The Thirteen Trials of the Deceptive Monk

Lu Wenjun ducked, hands clasped behind his back, his twin swords crossed, and his Divine Strategist Twin Swords perfectly blocked the fists, deflecting most of the force at a perfect angle. The Genie clearly struck, yet he himself swayed, as if struck by a sharp blade. Aladdin exclaimed incredulously, "Why wasn't he defeated?!"

“What is there to fear if we only have brute strength?” Lü Wenjun laughed.

He pushed his swords with force, and the twin blades suddenly rose up to parry the genie's fists. Immediately afterwards, Lü Wenjun spun and leaped up, the swirling blades flashing like a whirlwind, pointing straight at the genie's head.

It was a slash so fast it was hard to catch, making full use of the explosive power of the spring-loaded leg. The genie only saw a blur before he was struck, and the magic that made up his body was instantly captured by the twin swords, shrinking his height to 3.8 meters!

"Smoke and then attack, don't touch his knife!"

Under Aladdin's command, the Genie used the same trick again, transforming into smoke and flashing to the side to throw a punch. However, Lü Wenjun easily saw through the attack, and the raised blade struck before the giant fist. Smoke flickered continuously inside the battlefield, and the Genie's punches, though powerful, missed their mark. Lü Wenjun was elusive and always struck first.

Aladdin watched anxiously, but couldn't help. By this time, the genie's height had shrunk to 3 meters due to the loss of his magic, and Lü Wenjun seemed to have slowed down slightly from the brief, high-speed battle. Aladdin hurriedly took out the lamp and shouted, "I make my third wish: to return to your strongest state and destroy the enemy in one strike!"

Under the influence of the genie's wish, the genie's body swelled up again. He clenched his fists and smashed them down with a speed far greater than before, but hit a ball of eerie blue will-o'-the-wisp!

Lu Wenjun sidestepped and flashed behind the genie, raising his twin swords as if spreading his wings. Immediately afterwards, a rapid barrage of slashes rained down, his flying hands appearing like phantoms.

Without any pause in the misting process, the genie's magic was mercilessly stripped away, and his height shrunk to three meters! Two meters! Even shorter than Lü Wenjun, at one and a half meters! As the twin swords paused, his right leg, having gathered its strength, spun out, unleashing a powerful kick that instantly crushed the genie!

Lu Wenjun put away the divine mechanism, raised his hand and released a cosmic light to retrieve the divine lamp.

He stepped forward, deliberately grabbed Aladdin's shoulder with his right hand, paused for a moment, and then smiled and said, "Wouldn't it be better to use the third wish to make me stop?"

"It's not that convenient..." Aladdin sighed. "Even the genie himself can't do it, so it's no use if I make a wish."

Just then, Xiao Qing arrived, and with an incredibly wicked smile, drew her sword and took Cinderella hostage. Aladdin knew that there was no hope of winning at this point, sighed, and raised his hands in surrender.

"That's right, if you give up resisting, they won't touch you." Xiao Qing said with a villainous face. "And stop crying! Your constant chatter is so annoying!"

The poor Cinderella, with a knife to her throat, was terrified, her face pale, and tears streaming down her face. Seeing this, Lü Wenjun hurried over, putting on a gentle smile, and asked:

"The Ye woman is originally from the Central Plains, why does she have a Western Region appearance?"

Cinderella was both surprised and delighted upon hearing the story: "Master, you know my story?! Please, I beg you, help me!!"

·

Cinderella is a fairy tale with extremely high popularity worldwide. Cinderella's biological parents died one after another, and she suffered all kinds of torment from her stepmother and her daughters. However, with the help of her fairy godmother, she successfully attended the prince's ball to choose a bride and became the prince's beloved. The most famous plot points include the fairy godmother's magic that "would not work after midnight," and the glass slippers that only she could wear throughout the entire kingdom.

However, the Cinderella story has many variations. The version of the glass slipper that is currently known originates from Mother Goose's Tales of 1697, but an earlier version of Cinderella existed in The Pentamer of 1635. In Europe alone, dozens of different versions of the story circulate, and if we look at the world, we can find many more similar yet different "Cinderella" stories.

For example, the legendary tale of Ye Xian from the Tang Dynasty.

