Reappearance: Part One

Listening to Ma Xiu's words, Qin Wei's expression couldn't help but darken a few shades.

However, he didn't blame Ma Xiu and waved his hand, frowning as he fell into thought.

This mission was far more troublesome than he had anticipated, and he regretted not bringing more reconnaissance-type helpers.

Speaking of helpers, he suddenly seemed to remember something and looked around the team.

Soon, he spotted Ling Yun in a hidden corner.

Several veins on his forehead bulged, and he said irritably, "I say, kid, why are you hiding back there?"

Seeing that his slacking off had been discovered, Ling Yun, without a blush or a pant, stretched and sauntered out of the corner.

Qin Wei's eyes widened as he was about to say something when a knock came from the door.

"Benefactors, we're here to deliver the vegetarian meals."

Everyone in the room fell silent for a moment, then opened the door at Qin Wei's signal.

As a gust of cold wind blew in, two little monks entered, carrying two large buckets of food.

Under their gaze, the two little monks looked pale and extremely frightened.

After laboriously setting down the food, they quickly turned to leave.

However, the doorway was already blocked by a tall figure.

In the moonlight, Ling Yun smiled "kindly" and said calmly to the two little monks, who looked on the verge of tears, "Don't be afraid, little masters. I just want to ask you something."

"I heard the villagers at the foot of the mountain mention a while ago that your temple was planning to close its gates to visitors. Is that true?"

Seeing that Ling Yun didn't intend to kill them and eat them, the two little monks breathed a sigh of relief. They exchanged glances before cupping their hands in response.

"That's right, benefactor. A while ago, a heat sickness suddenly broke out in the temple. To avoid affecting the pilgrims, the abbot decided to temporarily close the mountain to visitors."

"However, the heat sickness has mostly subsided recently, and the mountain should reopen in a few days."

"Heat sickness?" Ling Yun replied noncommittally. He figured the "heat sickness" was likely the equivalent of a cold in this world.

"And, little masters, have you heard any talk of Evil Spirits appearing within the temple?"

As soon as he said this, the two little monks' faces turned ashen, as if they had heard something terrifying.

They immediately clasped their hands together and recited Buddhist chants, calming themselves down before fearfully saying, "Benefactor, please don't mention that word again. If the elders hear it, they'll scold us again during morning assembly tomorrow."

"Besides, the temple is protected by the Buddha, so no Evil Spirits dare to enter."

Seeing their earnest expressions, Ling Yun inwardly scoffed. If the so-called Buddha was truly effective, the Demon Suppression Division wouldn't be needed.

However, he didn't want to shatter their faith. After asking a few more casual questions, he let them leave.

He then turned his attention to the food they had brought, noticing it consisted of thin porridge and cabbage.

He scooped a spoonful and examined it closely, finding no issues.

As for tasting it himself, while he was confident in his constitution, he wasn't about to court death.

"What's wrong? Did you find something?"

As he stared at the food, a voice suddenly reached his ears.

Looking up, he saw Qin Wei's face, which was so imposing it could scare children.

Ling Yun rolled his eyes and impatiently pushed him away. After a moment of silence, he voiced a suspicion.

"Old Qin, do you think the situation here might be an illusion?"

That's right, he suddenly remembered a similar situation he had encountered at the Deng family's residence. He had been trapped in an illusory world where everything felt real until he broke the formation and escaped.

However, Qin Wei's expression turned disappointed.

"Since you say that, you must have encountered similar illusionary attacks before."

"But illusions aren't as formidable as you might think. For someone to fall victim to one, there are usually only two prerequisites: either the caster's strength far surpasses the victim's, or the victim is completely unprepared."

As he spoke, Qin Wei took out a talisman covered in strange patterns from his bosom. After glancing at it, he explained, "This is an Anti-Art Talisman. The Spirit Inscriptions carved on it can dispel most low-level illusions."

"Even if it can't dispel them, it will provide a corresponding warning."

"There's such a useful item?" After hearing his explanation, Ling Yun curiously took the so-called Anti-Art Talisman from him, examined it for a moment, and then tucked it into his clothes.

At the same time, he couldn't help but feel a sense of awe. Although his strength had increased rapidly, he had been in this world for too short a time, so it was natural for him not to know about such peculiar items.

Qin Wei stared with wide eyes at his empty right hand, then at Ling Yun, who looked completely natural.

What a brat, trying to mooch off me!

He knew that Anti-Art Talisman wasn't cheap; he'd gone through a lot of favors to get it from Chief Envoy Wang!

He'd always thought he was pretty shameless, but he never expected this kid to be even more so!

Seeing his subordinates trying to stifle their laughter, Qin Wei's face darkened.

But asking for it back, with so many of his men watching, was too embarrassing for him.

He shot Ling Yun, who looked innocently at him, an annoyed glare before turning and shouting at those behind him.

"You brats, what are you waiting for? Do you think you're here on vacation?!"

Then, as the group gathered around him, he began calling out names one by one.

"Ma Xiu, you and Xiao Ba and Xiao Jiu will stick with that kid. The rest of you, stay in your usual groups."

Soon, under his command, the entire team was divided into four groups.

Afterward, he began explaining the plan for this mission.

Four teams, four directions. Remember to signal immediately if you discover anything. That was it.

The mission was simple and direct, which suited Qin Wei's straightforward personality.

Ling Yun, meanwhile, looked at the three unexpected followers beside him with a dark expression.

But before he could say anything, Qin Wei simply held out his palm and glared at him.

The message was clear: if Ling Yun wasn't happy, he should return what he took!

Ling Yun resolutely ignored him. What had entered his pocket was not coming out.

However, since he had benefited from Qin Wei, he had no choice but to accept the situation.

He then turned to his old friend Ma Xiu and flashed a "friendly" smile.

Ma Xiu, recalling his previous experiences, could only lament inwardly. Why did I have to run into this jinx again?!

But under Ling Yun's gaze, he managed to force a smile.

"Zhang Mu... brother, long time no see."