GD Ch. 31 Part 2

Chapter 31: Does She Want to Enter Her Dream?

Zhuyou really didn’t want to deal with Jing Kexin, only thinking about how to drive her away. Suddenly, a loud crash echoed in her ears as the restriction was broken. A blinding silver light rippled through the air like waves.

The devil who had broken the restriction coughed lightly, smiling as she hid her scorched hand behind her back. “This shabby place isn’t fit for someone of your stature, Your Grace. Why not come to my place? We can chat about… private matters.”

“A hundred years apart, and it seems you haven’t been hung enough,” Zhuyou sat up straight, frowning.

Jing Kexin feigned shock, clutching her chest, yet she fearlessly stepped into the room. She glanced around, covering her nose with a delicate hand. “This place reeks of men. If Your Grace doesn’t feel wronged, I feel wronged for you. Come to my place instead. I have warm tea and wine, all freshly heated.”

Changying had already gotten up, her eyes fixed on the two-faced devil outside. She took half a step back, but as if she had eyes on the back of her head, she grabbed Zhuyou’s hand resting on her knee and held it tightly.

“I don’t want to fight you here.” Zhuyou shook off Changying’s cold little hand and uttered a single word, “Leave.”

This word wasn’t directed at Changying.

Jing Kexin wasn’t angered; instead, she smiled shamelessly. “Does Your Grace not want to fight, or can’t bear to fight? In these hundred years, your cultivation must have reached new heights. I haven’t had the chance to test it properly yet.”

As she spoke, her eyes roamed over Zhuyou’s body, scrutinizing every inch, her gaze growing increasingly lustful.

Zhuyou couldn’t stand being ogled at like that. She slammed her hand on the armrest of the couch and said coldly, “You really aren’t afraid of death.”

“Not here since you won’t fight me.” Jing Kexin was clever. “Your Grace, won’t you ask how I’ve been these days? Whether I’ve eaten well or slept soundly?”

Zhuyou was fed up. She lowered her eyes and saw Changying crawling to her side, reaching out to cover her ears.

Both ears were enveloped by the dragon child’s cold hands.

Jing Kexin was stunned. She had never seen anyone bold enough to act so familiarly. She glanced at Hanzhu, only to find that Hanzhu seemed accustomed to it.

“Your Grace, where did you pick up this child? She looks like a sickly ghost. Why not let me serve you instead? I can take care of you for a long, long time.”

Zhuyou didn’t respond. It was more like she was the one serving this little ancestor.

She spoke meaningfully, “Shenhua Mountain is a good place, but opening it early isn’t ideal. If you can’t find the reincarnated soul of the Devil Lord before the mountain opens, he might not be able to leave once he enters.”

Jing Kexin’s expression changed instantly. She gritted her teeth and said, “Thank you for the reminder, Your Grace.”

As soon as she finished speaking, a hand formed from thick smoke shot out from her chest, aiming straight for the couch. A fierce wind surged from behind her, yet it failed to disperse the ink-like smoke.

Dark clouds rolled in like a storm, accompanied by a chilling spiritual energy, rushing forward with terrifying speed.

Jing Kexin truly wanted to test her current cultivation level, and Zhuyou could see that. After all, Jing Kexin had used eighty percent of her strength in this single move.

Just as Zhuyou was about to disperse the smoke, Changying suddenly removed her hands from Zhuyou’s ears.

The child leaned forward slowly, opening her mouth and swallowing the smoke-formed hand whole.

Changying’s white teeth bit down, shattering the smoky hand in her mouth. The broken remnants of the smoke scattered in all directions before being sucked back in.

She chewed twice, her pale face showing no emotion. Her throat moved slightly as she swallowed it all.

Jing Kexin was stunned, a chill running down her spine.

Changying glanced at her, her expression indifferent, as if she were looking at something utterly insignificant. After swallowing the spiritual energy, her bloodless lips parted slightly, exhaling a cold breath.

