Chapter 1291: Chapter 1289: A World Without Birth, Aging, Sickness, or Death
It turns out, the smoke that Jiang Liu saw just now was actually two trails of cooking smoke.
The scene that unfolded before Jiang Liu left him completely dumbfounded on the spot.
Chickens and dogs could be heard, paths crisscrossed, children chased each other laughing, elders sat in groups chatting, women weaved cloth into clothes, and men worked busily between the fields…
The scene before him felt like a paradise hidden from the world.
If he saw such a scene in the human realm, Jiang Liu surely wouldn’t have been surprised, but where was he now? He was in the demon realm!
To see such a scene in the demon realm? A human clan’s idyllic paradise in the demon realm? No matter how you look at it, it seems impossible.
“Could it be that this is all truly an illusion?” Compared to believing what was in front of him was real, Jiang Liu was more inclined to believe it was all created by an illusion technique.
Even though he believed it to be an illusion, Jiang Liu still felt a sense of doubt.
The Mirage Demon is an ancient demon, its ability in illusions is unparalleled, and Jiang Liu wasn’t really surprised that it could create such a scene.
But, why would it do so?
Yes, as a Mirage Demon, why create a scene of a human clan paradise like this? It puzzled Jiang Liu greatly.
After a brief consideration, Jiang Liu began to walk, leaping down from the cliff towards the small village ahead.
Fortunately, Jiang Liu was originally human, so entering this small village, he didn’t need to disguise his true nature.
“Hee hee hee, how interesting, he looks so interesting…” As Jiang Liu approached the small village, several playful children noticed him. They weren’t shy and came over, staring and laughing at Jiang Liu.
With a mild smile on his face, Jiang Liu looked at the children around him and asked, “Interesting? Aren’t we the same? Why do you find me interesting?”
“Because your outfit is different from ours, who are you?” One of the boys, braver than the others, spoke up to Jiang Liu.
“Outfit? Dress?” Hearing the boy’s words, Jiang Liu looked down at himself, wearing the Green Lotus Buddha Robe, wondering if something was wrong?
Surprised, Jiang Liu glanced at the other villagers, who were all dressed in coarse cloth and linen, and understood immediately, asking, “I am a monk, so this dress is normal. Have you never seen a monk before?”
“A monk? What’s that?” Indeed, as Jiang Liu’s words fell, the children responded in unison, curiously asking Jiang Liu.
“Well, although this is a hidden paradise, it seems this village has had no contact with the outside world, so they don’t even know what a monk is…” The children’s unanimous response confirmed Jiang Liu’s guess.
As Jiang Liu continued walking into the village, it wasn’t just these children who noticed him; naturally, the other villagers also became aware of Jiang Liu’s presence.
Soon, several elders stepped forward to greet Jiang Liu.
“Young man, where do you come from?” An elder, with a look of surprise, asked Jiang Liu.
“Amitabha, I am a humble monk from a distant land, just passing through!” Joining his palms together, Jiang Liu chanted a Buddhist phrase and replied.
Upon hearing Jiang Liu’s reply, the elders exchanged looks.
Obviously, they didn’t understand the meaning of Amitabha, nor did they comprehend Jiang Liu’s self-proclamation as a humble monk.
However, after a brief silence, the elders didn’t dwell further on the topic but instead looked even more puzzled, saying, “A distant land? Are there really other people outside our little village?”
“Indeed, it seems I’ve never seen anyone else from outside come here!” Another elder beside him spoke with an expression of astonishment.
Because this small village is situated within the demon realm, the villagers have never been in contact with outsiders.
Thus, Jiang Liu’s arrival made every man, woman, and child in the village feel extremely curious.
While they were so surprised, Jiang Liu felt even more intrigued. Had these people living in this small village really never ventured out to see the world?
“Young man, it’s almost time for a meal; why not join us for a meal here, and in return, tell us about the world outside?”
As more and more people gathered around, an elder invited Jiang Liu.
“In that case, I won’t stand on ceremony!” Accepting such an invitation, Jiang Liu had no intention of refusing and nodded in agreement.
