Chapter 47: The Truth About the Dreamland
Yue Wuhuan was stunned and didn’t speak for a long time.
He seemed like a machine that had stalled because it encountered an error. Even his expression became stiff.
Now that things have reached this point, how can Song Qingshi still not understand what was going on? His little angel was a super-learning god who didn’t need an abacus to do their ledgers. Recently, he has even begun to study high-level mathematics. In his eyes, this simple question was about the same as one plus one and he could come up with the answer in a split second.
An Long was stunned by his unreasonable question. “Why would you put rabbits and pheasants in the same cage? If you want to know how many there are then just open the cage and count, right? The person who did this kind of thing must be an idiot.”
Song Qingshi ignored the maths fool next to him. The red lotus petals in his hand scattered into countless flaming knives. With limitless anger, they all swept towards the “Yue Wuhuan” in front of him. He wanted to use his feeling from being deceived to turn this fake into mincemeat.
He should have discovered early on that this was not Yue Wuhuan.
Yue Wuhuan was a stubborn and proud person. How could he die without killing those who had hurt him? Even if he really had suffered a flare up of his condition and was controlled to commit suicide, he would never choose to jump in front of him. Instead, he would choose to do it silently, disappearing secretly, without letting others see the ugliness.
Song Qingshi was extremely annoyed and felt like a fool. But the nightmare scenes in the Golden Phoenix Terrace perfectly defeated his rationality and actually made him lose his usual calm. He was repeatedly scammed and he made a fool of himself.
Fortunately, Yue Wuhuan hadn’t seen him.
Otherwise, how could he ever bear to show his face?
Song Qingshi quietly looked back at the Alaskan Malamute next to him. He warned in a low voice, “Don’t tell Wuhuan.”
An Long calmly looked at him and said nothing.
The fake “Yue Wuhuan” turned into scattered fragments in the flames. Golden Phoenix Terrace slowly turned into nothingness and their surroundings began to disintegrate. The streets, pedestrians, and houses all disappeared like a dream. Then it reorganized. It was dark all around and a foul smell that assailed their nostrils came from all directions.
The world became a dirty and disgusting swamp, dark and viscous, with rotting animal remains floating in it.
Song Qingshi covered his nose and took two steps back. He felt that the smell seemed familiar, as though he had smelled it before.
His cultivation base was suppressed again. He was now down to Foundation Building. The Red Lotus Fire in his hand turned into a small flame. Many of his high-level spells could not be used.
Song Qingshi thought it over and brandished a few small tongues of Red Lotus Fire, turning them into lights. Floating in the air, they illuminating the surrounding scenery. They observed whether there was any danger. When the lights hit the middle of the swamp, countless thorny brambles were stretched out, tightly binding a person.
This was Yue Wuhuan.
The mask and devil-mask snake venom had disappeared because of the nightmare’s suppression, revealing a beautiful face that was almost bloodlessly pale. The thorns were tangled around his body. They ripped his clothes and pierced his skin in countless places. His lower body was soaked in the dirty swamp. He was like a beautiful prey fallen into a cobweb. He had lost the strength to struggle and could only wait quietly for decay and death.
Yue Wuhuan had a serious case of mysophobia. He was extremely afraid of dirty things.
His legs were sinking in the mud. Each step was difficult. His spotlessly white robe was stained with large swaths of pure black. There was an unbearable stench permeating the entire place. But he didn’t care.
Under the guidance of the Red Lotus lanterns, he staggered to the brambles. He stretched out his hand. Regardless of how these thorns were making bloody marks on his body, he carefully touched the injured bird. He patted his face, and called out softly, “Wuhuan? Wuhuan? Wake up…”
Long eyelashes trembled slightly and the bird in the cage of thorns finally awakened from his deep sleep, opening his beautiful eyes. The filth on his body and the smell assailing his nostrils almost made him lose his mind from the pain. He wanted to faint again. But he saw the white figure just like in the fantasy. He caught a whiff of the smell of medicine amidst all the filth. Illusion and reality intertwined, making him a little unsure of where he was. He hoarsely confirmed, “Qingshi? Is that you?”
“It’s me!” Song Qingshi saw him wake up and said anxiously, “Don’t be afraid. I’ll rescue you!”
“Master, don’t come over here.” Yue Wuhuan looked around and said in pain, “It’s very dirty here. I’m also very dirty. You’ll get dirty too…”
Song Qingshi comforted while tearing away the brambles. “Don’t be afraid! This is a dream! Once we make it out of here, you won’t be dirty anymore!”
