Chapter 974: Gu Qishao gets yelled a (2/2)

“Gu Qishao...seems to be hugging someone,” Xu Donglin murmured.

Indeed, Gu Qishao looked like he was hugging someone in his arms. Had he been possessed? The crowd stayed silent and prepared to approach when Gu Qishao suddenly wailed, “Poison lass! Poison lass, wake up, won’t you? I’m begging you!”

“Poison lass, no matter what you do to me, I’ve never blamed or hated you...but….but if you don’t wake up this time, Qi gege won’t forgive you for the rest of my life! My entire life!”

Gu Qishao was truly shedding tears nonstop, his voice hoarse from his heartrending sobs. Everyone gave a start at the sound, while Han Yunxi was left completely flummoxed. What’s wrong with him? It’s like he’s done something unforgivable, as if...as if I’m dead.

Very soon, everyone looked towards Long Feiye, but his face had turned frosty enough to freeze all of Cloud Realm Continent solid. This was especially marked when Gu Qishao wailed, “Poison lass, don’t die!”

Losing the last shred of rationality, Long Feiye angrily roared, “GU QISHAO!”

Gu Qishao’s cries halted as he gave a start. He looked at his hands and had a fright. Quickly rising to his feet, he backed away until he was staring blankly at the ground, his face full of fear.

“Gu Qishao, what are you doing?” Long Feiye demanded.

Gu Qishao finally turned around to see Han Yunxi standing perfectly unharmed by Long Feiye’s side. He suddenly darted forward and wrapped her tightly in his arms. His speed was nothing short of...miraculous! Even Long Feiye hadn’t been in time to stop him.

“Poison lass, you...you…” Gu Qishao held her close, too moved to speak.

“You let go! Let go!” Han Yunxi struggled hard, not just to stop Long Feiye from getting angry, but because…he was crushing her to death!

Very soon, Long Feiye grabbed Gu Qishao’s hands and hauled him off. It was lucky that the man hadn’t broken any bones from the force. Finally regaining his wits, Gu Qishao looked blankly at Long Feiye. He ignored him and knocked him clear backwards, where he crashed against the stone wall, bounced off, and fell flat on his face.

Han Yunxi gave a long sigh. She had no idea why Gu Qishao was crying so hard about her, but she’d narrowly avoided being choked to death just then. When Gu Qishao raised his head, snot was running from his nostrils. They mixed with his tears and completely ruined his devastating good looks. Still, he broke into a smile once he saw that Han Yunxi was alright. Between tears and blood, the expression was dazzling and pure. He even forgot to argue with Long Feiye and muttered, “Poison lass, it’s so good to see you.”

Before Long Feiye could speak, Gu Beiyue intervened. “Qishao, you...what happened to you just then?”

Gu Qishao glanced back at the dreaded spot in the room before running a hand over his face to clear his thoughts. He told everyone what had happened--namely, after hauling Gu Beiyue into the darkness, he suddenly ended up alone. Eventually, he fell down here and saw a giant wolf-headed god statue. Poison lass was worshipping the effigy and he’d chatted with her until the statue turned into a flaming dragon that swallowed her up. He dove into the flames without hesitation to save her, but the fires died as soon as he did, leaving Poison lass...dead. He had been holding her body and crying for ages until Long Feiye’s shout made her vanish. Only then did he realize everything had been an illusion!

Gu Qishao’s gaze didn’t budge from Han Yunxi as he recounted his tale, afraid that she would vanish again, or that everything he saw now was still part of another beautiful dream. Hearing this, both Han Yunxi and Long Feiye exchanged worried looks. So that’s the aftermath of diving into the flames. If they hadn’t found this place, would Gu Qishao assume that Han Yunxi had truly died? Han Yunxi couldn’t begin to imagine what would happen if she thought Long Feiye was dead. Perhaps she would be a hundred times sadder than Gu Qishao...perhaps she too, would want to join him in death.

Long Feiye wasn’t as angry as before. His eyes on Gu Qishao grew dark and thoughtful.

Everyone needed time to digest Gu Qishao’s words. Han Yunxi and Long Feiye had experienced the same thing themselves, but it was hard for them to reflect before Gu Qishao’s genuine feelings and tearstains. Just what was this illusion trying to test? Why did Gu Qishao get trapped in the illusion after trying to save its victim, while she and Long Feiye had broken through the trap after steeling their hearts against the fakes?

Gu Beiyue broke the silence. “Qishao, that must have been an illusion.”

Both Han Yunxi and Long Feiye exhaled at this. It seemed like their Gu Beiyue was the real deal, not another illusion.

“Why was Gu Qishao the only one to experience it?” Xu Donglin couldn’t help asking.

“None of you did?” Han Yunxi asked quickly.

Both Xu Donglin and Baili Mingxiang shook their heads. Now Han Yunxi was certain that they were real too.

“What now, Poison lass, did you two experience it too? What kind of illusion was it?” Gu Qishao asked.

There was nothing much to hide at this point. Long Feiye immediately describe his and Han Yunxi’s illusions. However, when he was finished, everyone grew more silent as the atmosphere turned awkward.

Why?