CH 120 Like A Dream But Not A Dream, What Is Real Is Uncertain

After hearing the reports from his junior brothers and sisters, Ji Yunlai gained a general understanding of the situation. The shifting nature of this space meant that anyone unfamiliar with it could easily get lost, making it challenging to recover them.

He divined the situation, tapping into the heavens and earth for insight, and discovered that Yang Fuyin had ended up in the South Sea’s Nine Abyss.  

The South Sea regions were essentially within Kun-Lai’s sphere of influence. Yang Fuyin himself had frequently worked in Haijing City of the Great Yan Kingdom, crafting seafaring vessels. Calling it Kun-Lai’s backyard wouldn’t be an exaggeration. With Yang Fuyin’s abilities, as long as he didn’t encounter a Great Sage or a Human Immortal, he shouldn’t face any major problems.

Ji Yunlai shared this information, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. 

Knowing the approximate location was reassuring since their Net Charm—Kun-Lai’s spiritual communication system—allowed for mutual tracking within ten thousand miles. It would be easy to pinpoint Yang Fuyin’s position once closer. All they needed now was permission to send a team from Kun-Lai to Haijing to retrieve him.

Yan Zhao instinctively took out his Net Charm to send a message, only to discover he couldn’t connect to the main network.

Could it be...? Yan Zhao abruptly looked up. “Senior Brother, did you come in your true form?”

Ji Yunlai gave a slight nod.

“Then what about Kun-Lai’s network?” Bai Shuixian’s expression turned pale.

“Right! Doesn’t that mean the entire network is down for several days?!” An Xian exclaimed in shock.

Ji Yunlai had the urge to slap this group of junior brothers and nephews who seemed to care only about the network. Casting them a frosty glance, he said coldly, “And what of it?”

“Um, Senior Brother,” Bai Shuixian stammered, barely able to breathe, “you’d better return quickly. There’s no major issue here…”

“Yes, yes, Kun-Lai is more important! Please, go back immediately, Senior Brother!” Yan Zhao fervently nodded in agreement.

“We don’t even know how Kun-Lai is holding up right now,” murmured You Bazhua, the eight-tentacle Deputy Peak Master, while nervously stroking the jellyfish perched on his shoulder. His tentacles twitched uncontrollably. “It must be in chaos.”

“Yes, Master, please return!” Even Feng Qingxiu, Ji Yunlai’s apprentice who had followed him here, earnestly advised him to leave.

Even his own apprentice was urging him to go! Did none of them want him to stay? Ji Yunlai, who had never stepped foot outside Kun-Lai before, was incensed. His face darkened. “The enemy has not retreated. We’ll wait a few days before making any decisions.”

“Please don’t!” This suggestion sent everyone into a panic.

“Yes,” Yan Zhao pleaded earnestly, “Kun-Lai must be in total disarray right now. Sect Leader, you need to return and take charge! If not, forget about an external attack—even a minor sect might be able to overthrow Kun-Lai entirely!”

The more they begged, the more displeased Ji Yunlai became. With a cold glance, he picked up his apprentice and vanished.

“What now?” Bai Shuixian anxiously clenched her fists.

“We have no choice but to end the expedition,” Yan Zhao said calmly. “Though we haven’t concluded our trade with the Wu clan or ventured north to the North Sea, the North Sea territories were already plundered by Haijing’s fleet a few years ago. We wouldn’t gain much even if we went. Plus, the North Sea is fraught with the dangers of magnetic sea winds. It’s better to return now. Besides, the spoils from this expedition are considerable—emptying the Ziyun Dao Sect’s thousand-year reserves in the Yuntian Domain nearly matches the gains from previous expeditions. Kun-Lai’s network outage would cause far greater losses if left unchecked.”

“Agreed,” Bai Shuixian nodded, and the other peak masters concurred.

Thus, the group left the Black Witchland territory, walking out of the ravines along a narrow path.

“By the way, An Xian,” Luo Chi finally snapped out of his admiration for the Kun-Lai Sect Leader’s majestic presence and, to cover his flushed cheeks, casually asked, “why did you call that Wu clansman a ‘blind bear’ earlier?”

“You mean him?” An Xian thought for a moment before replying, “This place is pitch black, and the Wu clan has lived here for tens of thousands of years. Their eyes have long since degraded; they rely on spiritual techniques to perceive the world. If they want to see something clearly, they have to get very close. Otherwise, they can only make out vague shapes and colors.”

That’s why he mistook Yang Fuyin’s voice for a woman’s.

“Will he hurt Xiao Yang?” Yan Zhao still felt a bit worried, having watched Yang Fuyin grow up.

“Don’t worry. Wu Zhan doesn’t strike first,” An Xian assured him. “When I came here back in the day, I fought him dozens of times. If it were you and your bad temper, you’d have killed me already. But he endured it without retaliating. Besides, his tribesmen are currently inside the Dao Seed. With that leverage and Xiao Yang’s knack for taking advantage of every situation, Wu Zhan will be at his mercy.”

Realizing their earlier rashness, An Xian glanced at the now-empty Black Witchland settlement. She had no intention of delving further into the secrets of the Wu territory.

“You must’ve been my punishment for past sins,” Yan Zhao coldly remarked, glaring at her.

“Don’t kid yourself,” An Xian retorted without hesitation. “You must’ve accumulated virtue in your past life. Out of the disciples, who else besides me has reached the Synthesis stage? None of the other elders’ apprentices can even beat their own master, let alone me.”

