klisemfg Chapter 44 Trial of the Heart
Chapter 44 Trial of the Heart
The fog seemed to have thinned a bit, and a winding path could be vaguely seen ahead. I quickened my pace and turned back to call to Master Wu and Fairy Meng behind me: "Hurry up, we should be on the right track!"
Wu Daxia laughed heartily, "Xiao Yao, you're so clever! We'll definitely be on the right track following you!"
Fairy Meng nodded slightly, a hint of approval in her beautiful eyes.
The three of us quickened our pace and continued along the path. However, the further we went, the stronger my unease became. The surrounding fog didn't dissipate; instead, it grew even thicker, like countless eyes watching us from the shadows.
"Watch out!" I was about to warn them when suddenly my footing gave way, and I plummeted uncontrollably downwards.
"Ah!" I exclaimed, frantically trying to grab something, but I couldn't grasp anything.
When I opened my eyes again, I found myself in a valley filled with birdsong and fragrant flowers. A stream babbled through the valley, the trees were lush, and the air was filled with a refreshing floral scent.
"Where is this?" I looked around in surprise, but I couldn't see Wu Daxia and Meng Xianzi anywhere.
"This is where your heart desires." An aged voice rang in my ears, carrying a hint of mystery.
I looked in the direction of the sound and saw an old man in a blue Taoist robe appear out of thin air in front of me. His hair and beard were all white, and his face was kind, but his eyes were so deep that they seemed to be able to see through people's hearts.
"Who are you?" I asked warily.
“I am the guardian of this illusion,” the old man smiled slightly. “You can call me Immortal Chen.”
"An illusion?" I was startled. "You mean, I'm in an illusion right now?"
Chen Xianren nodded: "Everyone has desires and fears in their hearts, and this illusion is to reveal your truest thoughts from the depths of your heart."
Before I could ask any further questions, the scene before me suddenly changed. The valley filled with birdsong and fragrant flowers vanished, replaced by a desolate and dilapidated landscape. I stood before a majestic palace, its gates tightly shut, adorned with intricate and elaborate carvings, exuding a suffocating aura of grandeur.
"This is..." A sense of familiarity rose in my heart, but I couldn't remember where I had seen it before.
Just then, the palace gates slowly opened, and a man dressed in a golden dragon robe and wearing a crown walked out. He was tall, handsome, and exuded an aura of royalty.
"Father!" I couldn't help but exclaim.
The man turned around, his gaze falling on me, his eyes full of affection and doting: "Yao'er, you've come."
My nose tingled, and tears welled up in my eyes. I ran towards him, wanting to throw myself into his arms, but I was stopped by a woman in gorgeous clothes beside him just a step away.
"How dare you!" the woman shouted angrily. "You have no choice but to kneel before Her Majesty the Empress!"
"The Empress?" I looked at the woman in front of me in disbelief. She was stunningly beautiful and elegant, yet she felt completely unfamiliar to me.
"Yao'er, this is your mother," the Emperor said with a smile. "You have been frail and sickly since childhood, and I sent you outside the palace to recuperate. Now that you are well, it is time for you to return to the palace."
"No, this isn't true!" I shook my head desperately, tears blurring my vision. "You're not my father, and she's not my mother!"
I turned to flee this cold palace, only to find myself trapped in an invisible cage from which there was no escape.
"No..." I cried out in despair, but no one answered me.
"Xiao Yao!" A familiar voice suddenly rang in my ears, pulling me back from the nightmarish illusion.
I suddenly opened my eyes and saw Master Wu looking at me anxiously: "Are you alright? What happened all of a sudden..."
Before he could finish speaking, his expression suddenly changed, and he abruptly turned around to look behind him: "Who is it?!" Before I could react, Master Wu had already drawn his long sword from his back, staring warily ahead. From the thick fog, a tall figure slowly emerged. He was dressed in coarse linen clothes, carrying a heavy ghost-head sword on his shoulder, with a full beard, but his tiger-like eyes were filled with sorrow and resentment.
"Old...Old Zhang?" Wu Daxia's voice trembled, and the veins on his hand holding the knife bulged, as if he couldn't believe his eyes.
