Chapter 410: Meeting in the Illusion Realm

"You… what on earth is happening? This is an illusion realm, who are you, why are you like this? How could this be? My illusion realm shouldn't be like this!" Ye Ying struggled, looking around in panic while shouting incoherently.

Another wave surged, lifting the small boat high, yet it kept its balance, floating steadily yet lightly like a falling leaf, slowly descending toward the sea surface without any sense of fear.

Ye Ying felt a surge of disappointment; in her imagination, her illusion realm shouldn't be so harmless—since arriving at Green Forest Guard City, she had used the illusion to trap no fewer than ten rogue cultivators, the strongest being a Fusion‑stage master!

After the boat hit the sea surface, Wei Yuning finally spoke: "Of course I'm Yuning! As for my outward appearance, it's because I took the Easy God Pill, and the face belongs to a fellow called Yulong Mountain, a notorious flower‑stealing thief. Haha! I used that face to infiltrate Shenwu Gate, but the Yun Yin Sect's experts have almost wiped out Shenwu Gate; only a few senior disciples remain in the Spirit Beast World for seclusion, the rest are newcomers, and since I'm the strongest among them, I became the senior brother of the new disciples!"

"This… impossible. If you are… senior brother Yuning, tell me something that can verify your identity!" Ye Ying strained to break free from Wei Yuning's embrace, saying half‑believing, half‑doubting.

"Alright, let me think… hmm… I'll talk about the matchmaking gathering of Yun Yin Sect and Qingluan Sect. I first went there as a laborer, then under Uncle Yunyan's order, Uncle Hongzhi had to agree to let me become an official matchmaking disciple. I hadn't even started the competition yet when I became Dao companions with… Miss Qiuhuo. Later the senior brothers went to the beast arena at the north slope of Kelaifeng, and I led a team to build a camp…"

"Wuwu, stop talking, I believe you, you really are senior brother Yuning, wuwu!" Ye Ying, hearing this, dared not doubt any longer and burst into tears.

"What, senior brother Yuning, you should call me husband; you are also my Dao companion!" Wei Yuning laughed.

"I… was fake with you from the start; your true wife is Senior Sister Qiuhuo. To see you again… I have no regrets in this life! Do you know? After coming here, being unfamiliar with the place, Senior Sister Qiuhuo couldn't be with me every day, and I was so sad back then! I thought, rather than suffering like this and betraying the sect, I'd rather stay in the Spirit Beast World—if I die, so be it, and I wouldn't endanger so many people! Wuwu!" Ye Ying cried again.

"Sigh, I don't know if you're a fake Dao companion, but Qiuhuo is definitely fake; she's back in Immortal City now, she wouldn't set her eyes on a little cultivator like me!" Wei Yuning sighed.

"…Senior brother, what cultivation level are you at now? You must be powerful, to be able to control my illusion realm!" Ye Ying asked cautiously.

"Just average, only in the later out‑of‑body stage; even to cross the tribulation will take at least a hundred years!" Wei Yuning complained.

"What? Senior brother, really? You've already become an Earth Immortal? That's great; if that's true, Senior Sister Qiuhuo still has a good chance with you!" Ye Ying exclaimed excitedly.

"What does that mean? She hasn't found a new Dao companion yet?" Wei Yuning asked, perked up.

Ye Ying shook her head: "Of course not, but I heard she said her elders presented several candidate Dao companions, and she rejected them all! I once probed her, asked why she wouldn't accept, and she joked, 'You once threatened her; whoever becomes her Dao companion, you'll kill them,' hahaha!" At the end, she couldn't help laughing.

Wei Yuning felt mortified; he regretted saying that line, and now it proved true, becoming a laughingstock in Qiuhuo's mouth. In short, the news is still good news—Qiuhuo remains single.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help asking, "Ye Ying sister, who is that guy who came with you? He isn't trying to steal my wife, right? If he likes you, I won't agree!"

Ye Ying reverted to her delicate demeanor, lowered her head, shyly saying, "He's a fine person, but I don't like him; I only regard him as an older brother. Yet you are right; he is indeed competing for a wife with you, but that wife is not the one you think—it's Senior Sister Qiuhuo."

His name is Ding Yi, a colleague of Senior Sister Qiuhuo in the Outer Guard Army Reconnaissance Department, also from Immortal City, a hulking strongman with a good family background. Qiuhuo's elders once tried to match them, but she refused; however, Brother Ding has been obsessed with Qiuhuo ever since. His relationship with her is still good, and because of her, he has been looking after me; otherwise, I would have been helpless in Green Forest Guard City and hard to survive.

Wei Yuning nodded, feeling guilty, and said, "I didn't expect your life to be so miserable, but from now on, with me around, I guarantee you'll have no worries about food and clothing! By the way, where are you making a living now? Why not quit your job first and come work with me?"

"This… can you manage? In Immortal City, expenses are huge. You're new here, know nothing; maybe wait… wait until you're more settled before we talk!" Ye Ying said tactfully.

"I can't say men can't… let me ask you, how many spirit stones can you earn in a year?" Wei Yuning asked.

"I can earn about fifteen low‑grade celestial stones a year; after expenses, only three low‑grade celestial stones remain!" Ye Ying whispered.

She comes from the Spirit Beast World, so she naturally knows how poor it is. One low‑grade celestial stone can be exchanged for ten thousand high‑grade spirit stones, with a slight premium; if her income were in the Spirit Beast World, she'd be a bona‑fide billionaire.

So as soon as she spoke, she immediately felt a bit regretful, wondering if this would bruise senior brother Yuning's pride.

Wei Yuning hesitated, then asked, "Is your income… considered high or low here?"

Ye Ying thought for a moment and said bluntly, "It's a bit above average. My illusion art has reached the early stage of 'making the false appear true', allowing me to generate plenty of water, and here water is relatively precious, so the salary is decent."

"Making the false appear true—impressive; no wonder your ocean illusion is so realistic!" Wei Yuning praised.

"Senior brother, you understand now, expenses are high here; you need to figure out how to earn money first!" Ye Ying urged.

Wei Yuning laughed, "Got it, I'll work hard to earn money. Anyway, you should prepare to quit your job; later you can come do some easy work with me!"

"Alright, got it, I'll just wait for your good news!" Ye Ying nodded unenthusiastically, "By the way, senior brother, why is your illusion art also so powerful?"

"Did that bald guy outside see it?" Wei Yuning asked.