Chapter Twenty: Phantom Illusion Technique!

“Open the door! Open the door! Hurry, open up!”
“From the Flame Shrine, open up quickly...”
“Any strangers in the house? No? Then who are you?”
“Dare to run? Kill him, loose the arrows... shoot... shoot...”
———
In the Hatred Mountain human settlement, the gates of one courtyard after another were shouted open or smashed down by the ragtag army of gray-robed Flame Shrine followers and Predators.
They acted like bandits—well, they were bandits, after all.
These brigands stormed through homes, rummaging through rooms, then patting down people, even prying open mouths to check the teeth—whether strong and healthy. When they left, they’d help themselves to anything in the house they deemed remotely valuable.
Sometimes they took goods, sometimes people.
Resistance was met with beatings, defiance with death.
The people of the settlement had grown accustomed to this; as long as the fists didn’t fall on their own heads, they swept their own doorsteps and paid no mind to others’ misfortunes.
Survival—everyone was fiercely trying to survive!
Yet, today, those from the Flame Shrine... seemed more like Predators than usual.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
A courtyard’s stone gate was pounded heavily. From inside came the voice of a middle-aged woman: “Coming, coming... Who’s there?”
“Flame Shrine,” shouted the gray-robed man outside, “Open up quickly, don’t make us break in...”
The thick wooden door was pulled open from within. Standing in the doorway was a wrinkled middle-aged woman, her face eager and ingratiating as she said, “Ah, the divine envoys have graced us with their presence! What instructions might you have?”
“Why does it stink so much?” Several gray-robed men instinctively stepped back.
They scrutinized the woman—her face and hands were filthy, her hair wild as a bird’s nest, her clothes patched and tattered like straw. She wore a garment riddled with patches, exuding a powerful, nauseating sour stench.
Worse still, a swarm of flies buzzed endlessly around her head.
“Don’t come any closer.” One gray-robed man pointed at her, pinching his nose. “What’s that smell? How long since you last bathed?”
“Replying to the divine envoys, my daughter and I haven’t bathed for a month and a half, maybe two... You know, there’s only one water source in Hatred Mountain, and it’s far from here. Each time we carry two buckets back, it’s just enough for drinking and eating... Who would waste it on bathing?” She answered with a simple, honest smile.
“You have a daughter?” One gray-robed man’s eyes lit up, asking eagerly.
“Yes, yes, her name is Ningning...” The woman turned to call inside, “Ningning, Ningning, come out, we have honored guests...”
A skinny girl, equally filthy and reeking, emerged, swatting at the flies in front of her. Her voice barely above a whisper, timidly glancing at the gray robes, she asked, “Mom, what is it?”
“Divine envoys, this is my daughter Ningning. We depend on each other.” The woman smiled, “Ningning, greet the envoys.”
The gray-robed men saw the hideous scar running across Ningning’s face; their interest vanished, each stepping back in disgust. “No need to come closer, just stay there and talk... Besides you two, is anyone else here?”
“No, just us. No one else wants to visit.” She replied, “You may search if you wish.”
“With a stench like yours, who’d want to come?” one gray robe cursed. “No need to search, what’s the point? No master of Qi Manipulation would hide in a house like this. The smell alone would kill them...”
“Let’s go, next house—what rotten luck.”
“Indeed, never seen such ugly women...”
“I thought any woman would do, but clearly that’s not the case...”
———
When the gray robes grumblingly left, the woman slowly shut the door.

