One of my fairy-like friends

This reminded Mingyan of what he had encountered in the tomb of that senior Ren Yingjing. He closed his eyes and began to feel the movement of the air around him.

The wind will tell him the right direction; all he needs to do is feel how the wind is moving.

At that time, Ming Yan was only at the Taixi Realm, but now he has reached the Yinling Realm. His mastery of the Wind Spirit Scripture has improved further, and he can feel the flow of the surrounding air more clearly. However, Ming Yan quickly gave up because the air flow was chaotic and had no pattern. It came from all directions and went back to all directions. The laws involved were not something that Ming Yan could see through at his current level.

Mingyan opened his eyes, frowned, and wondered what to do.

Mingyan was searching for a way to leave this misty area when he suddenly heard Huang Feiyan's voice. Mingyan looked up, slightly surprised.

"Mingyan? Mingyan? Are you there?"

Mingyan looked in the direction the sound came from, and there, a beautiful figure in red walked over. Mingyan quickly went over and said, "Feiyan! I'm here."

"Mingyan!" Huang Feiyan also saw Mingyan and was overjoyed. She quickened her pace and walked over.

Mingyan hadn't expected to end up with Huang Feiyan, but seeing no one else, he knew she must have gotten separated from the others. "Did you get separated from Senior Sister and Ning Feixuan?"

"Hmm, you too?" Huang Feiyan's pretty face lit up with joy, but upon hearing Ming Yan's words, her expression turned worried. "After entering the mist, I got separated from them. I thought you were all together..."

“At least we’ve met, let’s stick together so we don’t get separated again,” Mingyan nodded and said with a smile.

"Hmm." Huang Feiyan leaned closer, let out a long breath, and followed behind Mingyan. Suddenly, Mingyan felt a chill, and the hair on his body stood on end. He subconsciously put some distance between them, and then turned around to see Huang Feiyan holding a feather sword, thrusting it at him. If he hadn't sensed it in advance, he might have already been stabbed by Huang Feiyan.

Ming Yan coldly stared at Huang Feiyan, instantly realizing that this was definitely not Huang Feiyan. His Qi Sea flickered, and the Tongyou Immortal Gold appeared in his hand. "No matter who you are, to impersonate my friend, you have quite the nerve..."

Huang Feiyan did not speak. Before Mingyan could make a move, she turned into mist and disappeared into the fog. Mingyan wanted to chase after her, but he quickly lost track of her.

Mingyan frowned. Was this part of the strangeness of this mist? It actually disguised itself as someone close to him to ambush him. He hoped his senior sisters hadn't encountered such danger...

Mingyan held the Tongyou Immortal Gold, leaving a faint spiritual energy mark on the ground to mark his direction. But after only a few steps, he heard his senior sister's voice again, "Feiyan! Junior brother! Ning Feixuan!"

Mingyan frowned. He would never forgive someone who dared to impersonate his respected senior sister. He watched Yue Qingying's figure emerge from the mist and observe her coldly.

"Junior brother?! So you're here?!" Yue Qingying was clearly delighted to see Ming Yan and quickly walked over.

Mingyan was worried that she was really his senior sister, so he didn't take any action carefully and kept observing her performance.

"Junior brother...why are you looking at me like that?" Yue Qingying stopped in her tracks when she saw Ming Yan's rather strange expression. She looked at Ming Yan with some confusion, then frowned. "Are you also a monster formed from mist?"

As she spoke, Yue Qingying also became more vigilant, and a faint killing intent rose from her body.

Chapter 101 You... like me?

The senior sister's behavior was normal; she even showed suspicion towards him. Mingyan's heart skipped a beat. Could it be that the senior sister had also encountered other people's illusions before?

Mingyan thought for a moment and asked, "Do you know what my senior sister said to me when we first met?"

Yue Qingying frowned, not answering immediately, but instead asking, "My junior brother has someone in his heart, and who are you?"

Upon hearing this, Ming Yan felt relieved and smiled, "Ning Feixuan."

"When we first met, you were still unconscious, so I didn't say anything to you. If you're referring to the first words I uttered upon waking, then they were 'Fellow Daoist.'" Yue Qingying smiled slightly, her murderous aura gradually dissipating, and she returned to her usual appearance.

