Chapter 2504: Flaw

**Winds of Kyushu**

"You go too!" Lu Ye turned and looked at Fu Wei, who was standing beside him.

Fu Wei opened his mouth as if to say something. He seemed to have figured things out, but ultimately he said nothing.

After Fu Wei disappeared, Lu Ye looked at Yuan Xi, his spiritual sense subtly stirring: "Should we take the Dao Integration Orbs with us?"

Yuan Xi nodded: "Of course we have to take them! We've worked so hard to accumulate these."

"Then please make your move, Your Excellency!" Lu Ye said.

If the departure of Fu Wei and the others might not concern the Mirage, the breaking of the Dao Integration Orbs would surely provoke a reaction. So, their movements had to be swift. As soon as the orbs shattered, they needed to immediately take all the fragments and enter the Harmony Realm!

Yuan Xi nodded and gently brought down a palm. The Heaven-grade Dao Integration Orb immediately shattered into pieces, scattering in all directions. As usual, most of the fragments rapidly faded as they flew, seemingly wanting to vanish into the unknown.

Lu Ye raised his hand and clenched his fist tightly!

Yuan Xi moved swiftly, collecting all the fragments that hadn't vanished, then tossed one to Lu Ye: "Quick, go!"

Lu Ye took it, but stood rooted to the spot.

"Hurry, Grand Commander, it'll be too late if we don't go now!" Yuan Xi urged with an anxious expression.

Lu Ye suddenly sighed: "Your Excellency, wouldn't it be rather unkind to just run away like this? I've been thinking, Senior Mirage is actually quite good. Look at how powerful it is, yet it has never harbored any intention of harming human lives. It's naturally compassionate, and what it asks for isn't much — just some company to relieve its boredom."

Yuan Xi looked at him with a strange expression: "Is that really what you think?"

"Yes," Lu Ye replied earnestly. "It's only sixteen hundred years, which is nothing in Senior Mirage's long lifespan. We can manage it. It rarely finds suitable playmates, so it wouldn't be right for us to abandon it."

Yuan Xi's expression suddenly became a half-smile: "Where did you spot the flaw?"

Lu Ye looked bewildered: "What are you talking about, Your Excellency?"

"Stop pretending, you rascal!" Yuan Xi scoffed. "I know you saw through it, otherwise you wouldn't be saying all this to humor me. But I can't figure out where you found the flaw. The illusion I created was born from your own mind, so it shouldn't have had any imperfections!"

Seeing he couldn't keep it secret anymore, Lu Ye could only scratch his head: "Actually, I just tried it on a whim, and I didn't expect it to be true."

A silent chill ran down his spine.

Before the Dao Integration Orb shattered, he hadn't noticed any flaws. Whether it was his departure from Yuan Xi City to enter the Harmony Realm, everything he saw and heard within the Harmony Realm, or even everything in the Golden Stamen Pavilion, it all felt incredibly real and natural.

It wasn't until the Dao Integration Orb shattered... and his ability to intercept the fragments failed, that Lu Ye suddenly felt something was wrong.

It turned out everything he had experienced before was just an illusion!

The Harmony Realm he entered was fake, the Lotus and Third Mistress he met were also fake. Only Yuan Xi was real, and she was a manifestation created by the Mirage.

He finally understood why the cultivators trapped for many years hadn't used the Harmony Realm as a transit point to escape: because ordinary people simply couldn't do it!

Yuan Xi must have entered the Harmony Realm. Her strength was formidable enough that even though she couldn't find the Mirage's trace, the Mirage likely found it hard to influence her.

"However, Senior, what I just said came from my heart, without a single falsehood!" Lu Ye added with a serious expression.

Yuan Xi chuckled softly: "Whether it's true or false, you know it best."

"Senior, where are my companions?" Lu Ye asked. If everything just now was fake, then where were You Die and Fu Wei?

Yuan Xi raised her hand and snapped her fingers. Everything around them began to change. Lu Ye found himself still standing in the Central Hall, but the Dao Integration Orb, which had just shattered, was now restored to its original state. As for You Die and the others, they were all unconscious at the side, having never actually entered the Harmony Realm.

Lu Ye was startled and quickly went forward to check. Only after confirming that they were all fine, merely unconscious, did he feel relieved.

"This time, we'll let it go. After all, I had fun too. But it's best not to have a next time, understand?" Yuan Xi warned.

"There won't be a next time, Senior, rest assured," Lu Ye nodded.

Yuan Xi's figure vanished.

Lu Ye waited for a while, and then You Die and the others slowly woke up. After asking about what had happened and learning the truth, they all fell silent.

Now things were truly difficult. With the Mirage constantly watching, even entering the Harmony Realm became a luxury, let alone abandoning the city.

And speaking of abandoning the city... Lu Ye belatedly realized that this was a trap deliberately set by the Mirage, likely to observe his reactions upon discovering the truth.

He could be certain that if he hadn't seen through the illusion, the Mirage, with its immense power, would likely have maintained it indefinitely. It wouldn't have been difficult for it, and it probably would have had a great time.

Back at the Grand Commander's residence, Lu Ye was filled with helplessness.

Next time the Mirage came looking to play that childish game, he would have no room to refuse.

