Chapter 2: Chi Dream

Anyone could see that a rainstorm was already contained in the mouth of the Heaven Lord.

The wind leaked from between the lips and teeth, and the old jujube tree in the courtyard began to tilt and groan. Seeing Pei Ye collected all the tables, stools, and baskets back into the house. Before long, the heavy rain fell with a boom.

It was truly dark and gloomy, as if the universe had been overturned. Even in the most irritable midsummer of previous years, there were rarely such heavy rains. Seeing Pei Ye raised his head with some worry. If it lasted too long, it would be difficult to avoid some water disasters.

"Sleep earlier, lamp oil is still quite expensive." The old man said in a hoarse voice.

Seeing Pei Ye closed the door, shut the sound of the rain outside, carried the old man back to bed, and went to rest on the other side himself.

His chest and abdomen were faintly churning. Seeing Pei Ye frowned, placed the wine and medicine at the head of the bed, and suspected that a flare-up might come tonight.

But finally, he entered a dream along with the heavy rain.

Raindrops densely patted the roof, the jujube tree, and the stone slabs. Various indistinguishable sounds mixed together. In his sleep, Seeing Pei Ye returned to the noisy martial arts school of two years ago.

That was the most satisfying and fulfilling time of Seeing Pei Ye's life, together with teenagers of the same age, sweating, pondering fist paths, tangibly feeling himself becoming stronger bit by bit, and proudly taking first place in the Mid-Autumn Martial Arts Meet for two consecutive years.

However, with the failure of the Dantian Seed to break, everything fell away.

The first step to entering the hall of cultivation was for the Dantian Seed to "sprout." In all fairness, the danger of this step was actually not very high.

But there were always unlucky birds in a large forest.

The Dantian Seed cracked, and the uncontrolled Qi injured Seeing Pei Ye's internal organs. This injury was not fatal, but when the pain flared up, it felt like a hundred cold iron needles churning in his chest and abdomen. If one said it completely blocked the path of cultivation, it actually didn't. In five or ten years, the Dantian Seed might be able to grow back on its own.

But treating the injury had truly exhausted the family wealth left by his parents, and even the house had to be sold. While making a living and drinking medicine, he became thin and haggard, and he also became increasingly estranged from his companions at the martial arts school, finally becoming a marginal figure in this city just like Old Xiangzi.

Because of pain and fatigue, Seeing Pei Ye often found it difficult to have a sound and stable sleep. Bizarre and strange dreams always emerged one after another, but today's dream was continuous and stable.

The old people were still in the martial arts school, the masters were still as strict and considerate, and the atmosphere was still as jubilant. This beautiful dream seemed to continue until he woke up.

But suddenly, everything disappeared.

Only a vast emptiness remained in the dream.

Seeing Pei Ye's consciousness fell completely, with no dream and no self.

A distant and vast sound arose from nowhere, like a call, like a chant.

It was like parents calling their child, like an emperor summoning a minister, like a god caring for a believer. No call was more powerful than this.

In the silent and heavy darkness, Seeing Pei Ye's body sat up abruptly, opening a pair of lifeless pupils.

He left the bed like a walking corpse, muttering unintelligible words in his sleep, took down the door bolt, pushed the door open, and walked out.

Outside the house, it was still raining heavily.

Bare feet stepped into the mud and water, the wet and cold rain splashed onto his skin, the warmth wrapped in the quilt evaporated instantly, and his whole body was soaked in an instant.

Seeing Pei Ye seemed to have no feeling, walking straight toward the courtyard gate, pushing it open and stepping out. The cold alley was empty.

Walking out of the alley and arriving on the street, Seeing Pei Ye's pace quickened bit by bit. A mindless fanaticism gradually rose in his hollow pupils, like a pilgrim.

Ahead... it was right ahead...

He suddenly raised his left hand stiffly, his little finger curled up, his thumb pinching the lower knuckle of his middle finger, forming a pious and strange hand seal under his chin.

Walking forward like a walking corpse, and ahead, two white-robed figures turned their heads and waited for him quietly.

Seeing Pei Ye knew nothing about what was happening in the outside world. In the deepest part of his consciousness, he was still having that beautiful dream, still in the martial arts school, and the teenagers of the same age around him were still shouting and fighting.

But suddenly, a terrifying roar sounded, and a bloody storm rushed toward his face. The floor and walls of the martial arts school all shattered. Shadows were cast down, as if it had suddenly become night. Seeing Pei Ye raised his head in horror, and a bloody mouth that came from nowhere enveloped them all. The huge, sharp teeth were thicker than pillars.

Just as the giant mouth was about to close, at the critical moment, a black Chi appeared under his crotch, took him to escape the giant mouth, and flew into the clouds.

Seeing Pei Ye looked down in surprise. In the dream where everything was abstract and blurred, this Chi was detailed, as if it came from another world.

The huge body brought a solid sense of support. The palms felt cold, hard, and smooth. Each scale was like pitch-black glaze. The long mane on its neck fluttered, and countless tough and soft long strands brushed against Seeing Pei Ye's face.

"If one were pulled out, it should be an excellent bowstring." Seeing Pei Ye thought inexplicably.

"It's chasing from behind." The Chi said suddenly.

"What?" Seeing Pei Ye was dazed.

"Look back."

Seeing Pei Ye looked back and couldn't help but scream. The bloody mouth was almost stuck in front of his face, and the black Chi's tail had already reached its throat.

"Can you stop it?" The black Chi said.

Me?!

Me?!

Seeing Pei Ye looked down at himself. He had no immortal sword that could cut a mountain with one strike, nor did he have divine armor filled with treasure light.

He was even only wearing a pair of underpants.

Today's dream was too outrageous.

"Think of a way." The Chi said.

Think of a way? Think of what way? What way can I think of?

Seeing Pei Ye looked at his empty hands, then looked back at the bloody mouth that was getting closer and closer, hesitated, reached out to grab the long mane on the black Chi's neck, and probed: "Giddyap!"

"..."

"..."

"I have tried my best, and now it is your battlefield." The Chi still had a calm tone. "We prosper together, we suffer together. I help you, and then you help me, can you?"

"... Can."

"Good, then I will dissolve this 'Divine Favor' for you tonight. At the same time, the fruit 【Standardized Harvest】 will be open to you for twelve hours. It can resist the 'Immortal Lord's Spirit Summoning.' You must find a way to use it—the rest is up to you."

"What Standardized Harvest?" Pei Ye listened blankly. These two characters actually appeared in his mind. "Where should I go to find the method to use it?"

The black Chi seemed to answer without answering: "Fate."

As these words fell, the dream shattered.

Seeing Pei Ye woke up, and then he was stunned.

When he closed his eyes, he was in a warm quilt, but when he opened them, he was being fiercely patted by heavy rain in thick darkness.

At first, he thought the house had been collapsed by the rain and wanted to jump up immediately to remedy it. Only at the second moment did he realize he was standing, so at the third moment, he suspected he was still in a dream.

It took a lot of effort to accept the impact brought by this memory gap. Seeing Pei Ye finally realized what had happened.

He might have been sleepwalking.

But... did these two men beside him also sleepwalk?

Two white-robed figures holding ghostly blue candles walked on Seeing Pei Ye's left and right. The flames were not affected by the wind and rain at all, burning quietly and slowly, as if they were in another time and space.

At the same time as he saw these two flames, Seeing Pei Ye realized that things might not be that simple. ===== CHAPTER 3 =====