Chapter 371: Hu Li’s "Killing" Five

Chapter 371: Hu Li’s "Killing" Five

As Liu Xing gazed upon the scene before him, he was momentarily at a loss for words, his confusion evident. "What’s going on here?" he finally managed to ask.

"Oh, I never expected you to be the first one to awaken from my hypnosis," Hu Li’s voice echoed in Liu Xing’s ears, "I thought that smelly Taoist would be the first."

Turning around, Liu Xing saw Hu Li standing right in front of him, a cheerful smile on her face.

But what concerned Liu Xing even more was the aged dagger that Hu Li held in her hand, emitting an eerie green glow.

Judging by the way things looked, Liu Xing was certain that the dagger had been poisoned, most likely with a deadly toxin.

At this moment, Liu Xing managed to piece things together. Hu Li had most likely poisoned the wedding in some way and then hypnotized him and his companions. It was possible she had hypnotized everyone present at the wedding, but he happened to be the first one to wake up.

As for Hu Li’s hypnosis technique, it involved drawing people into an illusion. Escaping from Hu Li’s hypnosis required finding flaws within the illusion, such as Hu Li marrying Hu Cang, Hu Cang’s clinic turning into an inn, and Liu Xing and his group becoming art students. However, Liu Xing had not initially noticed these details; he had only paid attention to the unchanging sky and the reflection of his face in the water.

Wait, his face?

Liu Xing finally realized that in the illusion, he had appeared as "Liu Xing" rather than "Watanabe Ryuusei." Did this mean that Hu Li, much like the Ancient One, could see through his true identity?

Liu Xing regarded Hu Li with increasing wariness. He hadn’t expected her to be so much more powerful than he had imagined.

What was even more troubling was that Hu Li seemed to be a proactive, attacking mythical creature. They hadn’t even done anything yet, and she was already making a move on them. While this could be attributed to the circumstances of the plot encounter, Liu Xing couldn’t help but feel that Hu Li was acting intentionally.

So, what did Hu Li want?

Suddenly, Hu Li leaned in closer and asked with a smile, "Since you’re the first one, I suppose I should give you a little reward. Would you be interested in a kiss from a young lady like me?"

Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, surprised by this unexpected offer. He considered nodding without hesitation because Hu Li was undoubtedly a stunning beauty with an appearance rating of over 90 on the app. As a normal man, he didn’t mind kissing her, especially given the saying "Under the peony tree, one should indulge in the pleasures of life."

However, at this moment, Liu Xing hesitated. Should he pretend to be reluctant to prove that he wasn’t the kind of person who would prioritize his desires over loyalty to his friends? After all, Ling Ishikawa and the others were still trapped in the illusion, and he was about to accept an offer from the one responsible. If they found out, it wouldn’t end well. On the other hand, if he acted unwilling and made Hu Li retract her offer, it would be a big loss.

In short, Liu Xing was experiencing intense internal turmoil at this moment.

But just as Liu Xing felt Hu Li’s forehead pressing against his, her ruby-red lips a mere centimeter away from his own, she suddenly pulled back. Liu Xing couldn’t help but feel a sense of emptiness and an inexplicable disappointment.

This reminded Liu Xing of a song: "You get me drunk, but you don’t stay with me."

However, in the next moment, Liu Xing suddenly snapped back to reality. Why had he been overthinking things so much and entertaining all these random thoughts?

Indeed, Hu Li was a fox spirit, and with her every move, she had managed to captivate him, even without any need for a judgment process.

"Hehe, it seems you were quite looking forward to that kiss of mine," Hu Li said with a slightly mocking tone, "Have you ever heard the saying that men are easily swayed by their desires?"

Liu Xing was about to respond when he realized something peculiar. He and Hu Li were conversing effortlessly, despite speaking different languages. Liu Xing was using Island Nation Language, while Hu Li was speaking in Chinese.

Seeing Liu Xing’s hesitation, Hu Li guessed what was on his mind and explained, "I know you’re a foreigner, and even though our languages don’t match, we can communicate through mental inspiration. After all, you must have figured out that my true identity is a fox spirit. Our fox spirits excel in matters of the mind and spirit. When it comes to understanding human emotions, we go far deeper than your kind."

"I see. So, Miss Hu Li, why did you use hypnosis on us? We haven’t had any conflicts, right? We just arrived in Panlong Town," Liu Xing tried to maintain a calm tone and adjusted his posture, preparing to find an opportunity to escape Hu Li’s reach.

