Bai Li’s Dream – Chapter 141

Chapter 141: Now

Zhuang Li sat up straight.

The dream of Madam Zhuang she had seen earlier was fake!

Or rather, it had been altered.

Sure enough, all manipulated and modified dreams would reveal their true nature in the Realm of No Dreams.

Who was this person?

He could actually modify dreams, was he also a monster?

Also, dreams were a reflection of reality, he knew Master Zhuang and his wife, or rather, was he present when she was being treated?

As thoughts raced through her mind, the unfamiliar man in the mirror had an excited expression.

“Zhuang Feizi ━ she has taken form, quickly pull her in ━”

Master Zhuang’s body trembled, and the three soul lamps emitted bright red flames.

Master Zhuang’s body became more and more transparent, his whole person becoming ethereal, he swayed as he walked towards the thick fog.

The thick fog retreated step by step, and the figures in the forest gradually became clear.

That woman appeared again, just like she had seen in the dream earlier, standing with her head bowed, her long hair reaching the ground.

“Mian’er ━”

The unfamiliar man shouted.

The woman with her head bowed raised her head.

“Zhuang Feizi ━” the man shouted, “Extinguish the lamps ━”

The three soul lamps in Master Zhuang’s hands flickered, and three spirit-snake-like flames shot out, entwining the woman. At the same time, the thick fog behind her surged forward, trying to pull the woman back firmly.

However, this time Zhuang Li seemed to see strange shadows in the thick fog, it was… a horse.

The horse galloped, occasionally raising its head and letting out a silent neigh.

It seemed to want to break through the thick fog, but was instantly swallowed by it.

But the next moment, another shadow emerged from the thick fog, this time it was… a fish.

The thick fog was like a deep sea, it kept jumping, leaping up and being pulled back into the thick fog, and then leaping up again the next moment.

The fish that fell into the deep sea made no sound.

But soon the sound of birdsong rang out from the thick fog, a skylark flew out, shuttling through the churning fog like lightning.

It charged towards this side again and again.

Getting closer and closer to the woman in white, the spirit-snake-like flames also plated a layer of light on it.

But perhaps because of its small size, thin wings, and no rope to guide it, the thick fog rushed over and swept it back.

Despite this, the thick fog did not become quiet, shadows emerged in the blink of an eye, birds and beasts, they appeared alternately, constantly rushing towards the outside of the thick fog, again and again, one after another –

Zhuang Li looked at this scene and suddenly smiled.

She remembered.

Those shadows, they were all her.

Previously in Madam Zhuang’s dream, she had said “Ah Li wants to be with her father and family.”

This was wrong.

She transformed into a dream to see her father, to save everyone, how to save them? At the execution ground, let those officials and guards go mad, let her father and family escape…

“This is nonsense, you are making yourself go mad.” Father had said, both angry and amused, “You can make the officials and soldiers here go mad, make the onlookers go mad, can you make the whole city go mad? Can you make the whole border army go mad? Can you make the whole world go mad?”

He had shaken his head slowly.

“Ah Li, even if you could, I don’t want you to do that.”

“You have been subjected to all kinds of insults and slander since you were born, I want to see you rise above these bad names, not sink into them.”

But what else could be done?

She had no other way to save everyone.

“Ah Li, your ability should not be used to go mad.”

“It should be used to live, to live well, so as not to let down your being human.”

“Go back, go back to where you should be.”

“Live well, live on.”

Father had stroked her shoulder and asked her.

“Do you remember what Father told you? No taboos, no fear.”

No taboos, no fear.

Zhuang Li nodded, nodded heavily, she turned and ran, accompanied by the executioner’s order, accompanied by the sound of her father’s head being chopped off, accompanied by the wailing of her family behind her, blood flowing like a river.

Of course, it was not so easy to go back.

Countless nightmares and obsessions formed an overwhelming vortex at the moment of death, she was instantly swept into it, unable to distinguish direction, unable to distinguish the past, all chaos.

There was the embrace of her mother that she missed, the annoying chatter of her sister, and her father taking her horseback riding.

There were also curses from neighbors, and family members tearing at each other.

There was a gentle land created by family affection and kindness, and monsters rampant created by fear, grief, resentment, and hatred.

But she remembered her father’s words, she had to go back, back to where she truly belonged.

She broke free from her mother’s warm embrace and turned a blind eye to the smiling faces of her father and brothers.