He violently tore off the thorny branches. His hands were pricked with countless bloody pinpricks. He then came back to his senses and found that he’d been acting as stupid as a monkey. He had a tool but forgot to use it.
Song Qingshi raised his hand to call back the Red Lotus Fire from the air. Carefully circumventing Yue Wuhuan’s body, he burned the thorny branches one by one. He then tore the last few branches that were tightly twined, binding into his flesh.
Yue Wuhuan lost his binds and gently fell into his arms.
Song Qingshi hugged him and quickly checked his injuries. He found that the injuries on Yue Wuhuan’s legs and arms were particularly serious, almost to the point that he couldn’t move them.
Why was this damned nightmare so realistic?
He was so distressed that he couldn’t help asking, “Just what is going on?”
“I don’t know,” Yue Wuhuan said weakly. “When I woke up, I was already trapped in this dirty swamp. My strength had disappeared. My hands and feet were injured and I lost my mobility. I wanted to find you and I struggled for a long time, but I couldn’t escape…”
This sense of helpless despair was like when he’d been bound by Acacia Seal in the past.
He had even struggled to death, but when he opened his eyes, he was back in the same place again.
The Heart-Eating Nightmare Formation was like the nastiest game, with countless weapons inserted into the most vulnerable parts of everyone’s heart, each stab drawing blood, each slash sealing the throat. It made you lose your mind and compromised your judgment, until you collapsed. When you wake up, you would sink into the same never-ending cycle.
It was not a killing array but it was even more disgusting than a killing array.
Song Qingshi untied the white fox fur robe and carefully wrapped the person in his arms to block all the filth and foulness. “Is this better?”
The white fox fur robe had this man’s medicinal scent and it diluted the foul fumes.
Yue Wuhuan buried his head in the fox fur and took a deep breath. He felt much better. His mind gradually cleared and his limbs regained some strength. He looked at the dirty swamp around him and closed his eyes in pain. He was about to get out of Song Qingshi’s arms. He slowly began to make moves to get down, enduring this deeply-ingrained nausea.
Song Qingshi stopped his movements. “Your legs are hurt too badly. Don’t get down… Close your eyes, cover your nose. Don’t look at our surroundings. Let me carry you out.”
He must not shirk off this task. He placed the person in his arms onto his back.
Yue Wuhuan grew alarmed and wanted to refuse. “I can walk on my own.”
“No, it’s too dirty here,” Song Qingshi resolutely pressed back his refusal. “You don’t like these dirty things. So lie on my back and don’t flail about.”
Yue Wuhuan calmed down. Seeing him all covered with sludge, he said, feeling pained, “You getting dirty is something I like even less…”
“It’s okay, my clothes are already dirty,” Song Qingshi saw that he had stopped flailing. He comforted him as he slowly made his way to the shore. “My obsession with cleanliness is not as bad as yours. This stench has little effect on me. It’s tolerable. And besides, it’s not as though these dirty things won’t come off. When we get back to shore, we’ll be cleaned and disinfected.”
Yue Wuhuan leaned down gently, hugging his shoulders. He buried his face against the crook of his neck, smelling this comforting scent. His heart, though, became sadder. He asked carefully, “What if… it’s something dirty that can’t be washed away?”
Song Qingshi replied casually, “Just give it a few more washes. It will eventually be clean.”
Yue Wuhuan buried his face deeper. He whimpered, “I can’t wash it clean…”
Song Qingshi promised, “I’ll help you.”
When Yue Wuhuan heard this answer, he couldn’t help but laugh. He knew that the two of them were definitely not thinking about the same thing but he still felt a little sweetness in his heart. He quietly rubbed Song Qing’s soft, loose and disheveled hair. He then secretly kissed his earlobe. He wanted hold this adorable little thing in his mouth. But he couldn’t…
Song Qingshi’s earlobes were extremely sensitive and he quickly ordered. “Don’t go touching there. It tickles.”
Yue Wuhuan lay down all well-behaved and said with a smile. “I was just a little careless.”
Even if they were walking through foul and stinky sludge, as long as the two of them were together, it didn’t seem so difficult to bear.
Song Qingshi felt relieved. He remembered the embarrassing thing he had just done and he couldn’t help asking, “There are both pheasant and rabbits in the same cage. With a total of 35 heads and 94 feet, how many pheasants and how many rabbits are there?”
Yue Wuhuan replied without hesitation, “Twelve rabbits and twenty-three pheasants. Why is Master asking?”
