Chapter 284: The Boundary of Dreams

The Train Eunuch said he would take Li Banfeng out of Huineizhou; Li Banfeng asked excitedly, "How do we get out?"

Huh-huh~

The Train Eunuch looked at Li Banfeng and said, "The train's about to depart. Do you buy a ticket first, or pay after boarding?"

Li Banfeng blinked and said, "Wait, weren't we just talking about… never mind, I'll buy a ticket."

You can't reason with the Train Eunuch.

Li Banfeng pulled out three hundred yuan and said, "I'll buy a sleeper."

The Train Eunuch frowned: "You still want to get out?"

"Yes!"

"If you buy a sleeper, can you still get out?"

Is there a necessary connection?

Li Banfeng put back one bill: "Then I'll take a hard seat."

The Train Eunuch took the money and said, "Board!"

Li Banfeng climbed onto the Train Eunuch's back; the Train Eunuch blew the whistle and shot forward with Li Banfeng.

This time, the Train Eunuch moved slowly.

"Passengers, the next stop is Ms. Wang Chunfang's dream. As everyone knows, Ms. Wang Chunfang is an extremely kind person; please pay attention to the scenery outside the window."

This Wang Chunfang was indeed very kind—she treated others with warmth and expected the same kindness in return.

Unfortunately, such things only exist in dreams.

The dream was ordinary, yet the Train Eunuch repeatedly urged Li Banfeng to pay attention to the scenery outside.

Wang Chunfang's dream was a vibrant flower patch; beyond the flowers lay a black boundary, and on the other side stood an ancient city, where thousands of troops stood ready in formation.

"Next stop: Mr. Feng Xiqing's dream. Mr. Feng Xiqing is an outstanding general who has won countless battles."

Li Banfeng saw Feng Xiqing's appearance—he didn't look like an ancient warrior; his attire suggested he was more like a student from Waizhou.

Clearly, he had a warrior's dream.

After the ancient city came another boundary; beyond it lay an endless ocean, where a strong, handsome man precisely speared a fish.

The man held his spear high and sang loudly amid the waves.

It seemed this man dreamed of becoming a brave sailor.

Honestly, his build and movements had the spirit of a sailor.

The Train Eunuch said, "This is Mr. Lü Daping's dream. Mr. Lü Daping's greatest wish is to become a fish."

A fish?

Isn't the protagonist the sailor?

Li Banfeng stared at the fish on the spear and thought: Isn't Dreamqianlou supposed to have no nightmares?

Maybe being speared isn't a nightmare to him?

After passing through over a dozen dreams, the Train Eunuch blew the whistle and announced: "The train is entering a tunnel. Please sit firmly and hold on for safety."

Li Banfeng was about to lower his head when the scenery vanished, plunging him into emptiness again.

The Train Eunuch asked Li Banfeng, "Did you see clearly?"

Li Banfeng said, "I saw a little of everyone's dream."

"I didn't ask you to watch the dreams—what's there to see?"

Not to watch the dreams.

Li Banfeng thought for a moment and said, "You wanted me to watch the boundaries between dreams?"

The Train Eunuch nodded: "Those are the true exits of Dreamqianlou. Can you break through?"

Li Banfeng recalled the width of the boundary and shook his head: "That line is too narrow—I doubt I can get through."

"If I widen the line a bit, can you get through?" The Train Eunuch waved his hand, and a three-meter-square rock appeared in the dream.

He drew a black line on the rock, then swept his hand over it—the line widened to over a foot.

"Can you pass through this?"

Li Banfeng glanced at the rock's thickness—it was only about ten centimeters.

"With the Skill of Unimpeded Passage, I should be able to get through."

"Try it."

Li Banfeng took a small step beside the rock, activated his skill, then slammed his head into the rock.

He nearly cracked his skull.

Even though this was a dream, Li Banfeng felt the pain acutely.

The Train Eunuch stared at Li Banfeng in shock: "You've been using the Skill of Unimpeded Passage like this? In our Daoist sect, the Skill of Unimpeded Passage is a technique to pass through obstacles—in short, it's a wall-walking technique, not head-butting walls."

Li Banfeng pursed his lips and forced a smile: "I didn't mean to head-butt the wall—there was just a glitch in the technique."

The problem was probably with the dream.

In dreams, your legs sometimes lack strength.

While running, it's not too obvious—but before using the Skill of Unimpeded Passage, you must first activate a small step; just now, that small step clearly failed.

The Train Eunuch thinned the rock slightly: "Try again."

Li Banfeng rushed toward the wall again; this time he didn't charge head-on—he realized the technique wouldn't work.

The Train Eunuch thinned the rock further: "Try again."

Tried again—still failed.

The Train Eunuch didn't adjust the rock again. He looked at Li Banfeng and shook his head: "You'd better not leave. Stay here with me—you have no real desire to escape."

Li Banfeng straightened his expression: "That's not fair—it's a dream, I can't exert force properly."

"Dreams are hard to exert force in, but you didn't even try. Look at your steps just now—they're not like someone fleeing, they're like a rickshaw puller's!"

Li Banfeng answered honestly: "My steps? I learned them from a rickshaw puller."

"Using the thigh to drive the calf—that style has endurance, but it's too slow."

"If you want to escape Huineizhou, you need the stride of a frontline charge—your heels aligned, the abyss yawning behind you; one moment too slow, and you'll be crushed to dust. Do you understand?"