She pushed away the cursing neighbors and shook off the family members who wanted to pull her.

She smashed the gentle land and raised her sword to strike at the monsters that rushed towards her.

She had to go back.

She had to live.

She transformed into a galloping horse, a fish swimming in the river, a bird flying in the sky, rushing towards her true self.

She didn’t remember how long she had traveled, how many times she had gotten lost, or how many times she had been pulled back, but she never stopped, again and again.

Finally, she saw a light ahead, but she couldn’t get past it.

Apart from the pull of the vortex labyrinth, someone was blocking her way.

Annoying, get out of the way!

With a bird’s cry, a goshawk rushed out, raising its claws and pouncing.

A piece of the spirit-snake flame wrapped around the woman was grabbed, and the surrounding thick fog took the opportunity to rush over, instantly enveloping the woman’s figure again.

“Mian’er ━” the unfamiliar man exclaimed, his voice full of anger, “Zhuang Feizi, stop her quickly ━”

Zhuang Feizi.

Zhuang Li’s gaze turned to him and saw the burning face showing pain, and the lamp in his hand also stagnated slightly.

His lips moved, silently calling out a name.

The goshawk appeared again, half of its wings were entangled by the thick fog, but it was still struggling, continuing to raise its fierce claws and pounce on the woman, the other wing desperately struggling, fanning pieces of thick fog towards the spirit-snake flames.

The light of the flames instantly dimmed.

“Why is she so fierce!” the unfamiliar man shouted, looking at Zhuang Feizi again, “What are you doing? Do you want everyone to be unable to go back? Don’t you know who is more important?”

Zhuang Feizi watched as more and more thick fog was attracted by the goshawk’s churning, finally closed his eyes, raised the three lamps in his hand, and the flames soared.

The flames wrapped around the woman in white not only became thicker, but also separated out a strand that pounced on the struggling goshawk.

Zhuang Li seemed to hear a crisp snap.

The goshawk entangled by the thick fog was torn open, and with a neigh, it was swept away by the thick fog.

Zhuang Li watched quietly, her hands hanging by her sides slowly loosened, as if something was flowing away from her hands.

The separated flame wrapped around the woman in white again, the approaching thick fog retreated again, Zhuang Feizi swung the bamboo pole forcefully, the lamplight pulled the woman slowly forward, one step, two steps, finally one foot stepped out of the thick fog.

“Mian’er, ━” the unfamiliar man rushed over, stood at the edge of the thick fog, and reached out to the woman.

✿✿✿

The shattered dress fluttered, the woman stepped out of the thick fog with one foot, and the other foot followed.

The ruby on it shone brightly.

But at the moment of stepping out, the ruby’s light was suddenly obscured, a hand reached out from the thick fog and grabbed the woman’s ankle.

The unfamiliar man was startled, he pounced over and grabbed the woman in white, and at the same time raised his foot to step on that hand.

But that hand suddenly turned into a vine, climbing along the woman, instantly covering her.

At the same time, the spirit-snake flame pulled sharply, and the woman covered by the vine was pulled out, crashing into the unfamiliar man.

The whole world began to shake.

Zhuang Li only felt dizzy, in her distorted vision, she saw that the vines on the woman pulled out of the thick fog had dissipated, and at the same time, the face of the woman in white became blurred.

Although blurred, Zhuang Li recognized her at a glance.

It was her.

Zhuang Li smiled.

The next moment, figures intertwined, and she was back in the room.

Madam Zhuang and Master Zhuang were both there, and the figure standing by the bed was the unfamiliar man.

Zhuang Li stood aside and looked at the woman on the bed.

The white gauze dress was shattered and scattered, revealing her bare calves, her ankles empty.

There was no ruby.

Her gaze moved upwards, landing on the woman’s face.

That face, half unfamiliar, half her own.

This time, just like in the mirror, the unfamiliar half of the face was wooden and dull, while her own half, her eyes were bright, and the corners of her mouth were smiling…

There were noisy voices in her ears.

“Ah Li is back!”

“Then we can only let Ah Li wake up first.”

“Good, Zhuang Feizi, I will let her live for Mian’er first! Mian’er will wake up!”

Accompanied by the noise, the image in the mirror became more and more blurred, and finally dissipated, leaving only her sitting in front of the mirror.

Zhuang Li looked at the half of her face in the mirror and couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

The young child beside her, whether frightened by the laughter or seeing the double-faced face in the mirror again, pointed and burst into tears.