"Senior sister, are you alright?" Mingyan approached and circled around Yue Qingying. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that his senior sister was not injured.

"What could be wrong with me? I just don't know why I was separated from you." Yue Qingying shook her head, a faint worry on her face. "I don't know where the two of them went."

“Let’s go find them.” Mingyan reached out and took Yue Qingying’s hand. Yue Qingying looked down at him, then pulled her hand away. Mingyan turned his head in surprise and saw his senior sister smiling and shaking her head.

Ming Yan raised an eyebrow, then immediately distanced himself from Yue Qingying, his anger blazing, "You actually dared to impersonate my senior sister?!"

Yue Qingying looked puzzled. "Junior brother? What's wrong?"

"Don't call me junior brother, you monster!" Ming Yan's Qi Sea flashed, and the Tongyou Immortal Gold appeared in his hand. He activated the Star Gap and raised his hand to strike!

Yue Qingying lightly touched the ground with her toes and stepped back, her gentle expression turning cold. "How exactly did you see through me?"

Ming Yan stepped on the star gap, moving at great speed, but he couldn't keep up with his opponent. He remained silent, and "Yue Qingying" saw this and finally turned into mist, disappearing into the fog.

Mingyan frowned. He wondered if the fog was affecting his mind or something else. How did he know what his senior sister had told him back then?

Is there some profound law governing this place? Ming Yan raised an eyebrow. Could this area actually be influenced by some kind of illusion or imperial-level inheritance?

The more Mingyan thought about it, the more likely it seemed. This illusion was probably a law recorded by the Great Dao, which automatically evolved into a fog that could affect the mind.

If it's an Emperor-level law, it's understandable that it can penetrate the heart and reveal some memories. After all, the laws of the Supreme Emperor are unpredictable, mysterious, and powerful.

However, how exactly to break this illusion... Mingyan left spiritual energy as a mark along the way and continued forward. Under normal circumstances, the spiritual energy mark would remain for a considerable period of time, but it was unclear whether the spiritual energy mark would be erased here. At least when Mingyan encountered that senior sister disguised in mist and stayed in place for a period of time, the spiritual energy mark was not erased.

Mingyan walked forward for a while and clearly felt that the fog around him was much thicker than before. He stopped and sensed some changes.

Previously, Mingyan was in the mist and clearly felt that the airflow in this misty area was extremely turbulent, and he did not know where it was coming from or where it was going.

But after entering this area, the airflow was no longer so chaotic, but it still blew from all directions without any rules, but it seemed that a trace could be found... Mingyan circulated the Wind Spirit Scripture and carefully sensed the surrounding airflow.

The surrounding air seemed to change direction every now and then. Mingyan sensed something was wrong. There must be some changes in the place where he was, which was why the direction of the air flow was different each time.

Mingyan did not find the pattern of change, but he did discover the timing of each change.

There are twelve two-hour periods in a day. Each two-hour period is divided into four quarters. Each quarter has three cups of tea. Each cup of tea has two sticks of incense. Each stick of incense has five minutes. Each minute has six finger snaps. Each finger snap has ten instants. An instant is the most basic flow of time. So, every time a finger snap passes, the flow of energy will change.

Therefore, one needs to determine the direction of the airflow within the blink of an eye and use this to escape the illusion...

Mingyan considered his own speed. After all, even using "Star Gap" directly, his speed was still a bit lacking. He probably needed to activate the "?" secret technique to reach that speed.

However, Mingyan didn't think that this illusion could be broken so easily. It was probably a series of illusions, and once one was broken, another would appear. He couldn't find any other way... While Mingyan was still pondering whether or not to take action, he heard a series of light footsteps. Mingyan came back to his senses, looked at the location, and found an outline in the mist in the distance. It looked very blurry. Mingyan became wary, held the Tongyou Immortal Gold in his hand, and carefully observed the outline.

As the silhouette drew closer, Ming Yan finally recognized who it was: Ning Feixuan.

Ming Yan's face darkened. Was it really necessary for Fei Yan, Senior Sister, and Ning Feixuan to each do it once?