But after such a significant loss, Lu Ye genuinely didn't want to continue playing.

He had to figure out a way...

He suddenly realized that the Mirage just wanted to play, just wanted someone to keep it company and relieve its boredom. What they played actually didn't matter.

Since that was the case, as long as he could keep it happy, the situation wouldn't worsen, at least. He could stabilize the current situation and make further plans once Yuan Xi returned!

With a thought, Lu Ye had an idea.

The Mirage didn't give Lu Ye much time. After only about a day, it reappeared before him, once again in Yuan Xi's form.

Seeing Lu Ye busy, it was puzzled: "What are you doing?"

Mainly, it had never seen these things before: small, square objects, each with a different pattern. Lu Ye was holding one, carving into it.

"Senior has arrived?" Lu Ye greeted.

"What is this?" The Mirage sat in front of Lu Ye, picked up a small square, and examined it carefully: "Is this a phoenix? Why is it so ugly? Haven't you ever seen a phoenix?"

Lu Ye sneered inwardly, thinking to himself that he had seen more than just phoenixes...

"This is a 'one dot' tile."

"'One dot'?" The Mirage looked bewildered, but clearly intrigued. It naturally possessed a strong curiosity for things it had never encountered.

"It's just a little chicken! You can also call it a 'one stick'!"

"Why is it called a 'one stick'?" The Mirage clearly had many questions.

Lu Ye said: "Don't worry about why. It's just a 'one stick', and there are 'two sticks', 'three sticks', up to 'nine sticks'!"

The Mirage wore a thoughtful expression.

"Finished!" Lu Ye completed carving the last tile. He waved his hand, collecting all the tiles. "Come on, Senior, I'll take you to play something fun."

The Mirage enjoyed even those simple, childish games immensely. Lu Ye didn't believe this new game he'd found wouldn't get it hooked!

As long as it became obsessed with this, his future days would be much easier.

Upon hearing about something fun, the Mirage's interest was indeed piqued, and it trotted excitedly behind Lu Ye.

A moment later, in the Council Hall, a table was set up. Lu Ye, the Mirage, You Die, and Fan Wu each took a side, while all the other people stood behind Lu Ye.

Lu Ye's voice slowly began: "This game is called Mahjong. Its gameplay is very varied. I'll explain one way to play it to you now. From now on, whenever you have some free time, come and keep Senior Mirage company, alright?"

Everyone responded in unison: "Understood."

"You're a good one, kid!" The Mirage was clearly very pleased with Lu Ye's performance. Over countless years, it had trapped an immeasurable number of cultivators, many of whom tried various ways to appease it, but it had never seen anything as novel as this. Naturally, its interest was piqued.

Lu Ye's voice continued, and everyone listened attentively.

To help everyone quickly familiarize themselves with the rules, Lu Ye chose the simplest way to play. After explaining, he immediately led the Mirage and the others into a practical game.

In the vast Yuan Xi City, within the majestic Council Hall, two Dao Integration and two Dao Fusion cultivators began a battle without blades or blood... One wondered what Yuan Xi would think if she suddenly returned and saw this strange scene.

The Mirage quickly became engrossed. And after understanding the rules, it even specifically used its abilities to block the sensory perceptions of everyone inside the Council Hall.

Therefore, in this place, no matter how strong one's cultivation or how high one's power, there was no room for it to be displayed. One could only rely on their own skill and luck.

"Kid, I like this game! I've decided to reduce your time by one hundred years!" The Mirage, having won a hand with a "self-drawn after a kong" move, was in high spirits.

Lu Ye's eyes lit up: "Then thank you very much, Senior."

He truly hadn't expected such a pleasant surprise.

The Mirage said: "From now on, tell me about any other fun games you find, and I'll reduce your time by one hundred years for each game!"

Lu Ye was greatly moved: "Senior, you said that yourself."

"I said it!" The Mirage nodded repeatedly.

Lu Ye immediately felt confident. The Mirage clearly hadn't realized the gravity of the situation. He had just mentioned that Mahjong had varied ways of playing—far more than sixteen!

Each one was a new game. A mere sixteen hundred years could easily be reduced away.

It wasn't until half a day later that Lu Ye suddenly realized he had underestimated the situation.

Because the Mirage also realized something. After winning another hand, it looked at Lu Ye: "Kid, this game can also involve wagers, right?"

Lu Ye's heart sank. He wanted to say no, but the Mirage wasn't foolish; it couldn't be easily tricked.

"What does Senior wish to wager?"

"Don't you want to leave earlier?" The Mirage coaxed patiently. "We can completely use time as our stake."

Lu Ye quickly refused: "But there are three of us, and Senior is only one. It wouldn't be fair to gamble like that."

"That's simple. Just divide into teams like before. Two against two, that would be fair."

Lu Ye thought for a moment, then immediately said: "Then I'll be on a team with Brother Fan!"

After playing for half a day, Lu Ye discovered that the Mirage's luck was actually quite ordinary. Fan Wu, on the other hand, had good luck. As for You Die and himself, their luck was merely average.

As soon as he said this, You Die immediately shot him a resentful look, but Lu Ye simply pretended not to notice.