“It’s nothing.” Song Qingshi was a little smug, “I knew you were a learning god.”
Yue Wuhuan poked the golden ornament fastened to his hair and asked the question he’d been thinking about since he’d seen him. “Master, what is this?”
Song Qingshi finally realized that he was still wearing this ridiculous women’s clothing. His ears turned burning red. He quickly explained what had just happened, and repeatedly stressed, “I didn’t want to be in this ridiculous getup either. Don’t laugh at me. ”
Yue Wuhuan said gently, “Don’t worry, in my eyes, you are not ridiculous in any way.”
Song Qingshi relaxed, still feeling a little wronged. “Wuhuan, why am I wearing women’s clothing in your nightmare?”
If he felt that he wasn’t manly enough, he could work harder…
Yue Wuhuan was stunned. Was this his nightmare?
…
An Long stood on the shore, staring at this familiar scenery and this familiar narrative.
However, this time, the blessed protagonist of this story had changed.
He thought this was his own sweet dream. In the dream, he had gotten that person, gotten the status he had yearned for day and night, gotten to see that scenery he had pursued every night. He had returned to the happiest place in his memory. This dream was even better than the fantasy; it made him reluctant to leave.
Everything was wrong now…
In this nightmare, he watched helplessly as he lost everything. His territory was slowly eroded. Even the memory he had hoarded like treasure in his heart, the memory that he thought was unique and unmatched, the memory that supported him through countless near-death situations, through all the pain; even that memory was taken away, smeared with someone else’s color.
It turned out that all his self-righteous efforts were useless.
It turned out that all his self-righteous investment was all a joke.
It turned out that his self-righteous infatuation was all an illusion.
Eight hundred years of adoration, eight hundred years of depravity — He knew that this feeling was like a moth darting into the flames. He wouldn’t get anything. He knew he had made a mistake but he still couldn’t let go. He could only pretend to be a dog, wagging his tail ingratiatingly, struggling with all he’s got, begging for a gleam of hope.
It served him right. He deserved his punishment.
An Long looked at the two talking and laughing in the swamp, his eyes stinging.
The long-lost voice in his mind reappeared, like a devil’s mocking laughter,
“Wake up, this is your nightmare.”
Chapter 47: The Truth About the Dreamland
Yue Wuhuan was stunned and didn’t speak for a long time.
He seemed like a machine that had stalled because it encountered an error. Even his expression became stiff.
Now that things have reached this point, how can Song Qingshi still not understand what was going on? His little angel was a super-learning god who didn’t need an abacus to do their ledgers. Recently, he has even begun to study high-level mathematics. In his eyes, this simple question was about the same as one plus one and he could come up with the answer in a split second.
An Long was stunned by his unreasonable question. “Why would you put rabbits and pheasants in the same cage? If you want to know how many there are then just open the cage and count, right? The person who did this kind of thing must be an idiot.”
Song Qingshi ignored the maths fool next to him. The red lotus petals in his hand scattered into countless flaming knives. With limitless anger, they all swept towards the “Yue Wuhuan” in front of him. He wanted to use his feeling from being deceived to turn this fake into mincemeat.
He should have discovered early on that this was not Yue Wuhuan.
Yue Wuhuan was a stubborn and proud person. How could he die without killing those who had hurt him? Even if he really had suffered a flare up of his condition and was controlled to commit suicide, he would never choose to jump in front of him. Instead, he would choose to do it silently, disappearing secretly, without letting others see the ugliness.
Song Qingshi was extremely annoyed and felt like a fool. But the nightmare scenes in the Golden Phoenix Terrace perfectly defeated his rationality and actually made him lose his usual calm. He was repeatedly scammed and he made a fool of himself.
Fortunately, Yue Wuhuan hadn’t seen him.
Otherwise, how could he ever bear to show his face?
Song Qingshi quietly looked back at the Alaskan Malamute next to him. He warned in a low voice, “Don’t tell Wuhuan.”
An Long calmly looked at him and said nothing.
The fake “Yue Wuhuan” turned into scattered fragments in the flames. Golden Phoenix Terrace slowly turned into nothingness and their surroundings began to disintegrate. The streets, pedestrians, and houses all disappeared like a dream. Then it reorganized. It was dark all around and a foul smell that assailed their nostrils came from all directions.
The world became a dirty and disgusting swamp, dark and viscous, with rotting animal remains floating in it.
Song Qingshi covered his nose and took two steps back. He felt that the smell seemed familiar, as though he had smelled it before.
