I Use Illusions To Control The Whole World Chapter 42
Grandma is watching you
Everyone was stunned once again. That voice didn’t match—Tingting was clearly a young girl, yet the voice from under the bed belonged to a small child.
Su Mu’s smile grew even gentler, like that of an older brother from next door. His tone was soft and steady, each word sounding carefully chosen, “Tingting is a good child. Of course, we wouldn’t hurt her.”
The shadow under the bed hesitated again and again before finally crawling out.
It was a little girl, around six years old. Her black hair was messily tied into two small braids—slightly frizzy but natural. She was tiny and thin, yet full of life, like a fawn in the forest. Her round face had a faint blush from constant sun exposure. Her large, bright eyes resembled a clear mountain spring, pure and spotless. Her long lashes fluttered like tiny fans with every blink.
The little girl wore ragged clothes and looked timidly at everyone in the room, tightly clutching a photo frame in her dirty little hands.
No one let down their guard. After what had happened with Wang Li, they couldn’t be sure if this girl would suddenly turn into a monster like the villagers. Still, this child did look somewhat like the Tingting from before.
“Mr. Su, this girl looks much younger than the Tingting we saw before. Could she be her sister?” Ye Fanyu asked in a low voice.
“No. She is Tingting.”
Ye Fanyu was even more surprised. “How can you be sure?”
“Uh…” Ye Fanyu was momentarily at a loss for words.
“Tingting, why were you hiding under the bed?” Su Mu asked gently, smiling.
Tingting answered nervously, “I heard noises outside just now, so I got scared and hid. Outside… outside are bad people. They bully Tingting.”
As she spoke, her eyes caught sight of the empty plate of dumplings on the table. Her lips quivered, and her big eyes welled up with tears. “Those were grandma’s dumplings… she made them for me…”
Li Qiang, who had just eaten those dumplings, scratched his head awkwardly.
Ye Fanyu, however, didn’t care and remained alert. “Grandma? Where is your grandma?”
Tingting looked wronged and a little confused. She raised her dirty finger and pointed behind the group. “She’s right there.”
Ye Fanyu was startled. He whipped around—only to see a wooden rocking chair. No one was in it. But oddly, the chair had started to rock slowly, creaking back and forth without any wind.
His scalp tingled. A chill rushed up his spine, causing every hair to stand on end.
Su Mu narrowed his eyes slightly. “Tingting, good children shouldn’t tell lies.”
Tingting pouted unhappily and said in her innocent voice, “Tingting isn’t lying! Grandma’s sitting right there in the chair. She’s watching you and even said hello!”
Everyone stared at the empty but rocking chair in horror, a deep unease rising in their hearts.
Ye Fanyu and Yang Dongqing, both Transcendents, immediately tensed up. Cold sweat covered their foreheads as their eyes darted between the girl and the chair. They didn’t know which way to face or what to fight.
They might be able to take on villagers, but something invisible and ghostly? That terrified even them.
It was like handing a hunter a shotgun and making him choose between facing a bear or a ghost. Without hesitation, he’d pick the bear.
Amid the oppressive and eerie atmosphere, Su Mu smiled politely at the rocking chair, “Hello, Grandma.”
His sudden greeting sent chills down everyone’s spines. The strangeness of the situation intensified.
Yang Dongqing whispered anxiously, “Can you see her?”
Su Mu smiled, “No. But when someone older greets you, it’s polite to respond. Otherwise, it’s rude.”
Lunatic… Yang Dongqing added a new label in his mind: a polite madman.
Just then, a silvery laugh rang out.
“Grandma says you’re a very polite young man.” Tingting seemed to forget about the dumplings and smiled sweetly.
Su Mu bowed respectfully to the chair, maintaining his gentlemanly demeanor. “Thank you. And you’re a very kind elder.”
The air grew eerier. From everyone else’s perspective, Su Mu was talking to thin air. The chair was clearly empty.
“Grandma says it’s getting dark. The shadows will come out soon. You can stay here for now.”
Getting dark?
Everyone quickly looked outside. At some point, the sky had become overcast, gloomy as their mood.
Clink!
The crisp sound of metal caught their attention—it was Su Mu flipping open a dark-gold pocket watch. He glanced at the time. “Three in the afternoon. It’s getting dark too fast.”
He closed the watch. The ouroboros engraved on it flashed briefly before he looked toward the chair and said, “Grandma, thank you for letting us stay.”
A moment later, everyone huddled in a corner far away from the chair, their eyes fixed on it.
Tingting, meanwhile, sat quietly in the bedroom, playing with a ragdoll. She used a small wooden comb to gently brush its hair.
The sky darkened rapidly before their eyes.
The only sound in the house was the creaking of the rocking chair.
“Mr. Su, it’s dark. Let’s leave now. This place is too creepy,” Ye Fanyu whispered.
“Creepy? With adorable Tingting and kind Grandma here? This place is very safe,” Su Mu replied, completely at ease.
“Mr. Su! This isn’t the time for jokes. Tingting is definitely connected to that creepy Time Silhouette version of herself. And that grandma—how do you even know she’s kind? You can’t even see her!”
“She let us, complete strangers, stay in her home. Isn’t that kind?”
“You—!” Ye Fanyu’s face darkened, but he didn’t dare leave alone.
Just then—
Creak… creak…
The rocking chair stopped.
Everyone tensed instantly. They all knew exactly what that meant… Grandma had gotten up!
An invisible presence. Who knew where she would go?
Maybe she was standing right in front of them now, silently watching, her wrinkled face wearing a warm smile.
Ssszz!
A candle on the table suddenly lit by itself, casting a faint glow.
“It’s dark now. The bad people are gone,” Tingting said cheerfully as she skipped out of the bedroom. Facing the air beside the group, she said, “Grandma, I’m going out to find little sister now.”
