Truth!

The massive tiger leaped into midair, its enormous feline pupils fixed intently on the group ahead, sharp fangs glinting coldly in the candlelight.

Faced with this soul-shaking sight, even the four Jinwu Guards including Lu Lingfeng felt their hearts waver, unable to help scattering back in all directions.

"Boom!"

With a thunderous crash, the giant tiger landed heavily on the ground, turning its head to stare at the two people cornered by the window.

One was a Jinwu Guard who had come with Lu Lingfeng; the other was the black-robed old man who had inexplicably appeared here.

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

Suddenly, Su Wuming's gaze sharpened, as if he had spotted something, staring intently at the floor beneath the tiger's paws.

Strange...

Judging by the tiger's size, it had to weigh at least a thousand jin.

A beast of such bulk landing with a forceful pounce—and yet it hadn't shattered the floorboards?

Just as suspicion arose in Su Wuming's mind, the cornered old man finally cracked under the pressure, let out a terrified scream, and turned to leap out the window.

Seeing this, the Jinwu Guard trapped in the corner gritted his teeth and, mimicking the old man, spun around and bolted for 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 blue robe rushed in from the entrance, clutching a piece of iron in his hand. Panting heavily, he tore off the cloth covering his face and shouted:

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

What?!

Everyone was stunned, especially the Jinwu Guard who had already reached the window, who forcibly halted his momentum.

"Whew~ Made it just in time. All that effort wasn't wasted!"

Seeing Su Wuming strung up like in the original story, the scholar in blue let out a long breath, a faint smile appearing on his handsome face.

Meanwhile, Su Wuming, who had long recognized his cousin's voice, finally confirmed his identity and couldn't help blurting out: "Su Haoming?!"

"What are you doing here?!"

He glanced at his cousin by the door, then at the tiger below, and barked angrily: "Why aren't you running?!"

Su Haoming held a spear in his hand, looking puzzled: "Run from what?"

Su Wuming glared at him: "Can't you see the tiger here?!"

Su Haoming shook his head: "Elder Brother, I know you're worried about my safety, but there's no need for such a flimsy excuse. With your intelligence, can't you see through this thing's true nature?"

At these words, everyone including Lu Lingfeng was taken aback.

Only Su Wuming showed no surprise, instead wearing an expression of "just as I thought." He let out a long sigh and said: "Foolish child, since you've discovered the trap outside the window, how can you be sure there aren't other dangers here?"

"What other dangers?"

Watching the tiger pacing ahead, Lu Lingfeng tightened his grip on his Tang saber and couldn't help asking: "Su Wuming, what the hell are you two talking about?!"

Hearing Lu Lingfeng's words, Su Haoming shot him a glance, casually picked up a wooden plank from beside his foot, and hurled it forward with force.

"Whoosh!"

Accompanied by a not-too-fierce sound of cutting air, the plank spun through the air toward the tiger.

Seeing this, Lu Lingfeng's eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at Su Haoming, unable to comprehend why he would use such a tactic to draw the tiger's attention.

In his view, an attack of this level couldn't possibly harm the giant beast—it would only provoke its fury, making it turn and attack Su Haoming.

And indeed, facing the flying plank, the tiger let out a roar and unhesitatingly swung its paw to swat it away.

But what Lu Lingfeng never expected was that the anticipated shattering of the plank never came. The moment they made contact, the plank actually plunged into the tiger's paw and continued flying forward without losing momentum.

"Thud!"

A dull sound, and smoke filled the air.

Lu Lingfeng and the others, caught off guard, were blasted with dust, hurriedly raising their hands to fan it away.

When the haze cleared, the giant tiger over four meters long had vanished without a trace. All that remained was a tiger skin stitched together with red thread, lying quietly on the floor covered in white powder.

"...What's going on?"

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

"Exactly what you see before you." Su Haoming stepped forward and said calmly, "The tiger never existed. It's just a fake stitched together from several tiger pelts. Combined with the threads sewn into the skin and the hallucinogenic powder, it created an illusion for all of you."

A nearby Jinwu Guard couldn't help asking: "Like a marionette?"

Su Haoming bent down: "Exactly."

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

Lu Lingfeng took the plank, staring at the threads wrapped around it and the stitched tiger skin at his feet. His face cycled through shades of pale and red.

