Family Cultivation: Rise of the Wilderness

Chapter 511 Mirage
I wonder how the Shangjifang is doing now.

Li Xiangming stood at the street corner, gazing at the bustling crowd. The shouts of vendors rose and fell, and for a moment, they seemed to overlap with the laughter and chatter of Li Qianbai and others in his memory.
"Uncle, would you like to buy some candy?"

A little girl with pigtails suddenly emerged from the crowd.

She was about seven or eight years old. Her apricot-yellow coarse cloth clothes were washed until they were almost white, and there were still a few sugar stains on the cuffs. She held a candied hawthorn stick high in her little hand. The hawthorns covered with the shiny sugar coating were bright red, like a string of small lanterns.

Li Xiangming's gaze fell on the candied hawthorns, and a wave of memories washed over him. He had almost forgotten the past, but now he felt a pang of emotion.

Seeing this, the little girl immediately stood on tiptoe and moved the candied hawthorn closer to Li Xiangming, revealing a smile with a missing front tooth as she spoke: "Three coins a stick, and it's so sweet!"

"No need."

Li Xiangming politely declined.

The little girl's face immediately showed deep disappointment, and she clutched the bamboo skewer and walked away with her head down.

Just then, the sound of gongs and drums rang out again.

The young city lord's wedding procession seemed to have picked up the bride and was making its grand return. Pedestrians on the street quickly made way for them, but the lost-minded little girl remained on the road.

By the time she realized what was happening and hurriedly turned around, she was already very close to the group.

"Who is this lowly commoner blocking the way?!"

The young city lord on horseback flew into a rage and lashed out with his whip, the wind whistling through the air.

With a sharp "crack," the little girl's coarse cloth shirt tore open on the back, revealing a shocking bloodstain. She staggered and fell, the candied hawthorn in her arms shattering into pieces, the bright red hawthorns rolling into the dust.

"You jinx!"

The young city lord was still not satisfied. He dismounted and walked up to the little girl with a furious expression, cursing, "You ruined my plans! I'll beat you to death today!"

After saying that, he continued to slap the little girl's head.

Hearing the wind, the little girl curled up, covering her head with her hands, tears streaming down her face, but she was still whipped until her arms were torn and bleeding. The intense pain made her howl and roll on the ground.

"You still dare to block my way?"

The young city lord seemed even angrier, the whip whistling through the air before falling again.

At the critical moment, a large hand suddenly gripped the whip tip, and Li Xiangming stared coldly at the young city lord as if he were looking at a dead man.

The young city lord was so stung by the gaze that he took several steps back. When he saw that it was just a woodcutter in coarse linen clothes, he flew into a rage: "Where did this stray dog ​​come from? Chop him up for me!"

More than ten servants stepped forward and surrounded Li Xiangming.

Pedestrians on the street were so shocked by this sudden turn of events that they began to whisper among themselves.

"Is this man crazy?"

"Dare to provoke the young city lord."

"I know him, he's Li Erniu, the firewood seller."

"No matter who it is, they're all doomed. The young city lord won't show any mercy! Now someone else is going to be sent to the sacred tree. I heard the patrol team has already made thirty trips this month, and there are deaths almost every day."

At this moment, Li Xiangming also realized that something was wrong.

He subconsciously released the young city lord's riding whip, looked down at his hands, his palms covered in calluses, and touched his clothes. Where was the evil green robe? It was clearly just an ordinary coarse linen garment.

"Is this...an illusion?"

Cold sweat broke out on Li Xiangming's forehead.

He himself practiced illusion techniques, yet since entering the city, he had been completely unaware that he was trapped in an illusion.

Before he could think any further, the servants around him could no longer contain themselves and raised their fists, rushing forward one after another.

Li Xiangming, who already had murderous intent, offered no resistance.

He let the rain of punches and kicks fall on his body.

A short while later, he collapsed in a pool of blood. The little girl, who was being protected under his belly, clung tightly to his clothes, her eyes closed as if she couldn't bear to see this scene. Only tears were silently streaming down her face.

Is this really an illusion?

