Chapter 264: Illusory Realm's Celestial Phenomena

As Du Guangtong gripped the fox demon's neck tightly, he gradually felt something was off. Despite channeling his magic to lock down the slender, pale neck, he experienced a strange sensation, as if his power wasn't fully connecting.

"Ugh... Lord Water God, please be gentler. I'm going to be strangled... Master Ji..."

Under Du Guangtong's immense strength, the fox demon appeared to be in extreme agony. Her face above the neck turned crimson, and her hands clutched Du Guangtong's arms, trying to pry them open, while her legs twitched uncontrollably.

"Master Ji, please tell Lord Water God to loosen his grip! Master Ji, I implore you, Miss Hongxiu is almost strangled!"

Wang Li stood by, frantic, repeatedly clasping his hands and pleading with Ji Yuan. Yet, he found that Master Ji, usually so accommodating, was now as unyielding as stone.

Ji Yuan frowned, observing Tu Siyan struggling like an ordinary person. A persistent feeling of unease bothered him. He looked at Du Guangtong, who also had a grave expression. Not only did Du Guangtong's powerful grip not loosen, but his demonic energy and magic intensified, causing one of his arms to glow with a dark light.

"Master Ji... help me..."

"Crack..."

A crisp crack echoed from Du Guangtong's right hand, and the fox demon's cries for help abruptly stopped. He frowned and dropped the body to the ground.

"Ah... Murder! Murder!"

Wang Li collapsed backward in fright.

"Master Ji, this..."

Du Guangtong looked at Ji Yuan with some confusion, and Zhang Rui also stood up, looking at the body on the ground.

"Peel off her painted skin."

"Yes!"

Du Guangtong half-squatted, extending two fingers to grasp the back of the woman's cheek on the ground. He inserted a sharp fingernail about half an inch, then channeled his magic and peeled it back.

"Pfft..."

A sound like air escaping was heard, and in an instant, a foul stench filled the room.

Du Guangtong stared intently at the painted skin in his hand, then looked at the body on the ground again.

The painted skin revealed the face of a beautiful woman, none other than Hongxiu. But on the ground lay a decaying female corpse, emanating a putrid smell, its time of death unknown.

"Ugh... blergh..."

Wang Li, who had just been horrified by the "murder," couldn't help but vomit again after seeing the true situation. He expelled all the undigested food he had eaten that evening. After he finished, he rushed to the window for fresh air, unable to stay near the table.

Ji Yuan rubbed his temples and slowly stood up.

He opened his spiritual eyes as wide as possible, channeling a large amount of magic into them. He also brought forth a concept within his mind, not manifesting it outwardly but holding it as an intent that diffused, sweeping over the corpse and the painted skin in Du Guangtong's hand, then gliding to other locations.

As Ji Yuan's profound vision expanded, Du Guangtong momentarily felt as though Master Ji, though still standing before the table, had stretched infinitely between heaven and earth, transforming into a towering giant standing amidst mountains and rivers. His spiritual eyes, like the sun, moon, and stars, seemed to observe all creation.

After about two breaths, Ji Yuan's gaze turned eastward.

"Tu Siyan, I wonder if that's her real name or a false one..."

Ji Yuan muttered to himself, feeling his mental energy draining rapidly. He returned to his normal state, letting out a shallow breath.

"Phew..."

Ji Yuan had done this instinctively. Although it couldn't actually extend his sight, it genuinely gave him a vague sense of direction. However, this seemingly illusory perception was very faint and fleeting.

In the distant east, a thin mist intermittently swirled and unfurled, occasionally taking the shape of a fox. At that very moment, the mist seemed to pulsate suddenly, reforming into a fox shape and turning to look westward.

That recent sensation made the fox's heart leap. In the very instant she turned her head, she seemed to hallucinate a giant standing between heaven and earth, clad in a green robe with his arms behind his back, a pair of ancient eyes gazing indifferently at her.

For a fleeting moment, the fox demon felt as if her heart had stopped. Yet, in the next instant, the feeling vanished completely, as if it had only been an illusion.

'Ji Yuan... he's truly formidable. He must be a True Immortal. Tricking him this time doesn't feel good... Sigh! The Green Vine Sword is so beautiful, but alas, that plan is out of the question... Besides the spell that could immobilize people, what was that other technique just now?'

On the Grand Show boat, Ji Yuan realized he had been tricked. He also recognized that despite having repeatedly re-evaluated the fox demon on board, he had clearly still underestimated her. He wasn't even sure if her escape was a blessing or a curse.

After a long deliberation, Ji Yuan gave a self-deprecating smile.

"Heh heh... I was relying too much on my own meager abilities, underestimating the true heroes of the world..."

Meager abilities?

Du Guangtong instinctively glanced down at his chest and abdomen. "Then what am I? A small loach in the water?"

Although the outcome showed the demon was truly formidable, having escaped right under Master Ji's nose, Du Guangtong dared not mock Master Ji.

Master Ji's ability to summon divine beings, though extraordinary, wasn't entirely inconceivable upon reflection. But as for the immobilization spell, Du Guangtong had never even heard of it, let alone witnessed it. And then there was that sensation that appeared for a fleeting moment at the end; that instant left Water God Du Guangtong utterly bewildered, unable to even properly describe it.

'Is this the capability of a True Immortal? Can even the Dragon Lord do this...?'

