Chapter 138: Mountain Mirage Fiend
This Qu Xingxuan……
Could the Cui Family’s welcome feast be so unique that it makes people forget to return home?
Or is there something in the mountain blocking their return journey?
Xuan Xia tossed and turned, feeling increasingly uneasy in her heart.
Moreover, she tried calling twice more, both ending with no one picking up.
Xuan Xia held her mobile phone, frowning in thought for a moment. Calling Yuan Zhongshu at this hour was indeed impolite, but she couldn’t afford to worry about that.
She called Yuan Zhongshu again.
Without knowing Qu Xingxuan’s situation, she couldn’t sleep peacefully.
She thought her call would wake Yuan Zhongshu, but unexpectedly, he picked up quickly.
From his voice, he sounded awake.
“Niece, calling at this hour, is something wrong?” Yuan Zhongshu’s tone was hesitant.
“Uncle Yuan, has Qu Xingxuan not returned yet?”
There was silence on the other end for a few seconds, then Yuan Zhongshu’s voice came again, several degrees lower. “No.”
Xuan Xia detected something unusual in that low tone.
“Uncle Yuan, has something happened to Qu Xingxuan?”
With Xuan Xia asking so directly, Yuan Zhongshu finally sighed as if he couldn’t hold out any longer, his voice sounding even more world-weary than before.
Yuan Zhongshu said, “Ren Tongjin came over just now.”
“What did he come for?”
Why mention Ren Tongjin so suddenly? Hearing that name, Xuan Xia couldn’t help thinking of Ren Tongli.
Could Ren Tongli have done something to Qu Xingxuan?
Yuan Zhongshu said, “Ren Tongjin said that the mountain they went to this time might have trouble.”
He had originally thought these young people were just using it as an excuse to cool off and swim in the mountain. After all, it was summer, and the mountain was cool, but through Ren Tongjin’s words, Yuan Zhongshu learned that the mountain they chose had recently been found to have an anomaly in the mountain area.
That mountain seemed to harbor a Mountain Mirage Fiend.
The so-called Mirage Fiend was a combination of mirage and Illusionary Scenery.
A mirage was like a mirage over the sea; ordinary people didn’t know that mirages could inherently carry Illusionary Scenery, and if combined with other Illusionary Scenery, it became evil upon evil, danger upon danger.
In the Mystic Sect, not everyone could handle such a fierce fiend.
There were many types of Mirage Fiends; the one in the mountain area was called Mountain Mirage Fiend, and there were also Water Mirage Fiends in the water and Sea Mirage Fiends; occasionally, cities could produce Mirage Fiends due to special reasons, but the probability was much lower than in mountains or water.
Mirage Fiends had complex causes, some natural and some man-made.
As for this Mountain Mirage Fiend, it was first discovered by a Ren Family member.
It was said that at the time of discovery, the Ren Family lost a few younger members to it.
Later, the Ren Family informed the Cui Family about the Mountain Mirage Fiend, and the Cui Family took charge of guarding it—one to find a way to dispel it, and two, to have someone watching to prevent unaware people from stumbling in.
With this kind of Illusionary Scenery, the more people it trapped, the fiercer it became.
Only the Ren Family and Cui Family knew about the Mountain Mirage Fiend; no one leaked it, so even Yuan Zhongshu didn’t know.
If Ren Tongjin hadn’t come knocking late at night, Yuan Zhongshu might still not have thought much of it.
Ren Tongjin came because he had also been waiting a long time for Ren Tongli to return home. After asking around, he learned which mountain they went to, and hurried over to Yuan Zhongshu’s to ask about the situation.
But despite Yuan Zhongshu’s various attempts, he couldn’t reach Qu Xingxuan.
“Ren Tongjin has already taken people to the mountain overnight. Hopefully it’s a false alarm.” Yuan Zhongshu said this, but kept sighing.
Xuan Xia was silent for a long time after hearing this.
She couldn’t convince herself that these people, holding a welcome feast, had to go to the mountain when anywhere else would do.
Even if they really went to the mountain, they didn’t go to any of Yanjing’s famous scenic mountains, but specifically to one with a Mirage Fiend.
And the leaders were the Cui Family and Ren Family, the only ones who knew about the Mountain Mirage Fiend.
So coincidental to all come together—could it really be coincidence?
Yuan Zhongshu was also silent for a while, then turned to comfort Xuan Xia.
“It should be fine. You don’t need to worry too much.”
Xuan Xia went along with his words. “Yeah, it should be fine. Uncle Yuan, you too—don’t worry too much. I’ll return to Yanjing tomorrow and come see you after.”
Yuan Zhongshu agreed. They didn’t chat much more; he needed to stay available for news from Qu Xingxuan.
What if that brat called him soon?
After ending the call, Xuan Xia had no sleepiness left and thought about many things that night.
In the morning, she startled Ji Ziyao.
Ji Ziyao asked her, “Why are your eyes red?”
Xuan Xia couldn’t think of an excuse and had to say, “Insomnia.”
Ji Ziyao gave her a look that said it all, but soon showed understanding. After all, it was her first role won through an audition—truly precious and unique.
Later, with more opportunities and experiences, this feeling would gradually fade.
Still, he had to nag a bit. “You can’t go on like this; it’s a long road ahead. Keep a calm mindset.”
Xuan Xia said “mm” in response.
Seeing her not retorting like before, Ji Ziyao figured her excitement had worn off and said no more. “Catch some sleep in the car.”
Xuan Xia said “mm” again.
The flight back to Yanjing was scheduled for just after eight in the morning. Before boarding, Xuan Xia sent Yuan Zhongshu a message asking about the situation, but the reply was still no news.
As for details, Yuan Zhongshu didn’t mention any.
Before the flight took off, Xuan Xia decided she would go to the mountain herself.
Once decided, as soon as she boarded, Xuan Xia forced herself to close her eyes and rest.
After arriving in Yanjing, Xuan Xia received a message from Yuan Zhongshu. With some expectation, she opened it, only to find that Yuan Zhongshu couldn’t sit still anymore and had decided to go to the mountain himself.
Xuan Xia quickly replied, asking him to share his location; she would head there right away.
Once she had the location, Xuan Xia only took the bag with her equipment; she handed the rest of her luggage to Ji Ziyao and immediately took a taxi.
Ji Ziyao said irritably, “You were so sleepy your eyes were bloodshot earlier, and now you’re rushing off somewhere again?”
Yang Wanxiu didn’t dare chime in beside him; she also thought Xuan Xia was acting strangely, not knowing what she was busy with.
Just as Ji Ziyao finished nagging, he received a message from Xuan Xia.
『Xuan Xia: If I don’t show up at the company tomorrow, consider it as me taking leave in advance. If there’s no word from me at all, hold onto the contract for me for a while. If I…』
『Xuan Xia: Forget it, just hold it for a month. If I don’t show up in a month, do me a favor and handle my affairs.』
Ji Ziyao: ???
This really scared him.
Ji Ziyao rarely swore, but now he couldn’t hold back. He cursed and called Xuan Xia, determined to ask where exactly she was going!
But Xuan Xia didn’t pick up; she just sent another message.
『Xuan Xia: Just kidding. I’ll come to the company tomorrow to sign the contract. Get it ready for me.』
Ji Ziyao: “…”
After sending the message, Xuan Xia regretted it herself. She shouldn’t have told Ji Ziyao something like that—it would just scare him.
She should have told Daoist Master Qin instead; if something really happened, the best to entrust it to would be Changsheng Temple.