Clearly, this proud General of the Guards from a noble clan was feeling deep shame over his earlier performance.

Nor was he alone—the other three Jinwu Guards didn't look much better either.

Su Haoming glanced at the master and servant still hanging above, saying with some dissatisfaction, "Why are my cousin and Uncle Qian still strung up? Get them down now!"

The three Jinwu Guards snapped back to reality, exchanged glances, and looked toward Lu Lingfeng.

Lu Lingfeng was silent for a moment, then tossed the wooden plank aside and said softly, "Let them down."

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

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

"Finally down!"

Su Wuming breathed a sigh of relief, raising a hand to pull the ropes off his body.

Just as he stood up, Lu Lingfeng had somehow appeared before him, staring at him with a cold expression and said:

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

"Look at the floor!"

Su Wuming pointed at the ground, annoyed. "This tiger is so massive. If it were real, the floor would have caved in under its weight long ago!"

At these words, before Lu Lingfeng could respond, the other three Jinwu Guards gasped in surprise.

"Right! Such a simple logic—how did we not notice!"

By the time you lot notice, the crops would be dead and buried!

Su Haoming couldn't help rolling his eyes inwardly.

Lu Lingfeng turned his head, fixing his gaze on him. "Did you see through it the same way?"

Su Haoming shook his head. "No, I never fell for it at all. To my eyes, it was just a tiger skin from the start."

As he spoke, he raised his left hand, which held the facecloth he had just pulled off his face.

So he charged in with his face covered...

Su Wuming frowned and scolded, "Su Haoming, you're too rash—"

Before he could finish, Lu Lingfeng's expression shifted sharply. He reached out and yanked Su Wuming aside.

At the same moment, over a dozen arrows shot through the doorway, precisely covering the spot where Lu Lingfeng and Su Wuming had been standing.

"So there was a backup plan!"

Lu Lingfeng sneered, stepping forward with his blade. The standard-issue Tang saber danced in his hand like a swimming dragon, and in the blink of an eye, he knocked down all the incoming arrows.

"Clang-clang-clang!"

Hearing the sounds behind him, Su Wuming's heart jolted, and he quickly ducked behind a pillar.

Meanwhile, Su Haoming, as if foreseeing the danger, had already taken Su Qian to shelter. Seeing his cousin squeeze in beside him, he even had the leisure to wink, as if to say, 'So who's the rash one now?'

...This ungrateful little wretch!

Knowing there was danger, and he didn't even think to drag his elder brother along?

Su Wuming couldn't help shooting Su Haoming a glare.

Su Haoming chuckled softly. "With General Lu here, Elder Brother's safety is certainly no problem!"

That may be true, but you could at least show some concern!

Su Wuming sighed, then suddenly caught sight of the iron object in Su Haoming's hand. Frowning, he asked, "I've been meaning to ask since earlier—what is that you're holding?"

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

Truth?

Su Wuming looked puzzled.

"The Immortal has ascended!"

Just then, a sudden cry came from outside the door.

Lu Lingfeng's brows furrowed sharply, and he immediately strode toward the door.

The other three Jinwu Guards exchanged glances, Tang sabers in hand, and followed, shielding Su Wuming and the other two.

Once outside, they saw the Ghost Market folk who hadn't managed to flee kneeling on the ground, faces filled with terror as they kowtowed toward the sky.

"The Immortal has ascended!"

"The Immortal has ascended!"

Su Wuming and the others quickly looked up. There, more than ten meters in the air, a blurry figure holding a White Banner was slowly floating upward.

Seeing Su Wuming and the others emerge from the residence, the figure deliberately glanced their way and let out an eerie, grating cackle.

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

Lu Lingfeng's face darkened. "Damn it—he got away!"

"Bang!"

Before the words had even faded, a deafening roar exploded by their ears.

The Yin Shirou who had been laughing wildly just moments before let out a miserable shriek, his figure plummeting diagonally like a kite with a snapped string.

Seeing this, the cries of 'Immortal' came to an abrupt halt. Su Wuming and the others were also startled by the sudden loud bang, turning to look at Su Haoming beside them with faces full of shock.

They saw Su Haoming raise the gun barrel, give it a light blow, and say disdainfully:

"Thought you could show off and then run?"

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