Feng Shui Chapter 154: The One in the Dream

It was by the faint glow of a lamp that Xi Yunqing finally found Chen Xiao. The sight of him collapsed at the fork in the path startled all three of them. Fortunately, Tang Ru, being a spiritual botanist, quickly recognized the culprit behind his unconscious state. She carefully lifted theTwin Bloom Red with her true essence, this was the correct way to handle it.

“What’s a Twin Bloom Red?” Tong Nuonuo asked curiously. He was more familiar with mechanical materials, beasts, ores, woods, the components used for trap mechanisms and constructs. As for medicinal herbs, his knowledge was limited to the basics.

Xi Yunqing gently propped Chen Xiao up and laid him flat, not bothering to answer the question.

It was Tang Ru who explained, “Twin Bloom Red is a rare conjoined spirit plant. It has the ability to induce a shared dream between two people who come into contact with it. It can be used to awaken cultivators trapped in long-term comas, or to enter their dreams to search for the cause of their condition. But its most precious use is in helping cultivators avoid deathly seclusion.”

Tong Nuonuo gasped in shock.

What cultivators fear most is a failed seclusion turning into a death trap. During seclusion, one must not be disturbed, but if the breakthrough attempt goes awry and cannot be aborted in time, the cultivator will become trapped, unable to escape or call for help. Their consciousness dims, life force drains, and they perish in silence.

In such cases, the only safe method to wake someone from that state is through the use of the Twin Bloom Red. This alone spoke volumes of its value in the cultivation world.

Tong Nuonuo had never cared much about materials that couldn’t be used in mechanism construction, and he wasn’t particularly upset that the Twin Bloom Red had been accidentally triggered by Chen Xiao. He was only concerned about one thing: “Is Chen Xiao going to be okay?”

Tang Ru shook her head lightly and replied, “There’s no major danger. Once the energy of the Twin Bloom Red is fully depleted, he’ll naturally wake up.”

Tong Nuonuo let out a breath of relief. But Xi Yunqing’s voice was tight, his tone cold as he said, “Normally, a Twin Bloom Red is harvested and used within three days for best effect. But Xiao triggered it while the plant was still alive and at its most potent, at this rate, the energy might not be exhausted for ten days and nights.”

His face was expressionless, but inside, he deeply regretted leaving Xiao behind. If they had gone in together, this wouldn’t have happened.

Now even Tang Ru looked worried. She furrowed her slender brows and said, “That’s bad. Going ten days without food or water… Xiao’s body could suffer serious damage.”

Xi Yunqing looked at her and said, “Give the Twin Bloom Red to me. I’ll enter the dream with Xiao and end it as quickly as possible.”

Tang Ru used her true essence to float the Twin Bloom Red toward him. “Fellow Daoist Xi, rest assured. Nuonuo and I will guard you both while you’re in the dream.”

Xi Yunqing held the flower in his palm. In an instant, his eyes closed, and he slipped into unconsciousness. Tang Ru carefully cleared away the red frostgrass at the fork in the path, planning to set up camp there for the time being.

Tong Nuonuo helped lay out the blankets and positioned the two men side by side. While Tang Ru prepared the camp, Tong Nuonuo decided to explore the rest of the cave and check for hidden dangers. To avoid getting lost and causing trouble for Tang Ru, he tied one end of a long rope to a rock and the other to his waist.

Chen Xiao, meanwhile, had no idea how worried everyone was about him. He had already sunk deep into the dream realm, completely unaware that anything was amiss.

Dreams were strange, mysterious things, built of memory and imagination. They could be fantastical or completely illogical.

At this moment, Chen Xiao was lounging lazily on a beach chair under the sun, enjoying the warm breeze drifting in from the sea. People moved around him, but their figures were hazy and indistinct.

Fang Gu was from the south, and the city where he had taken Chen Xiao to live was modern and vibrant. Fang Gu had wealth and taste, escaping the summer heat, avoiding the winter cold. Chen Xiao followed him across the globe and had grown used to this way of life.

He wasn’t sure when exactly he had arrived at this beach, but as soon as the question arose, the answer seemed to surface automatically, like it had always been this way, and there was no need to question it.

In his twenties now, Chen Xiao’s health was poor. Whenever he wasn’t working on feng shui consultations, he’d take time to rest at some resort. And during these breaks, he was usually accompanied by a personal assistant who handled his daily needs. The assistant’s face was blurry, his features already forgotten.

One day, the assistant told him that he had been invited to a dinner party. Chen Xiao got up from the beach and headed toward the resort hotel. The scene shifted oddly, the moment he stepped out of his room after changing, he was already at the banquet.

A portly businessman greeted him enthusiastically, introducing him to the guests. This was the man who had originally hired Chen Xiao for feng shui work because of Fang Gu’s recommendation. Chen Xiao remembered him clearly, his features were the sharpest among the otherwise blurry crowd.

Amid music and dancing, clinking glasses and casual conversations, the people and surroundings fluctuated, clear one moment, blurred the next. Then, within a group chatting nearby, a familiar figure appeared.

Fang Gu.

