Chapter 87: Dream Obstruction

I wandered aimlessly through the ethereal void, before me an endless sea of mist, with occasional fragments flashing by, yet to me it was like a film projection, leaving no imprint in my mind.

I was fully aware that I was dreaming, and I could even recall clearly the words my brother once said: "Bing Er, I have no choice, this is the only way; only by taking away your dream can you survive. So you must be careful, from now on you must not let yourself fall into a coma, otherwise… I cannot lose you."

But those words, I knew they were crucial, yet I could not react to them in the dream. In this desolate world, a voice constantly whispered: 'Sleep, forever sleep away, and you will no longer have to heed the world's clamor, nor feel sorrow or despair.'

It was as if each fragment flashing before me should have cut me to the bone, yet my soul could only watch numbly, unable to share the pain.

"Yun Yun, I'm sorry. I have to return to my own world." The faceless man said to the young mother, "Perhaps one day I will regret it. Perhaps the time‑travel device will malfunction and I will never be able to return to you. But at this moment I cannot abandon my relatives who are four hundred years in the future. If I don't go back even once, I will never be content to let that world four hundred years from now perish."

"Keep this cross safe. I have infused it with a new energy I developed that resonates with the magnetic field in your body; as long as you keep it close, it will ensure your safety and allow me to find you."

…

Mother knelt on one knee before a massive egg‑shaped rock, burying the cross she held into the soil; a pale smile spread across her beautiful face, "You are to become the hero who saves the world, such a burden is too deep, too heavy, so I no longer wish for your redemption. Neither do our child."

Brother held the string of what had just seemed dull and lifeless, now sparkling brilliantly—a cross necklace—in his eyes a faint daze and bewilderment, and after a long pause he asked gravely, "How much… is this?"

The middle‑aged man stared intently at brother, his gaze so focused it seemed as if he were using all his strength to make up for a lifetime of unseen time. After a long while, when brother's eyes flashed with restrained anger, he said in a choking voice, "For this necklace, all I require is the five‑yuan coin on your person, sir."

…

"Bing Er, happy birthday." Brother carefully fastened the cross necklace around my neck, a hint of awkwardness on his face, yet he looked at me and father and said firmly, "Our family will never be separated."

"Miss Ling, if you want to blame anyone, blame your ruthless brother." I shielded Xiao Yu behind me as the man before me accused bitterly and snarlingly, "Why did he try to wipe out our company, why can't he leave a way out for my father?!"

I know brother is now the true executor of Lingyun Group; I also know his actions are decisive and ruthless, leaving no room for anything. Yet I have no idea just how far his heartlessness extends.

The car lurched and rolled forward, and a thunder‑like gunshot rang inside. Xiao Yu threw herself at the shooter, the gun skidding into my hands; the interior became chaotic, and the vehicle suddenly tumbled down the steep rocky wall.

The instant the door was forced open, I used every ounce of strength to push the bleeding‑armed Xiao Yu out, while the impact hurled me into the rear window, colliding with the two thugs.

The window shattered, glass sprayed everywhere; I felt excruciating pain as I fell, losing consciousness.

Between heaven and earth, a dazzling multicolored light burst from my chest and spread, in an instant filling the entire valley.

I was still plummeting, but my terrified eyes widened; through the hazy tears I watched Xiao Yu vanish within the light. Falling, splashing.

In the distance, a mournful song, soul‑stirring, lingered deep within me, echoing for a long time, echoing…

…

I recall your face, day after day, along the endless road of life.

Every moment I see the tenderness like water in your eyes.

This life's fate, the next life's continuation, what love is, pledging life and death together.

If you are by my side, I do not envy mandarin ducks nor immortals.

I keep walking, with no end, no purpose, just quietly, as if detached from myself, watching the world.

Xiao Yu lay in the hospital, her body riddled with tubes, as if she were dead.

Brother gave up the company affairs; each day he either tended to Xiao Yu in the hospital or frantically searched the outside world for my trace.

