Giant Shadow Puppet
Besides the sea monster, Yu Xing and Ghost Wine had also been pulled into the illusion.
Yu Xing's experience wasn't complicated. He explained it in just a few words, leaving only one unanswered question, which he kept to himself for now.
Ghost Wine wasn't the sort to recount what he'd been through properly. He seemed fine at the moment, with no sign of discomfort, but he glanced subtly at Zhao Mou and Yu Xing.
Even the smallest clue could be crucial right now. Zhao Mou swam over—they were some distance from the temple and had returned to floating in the water.
His dependable older brother patted Ghost Wine on the shoulder. "Just tell me this: did you also see something that might have triggered your fear?"
The sea monster's account proved that the illusion had pinpointed her fear.
But Yu Xing's account seemed to suggest that they'd only seen what River Haunt thought they would be afraid of. Those were two very different things.
Ghost Wine said, "...Tsk."
His blood-red eyes were full of impatience. After hesitating for two seconds, he said, "I saw myself dressed like someone from the Dog God Clan. Everything around me was blurred, like a mosaic."
Ghost Wine tapped Zhao Mou on the chest. "There was a version of you in the mosaic. I killed him."
Then he pointed at Yu Xing from a distance. "And there was another one of him. He walked away, like he'd never come back."
As he spoke, Ghost Wine's presence weakened considerably, and he began to resemble the usual Zhao Yijiu.
It was as if the part of him that was a vengeful ghost didn't want to be part of this conversation and had shamefully run away, leaving his quieter, more reserved self to take over.