Li Xiangming completely forgot about being beaten, staring at the girl's face, where even the fine downy hairs were clearly visible, and the pain in her body was so real it was terrifying. The realism of this illusion completely exceeded his comprehension.

"stop!"

In the wedding procession, the bride, adorned in a phoenix coronet and embroidered robe, suddenly lifted the carriage curtain, her pearls swaying gently. A clear shout echoed throughout the hall. The servants who were still working immediately lowered their hands and retreated. The young city lord hurriedly approached, whispered a few words to the bride, and then reluctantly mounted his horse.

"It's Miss Qing'er!"

"Miss Qing'er is beautiful and kind-hearted; she certainly wouldn't let such a thing happen."

"That kid Li Erniu is lucky."

As if to confirm the passerby's words, the young city lord mounted his white horse again, waved his hand, and his servants joined him. The group then rode away amidst the renewed sound of gongs and drums.

Li Xiangming couldn't help but look at the bride's carriage.

Just then, the bride turned around and looked back, her rosy lips slightly parted.

Li Xiangming read the lips, his whole body trembled, and he struggled to get up from the ground.

"Uncle, are you okay?"

The little girl fell to the ground, her teary eyes filled with worry as she looked at Li Xiangming.

Li Xiangming paused, squatted down again, patted her head, and was about to say something.

Suddenly, the little girl's figure became somewhat ethereal, and several grains of sand fell from her sallow skin.

A gentle breeze swept by, and fine sand fluttered down.

The little girl collapsed like a sand painting, turning into dust in the blink of an eye and disappearing with the wind.

Li Xiangming stared blankly at this scene, stretched out his palm, and found that his blood-stained palm had somehow caught a few grains of sand, as if they were the last traces of the little girl's affection.

He remained silent for a long time, then closed his eyes.

When I opened my eyes again, the surrounding scenery was completely transformed.

Before me lay the bustling city, its streets still teeming with life. Two farmers, each carrying a hoe, chatted and laughed as they passed by. In the distance, the sounds of a wedding procession gradually reached my ears.

A mirage?

Li Xiangming muttered to himself.

He had already realized that this was a constantly repeating illusionary world.

What happens in the illusion may very well have happened in reality as well.

The little girl who was obstructing the wedding procession and Li Erniu, who was transformed by him, were obviously beaten to death by the young city lord. That is why the illusion could not continue to "possess" the world of the little girl and Li Erniu and was forced to reincarnate prematurely.

"Such a realistic scene, I don't know how it was reflected."

Li Xiangming slowly exhaled. If he had this ability, he might be able to deceive all the Bone Fusion Demon Cultivators, including the Centipede Poison Granny, and lead the Demon Suppression Camp to retreat unscathed.

But he didn't!

At this critical juncture, he was not by the side of the Demon Suppression Camp, and had completely failed in his responsibility as commander.

Thinking about this, Li Xiangming felt very uncomfortable.

But what's done is done, and there's no point in thinking about it anymore.

Li Xiangming quickly adjusted his mindset and began to think about Qing'er, the girl who was admired by the entire city.

Logically speaking, the scene that occurred in the illusion happened many years ago. Even if Qing'er spoke to Li Erniu, it wouldn't be up to Li Xiangming to speculate.

But what Qing'er said seemed to be a proverb: Strangers should return to dust, and those who are not meant to be should turn into sand.

Is Li Erniu a stranger?
Obviously not.

This statement seemed to be specifically addressed to him—the first half warned him to leave the illusion, while the second half bluntly stated that he could gain nothing from the illusion.

If that's the case, is that Miss Qing'er really a character in this illusion?
Furthermore, according to the scenes in the illusion, the Purple Shade Cave was extremely prosperous at a certain time.

At least ordinary people can live and work in peace and contentment!

The fact that the young master with spiritual roots was designated as the young city lord also indicates that the Purple Yin Cave has a cultivation world.

But now, the spiritual energy in the Purple Yin Cave is thin, making it completely unsuitable for cultivators to live in. Only a very few demonic beasts survive in the desert. What exactly happened here?
Li Xiangming rubbed his fingertips together, his thoughts tangled like a jumbled mess.

(End of this chapter)