There is No Truth in Falsehood.

Bai Fanlu's face sank.   

Noticing that Bai Fanlu was upset by his words, Xiao Liu lowered his head and twiddled with his fingers as if he had done something wrong. 

The two stopped talking as Bai Fanlu closed his eyes and sat in meditation to adjust his breath. Zhizhi was in such a deep slumber that he kept snoring. Xiao Liu was worried about the monkey disturbing Bai Fanlu, so he spontaneously hugged it and went under another tree. 

After a while, the youth fell asleep, and the surroundings became unusually quiet.   

The night gradually darkened. The moon was half-shrouded by a stream of passing clouds.  

It was the beginning of spring, and the lively chirps of insects could be clearly heard. Bai Fanlu had been sitting for a long time. He fidgeted uncomfortably with a lingering feeling that something was not quite settled.   

He merely teased for a brief moment. Why then was he so restless?  

Bai Fanlu was alarmed by his thoughts and his eyes sprang open. 

It shouldn't be like this...Don't tell me... 

As he discreetly condensed the qi in his dantian sea, he felt a strange and out-of-place movement slowly brushing against his lower abdomen.   

Crap! Bai Fanlu wanted to turn his head and look at the tree next to him, but found that he couldn't move his body at all.   

Looking at his surroundings, everything was a blur. A dense fog surfaced from all directions and very quickly enveloped everything in sight.   

Yet, the fog gradually dissipated within moments, and Bai Fanlu found himself in a room with his ability to move returned. 

He stood up and looked back at the spot where he was at. The gray checkered bed sheet had depressions, showing traces of where someone had sat down.   

Bai Fanlu was in a daze. He just raised his foot and didn't notice that he was wearing slippers. He staggered two steps forward. 

The room was not large, so he could immediately reach out and grab the back of a chair before his gaze fell on the study desk in front of him. 

Knock, knock, knock. A sound came from the door and startled Bai Fanlu as he broke into a cold sweat. 

Then, the voice of a man came from outside, "Xiao Lu, are you back? Why is the door closed?" 

 At this, Bai Fanlu backed away reflexively and then thought of something. He quickly walked towards the door and slapped the ceiling light switch on. 

 "Xiao Lu? Are you in there?"   

The only thing left in the room was a dim lamp that faintly illuminated the table's surface. 

Bai Fanlu held his breath and heard his erratic heartbeat. He tightened his grip on the chair to the point that he could feel the solid corners press into his flesh. 

Doesn't hurt. This must be a dream. Bai Fanlu told himself. 

"Xiao Lu, I know you are inside..."

 The rapping on the door paused for a moment, then the door knob was rotated. 

Bai Fanlu trembled violently, but fortunately, the round, metal knob only rotated a little because the door was locked from the inside. 

The man began to smack the door again. This time he also twisted the doorknob repeatedly. The poor knob gave out creaking noises as if it was about to give way and fall off at any moment.  

"Xiao Lu! Open the door!"

Bai Fanlu stared at the doorknob that kept shaking. Its metallic sheen glowed in the dark, and he involuntarily stepped back as he watched until he was backed against a window. 

"Xiao Lu..." The man's voice sounded near yet far. He cried, "Don't think I can't get to you if you hide inside...Open the door, and I will make you feel better." 

Bai Fanlu gritted his teeth, then turned around and opened the window. 

Without any hesitation, he stepped his right leg on the window ledge and leaned half of his body out, ready to jump down. 

At this moment, a gust of cold wind hit Bai Fanlu, reclaiming a fragment of clarity within his blanked mind. 

Strange. It should be the hottest time of summer right now. Where did this chilly wind come from? 

Circumstances are determined by one's perception. There is no truth in falsehood. 

As if he just guzzled a bottle of awakening liquid, warm blood gushed into Bai Fanlu's brain and sent a chill into his heart. 

He abruptly woke up, realising that the stupor he was in earlier was most likely an illusion technique. 

Although he was fully awake now, not every detail from the illusion had disappeared. Outside the window was pitch-black darkness, but the silence was restored to the door at one side. 

These were the only two exits that seemed to lead to the outside world. Bai Fanlu knew that neither of them was a good choice. 

There is no truth in falsehood...No truth...

Bai Fanlu looked around the room, carefully surveying every object until he saw a workbook spread out on the table and an uncapped fountain pen to the right of it. 

He had to admit that the illusion was pretty realistic. The uncapped fountain pen was a bad habit that Bai Fanlu had not been able to kick for more than a decade.  

