The recent illusions weren’t similar to the previous ones I encountered. This time, they sought to lead me toward the road instead of scaring me. 

After he obtained the magic brush, I remember Meng Dongye telling me that, as long as he had the story in his head, the corresponding images would appear in front of his eyes. It seemed the person using the brush could control the illusions created! 

Li Mazi and I rushed back to the hostel. When we got back to the room, Meng Dongye was lying on the ground. But contrary to my expectations, there was no wound on his head. I checked the ashtray next to him. It did contain blood, but it wasn’t from any injury. Meng Dongye had simply vomited blood. 

The magic brush had severely affected Meng Dongye’s body; the trash bin next to him was filled with blood-stained tissues. His laptop showed his unfinished script, and there was an infusion stand near the laptop where several empty glucose bottles hung. 

“Oh, boy. Do you want to make the entirety of China weep? You continue to write even though you’re vomiting blood. We wouldn’t be able to find an author like you even if we searched the entire globe!” Li Mazi joked. 

We walked up to him and helped him sit up. I placed a finger under his nose to check his breathing. He was still breathing, but it was feeble. 

After I called him a few times, Meng Dongye woke up. “Help… Help me up. I can write more! I can still write!” 

“Mr. Meng, you should rest. I’m afraid you will die if you do not.” 

“It’s worth it if I die for China’s film and television industry!” His mind was muddled, and he started to talk nonsense.

He suddenly screamed. “My brush! Who took my brush! Did you? Did you?!” 

“Where did you put your brush?” I asked. 

“On the table. Hurry, find it for me. It’s my lifeblood!” After saying this, he started to cry. 

I immediately understood what happened. When Li Mazi went outside to wait for me, Brother Wei took the chance to enter Meng Dongye’s room and steal the brush. 

I presume Brother Wei was around when I entered the hostel, and he used the magic brush to create those illusions and get rid of me. 

“Li Mazi, get me something that can hold water. A basin or a bucket is fine,” I said. 

I then took a piece of paper and folded it into a boat. Li Mazi found a used instant noodle bowl. He cleaned it and poured some water into it before handing it to me. I took out a small bottle of corpse oil and dripped one drop on the boat. With that complete, I placed the boat in the water. 

This paper boat could sense nearby Yin energy. Soon, it started to spin before stopping to point in a direction. 

“That way!” 

I held the noodle bowl, leaving the hostel with Li Mazi. On the way, I reminded Li Mazi that the magic brush could create illusions. If he saw something out of place, he should touch it to certify that it was real. 

“You say that, but if a sexy beauty shows up, should I touch her? If it’s a real person, I would be labelled as a perv, right?” Li Mazi muttered. 

“I’m talking about distinct situations. For example, you see another me in front of you!” I said. 

“What if he uses this trick to make me touch high-voltage electricity? I banged my head into the wall last time, and the swelling only went down after three days…”

“Yeah, I recall.” 

After shooting that idea down, Li Mazi and I came up with a passcode to verify each other’s identity. If something seemed off and the other party couldn’t provide the passcode, that meant they were an illusion. 

The paper boat led us to a parking lot where I saw Brother Wei in a car, about to leave. Li Mazi stopped the car and hit the hood. 

“You bastard, get out here!” 

Brother Wei got out of the car, rolling his eyes and thundering, “Who the hell are you? Are you crazy?” 

This voice wasn’t right. I blinked and scrutinized the man closer. This wasn’t Brother Wei; it was a burly Northeastern man wearing a thick gold chain. He was two-heads taller than Li Mazi, and there was a suggestively-dressed woman inside the car. They were making out, and Li Mazi had disturbed them. 

Li Mazi was terrified. He apologized and said that he got the wrong person. However, the large man didn’t believe him. He grabbed Li Mazi by his collar and prepared to hit him. 

“Little Brother Zhang, help!” Li Mazi sounded as if he was about to cry. 

“Try and put up with him for a while. I’m coming right away!” 

Seeing Brother Wei in another car, I had to ditch Li Mazi to run after him.

When I arrived, I saw no one in the car, which made me furious. 

I turned around, and the previously empty parking lot was suddenly filled with a countless number of people, old and young. I was positive that they were just illusions created by Brother Wei so that he could escape safely. 

I took out the Sirius Whip. As soon as the people were hit, they turned into smoke. 

“Little Brother Zhang, help me!” 

I suddenly heard Li Mazi screaming, and I turned to him. He was pressed on the ground. His teeth were gone, his mouth bleeding. My heart sank. This was my fault. 

“Little Brother Zhang, how could you leave me! You’re not my brother at all. I came to help you, and you repaid my favor by abandoning me!” Li Mazi sounded like he was dying. 

I discovered that something was off. With his silver-tongue, Li Mazi would try his best to beg for his assailant’s mercy. How could he be beaten up like this?

These illusions were exceptionally annoying. To make things easier, I used a lighter to heat the tassel of my Sirius Whip before swinging it around and releasing some blue smoke. The Sirius Whip was made of ash-gray wolf skin from North of the Gobi Desert. It had a strong, evil-repelling power. 

Sure enough, the smoke cleared away all of the illusions. I saw Brother Wei standing a distance away with a horrified expression on his face. 

“Don’t run!” 

I immediately chased after him and lashed the Sirius Whip, which then coiled around his ankle. Brother Wei stumbled, falling on all fours like a dog. Something in his hand was sent flying away. It was the magic brush he stole earlier. 

I became incensed once again. I coiled the Sirius Whip around his throat and demanded that he tell me the truth from head to tail, leaving nothing out. 

“We’re colleagues, please don’t act harshly! I just wanted to earn money to make ends meet.” Brother Wei begged me. 

“Make ends meet? Your dirty money is tainted with blood. Today, I will erase this malignant tumor from our Circle!” I bellowed.

I didn’t have any otherworldly items with me, so I just took out a Ksitigarbha Talisman, crumpled it, and shoved it into his mouth. “As soon as I read the incantation, this thing will torture you until you wish you could die.” 

Brother Wei was frightened by this prospect, his face turning ash-gray. He promised to tell the truth, so I released him. 

“Actually, these five writers are just the appetizer. There’s a filthy rich client waiting for the brush,” said Brother Wei. 

“What do you mean?” 

Brother Wei told me the whole story. Half a year ago, he bought this magic brush from a farmer. He immediately got a client who was a renowned author. The client agreed to purchase this brush for the price of ten million renminbi. 

Brother Wei brought the brush to his client, showing him how the item worked. As a result, he created an excellent piece of classic Chinese literature. 

This magic brush could absorb an individual’s talent and accumulate it. Yet, there was a problem. All of the brush’s knowledge came from writers who lived during ancient times. Due to this, it could only write in styles from that period. The client decided to give up on buying the brush. 

Brother Wei didn’t want to let the meal escape his mouth. He promised the client that he would make the brush be able to write modern novels within six months. 

Then, he started to find his prey. The first one was an online fantasy novel writer. Since the unfortunate author’s writing style was similar to the one used in ancient times, the magic brush was a perfect fit for him. Brother Wei sold the brush to him at the price of one hundred thousand renminbi. 

Not even one month had passed, and the writer was tormented to death. Brother Wei used his contacts to retrieve the brush. He then sold it to the second writer, eventually killing four people this way. As he was trying to find the fifth one, Meng Dongye brought himself to his door. 

“Still, this brush has a deadly side effect. Did you inform the client who wanted to buy it with ten million renminbi?” I asked. 

“Actually, this side effect can be bypassed.” Brother Wei finally told the truth. 

“What?” I was shocked.