The herbs where Xiao Wei destroyed were magically restored, completely spotless.
A solemn expression appeared on Yang Wei's face as he walked forward to investigate some clues.
Kneeling down slightly to touch the herbs, Yang Wei was able to tell that the herbs are real and not some illusion.
'If this isn't another mist of hallucination then there must be some formation happening in this area right now.'
Yang Wei said inwardly as he tried to look for an exit this time. There should be some teleportation runes around here since it was the only possible method to enter here.
Activating his spiritual sense, Yang Wei was determined to use every ounce of his true qi to find a clue.
Spending the next few hours, Yang Wei sighs as nothing seems out of the ordinary.
Rubbing his forehead lightly, Yang Wei decided to pick up every herb in this garden.
'If Senior Ling still doesn't appear when I'm blatantly robbing his herbs then it means one thing only. Senior Ling was never a real person and we have been talking to an illusion.'
An ominous feeling occurred in Yang Wei if this statement was true. That is because it would mean they have never disabled the mist of hallucination.
Yang Wei quickly plucks every herb into the spatial ring that Elder Jing uses. Only the ground and soil could be seen now when Yang Wei leaped into the air to view.
"I really hate this feeling I'm getting," Yang Wei smiled bitterly in his sharp thinking.
Sometimes Yang Wei just wished to be incorrect in his judgment and was simply being paranoid.
"Xiao Wei, scan the area for me and keep destroying the soil. I want to see if there is something underground." Yang Wei ordered since his cultivation base was limited to remain airborne.
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Thus, he could only start finding some sort of symbols underground as he waited for Elder Jing to wake up.
Yang Wei did not laze around as Xiao Wei began his work. He was busy recalling his encounter with Old Ling.
Suddenly, like a bolt of thunder hit his mind, Yang Wei became ashen and pale.
Back when Yang Wei said he broke the mist of hallucination, that was when Old Ling appeared behind Elder Jing.
'C-Could this be… a scheme from the mist to deceive our mindset?'
With a pale expression, Yang Wei hurriedly retreats back to the hut that resides Elder Jing.
Yang Wei became dumbfounded when the hut was no longer there.
"ELDER JING"
Yang Wei screamed in panic and used his spiritual sense to look for her. However, there was zero sign of people anywhere in this garden.
Sweats started trickling down his forehead as he felt a chill running through his body on this ominous feeling.
'No, I refused to believe everything was fake as I can feel my connection with Xiao Wei.' Yang Wei starts to take a deep breath and calm himself.
Sitting down in a lotus position, Yang Wei starts to stabilize his mind and soul to stop any more unnecessary thought.
Shortly after, Yang Wei became tranquil as he opened his eyes again. As expected, the hut was still there with Elder Jing resting on the bed.
'Seems like this mist of hallucination is even more dangerous than I thought. Once our mind starts to waver, it would invade us and confuse us with illusion before we lose control of our body.'
"Xiao Wei," Yang Wei called him out as he got up. Xiao Wei appeared instantly and waited diligently.
"Xiao Wei, if I ever became paranoid, please knock me hard to wake me up since I'm not sure if I start acting weird again."
Yang Wei said solemnly and remained focused on the task only to not give the mist of hallucination any opportunity to invade his mind.
If this was still Yang Wei back when he was alone in the village then there was zero chance of Yang Wei being affected.
But the circumstance changed when he met with Elder Jing. She wasn't prejudiced or biased toward his past nor treated him badly.
It was his first time feeling some attraction toward his opposite gender after losing his parents.
Although Yang Wei cannot tell if this is what they called love, he was certain that he does not want to lose Elder Jing.
Seeing Elder Jing bedridden has shaken his mindset when he began to worry about the worst possible outcome. Things like Elder Jing's poison re-appeared and took her life this time or some other curse that would corrupt her.
"Phew, now that I know the trick, I will not fall for it again." Yang Wei clenched his fist as he decided to stop training alone and watch Elder Jing's condition.
This time, he was not planning on leaving her side at all and kept his eyes on her forever.
Meanwhile, in another place, Old Ling was calmly sipping his tea as he looked at the projection screen.
"Truly fascinating. To think he was able to pass the final test with flying marks."
Old Ling stroked his beard lightly as he exclaimed on Yang Wei remaining composed and not going crazy.
The last test was something Old Ling has never planned to drop. It was a test of their willpower.
Yang Wei would have failed the test if he became crazy when he decided to conceal the hut from Yang Wei's detection. Also, the restoration of the herbs and the destroyed ground was fixed by him on purpose to give him a false alarm.
Although it was a painful moment for him when he saw his precious herb being destroyed and then looted by Yang Wei, he could only grit his teeth in frustration.
'Master, I have finally found a suitable candidate after all these years. This disciple has not failed you.' Old Ling said inwardly as some tears started dropping in his eyes.
A moment of silence occurred when Old Ling remembered his precious herb being tarnished without care by Yang Wei.
He couldn't help but got up and threw his cup in anger. "That damn brat Yang Wei, I will definitely thrash him for ruining my thousand years of hard work. You think it's easy to make them all grow when every herb has its own condition and requirement."