Truth!

The giant tiger pounced into midair, its massive eyes fixed on everyone before it, its sharp fangs gleaming coldly in the candlelight.

Faced with such a soul-stirring sight, the four Jinwu Guards, including Lu Lingfeng, grew somewhat panicked and could not help backing away in all directions.

"Bang!"

With a thunderous crash, the giant tiger landed heavily on the ground and turned to look at the two people forced against the window.

One was a Jinwu Guard who had come with Lu Lingfeng, while the other was the black-clad old man who had somehow ended up here.

Seeing them targeted by the tiger, everyone, including Su Wuming above, broke out in cold sweat for them.

Suddenly, Su Wuming's gaze sharpened. As if he had noticed something, he stared intently at the floor beneath the tiger's paws.

Strange...

Judging by its size, this tiger had to weigh at least a thousand jin.

How could such a massive creature leap down with such force without crushing the floorboards?

Just as suspicion arose in Su Wuming's heart, the old man who had been targeted finally cracked under the pressure. With a terrified cry, he turned and jumped out the window.

Seeing this, the Jinwu Guard backed into the corner gritted his teeth and actually imitated the old man, turning toward the window.

"Don't jump!"

At that critical moment, an anxious voice rang out from beyond the door.

Everyone froze and turned to look. A figure in a green scholar's robe rushed in from outside, clutching a piece of refined iron. Panting, he tore off the face covering over his face and shouted,

"Don't jump! There's a trap outside the window!"

What?!

Everyone was shocked, especially the Jinwu Guard who had already rushed to the window. He forcibly halted in place.

"Whew... I made it in time. My efforts weren't wasted!"

Seeing Su Wuming hanging there just as in the original work, the scholar in green let out a long breath, a faint smile appearing on his handsome face.

At the same time, Su Wuming, who had recognized his cousin's voice long ago, finally confirmed his identity. He could not help exclaiming, "Su Haoming?!"

"Why are you here?!"

He looked at his cousin by the door, then at the giant tiger below, and shouted angrily, "Why aren't you running?!"

Su Haoming held the pistol in his hand and asked strangely, "Run from what?"

Su Wuming glared at him. "Can't you see there's a tiger here?!"

Su Haoming shook his head. "Elder Brother, I know you're worried about my safety, but don't use such a clumsy excuse. With your intelligence, can't you see this thing's true nature?"

At those words, everyone, including Lu Lingfeng, was stunned.

Only Su Wuming was not surprised. Instead, he showed an expression of just as I thought, then sighed. "Foolish child, since you noticed the trap outside the window, how do you know there aren't other dangers here?"

"What other dangers?"

Watching the tiger pace before them, Lu Lingfeng tightened his grip on his Tang saber and could not help asking, "Su Wuming, what are you two talking about?!"

Hearing Lu Lingfeng's words, Su Haoming glanced at him, casually picked up a wooden plank from beside his feet, and hurled it forward with all his strength.

"Whoosh—"

With a not particularly forceful whistle through the air, the plank spun toward the tiger.

Seeing this, Lu Lingfeng's eyes widened. He stared at Su Haoming in incomprehension, seemingly unable to understand why he would use such a method to draw the tiger's attention.

In his view, an attack of that level could never injure the giant tiger. Instead, it would provoke its fury and cause it to turn on Su Haoming.

And that was indeed what happened. Facing the incoming plank, the tiger let out a roar and swung its paw at it without hesitation.

But to Lu Lingfeng's utter disbelief, the expected sight of the plank shattering did not appear. The instant the two made contact, the plank passed straight through the tiger's paw and continued flying forward.

"Bang!"

A muffled sound rang out, and smoke spread through the room.

Caught off guard, Lu Lingfeng and the others got a faceful of powder and hurriedly raised their hands to fan it away.

When the smoke and dust dispersed, the giant tiger over four meters long had already vanished. All that remained was a tiger hide sewn together with red cord, lying quietly on the floor covered in white dust.

"...What is this?"

Lu Lingfeng stared blankly at the tiger hide on the ground.

"Just as you can see." Su Haoming walked over and said flatly, "The tiger never existed. It was merely a fake pieced together from several tiger hides. Together with the threads sewn into the hide and the hallucinogenic powder, it made you see illusions."

A Jinwu Guard nearby could not help asking, "Like a puppet on strings?"

Su Haoming bent down. "That's right."

As he spoke, he picked up the wooden plank from the floor and showed Lu Lingfeng the threads tangled around it.

Lu Lingfeng took the plank. Looking at the threads wrapped around it and the tiger hide sewn together beneath his feet, his expression shifted between green and white.