Soon, Jiang Liu sat down as a guest at one of the households, and as the news of an outsider spread, more and more villagers came to witness the novelty.
For a time, the entire small village became buzzing with excitement because of Jiang Liu’s presence.
“Elder, what’s your venerable age?” As the meal was prepared swiftly, Jiang Liu immediately engaged the elder in conversation.
“Long life? What do you mean?” The old man was taken aback by this statement.
“I’m just asking how old you are!” Jiang Liu quickly followed up with another question.
“Age? What does that mean?” Not just the old man, but everyone else in the room, and even many onlookers, were completely puzzled by Jiang Liu’s question.
“So, elder, how many years did it take for you to grow from a child to your current age?”
Jiang Liu wondered if he hadn’t expressed himself clearly enough, so he pointed to a five or six-year-old child nearby, who was the old man’s grandson, and asked.
However, Jiang Liu’s words only made everyone more puzzled, and they began to discuss in whispers.
The people wore expressions of amazement, but Jiang Liu was even more astonished in his heart.
What was going on? Wasn’t his question quite normal? Why did they react this way?
“Young man, are you sure you’re of the same Human Clan as us?” Finally, the old man asked Jiang Liu in wonder.
Jiang Liu looked at him with a face full of question marks, not understanding at all what he meant.
Fortunately, before Jiang Liu could inquire, the old man spoke again, posing his own question: “My little grandson is a child, and I am an old man. How can a child turn into an old man?”
“What!?” The old man’s words left Jiang Liu dumbfounded.
Children don’t turn into old people? So, does it mean that in this small village, people remain exactly as they are, never growing up or aging?
Astonished, Jiang Liu continued to inquire, and indeed, the conclusion he reached was the same as his own thoughts.
In this village, whether it was the elders, the children, or the identities of men and women, they were all always like this.
In their eyes, a stone is always the shape of a stone, a tree is always the shape of a tree, fixed and unchanging, just like people!
Children? They’ve always been children, and elders have always been elders, even the relationship between couples has always been the same.
Their appearances and identities, and so on, have seemed to be like this since the Heaven-Opening, with no change at all.
“So, are you saying that in this village, there’s no birth of children, no deaths, no cycle of life?” Understanding the situation in this village, Jiang Liu murmured to himself.
In contrast to the normal situation of the Human Clan, the village was like this, which naturally amazed Jiang Liu.
However, from another perspective, Jiang Liu found the situation in this village very similar to his memory of a certain situation!
That is the online game!
In the world of online games, all NPCs are set by the system, with no aging, and no sickness or death, how similar this is to the current situation!
“So, is the situation of this village really created by an Illusion Technique?” Understanding the village’s situation, Jiang Liu became even more convinced that everything before him was indeed an illusion.
Of course, the Mirage Demon he was looking for should also be within this village.
Without showing any emotion, Jiang Liu chatted with the villagers for a while, and told them about the outside world.
As darkness gradually fell, Jiang Liu did not leave; instead, he temporarily stayed in the village.
In the dead of night, Jiang Liu did not rest but rose quietly, hovering silently in the air, looking down at the small village beneath his feet.
To be honest, despite the brief encounter and the village’s completely illogical nature, one could still call this village a paradise.
“This Mirage Demon’s ability is truly extraordinary! It’s almost like a human version of the Map of Mountains and Rivers!” Looking down at the small village, Jiang Liu murmured to himself.
Yes, the Map of Mountains and Rivers is a treasure, with mountains, rivers, and even people inside it, although illusory, yet somehow real inside, how similar this is to the small village beneath!
However, in some sense, this Mirage Demon’s ability is even stronger than the Map of Mountains and Rivers.
Because the rivers and characters in the Map of Mountains and Rivers cannot exit the world of the painting.
But the Mirage Demon’s ability can directly affect the real world.
“Alright, you can stop hiding now, come out and show yourself!” Suspended in mid-air in silence for a long time, Jiang Liu then spoke.
Since everything before him was an Illusion Technique created by the Mirage Demon, Jiang Liu believed that the demon must be nearby and had long since observed him.