Illusions, Lies, Truth

Translated by lucathia (proofread by Trespasserby & Taffygirl13)

“Resurrection?”

Jiang Ziya was shocked. Although he had already heard of the key word “resurrection” from Yu Shu, he had not thought there would be a book of it. If something like that really does exist, does that mean no one has to die anymore?

He looked at the photograph on the floor. It was of a black book lined with gold, resembling some sort of magic tome. But even then, it was a big stretch to claim that this book was a resurrection spell.

Xu Xikai glanced at the photograph and discovered that it hadn’t changed. This situation displeased him.

“You don’t believe in it?”

Jiang Ziya nervously stared at the dark muzzle of the gun. He blurted, “How could there possibly be something like resurrection?”

Xu Xikai laughed. “Why not? Didn’t Li Yao get brought back to life? It was a pity that the people of this world could not accept her. She had to die again.”

Lu Yang opened his mouth to retort, “Stop spreading lies over there! That wasn’t Li Yao!”

Jiang Ziya nodded imperceptibly. Even Fu Taiyi had said that it was a spirit. It definitely was not Li Yao. If it was, then his boss’s action of hiding the spirit would instead mean that he had kidnapped a female university student! If he had done something like that, Fu Jun would kill him.

Xu Xikai frowned and mocked, “How can you be certain it wasn’t Li Yao? You killed her, after all. Of course you would claim that she wasn’t Li Yao. Otherwise, you would be a murderer!” 𝒇𝙧𝚎𝐞𝙬𝒆𝑏𝑛𝑜v𝚎𝒍.c𝑜m

But Lu Yang didn’t cut Li Yao down. Boss took her away! Jiang Ziya only dared to say this to himself. Faced with a gun, he chose to stay immobile and quietly wait for Lu Yang to solve this problem.

Lu Yang coldly warned, “Do you really think that these words could shake me up?”

Xu Xikai laughed mockingly. “What is real? What is fake? Slay, do you really think you are able to tell? Look at that sword of yours. It is so distinct that it is nearly a real sword. Would you really consider that sword fake? If something like a flying sword could exist, then why must resurrection be fake and completely impossible?”

Lu Yang kept his lips tightly pressed together, his heart uneasy. These words affected even him a bit. Now that the words were out, would Jiang Ziya believe in what was being said? If someone who possessed the truth-seeing eye were to believe in resurre—no, Lu Yang could not allow this guy to keep talking!

Xu Xikai seemed to have noticed that Lu Yang was about to strike. He shouted, “Get that sword of yours away from the door! Since you figured out that there is a barrier dimension in this room, you must know that this gun isn’t the only card up my sleeve. You may not be able to detain me, but I am definitely able to shoot Jiang Ziya at least once.”

Jiang Ziya froze. He began to wonder what his odds were of not getting any bullets stuck in him if he were to leap under the bed.

Seeing how the muzzle was right in front of him, and how there was no chance that Xu Xikai was a novice at a gun with how familiarly he held it, Jiang Ziya could not help but accept that he was unlikely to be able to dodge. It was better for him to stand still. He did not want to make his dear sister cry her eyes out.

Lu Yang had also been able to tell that Xu Xikai handled the gun very professionally. He could only compromise. After he called out to Slay, the sword flew from the door to Jiang Ziya’s side.

Xu Xikai backed up to the entrance. He smiled to show his sincerity and lowered the gun, but it remained gripped in his hand so he would be ready at any time.

Lu Yang warned, “Xu Xikai, just what are you planning? You have taken so many lives. Do you really believe you can escape unscathed?”

Xu Xikai responded rather nonchalantly, “Whether or not I can retreat isn’t important. As long as this book can be made to appear, can you imagine just how many dearly departed could be brought back to life? If we have resurrection, then all the people who have died this time, including Li Yao, Jian Zhi, and the others, could all be revived. We would even get a resurrection spell book out of it. What can you have against this?”

Lu Yang frowned. He quickly shot Jiang Ziya a glance. He knew that Ziya had been harboring feelings of guilt, blaming himself for not figuring out sooner that something was wrong. If Ziya were to be influenced by Xu Xikai’s words, they would be in trouble.