Jing Kexin turned and left, utterly baffled by what that child was. Despite having no spiritual energy, she had effortlessly devoured her power. In her panic, she still managed to smile and say, “Your Grace, I’ll visit again another day.”

Once the devil was gone, Zhuyou finally snapped out of her daze. She slapped Changying’s thin back twice, gritting her teeth. “Spit it out.”

Changying looked up at her, confused but obedient. “Why should I spit it out?”

Zhuyou raised her hand, and two figures were thrown out of the room—Changying and the unfortunate Hanzhu.

The door slammed shut with a loud bang. Zhuyou rubbed her fingers, her thoughts heavy.

Changying’s actions no longer surprised her, but she hadn’t expected Jing Kexin to test her cultivation level.

Cunning to the core—truly a devil.

Outside, Hanzhu brushed the snow off her head. Seeing the small, stubby child beside her, she felt a strange sense of relief. It seemed this dragon didn’t hold much weight in her mistress’ heart.

Changying was dazed for a moment, her delicate brows furrowing slightly. 

“Do you know why Mistress threw you out?” Hanzhu asked with a stern face, pretending to be concerned.

“Why?” Changying’s cheeks puffed out slightly, as if she were angry.

“You were tainted by Jing Kexin’s spiritual energy.” Hanzhu sighed contentedly. “Mistress must think… you’re dirty now.”

Changying was stunned for a long time. She glanced at the tightly shut door repeatedly before finally spitting out all the spiritual energy she had swallowed. The spiritual energy she had swallowed carried a chilling coldness, and the devilish aura within it hadn’t been neutralized. In an instant, a dark, crow-like energy surged toward Hanzhu.

Before Hanzhu could react, she was slammed into a pillar, the snow from the eaves cascading down and covering her head. She couldn’t help but think that the dragon had done this on purpose.

With her short legs, Changying toddled forward and knocked on the door. She truly looked like the “sickly ghost” Jing Kexin had described—pale and frail. The paler her complexion, the darker her black hair and robes appeared, making her look like a figure sculpted from snow.

She knocked lightly three times, her voice soft and childlike, yet carrying a tone of reluctance. Despite her earlier refusal to learn, she now mimicked Hanzhu’s mannerisms with surprising accuracy, appearing both obedient and well-mannered.

Inside the room, Zhuyou had calmed down somewhat. With a flick of her finger, the wooden door opened. She muttered to herself, “Jing Kexin truly wants me to enter Shenhua Mountain. Otherwise, she could have released her devilish aura here and forced us to leave.”

It was unclear whether Changying understood, but she slowly made her way to the couch that seemed out of place in the room. In a soft, childlike voice, she spoke with deliberate seriousness, “There’s no need to pay her any mind.”

Her solemn and mature demeanor made her seem like a precocious little adult.

Zhuyou couldn’t help but smile inwardly. She was well aware that Changying wasn’t some newly hatched dragon but rather… something else entirely, using spiritual energy to rebuild her physical form.

Hanzhu, who had been pelted with snow, quickly got up and closed the door before the disciples returned, lest they be frightened out of their wits.

The door creaked shut.

Zhuyou chuckled. “I won’t enter Shenhua Mountain, but that fool has to.”

The “fool,” of course, was the one she had seen in Hanzhu’s consciousness.

***

That night, the wind and snow rapped against the windows, and all the lights in the courtyard were extinguished.

Having slept much during the day, Changying woke up in the middle of the night. She crawled out from under the brocade blanket and quietly climbed onto the couch, only to find Zhuyou sitting cross-legged, seemingly lost in thought. 

Her expression was cold, as if she felt neither joy nor sorrow. Her icy hand rested on Zhuyou’s knee, as if trying to wake her, but she hesitated, her mouth opening and then closing again.

Like someone seeking warmth, she pressed her small face against Zhuyou’s shoulder, wrapping her arms tightly around the slender arm.

