Chapter 146

"I've already delivered the message. Whether you go or not is up to you, but if I were you, I'd spare no effort to get that sword."

The Spirit paused, then said: "That sword is the ultimate treasure of this peculiar place—it must be immensely powerful."

The Spirit was persuasive indeed; Lu Fang was tempted, yet he harbored doubts: "If that sword is so valuable, why don't you go get it yourself, and instead tell me?"

He didn't believe the Spirit was that benevolent.

The Spirit shook his head: "That sword isn't easily obtained. That mountain is strange—step inside, and illusions arise everywhere."

"My bloodline memories are chaotic; overcoming the illusions there is difficult. Otherwise, I wouldn't have come to tell you."

"Lord Wenguan, you know that to obtain any ultimate treasure, one must inevitably face danger."

"Whether you go or not is your choice."

The Spirit spoke, then left with indifferent nonchalance.

Zhao Qingzhu watched the Spirit's departing figure and murmured: "I never expected there to be a mountain range and a sword there. What should we do? Should we go?"

Lu Fang fell silent for a moment, then said: "We must go. There's no better option now. If there truly is a sword there, and illusions block the way, it might well be the key to countering the Ox-Horned Red-Eyed Demon."

"I think we should go too."

Zhao Qingzhu said solemnly.

With their minds made up, they prepared and set out toward the direction the Spirit had indicated, under the bright daylight. Not long passed before they reached the edge of the thick mist.

Entering the mist, they didn't wander in circles but walked straight ahead until they stood before a mountain range, where the fog here was noticeably thinner than elsewhere.

A few dozen zhang away, the mountain's general outline was barely visible.

At the mountain's entrance stood two massive peaks, one on the left, one on the right, wreathed in swirling mist.

From the left peak, faint chains clinked—likely where the Ox-Horned Red-Eyed Demon was bound.

The right peak was somewhat smaller, its vegetation sparse; the summit was clearly visible. At its peak stood a sword, its hilt exposed—evidently a two-handed greatsword.

Though the sword appeared utterly ordinary, a single glance filled one with an inexplicable sense of righteous energy.

"This mountain doesn't seem very tall."

Lu Fang said, walking toward the Sword Mountain.

Zhao Qingzhu called after him: "Don't push yourself too hard—if you feel it's too much, retreat immediately."

Lu Fang didn't answer. The moment he stepped onto the Sword Mountain, the surroundings abruptly shifted. In a haze, he opened his eyes to find himself lying on a hospital bed, the sharp smell of disinfectant making him wrinkle his nose.

"Lu Fang, are you okay?"

His friend from his past life, Zeng Bian, asked.

Lu Fang hesitated: "This is a hospital bed? How did I end up here? I was just…"

He remembered crossing over into the xianxia world of the Da Zhou Dynasty, becoming Lord Wenguan—he should have been searching the trial grounds for Ling'er's mother. How could this be?

Zeng Bian said mournfully: "You've forgotten? We planned to go cycling together. On the way, you collapsed from heatstroke, then got hit by a truck."

"I got hit by a truck?"

Lu Fang shook his head in shock—then froze. He felt no sensation in his legs. He yanked back the covers and saw he had no legs at all: "My legs?"

Zeng Bian's face was filled with sorrow: "To save you, we had no choice but to perform an above-knee amputation. Don't think badly of yourself—your talent is unmatched, even if…"

Lu Fang impatiently cut him off: "Why am I the one who suffers this? Why are my parents not here, and you are? Is this an illusion? What did I encounter out in the Western Regions?"

He wasn't speaking to Zeng Bian—he was speaking to himself.

Without waiting for Zeng Bian to explain, Lu Fang's eyes hardened. His past-life friend split cleanly in two; the hospital room twisted and vanished.

Lu Fang looked up at the Sword Mountain and sneered. No wonder the Spirit dared not risk it—the illusions here were far worse than he'd imagined.

Just at the mountain's base, the illusion had already stolen part of his memory. How much stronger must the illusions be near the summit?

"How's it going? Don't push yourself too hard."

Zhao Qingzhu called out again from farther away.

Lu Fang gave a bitter smile and took another step upward.

The space twisted again. His consciousness briefly blanked. When he came to, he sat on the balcony of a seaside apartment, the sun blazing, a swimming pool just nearby where a woman was swimming.

The woman swam a lap, then clung to the pool's edge and called sweetly: "Honey, bring me some juice."

Seeing the woman's face, Lu Fang froze. It was Li Yu, in a swimsuit. He suddenly smiled—he'd spent his life making videos, finally becoming a minor celebrity.

He'd gained fame, fortune, and a beautiful wife.

"Honey, I want juice."

Li Yu tossed her hair, her beautiful eyes twinkling mischievously, her face flushed with playful affection.

Lu Fang chuckled, rose, and walked over with the juice. "Yu'er, I just had the strangest dream."

"What dream?"

Li Yu took a sip, propped her chin on her hand, and asked curiously.

Lu Fang shook his head: "I've already forgotten what it was about. It felt so real just now, but the moment I opened my mouth, it vanished."

"Hmm, your memory's terrible. Come on, help your beautiful wife out of the pool." Li Yu smiled sweetly.

Lu Fang instinctively reached out—only for Li Yu to grin wickedly and yank him into the pool. She laughed uncontrollably, triumphant in her prank.

"You're such a… how old are you, still acting like this?"

Lu Fang surfaced from the water, giving her a fond scowl, then splashed her in retaliation until she begged for mercy.

Unconsciously, they leaned against the pool's edge.

Li Yu smiled: "Let's travel across the country. I want to be by your side forever, not a single moment apart—okay?"

Lu Fang smiled. "I want that too. But all this is an illusion."

"Huh? What illusion?" Li Yu tilted her head, gazing up at him with innocent eyes, swaying playfully: "Honey, don't you love me? Don't you want to spend your whole life with me?"

Lu Fang stared at the Li Yu before him, a faint, knowing smile on his lips. After a long silence, he sighed: "You're not Li Yu—not the Li Yu I love. So…"

Li Yu cut in with a laugh: "I have no idea what you're talking about. But this girl really loves you—I want to be with you forever. Please, say something sweet. I've gone this far already."