Chen Xiao was startled to see his master here, emotion and longing welling up within him. He stepped forward, wanting to speak to him, but something held him back. His legs were trapped, as if bound by invisible threads. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t move.

After a while, the urgency faded, replaced by a vague desire to run. Frustrated and anxious, he was on the verge of shouting when a voice pierced through the fog around him:

“Brother Xiao.”

Chen Xiao looked up and saw a figure that was both familiar and unfamiliar standing before him. He greeted him cheerfully, “Big Brother.” But then he frowned slightly, around them were men and women dressed in suits and elegant gowns, while Xi Yunqing wore a wide-sleeved robe, completely out of place.

This moment of disharmony was quickly corrected as the dream responded to the will of its creator. In the blink of an eye, Xi Yunqing transformed, he was now dressed in a sharp suit and polished leather shoes.

Xi Yunqing looked down at himself in surprise, then glanced around at the lavish banquet hall, parts of which shimmered with golden grandeur. The dream they shared followed the order of entry, Chen Xiao had entered first and constructed the dream, so Xi Yunqing could only influence fragments. With just a thought, Chen Xiao could reshape everything around them.

But what astonished Xi Yunqing wasn’t the change in his clothes, it was the transformed appearance of Chen Xiao and the ornate surroundings. Though he immediately recognized where Chen Xiao was, the person he saw didn’t match the image in his mind. This man was taller and slimmer than his Brother Chen, with soft, neatly styled hair, arched brows, phoenix eyes, and refined features. The slender figure and pale complexion gave him a fragile appearance, completely different from the robust, healthy Brother Chen he knew.

The young man spoke with a tone of easy familiarity. “Big Brother, you came at the perfect time. My master is here too, I’ll introduce you.”

He walked over and, without hesitation, grabbed Xi Yunqing’s hand and led him toward the crowd.

This time, there were no more barriers. The two of them smoothly approached a group of people deep in conversation. At the center were several elderly men, one of whom wore a silk tunic and matching trousers. He looked to be over eighty, with a ruddy complexion and silvery-white hair.

“Master!”

The young man, who was clearly Brother Chen despite his unfamiliar appearance, called out with some excitement. The figures around the elderly man faded slightly, making his form stand out more clearly. His expression was stern yet kindly as he nodded toward them. “Chen Xiao, is this a friend of yours?”

So this really was Brother Chen! Xi Yunqing understood now. He watched the scene warily. After all, Chen Xiao was the one shaping this dream. Everyone in it acted based on his will. Even though it seemed like the old man had spoken first, it had all been Chen Xiao’s intent.

The unfamiliar-looking Chen Xiao introduced him, saying, “Master, this is a big brother I know. He’s always taken good care of me.” Then he turned and said solemnly, “This is my teacher, Fang Gu.”

The scene unfolding in the dream was far from anything Xi Yunqing had expected. He didn’t know why such a strange vision had appeared, but he didn’t want to alarm Brother Chen. For now, he followed his lead and respectfully greeted the elder. “Junior Xi Yunqing greets the elder.”

The old man looked at them with kind eyes. “This disciple of mine is stubborn and impulsive. Xi-xianzhang, I trust you’ll keep an eye on him for me. Don’t let him go astray.”

Xi Yunqing bowed slightly. “I will do everything I can to help Brother Chen avoid even the smallest misstep.”

Chen Xiao looked visibly moved, his expression full of joy and excitement. Clearly, this moment meant a great deal to him. He nodded and said, “Don’t worry, Master. I’ll do my best.” As he spoke, his mood grew somber. A golden compass appeared in his raised hand. “This compass belongs to you, Master. I’m returning it to its rightful owner.”

The old man gave him a stern look. “That compass is now part of you, how can you return it? Keep it well, and make the name of Dongyu Sect’s feng shui masters shine bright. Then I’ll have no regrets.”

Chen Xiao’s nose reddened at the words, his eyes quickly welling up. The old man scolded him harshly, “Don’t show such weakness! Have you forgotten all my teachings about being strong and independent?”

Chen Xiao held back his tears and mumbled, “I haven’t forgotten. I wouldn’t dare forget.”

The old man’s expression softened. “Good. As long as you haven’t forgotten. Now take your friend around. This old man doesn’t have the energy for it.”

At some point, they were no longer in the banquet hall but in a small, unfamiliar room. The furnishings were unlike anything in the real world, the couch they sat on was unusually thick and soft.

Chen Xiao seemed reluctant to leave the old man, but seeing the fatigue on his face, he finally rose and led Xi Yunqing away.

The two stepped outside into a densely packed residential area, with houses built closely side by side. Chen Xiao followed a narrow road with Xi Yunqing, then said, “Let me show Big Brother around. Is there anywhere you’d like to go?”

Even Xi Yunqing’s self-control was affected in this dreamscape. He reached out to gently touch Chen Xiao’s face and asked softly, “Brother Chen, why do you look like this? And where exactly are we?”

Chen Xiao tilted his head in confusion. “What do you mean?”

Xi Yunqing took a step back, summoned a mirror, and held it out for Chen Xiao to see.

“Tell me, who is the person in this mirror?”