Chapter 402: Xu Xian

"A dream?" Zhong Shan asked curiously.

"Yes, due to my bloodline inheritance, I can vaguely understand the situation upon waking. I've had several experiences; each time, because of it, I dreamt for a month. During that month, I was sound asleep, and it stayed by my side, within arm's reach. As long as I could wake up, I could definitely catch it. It should be very easy, but I've never managed to wake up," Nian Youyou said with some frustration.

"Uh, a dream? A month in the dream?" Zhong Shan asked.

"No, a hundred years in the dream. Outside, I slept for a month, but in the dream world, it was a hundred years," Nian Youyou explained.

"A hundred years?" Zhong Shan's mouth fell open.

"Yes, you have to realize you're dreaming within those hundred years and find a way to wake yourself up," Nian Youyou said.

"You realized it?" Zhong Shan asked.

"I've been led into the dream nine times while trying to catch it. One time, I strangely realized that the world wasn't real, that I was dreaming, but I couldn't wake up. I told someone in the dream about it, and suddenly, everyone in the dream world disappeared. It became empty and desolate. I couldn't cultivate, so I spent thirty lonely years in a deserted place until people started appearing again out of thin air," Nian Youyou recounted, a hint of fear in her voice.

"Thirty years, with nothing to do but wait in solitude?" Zhong Shan remarked with a sigh.

It would take immense psychological strength to endure that. People find it hard to handle even a few days of solitary confinement. She endured thirty years? How did she manage?

"Yes, when people appeared again, I was so happy. I talked nonstop, pouring out all my loneliness. It took another ten years for me to gather the courage to try again. I chose to commit suicide," Nian Youyou said.

"Suicide?" Zhong Shan looked at Nian Youyou.

That would take even more courage. Suicide? Which cultivator would have the bravery to give up the chance of immortality?

"But after committing suicide, I discovered it still didn't work. I was just taken into another dream. This continued until a hundred years had passed, and the outside month ended. The little beast had long since run off," Nian Youyou explained.

Zhong Shan was dumbfounded.

"Later, I brought someone with me to the Blue Sea of Refinement. Using my method, we went deep inside again and encountered the little beast. We both entered the dream, but it was the same dream. It was my dream, with some scenes he'd never seen but somehow found familiar. We had a dispute, a life-and-death battle, and I killed him. Then we entered another different dream. This continued until the hundred years ended," Nian Youyou said.

"So, it's impossible to wake up?" Zhong Shan said strangely.

"No, nine experiences taught me something. It's not impossible to wake up; two possibilities exist," Nian Youyou said.

"Two? What are they?" Zhong Shan asked, frowning.

"The first is to realize you're dreaming, like I did that one time," Nian Youyou said.

"Hmm! And the second?" Zhong Shan asked.

"The second is for the people in the dream to reject you, kill you, causing the dream to expel you. That would wake you up, wouldn't it?" Nian Youyou said.

"Uh, that kind of makes sense," Zhong Shan thought for a moment and said strangely.

"But, since it's your dream, the people in it are created by you. How could they kill or reject you? Even if someone in the dream wanted to kill you, due to your self-preservation instinct, another 'hero' would definitely save you. So, it's too difficult!" Nian Youyou said, frowning.

"Mm!" Zhong Shan nodded, frowning in deep thought.

"You are the most extraordinary person I've ever met. I believe you can do it," Nian Youyou said.

"Me?" Zhong Shan felt a bit strange. I'm not a god, he thought.

"Yes, if you could even kill Zhiguang Arhat, what can't you do?" Nian Youyou's eyes gleamed with confidence.

What could Zhong Shan say? These were two entirely unrelated matters. Killing Zhiguang Arhat involved using the Black Jade Talisman, while his previous dreams were without any artifacts.

"Let's go. Since we're already here, I'll go with you to take a look," Zhong Shan said.

"Mm!" Nian Youyou nodded.

She grabbed Zhong Shan's hand and quickly led him deeper into the Blue Sea of Refinement.

Gradually, the illusions Zhong Shan saw became deeper and more realistic. A few times, he nearly got lost in them, but fortunately, Nian Youyou held onto him.

"There's a mountain ahead. Stop, we're going to hit it!" Zhong Shan shouted as he saw the mountain ahead.

Nian Youyou smiled slightly and pulled Zhong Shan right into the mountain.

"Whoosh～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～"

It wasn't a mountain at all, just another illusion.

Zhong Shan swallowed, continuously reminding himself that everything here was fake, not to believe any of it.

"We're almost there. Be careful," Nian Youyou said.

"Mm!" Zhong Shan nodded.

Just as he agreed, Zhong Shan saw another illusion—a ball of blue light rushing towards him and Nian Youyou.

Zhong Shan knew it was another illusion but instinctively moved in front of Nian Youyou to protect her.