However, Lu Yang was unable to determine what Jiang Ziya’s opinion on all this was. There did not seem to be anything odd about Ziya’s expression either. Rather, he seemed hesitant to speak.

Unsettled, Jiang Ziya asked, “Is there someone you want to resurrect?”

Faced with such a question, Xu Xikai’s expression changed. He dropped his nonchalant smile and coldly said, “So, you guys don’t believe me? Slay, if the deceased come back to life one after another, would you still dare to cut them down in front of their family, claiming that they are just spirits?”

After saying that, Xu Xikai pulled open the door and closed it heavily.

Jiang Ziya immediately twisted his head to look at Lu Yang, who actually did not seem like he was about to give chase. He had thought that Lu Yang was someone who acted so recklessly that he would rush out to chase the killer down despite getting hit by a car just recently.

Moving his body that had stiffened from staying immobile for too long, Jiang Ziya slowly walked to the door. Seeing that Lu Yang was not stopping him, Jiang Ziya pulled open the door and looked outside. People came and went in the hallway, completely unaware of the commotion that had occurred in the room earlier.

This time, Jiang Ziya was finally able to tell where the problem was. Right across from the room hung a mirror. It was clearly opposing the room, yet the sight reflected within was a white wall.

He walked over, took out a tissue, and used it to wipe the surface of the mirror. He came away with a layer of some unknown powder. The door to the room was finally reflected in the mirror.

Jiang Ziya was a bit perplexed. He had not noticed in the least the situation outside the room. He had clearly been able to tell that the stairway of Xiang Shui Pan was problematic, but the moment he had dropped his vigilance, he had not been able to see through anything. It seems that I still have a long way to go before I can become Lu Yang’s eyes.

As he walked back inside the room, he saw the photograph on the floor. He bent to pick it up.

“Don’t touch it!” Lu Yang immediately yelled.

“Is there something wrong with this photo?” Jiang Ziya stilled and nervously asked, “Is there poison on it?”

“You’re overthinking it.” Lu Yang helplessly said, “That guy left so easily. His goal definitely wasn’t to kill us. It’s most likely that he came to deliver this photo. He then talked about resurrection in detail, probably for the goal of making us believe in the existence of resurrection. Now, my worry is whether or not he knows that you have the truth-seeing eye, or if he merely wants to persuade practitioners to believe in the existence of resurrection.”

Jiang Ziya looked at Lu Yang nervously. He had been told of the danger of the truth-seeing eye way more than once, and how it could easily lead to his whole family’s death.

“Don’t worry. Even if he knows, we just have to capture him. Going by his reckless methods, few practitioners would cooperate closely with him.”

After Lu Yang consoled him, he added, “But no matter what, you shouldn’t look at what’s in the photograph. That would help that guy manifest the Book of Resurrection.”

Jiang Ziya gave an “oh.” He kept his head raised and felt around to pick up the photograph without looking at it. Then, he placed it face down on the table, doing everything he could to squash his curiosity.

Jiang Ziya asked in confusion, “Why did you let him go so easily?”

Lu Yang explained, “Since Xu Xikai dared to appear here, then he must have made thorough preparations. He was here for quite a while, and we made a pretty big commotion, yet no one came the entire time. I had a hunch that the barrier dimension extended outside of the hospital room, or he might even have had a partner with him. Chasing him down while injured is too disadvantageous.”

Jiang Ziya thought this made sense. Even though it had been a rare chance for Xu Xikai to show up on his own, Lu Yang had only just been in a traffic accident. It was best for him to recuperate and not chance it.

“Call my dad right away to explain the situation to him. Have him find Fang Da.” Lu Yang frowned. “The best case scenario would be that Fang Da was only delayed.”

Hearing that, Jiang Ziya quickly made the call.

“Your dad was so worried when he heard that we ran into trouble. Fortunately, he found out that Fang Da was just dealing with his car breaking down. He’ll come over immediately.”

