Chapter 173: True or False Tingyun?

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"To determine if Tingyun has truly been switched, we just need to shine this flashlight and find out."

As Bochang spoke, he retrieved from his system space...

a Super Flashlight.

It appeared black, resembling an ordinary household flashlight, except there was no battery compartment or charging port.

Seemingly designed as a single integrated unit, it was unclear how to power it.

"This equipment can dispel illusions and reveal the true shadow of its target," explained Bochang. He then produced several fresh green leaves, tossed them, and employed the raccoon's illusion technique.

Creating multiple copies of himself.

Next, he turned on the Super Flashlight and swept it across the area. Behind each illusory duplicate, enlarged shadows of the thrown leaves emerged.

Within three seconds,

the illusionary duplicates were individually shattered.

The Super Flashlight had two functions:

One, to dispel illusions; and two, to reveal the true shadow of its subject.

Bochang had previously tested it on himself, revealing him to be purely human, unlike Bailu, whose shadow showed a massive dragon.

Subsequently, Welt Yang asked for the flashlight to be shone on him as well, naturally displaying a human shadow.

They also tested it on the foxfolk as a control group.

"Hmm... since we have such a device, let's give it a try," Welt-Yang agreed with Bochang's suggestion upon seeing this.

The duo returned to their original location.

Qingque and others were still leisurely playing Diyuan Jade Tiles.

March 7th looked up and asked, "Uncle Yang, what secretive conversation did you have with Bochang?"

"Nothing much, just that Bochang obtained an interesting item," Welt-Yang replied.

This piqued everyone's interest.

Stelle blinked, momentarily forgetting her game, turned around, and asked, "What kind of item?"

Despite his curiosity, Qingque felt playing Diyuan Jade Tiles was more important. Seeing Stelle pause without making a move, he urged, "Stelle, it's your turn."

"Don't rush, Qingque. Let's hold off on the game for now," Stelle responded without turning back.

Qingque remained speechless.

Even Bailu and March 7th lost focus on their game.

Feeling somewhat helpless but with no other choice, Qingque decided to wait and see.

"It's this flashlight." Bochang produced the super-powered flashlight.

Immediately recognizing it, Bailu said, "Flashlight? Oh right, I remember now, Bochang used that on me earlier... Does it have any special function?"

"Well, its purpose will become clear once you see it in action."

Bochang aimed the flashlight at Tingyun and abruptly pressed the button.

A blinding white beam shot out, instantly enveloping the fox lady.

Tingyun squinted due to the glare, completely unaware of what was happening.

In that moment...

Everyone observed that Tingyun's shadow on the wall resembled a burning flame, devoid of any humanoid shape.

Welt Yang pushed his black-framed glasses up, genuinely surprised. He had not anticipated that Tingyun, who had been accompanying them all along, had already been replaced.

Earlier, they had examined the shadows of two foxfolk, which were distinctly different from Tingyun's current one.

The burning silhouette on the wall indicated something ominous.

It was immediately apparent that this Tingyun was not to be trifled with.

Leaning on his cane, Welt Yang declared, "Everyone, stay far away from Tingyun."

"Staff of the martial hall, remember to maximize your defensive arrays..." Bochang instructed the nearby employees.

The staff members, who had already been briefed, promptly sprang into action.

By bringing Tingyun here, Bochang aimed to utilize the location's defensive array to minimize the collateral damage during the ensuing battle.

Previously...

During the fierce battle between Bochang and Blade, several streets were completely destroyed, causing significant losses for Central Starskiff Haven. It had even given General Jing Yuan quite a headache.

That encounter left no time for preparation. However, this situation was different—it wasn't an unexpected clash.

Since Bochang's planned ambush required preparation to minimize losses, it was crucial not to let down the people of Xianzhou.

Although Stelle, March 7th, and Qingque were unsure what exactly was happening, they instinctively followed Welt Yang's instructions. They swiftly moved away from Tingyun, gathering near Bochang and Welt.

Miss Fox appeared somewhat bewildered. Turning back, she saw the conspicuous black shadow on the wall...

and then realized the situation.

"Quite intriguing," Tingyun remarked, taking out her Bone-Gathering Fan and gently fanning herself with an air of composure.

March 7th urgently asked, "What's going on here...? Bochang, why does Miss Tingyun's shadow look...so terrifying?"

"My flashlight can dispel illusions and reveal the true shadows of beings. Clearly... this Tingyun before us is not the real Tingyun." Bochang spoke with utmost confidence, continuing to shine his super-powered flashlight on the false Tingyun without concern for its blinding effect.

Three seconds have now passed.

To everyone's surprise, no abnormalities appeared in the fake Tingyun's body.

Bochang felt slightly puzzled, as he initially assumed she was using illusionary magic to mimic Tingyun's appearance.

However, it seemed that wasn't the case.

"Could Tingyun be possessed? Or has someone created an identical replica of her?"

If it were the latter,

the opponent's power would likely be significantly stronger than Bochang had anticipated.

"With Uncle Yang and Long-Transformed Bailu here..."

This thought brought him a sense of immense security.

"What?! Then the real Tingyun..." Stelle's expression turned uneasy, unable to maintain her composure any longer.

The reaction to this revelation was more pronounced in Bailu and Qingque than the Trailblaze squad members.

After all...

They had known each other for quite some time.

"Impossible! I've known Miss Tingyun for ages, she clearly is Tingyun," Bailu tugged at his sleeve, "Bochang, could you be mistaken?"

"No mistake, she is indeed a fake Tingyun." Bochang nodded firmly.

Qingque gazed at the burning silhouette on the wall, her eyes filled with uncertainty.

This false Tingyun had performed so convincingly that even Qingque didn't detect anything amiss.

Terrifying, truly terrifying.

The false Tingyun showed no intention of making excuses; instead, she narrowed her eyes and asked, "Benefactor, I must admit, I'm quite curious. From where exactly did you discern that I am not the genuine Tingyun? When it comes to acting... I believe my performance was remarkably convincing."

Despite being exposed, the false Tingyun displayed no signs of panic.

This struck even Welt Yang as peculiar, subconsciously raising his assessment of the imposter's danger level.

Dan Heng's gaze shifted between Bochang's flashlight beam and Tingyun.

"Your acting indeed seemed very realistic, but... I possess various extraordinary tools. Ever since March informed me that Tingyun's scent suddenly vanished during your game of hide-and-seek, I knew there was something off about you." Bochang looked sternly at the false Tingyun. "I advise you to hand over the real Tingyun immediately, or don't blame us for taking more forceful measures."