This is also a story of a poor protagonist who becomes a king's wife after being helped. Unlike the European version, there is no fairy godmother in this story. The power that helps the protagonist, "Ye Xian," comes from the bones of a goldfish left by her deceased mother. Her "glass slipper" is a golden shoe, as light as a feather, making no sound when walking on stones. In the end, like Cinderella, she lives happily ever after with the king.

Later generations will never know whether the story from the Western Regions originated in the ancient kingdom and became known as Ye Xian, or whether the Tang Dynasty legend became Cinderella in Europe. But in the world of magic, everything is simple and straightforward.

"Ye Xian" is included in "Youyang Zazu" from the Tang Dynasty. This well-known original book was written in the mid-9th century, nearly 800 years earlier than the real Cinderella.

Therefore, the phantom spirit Ye Xian appeared long before Cinderella was written.

·

"...I am clearly a commoner woman from the Tang Dynasty, yet I live in a Western world! Everywhere I go, there are blond-haired, blue-eyed savages. This life is unbearable and makes me very unhappy!"

Miss Ye Xian really cried this time, making Xiao Qing too embarrassed to use the knife anymore.

Lu Wenjun asked in a low voice, "Senior, why does the protagonist of 'Ye Xian' end up in a Western fairy tale?"

“It’s because of the confusion between the characters in the stories.” Xiao Qing rolled her eyes. “You see, there are often cases like that, right? Story A is actually an adaptation of story B, and story C is actually the prototype of story D.”

"Ah...like 'Swan Girl'?"

The Swan Maiden is a common story figure worldwide, with the core plot involving a man stealing a fairy's robe to lure her into marriage. The most famous example is the ancient Chinese tale of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl, while similar stories titled "The Swan Maiden" and "The Six Swans" also exist in Norwegian fairy tales and Grimm's Fairy Tales, respectively.

The origins of these Western fairy tales can all be traced back to the local "Swan Maiden" myth, hence the saying that they are popularized versions of myths and legends, which is quite similar to the situation Ye Xian is currently facing.

“Yes, yes, in this case, the two stories are equivalent to ‘different versions of the same story,’ and the phantom spirits born from them will also have the abilities of the other story version,” Xiao Qing said. “Generally speaking, such phantom spirits will become similar beings that ‘share some of each other’s memories.’ But Cinderella encountered the rarest situation… Perhaps the original ‘Cinderella’ was a localized adaptation of ‘Ye Xian,’ so she is the same character who changed her appearance in a foreign land!”

"Ah...and then because Cinderella is far more famous than Ye Xian, her domain became the original Western fairy tale..."

"There's nothing we can do about it. How many people have heard of Ye Xian? Cinderella even has a Disney movie."

"Senior, you've actually watched Disco X...?"

Miss Ye Xian became increasingly confused, and pitifully pleaded, "Then I..."

"Even if you want to go back to your hometown, you can't steal from students!" Xiao Qing said irritably.

Ye Xian wanted to use the goldfish bone to make a wish and return to the original book. However, the goldfish bone lacked magic power after being taken out of the original book and needed to be replenished, which led to this act of stealing magical artifacts.

The Forty Thieves were lured into joining the gang by the promise of a wish, while the famous Aladdin...

"After all, Miss Ye and I are from the same hometown, so it's only right and proper that I help her out," Aladdin said with a smirk.

Indeed, although Aladdin's Lamp is an Arabic story, its protagonist, Aladdin, is explicitly stated in the story to be from an ancient country. If Aladdin is translated with his given name first and surname last, then he probably had a simple, unassuming name like "Ding Erlang".

His first wish with the magic lamp was used to grant the thieves the ability to create mist. His second and third wishes, intended to restrain the thieves, were instead used on Lü Wenjun, leaving him with no other options.

“It’s all troublesome.” Xiao Qing pointed at Ye Xian. “You… anyway, come back to the original text with me first. Afterwards, the librarian will put you back into the ‘Youyang Zazu’. If you have any other ideas, we can talk about them, okay?”

Ye Xian nodded frantically: "Thank you, Wizard!"

"As for you..." Xiao Qing's expression immediately turned fierce, "This is your seventh time escaping, Aladdin! You're repeatedly caught and relapsed, never learning your lesson. If there's a next time, I'll really kill you, you bastard!!"