After all, the dagger in Hu Li’s hand seemed capable of delivering a lethal blow.

However, Liu Xing realized that he couldn’t move. Apart from making subtle facial expressions, he couldn’t even twitch a finger.

Hu Li chuckled and shook her head. "I told you earlier, didn’t I? We fox spirits have a keen sense of smell, even the tiniest expressions can reveal a lot. Right now, you must be itching to find an escape route, but you’ve also realized that you can’t move, right? That’s because I added a homemade sedative to the drinks at today’s wedding banquet. It puts people into a state of unconsciousness for half an hour and leaves them completely powerless for three hours. Otherwise, I, a weak woman, wouldn’t stand a chance against you five men."

Frowning, Liu Xing found himself at a loss for words once more. No one is perfect, not even mythical creatures. Many powerful mythical creatures had fatal weaknesses. Take, for example, the Earth-boring Demon Worm, which could cause earthquakes but was vulnerable to a simple bucket of water or a continuously running faucet.

So, despite her expertise in scheming and manipulation, in terms of combat strength, Hu Li was likely weaker compared to other mythical creatures and even humans. Right now, Liu Xing believed that he could defeat Hu Li one-on-one if he were free to move.

Hu Li nodded and smiled, saying, "I was thinking the same way. So, do you believe that two individuals from different races can be happy together?"

How should one respond to this?

Liu Xing didn’t expect that after one difficult question, another one would follow from Hu Li, making it even harder to answer.

However, Liu Xing believed he had a rough idea of what Hu Li was getting at. After all, Hu Li’s intentions were becoming quite evident.

So, without hesitation, Liu Xing nodded and said, "I believe love transcends all boundaries. As long as two people genuinely love each other, it doesn’t matter their race, age, or gender. Therefore, two people from different races, as long as their love is sincere, can definitely find happiness together."

Hu Li’s smile gradually faded.

Liu Xing suddenly realized an important detail. Hu Li had asked, "Can two people from different races be happy together?" but his response had been, "Two people from different races can be happy as long as they love each other."

It seemed like he had misinterpreted the question, his answer had gone off-topic.

A misstep.

Liu Xing felt like he might regret this moment forever.

The atmosphere grew tense.

But just then, Hu Li burst into hearty laughter, and the entire playground of Panlong Town Elementary School echoed with Hu Li’s melodious laughter.

However, to Liu Xing, it felt like a series of death knells.

After a while, Hu Li finally stopped laughing and said to Liu Xing, "Thank you for helping me see the truth. I finally understand what Hu Cang meant that day."

Before Liu Xing could grasp the meaning of Hu Li’s words, he felt a sharp pain in his chest. The dagger that had been in Hu Li’s hand a moment ago was now plunged into his own chest.

Hu Li leaned in close to Liu Xing’s ear and whispered, "Thank you for sharing so much useful information with me..."

As consciousness gradually faded, Liu Xing could no longer hear what Hu Li was saying. All he knew now was that he was about to die.

In the last moment before losing consciousness, Liu Xing’s final thought was, "Indeed, women are capricious. One moment they’re thanking you, the next they’re mercilessly stabbing you..."

But just as he completely lost consciousness, Liu Xing suddenly saw a bright light and regained his clarity.

Liu Xing looked at the somewhat familiar ceiling, sat up, and surveyed his surroundings. He realized that he had returned to the third-floor room in Hu Cang’s house, and Ling Ishikawa lay peacefully on the bed.

Liu Xing touched his still-slightly-painful chest, utterly perplexed.

"Could it be that everything that just happened was an illusion? Or am I still within an illusion?" Liu Xing furrowed his brow, muttering to himself.

However, at that moment, Ling Ishikawa suddenly let out a cry of shock and fell off the bed.

Startled, Liu Xing rushed to help Ling Ishikawa and asked with concern, "Ling Ishikawa, what’s wrong?"

After taking a deep breath, Ling Ishikawa, still trembling, said, "I don’t know what happened exactly. All I remember is fainting at the wedding venue, and then suddenly feeling excruciating pain before waking up just now."

Clearly, Ling Ishikawa had also been "killed" by Hu Li.

At this point, Liu Xing began to hear cries of astonishment from Zhang Jingxu and the others. It seemed that they, too, had fallen victim to Hu Li’s "kill."

Hu Li had claimed five victims.

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