A Small Illusion Array

"What exactly do you want? If you keep following me, I'm calling the police."

Looking at the crowd trailing close behind her, Yan Mei was on the verge of breaking down. On the one hand, she was relieved she had not told anyone the address of her new home. On the other, she had no idea where she could go now.

As for calling the police, she did not dare.

Whether it was Zhang Hongxing's identity or the Beauty-Preserving Pill, which defied scientific explanation, she had no idea how to explain any of it to the police.

If Zhang Hongxing ended up being taken away and used as a lab rat, she would have committed a terrible wrong.

Just as she was agonizing over what to do, a call from Zhang Jun came at precisely the right moment.

"Mei, why aren't you home yet? Yingzi and Wenwen are both here already."

"Jun, I... I don't think I can come home."

"What's wrong, Mei? Did something happen?"

"Jun, I accidentally let slip about the Beauty-Preserving Pill. Now those people won't stop following me. I'm so scared!"

Yan Mei nearly burst into tears.

"Don't panic. Tell me where you are first."

"I'm at Peace Street Plaza."

"All right. Stay there and wait for me."

As soon as Zhang Jun hung up, he went to find Zhang Hongxing. At some point, Zhang Hongxing had become the pillar of their family.

"Dad, a whole crowd is following Mei. Apparently, it's about the Beauty-Preserving Pill."

"Then why aren't you going to get her?"

"Oh, I'll go right now."

"Wait. Once you find her, bring her straight home. If the others want to follow, let them."

"Got it."

Zhang Jun turned and ran outside, while Zhang Hongxing picked up the small iron shovel again and got to work in the yard. Ever since the day he had revealed his abilities, he had anticipated that this would happen.

He had no shortage of ways to deal with harassment from a group of ordinary people.

And the method he was using now was a deception of the senses.

With the large mulberry tree in the backyard as its core, he was laying out an Illusion Array around the entire property. Once it was complete, anyone without Zhang Hongxing's permission would see his home as nothing but a dense forest, even if they forced themselves to walk toward it.

In the end, they would merely walk in circles without realizing it.

"Grandpa, what are you doing? Can I help you?"

Zhang Le had already been picked up from kindergarten by his grandfather. With two children in the house, the atmosphere had grown livelier.

"Of course, Lele. Come help Grandpa hold this camellia steady."

"Okay, Grandpa."

"Grandpa, Grandpa, I want to help too."

Wenwen, who had already grown comfortable with him, came over as well. Zhang Hongxing welcomed them both.

Unlike most people these days, who fussed over children in every possible way, Zhang Hongxing preferred to let them work alongside him. Only by doing things themselves would they remember them better.

"Lele, Wenwen, do you know what Grandpa is doing?"

"No."

Both little darlings shook their heads.

"Grandpa is setting up an array, one that will keep bad people from finding our home."

"Grandpa, what's an array?"

"An array is something designed using the natural environment, the laws of heaven and earth, and people's own shortcomings. It's like the mazes you've been to, but an array is far more advanced than a maze. It's..."

As Zhang Hongxing set up the array, he explained it to his grandson and granddaughter. Whether they understood him or not, even giving them a rough idea first would be worthwhile.

At Peace Street Plaza, Zhang Jun easily found his wife, with a crowd watching her from a distance.

"Jun." The moment Yan Mei saw her husband, all the strength drained out of her.

"Don't worry. Let's go home together."

"Home? Jun, what about Dad..."

"Dad is capable of far more than you think. You'll understand once we get back."

Reassured by Zhang Jun, Yan Mei finally set aside her worries. They hailed a taxi and headed straight home. As for the people still following them, he simply pretended not to see them.

Once they reached the vicinity of their home, Zhang Jun took Yan Mei's hand and hurried inside.

"Dad, we're back."

"Good. Glad you're home. The food is ready inside. We've just been waiting for you."

"Dad, quite a few people followed us here."

"It's fine. They can't get in. Let's just enjoy our meal."

Zhang Jun and his wife walked into the house, puzzled. They did not quite understand what Zhang Hongxing meant, but neither asked any more questions.

Before long, the whole family was seated around the table.

The meal that day was especially lavish.

Meanwhile, Yan Mei's coworkers who had followed her to the yard all looked as though they had seen a ghost.

"Lin, since when was there a forest on North Bridge Road?"

"No idea. I remember there used to be a private villa here. Could Yan Mei actually be some kind of ghost or monster?"

"What nonsense. Ghosts and monsters were censored out of existence ages ago."

"If it isn't ghosts or monsters, how do you explain what's right in front of us?"

"Why don't you go in and take a look?"

"Why don't you go yourself?"

"Enough, all of you. Let's hold hands and go together. I refuse to believe there could really be demons or ghosts in broad daylight."

With someone taking the lead, the others immediately agreed. All fifteen of them joined hands and walked toward the dense forest before them.

Soon, the entire group had disappeared into the forest.

An hour later, they still faced the same thorn-covered woodland path they had seen when they first entered.

"Hey, Qian Zhenzhen, have we gotten trapped in some ghost loop?"

"What nonsense. A ghost loop means you keep circling the same spot. Look, the surroundings have been changing the whole time we've been walking."

"Have they?"

"Of course. Look at these trees. Every one is different."

"Oh, you're right. You're so clever."

Another hour passed, and the sky grew completely dark. The fifteen people were still trudging forward, but most of them were now unbearably hungry and thirsty.

Their feet felt as heavy as though lead weights had been strapped to them.

Having finished dinner, Zhang Hongxing's family was sitting in the yard, admiring the flowers and scenery.

"Dad, when are you going to let those people go?"

Zhang Jun, who had climbed onto the roof several times to watch the fifteen people circling their yard, could not help feeling sorry for them.

"There's no rush. We'll talk about it once they beg for mercy."

Just as Zhang Hongxing and his son were discussing the fifteen people outside the yard, a military jeep suddenly appeared near their home. Two soldiers in uniform got out one after the other.

"Captain, the target is just ahead."

"Understood. Watch for my signal when we get there."

"Yes, Captain."

From a distance, Zhang Hongxing's home was still the same house and small yard. Nothing looked out of the ordinary.

But when they came within thirty meters, everything before their eyes suddenly changed.

"Captain, wh... what's going on?"

"A feat like this... could he truly be a hidden master?"

Instead of answering the soldier's question, the captain closed his eyes and took two steps backward.

Sure enough, after those two steps, the scenery before him returned to normal.

Just then, the fifteen people circling the yard happened to emerge from its other side. By now, their progress could barely be described as anything more than shuffling.

"Captain! Captain, where are you?"

The soldier still trapped in the illusion kept looking around frantically. Outside it, the captain immediately pulled off his belt, held one end, and tossed the other toward the soldier.

"Ah!"