"Ming Yan?" Ning Feixuan noticed Ming Yan as she approached, and a hint of wariness appeared in her eyes.

Ming Yan raised his hand and assumed a fighting stance, coldly looking at Ning Feixuan, "Stop pretending. You pretended to be Feiyan in real life, then you pretended to be my senior sister, and now you're pretending to be Ning Feixuan. Do you really think I'm a fool?"

Ning Feixuan: "...I should be the one saying that to you."

"You have disguised yourself time and time again. The first time you disguised yourself as my friend, the second time as my beloved senior sister, and now you are disguising yourself as the Holy Maiden of Yaochi whom I admire. This is unforgivable!" A faint silver light appeared on Ming Yan's body, and a bright moon rose from behind him. The mist could not block the bright light, making Ming Yan look holy and inviolable, like a god.

"?!" Ning Feixuan's face showed a hint of surprise. "Wait! What did you just say?!"

Ming Yan stopped wasting words, stepping directly into the star-studded space. The bright moon behind him gently rotated, its pure light bathing the world. Ning Feixuan suddenly found her body stiff and sluggish. Her expression changed slightly as she watched Ming Yan close in with incredible speed. She bit her lip, and a vibrant lotus bloomed between her brows, a delicate cherry-red hue, vividly beautiful, leaving a lotus mark in the void. Only then did Ning Feixuan's movements return to normal. She retreated, saying, "You must be the real Ming Yan. Wait! Don't attack, I'm not made of mist..."

"Then produce the evidence?" Mingyan said as he leaned in, showing no intention of stopping there.

Ning Feixuan was momentarily at a loss. She also stepped on the Star Rift to distance herself from Ming Yan. "Evidence... the technique I'm using is evidence. The Star Rift is something we learned together before. What I cultivate is the Yaochi's 'Western Emperor Scripture.' Can't this be considered evidence?"

Ming Yan also noticed that Ning Feixuan's footwork was based on the Star Gap technique, and hesitated for a moment. He didn't know how well this illusion could be faked, or whether it could even be used to evolve scriptures and secret techniques...

Moreover, if the person in front of him is really Ning Feixuan... Mingyan broke out in a cold sweat. Oh no, he had just blurted out that she was the person he admired. She had clearly been somewhat resistant to him and didn't want to get close to him. Although Mingyan didn't know how to get closer to her yet, he knew that it was best not to let Ning Feixuan know that he admired her during this period. If he said it now, wouldn't she be even more resistant to him?

“We first met in a remote village when you were attacked by evil cultivators. Later, I recommended you to go to Yutai Blessed Land. We met again at the Huang family, when you had already reached Taixi Realm... Our masters are friends..." Ning Feixuan continued as she saw Ming Yan slow down.

Mingyan stopped, looked at Ning Feixuan, and pondered deeply. He finally decided to pretend to believe her. If she was a fake Ning Feixuan, she would definitely want to take action if he showed any "flaw." If she was real, she would have no reason to take action.

Thinking of this, he put away the Tongyou Immortal Gold in his hand. "Are you really the Holy Maiden of Yaochi?"

“Of course…” Seeing the killing intent disappear from Ming Yan’s eyes, Ning Feixuan breathed a sigh of relief. She didn’t want to fight Ming Yan; there was no reason for them to fight. However, when she thought of Ming Yan’s previous words, Ning Feixuan’s expression became somewhat subtle. “You… what you just said, was it true… you… have feelings for me?”

Ning Feixuan felt she needed to confirm things, and if it was true, she needed to tell Mingyan her thoughts as soon as possible.

Mingyan opened his mouth, but for a moment he didn't know what to say.

Chapter 102 I'm sorry, you're a good person

Ning Feixuan looked at Ming Yan with her beautiful eyes, "So, it's true?"

Ming Yan was silent for a moment, then approached Ning Feixuan. Ning Feixuan seemed to instinctively want to back away, but stopped. She stood still and watched Ming Yan walk over.

"Does it bother you?" Mingyan looked up at Ning Feixuan and asked.

"If so, I will give you my answer." Ning Feixuan stared at Ming Yan with firm eyes, her gaze devoid of any ambiguity.

