Another Illusionary Realm.
When Lu Congxing went out this morning, he vaguely sensed a cold, watchful gaze from behind.
However, the gaze didn’t carry any malice—just a heavy dose of resentment.
He didn’t even need to turn around to know who it was.
The mirror ghost and Yingying were lurking under a large tree in the neighborhood, avoiding the sunlight. The little girl in red with a face like messy doodles was holding a mirror, her expression unreadable. As others passed by, the air seemed to turn cold all of a sudden, giving everyone goosebumps.
But to Lu Congxing, they looked more like abandoned puppies.
Ever since he moved into He Zhouyan’s place yesterday, the mirror ghost and Yingying had been noticeably absent—except for the panda alarm clock.
It wasn’t just their choice to disappear; even if they dared to stick around, they wouldn’t be able to set foot on Bai Ze’s turf.
So now, they could only sneakily follow from afar when the cub left the house—but they couldn’t get too close.
The cub was covered in Bai Ze’s terrifying aura.
Lu Congxing actually felt a rare twinge of guilt. He was about to say something when Yingying suddenly froze, then vanished with a fearful expression. Just as Lu Congxing blinked in confusion, He Zhouyan came striding over.
These days, just seeing Bai Ze made Lu Congxing’s face heat up. His ears still rang with the things he’d accidentally overheard in the break room.
He Zhouyan spoke casually, as if he hadn’t noticed Lu Congxing’s awkwardness:
“You sure you don’t want me to come with you?”
Lu Congxing quickly shook his head. “No need. Gu Hanyin’s coming to pick me up.”
He was heading out today to meet Gu Hanyin and deal with what he called a “nightmare incident.”
Hearing another man’s name suddenly come out of the cub’s mouth made He Zhouyan narrow his eyes in displeasure.
An icy-blue hue slowly emerged in his pupils from an angle unseen by others.
In the end, he said nothing and let the cub go, but he did reach out and gently rubbed the corner of Lu Congxing’s big, round apricot-shaped eyes with his fingertips.
It left behind a faint blush, deepening the mark from yesterday.
. . . . .
In the back seat of the car, Gu Hanyin took off his sunglasses. His pretty peach blossom eyes locked onto Lu Congxing as he approached. His voice sounded a little muffled: “Didn’t expect your neighborhood to be this private.”
Even his car had been stopped by the security guard.
As a celebrity, he appreciated that kind of privacy. He even considered buying a place there himself.
Lu Congxing nodded. “Yeah, but I’m just renting.”
As he said that, he suddenly remembered he was technically living with his guardian now—so it wasn’t quite “renting” in the usual sense anymore.
Gu Hanyin’s mood visibly brightened at his reply. Smiling, he said,
“I thought someone as close to President He as you are wouldn’t need to worry about money.”
He had seen He Zhouyan at the temple the other day. Although the man had introduced himself as Lu Congxing’s “friend,” Gu Hanyin had found him oddly familiar. It wasn’t until after leaving the village that he realized He Zhouyan was that President He. They’d crossed paths briefly at a banquet once.
For some reason, his words carried a slightly sour tone. Gu Hanyin inwardly scolded himself and tried to explain, but after opening and closing his mouth a few times, he gave up. Seeing that Lu Congxing didn’t seem to notice—or maybe just didn’t care—he finally relaxed.
The driver, Gu Hanyin’s manager, didn’t find anything odd. He was long used to the young actor’s sharp tongue.
After greeting the driver, Lu Congxing climbed into the front passenger seat. For some reason, Gu Hanyin’s mood soured again. He silently put his sunglasses away and leaned back to rest.
Their destination was the film studio where Gu Hanyin was currently working. Like last time, the place was bustling with the energy of a film crew—but this time, the vibe was totally different.
A crowd had gathered outside the gates, holding up signs and waiting.
The manager gave a thoughtful reminder: “Put on your mask and jog straight in when we arrive.”
Lu Congxing patted his pockets and said innocently, “I don’t really need one, do I?”
He was only here today as Gu Hanyin’s assistant.
The manager actually took a moment to consider, then stared at his face seriously before saying, “You do. Absolutely.”
That face—uncovered—could easily be mistaken for a fresh-faced new idol. The headlines would be all over it: #MovieKingGu spotted entering and exiting with mysterious rookie star#
So Lu Congxing also wrapped himself up tightly. As soon as the car stopped, he stuck close to Gu Hanyin’s left side and walked briskly forward without hesitation.
The security team did a great job blocking the crowd. Maybe they mistook Lu Congxing for a celebrity too, because they shielded him just as carefully.
It wasn’t until they were inside the building that Lu Congxing dared to take off his mask and look around curiously.
Gu Hanyin took off his sunglasses, revealing his charming eyes, and said coolly,
“Stick close to me.”
So Lu Congxing obediently followed behind him like a little tail.