But it was a pity that no matter how powerful the caster of this illusion was, he was not Bai Fanlu himself. 

With a faint smile, Bai Fanlu picked up the pen, placing it on the left side of the book. 

At that time, he was still left-handed. 

Then, Bai Fanlu noticed that the pen gradually became transparent. Very soon, the workbook, table, floor, and even the entire room turned into smoke. 

Bai Fanlu looked down at himself. His pyjamas were also transformed into the white robes he was wearing from before. 

The illusion was destroyed!

Bai Fanlu got a little excited, but before he had time to cheer, he realised that the cloud of smoke did not dissipate. Instead, it moved like Plasticine and unexpectedly moulded a new scene before him. 

It was a bustling marketplace lit up by the last rays of the setting sun. People were passing to and fro all around. Bai Fanlu was now slightly more accustomed, and just by looking at his surroundings, he knew it was another illusion. 

However, he could not discern the falsehoods in the details because this scene was not one extracted from his own memory. It was clearly a different situation from just now. 

Consequently, there was no turbulence in his emotions. He was sober as soon as he stepped in. However, this meant that it would be more challenging to find the fracture in this illusion. 

Bai Fanlu took two steps with the flow of people and suddenly heard a familiar voice shouting behind him, "Shixiong!"

Bai Fanlu turned around. It was Yun Zhan. 

But he looked different from Bai Fanlu's impression. Yun Zhan was wearing a white disciple robe, his hair was completely tied up. He gave off a refreshing look that hinted at his capable demeanour. The youth was bright and full of smiles. He should be Yun Zhan in the earlier days of entering the Sect. 

Clearly, this illusion was a memory fragment belonging to the book's Bai Fanlu. 

Bai Fanlu didn't speak, and Yun Zhan raised what was in his hand in front of him. They were bright red hawthorns coated with a layer of pale yellow rock candy, making them appear more translucent and crystal clear. 

"See what I've bought?" Yun Zhan beamed, "Candied haws! Shixiong, have a taste?" 

As soon as he said this, he brought the candied haws to Bai Fanlu's mouth, seemingly to feed him personally. 

Bai Fanlu instinctively moved away. Without speaking, Yun Zhan raised his other hand. Bai Fanlu could only feel a slight movement and realised that Yun Zhan had removed a small fallen leaf from his hair. 

Bai Fanlu frowned. 

Yun Zhan stared at him. His eyes were deep, and the corners of his lips were curved into a smile, praising, "Shixiong's heavenly disposition needs no embellishment from flowers or leaves to sway the hearts of men." 

This... this love story is making sense now. 

Bai Fanlu was blushing outwardly but felt disgusted in his heart. As expected, this man was a scumbag. He could easily reel people in like a kite, and it was no wonder the book's Bai Fanlu fell so hard for him that he staked his entire life on it. 

"Cough! Shidi must be joking". 

Bai Fanlu desperately crusaded against the scumbag in his heart, but had to put on the appearance of civility and friendship with him. At the same time, he poked and pondered for the fracture in this illusion. 

Without an actual memory of the scene, the only thing he could do was recall the novel's details. 

Bai Fanlu dug deep within the bowels of his memory, but couldn't remember any description of where Bai Fanlu and Yun Zhan descended the mountain and shared candied haws. 

However, there was a part where they ate something else...

Bai Fanlu suddenly recalled the time when he told Yun Zhan to eat less, and the man responded in agreement. It was no wonder he had no ounce of doubt despite cultivators' practice of food abstinence. This man was outwardly decent and proper but actually broke the rules and ate on the sly!

"Shixiong, what are you thinking of?" Yun Zhan asked innocently while licking the candied haws. 

Bai Fanlu stared at his tongue which swiftly circled around the bright red fruit, and couldn't hold back a shudder. His eyelids also twitched wildly at this moment. 

"Shixiong? Yun Zhan's stretched out his claws again. 

Once again, Bai Fanlu blocked, but this time, Yun Zhan flipped his hand. Then, he lowered his head, gently grasped Bai Fanlu's hand, and bit his trembling fingertips. 

A wave of electric current travelled from his fingertips to the rest of his body. It was as if Bai Fanlu was electrocuted at that moment and was he just short of leaping up. 

"Shixiong, it's getting late. Let's head back. 

Bai Fanlu was struck by lightning and felt charred on the outside but roasted tender on the inside. He could not resist, and was led by Yun Zhan through a crowd of expressionless extras. 