Bai Shuixian chuckled and added fuel to the fire, “Exactly, Yan Zhao. Back when we were picking apprentices, we all wanted An Xian. But you grabbed her and said you only needed one apprentice, refusing the others. You sure have great taste.”

When An Xian’s mischievous nature later became evident, the other junior brothers and sisters even held a celebration. Although her cultivation and combat skills were exceptional, her knack for causing trouble far surpassed them. Yan Zhao ended up spending so much on fines that he nearly expelled her from the sect. Only after she married Bai Liu, the peak master of Qingdi Peak, who took over paying her fines, did their strained master-apprentice relationship survive.

An Xian smugly nodded. “If I didn’t think you had good taste, I wouldn’t have followed you!”

Yan Zhao merely sneered. If this conversation continued, it would infuriate him to death.

They returned to Kun-Lai with remarkable speed. Though the sky was completely dark, they found the sect’s defenses as vigilant as ever. After reassuring the disciples of each peak, they submitted their request to the Sect Leader at Zhuiyun Peak for approval to conclude the expedition.

Ji Yunlai, though aware of their intentions, ultimately chose not to oppose the decision after some thought.

He had a faint premonition that going to the North would be dangerous. The spiritual senses of a Human Immortal were rarely wrong, and since they had chosen not to go, he decided to leave it be.  

Was the web really that important?  

He truly couldn’t understand.  

Feeling irritated, he glanced at his silent apprentice nearby. After a moment, he let out a soft sigh and said, “The past few days have been full of upheaval. Go rest.”  

Xiao Qing nodded and left.  

Ji Yunlai, now in no mood to calculate anything about the Dao Seed or talisman wards, thought back to the recent events and felt slightly displeased. He propped his chin on his hand, resting against the stone table for a moment.  

*

Feng Qingxiu returned to his quarters, bathed in the hot spring, and then lay on his bed.  

He had no desire to meditate, his mind drifting back to the feeling of kissing his master earlier. His heart raced as if a fawn were leaping within it.  

Thinking about how his innermost feelings had nearly been exposed in front of his master, he both despised himself for having such thoughts and couldn’t help feeling a secret joy at his master’s tolerance.  

He vaguely understood his own feelings now.  

Though he couldn’t pinpoint when the pure admiration had shifted, the current him was certainly unworthy of his master.  

Even if his master chose to overlook his offenses out of their master-apprentice bond, it would undoubtedly change the way they interacted. Feng Qingxiu had always been clear about his goals, and until he was sure he could become better, he didn’t want to change things.  

So, it all came back to cultivation. Without strength, everything was an illusion. He would only become his master’s weakness.  

That was something he absolutely could not tolerate.  

Recalling the overwhelming power he had wielded in his demonic form, Feng Qingxiu frowned slightly but ultimately rejected the idea of relying on it. If he wanted to be with his master, the demonic form was absolutely out of the question. Deep down, he felt it was an enormous blessing to have been reborn as human. Changing that would be the true calamity.  

Once the demonic thoughts subsided, he resolved to focus on his cultivation. At the very least, as a mere Golden Core cultivator, he had no face to stand before his master and say, I love you. 

With this thought, he slowly closed his eyes. The day’s emotional turmoil had been overwhelming, and he needed to rest.  

However, after falling asleep, he found himself in a state of semi-consciousness, feeling as though something was calling to him. Rising from his bed, he looked around to find himself surrounded by a thick white mist, obscuring everything in sight.  

What was happening now?  

Feng Qingxiu’s heart tightened as he glanced around, only to see a grand and familiar hall in the distance. Its towering presence bore the characters “Sealing Demon.”  

This was the hall he had seen in his dream last time. So, was this another dream?  

He bent his finger backward—it folded like rubber, with no pain.  

Alright, it really was a dream.  

Skilled in navigating this scenario, he pushed open the doors and entered. The various celestial demons sealed within didn’t surprise him. He quickly walked toward the center of the hall. Just as he remembered, his master sat there, dressed in dark robes, his white hair cascading down. He was seated serenely on the Yin-Yang Tai Chi diagram in the middle of the hall, eyes closed, his left hand forming a mudra at his chest. He remained unmoved by Feng Qingxiu’s arrival.  

Recalling his actions during the last dream and the inappropriate things he had done, Feng Qingxiu felt his face heat up. But looking at his master’s refined and noble countenance, he hesitated only briefly before making a decision. In a dream, why should he restrain his feelings for his master?  

He carefully approached and knelt on one knee before his master, gently taking his hands and leaning in to kiss them.  

His master finally opened his eyes, gazing at him with a gentle expression that seemed faintly startled. But soon, his eyes lowered, as though silently permitting Feng Qingxiu to act as he pleased.  

“Master,” Feng Qingxiu softly murmured, pushing his master down onto the Yin-Yang diagram. He traced the contours of his master’s face with his lips, whispering, “I… I love you.”  

His voice was barely audible. Beneath him, his master raised a hand, caressing Feng Qingxiu’s face, but said nothing.  

Encouraged by the response, Feng Qingxiu couldn’t suppress his excitement. He trailed his kisses down the smooth, pearl-like skin of his master’s neck.  

His master glanced down at him but still did not speak.  

Feng Qingxiu gently untied his master’s robes, leaning close to blow softly into his ear. “Master, may I continue?”  

His master’s gaze flickered, and after a long pause, he slightly turned his head away, his earlobes tinged with red.  

“Then… pardon my offense,” Feng Qingxiu said mischievously, lightly biting his master’s ear before kissing him again.  

He loved this dream—he truly, deeply loved it.