Chapter 1004: Chapter 575: Completely Wrong (Double-Length)

The red silk flutters, golden embroidery dazzles, and the corridors and vermillion pavilions are all adorned with bright lamps shining like daylight.

Surrounding him are lively maidens, with waist, hips, chest, and limbs... their fair skin strikes right at Chen Yi’s heart. Where the newcomer walks, the jade green steps are covered with petals, the red palace ribbons drape down the columns, and the maids smile like blooming flowers, their radiance so dazzling it leaves one entranced.

Something’s not right.

The smiling maids escorted Chen Yi to the hall. Though his steps didn’t falter, he kept feeling something was amiss.

Yet, everything seemed perfectly fine.

The endless red silk stretched along the corridors, osmanthus trees in full bloom on both sides, fragrant mist entwined with the carved beams—scenery dreamlike and illusory, precisely as Yin Weiyin had described to him.

She has always grudged not having a wedding, mentioning it occasionally with an air of indifference, but if she truly didn’t care, she wouldn’t have whispered about it intimately after lovemaking.

...This feels right.

The maids led Chen Yi towards the hall, offering him tea, and they accompanied him with cheerful laughter to lighten the mood.

Surrounded by peaks, the dizzying array of blossoms almost blinds him. Especially for a man as lustful as Chen Yi, the snow-white curves in his sight compel him to indulge in unspeakable acts.

When Chen Yi reached out, the maids laughed and darted away, eyes full of surprise and tease. Their red sleeves brushing against his cheek left a tickling sensation, tempting him to chase after them with a wicked smile.

Chen Yi tipped up his lips slightly, ready to chase, yet a strange feeling suddenly arose in his heart.

Something’s not right.

Given Yin Weiyin’s seemingly generous but actually stingy nature, how could she arrange for so many maids for him? She spoke so sweetly, yet actions never matched the words.

Chen Yi paused for a moment, silently observing those maids,

"Are you all bedchamber maids?"

Bedchamber maids accompany the mistress into her husband’s household, often sharing the master’s bed.

The maids exchanged glances and nodded shyly.

Chen Yi’s eyes narrowed, just as he was about to draw his sword.

A maid took two steps forward, her ample bosom trembling slightly, seemingly about to fall into his arms. At this moment, Chen Yi took a closer look—what ample bosom was there? It was entirely flat sheets of xuan paper.

... This feels right.

Chen Yi slowly sat back in his chair, allowing the paper figures to fill the role—a trick Yin Weiyin would indeed pull.

After all, what’s there to doubt? Cause and effect lined up; Yin Weiyin had mentioned the wedding early on, and from entering He Shen Kingdom, entering the White Tower, to finally arriving in this Illusion Dream, they followed the plan all along. Many details Chen Yi remembered vividly.

"Old thing, have I recently... become a bit paranoid?" Chen Yi murmured.

"A bit, didn’t you agree with her?" The Old Saintess affirmed but her tone sounded a bit muddled too, "Even I’m a bit confused."

Sitting still, Chen Yi carefully recalled everything. Numerous details unraveled before him—from meeting Yin Weiyin, entering the White Tower with the two women, to reaching this place. The clearer he remembered, the more groundless his doubts seemed.

Cause and effect, consequences of actions, countless details constructed a complete memory, leaving little room for questioning.

"Yes, I came in with Yin Weiyin because she was uneasy about me entering alone. Along the way, we were lovey-dovey... wait, why didn’t I make out with her on the way?" Chen Yi caught a doubt, then instantly remembered the reason, "Oh, because there were many people on the road, no opportunity, plus she had an argument with Qing Yuan, but got along well with Taiyi... Taiyi, how did she know it was Taiyi?"

Oh, almost forgot, because Taiyi privately explained the situation to her. Yes... everything has a reason, no groundless speculation, just cause and effect. Ha, there’s some truth in Buddhist sayings."

Hearing his final musings, the Old Saintess responded a bit agitatedly: "What Buddhist truth, all nonsense, you young guy know little, there aren’t so many causes and effects in this world."

Chen Yi was slightly taken aback.

The Old Saintess scoffed a few times, with a tone seemingly giving advice: "Cause and effect, cause and effect, is there truly cause and effect in this world? If someone was bantering on the road but suddenly picked up a knife to commit violence, yet stopped midway upon a pang of conscience, where’s the cause and effect in that? If you attribute everything to cause and effect, then there are too many causes, too few effects. In this vast world, which cause is the primal one? I say, there’s no karma in this world, only a fleeting thought."

Her subconscious words left Chen Yi, after a moment of pause, filled with doubt where once stood certainty.

All the clear or blurry images in his memory felt real beyond real, almost all seemingly unreasonable points could find reasons in details. However, many things in this world simply have no, should not have any definite causes.

Chen Yi rose silently, the maids of different shapes cried out in surprise, trying to stop him, yet his figure spun like the wind, disappearing from the hall in an instant.

......

Replacement... replace me?

Why say... replace me...

The clarity in Taiyi’s eyes began to fog over once again.

She didn’t know why, hearing this sentence felt odd. Looking up again at the Goddess, at that almost flawless face, a nameless fury surged from the depths of her heart.

Replacement... how could she be replaced?!

A furious yet painful expression appeared on her face, she disdainfully exclaimed, "Replace me? How dare you spout nonsense?!"