Chapter 108: Fairyland on Earth

"Hong Huan Hua Su, a Shi Pin Ling Yao, can cause mild hallucinations, with a puckery and slightly bitter taste."

Xu Xiaoshou was stunned by the sea of red flowers at the entrance.

Was this place really planted with so many Shi Pin Ling Yao? Was this the perk of the Nei Yuan Ling Zhi?

Given for free?

But why this particular one? Any other Ling Yao would do!

Hallucinations...

It did make his head feel a bit dizzy just looking at it!

Rubbing his temples, Xu Xiaoshou made his way through the flower field to the main house.

The setup here was one main room and one guest room, but even the guest room was much larger than his old main house in the outer courtyard.

And the ornamental features were countless.

Inside the main house was the array hub; as long as he imprinted his Nei Yuan disciple token, it would claim ownership of the Ling Zhi—this was what Sang Lao had told him.

Holding the Zhang Lao Ling, Xu Xiaoshou pushed the door open and entered the main house.

A riot of colors dazzled his eyes.

It was a finely decorated room in warm tones, equipped with every imaginable daily amenity, even more than he could have imagined.

A large red-powder bed, a dressing table, a wine-red wardrobe...

Uh, something didn't feel right.

The room was piled with meticulously tailored clothing in various styles and fabrics—silk, satin, lace...

The more Xu Xiaoshou looked, the more confused he became.

He casually picked up a small piece of red cloth with two straps dangling from it, faintly catching a subtle, dark fragrance.

He sniffed it lightly, and his face changed dramatically.

"This... this is underwear!"

Xu Xiaoshou was flabbergasted. The floor was covered in underwear of exaggerated styles and innovative cuts, truly broadening his horizons.

"Could someone already be living here?"

"But if someone lives here, how did I get in? I didn't see any protective barrier resisting me!"

Xu Xiaoshou was utterly baffled.

Maybe the original owner was a woman who had met with some accident, leaving the Ling Zhi without an owner's mark, so the array didn't activate?

Or perhaps...

Glancing at the Zhang Lao Ling in his hand, Xu Xiaoshou fell into deep thought.

"That's impossible!"

"If that's the case, any unscrupulous elder could put the girls in the Ling Gong in danger..."

Setting aside the scene before him, Xu Xiaoshou rummaged through boxes and cabinets for a while but couldn't find the array hub—it must have been taken, which meant this place did have an owner.

He felt a wave of embarrassment; he'd accidentally barged into a woman's boudoir and seen all this clothing. If the owner caught him...

That would be a disaster!

"Time to get out."

Shrinking his neck, Xu Xiaoshou decided to turn and leave without further ado, but then the back door of the house creaked open, as if blown by the wind.

Outside, a waterfall roared—the sound he'd heard earlier clearly came from there.

Xu Xiaoshou paused.

A woman's boudoir, a waterfall—what came next?

A beauty emerging from the bath?

"It can't be that clichéd!"

Xu Xiaoshou's expression turned wonderfully complex. His reason told him he had to leave now, but his body stubbornly moved in the opposite direction.

"Just a quick look..."

"No! After all, I've intruded into someone's boudoir. If the owner is here, it's better to clear things up face-to-face to avoid future complications."

"Yeah, that's it!"

Xu Xiaoshou nodded emphatically, kicked aside the underwear on the floor, covered his eyes with his hands, and felt his way forward through the gaps in his fingers.

Splash!

The waterfall thundered like thunder, with hot mist rising, floating like immortal vapors over the deep pool and hot spring.

—He couldn't see a thing!

Xu Xiaoshou simply closed his eyes; he knew the principle of not looking where he shouldn't. If he peeked through his fingers and got caught, there'd be no explaining it!

Huddled at the door, he fully extended his "Gan Zhi."

Ripples gently spread across the pool water, instantly drawing his focus. After a few bubbles popped up, a graceful figure slowly rose.

With jade-like hands combing through it, three thousand strands of green silk stirred the mist, droplets quietly falling; like a lotus emerging from water, a slender waist swayed in the spring light, bewitchingly confusing even immortals.

Xu Xiaoshou was momentarily entranced.

He felt as if a water droplet had splashed on his lips; licking it, he tasted a slight saltiness.

"Sheng Sheng Bu Xi" activated wildly, rapidly generating blood.

A voice with a hint of seductive teasing rang out.

"Su sister is here? Why not join me for a bath before leaving?"

Xu Xiaoshou snapped back to his senses.

No, he couldn't stay any longer!

If he continued, regardless of whether he could explain or not, trouble was inevitable!

But before he could turn, an angry shout echoed from the hot spring.

"Who is it?"

As the words fell, Xu Xiaoshou found himself unable to move.

His eyes opened involuntarily, and the misty heat before him faded, revealing the woman seemingly about to turn around slowly.

"This is bad!"

His pupils dilated, and his feet subconsciously stepped forward.

"Under the influence of hallucination, passive value: 1."

The prompt in his information bar was like a bucket of cold water over his head, jolting Xu Xiaoshou awake.

"Hallucination?"

"Illusion?!"

His foot hung in midair; what he saw before him was the woman still turning, but in his mind, he saw a Ling Jian pressed against his throat.

If he took that step, he would surely die!

But... what the hell is going on? Why am I seeing two scenes?

Wait!

What he saw with his eyes must be the content imposed by the illusion; what his mind perceived was the real scene from "Gan Zhi"?

Yes, "Gan Zhi" is a passive skill!

This woman clearly wasn't using something weird like Mo Mo's seal power; it was just an illusion, which couldn't trap his passive skill!

He watched as the woman turned in the illusion, revealing a hideous, decayed face, but Xu Xiaoshou was prepared and wasn't startled.

"Don't look where you shouldn't, don't look where you shouldn't!"

He murmured subconsciously, slowly turning away. "I'm just here to discuss important matters with the owner of this Ling Zhi; I absolutely won't act like a villain..."

In his mind, the Ling Jian at the back of his head trembled and vanished.

A woman wrapped in a bathrobe appeared, blocking his path.

If he kept going, he'd bump into her; if he stopped, he'd give himself away.

"Under the influence of hallucination, passive value: 1."

Xu Xiaoshou's steps remained firm as he walked straight through the woman in the bathrobe; the scene shattered instantly.

Hah, not bad!

Since you can't seal my passive skill or affect my information bar, your illusion is no match for me.

On the side, another woman in a bathrobe shifted from flushed embarrassment to surprise.

Why was her illusion ineffective against this guy?

Was it because he really wasn't looking?

No, even if he wasn't looking, her illusion should have pulled him in directly. This was clearly a sign it hadn't worked.

But that didn't matter anymore. Remembering what had just happened, fury flashed in the woman's beautiful eyes.

The Ling Jian trembled and thrust straight at him.

Xu Xiaoshou turned around calmly, without any defense.

Hmph, think you can force me to back down like this?

The woman showed no mercy, the Ling Jian piercing toward his chest, but when she clearly saw his face, she was stunned.

"It's you!"

She tried to pull back, but the sword had already pierced his clothes. Even if she wanted to stop now, it was too late.

With a crisp clang, "Feng Li Zhi Guang" combined with "Fan Zhen" directly deflected the Ling Jian, while only a small puncture appeared on Xu Xiaoshou's chest.

According to his plan, he should clutch his chest in pain, feign injury to gain sympathy, then adapt accordingly—or maybe just laugh it off and retreat...

But now, face-to-face with the woman, his mind went blank.

"It's you?"