The blue light passed through both of their bodies.

Then, they both collapsed into a deep sleep on the ground.

"Yiyi yiyi yiyi yiyi"

With a series of strange sounds, a blue furball the size of a fist bounced over. Covered in blue fur, it looked like a small plush toy with two thin legs, tiny hands that couldn't clap together, a thin tail, and shiny black eyes that darted around adorably.

The little furball hopped over to them, jumping onto Zhong Shan's stomach, then onto Nian Youyou's stomach, happily bouncing for a while. Seeing that they were both sound asleep, it let out another cheerful cry.

"Yiyi yiyi yiyi yiyi"

Both of them were now in a deep sleep, encountering the little beast that Nian Youyou had mentioned, and were brought into a dream. But what kind of dream would it be?

The sky was gloomy.

"Boom～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～"

A thunderclap sounded, and it started to rain. The rain quickly intensified.

Zhong Shan, dressed in white like a scholar, stood with a group of people at the pier of a large lake, waiting for a ferry to dock.

"It's raining! It's raining!" The people around him shouted in panic and quickly scattered like birds and beasts.

In an instant, only Zhong Shan was left, standing there, bewildered, watching the rain pour down. He felt as if he had forgotten something, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't remember.

Just then, a small boat slowly sailed across the lake.

"Boatman, boatman!" Zhong Shan stopped thinking about what he had forgotten and called out.

The small boat slowly approached.

"Thank you, boatman, thank you!" Zhong Shan excitedly jumped onto the boat, grateful that it had finally arrived.

The boatman, clad in a raincoat, was at the stern, maneuvering the boat. Zhong Shan entered the cabin and saw Nian Youyou, dressed in white, sitting there gracefully, looking stunningly beautiful. Seeing her, Zhong Shan was momentarily mesmerized, staring blankly at her for a while.

"This gentleman," Nian Youyou called out, looking at Zhong Shan.

"Oh, sorry, miss. I… I lost my composure just now," Zhong Shan quickly apologized, looking embarrassed.

Nian Youyou smiled gently and said, "Please, sir, have a seat. We're all travelers here; there's no need to stand on ceremony."

"Alright!" Zhong Shan, feeling somewhat awkward, sat down.

Once seated, Zhong Shan didn't know what to say. Love at first sight? This feeling was so strange. He wanted to talk to the beautiful woman in white across from him but didn't know how to start a conversation and was afraid of offending her.

The cabin felt somewhat stuffy.

"The scenery outside is truly beautiful," Nian Youyou commented, looking out.

Zhong Shan seized the opportunity and said, "They say heaven is above and Suzhou and Hangzhou below. The beauty of West Lake is world-renowned."

"May I ask, sir, are you a local?" Nian Youyou asked, smiling at Zhong Shan.

"My surname is Xu, given name Xian, courtesy name Hanwen," Zhong Shan hastily introduced himself.

Hearing his introduction, Nian Youyou chuckled.

"Why does the lady laugh?" Zhong Shan asked, feeling a bit awkward.

"Sir Xu, I was asking if you are a local," Nian Youyou replied with a smile.

Only then did Zhong Shan realize he had misunderstood. Blushing, he said, "My name is Xu Xian, from Qiantang. My family has been in the herb trade for generations. Unfortunately, my parents passed away early. Today, I came to visit their graves for the Qingming Festival and decided to tour West Lake. I didn't expect to meet such a lovely lady. May I ask for your name?"

Nian Youyou smiled warmly and said, "My name is Bai Suzhen. I come from Furong City in Sichuan. My father was once an official, but last year, my parents both passed away. With no one to rely on, I came to seek out relatives, only to find they had long since moved away. I now temporarily reside at Qingbo Gate."

"It must be lonely for a lady to live here alone," Zhong Shan remarked with sympathy.

"No, I have a younger sister, Xiaoqing. Qing'er has always been with me, so I am not lonely," Nian Youyou shook her head and smiled.

At this moment, the boat suddenly began to rock violently, swaying as if it might capsize. Nian Youyou stumbled, about to fall, and Zhong Shan stepped forward to steady her.

"Miss Bai, are you alright?" Zhong Shan asked.

"I'm fine, thank you, Sir Xu," Nian Youyou replied.

"Sister, sister!" A faint voice called from outside the boat.

"Huh? What's that sound?" Zhong Shan looked out immediately.

Nian Youyou, however, glanced at the other side of the boat. Amidst the noise of the rain, she called out softly, "Qing'er, stop playing around. We'll talk later."

"Who were you talking to just now?" Zhong Shan asked.

"No one, I was just saying the rain is too heavy," Nian Youyou quickly diverted his attention. Meanwhile, in the lake, a giant green snake swam swiftly.

(To be continued)