Father retook the company, but his health deteriorated day by day; in the empty house at midnight, one could sometimes hear his cough, and the pale dim light reflected off the window, illuminating his increasingly wan face.

Xiao Yu finally regained consciousness, out of mortal danger, and she told brother clearly: "Bing Yi has vanished, vanished within the light circle. It's likely she traversed time and space into another world."

Brother still searched daily outside, but changed his target. He recalled that odd necklace; he needed to find the middle‑aged man who sold it to him.

Xiao Yu, in the neon‑lit underworld bar of the mafia, found brother drunk and disheveled.

Two lecherous men seized Xiao Yu and dragged her into a dark corner. Her clothes were torn, revealing crisscrossing white bandages, each thread oozing blood.

Brother, half drunk, half awake, used a silk thread to slit the throats of the two men, then cradled the pallid Xiao Yu and staggered away.

In the rain, brother held Xiao Yu, looking at her wounds, and finally broke down in tears.

He said: "Xiao Yu, if it weren't for me, you and Bing Er wouldn't have been kidnapped or fallen off a cliff."

He said: "Xiao Yu, if it weren't for me, Bing Er wouldn't have been taken by that necklace to a strange world."

He said: "Xiao Yu, if it weren't for me, you wouldn't be suffering this humiliation today."

Xiao Yu's face was pale and silent, yet she offered brother a sun‑bright, pure smile, and the warmest, melt‑away, gentle embrace.

She leaned close to brother's ear and whispered gently: "Bing Ye, don't say that. Bing Yi isn't that weak; even in another world she would surely survive, and if she couldn't, she would create a chance to live. I'm not that weak either—such humiliation means that even if you don't come to rescue me, I can find a way to save myself."

Brother finally located the middle‑aged man—Shui Yu Tianze—who said he could summon back those taken to another world, yet he prevented brother from doing so.

Shui Yu Tianze said: "Everyone has his destiny. Perhaps Bing… your sister is fated to be intricately linked to that world. Perhaps she has already fallen in love with someone there. If you force her back, in the end no one will attain happiness."

Brother shouted emotionally: "What if she always wants to return? What if she is unhappy in that world? Then it's all my fault…"

He said: "I must bring her back."

Brother and Xiao Yu took the energy stones that Tianze gave them to the cliff where I vanished that day. The stones activated, and multicolored light filled the entire valley.

At that moment, gunfire erupted. Brother, holding Xiao Yu, ducked away.

Xiao Yu screamed: "Bing Ye, they were the ones who originally kidnapped us."

Brother had no gun in his hand yet still had to protect Xiao Yu. The energy stone, amid the chaos, fell off the cliff,

Melee, melee. Brother, and Xiao Yu—who protected whom, who sacrificed for whom.

A flash of bloodlight flickered before my eyes, blood raining from the sky as if seen in a dream, an overwhelming flood of crimson covering everything.

Xiao Yu was hit in the shoulder, while brother was struck near the heart.

Both of them were rushed into the operating room.

A moment later, a panicked doctor rushed out saying: "He… he has Bombay blood type; the blood bank has no blood to transfuse."

I stared at that world, and panic rose in my heart; my soul, for the first time, was no longer swayed by that voice. I used every ounce of strength to part the clouds, trying to step into that world. Yet with each step I moved, I never actually advanced.

I watched the operating‑room lights flicker, bright then dim; in my eyes I seemed to see brother's blood draining away, never replenished. I shouted loudly, but no sound emerged from my throat…

"Bing Yi, Bing Yi…" Who is it, who is calling me, so familiar, so heartbreaking.

My chest—suddenly blazed, like a scorching sun enveloping my whole body.

The voices' summons grew clearer, while the scene before me grew more blurred; in a daze I saw the cross hanging on my chest, the long‑absent cross necklace, gradually fading from the dream.

I slowly, laboriously opened my eyes; my chest still throbed with a mild burning, a pair of hands clasped me tightly, my body felt inexplicably both cold and hot, very uncomfortable.