His cultivation base was suppressed again. He was now down to Foundation Building. The Red Lotus Fire in his hand turned into a small flame. Many of his high-level spells could not be used.
Song Qingshi thought it over and brandished a few small tongues of Red Lotus Fire, turning them into lights. Floating in the air, they illuminating the surrounding scenery. They observed whether there was any danger. When the lights hit the middle of the swamp, countless thorny brambles were stretched out, tightly binding a person.
This was Yue Wuhuan.
The mask and devil-mask snake venom had disappeared because of the nightmare’s suppression, revealing a beautiful face that was almost bloodlessly pale. The thorns were tangled around his body. They ripped his clothes and pierced his skin in countless places. His lower body was soaked in the dirty swamp. He was like a beautiful prey fallen into a cobweb. He had lost the strength to struggle and could only wait quietly for decay and death.
Yue Wuhuan had a serious case of mysophobia. He was extremely afraid of dirty things.
His legs were sinking in the mud. Each step was difficult. His spotlessly white robe was stained with large swaths of pure black. There was an unbearable stench permeating the entire place. But he didn’t care.
Under the guidance of the Red Lotus lanterns, he staggered to the brambles. He stretched out his hand. Regardless of how these thorns were making bloody marks on his body, he carefully touched the injured bird. He patted his face, and called out softly, “Wuhuan? Wuhuan? Wake up…”
Long eyelashes trembled slightly and the bird in the cage of thorns finally awakened from his deep sleep, opening his beautiful eyes. The filth on his body and the smell assailing his nostrils almost made him lose his mind from the pain. He wanted to faint again. But he saw the white figure just like in the fantasy. He caught a whiff of the smell of medicine amidst all the filth. Illusion and reality intertwined, making him a little unsure of where he was. He hoarsely confirmed, “Qingshi? Is that you?”
“It’s me!” Song Qingshi saw him wake up and said anxiously, “Don’t be afraid. I’ll rescue you!”
“Master, don’t come over here.” Yue Wuhuan looked around and said in pain, “It’s very dirty here. I’m also very dirty. You’ll get dirty too…”
Song Qingshi comforted while tearing away the brambles. “Don’t be afraid! This is a dream! Once we make it out of here, you won’t be dirty anymore!”
He violently tore off the thorny branches. His hands were pricked with countless bloody pinpricks. He then came back to his senses and found that he’d been acting as stupid as a monkey. He had a tool but forgot to use it.
Song Qingshi raised his hand to call back the Red Lotus Fire from the air. Carefully circumventing Yue Wuhuan’s body, he burned the thorny branches one by one. He then tore the last few branches that were tightly twined, binding into his flesh.
Yue Wuhuan lost his binds and gently fell into his arms.
Song Qingshi hugged him and quickly checked his injuries. He found that the injuries on Yue Wuhuan’s legs and arms were particularly serious, almost to the point that he couldn’t move them.
Why was this damned nightmare so realistic?
He was so distressed that he couldn’t help asking, “Just what is going on?”
“I don’t know,” Yue Wuhuan said weakly. “When I woke up, I was already trapped in this dirty swamp. My strength had disappeared. My hands and feet were injured and I lost my mobility. I wanted to find you and I struggled for a long time, but I couldn’t escape…”
This sense of helpless despair was like when he’d been bound by Acacia Seal in the past.
He had even struggled to death, but when he opened his eyes, he was back in the same place again.
The Heart-Eating Nightmare Formation was like the nastiest game, with countless weapons inserted into the most vulnerable parts of everyone’s heart, each stab drawing blood, each slash sealing the throat. It made you lose your mind and compromised your judgment, until you collapsed. When you wake up, you would sink into the same never-ending cycle.
It was not a killing array but it was even more disgusting than a killing array.
Song Qingshi untied the white fox fur robe and carefully wrapped the person in his arms to block all the filth and foulness. “Is this better?”
The white fox fur robe had this man’s medicinal scent and it diluted the foul fumes.
Yue Wuhuan buried his head in the fox fur and took a deep breath. He felt much better. His mind gradually cleared and his limbs regained some strength. He looked at the dirty swamp around him and closed his eyes in pain. He was about to get out of Song Qingshi’s arms. He slowly began to make moves to get down, enduring this deeply-ingrained nausea.
Song Qingshi stopped his movements. “Your legs are hurt too badly. Don’t get down… Close your eyes, cover your nose. Don’t look at our surroundings. Let me carry you out.”
