Chapter 187 - 187 44

Words : 1266 Updated : Sep 21st, 2025

187: 44. Reality and Illusion 187: 44. Reality and Illusion “Wait! I haven’t finished talking yet!” The mysterious man hurriedly called out to Lu Li, who was about to leave. Lu Li stopped in his tracks and returned to the side of the dining table. “You’ll surely live through this,” the mysterious man couldn’t help but blurt out. He thought Lu Li would make some excuses before leaving, but he ran off without dragging his feet. “I think so too,” Lu Li seemed not to have caught the irony in the comment. “Is there anything else?” The mysterious man paused briefly, his voice much softer, “After you escape the Evil Spirit Ritual... remember to come back and pick me up.” “Hmm.” Lu Li left again, and behind him the faint glow of fireflies quickly receded. “One... two...” Plunged into darkness, Lu Li began counting silently again. As the third number echoed in his mind, he raised his arm and pulled the trigger. Bang!!! In the sudden light, everything became visible all at once. The vaguely discernible figures closer to the dining table now, the gaps between the Shadow Figures, and the back door revealed beyond the gaps. “Open the door.” Lu Li didn’t load another bullet. He turned his body left shoulder forward and charged! Click. A barely detectable sound of a lock followed by Anna’s gasp as Lu Li’s left shoulder touched the wooden door. Bang! In the darkness, a loud noise as the door flew open, scattering wood chips, with the wooden floor replaced by the low muddy ground of the backyard. Lu Li, escaping from the tavern, headed swiftly toward the carriage as remembered, while extending his hands, groping forward like a blind person. “Three... four.” Whispering voices emerged from the surrounding darkness. The uneven muddy ground didn’t slow Lu Li down as he kept his weight on the balls of his feet to avoid tripping. “Five...” Lu Li touched a post of the stable, aligning it with his memory, then turned in another direction. Meanwhile, the whispering grew clearer, seemingly getting closer. “Six...” Lu Li’s eyes narrowed, he suddenly turned his head and threw a punch, but hit nothing. Just now, something had breathed by his ear. “Seven...” A chilling sense of dread crawled up Lu Li’s spine, not originating from within him but imposed by some terrifying, suffocating entity. An arm emerged from the darkness, reaching for Lu Li from behind. It was the limit... The moment Lu Li realized this, his outstretched fingertip touched rough horse hair and warm skin. The whispering, darkness, chill of dread, and the approaching entity were suddenly stripped away from his surroundings, the spotty colors and lights that had been denied for the past few minutes filled Lu Li’s world again. The oil lamp hanging on a stable post swayed slightly in the cool night breeze, shifting the shadows and light in the backyard. The distant sound of a dog barking echoed through the night. The horse nestled in a pile of dry hay, nuzzling Lu Li’s palm with its warm, moist nose. The once omnipresent scene was now impressively vivid and awfully real. “Anna?” “I’ve recovered,” Anna’s voice rang out by his ear. Lu Li patted the horse’s mane, slipped the Flintlock Pistol back into its holster, the old cartridge fell into the pile of dry hay, a new bullet slammed into the chamber. Click. Closing the chamber, holster back at his waist, Lu Li took down the oil lamp and headed back to the tavern. As he left the stable, his steps suddenly paused, and he looked back. As the oil lamp moved away, the stables were becoming dim, only a pair of pitch-black eyes reflecting Lu Li’s figure. ... The mysterious man’s situation was not looking good. When he tried to escape the encircling shadow figures... he had already been surrounded by them. He might not fear these creatures, but it was troublesome. Lu Li had still not returned, and he had been planning to open his suitcase. But if so, the assessment would inevitably deduct a portion of his score. That would be more painful than death... well, second only to death. In an interminable wait, a hand that seemed to emerge from the void touched his shoulder, everything shattered before his eyes, and he was pulled out of that dark and bizarre world. But the situation did not improve, firelight and smoke enveloped the mysterious man’s face as he bent over, coughing violently, “Thanks mate, cough cough cough cough, what are you holding, cough cough cough cough—” Lu Li began to explain that the ignited hay was to prevent the lack of illumination before being interrupted by a furious shout. “Damn it, are you two bastards trying to set my inn on fire!?” A woman draped in a blanket descended stompings from upstairs only to find the back door fully open, letting in the cold air. “My door! What have you done to my door!?” “The gentleman beside me will compensate you for the damage,” Lu Li flicked off the burning hay, but the remaining brightly sparking hay made the smoke even thicker. “Why me?” The mysterious man, just having stopped his coughing, lifted his slightly smoke-blackened face, suddenly gasped, dropping the match burned down to his fingertips. “I’m broke, and besides, this was to save you,” Lu Li said as he walked towards the back door and threw the hay out under the innkeeper’s unfriendly gaze. The mysterious man sighed, “Alright... Boss, just add the damage to my room bill.” “No more trouble,” the innkeeper muttered, reluctantly closing the back door. Lu Li approached the mysterious man, “Can we talk?” “Now? It’s already late, and getting some rest is crucial for me.” “Is it safe?” “They won’t come again.” “Then, during the day.” “That works.” Under the innkeeper’s suspicious gaze, Lu Li, having finished their brief exchange, headed back upstairs. The mysterious man carried his suitcase, following him up the stairs. The innkeeper watched them until they disappeared around the corner. She went back behind the bar and poured herself a glass of wine. Regardless, she was going to keep a close eye on these two fellas tonight. ... “The man next door said a lot, seems like a good person.” Back in the room, Anna materialized and floated onto a wooden chair to sit. The re-lit oil lamp was placed back on the table. She watched the scenery of the street below for a while and, seeing no one, drew the curtains again. Ana’s behavior of associating a good person with loquacity was somewhat perplexing but understandable because Lu Li thought the same. Compared to reticence, Lu Li preferred dealing with people who talked a lot, whether truthful or deceitful. “But he acted as if we were safe... really?” “Should be.” Unlike Anna, who was recalling her scare, Lu Li was pondering something else. That was... whether what he had experienced earlier was real or an illusion induced by the Light-illuminating Fruit... If it was an illusion, why would Anna also fall into the ritual? If not, how could one explain the Shadow Figures, already debunked by the newspapers as false? Lu Li shared his speculation with Anna, who hesitantly responded, “I did smell the Light-illuminating Fruit... does that count?” The situation had become confusing again. However, the night ahead was expected to regain its calm. Probably.

Chapter 187 - 187 44

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