“Great.” Lu Yang let out a sigh of relief. It was fortunate that Xu Xikai was not crazy enough to go as far as killing a policeman for the sake of throwing a photograph at them.

After relaxing, he instead saw Jiang Ziya frown. Lu Yang pointed out with no other choice, “If you have something to say, say it. Don’t keep it to yourself. Your situation isn’t one where you can let your thoughts wander.”

This was not a therapy session. Unlike other people, if Jiang Ziya were to let his thoughts wander, the results could be disastrous. A single moment of carelessness, and his random thoughts would no longer be mere thoughts anymore.

Jiang Ziya already clearly understood his eye’s capability of causing trouble. He rubbed his nose and asked, “Oh, then I’m gonna throw this out there. Does resurrection really exist?”

Lu Yang denied it right away. “There’s no such thing. Have you ever seen anyone get resurrected?”

“I’ve never seen a sword fly in the air before this either…”

Lu Yang jolted. He firmly stressed, “He’s purposely trying to make us believe in the existence of resurrection!”

“Then, if enough people believe that the book exists”—Jiang Ziya could not help but ask— “does that mean resurrection really will appear?”

Lu Yang froze. Matters had gotten too serious. He suddenly felt glad that when he had wanted to cut down the “Li Yao” who had appeared in the barrier dimension, Fu Taiyi had appeared in the nick of time to stop him. It is likely due to a number of people claiming that Li Yao is just a spirit that Jiang Ziya has not been swayed by Xu Xikai’s words.

“Do you really believe that book exists?”

Jiang Ziya gave it some thought. He shook his head and said, “No, something like resurrection is way too ridiculous. If it truly existed, no one has to die. Then, the apocalypse wouldn’t be too far away!”

Lu Yang relaxed a bit at those words. Jiang Ziya’s left eye was too powerful. He could not randomly believe in things.

“Hand me the photo Xu Xikai left behind so I can take a look.”

With the photograph face down, Jiang Ziya was not worried that he would see what was on it. He passed it over to Lu Yang.

Lu Yang scrutinized the photograph. A black book was placed on an old, wooden table. The leather cover of the book contained a magic circle outlined in gold. 𝑓𝘳ℯ𝒆w𝘦𝘣𝙣𝘰ѵ𝘦𝚕.c𝗼𝓶

“How does it look?” Jiang Ziya asked curiously.

“Pretty fake, like a movie prop, and one that wasn’t made to be particularly realistic.”

Lu Yang pursed his lips. As he had thought, a resurrection spell book sounded unbelievable in the first place. This kind of photograph would only be able to trick ordinary people. No, even an ordinary person wouldn’t believe it!

Wanting people to believe in something like resurrection was almost an impossible task from the start. It was no wonder that Xu Xikai had caused such a huge commotion…

Lu Yang froze. Jiang Ziya’s words from earlier came to mind.

If enough people believed in it, would resurrection come true?

“Ziya, give Driver a call. Tell him to come to the hospital right away.” As Lu Yang spoke, he removed the IV drip from his hand.

Jiang Ziya’s eyes widened. “What are you doing?”

“I’m heading to the university.” Lu Yang frowned as he said, “I feel like something will happen there. Since Xu Xikai’s goal is to make everyone believe in the school wonders, leading to the belief that the forbidden bookcase contains resurrection, he will strike while the iron is hot and keep causing incidents in succession.”

Jiang Ziya hurriedly said, “Your dad and Captain Hu already sent people over to patrol. You were only just in a traffic accident. Don’t overdo it!”

Lu Yang shook his head and said, “Why do you think Xu Xikai deliberately drove a car into me? He must have some kind of setup that Slay is able to forcefully destroy, so he had to land me in the hospital.”

Jiang Ziya was stunned at that.

“I’m afraid he’ll blow this up, sky high even!” Lu Yang frowned and said, “You asked the right question earlier. If a lot of people believed in resurrection, would that book come true? But the real problem isn’t whether or not it will come true, but rather just how many people must believe in resurrection for Xu Xikai to be satisfied. And to make people believe in something like resurrection…”

Then someone must die! Jiang Ziya understood now.