I faced Qi Ran's worry‑laden blue eyes and, with great effort, managed to say, "Qi… cough… cough cough…"

A mouthful of water choked into me, and I began to cough violently.

Qiran hastily lifted me up; I glanced around and discovered we were in a strange stone chamber, hanging in mid‑air inside it.

Yes, mid‑air. This sealed stone chamber has four water inlets in the ceiling, constantly pouring water into the room. Qiran, Busha, and I are suspended in mid‑air, floating against the walls, submerged in water.

"What… what is going on?" I exclaimed, grabbing Qiran tightly and shuddering involuntarily. Although I'm not a land duck, my swimming isn't great. Moreover, at this rate of inflow, we'll likely drown alive in the stone chamber in less than five minutes.

Qiran glanced around, gave Busha a look; Busha nodded slightly and already swam toward the southeastern corner of the stone chamber.

Qiran turned to me, his expression grave: "Bingyi, I'll explain the stone chamber later when we're out. We must first find a way out."

"Mm, mm. Whatever you say, I'll listen." I nodded hurriedly. No joke—I definitely don't want to die here for no reason.

"Do you see that protruding square stone in the lower‑right corner?"

I dipped my face into the water and faintly saw the protruding square stone beneath me; I jerked my head up, shook off the water droplets, and nodded, saying, "Yeah, I see it. Should we push it in?"

"When I give the signal, all three of us must push the mechanism together. Otherwise the water inflow will only speed up. Remember to press your whole palm into the handprint at the center of the square stone, then channel your inner energy."

I shuddered and hurriedly asked, "Can we start now?"

Qiran nodded, released his hold on me, and I felt suddenly light—I even forgot I could swim, flailed twice, and nearly choked again.

"Cough… cough… sorry, I can swim." I pushed Qiran away, somewhat embarrassed, avoided his amused gaze, and dove into the water.

At the same moment, Busha and Qiran also submerged, each heading in their respective directions.

I carefully felt around in the water, finally touching the square stone and its recessed handprint. I held my breath, placed my hand on the stone, and waited silently.

After just a few breaths, a faint but distinct ripple came from Qiran's direction, striking the back of my hand on the stone; my heart stirred and my inner energy surged forth naturally.

The square stone slowly pushed inward, and from all around the room came the "squeak‑creak" of the mechanism activating; the water flow above the chamber suddenly surged, pouring in and filling the entire room.

Like a sealed giant fish tank, I thought gloomily. The breath I'd been holding in my chest slowly drained, my face turned crimson, and the whir of the activating mechanism was gradually replaced by a buzzing tinnitus.

Just as I despaired, wondering if we had failed and would drown here, a pair of arms locked tightly around me, followed by cool, water‑kissed lips pressing against mine—precious life‑giving air, mixed with the fresh scent of a hidden valley, passed between our lips and teeth.

I greedily sucked in what seemed like an endless stream of life‑giving air, and I couldn't help wondering: does Qiran not need to breathe at all? Or is it like the martial‑arts novels that speak of internal respiration… pfft, that's too far‑fetched.

"Bang—pop—" a strange loud noise transmitted through the water to my ears, like a firecracker exploding inside my collar; for a long while my ears felt as if deafened, useless.

Thank goodness, I finally heard faintly the sound of water receding, and then it seemed like the earth splitting apart—stones crashing down in collapse.

First my head emerged slowly from the receding water into the air, and in the blink of an eye the water had retreated to my feet. Apart from the wet patches on the ground, it was as if nothing had happened.

I blinked, blinked again, and saw those blue eyes inches away; my face flushed scarlet in a "whoosh," I hastily pushed Qiran away, glanced at Busha whose expression was unchanged as if he'd seen nothing, and thought: Phew, phew! Good thing there's no gossip‑lover nearby.

"What… what is going on?" I exclaimed, looking around in astonishment, "Where's the stone chamber?!"

Only now did I realize we three were standing in a wide passageway; the central path was paved with stone slabs, while the sides were bare earth covered with turf and strange plants I'd never seen before, and a faint, odd fragrance drifted in, as if from far away.