The man who arrived was none other than Old Zhang. He walked up to Master Wu and asked with deep sorrow, "Why? Old Wu, why did you do this?"
Wu the Swordsman's face turned deathly pale. His lips moved, but he couldn't utter a word. The long sword in his hand clattered to the ground, and he seemed to have lost all his strength in an instant.
Although I didn't know what had happened, seeing Wu Daxia's pained expression, I guessed that this Old Zhang must be very important to him, and that the two of them seemed to have an unspeakable past.
"Have you forgotten our vow? You said we would roam the world together, fighting for justice and helping the weak, but what about you? For wealth and glory, you actually..." Old Zhang's voice grew more and more agitated, but finally turned into a long sigh, "Enough, enough, I, Old Zhang, was blind and misjudged you!"
After Old Zhang finished speaking, his figure gradually faded away and finally disappeared into the mist. Master Wu collapsed to his knees, clutching his head and howling in anguish. I had never seen him so distraught, and I couldn't help but feel sorry for him.
“Master Wu, you…” I was about to say a few words of comfort to him when he abruptly interrupted me.
"Don't call me Hero Wu!" He raised his head, his eyes red. "I'm no hero, I'm just a coward who fears death! I've let down Old Zhang, I've let down my own conscience!"
I didn't know how to comfort him, so I could only stand silently to the side. At this moment, Meng Xianzi, who had been silent all along, suddenly exclaimed in surprise. She covered her face, her eyes filled with fear and disbelief.
"My face! What happened to my face?!" She frantically pulled a bronze mirror from her storage bag, looked at herself in the mirror, and her body trembled even more violently.
I looked curiously at the bronze mirror in her hand and couldn't help but gasp. Where was the former beauty of the Fairy Meng in the mirror? Her once smooth face was covered with wrinkles, her once jet-black hair had turned gray and dry, and her once bright and lively eyes were now cloudy and murky, just like an old woman in her twilight years.
"No! This isn't real! This isn't me!" Meng Xianzi collapsed and threw the bronze mirror on the ground, letting it shatter into pieces. But the shards on the ground still reflected her aged face, as if mercilessly mocking her.
She collapsed to the ground, her hands gripping the floor limply, tears streaming down her face like broken pearls. She murmured to herself, "How could this happen? How could this happen? Where is my beauty? Where is my youth? Where has it all gone?"
Seeing the once proud and beautiful Fairy Meng in this state, I felt a mix of emotions. Everyone loves beauty, especially a dazzling woman like Fairy Meng. Now that her most prized beauty is gone, one can only imagine the fear and despair in her heart.
"All of this is fake..." Chen Xianren's voice rang in my ears at some point, "Illusion, illusion, it's just a reflection of your obsessions."
"Obsession?" I murmured to myself, looking at Wu Daxia and Meng Xianzi, who were trapped in pain and despair, a bad premonition suddenly rose in my heart. If Wu Daxia's obsession was the brotherhood they once shared, and Meng Xianzi's obsession was the pursuit of beauty, then what about the others?
My gaze fell on the figure of Chief Zhou, who slowly emerged from the mist not far away. His face was pale, his body trembled slightly, and his eyes were filled with fear and unease. But the scene before him made me instantly understand what he was facing… It was an execution ground, and he was standing where prisoners should stand…
Chief Zhou collapsed to his knees, his hands trembling as he tried to grasp something, but grasped nothing. Before him, the chilling execution ground seemed like a projection of hell, cold and murderous, making him feel as if he had fallen into an ice cave. On the high platform, a man in official robes solemnly read out his crimes, each word like a heavy hammer blow to his heart, making him dizzy.
"Zhou Dazhuang, you have oppressed the people and committed numerous evils. Today is your death day!"
On the execution platform, the executioner held a ghost-head knife, its blade gleaming coldly in the sunlight. Chief Zhou seemed to feel the icy blade slicing across his neck. Fear coiled around his heart like a venomous snake, making it almost impossible for him to breathe.
"No! I don't want to die! I don't want to die!" Chief Zhou cried out in despair, but his voice was trapped in this illusion, and no one answered. He once thought that power was everything, that as long as he had great strength, he could do whatever he wanted. But now he understood that some sins could not be redeemed by power.