Securing the bolt, she collapsed against the door, gasping for breath.
“I was terrified... Truly scared me to death...”
“These Flame Shrine men are vicious, capable of anything...”
“What’s to be afraid of? Aren’t they just a nose and two eyes?” Anning snapped her fingers and the flies vanished as if they’d never existed.
Illusion Technique!
Those flies were conjured by her secret arts.
“You didn’t see what they did, things no normal person could do... worse than animals...”
The woman cursed, then lowered her voice, worried about eavesdroppers, “Strange, they rarely go door to door hunting people... What are they after this time? Has something happened at the Flame Shrine?”
“I don’t know.” Anning shook her head, thoughtful.
She’d overheard them say, “No master of Qi Manipulation would hide in a house like this.” Were they searching for a Qi realm expert?
“What are you thinking, girl?”
“I’m going to bathe.”
“Oh, what for? The gray robes are still around... If you wash off the skunk juice, what if they come knocking again? Outside is chaos, and Tang Fei might not pass by today anyway.”
“I’ll bathe.”
“You stubborn girl... You never listen to your mother.”
———
Tang Fei was carving wood, making a little bird, while Phoenix watched.
When the wooden bird was assembled and wobbled into the sky, both Tang Fei and Phoenix jumped up, cheering like children.
But when the bird’s tail started smoking and it crashed, scattering burning bits everywhere, they both looked as dejected as children facing a hundred math problems or about to be beaten up by classmates.
Phoenix realized she was gradually adapting to life on Old Earth—wearing its clothes, eating its “delicacies,” making friends and companions, sharing food and sleep, fighting for water and hunting, sharing joy and sorrow.
She’d even learned several swear words.
For example: “Dog!”
But dogs are cute, she had a snow-white bichon named Ball on New Star.
Yet Tang Fei said it was an insult, so she’d defer to him.
When the escape pod first landed, she was filled with anxiety and uncertainty about the future. Fortunately, she met Tang Fei, who carried her home—Xiao Pang called it “carried.”
After that, she lived like a true child of the wasteland.
She used to pray constantly for someone to come for her.
Now she still prayed, but not with the same urgency or panic.
In an era where life was as fragile as grass, she felt a rare sense of safety and warmth.
“Failed again.” Tang Fei looked at the charred wooden pieces at his feet, regretful. “Don’t know when it’ll finally fly, maybe never...”
“It was amazing, it flew so fast—it almost reached the treetops...” Phoenix consoled him, curiosity lighting her face. “Tang Fei, how did you learn to make these?”
“Self-taught,” Tang Fei replied.
“Impressive!” Phoenix’s eyes widened. “On New Star, mechanical designers are highly respected. Keep at it, Tang Fei—maybe you’ll become a great engineer someday.”
“Why, are you taking me to New Star?” Tang Fei joked.
“I don’t have that kind of power.”
“I can’t even get to New Star... How could I become an engineer? On Old Earth, there’s no systematic knowledge, no practical equipment, not even proper tools...” Tang Fei shook his head. “Better to focus on surviving. Making these things is just a hobby, something to pass the time... What else can I do? Can’t hunt all day or spend my life smashing rocks like Xiao Pang...”

Tang Fei looked at Phoenix, “What do young people on New Star do?”
Phoenix thought a moment. “Students attend classes, adults work. In their free time, we sing karaoke, go clubbing, watch concerts. Sometimes we grab coffee or have afternoon tea with friends... And we often visit the Dream Park—a world so vast, it seems endless.”
“What do you like most?” Tang Fei asked.
“I love watching movies,” Phoenix smiled, her eyes squinting in delight. “Any kind—action, romance, comedy, science fiction...”
“Also, you can use AI to swap faces, put your own face on the star’s, like you’re in the movie yourself... You can enter games or videos through a brain-machine interface, making it feel real...”
Tang Fei stared, silent for a long time, then, full of envy, said, “It’s only been a few hundred years since leaving Blue Star, but New Star is so advanced... Amazing.”
He pointed at the ancient forest before them. “Look at this place—if it’s not acid rain, it’s monsters. Even the unremarkable flowers and grass are poisonous, a careless touch can injure you...”
“No laws, no morals, only people eating people, killing each other. This planet is doomed... Those of us born here are doomed as well...”
“Maybe one day, everyone here will die, humanity will go extinct... But it doesn’t matter anymore. Humanity’s hope and future... are on New Star.”
“Tang Fei...” Phoenix felt a heavy sadness in her chest, wanting to comfort him but unsure what to say.
Because she knew Tang Fei was right.
New Star’s anthropologists had studied Blue Star’s deteriorating environment and survival conditions, writing countless reports.
All the reports pointed to one conclusion: humanity on Blue Star would die out.
“Don’t try to comfort me.” Tang Fei smiled. “As long as I’m alive, I’ll enjoy life. I make crafts, Anning paints, Xiao Pang smashes rocks... Well, Xiao Pang does it for survival, not for fun...”
“If humanity goes extinct, I doubt I’ll witness it. Even if I do, I can’t change anything. That’s our fate... Born on Blue Star, what else can we do?”
“There must be a way.” Phoenix’s voice was resolute.
Tang Fei shook his head, sheathed his knife, and said, “Let’s go hunting. If we don’t bring something back today, there’ll be nothing to eat tomorrow... You probably haven’t experienced hunger, have you?”
Phoenix shook her head. “Not really.”
“Then we must work hard.” Tang Fei said, “But you need to be careful. Try not to use your whip.”
“You’re worried they’ll track us?” Phoenix said.
“When you use the whip, you damage the plants in the forest. The Hatred Mountain settlement couldn’t possibly have such a weapon... If they find the cut marks, they’ll know we live nearby.”
“I understand.” Phoenix nodded. “Even without the whip, I’ll catch more game than you.”
“Impossible, I’m an old hunter—you’re just a rookie.”
“Let’s compete, then.”
“Fine. What’s the penalty for losing?”
“The loser must prepare a gift for the winner.”
“Anything?” Tang Fei asked.
“Anything. But it must be a genuine gift, not just something random.”
“It’ll be carefully chosen,” Tang Fei agreed, though he’d originally planned to pluck some wildflowers if he lost.
“Let’s start,” Phoenix said.
Tang Fei nodded, then dashed ahead—he knew where to find game.
Phoenix refused to lag behind, sticking close to Tang Fei.
She knew Tang Fei knew the hunting spots, so she’d try to beat him to the prey.
She would prove with action and bounty that, before a Qi realm master, Tang Fei’s boasting meant nothing at all.