“Bad person ━”

The mirror shattered, the ground collapsed.

Zhuang Li abruptly sat up from the bed, accompanied by a violent cough, she leaned over the edge of the bed, the world spinning for a long time before stopping.

She slowly raised her head, the room was dim, Zhou Jingyun was not beside her pillow.

Zhuang Li got out of bed, poured herself a cup of tea, and opened the door with the cup in her hand, the morning light enveloped the world.

Although it was still early, according to the rules, the rough maids would have finished cleaning before dawn, the little maids would have started delivering hot water for washing to each room from the kitchen, and the maids on night duty would have been waiting in the corridor early.

But at this moment, looking around, the entire courtyard was quiet, as if everyone was asleep.

Including the birds in the trees.

Not only this courtyard, if someone looked down at the Marquis of Dongyang’s Residence from the sky at this moment, they would find that the entire residence was asleep.

Zhuang Li took a sip of tea and then sprinkled the remaining tea outside.

As the tea landed, something above the courtyard seemed to shatter.

With a crash, the birds that had landed on the trees and eaves were startled and flew away, the sound of dogs barking came from afar, then the sound of people walking, sweeping, came in bits and pieces.

The entire courtyard woke up.

The dream she wanted to explore last night was very dangerous, for safety, she had put the entire Marquis of Dongyang’s Residence to sleep.

Previously, this place was a trustworthy refuge for her, so there was no need to use bewitching techniques.

Now she had to take every precaution.

Zhuang Li felt the biting cold wind of winter instantly rushing towards her, turned the empty teacup in her hand, and went back into the room.

✿✿✿

✿✿✿

Chun Yue entered the room, rubbed her ears with her hands first, and looked at Zhuang Li who was combing her hair in front of the dressing table.

“It’s especially cold today,” she said.

Chun Xiang came out with two maids after tidying up the bedroom: “Two charcoal braziers have already been added.”

Chun Hong finished styling Zhuang Li’s hair and inserted a gold hairpin.

“Madam, did you sleep well last night?” Chun Yue asked with a smile.

Zhuang Li nodded, as if thinking for a moment: “I had several dreams.” Then she smiled, “Fortunately, the last one was a good dream.”

Chun Yue and the other maids all smiled: “It’s good that it was a good dream.”

Footsteps sounded outside the door, mixed with the maids’ greetings of “Marquis’s Heir,” Zhou Jingyun walked in, wrapped in the chill.

The maids in the room all curtsied, and Zhuang Li stood up with a smile.

Zhou Jingyun frowned slightly: “Last night, I read too late and fell asleep in the study.”

Zhuang Li said: “The Marquis’s Heir asked Feng’er to tell me, are you cold? I asked Chun Yue and the others to add two more charcoal braziers.”

Zhou Jingyun absentmindedly hummed in agreement, strange, he didn’t want to read either, and he had never felt sleepy while reading before, sleepy enough to lie down and sleep immediately.

This was not normal.

“Marquis’s Heir?” Zhuang Li’s voice came.

Zhou Jingyun looked over.

“Let’s eat,” Zhuang Li said with a smile.

Zhou Jingyun nodded, hesitated for a moment, and asked: “Did you sleep well last night?”

Before Zhuang Li could speak, the maids in the room all laughed.

“We were just talking about it before the Marquis’s Heir came in.”

“Madam said she had a good dream.”

Had a good dream, Zhou Jingyun looked at Zhuang Li.

In the dim morning light, Zhuang Li’s face had a faint smile.

“Marquis’s Heir, come and eat,” she said, “After breakfast, I’ll go to Doctor Zhang’s place.”

It seemed that she had made some incense for his aunt, and was going to get it after it was done, Zhou Jingyun had a vague memory.

He nodded.

The maids from the kitchen brought in the food, the maids set the table, watched the husband and wife sit down, and then retreated.

The reason why no one stayed in front of Madam and the Marquis’s Heir was so that they could talk, Chun Yue looked back as she walked out, although she couldn’t hear clearly before, she could feel the two of them talking and laughing non-stop, but now…

Madam and the Marquis’s Heir said “try this” and “try that” to each other a couple of times, then lowered their heads and ate quietly.

It was too quiet.

I have to travel, the codeword rhythm is disrupted, there will be no update tomorrow （The disadvantages of writing on the spot have finally appeared hahaha ）