He must not shirk off this task. He placed the person in his arms onto his back.
Yue Wuhuan grew alarmed and wanted to refuse. “I can walk on my own.”
“No, it’s too dirty here,” Song Qingshi resolutely pressed back his refusal. “You don’t like these dirty things. So lie on my back and don’t flail about.”
Yue Wuhuan calmed down. Seeing him all covered with sludge, he said, feeling pained, “You getting dirty is something I like even less…”
“It’s okay, my clothes are already dirty,” Song Qingshi saw that he had stopped flailing. He comforted him as he slowly made his way to the shore. “My obsession with cleanliness is not as bad as yours. This stench has little effect on me. It’s tolerable. And besides, it’s not as though these dirty things won’t come off. When we get back to shore, we’ll be cleaned and disinfected.”
Yue Wuhuan leaned down gently, hugging his shoulders. He buried his face against the crook of his neck, smelling this comforting scent. His heart, though, became sadder. He asked carefully, “What if… it’s something dirty that can’t be washed away?”
Song Qingshi replied casually, “Just give it a few more washes. It will eventually be clean.”
Yue Wuhuan buried his face deeper. He whimpered, “I can’t wash it clean…”
Song Qingshi promised, “I’ll help you.”
When Yue Wuhuan heard this answer, he couldn’t help but laugh. He knew that the two of them were definitely not thinking about the same thing but he still felt a little sweetness in his heart. He quietly rubbed Song Qing’s soft, loose and disheveled hair. He then secretly kissed his earlobe. He wanted hold this adorable little thing in his mouth. But he couldn’t…
Song Qingshi’s earlobes were extremely sensitive and he quickly ordered. “Don’t go touching there. It tickles.”
Yue Wuhuan lay down all well-behaved and said with a smile. “I was just a little careless.”
Even if they were walking through foul and stinky sludge, as long as the two of them were together, it didn’t seem so difficult to bear.
Song Qingshi felt relieved. He remembered the embarrassing thing he had just done and he couldn’t help asking, “There are both pheasant and rabbits in the same cage. With a total of 35 heads and 94 feet, how many pheasants and how many rabbits are there?”
Yue Wuhuan replied without hesitation, “Twelve rabbits and twenty-three pheasants. Why is Master asking?”
“It’s nothing.” Song Qingshi was a little smug, “I knew you were a learning god.”
Yue Wuhuan poked the golden ornament fastened to his hair and asked the question he’d been thinking about since he’d seen him. “Master, what is this?”
Song Qingshi finally realized that he was still wearing this ridiculous women’s clothing. His ears turned burning red. He quickly explained what had just happened, and repeatedly stressed, “I didn’t want to be in this ridiculous getup either. Don’t laugh at me. ”
Yue Wuhuan said gently, “Don’t worry, in my eyes, you are not ridiculous in any way.”
Song Qingshi relaxed, still feeling a little wronged. “Wuhuan, why am I wearing women’s clothing in your nightmare?”
If he felt that he wasn’t manly enough, he could work harder…
Yue Wuhuan was stunned. Was this his nightmare?
…
An Long stood on the shore, staring at this familiar scenery and this familiar narrative.
However, this time, the blessed protagonist of this story had changed.
He thought this was his own sweet dream. In the dream, he had gotten that person, gotten the status he had yearned for day and night, gotten to see that scenery he had pursued every night. He had returned to the happiest place in his memory. This dream was even better than the fantasy; it made him reluctant to leave.
Everything was wrong now…
In this nightmare, he watched helplessly as he lost everything. His territory was slowly eroded. Even the memory he had hoarded like treasure in his heart, the memory that he thought was unique and unmatched, the memory that supported him through countless near-death situations, through all the pain; even that memory was taken away, smeared with someone else’s color.
It turned out that all his self-righteous efforts were useless.
It turned out that all his self-righteous investment was all a joke.
It turned out that his self-righteous infatuation was all an illusion.
Eight hundred years of adoration, eight hundred years of depravity — He knew that this feeling was like a moth darting into the flames. He wouldn’t get anything. He knew he had made a mistake but he still couldn’t let go. He could only pretend to be a dog, wagging his tail ingratiatingly, struggling with all he’s got, begging for a gleam of hope.
It served him right. He deserved his punishment.
An Long looked at the two talking and laughing in the swamp, his eyes stinging.
The long-lost voice in his mind reappeared, like a devil’s mocking laughter,
“Wake up, this is your nightmare.”