A lot of people greeted Gu Hanyin as they passed, but they couldn’t help glancing at Lu Congxing too.
Not all the looks were friendly. One, in particular, was full of obvious jealousy. Lu Congxing followed the gaze and saw a young male actor whose name he didn’t know.
The guy clearly didn’t expect to be caught staring and quickly lowered his head, hiding his expression.
Gu Hanyin brought Lu Congxing to meet the friend he’d mentioned—the one troubled by nightmares.
To Lu Congxing’s surprise, it turned out to be someone he already knew.
Wen Yi shouted excitedly, “Xing Cub!”
There were dark circles under her eyes, barely covered even with concealer.
Lu Congxing casually closed the lounge door behind him and smiled with delight, his eyes crinkling. “You and Gu Hanyin landed a role in the same drama again? Congrats!”
He still remembered how this young girl had told him she was a fan of Gu Hanyin when they were climbing the mountain.
“Thanks!” Wen Yi scratched her head happily. “So the person you said could help me was Xing Cub! You could’ve just given me his contact info—it would’ve saved you the trouble.”
As she spoke, she pulled out her phone to add Lu Congxing on WeChat, clearly overjoyed.
Gu Hanyin lowered his gaze. “It’s nothing. I just thought the nightmares might be related to sleep paralysis.”
Of course, he knew he could’ve simply shared Lu Congxing’s WeChat with Wen Yi. After all, back in that mountain village, the two of them had gotten along far better than he ever had with Lu Congxing.
But he deliberately made himself the middleman. As if it was the only way he could justify starting a conversation.
A hint of awkwardness crept across Gu Hanyin’s face. He didn’t understand why his heart was beating so fast.
Fortunately, the other two were too busy adding each other on WeChat to notice the subtle blush on his ears. He used the excuse of needing to get his styling done and quietly left, giving them the room.
Watching Wen Yi giggling at her phone, Lu Congxing said, “Nightmares aren’t necessarily caused by malevolent ghosts. A lot of people just experience them when their sleep quality is poor.”
Wen Yi’s eyes lit up. “So I’m just exhausted lately?”
“No.” Lu Congxing looked at the dark mist of bad luck hovering over her head with sympathy. “You really did run into a ghost.”
Wen Yi: …
She grew nervous, grabbing his sleeve and whimpering, “Xing Cub, you have to help me.”
Though she’d been cheerful and upbeat the whole time, Lu Congxing could see through her smile—underneath was tense nerves, deep fear, and exhaustion.
So he pretended to reach into his pocket and slowly took out a specially prepared dried Ranyi fish1 from Qiankun Space and gave it to her.
“This is Ranyi fish. Eat it and you won’t have any nightmares tonight.”
Wen Yi took it curiously. “What kind of fish is Ranyi?”
Lu Congxing answered seriously, “It’s mentioned in the Classic of Mountains and Seas. Eating Ranyi fish can prevent nightmares and even ward off evil.”
But before he finished speaking, someone loudly cut him off. A young man in a suit appeared out of nowhere, full of sarcasm. “Ranyi fish isn’t something you can just get your hands on. Even reputable exorcists struggle to find it. You’re calling that salty dried fish Ranyi?”
The young man had a sunny appearance, but something about his formal suit felt off. He didn’t seem to notice, though. After speaking, he looked proudly at Wen Yi like he was expecting praise.
Wen Yi’s expression instantly turned disgusted. “Lin Yang, who said you could just barge in? This is my dressing room!”
Clearly, she trusted Lu Congxing more. She carefully put the dried Ranyi fish into her bag.
Seeing this, Lin Yang shot a nasty glare at Lu Congxing and said anxiously, “I saw your post saying you’ve been having nightmares, so I came to help. My talisman water2 will definitely help you sleep peacefully!”
Lu Congxing glanced at the talisman paper he held and quietly commented, “Low-grade talisman.”
But Lin Yang didn’t take offense. He lifted his chin slightly and said, “I drew this talisman myself.”
He was only in his early twenties, and though talisman drawing wasn’t his main focus, being able to draw a proper exorcism talisman was already rare talent among exorcists. He was rightfully proud of it.
Lu Congxing thought for a moment. True Ranyi fish looked strange—with six legs and a snake-like head. The dried fish he had on hand came from a more ordinary-looking variety, so it wasn’t surprising that humans couldn’t tell it apart from regular dried fish. But as fellow practitioners, one should at least be able to judge the quality of a talisman, right?
So he pulled out one of his own talismans and handed it to Wen Yi. “You can steep this in water—it’ll help prevent sleep paralysis too.”
Wen Yi beamed. “Thank you!”
When Lin Yang saw that Wen Yi had refused his talisman but accepted someone else’s in the blink of an eye, he was furious. Pointing at the talisman, he shouted, “This fake, this… fake…”
He stammered for a long while, unable to finish his sentence. Then suddenly, his eyes widened in disbelief, and he raised his voice, “An advanced talisman?!”