“Lin Zhixiang seems to be in his hands. My gramps took a look at her before. She’s like you and me, with an innate talent. Her talent lies in her words, and it’s super powerful.”

Lu Yang grabbed Jiang Ziya’s jacket and pulled it on, or else his white hospital clothes would be too conspicuous.

However, Lu Yang’s left arm was still encased in plaster. Jiang Ziya could not make himself overlook it. He tried to persuade him some more.

“There are policemen patrolling the campus right now. Xu Xikai can’t possibly walk right into a trap, right?”

“He definitely set up a barrier dimension well in advance. Even you and I were ensnared by the barrier dimension. Those policemen might actually be exactly Xu Xikai’s target! Do you want them to end up with the same fate as Jian Zhi?”

Thinking of Jian Zhi and the two club members who would never be able to return home again, Jiang Ziya could not say anything more to persuade Lu Yang not to overdo it.

Lu Yang glanced at the clock. It was almost nine. If he did not head over now, it may be too late.

Jiang Ziya powerlessly said, “But is your body really okay? You’re not pushing yourself?”

Lu Yang jokingly replied, “Of course I can’t say that I’m fine. My fractured left arm is even still encased in plaster, so I probably can’t move it. But it’s not like I have to hold Slay. All I have to do is point with my right hand. There won’t be any problems.”

Jiang Ziya could only nod at that and pray that Lu Yang left human boundaries well in the dust, the more perversely strong, the better!

“Let’s go!”

Before leaving, Jiang Ziya reflexively picked up the remote to turn off the television. At this time, the photograph of the black book suddenly appeared on the television. Jiang Ziya froze. He had not thought that Xu Xikai had put that online too, and that the media would make it public just like everything else. Fortunately, the caption by it only detailed that this was a forbidden book from the legend of the library and did not mention resurrection.

Upon taking a closer look, the book did not seem as fake as Lu Yang had claimed. At least, there was no problem using it as a movie prop. The sigil on it was even very familiar, like the seven deadly s—

“Ziya?”

Jiang Ziya called out, “Coming.”

He turned the television off and did not think anything more of it. After all, as long as they caught Xu Xikai, the book naturally would not appear.

Lu Yang utilized the strategy of act first, ask for permission later. Only after he got in Driver’s car and reached the university with great speed, did he call Liu Yishi.

And got in response one furious father.

Lu Yang held the phone at a slight distance from his ear. Then, he revealed his conjecture about why Xu Xikai had landed him in the hospital. Their operation this time would very likely require his Slay.

However, the roaring still went on for a long while. With a sullen face, Lu Yang replied, “Fine, I’ll wait at the school entrance for you to come get me. I definitely won’t head in by myself. I promise!”

After reaffirming his promise several times and hanging up, Lu Yang rubbed his ear. He felt like he had almost gone deaf.

Jiang Ziya snickered. “See, you should have obediently stayed at the hospital.”

Lu Yang scratched his face. “I didn’t think my dad would get so upset. If it were Gramps, he would definitely say that this injury is nothing big. Taking on easy jobs after a night of rest would be no problem either, so why stay in bed?”

“Your gramps sure has an easygoing attitude…”

“An attitude as ridiculous as the size of the Pacific Ocean! You’ll never guess what age I was when he let me go off on my own to slay demons. When the clients saw a middle school student answer their requests, their faces never failed to darken! It took me no longer than thirty seconds to get rid of those weak illusory familiars, yet it would take me three hours to explain to the clients that I had the ability to get rid of the spirits for them!”

“I really can’t hold it against them…”

Jiang Ziya eagerly listened to stories of Lu Yang’s childhood. It was even more incredible than the plots of movies. However, the longer he listened, the more unsettled he grew.

In the end, the two of them looked at each other silently.

“How long has it been?” Lu Yang took in a deep breath.

“Twenty five minutes.” Jiang Ziya was full of worry. Even though the campus was not small, they were not far from the location of the library.

Lu Yang immediately made a phone call. However, no one picked up in the end.