Purple Illusion Spirit Mouse and a Token of Love

The surroundings were no longer a perilous swamp, but a beautiful expanse of fields. Countless wildflowers swayed in the breeze, their fragrance filling the air and refreshing the heart.

Li Xin was immediately captivated by the breathtaking scenery. When she turned her head, she found Long Haochen looking at her as well.

Long Haochen's handsome face was slightly red, his azure eyes bright and deep. Li Xin stared at him in a daze and unconsciously walked toward him.

Yet from Long Haochen's perspective, Li Xin had become Yue Ye—the alluring and enchanting Yue Ye.

Yue Ye approached him with a faint smile, an unusual gleam flashing in her eyes. Her entire body radiated an intense allure, and a powerful urge suddenly rose within Long Haochen—an instinctive, primal urge.

Smack—

Long Haochen slapped himself hard across the face and viciously bit down on his right arm. Only then did he break free from that terrifying impulse.

Everything before him was far too unreal. He had clearly been in Bright Moon Swamp just moments ago, yet in the blink of an eye, he had seen Yue Ye, who was far away among the Demon Race. That was simply impossible.

The only explanation was that he and Li Xin had fallen into an illusion and walked into a trap. If they did not break free quickly, both of their lives could be in danger.

Feng Xiu had said that ordinary illusions merely used spiritual fluctuations to disrupt an opponent's mind, allowing the caster to launch a sneak attack when the opportunity arose.

In other words, Long Haochen and Li Xin were still in their original positions. An unknown opponent had merely interfered with their minds, causing them to hallucinate.

To escape such hallucinations, one needed not only firm willpower, but spiritual power greater than the caster's. The caster's spiritual power was obviously far stronger than Li Xin's and Long Haochen's, which meant Long Haochen could not break free from the illusion through spiritual means.

Long Haochen drew his sword and looked around warily. Since he could not escape the illusion, he could only wait for the caster to make a move, then find an opportunity to kill them. The illusion would naturally be dispelled.

However, this mysterious opponent was extremely cunning. Seeing that Long Haochen had noticed something was wrong, it did not rush to attack.

"Haochen..."

Li Xin suddenly pounced on Long Haochen. His attention had been focused on his surroundings, and he had never expected her to attack him so abruptly. She caught him completely off guard.

Long Haochen only felt his body grow light before a pair of slender, long arms wrapped tightly around his neck.

Li Xin's eyes were filled with burning passion. Her lips parted slightly, and a fragrant breath spilled from her mouth onto Long Haochen's face. It felt as though thunder had exploded in his mind. A wave of heat swept through his entire body, making him burn all over.

Li Xin buried her head in the crook of Long Haochen's neck, her breath sweet as orchids.

Thud—

Long Haochen was only a mere Squire. How could he possibly be a match for Li Xin, a Knight? This time, the irrational Li Xin was not going to go easy on him as she had before.

A purple figure slowly approached the two tangled together. A sharp whistling sound tore through the air as the mysterious opponent finally attacked.

Clang—

A pale blue shield blocked the opponent's attack completely. Long Haochen suddenly shoved Li Xin away. Not caring where exactly he had pushed her, he sprang upright from the ground, grabbed the sword lying there, and slashed fiercely at the purple figure.

Squeak—

The purple figure let out a miserable cry and tried to flee. Naturally, Long Haochen would not give it that chance. He sharply raised his right hand and hurled his sword, pinning the fleeing purple figure to the ground.

The surrounding scenery immediately returned to its original appearance. The illusion was broken.

Long Haochen looked closely and saw a purple mouse no more than a meter long struggling desperately beneath his sword, all while glaring at him with its venomous little eyes.

Long Haochen had never imagined that the magical beast capable of creating such a deadly illusion would be an adorable little mouse.

Li Xin finally regained consciousness behind him. Remembering what she had done earlier, she was overwhelmed with embarrassment.

"Haochen, I'm sorry, I..."

Long Haochen waved his hand. "Sister, I don't blame you."

In matters like this, it was ultimately the girl who suffered the loss. How could Long Haochen, who had gained such an advantage, blame Li Xin?

Li Xin breathed a sigh of relief. To ease the awkwardness, she could only change the subject. "If I remember correctly, this is a rare Purple Illusion Spirit Mouse. Its physical combat ability is very weak, but its spiritual power is extremely strong. It excels at creating illusions to kill its opponents, and it is exceptionally cunning. This Purple Illusion Spirit Mouse was able to cast illusions on both of us at once, so it is clearly a fourth-grade magical beast. We escaped death this time entirely because of your quick thinking, little brother."

Long Haochen pointed at the Purple Illusion Spirit Mouse. "Sister, you can have this magical beast."

Although Li Xin had accepted a mission to hunt a third-grade magical beast, turning in a fourth-grade magical beast would still count as completing the mission.

"No, no, little brother. You were clearly the one who killed this magical beast. How could your sister shamelessly take the credit?" Li Xin said, waving her hands repeatedly.

Long Haochen smiled faintly. "I call you sister, and you call me little brother. There is no need to draw such clear lines between family. If I run into trouble in the future, I may need to ask Sister for help."

Li Xin was so moved that she nearly cried. Not only did Long Haochen not blame her for her excessive behavior earlier, he even gave her this magical beast. Where else could she find such a wonderful little brother?

"Then Sister won't stand on ceremony."

Li Xin carefully put away the Purple Illusion Spirit Mouse. It was the first gift Long Haochen had given her. Deep down, Li Xin had already regarded the Purple Illusion Spirit Mouse as a token of love, though it was a rather unusual one.

Just as Long Haochen and Li Xin were about to turn and leave, the vines in the distance parted on their own, revealing a narrow path. The path shimmered with bizarre, shifting colors, seeming immensely mysterious and carrying an indescribable temptation.

Long Haochen and Li Xin exchanged glances, each seeing hesitation in the other's eyes.

This trip to Bright Moon Swamp had yielded considerable gains for Long Haochen and Li Xin. Although there had been a minor incident along the way, they had ultimately escaped unharmed. They had successfully completed the Adventurer's Guild's mission, so there was truly no need to continue taking risks.

"Little brother, we should leave. There are likely even more dangerous fourth-grade magical beasts in the depths of the swamp. Even if Sister is a Knight, I may not be able to protect you completely."

Long Haochen did not answer Li Xin. He merely gazed quietly at the path.

Long Haochen had a powerful feeling that something immensely important was waiting for him at the end of that path. If he stopped now, he might miss it forever.

That mysterious feeling was wonderfully strange, making Long Haochen's heart itch with anticipation. He could not bear to leave. Even if greater danger awaited him, he wanted to investigate.

"Sister, you go on ahead. I want to take a look."

Long Haochen chose to trust his intuition.