I looked up and saw the four familiar water inlets in the ceiling, confirming that this was indeed the very place we had just been.

Suddenly I felt a light touch on my neck; I jerked my head back to see Qiran's hand busily doing something there. Then, lowering my head slightly, I froze——

Hanging from my neck was that long‑missing platinum chain set with shattered diamonds and white crystals—a cross‑shaped necklace my brother had given me.

I startled, hastily covered the necklace and stepped back; looking up at Qiran's grim face, my heart quivered, I gave a dry chuckle twice and said, "Q… Qiran, just what was that stone chamber?"

Busha, who had been standing silently to the side, lifted his head and glanced at me; I shuddered again, feeling that both of their gazes were icy cold.

A flash of hurt crossed Qiran's eyes; he sighed softly and said quietly, "When the mechanism in that stone chamber activates, it sprays from the four wall openings a rain‑arrow made of hibiscus dew mixed with phantom medicine, and the air fills with powdered burnt lovage root. It confuses the mind, so that in a swoon one walks into an illusion without realizing it."

"An illusion, what kind of illusion?" I asked curiously.

"You don't know?" Qiran frowned slightly, raised his hand to brush my cheek, his fingertip wiping away the water droplets on my face, and whispered gently, "Bingyi, didn't you dream of anything?"

"Well, that's exactly it!" I smiled with a slight crinkle of my eyes, tilting my head to savor the warmth of his fingertip, "I don't have the right to dream! Before, because I had too many nightmares to keep living, I underwent hypnosis, and now I've lost that right for a long time."

The blue light in Qiran's eyes was like a lake just thawing in winter; his fingertip stroked softly, tender and pitying, "That is the deepest wish of the human heart. Because it is illusory yet the most beautiful, one might never want to wake, laughing as they die in this water‑filled stone chamber."

Ah! How terrifying! If it truly is the heart's deepest wish, who would willingly wake? The designer of this stone chamber is truly perverse. Yet they both woke so quickly—I shuddered; I'm certainly not just ordinary willpower.

But I, too, was unconscious, wasn't I? I tilted my head in puzzlement: if waking in this stone chamber depends entirely on one's will, why did I manage to come to?

My hand slowly rose to my chest, where the key to crossing time and space hung—the cross necklace—and I heard Qiran continue: "When I woke, Busha was already awake; the water had just engulfed our bodies, and he lifted us both above the surface."

So strong! I couldn't help staring at Busha, eyes sparkling—I was really curious what he'd dreamed. Surely he wouldn't just open his eyes, realize he was in an illusion, and jump out? I bet my admiration is too obvious; he… he actually rolled his eyes skyward, turned, and strode down the passage.

Qiran smiled, took my astonished hand and led me after him, adding: "But the water had nearly reached the ceiling, and you still hadn't awakened. We tried many methods; this stone chamber seems to have been tailor‑made for the three of us—missing one, and the mechanism simply won't activate."

"Exactly!" I suddenly exclaimed, "Qiran, isn't your physique immune to all poisons? Why would you also fall prey to the illusion?"

"That's why I said the stone chamber seems prepared for us three." Qiran walked on, a gleam flashing in his eyes, and said solemnly, "Those rain‑arrows, when the mechanism fires, shoot tens of thousands into the body's meridians, and in that instant they actually weaken my resistance to drugs."

My pupils contracted; I only heard Qiran continue: "No matter how I tried, I couldn't wake you, your necklace……" He glanced at my chest, his long lashes drooping, his expression unreadable, "but your necklace suddenly lit up; I hung it back around your neck, and then you woke."

Having said that, he shook off his hand, avoided looking at me, and followed Busha ahead, walking slowly toward the front of the passage.

I gazed at the cross necklace on my chest, sighed deeply, and slipped it into my inner garment. The cold touch made me shudder involuntarily; I quickened my pace to catch up with the two ahead.

(End of chapter)