Chapter 280: Dream-Tethered Tower

Li Banfeng realized he had used the wrong method.

More precisely, he had been misled by the white-clad woman.

This had nothing to do with the white-clad woman.

In his dream, there were only two kinds of people: the first were those he had created within the dream.

The second kind were those who had invaded the dream; the woman had given a clear hint—only she herself wanted to leave the dream, and she must be found.

The people created within the dream behaved according to Li Banfeng's cognitive logic; Qiao Cui, whom he first met at the village entrance, was one such creation, and her actions aligned with his expectations.

After entering the village, everyone else's behavior largely followed logic—except Bai Qiusheng.

Bai Qiusheng should not have appeared in Zhengjing Village; his presence defied logic, so he was the dream invader.

Dream invaders could attach themselves to a character within the dream; she lacked sufficient understanding of the dream's inhabitants, but she could gather information within my dream—she heard Qiao Cui call me Seventh Master, so she began calling me Seventh Master too.

After Li Banfeng spotted the flaw, the invader immediately slipped into the outhouse, vanishing from his sight, then quickly attached herself to Ma Wu and reappeared before him.

She still didn't understand Ma Wu well enough, and continued calling Li Banfeng Seventh Master, revealing another flaw.

She vanished from his sight once more, transforming into Zuo Wugang.

After Zuo Wugang exposed himself, she attached herself to A Qin.

Realizing she had slipped up again, the invader no longer showed herself lightly; she began gathering more information.

As long as Li Banfeng's dream continued, the amount of information she could gather increased.

Are all these people in the restaurant creations of the dream?

Not necessarily.

Their behavior was indeed more reasonable than before, but that could also be because Li Banfeng himself had revealed more details as the dream expanded.

They must not be allowed to speak freely.

The more details leaked, the lower Li Banfeng's chances of finding the invader.

Immediate verification was needed.

Of course, the verification process might also leak more information, but it couldn't be avoided.

Should he separate them and verify each one individually?

Useless.

The invader could see my dream; no matter where I went, I couldn't block her.

Li Banfeng immediately turned to Ma Wu and asked: "Who is your father?"

Ma Wu blinked: "Why ask that?"

"Just answer!"

"Ma Chunting!"

It was true.

Li Banfeng turned to Zuo Wugang: "Who was your previous proprietor?"

"Don't bring that up…"

"Say it now!"

"Lord Lu, Lu Dongliang."

Li Banfeng asked A Qin: "Who is your village's land god?"

"Qiuluoye."

Li Banfeng asked Xiao Chuanzi: "What work did you do for the Ma family?"

"I operated the road roller!"

Li Banfeng asked Xiao Genzi: "What Dao sect are you from?"

Xiao Genzi, holding a bucket and a spoon, replied: "Jin Xiu."

Were they all true?

Was the invader not among them?

This is my dream—what I can see exists; what I cannot see should not exist. The invader might be hidden, but she should still be within my line of sight.

Li Banfeng glanced at the restaurant owner and the other diners—was the invader among them?

He didn't know the owner well, and the diners were all past hunters—he knew them even less.

How could he verify their identities?

Li Banfeng shouted loudly: "All of you, tell me—what is the name of this village?"

Whoever hesitated to speak—or couldn't answer—would be the prime suspect.

Everyone turned to Li Banfeng and answered in unison: "Zhengjing Village!"

Each answer was loud and crisp.

Did this trick not work?

Could it not verify anything?

Logically, my method was sound!

Unless the invader had remained hidden, invisible to me.

Then how could I ever find her?

If she did that, it would be pointless.

Should he probe them again?

Further probing would only leak more information!

Where was the problem?

Exactly…

Li Banfeng looked up and realized where the problem lay.

The problem lay in the questions he had just asked.

Not every question could serve as verification, because one person's information had already been leaked.

Li Banfeng asked Genzi what Dao sect he belonged to, and Genzi answered: Jin Xiu.

His attire and his behavior in the dream had already revealed his sect—the invader could deduce he was Jin Xiu.

Could it be Genzi?

Don't guess randomly—wrong guesses meant being trapped here forever.

Don't stare at Genzi—if he noticed, and left the restaurant before I made my judgment, finding him again would be hard.

Li Banfeng sipped tea, chatted casually with the others, then turned to Genzi: "How did you join Jin Xiu?"

Ma Wu said: "You went with him—you can't have forgotten?"

Li Banfeng scratched his head: "I've forgotten a bit."

Ma Wu said: "He just…"

"Have a drink!" Li Banfeng raised his cup to block Ma Wu's mouth, smiling at Xiao Genzi.

If he tried to slip out of Li Banfeng's sight now, that proved he was the invader!

Xiao Genzi replied calmly: "Seventh Master, you forgot—I joined Jin Xiu through the peddler."

The answer made sense—but it was common knowledge.

"How much did you pay for the Jin Xiu powder?"

"One hundred yuan—the bucket and spoon were free."

Still no flaw—but to higher-level cultivators, this too might be common knowledge.

"Why join the Jin Xiu sect?"

Xiao Genzi straightened his chest and answered: "It's the strongest sect in the world."

Li Banfeng smiled and pointed at Genzi: "I found you!"

Xiao Genzi froze for a moment.

Everyone in the dream froze.

Xiao Genzi suddenly laughed, his coarse short tunic transforming into a white robe.

The burly Xiao Genzi became a slender woman; before Li Banfeng could make out her face, she rose swiftly and left the restaurant.

