Chapter One Hundred and Eight

Chapter One Hundred and Eight

Indeed, Shen Wang could do it.

To others, this illusion was incredibly real, but for Shen Wang, whose spiritual sense far exceeded his cultivation, it was child's play.

Bai Fuchun and the others watched as Shen Wang looked around and then walked in a direction, stopping in front of a dancer wearing a green cheongsam.

Bai Fuchun and the others glanced at the unfamiliar-looking dancer and then back at Shen Wang, their eyes filled with confusion: Could Shen Wang be deluded by the illusion?

The dancer in the green cheongsam stood stiffly, seemingly oblivious to Shen Wang and the others, with a stubborn look on her face.

An older dancer beside her yanked her over and hissed viciously, "Are you tired of living? Why are you showing such an attitude to the guests?"

"Do you think you're some precious lady? You're just a dancer, your life is cheap. If a guest shoots you dead, no one would even collect your body!"

The dancer in the green cheongsam, with eyes like a fox, defiantly said, "I'd rather be killed than entertain those Japanese soldiers!"

Not far away, several men in black suits sat nearby, eyeing the dancer in the green cheongsam with ill intentions, showing off what they thought were charming smiles.

The green cheongsam dancer almost threw up her last meal, turning her head away in disgust.

"You!" The older dancer was helpless. She returned a flattering smile to the men and whispered, "If you want to die, don't drag the rest of us down with you!"

Biting her teeth, the dancer in the green cheongsam knew that in these troubled times, life was as cheap as grass, especially for dancers like them.

Life was bustling during their performances, but in death, they only got wrapped in a straw mat.

The dancer in the green cheongsam knew that if she wanted to live, she had to flatter and please those guests, but...

She looked at those men, her eyes flashing with intense hatred: She couldn't do it! These invaders of her country, she wished to devour their flesh; how could she possibly face them with a smile!

Seeing the dancer in the green cheongsam remain indifferent, the older dancer's eyes suddenly filled with tears, and she said mournfully, "We will die."

Shen Wang and Bai Fuchun frowned slightly upon hearing this.

After whispering among themselves for a while, the dancer in the green cheongsam was persuaded. She walked towards those men with a stiff face.

Before she could even stand firm, someone eagerly pulled her into their arms, laughing loudly while forcing her to drink, and called her in heavily accented Chinese, "Flower girl..."

"Damn it." Bai Fuchun couldn't stand it anymore and clenched his fists, ready to step forward.

Shen Wang stopped him: "This is an illusion."

Bai Fuchun clenched his fists tightly, grinding his teeth in anger: "So what if it's an illusion? Are we just going to watch those beasts bully a woman?"

Shen Wang's tense expression slightly relaxed. He stepped forward, passing directly through the men, and lightly tapped on the forehead of the dancer in the green cheongsam.

The dancer in the green cheongsam, who had been suppressing her anger, was startled. The next second, her beautiful green cheongsam turned into strangely styled modern clothing, and her unfamiliar face transformed into one they recognized.

Bai Fuchun exclaimed in surprise: "Panghe!"

No one expected that Panghe would be one of the dancers. If not for Shen Wang breaking the illusion, perhaps no one would have realized the truth.

Panghe's eyes shifted from restraint to anger: "Damn it!"

This damn illusion!

Before the others could react, a fox shadow burst out from Panghe's body, scratching and tearing through the bodies of those men. They twisted and vanished like smoke in an instant.

Even so, Panghe was still not appeased. She controlled the fox shadow to wreak havoc in the hall, tearing the illusion apart in an instant.

Shen Wang discreetly stepped back, and Bai Fuchun and the others also silently retreated, distancing themselves from this furiously angry woman.

As the illusion shattered, the true face of the Yin residence was finally revealed.

Stripped of the illusion's adornment, the interior of the Yin residence was decayed and dilapidated, with only the rough outlines of the rooms visible. Weeds covered the floor, and moss had climbed onto the rotten wooden tables.

The place bore no resemblance to the luxurious splendor of the illusion, looking more like a haunted house from a horror story.

"...No need to pretend, this is indeed a haunted house." Shen Wang glanced around and immediately spotted several hidden ghosts.

Just as he was about to summon these ghosts for questioning, someone stumbled towards him, bursting into tears and crying out, "Master! Save me, Master!"

In such an environment, Shen Wang almost kicked the person away reflexively, but he restrained himself upon realizing that this was their neglected client.

Ma Zhiwen scrambled over, clinging to Shen Wang's leg and sobbing uncontrollably: "Master, you have no idea what I saw! It was terrifying!"

After several unsuccessful attempts to detach him, Shen Wang resignedly asked, "What happened?"

The others also turned their attention to Ma Zhiwen.

As an ordinary person, Ma Zhiwen should have been entranced by the illusion upon entering the Yin residence, and indeed, he almost was.

But before he could succumb to the illusion, a burning pain suddenly erupted in his palm, as if something had been scorched. Ma Zhiwen snapped back to reality, only to find the beautiful woman in the cheongsam in front of him had transformed her face.

"One second she was so beautiful, the next she had a ghastly, toothy grin, smiling at me and inviting me to dance!" Ma Zhiwen was a mess of snot and tears, still terrified. "I didn’t dare to speak; it was so frightening, my heart has never beaten so fast!"

Ma Zhiwen then realized he was still holding the safety charm given by Shen Wang. Too scared to do anything, he found a corner to crouch in, burying his head in his knees, pretending to be an ostrich.

Upon hearing noises, he cautiously peeked through a gap and, seeing it was Shen Wang and his group, he scrambled towards them.