Just then, another figure emerged from the mist. He was dressed in a plain long robe, with handsome features, and carried a medicine box in his hand. It was Doctor Zheng. However, at this moment, his face no longer held its usual composure; instead, it was filled with deep helplessness and despair.
Before him lay a scene of utter devastation. Countless patients lay on their beds, groaning in agony, while he was powerless to help, forced to watch them die one by one. He tried his utmost to save each patient, but ultimately discovered that his strength was so insignificant; faced with death, he remained utterly powerless.
"A doctor's heart is benevolent, and I have vowed to heal all living beings, but... but why can't I save them..." Doctor Zheng closed his eyes in anguish, a tear sliding down his cheek. His prized medical skills seemed to have become a joke at this moment, mercilessly mocking his incompetence.
Watching this scene unfold before me, I was filled with mixed emotions. The reason an illusion is an illusion is because it amplifies people's inner fears and obsessions. Wu Daxia's chivalry, Meng Xianzi's beauty, Zhou Zhaizhu's sins, and Zheng Shenyi's medical skills all became their most vulnerable points, magnified infinitely by this illusion, ultimately devouring them.
I took a deep breath, trying to stay awake. I knew I couldn't be fooled by this illusion; I had to find a way out, I had to leave this place! But what was my obsession?
As the fog gradually dissipated, a familiar scene appeared before my eyes—my home in the modern world. I saw my parents and my friends, their faces beaming with familiar smiles, yet I felt utterly alienated, as if separated by an invisible barrier.
"Yaoyao, what's wrong? Are you homesick?"
My mother's gentle voice came through the phone, and my nose tingled; tears almost welled up. Yes, I missed home. I missed the days when they were by my side, I missed that world full of laughter and warmth. But, could I ever go back?
Just then, a voice suddenly rang in my ears: "Do you want to leave here? Do you want to get back everything you've lost? Then follow your heart and find the real answer..."
The sound gradually faded, but I suddenly awoke with a start. A fire seemed to burn within me. I knew I couldn't remain lost any longer; I had to make a choice. I had to…
I gazed at everything before me, both familiar and strange. The voices and smiles of my parents, the laughter and banter of my friends, all felt like fine needles pricking my heart with sharp pain. How I longed to rush to them, to return to that world without the pursuit of immortality, without the treachery and deceit.
But I can't.
I took a deep breath, forcing myself to look away and at the others who were also trapped in the illusion. Master Wu was trapped amidst a flurry of swordplay; his sword remained sharp, but his eyes were filled with weariness. Fairy Meng was trapped in a magnificent cage; she was still beautiful, but her eyes had lost all their luster. Chief Zhou knelt on the ground, his clothes soaked with tears of repentance. Doctor Zheng sat slumped on the ground, gazing in despair at the boundless suffering before him.
They were all trapped by their own inner demons.
A sudden surge of intense resentment welled up within me. I had come into this world, endured so much suffering, and finally found my own path. How could I just give up like this? Besides, I had companions; I couldn't abandon them!
"Everyone!" I shouted, gathering all my spiritual power. "Stop clinging to the past! Everything we're going through now is to make us stronger! Think about the hardships we've endured, think about our shared goal. Are you really going to give up here?"
My voice boomed like thunder, echoing in everyone's ears. Master Wu was the first to react; a flash of his sword shattered the illusion before him, and his eyes regained their clarity. Fairy Meng raised her head, hope rekindling in her eyes; with a wave of her hand, the cage that bound her instantly turned to dust. Chief Zhou and Doctor Zheng also gradually broke free from the illusion, their eyes filled with confusion and lingering fear.
"Miss Xiao, thank you!" Wu Daxia looked at me gratefully. "If it weren't for you, we would probably all be trapped here to die."
I shook my head, looked around at the still-lingering fog, and said in a deep voice, "We're not completely out of danger yet. Be careful, everyone, stay close to me!"
As soon as I finished speaking, I felt a powerful pressure coming from the depths of the mist, accompanied by low growls that sent chills down my spine.
My heart sank. I gripped my sword tightly and peered warily into the depths of the mist, where something terrifying seemed to be approaching...