It's over...It's really that part of the story!

There are only two erotic chapters in the novel. Apart from the scene at the Spiritual Spring, there was another. It was much more significant and elaborate in comparison. 

Why is this also ahead of schedule!?

No, no, no. Bai Fanlu compelled himself to calm down. This is an illusion...just an illusion...

But the erotic chapter was also set in the other Bai Fanlu's illusion.  

The book's Bai Fanlu may be fake, for it was a character created by the author's inner demons. But he was real! And this feeling of shock was also genuine!

System! Come out right now. I promise not to kill you!

The system did not respond. 

The system was not to blame for this situation. It was the caster of this illusion, who was hiding somewhere. 

Like thousands of horses galloping in mud, Bai Fanlu's heart raced. He forced himself to calm down and find a way out. Although he was highly reluctant to think about it, he knew that he had to search for clues within the novel to save himself. 

It was said that the book's Bai Fanlu was entrapped by his own inner demons and spent an entire day in fantasy frolicking with the young Yun Zhan as newlyweds. They toured the markets during the day and returned home to drink merrily and engage in conversation deep into the night. And when the wine brought their passions to a peak...

Bai Fanlu shook his head frantically. Nope! Fast-fast forward! 

Fast-forwarding into the plot, the duo ate and drank together, tasting local delicacies in restaurants of the mortal realm, and so on...

Yun Zhan even deliberately mentioned the name of each dish served in front of Bai Fanlu. 

The green vegetable soup with two flowers floating on it was known as Mandarin Duck Lovers Have No Envy For Immortals. The pair of roasted pigeons, plated side by side, was called Let Us Be Lovebirds. The braised carp, bound in red threads, was named Basking in Love. 

Bai Fanlu admired himself for recollecting these terms. He was utterly speechless at the moronic inner demon at that time and felt that it was depreciating the character's IQ. 

If it weren't for the legendary smut scene, he would have skipped the chapter. 

Hold it. Bai Fanlu tried hard to recall the characters' dialogue at that time—

"Ah Zhan, why are all the dishes today...They are all in pairs." 

Ah Zhan was indeed the book's Bai Fanlu’s pet name for Yun Zhan. However, Bai Fanlu couldn't bring himself to say it. It felt too cloying. 

Then, Yun Zhan began his advances, and his hands fell on the waist of the book's Bai Fanlu. As he unfastened his belt, the jade pendant also fell. Yun Zhan noticed and asked affectionately, "Shixiong is still carrying around this jade pendant? It's exactly the same as mine..."

"Shixiong, when I was young, you would always give in to me. I hope that you and I will be of the same mind and heart as equals in the future. 

 "Ah Zhan..."

His memory was cut short at these words. 

Bai Fanlu stopped abruptly, and the person leading him looked back at him, "What's the matter, Shixiong?" 

Bai Fanlu made no response. His eyes were fixed on the candied haws that Yun Zhan held in his right hand. 

It's no wonder he thought that something was amiss and that perhaps it was because the haws were in a shade of red that was out of this world. He did not expect that it was indeed the reason!

If he guessed it correctly, then the caster of this illusion would really be...Haiz, there were no words to describe. 

It's more important to escape. Bai Fanlu coughed lightly, "Your candied haws..."

"Shixiong, do you want to eat now?" 

Yun Zhan raised the candied haws, and Bai Fanlu took it but didn't put it to his lips. 

Staring at it for a good two seconds, Bai Fanlu felt that this conundrum was dull, but he still grinned, "There are only five hawthorns here." 

"How can this be in multiples of two?" Bai Fanlu shook his head at once and spurned them, "It's inauspicious, it's better to...toss it." 

He threw the candied haws onto the ground and stomped on them fiercely. It was a little sticky, but every step felt great. 

The heap of red matter under his feet soon melted into a pool of blood-red substance, emitting a terrible stench. 

‘Yun Zhan’ showed a look of surprise, and it was quickly distorted into a phantom. Everything around Bai Fanlu returned into nothingness once more. 

Bai Fanlu could sense the flow of air around him and instinctively knew he was back to reality. 

The night breeze wafted, and along with the wind, the atmosphere was gradually changing. The little monkey's snores could be heard, each breath was shallow, slow, and long. 

"How disappointing. My illusion was broken so quickly. I haven't had time to do anything yet."

The blades of the grass rustled in the wind, and slowly, a tall and thin figure emerged from the darkness of the night.