After hearing his story, Shen Wang had little reaction, but the other contestants were visibly unsettled.

Bai Fuchun: "You could see through the illusion just by relying on the safety charm given by Brother Shen?!"

Panghe: "How powerful must a safety charm be to do that! Impossible, right?"

Wushu: "Then, may I ask where can one buy such a thing?"

"Enough, you're treating this like a marketplace," Shen Wang said. "This is a competition, be serious!"

Bai Fuchun, disappointed, withdrew his gaze and let out a long sigh, asking, "So, what do we do now?"

Everyone's eyes were on Shen Wang, looking to him for guidance.

Shen Wang looked up: "Now, of course, we need to drag out those ghosts..."

The group waited intently.

"...and scare them out of their wits."

Bai Fuchun and the others: "...Isn't that a bit too simplistic and crude?"

Shen Wang: "Crude? If it's effective, it's good enough."

As he spoke, Shen Wang's fingertips were already conjuring talismanic symbols. He toyed with them, about to throw, when a woman's voice urgently stopped him.

"Wait!"

The corners of Shen Wang's lips curved into a smile. Yielding graciously, he retracted the talisman, saying softly, "Lady Azi."

Azi appeared in mid-air, floating in front of Shen Wang, and complained coquettishly, "Master, we are just ordinary ghosts and have never harmed anyone."

"Even when people wanted our house, we only let them wander through the illusion before sending them out... We really couldn't be more innocent."

The others watched Azi's demeanor without showing any surprise. Only Panghe’s eyes revealed a hint of pity.

Azi bit her lip, tears coming readily. She looked at Panghe with tearful eyes, "Kind sister, please spare us this time, considering we're both women... You've experienced it in the illusion; we dancers are just insignificant beings in troubled times, struggling to survive..."

Panghe instinctively looked at Shen Wang: "Brother Shen... maybe we could..."

Shen Wang didn't respond to Panghe. Instead, he picked up the trembling Ma Zhiwen from the ground and asked, "Have you ever known a man before? Were you in a relationship with him?"

"A man?" Azi covered her mouth coyly, "What are you talking about, Master? The number of men I've known is countless."

Shen Wang: "..."

He nudged Ma Zhiwen, signaling him to deal with it himself.

Perhaps feeling secure with Shen Wang behind him, or driven by his obsession with the diary, Ma Zhiwen shakily rummaged in his backpack and stammered, "Miss Azi, do you remember... my great-uncle, his name was Ma Liancheng."

Azi was startled, frowning slightly as she tried to remember: "I don’t recall. Was he one of my previous clients?"

After searching for a while, Ma Zhiwen finally pulled out a diary: "My great-uncle met you when he was young and never forgot about you. He never married, always remembering the promise you two made..."

In the diary, the young great-uncle promised that he would return with money to marry his beloved girl and live a good life with her.

But after that diary entry, there were no more additions.

Later, the diary was torn up, removing all the heavy details about Azi being a dancer and leaving only the beautiful memories.

Azi took the diary, her gaze distant: "How long has it been outside?"

Ma Zhiwen replied, "Over eighty years."

Azi caressed the cover of the diary without opening it: "He never married?"

"Yes, he lived to be 105 years old, without ever marrying or having children."

"To think there was such a man..." Azi murmured, half in awe, half in wonder, "But I don’t remember him."

She then asked, "How is he now... is he well?"

Ma Zhiwen hesitated: "...He passed away this May."

It was while sorting the old man's belongings that he found the diary.

Azi sighed, opened the diary, and after only a few pages, her expression became serious, then she suddenly chuckled: "You've mistaken the person, I am Azi, the 'zi' as in purple."

The girl in the diary was A Zhi.

Everyone, still immersed in this poignant love story, was stunned. Had they mistaken the person all along?!

Azi closed the diary: "A Zhi, A Zhi..."

Soon, another ghost timidly floated out, hiding behind Azi and looking nervously at Shen Wang and the others.

"Here." Azi handed the diary to her, herself a mix of tears and laughter.

A Zhi appeared much younger, about fifteen or sixteen years old, unlike the skilled dancer Azi. She was more introverted and silent. Without mentioning it, no one would guess she was a dancer.

A Zhi looked at the diary, her face reflecting memories, and then she shyly smiled: "I remember him."

The clumsy youth who mistakenly entered the ballroom.

He was the one delivering clothes to the girls in the back of the ballroom, himself wearing clothes full of patches, tall and not at all boyish. After delivering the clothes, he wandered around the backyard, unable to find the way out.

It was A Zhi who led him out.

That was his first time delivering clothes there, and he didn’t even know it was a ballroom.

Later, the two of them secretly fell in love and even began planning how to buy her freedom and leave the ballroom.

But... A Zhi's eyes gradually dimmed: "I let him down."

Ma Zhiwen never expected the heroine of the story to be so young. He was completely taken aback, but in that era, it was common for teenagers to marry. He awkwardly waved his hand: "No, no, it wasn't your fault."

Azi poked A Zhi's head: "You're already dead, there's no way to keep your promise. If anyone is to blame, it's those despicable Japanese soldiers..."

Japanese soldiers? Panghe, recalling everything from the illusion, felt a physiological revulsion: "What happened?"

Azi glanced at her, still smiling seductively and nonchalantly said: "What else? Those beasts played us to death, several of our sisters."

"We managed to kill a few of those beasts, but then they slaughtered everyone in the ballroom."

After saying this, she looked at Shen Wang and the others' grim faces, covered her mouth, and laughed: "I've said it already."

"In times of chaos, life is the least valuable, especially the lives of us women."