Aladdin immediately changed his tune, adopting a thuggish demeanor: "I'm a free man! What's wrong with a free man wanting to leave the books and go out into the world?!"

Freedom...is it a human rights issue for phantoms...?

Lu Wenjun's expression turned serious. He was about to say something when Xiao Qing shouted, "If you want to be independent, then learn how, you bastard!"

"...Senior, excuse me, what does 'learn' mean?"

"Study, study!" Xiao Qing declared emphatically. "To think you can leave the original text and become independent without knowing anything is a pipe dream. Leaving the Great Mystic Realm will immediately cause you to disappear and return to the book. At the very least, you need to turn your own story into a spell to have a foundation for freedom. I've taught you this countless times!"

"I can't learn it!!" Aladdin shouted, "How can anyone understand magic lessons?! Why can you all talk about random theorems and definitions and then draw those weird magic circles so casually? I don't understand! I don't get it!!"

Ah, that familiar expression... it's like seeing Faris in Druid class.

"If you don't understand, go get a tutoring session!"

"I've already said I can't learn it and I don't want to learn it! Get out! Get out!"

Ah, that familiar expression... it's like seeing Faris handing in a blank paper on a pop quiz.

Lu Wenjun asked expressionlessly, "Miss Ye, do you have classes in your library...?"

"In response to your question, sir, we regularly organize private schools. If one learns the techniques and passes the exam, one can publish a book," Ye Xian said softly. "That's what I heard."

"So, you didn't pass the exam either?"

Ye Xian blushed: "Rumors in the Western Regions say that magicians are inherently evil and specialize in cursing young women. I was certain it was a trap... so I never went..."

Ah, speaking of which, the "magicians" in Western fairy tales are basically wicked witches who catch princesses, peasant girls, or poor girls and cast spells on them.

Lu Wenjun slapped his forehead. He pulled away the aggressive Xiao Qing, grabbed Aladdin's shoulder, and said earnestly:

"Go study, you idiot."

"Huh?! Why are you saying that too?!"

"You think you're right for not being able to cause trouble? You better learn! Learning can change your destiny, you bastard!"

"Did you hear that, you idiot? Even the newbies know more than you, you idiot!!" Xiao Qing yelled.

"I already said I don't want to learn—!!!"

It wasn't until after the two were escorted to the teaching building that Lü Wenjun belatedly remembered that Aladdin in the story was an idle and irresponsible young man before he obtained the magic lamp.

He doesn't sound like he likes studying much.

·

"That's a wrap, that's a wrap..."

Lu Wenjun reminded him, "There are still stolen goods that haven't been returned, senior."

"Let them take it themselves. The student council isn't a babysitter."

Xiao Qing tapped her shoulder with the scabbard and sighed in a very old-fashioned way: "Most phantom spirits are idiots, that's why I hate dealing with them..."

Lu Wenjun also sighed: "To be honest, I was starting to get nervous because I had never considered the human rights of the phantoms before. It was only after hearing Aladdin talk about it that I suddenly realized that I might be some kind of evil capitalist who exploits the phantoms."

"result?"

"Turns out it was just laziness on his part, I almost wanted to kick him. I understand you, senior."

"Don't underestimate magicians!" Xiao Qing said lazily. "The problems you're considering now were already thought of hundreds or thousands of years ago. It's because the needs of all parties can be met that the world is generally peaceful now."

Lü Wenjun exclaimed in surprise, "Oh... what the senior said makes a lot of sense..."

Are you underestimating me?

"How could I dare? How could I dare?"

Xiao Qing snorted: "But the original texts belonging to individuals don't get this treatment. If you have time, you can chat with the phantom spirits in your book."

"Thank you for the suggestion."

Xiao Qing nodded in satisfaction: "Okay! That concludes today's work. It's rare to have such a good newcomer under my wing. Let's go get something to eat, it's on me."

Lu Wenjun's eyes darted around: "Then, your hometown dishes, senior?"

"Sure, there's a nice izakaya in town."

"Thank you very much then~"

Two figures, one tall and one short, disappeared into the sunset. The student council's first task was successfully completed.

Chapter 82 The Anchored Self

The night was pitch black, and there was no moon in the sky.

