Chapter 90 - 5: Illusory Barrier! Come Out Now

"You’re right!"

Thinking it over, that actually makes sense, so Ye Liuyun naturally didn’t refuse.

If someone really died on the way, that’d be a pain to deal with.

After Ye Liuyun agreed, Si Nan casually sliced off a chunk of rabbit leg and walked over to the prison cart. As for Shi Sheng, he was still wolfing down meat, totally uninterested in what was going on here.

When Si Nan got close to the prison cart,

he casually lifted a corner of the black cloth and said,

"Time to eat!"

The next moment, "Thank you, sir."

A delicate voice came from under the black cloth.

At the same time, a tail like a python’s slid out from beneath the lifted cloth, snatching away the rabbit leg in Si Nan’s hand.

Hearing the chomping sounds from under the cloth, animal-like and disturbing,

Si Nan’s brain grew instantly clear, his eyes wide and his feet involuntarily retreating.

"A m-monster!"

His finger shook as he pointed at the covered wooden cell, his voice practically trembling.

"Monster! Sir, there’s a monster locked inside that wooden cell!"

The Embroidered Uniform Guards nearby had clearly seen that too, and their eyes went wide, just as spooked.

"Heh heh!"

Amid the commotion outside,

a teasing laugh floated out from under the black cloth, the ’demoness’ clearly amused.

"What monster? Sir, you really shouldn’t smear a young lady’s reputation so carelessly. If you don’t believe me, why not lift the black cloth and take a proper look?"

Si Nan wasn’t stupid, so of course he’d never just pull the black cloth off.

He kept backing up and was about to stumble right onto the campfire.

If Ye Liuyun hadn’t reached out and pulled him back,

he would’ve been toast, literally.

"Enough!"

Seeing Si Nan getting louder and louder, Ye Liuyun straight up shut him down.

"Just some magic, don’t get all worked up."

"M-magic?"

Ye Liuyun had seen that ’tail’ too,

and sensed the magic energy—clearly, that snake tail was just an illusion conjured up by her magic.

Si Nan turned to look at Ye Liuyun incredulously,

his nerves gradually settling.

Si Nan always trusted Ye Liuyun, after all.

"So it was magic..."

He still looked like he’d just survived a disaster—he’d honestly been spooked.

"Pathetic!"

At that moment, Shi Sheng, having finished off the whole rabbit, wasted no time mocking Si Nan when he saw his reaction.

He’d been a little scared too, truthfully.

But as soon as he heard Shi Sheng’s jab, that fear shriveled up and died.

"You’ve got a lotta nerve, considering you still believe in ghosts!"

"So? At least I’m not the one screaming my head off right now."

Shi Sheng would never pass up the chance to tease Si Nan like this.

"You bastard!"

Seeing the two of them getting more and more fired up, Ye Liuyun didn’t even want to get involved anymore.

As long as they didn’t actually start fighting, it really didn’t matter.

"Sir, you’re impressive, I must say,"

At that moment, the ’demoness’s’ voice called out again from within the covered cell.

"To spot my little trick so quickly—could it be that you’re a mage too?"

She didn’t deny using magic just now,

just sounded a bit surprised Ye Liuyun saw through it right away.

"What do you know?"

Hearing that, Si Nan couldn’t be bothered to argue with Shi Sheng any longer.

He puffed up with pride and said,

"My lord is an Innate Martial Artist—a measly magic trick like that, of course my lord could see through it at a glance!"

Ye Liuyun didn’t bother explaining further.

The magic thing was his trump card anyway, and he was just an Eighth-Grade Mage. Nothing worth bragging about.

"Innate Martial Artist, huh? Well, that explains it!"

Once she heard Ye Liuyun was an Innate Martial Artist, not only did she not seem surprised, she actually looked enlightened.

As if she thought—

Ye Liuyun ought to be that strong; that was only natural.

"?"

The tone made Ye Liuyun pause in thought.

As expected, the case that the Southern Governor handed him was definitely no ordinary matter.

But since the ’demoness’ didn’t press further, Ye Liuyun wasn’t about to push, or force her to spill—no need for that.

If the Southern Governor really had something else up his sleeve, it’d come out sooner or later. No point rushing.

...

On the road back to the Imperial City,

There were plenty of mountain trails, though the main road was an option. But that would mean a big detour, and take several extra days—not worth it.

Everyone just wanted to wrap this case up quick and head home for a good break.

Sure, being Embroidered Uniform Guards meant roughing it in the wild was part of the gig—and everyone could deal. But seriously, who wouldn’t rather be curled up safe and comfy at home if they could?

Along the way,

The demoness never stopped talking,

and she even introduced herself a bit.

Her name was Shu Fan, of the Illusion Sound Sect, and her status there was pretty high—she was basically their senior sister.

"Illusion Sound Sect?"

Hearing the name, Ye Liuyun was a bit surprised.

The Great Qian Dynasty valued martial artists above all—practically everyone studied martial arts, hoping to become a Martial Artist themselves. Most sects within the Great Qian were martial arts sects too.

But that didn’t mean there weren’t any sects specializing in magic throughout the Great Qian.

The Illusion Sound Sect was one of those oddballs.

Ye Liuyun had come across the name in the case records—a small, minor sect with little fame in the Great Qian. If they didn’t all practice magic, probably no one would remember they existed.