flow into me, healing my meridians.

In less than half an hour, my injuries were healed. This Spirit Command Spell was truly miraculous.

"Finished reading? Return it now." Qingwu's expression darkened as he saw the boy engrossed in the jade block, his voice carrying suppressed anger.

"Okay." The boy trembled, quickly running over to hand back the jade block.

Qingwu's gaze fixed on him as he took back the jade block. Suddenly, he grabbed the boy's wrist, ignoring his cries of pain, and sternly questioned, "Did you steal the incantation from this?"

"I didn't! I just... I was curious when I was reading it for the big sister. I didn't steal it! I swear!" The boy, barely stopping his sobbing, cried even harder as Qingwu applied more pressure.

Unable to watch any longer, I intervened. "Enough, enough. He's just a child. He doesn't understand. Let him go."

To my surprise, Qingwu released him immediately after hearing me, though his face remained dark as he turned and walked away.

I comforted the boy while muttering under my breath at Qingwu's retreating figure, "It's just an incantation. He's so stingy. We won't learn it. Let's go play somewhere else, okay?"

The boy, drying his tears with his small hands, gave me a sweet smile. "Sister, my name is Huai Suo. What's your name?"

"I... My name is..." I hesitated, but looking into his innocent eyes, I couldn't keep the secret and blurted out, "Qingyue. My name is Qingyue."

"Great! I'll remember it forever."

What a headache. I just taught him not to call others randomly, and now he's saying something like this.

"Alright, enough of that. Let's go find something fun. Over there." I pointed to a small mound not far away, about two meters high, with flowers and grass growing abundantly.

We picked flowers, made flower crowns, caught grasshoppers and birds, and chased each other with caterpillars, spending hours without realizing it.

"Huai Suo, do you know Liyang City? It's a lot of fun. There are clay figurines, candied hawthorns, and osmanthus cakes, and people performing chest-breaking stunts and sword swallowing. There are many people there, and you can make lots of new friends your age. Let's go together sometime."

"Yes, yes! I want to go with Qingyue! Let's go today, okay?" Huai Suo, excited by my words, clung to my arm, begging.

Unable to refuse his clinginess, I reluctantly agreed. "Alright, alright. But… let me ask Qingwu first. I'll try."

"You stay here and play. Wait for me!" I knew Qingwu hadn't gone far, so I waved at Huai Suo and turned to find him. But soon I got lost.

"There's nothing good in the mortal world. Stay there too long, and you'll forget who you are," Qingwu suddenly spoke behind me, startling me.

"Next time, don't sneak up on me like you're assassinating someone."

"Move." He suddenly grabbed my arm and pulled me into his embrace, my face smacking against his chest painfully, making me cry out in pain.

With a sudden "whoosh," a blaze from the sky descended. Qingwu summoned a protective green light to shield us from the fiery onslaught, sneering coldly, "So, the Dragon Clan now resorts to ambushes? Does this mean you admit you can't defeat me in a direct confrontation?"

A thunderous voice boomed from the clouds, "Qingwu, instead of staying safely in the Floating Jade Garden, you've brought this little immortal into my territory to court death. Don't expect any mercy from me!"

A dragon? Rubbing my eyes, I looked up and indeed saw a black dragon coiled within the clouds, looking even more terrifying and ferocious than depicted in books.

Struggling out of Qingwu's embrace, I stood akimbo and pointed at the dragon in the sky. "Hey, you wicked dragon! Even if we accidentally trespassed into your territory, there's no need to be so ruthless. Can't we settle this peacefully instead of fighting?"

"A little immortal dares speak to me like this? Courting death," the black dragon snarled, swirling in the clouds and spitting more flames.

"Today, I'll teach you another spell. Stay behind me and watch closely." Qingwu pulled me behind him, flicking his fingers to send spiritual light into the ground. Suddenly, a massive vine sprouted up to block the approaching flames.

Wood feeds fire—Qingwu was using wood-based spells to counter fire. What was he planning?

I was speechless, worried that the flames would spread along the vine. But the vine seemed impervious to burning, sprouting new branches to wrap tightly around the black dragon. Thorns emerged, piercing the dragon's body and coming out stained with blood.

"What… what's happening?"

"Mastering the Spirit Command Spell isn't just about using worldly spiritual energy to heal wounds. It allows you to freely command all beings in the world. Simple five-element spells are trivial. Although the five elements mutually reinforce and counteract each other, if the caster's power far exceeds the opponent's, the elements can be reversed."

As Qingwu finished speaking, the black dragon crashed to the ground, its previously fierce demeanor reduced to that of a writhing mudfish.

"I won't… spare you… Ghosts of the damned, heed my command! Slay all living beings in this realm!" The black dragon coughed blood and died. The sky grew overcast, and the air filled with a pungent smell of blood.

"Quickly, we must leave. The black dragon consumed people here and trapped their souls, preventing reincarnation. Now, these vengeful spirits are awakening underground. This place will soon be poisoned and barren," Qingwu said, grabbing my hand to lead me away.

"Wait!" I shook off his hand forcefully. "What about the living beings here? And Huai Suo, I promised to take him to the city."

"There's no time. Once the vengeful spirits emerge, nothing can stop them. Come with me, and don't be stubborn."

"But what about Huai Suo? Wait, I need to find him!" Qingwu ignored my pleas, gripping me tightly as he prepared to use a spell to whisk me away.

Desperation made me almost cry, but then I saw a small figure running towards us in the distance. I called out joyfully, "Huai Suo! Huai Suo, come quickly, let's go together!"

But Qingwu's spell had already taken effect, and we were moving further away from the small figure.

In the distance, I saw the tiny figure seemingly shouting something at me, but I couldn't hear it.

"Qingwu, can you really leave him behind? He's a living person, and so many beings need your help. How can you…!"

"I don't care," Qingwu said coldly, his brows furrowed as he focused on our path. "I'm only saving you."

"You…!" I wanted to jump off, but found I couldn't move.

Qingwu had used a spell on me.

Glaring at Qingwu, I couldn't understand why he was so cold to others, showing no trace of compassion.