From the night Lü Wenjun joined the student council, two consecutive nights were moonless and dark. Under such a night sky, everything seemed gloomy, and students felt a chill run down their spines when walking at night, as if some huge monster was lurking in the darkness, waiting to open its blood-red maw and devour passersby.

Lu Wenjun, however, wasn't so sensitive today, because he had just gone on a long trip with Xiao Qing and had enjoyed a hearty meal, laughing and joking all the way. He returned to Shuijingting with a takeout grilled octopus, and while eating some snacks with his drink, he shared his experiences from the mission with Mingxiao, his face beaming with excitement.

Mingxiao laughed as she looked at him: "Wenjun, do you know what? You look like a primary school student on his first school field trip."

"This experience has truly broadened my horizons," said Lü Wenjun, his face full of anticipation. "True Transformation Techniques and Phantom Spirit Escapes are concepts I don't usually encounter. There's so much I want to learn; I wish I could skip straight to my junior year!"

"I advise you not to try. Research in higher grades is very boring." Mingxiao pouted. "You've finally dealt with a Mysterious-level Phantom Spirit this time. What are your thoughts?"

Without hesitation, Lü Wenjun replied, "Honestly, they're really strong."

"Oh? I thought you'd be a little proud."

Lu Wenjun spread his hands: "His strength and abilities are far superior to those of his peers at the alternate level, and his spell-like abilities have a high degree of uncertainty. Without the divine mechanism, I wouldn't even be able to scratch the genie's skin. In that case, I would have no choice but to take the risk of trying to ambush Aladdin's true form... and then be tricked to death by the third wish and suffer a barrage of attacks from the genie."

"Good analysis. Most phantom spirits are basically weaker than mages of the same level, but stronger than lower-level mages. Therefore, heretical mages generally have no chance against phantom spirits from legends. Exceptions like you are extremely rare." Mingxiao held up a finger. "With such a rare opportunity, you must have taken advantage of it, right?"

Lu Wenjun's eyes darted around: "Senior, what are you talking about? I don't understand..."

Mingxiao reached out and pinched his face: "Tell me! What spell did you analyze this time!"

"Honestly, I don't really want to say this..."

After defeating Aladdin and Ye Xian, the Divine Tear gained a new stroke, and Lü Wenjun took advantage of the moment he patted Aladdin on the shoulder to activate his analysis. After all, the Genie's wish-granting ability is synonymous with dreams coming true, and it would be a shame to miss such an opportunity.

He didn't expect to get the original genie lamp with three wishes; even one wish with a limited chance would be more than enough. But as soon as he started the analysis, he saw that long-lost message: "[Due to the sacrificer's low rank, the original text cannot be fully analyzed]".

Unlike the Obsidian Codex, which only allows card draws without a spell formula, this time, perhaps because Aladdin is only a Legend-level character, the Eye of the Sacrifice still managed to conjure a spell formula for him. And its effect is—

Lu Wenjun shook his arms, turning his two fists into a bluish-green smoke.

He spoke in a mechanical voice devoid of intonation: "Strange Theory: Transformation, Lamp God's Fist. It can transform one's fist into harmless mist for a short time."

"Oh, oh, and then?"

"And then nothing," Lü Wenjun said. "I tried extending or dispersing my hand to use elemental tactics in strategic combat, but..."

"result?"

"I experienced excruciating pain, and after recovering, I strained my arm. It felt like my arm would break if I stayed far away after nebulizing."

Mingxiao nodded solemnly, slammed his hand on the table, and solemnly declared, "Hahahaha, what a classic useless spell!"

"I never expected the original text of the Strange Tales to end up like this! Although my idea of ​​interpreting the Strange Tales is a bit delusional, it shouldn't be such a useless technique! At least give me a full-body elemental transformation!!"

"Too young. The elemental transformation technique isn't as simple as you think." Mingxiao tapped his forehead. "What would this place look like if your whole body turned into mist?"

"It will still turn into fog, otherwise what's the point of leaving a fatal flaw?"

"And what about memories?" Mingxiao chuckled mischievously. "Although high-level immortals have variations of the mind that store 'self,' such as the Golden Core and Yang Spirit, for a descendant of the heretical level like you, memories still have to be stored in the brain, right?"

"Ah... I've fallen into classical philosophical speculation."