Mingyan's body was very relaxed. As a cultivator, Ning Feixuan should be able to sense it. The two were very close, but Ning Feixuan still did not make a move. Mingyan felt more and more that she was the real Ning Feixuan.

"Yes, I admire you. I've had this thought ever since you saved me. I'll never forget your life-saving grace." Mingyan nodded.

“Perhaps you’ve misunderstood your own thoughts.” Ning Feixuan shook her head. “Perhaps you don’t actually like me, but have mistaken gratitude for some kind of romantic feeling.”

"Could it be because you saved me that I developed some kind of feeling for you?" Mingyan asked.

"...Of course, but...I'm sorry, you're a good person and extremely talented. You'll definitely have a bright future, but I'm focused on cultivating the Dao and don't want to get involved in romantic relationships." Ning Feixuan shook her head. "So, I'm sorry, I can't accept your feelings."

A decisive refusal is necessary to dissuade Mingyan from pursuing the idea. Leaving him with lingering attachments or giving him even the slightest chance is not a good thing for him.

Ming Yan opened his mouth, thinking that she must be formed from mist, and this was a mental attack on him...

But Mingyan knew in his heart that he was now basically certain that the Ning Feixuan before him was the real Ning Feixuan, and not some illusion...

So, this is his answer.

I wouldn't say I was particularly sad, since the relationship wasn't very deep, but I was still somewhat disappointed.

But Mingyan is not someone who gives up easily.

Indeed, Ning Feixuan is now focused on cultivation. Mingyan knows this and can roughly guess Ning Feixuan's goal: she has something she needs to accomplish, so she needs cultivation.

She wanted to kill Ning Zetian... So, after she achieved her goal, or after I helped her achieve her goal, perhaps she would consider other things. Ming Yan thought for a moment, composed himself, and smiled, "It's nothing..."

Ning Feixuan gave Ming Yan a deep look, then said, "Let's go find the others."

Upon hearing this, Mingyan shared his discovery.

“…Airflow…” Ning Feixuan rested her head on her hand, pondered for a moment, and then said, “I have the same idea as you. This misty area is likely affected by some kind of law. I encountered a fake Feiyan before. If I didn’t know Feiyan very well, I probably would have been fooled. Perhaps we don’t need to rush out. If we catch the thing that is disguised as someone else, we might be able to find the inheritance.”

“The area we’re standing in is different from other places. I think it might be around here,” Mingyan said. In the previous places, the airflow was extremely turbulent, as if it had been cut and shredded. But although the airflow here changes and changes very quickly, we can still find some sources of it.

Ning Feixuan nodded. "Let's look for something different in this area now. We shouldn't stray too far from each other, so we don't get separated again."

Although Ning Feixuan rejected Mingyan's advances, the two couldn't possibly fall out over it. Neither Mingyan nor she were that kind of people, and their respective masters had once been friends, so they could be considered friends of the opposite sex.

Mingyan was rejected, and although he felt a little strange, he didn't show it. I guess Ning Feixuan was also feeling quite conflicted.

The two walked side by side, very close together, afraid of getting separated again.

The best thing to do now is to hold hands, otherwise, in this fog... But given their relationship, how could Ning Feixuan possibly be willing to hold hands with Ming Yan? She's not Yue Qingying. Yue Qingying is Ming Yan's senior sister. It's one thing for the two of them to hold hands, but not for her.

The fog obscured the view; everything within ten steps was blurry, and beyond that, nothing could be seen at all. This was only because they were cultivators with sharp ears and eyes; if an ordinary person entered this foggy area, they would probably be surrounded by a white expanse and unable to see anything.

Mingyan was constantly sensing the changes in the airflow. The airflow could guide him away from this place, and perhaps it could also guide him to find the laws that caused this area to be shrouded in mist.

As Mingyan and Ning Feixuan walked further, Mingyan noticed that the changes in the airflow became less and less, until finally, the airflow flowed in only one direction without any further changes.

Mingyan looked around. The place was still shrouded in mist, and nothing could be seen with the naked eye. However, the airflow was very fast and was flowing from east to west. The closer he got, the faster he could feel the airflow.