Trying to run?

Found you—still denying it?

Li Banfeng chased after her immediately; the woman moved with astonishing speed—he struggled to keep up, chasing her from the village to beyond its gates, all the way to the foot of a small hill.

She climbed the hill rapidly; Li Banfeng followed closely behind. Halfway up, she suddenly turned and vanished into the woods; Li Banfeng pursued.

Inside the woods, faint glimmers appeared in his vision; the scenery twisted and blurred. Li Banfeng strained his eyes open—and finally woke up.

He had escaped the dream; he now lay on a bed.

Darkness surrounded him. Li Banfeng sat up and struck a match.

It was a small room; if not for the difference in size and furnishings, Li Banfeng might have panicked.

He feared he was still dreaming—and dreaming of his Suishenju.

If he was dreaming of Suishenju, that meant Suishenju's details had been leaked.

Confirming this was not Suishenju, Li Banfeng calmed slightly.

He checked his belongings—all were still there. He opened the door and stepped out.

Outside the room stretched a corridor with no visible end; every three meters along its sides stood a door.

Where was this?

Li Banfeng patted his wine gourd, but it didn't respond—it seemed still asleep.

All other magic treasures were asleep; relying on his technique for avoiding misfortune and seeking fortune, Li Banfeng turned left and followed the corridor toward an exit.

After walking several dozen meters, he suddenly heard a creak—the door ahead had opened.

A man stepped out of the room and walked slowly toward Li Banfeng.

"Friend, where is this?"

Li Banfeng asked, but the man gave no reply and kept walking forward.

Li Banfeng lit a match now and then, following the man. After another few dozen meters, they reached the end of the corridor; the man turned right and entered a room.

Li Banfeng followed him and found the room had no door—only a white curtain hanging across the entrance, from which drifted a familiar scent.

This was a toilet!

Did this guy come here to use the toilet?

He didn't even bring a candle—how is he going in the dark?

This must be a hostel, or perhaps a dormitory.

Li Banfeng pulled back the curtain and stepped in, seeing the man urinating at the urinal.

Urinal?

You don't see these often in Pulu Province.

Could I have returned to the Outer Provinces?

After finishing, the man walked toward Li Banfeng.

He wore a white shirt and black trousers, had pale skin, long messy hair, and a faint stubble around his mouth—as if he hadn't shaved in ages.

He walked straight toward Li Banfeng, nearly colliding with him.

Doesn't he watch where he's going?

He really doesn't.

His eyes were closed.

Listening to his steady, deep breathing, the man was still asleep.

Is this sleepwalking?

Li Banfeng grabbed the man and called out twice: "Wake up! Wake up!"

As he shook him, the man opened his eyes.

He stared at Li Banfeng, paused a moment, then pulled a small eyeglass case from his pocket and inserted a pair of contact lenses into his eyes.

Contact lenses?

This really is the Outer Provinces!

The man looked at Li Banfeng and said: "Who are you? What do you want?"

Li Banfeng said: "Nothing, I just wanted to ask…"

"If you've got nothing to ask, why wake me?" the man snapped.

Li Banfeng pulled out a hundred-huan Huan State banknote and shoved it into the man's hand: "I just want to know—where is this?"

"You're already here, and you still don't know where?" the man growled, refusing to take the money. "I was just getting to the good part—you woke me up."

Li Banfeng grew annoyed too: "What's that supposed to mean? You blame me?"

"Aren't I supposed to blame you?" the man stretched, yawned, rubbed his stomach. "Oh well, since I'm awake—let's grab a meal together."

"Eat? That doesn't seem right."

The man smiled: "Of course it doesn't—let's go to the cafeteria."

He led Li Banfeng out of the toilet to the second door on the right at the end of the corridor.

The door wasn't locked; when he pushed it open, Li Banfeng saw a staircase.

The stairs were steep; descending felt like walking down a hillside.

After going down two floors, the man opened a door, and the smell of food wafted in.

That scent felt familiar.

Pushing the door open, he saw a vast cafeteria—no windows, but brightly lit, with neat tables and chairs.

The man sat beside a table and called out: "Two dishes, a pot of wine—come on, join me for a meal!"

He waved at Li Banfeng; the anger from waking had passed—the man was surprisingly friendly.

Li Banfeng sat across from him and asked: "Are you from the Outer Provinces?"

The man nodded: "I'm from Chunshen City. Are you from the Outer Provinces too?"

Li Banfeng replied: "I've been to the Outer Provinces."

As he spoke, Li Banfeng glanced around. A dozen or so people were eating in the cafeteria; one woman wore a T-shirt and jeans, another wore a long overcoat.

Everyone else wore clothes from Pulu Province: Zhongshan suits, magua jackets, long gowns, or plaid Western suits.

Of them, three had their eyes open while eating; the rest kept their eyes shut—as if still asleep.

Sleeping while eating—this state was truly novel.

But then he remembered—he'd just been eating in a dream himself.

Had I been here before?

The man asked Li Banfeng: "How did you get here?"

Li Banfeng said: "I came here by accident."

The man laughed: "I envy you people from Pulu Province—you can stumble into such a wonderful place. I spent nearly two million to get here!"

Li Banfeng frowned: "You paid to come here?"

The man said: "I got lucky with the right connections. Others would need twenty million and still might not make it."

"What exactly is this place?"

"It's Dream-Link Tower—the finest place in the world."

PS: Really? People pay twenty million to come here?

(End of Chapter)