Clearly, this proud General of the Guards from an aristocratic family was ashamed of his performance just now.

The other three Jinwu Guards did not look much better either.

Su Haoming glanced at the master and servant still hanging above them and said with some dissatisfaction, "Why are my cousin and Uncle Qian still hanging there? Hurry up and let them down!"

The three Jinwu Guards came back to their senses, exchanged glances, and looked toward Lu Lingfeng.

After a moment of silence, Lu Lingfeng tossed aside the plank in his hand and said softly, "Let them down."

Only then did the three Jinwu Guards move, lowering Su Wuming and Su Qian.

Su Haoming hurried forward and helped the elderly Su Qian to his feet.

"Finally down!"

Su Wuming let out a breath and raised a hand to pull the ropes from his body.

Just as he stood up, Lu Lingfeng appeared before him at some point, staring at him expressionlessly.

"Su Wuming, how did you figure it out?"

"Look at the ground!"

Su Wuming pointed at the floor and said irritably, "That tiger was so enormous. If it had been real, the floorboards would have been crushed through long ago!"

As soon as he said that, before Lu Lingfeng could respond, the other three Jinwu Guards cried out first.

"Right! Such a simple fact—how did we fail to notice it?!"

By the time you noticed, it would have been too late!

Su Haoming could not help rolling his eyes inwardly.

Lu Lingfeng turned to stare at him. "Did you figure it out the same way?"

Su Haoming shook his head. "No. I was never affected in the first place. To me, it had always been tiger hide."

As he spoke, he raised his left hand, which still held the face covering he had torn from his face earlier.

So he had rushed in with his face covered...

Su Wuming frowned and rebuked him, "Su Haoming, you're too reck—"

Before he could finish, Lu Lingfeng's expression changed abruptly, and he suddenly reached out to pull Su Wuming aside.

At the same instant, over a dozen arrows tore through the air from outside the door, covering precisely the area where Lu Lingfeng and Su Wuming had been standing.

"Just as I thought, there was a backup plan!"

Lu Lingfeng sneered, stepping forward as he swung his blade. The standard-issue Tang saber danced in his hand like a swimming dragon, knocking down every incoming arrow in the blink of an eye.

"Clang, clang, clang!"

Hearing the sounds behind him, Su Wuming was startled and hurriedly ducked behind a pillar.

Meanwhile, as if he had foreseen it, Su Haoming had long since taken Su Qian behind cover. When his cousin squeezed in beside them, he even had the leisure to wink, as if saying, So who's the reckless one now?

...That ungrateful brat!

He knew there was danger, yet he had not taken his elder brother with him?

Su Wuming could not help glaring at Su Haoming.

Su Haoming chuckled softly. "With General Lu here, Elder Brother's safety definitely won't be a problem!"

That might be true, but he could at least have shown some concern!

Su Wuming sighed. Then he suddenly spotted the refined iron in Su Haoming's hand and frowned.

"I've wanted to ask since earlier. What is that in your hand?"

Su Haoming thought for a moment, raised the pistol, and said seriously, "Truth!"

Truth?

Su Wuming looked astonished.

"The Immortal has ascended!"

Just then, a burst of startled cries came from outside the door.

Lu Lingfeng's sword-like brows furrowed, and he immediately strode outside.

The other three Jinwu Guards exchanged glances, gripped their Tang sabers, and followed after him while protecting Su Wuming and the other two.

Outside, the Ghost Market crowd who had not managed to flee were kneeling on the ground, worshipping the sky with terrified faces.

"The Immortal has ascended!"

"The Immortal has ascended!"

Su Wuming and the others hurriedly looked up. More than ten meters above them, a blurry figure held a White Banner and slowly floated upward.

Seeing Su Wuming and the others emerge from the residence, the man even deliberately looked their way, letting out a sinister, incomprehensible cackle.

"That's Yin Shirou's White Banner!"

Lu Lingfeng's face turned ashen. "Damn it, he got away!"

"Bang!"

Before he finished speaking, an ear-splitting explosion suddenly rang out beside them.

Yin Shirou, who had been laughing wildly moments before, immediately let out a shrill scream and plummeted diagonally downward like a kite with its string cut.

At this sight, the cries of "Immortal" came to an abrupt stop. Su Wuming and the others were also startled by the sudden blast, staring at Su Haoming beside them in shock.

Su Haoming raised the muzzle of his pistol, gave it a gentle blow, and said disdainfully,

"Trying to run after acting so cool?"

"Did he think the Truth in my hand was just for show?!"