This thought involuntarily arose in Du Guangtong's mind, but he vaguely sensed that not all True Immortal-level masters could achieve it. Then, his thoughts shifted, and a feeling of lingering fear emerged.

'To escape from Master Ji's sight like that, that demon must be terrifyingly powerful. If Master Ji hadn't come, what if I had faced her alone one day...?'

Ji Yuan was unaware of the Water God's complex thoughts at that moment. Instead, he felt a certain embarrassment at being outsmarted, but soon more troubling matters awaited him.

"Ugh... ho... ho... ugh... M-Master Ji, what about this body? Is Miss Hongxiu gone?"

Wang Li, still dazed from vomiting, was now concerned about Hongxiu, asking with a mix of panic and dejection.

"Indeed, I wonder if this female corpse is truly Hongxiu?"

Zhang Rui quickly moved around the table and went to carefully examine the female corpse, but she clearly couldn't identify the person.

Ji Yuan did a quick calculation with his fingers and shook his head, saying,

"Hongxiu isn't dead. This female corpse came from the mass grave outside the city. It's just that the 'Hongxiu' of tonight is already gone..."

Ji Yuan said with some frustration.

"Soon the madam will come looking for her."

"Ah!? What do we do? We've killed someone! The madam will report us to the authorities!"

Wang Li suddenly perked up, saying this with some panic. Then, remembering that immortals were present, he immediately felt much more relieved.

"We didn't kill anyone!"

Zhang Rui retorted impatiently, then glanced at the Water God, who stood respectfully by Ji Yuan with a sense of awe, before looking back at Ji Yuan.

"Sir, what about Hongxiu? Where is the real Hongxiu?"

Ji Yuan gave her a helpless smile.

"Return the corpse to its original place. As for the real Hongxiu, we'll have to seek out Young Master Xiao. For tonight's Hongxiu... we'll naturally have to buy her freedom. Miss Zhang Rui, I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you with this."

"Ah? Buy her freedom? Trouble me?"

Zhang Rui thought Master Ji wanted her to move the body, but then she saw Master Ji taking the painted skin from the Water God's hand, and a bad feeling settled in her heart.

A short while later, the cabin had almost returned to its state before the madam left. Hongxiu, Ji Yuan, and Wang Li were all present, the only difference being the addition of the Water God Du Guangtong.

All the stains in the room had been magically cleaned, restoring its tidiness.

Zhang Rui was extremely uncomfortable with her current appearance. Taking clothes from a corpse and wearing them was one thing, but pretending to be a courtesan...

Frankly, even though she had been dead for many years and had attained divinity as a goddess, she was still a woman shaped by that societal environment and naturally felt uncomfortable with the current situation.

Of course, all of this was bearable. What was truly unbearable was the gaze of that scoundrel Wang Li, which made Zhang Rui wish she could tear him apart, or better yet, gouge out his eyeballs.

However, Wang Li wasn't truly looking out of lust at that moment. Of course, there was a slight element of attraction, but it was mostly curiosity, seeing Zhang Rui transform into "Hongxiu" as if by magic.

'The ways of immortals are truly extraordinary!'

This was Wang Li's current thought.

"Hmm... now there's only one problem left."

"What problem?"

Zhang Rui was the most eager to quickly resolve the matter, while Du Guangtong and Wang Li also looked at Ji Yuan, awaiting his next words.

Ji Yuan gave an awkward smile and took out some small pieces of gold and silver from his sleeve.

"I've spent over a hundred taels of silver over more than ten years... this is all I have, perhaps worth another twenty or thirty taels of silver... Heh... tell me, how much would it cost to buy the freedom of Hongxiu, the famous beauty of Youzhou?"

"Uh... a thousand taels?"

Zhang Rui carefully considered before saying, Wang Li immediately shook his head.

"Definitely not enough, not even the loose change!"

Ji Yuan thought Du Guangtong was the biggest hope among them. In his previous life, Water Gods and Dragon Kings in TV shows always had the most treasures.

"Water God Du, how much silver do you have?"

Ji Yuan asked brazenly, and Du Guangtong scratched his head.

"Master Ji, I, a humble deity, have never possessed such things as gold or silver... What use are such worldly possessions to me?"

It's over, the greatest hope is gone...

"Knock, knock, knock..."

Ji Yuan immediately dispelled his magic the moment the madam knocked on the door from outside, connecting the inside with the outside.

"Gentlemen, it's almost dawn. Your rooms are ready. Why not go and rest?"

The madam entered with a cheerful smile, fanning herself.

"My daughter, are you keeping Master Ji here tonight? And these two..."

'Hmm? Two gentlemen!'

The madam rubbed her eyes and looked again. Only Wang Li and Ji Yuan were there. She seemed to have seen someone in black just now; it must have been her eyes playing tricks from staying up late.

"Uh heh heh, and Mister Wang, Xiaoya is waiting for you!"

Zhang Rui's expression was extremely unnatural. She gave a stiff smile, her hand under the table already clenched into a fist.

"No, no need, Madam."

"Huh?"

The madam paused, surprised. Why was this Hongxiu acting so clueless again tonight?

"Madam, may I ask how much it would cost to buy Miss Hongxiu's freedom?"

Ji Yuan still asked, though he no longer planned to use real gold or silver. He decided to simply use an illusion spell to conjure silver and trick them.