Now he began to seriously study Lu Congxing, confirming that he truly didn’t recognize this face.
Could he be a direct disciple of some reclusive master?
With a more serious tone, he said, “Sorry, I thought you were just some scammer trying to sell dried salted fish. Are you also an exorcist? I’m Lin Yang, the 32nd generation disciple of the Lin family.”
Lu Congxing blinked. “Mm, hello. My name is Lu Congxing.”
His introduction was brief, and he remained calm, not showing the slightest reaction upon hearing the words “Lin family.”
Lin Yang became even more convinced that Lu Congxing was the disciple of some powerful reclusive master, and that advanced talisman must have been specially prepared by his master for his training.
But why did he give it to Wen Yi so easily?
A sudden sense of crisis rose in Lin Yang’s heart. Could it be… he likes Wen Yi too?!
He glanced at Lu Congxing’s face and started to feel like his chances weren’t looking too good.
Meanwhile, Lu Congxing kept turning the words “Lin family” over in his mind. They sounded oddly familiar.
After silently thinking for two minutes, he finally remembered—it was the Lin family, one of the five great families in the exorcism world. They had even contacted him and extended an olive branch after he resolved the issue with Boss Xiang, but he had turned them down.
While he was deep in thought, Wen Yi had already run out of patience and kicked Lin Yang out.
Lu Congxing originally wanted to ask Wen Yi more questions, but seeing how busy she was, he quietly left.
. . . . .
The panda alarm clock watched the cub eat with curiosity, wondering why he seemed to have no appetite today.
Unfortunately, it couldn’t understand the reason—so it simply held up a bowl, hoping the cub would eat more.
Yingying and the mirror ghost were still kept out by Bai Ze’s aura, but they were in high spirits nonetheless. For once, they weren’t arguing and just quietly stood by the door, watching over the cub.
Because He Zhouyan suddenly sent a message that afternoon saying he had found a lead on Lu Congxing’s father, and that he was already heading to the location.
Lu Congxing stared blankly at the dinner prepared in advance especially for him, slowly bringing the food to his mouth. Even though he was picky and only ate the things he liked, there was no one left to pick out the vegetables for him anymore.
The dishes that usually tasted delicious somehow felt bland tonight.
The absence of just one person was enough to make everything feel unfamiliar. Lu Congxing lowered his eyes, a trace of disappointment showing on his face.
He had eaten alone plenty of times before. Although some strange and inexplicable force had made his memories of his father increasingly blurry, he still remembered that his father never used to eat with him at the table even when he was a child.
He could only chalk this feeling up to his own impatience—eager to learn anything about his father. So he picked up his phone and sent He Zhouyan another message, waiting obediently for a reply.
Unfortunately, there was no response even by late night, and his body eventually gave in to his biological clock, falling asleep on the couch.
The panda alarm clock thoughtfully covered him with a blanket.
. . . . .
“Wake up, come on, wake up!”
A mosquito-like voice buzzed in his ears, getting louder and clearer, as if determined to rouse him no matter what.
Without thinking, Lu Congxing threw a punch in the direction of the sound, eyes still closed. He only opened them after hearing a yelp of pain.
What greeted him was a completely unfamiliar scene—he was lying face-down on a desk in the middle of a classroom.
Yingying that had been punched started sobbing with a pitiful “Ying ying ying.”
Lu Congxing apologized sincerely, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to.”
Yingying sniffled, “Ying… okay, I forgive you.”
It sat on a desk, legs swinging. The little girl in a red dress actually looked like she belonged in this empty classroom.
“So… where is this? I remember falling asleep in the living room just now.” Lu Congxing stood up cautiously, looking around.
Yingying swung its legs again. “You’ve been pulled into another illusionary realm.”
It was a malevolent ghost that could manipulate illusionary realm, so it had sensed when the cub entered and followed him in. It had once trapped Lu Congxing in an illusionary realm inside the apartment building using a simple light switch trap—but clearly, the illusionary realm this time was on a whole different level.
Lu Congxing frowned slightly, just about to ask more when a blood-curdling scream tore through the air from outside.
“AAAAAHHH!!!”
- 冉遗鱼 (Rǎn yí yú) is a strange fish in ancient Chinese mythology and legend, which can be found in the Classic of Mountains and Seas . It has a fish body, a snake head, six legs, and eyes like horse ears. Eating it can prevent people from being haunted by nightmares and protect them from danger.
↩︎ - 符水 (Fú shuǐ) It refers to water that has been blessed or empowered using a talisman (符) in Taoist or traditional Chinese spiritual practices. Typically, a Taoist priest will draw then burn the talisman (符) and mix the ashes into water, which is then used for healing, protection, exorcism, or spiritual cleansing. ↩︎