Zhuyou had indeed been lost in thought, but she hadn’t been wandering around Huacheng Sect. Instead, she had entered the fool’s dream.

What people yearn for during the day often appears in their dreams at night, or so it’s said. But upon entering the dream, she found herself surrounded by darkness, not a single glimmer of light to be seen. The silence was profound, with not a sound to be heard.

The pitch-black stillness was comparable to the Heart-Questioning Rock.

She reached out, her hand brushing against something cold and damp. After feeling around, she realized it was… a coffin.

It was quite the coffin. In all her years, she had never seen one so spacious—it was like a mansion, large enough to hold generations of a family.

Suddenly, the coffin lid lifted, and she finally heard some sounds: curses and the thuds of fists striking flesh, each blow resonating loudly.

It was then that Zhuyou noticed someone lying at her feet. The person sat up abruptly, their long black hair unbound, clad in a black robe.

The clothing was unfamiliar, but the face was all too familiar—it was the fool.

The fool stood up and leaped out of the coffin, which was a good ten feet high. In the dream, at least, he was quite impressive.

Zhuyou quickly followed, only to see the fool stab a fellow disciple who had bullied him for a long time. The strike was vicious, piercing through the abdomen, the bloody tip of the sword protruding from the victim’s back.

The sword was a fine one. Zhuyou recognized the intricate patterns on the blade at a glance—patterns that no one else could replicate. There was no other sword like it in the world.

When the sword wasn’t stained with blood, the blade seemed shrouded in a crimson mist.

Logically, with the sword thrust and his vengeance achieved, the fool’s dream should have ended. But the person who had been stabbed through the abdomen opened their eyes.

The blood that had pooled on the ground flowed back into the wound, and the mangled flesh of the abdomen healed in an instant.

The fool stood there dumbfounded, covering his ears with both hands, his expression sinister as he let out a piercing scream. The sword he had been holding fell to the ground, dissolving into a cloud of ash.

He lowered his head, screaming at the top of his lungs, but soon his voice faded, as if something had clogged his throat.

In the direction of his gaze, a pair of black embroidered shoes approached slowly. As the person walked, the hem of their silk skirt dragged along the ground, revealing a glimpse of a slender ankle.

The fool looked up and was startled to see a figure clad in black robes with silver hair, resembling a celestial being. The figure’s lips curved into a faint smile, their eyes slightly narrowed.

He was mesmerized, thinking this immortal had come to save him. But to his surprise, the radiant figure let out a disdainful snort and lifted their gaze abruptly.

Zhuyou had intentionally revealed herself, throwing the dream into chaos. She looked down and said, “Why has this person come back to life? Where’s your sword? Pick it up and stab him again. Don’t tell me you’re so scared you dropped it?”

The fool stared blankly, trembling like a leaf.

“This is just a dream. In the waking world… you’re only at the Qi Refining stage. How could you possibly kill him?”

The fool’s pupils trembled violently.

“If you want revenge, you’ll have to seek it while awake. Otherwise, when you open your eyes at dawn, you’ll still see him, won’t you?” Zhuyou spoke as if coaxing a child.

“Y-yes…” the fool nodded.

“If you want to kill him, you must break through the Qi Refining stage. But with your soul incomplete, your only chance is to enter Shenhua Mountain and find your opportunity. No matter who stands in your way, you must push them aside. Those deceivers only want to hinder your revenge,” she said slowly.

The fool nodded repeatedly, agreeing wholeheartedly. The surroundings darkened once more, and the dream ended.

***

Returning to her senses, Zhuyou leaned to the side, exhausted, and accidentally brushed against something cold. She turned her head sharply and realized Changying was sitting beside her.

Changying’s eyes gleamed brightly in the darkness, like beautiful glass beads.

“What are you doing here?” Zhuyou asked, her voice soft and weary.

Changying clung to her arm, looking up and asking, “Would you like to enter my dream and see?”

Zhuyou suddenly lowered her head, the weariness in her eyes vanishing.