「Li Yang!」
Sun Qian's eyes flickered, his expression tightening— a mix of surprise and quiet expectation.
The Li family of Magic City was related to the Sun family of Qianyuan by marriage.
Twenty years ago, Li Ge, the head of the Li family, had married a distant cousin of his.
The couple later had a son— none other than Li Yang.
In terms of seniority, though Sun Qian was younger, he held a higher standing in the family hierarchy, with an even more formidable background.
Li Yang, two years his senior, still had to address him as "Uncle."
That said, Sun Qian had never cared much about formal titles. In fact, he'd always gotten along quite well with Li Yang.
Ever since arriving in Magic City, Li Yang had been his main point of contact for all his needs— probably because the elders thought young people would have more in common.
Naturally, that included little indulgences like visiting music halls and the like.
Under normal circumstances, their friendship, coupled with their family ties, should have made them extremely close.
But that bond was only valid as long as the Li family remained loyal.
The second time he'd been ambushed while using the Villain Simulator, Sun Qian had begun to seriously suspect the Li family was involved.
Otherwise, how else would those assassins have known his exact whereabouts, tracking him down with such pinpoint accuracy?
What was even more damning was that when the attack had kicked off— creating a huge commotion— not a single member of the Li family had shown up to help.
That was a major red flag.
Sun Qian suspected that Zhao Kun and the Zhao family, whom he'd eliminated earlier, might have just been scapegoats.
The Li family!
The Sun family's in-laws!
They were the real masterminds behind the scenes.
So when Li Yang, the young master of the Li family, came looking for him at this moment, Sun Qian immediately sensed something was off.
Frankly, he'd already harbored doubts about the Li family for some time.
And Li Yang's perfectly timed appearance only served to confirm his suspicions— the Li family was definitely up to no good.
Li Yang's visit was most likely a sign that the mastermind was about to make their next move.
Sun Qian hesitated for a split second, then decided to turn their trick against them, determined to find out what they were planning.
Cautious by nature, he ordered Su Meng, his body double, to take his place. Meanwhile, he used the Illusion Shifting Technique to disguise himself as Sun Zhong, his personal protector— with the real Sun Zhong hiding in the shadows.
Before long, Li Yang swaggered in, looking every bit the dissolute young noble, a cynical grin plastered on his face.
「Young Master Sun. Elder Sun.」
Li Yang greeted them in order, his tone toward the disguised Sun Qian— who was posing as the guardian Sun Zhong— filled with profound respect, not daring to show the slightest hint of disrespect.
Disguised as Sun Zhong, Sun Qian said nothing, merely nodding his head to maintain his aloof persona as he watched Su Meng— wearing his face— exchange idle chatter with Li Yang.
After days of training, Su Meng's impersonation was flawless. Barring a few minor, almost imperceptible differences, he looked exactly like Sun Qian. Only someone who knew Sun Qian extremely well would be able to spot the ruse.
And Li Yang, clearly, was not one of those people.
It didn't take long for Li Yang to reveal his purpose. He mentioned he was hosting a "Magic City University Gala" at the Magic City Manor, adding that many of their fellow students were eager to meet someone as busy as Sun Qian— and that he had a surprise in store for him.
As he spoke, Li Yang winked suggestively.
Su Meng, still impersonating Sun Qian, froze for a moment, unsure how to respond.
「Agree to it.」
Sun Qian sent a silent message via spiritual energy, instructing his double to accept the invitation. He was determined to find out what dirty tricks Li Yang had up his sleeve.
This would be the perfect opportunity to verify whether the Li family was indeed the mastermind's pawn planted in Magic City.
Moments later, Sun Qian took the wheel, playing the part of driver and bodyguard. Having visited the Magic City Manor several times before, he knew the route like the back of his hand and soon arrived at their destination.
With such an important guest in tow, the owner of the Magic City Manor hurried out to greet them personally.
Once their group entered a Supreme VIP Suite deep inside the manor, Sun Qian noticed several other figures already waiting inside.
Among them were two faces he knew all too well— Zhao Kun and Liu Yue.
The sight of Liu Yue made Sun Qian's muscles tense involuntarily for a heartbeat, but he quickly regained his composure, forcing himself to stay calm.
After all, he was currently wearing Sun Zhong's face.
When he'd used the Illusion Shifting Technique to alter his appearance earlier, not even Sun Zhong— a powerhouse at the Saint Realm— had been able to tell the difference. But he wasn't sure if the disguise would fool Liu Yue, who was suspected to be a Celestial Being.
At that moment, he couldn't help but regret coming.
Liu Yue was probably the last person he wanted to see in all of Magic City right now.
Then it hit him why she was here— she was the campus belle of Magic City University, and she was even in the same class as him.
Most of the people present were fellow students, and besides Liu Yue, there were several other good-looking female classmates in attendance.
「So this is a trap set specifically for me.」
Sun Qian watched Zhao Kun fawning over Liu Yue, listening to the buzz of conversation around him, and instantly understood what was going on.
The only reason Zhao Kun— that poor sap— was here was because the Li family intended to use him and the Zhao family as scapegoats once again, clearing their own names in the process.
It seemed he really had wronged the Zhao family during that second Villain Simulation.
When the disguised Su Meng made his entrance, everyone in the room instinctively stood up. 「Young Master Sun, I went to a lot of trouble today. I couldn't make this happen on my own, so I finally had to use your name to get Campus Belle Liu to agree to come.」
Li Yang said with an ingratiating smile.
It was clear he knew full well about Sun Qian's past pursuit of Liu Yue at Magic City University— and he was now planning to reuse that same honey trap trick all over again.
At that moment, Sun Qian could already guess what was going to happen next. Most likely, Liu Yue would get drunk, and then he— or rather, his double— would be persuaded to take her to a hotel to rest.
Sun Qian frowned slightly, a sense of déjà vu washing over him. It was as if history was repeating itself, no matter how hard he tried to avoid it.
Fortunately, though, he'd swapped identities with his double this time around.
All eyes in the room were fixed on Su Meng, their faces filled with flattery and deference— completely ignoring the real Sun Qian standing off to the side.
Even Liu Yue's gaze was locked onto the disguised Su Meng. But Sun Qian, with his sharp powers of observation, noticed her eyebrows furrow slightly for a split second, as if she found something vaguely perplexing.
His heart skipped a beat, fearing she might have detected the impostor.
He immediately stopped sending spiritual messages to guide his double, letting Su Meng act on his own to minimize the risk of exposure.
Before long, the "impostor" took his seat, clinking glasses and exchanging toasts with all the wealthy scions present— perfectly embodying the image of a spoiled, pleasure-seeking young noble from the capital.
Meanwhile, the real Sun Qian stood silently in the corner, watching the entire charade unfold with a cold, detached eye.