Li Banfeng shook his head: "I don't quite get it."

He truly didn't.

Since arriving in Puluo Zhou, he'd always relied on the speed advantage of a Traveling Cultivator—this was the first time he'd heard his speed was insufficient.

The Train Eunuch frowned: "You're at the fifth level of cultivation, right?"

"Just barely."

"Can you use fifth-level techniques?"

"I've heard of them, never used them—they're too inefficient."

"Who says they're inefficient?"

"Fifth-level techniques drain too much. With my current base, I can kill at most a White Lamb—not worth it."

The Train Eunuch's eyebrows shot up as he glared at Li Banfeng: "You're using them wrong. Let me show you—I'll make you bloom, and it'll be beautiful!"

"No!" Li Banfeng refused firmly. "Brother, just tell me—what does a frontline charge's stride look like?"

The Train Eunuch tapped his toe and instantly passed through the stone slab: "Understood?"

It'd be strange if he understood.

The Train Eunuch didn't explain—he simply passed back and forth through the slab: "See me come? See me return? See me blow the whistle? See me smoke? Now do you get it?"

After several passes, Li Banfeng noticed something.

The toe led the foot, the foot led the ankle, the ankle led the calf, the calf led the thigh—his stride was the complete opposite of the one Li Banfeng knew.

The Train Eunuch pointed at the rock: "Try it!"

Li Banfeng stood up, took two steps—and fell flat on the ground.

This stride made his body uncoordinated—how could he use any technique?

The Train Eunuch glanced at Li Banfeng and blew the whistle: "Woo-oo-oo~ Departing! Passenger, board quickly."

"Board what?!" Li Banfeng snapped. "I haven't mastered the stride yet—how do I get out?"

"Still thinking of escaping?" The Train Eunuch's gaze turned sharp, sending chills down Li Banfeng's spine.

Is this… eye power?

The Train Eunuch blew one long whistle: "They can't see me now—but soon they'll send people to find me. When they find me, where will you run to?

On the frontline, one step too slow means shattered bones. Do you finally understand?"

Li Banfeng stood up, pulled his hat low, and charged at the rock again.

He remembered the scene in the valley, chased by Qiū Luòyè.

If he'd been a moment slower then, he'd have been crushed to dust.

Thud!

As he neared the rock, his foot caught, and he fell.

The Train Eunuch shook his head: "Not fast enough—not nearly enough!"

Li Banfeng got up and charged again.

Thud!

This time he reached the rock's edge—but had no time to activate the technique; he slammed into the slab.

The Train Eunuch patted the cracked rock sadly: "It's all cracked."

Li Banfeng snapped: "Why do you care about a rock?!"

……

In an open expanse where time had no meaning, he had practiced over and over again, his body bruised and battered, until Li Banfeng finally passed through the rocks.

He didn't know if the injuries were real—after all, this was a dream.

He had succeeded only once, and Li Banfeng wanted to practice two more times, but the Train Eunuch sensed trouble—he grabbed Li Banfeng's back and charged again into the tangled wasteland of dreams.

"They might send someone soon. Let's move somewhere else to talk."

After wandering the wasteland for a long while, observing countless dreams, the Train Eunuch whistled again: "Ladies and gentlemen, the train is about to enter a tunnel. Please remain seated and hold on."

The two reentered the emptiness, and the Train Eunuch asked: "Did you memorize the boundary's location?"

Li Banfeng stretched his limbs and said: "I remember. Let's practice two more times."

The Train Eunuch shook his head: "No time. They're almost here. They can't touch me, but what might happen to you? That's anyone's guess."

We'll depart soon. When the chance comes, dash out immediately—if you can slip through the dream's fissure, it proves your body is still in Pulu Province."

"If you emerge and find yourself back in the dream, then there's nothing we can do—you're trapped forever."

Li Banfeng frowned: "Once I get out, how will I tell if I'm in Pulu Province or still in the dream?"

The Train Eunuch chuckled: "You're my brother. You think you can't tell the difference?"

As he spoke, a faint rustling sound reached their ears.

Li Banfeng shouted: "Who's there?"

The rustling stopped instantly. The Train Eunuch's face darkened: "A dog's come."

Li Banfeng shouted again: "What kind of dog?"

The other side gave no reply.

The Train Eunuch said: "A dog trying to be a local god!"

Li Banfeng glanced at the Train Eunuch: "That's not a very fitting description of a local god."

"What's wrong with it?" The Train Eunuch sneered. "If you make it back to Pulu Province, remember one thing: don't take any pills. Rest for two full days. You've run through Neizhou for so long—your cultivation base will surge when you return, and your body may not hold up."

Li Banfeng blinked in surprise: "I entered Neizhou inside a dream—my cultivation base can still grow?"

The Train Eunuch smiled: "Once you reach a certain level on our path, you no longer walk the ground."

"The sixth technique of our Dao gate is called 'Severing Paths, Opening Roads.' The core principle is to sever paths where they exist, and open paths where none exist—both severing and opening rely entirely on intent."

Li Banfeng said: "I've just reached the fifth level. Isn't learning the sixth technique too soon?"

"Not too soon. Not too soon."

As he spoke, the rustling sound returned.

The Train Eunuch said: "Get on board. I'll deal with the dog. This is your one chance—don't mess it up!"

PS: Why is the Train Eunuch helping Li Banfeng so much?

(End of Chapter)