Chapter 29: Dreaming

The Zhou Wangfu did not issue an order today for anyone to be sacrificed, and when Wang Fei stepped out, leaning on Qin Jiaomai's arm, Shi Shi and the others had already changed into mourning clothes and were kneeling on the ground weeping.

She paused, then said: "You all heard the argument inside just now. We'll wait for the heir to submit a memorial and for the Emperor to rule before making a decision. For these few days, you must weep faithfully before the spirit altar—don't entertain foolish thoughts, and certainly don't commit suicide on your own."

She crouched halfway down, staring into their eyes: "I know you're afraid of waiting to die. I've waited for so many years—I'm afraid too. But now you six are bound as one. So if you die, don't let your death drag someone else's life down with you."

Shi Shi trembled and hurriedly said: "Wang Fei, rest assured—we won't commit suicide on our own."

If even one person took their own life, the others would be forced to follow—so if they lived, they lived together; if they died, they died together.

Indeed, some were crumbling under this crushing pressure, thinking that whether they died now or later, death was inevitable—better to end it quickly and be freed, rather than endure day after day of terror.

Yet they were willing to die themselves, but didn't want to bear the guilt of another's life.

To unjustly take a life—if in the next life they were still forced to become a concubine of the imperial family, with no control over life or death—how miserable would that be?

At this moment, Zhou Wang stood beside Wang Fei. Hearing this, he sighed. The liveliness drained from his body, leaving him cold and shadowed.

He drifted back to Pan Yun's side. "This system is deeply damaging to spiritual virtue and to the human heart. I wonder when it will ever be abolished."

Aren't these all sins committed by your ancestors?

Pan Yun said nothing.

Zhou Wang was also deeply pained, which was why he spoke aloud—he didn't necessarily expect a reply.

Zhou Wang's spirit pavilion had already been erected. Zhu Zijin and Zhu Tongqie were guarding the spirit, while Zhu Zihou and Zhu Zifang silently kept them company. As night fell, the two urged Zhu Zijin to send Zhu Tongqie back: "He's too young to stay up all night. His health must come first."

After refusing twice, Zhu Zijin allowed Gu Shi to carry Zhu Tongqie back to rest.

As Zhu Tongqie was carried out of the spirit hall, he spotted Pan Yun standing by the door and pointed to the empty space beside her, calling: "Grandpa, Grandpa…"

Gu Shi wiped her tears as she soothed him: "Grandpa is asleep, Qie'er must be good…"

Zhu Tongqie tilted his head, staring at Grandpa standing beside his sister. He knew his mother was lying—Grandpa was clearly standing there. When Grandpa looked over, he happily waved.

Zhou Wang was startled again. "He can see me? Could my grandson have exceptional talent for the Dao?"

Pan Yun was unfazed. "Children's eyes are pure—the heavenly eye hasn't fully closed yet. They can see a little."

She paused, then added: "But this child does have some talent. Why not give him to the Three Pure Ones Monastery?"

Zhou Wang hesitated, then shook his head—he couldn't bear to let him go.

Zhu Zijin had only one son. If the Daoists took him away, what would become of the Zhou Wangfu in the future?

He rolled his eyes and said: "We can visit often. Let him be a lay disciple. If he grows older and still shows this talent, and if he achieves cultivation, the Three Pure Ones Monastery can take him then."

He now fully believed in the Three Pure Ones Monastery's power. There were so many frauds in the world—finding one truly capable was rare. He had been lucky to encounter this one, and he wouldn't let it slip away.

First, establish a good connection. Then maintain frequent contact. In the future, if the Zhou Wangfu faces hardship, he can seek their aid.

Zhou Wang said: "Help me send a dream to Zijin again."

Pan Yun: "Dreams aren't that easy to send…"

"I'll let him send you another tray of silver."

Pan Yun: "Of course. Of course."

Pan Yun led him toward the guest quarters. Seeing that Zhang Physician's and the eunuch's rooms had both extinguished their lamps, she formed a hand seal and wove a dream, then guided Zhou Wang into it.

Zhou Wang vanished in place. Master Xuanmiao, standing beneath the tree, watched the entire process. Her brow furrowed tightly.

Pan Yun's gaze locked onto her. In the darkness, they exchanged a long silent look—then Master Xuanmiao stepped forward.

Neither spoke. They simply waited.

At this moment, Zhou Wang was weeping uncontrollably in Zhang Physician's dream, bowing repeatedly, begging him to return to the capital and fulfill this final wish.

"This has become an obsession. If I don't accomplish it, my heart will never rest—even in death."

Zhang Physician rolled over, deeply annoyed. He tried to expel Zhou Wang from his dream, but Zhou Wang kept jabbering incessantly inside his mind.

Fed up, Zhang Physician rolled over again and suddenly opened his eyes—awakening. The dream charm Pan Yun had placed on him shattered instantly.

Zhou Wang shot back to Pan Yun's side, still dazed. "Why did he wake up?"

Pan Yun said: "It's fine. The dream has already been planted. If he doesn't obey, tomorrow I'll make him sleep all day, trapped in endless dreams until he believes it's real—and is forced to fulfill your wish."

Zhou Wang nodded. "Next, the eunuch Qian."

Pan Yun was about to form the hand seal and weave the dream when Master Xuanmiao pressed her hand. She looked at her, speechless: "You mean… you weave the dream yourself?"

Master Xuanmiao glanced at the Zhou Wang, formed a hand seal with one hand, and sent a streak of spiritual light into the Zhou Wang's soul body; with a wave of his hand, the Zhou Wang shot away with a hiss and floated gently into the eunuch Qian's chamber.

Master Xuanmiao glanced at Zhou Wang, formed a single hand seal, and sent a streak of spiritual light into his soul-body. With a flick of her wrist, Zhou Wang shot away—light as mist, slipping into the eunuch Qian's room.

Pan Yun's eyes widened. She opened her heavenly eye and saw Zhou Wang glide effortlessly into Qian's dream.

Zhou Wang immediately noticed the difference. In Zhang Physician's dream, he had been in the man's room, bowing and pleading—that was Pan Yun's fabrication. But here, in Qian's dream…

Qian was dreaming of imperial glory. Wang Zhen, whom Zhou Wang recognized, knelt at his feet, helping him slip on his shoes. His fingers were loaded with gold rings as he delicately sipped tea with exaggerated grace.

Zhou Wang suddenly appeared before him. Qian jumped.

But he quickly steadied himself, pinching his fingers together. "Zhou Wang—what do you want here?"

Zhou Wang disliked Wang Zhen—but he didn't like Qian either.

This creature treated Wang Zhen like this in his dream—clearly a hypocritical, pretentious, arrogant man. Once he gained power, he'd be worse than Wang Zhen.

So he didn't beg. He simply scowled: "I have a task for Eunuch Qian."

Seeing Zhou Wang so bold even in his dream, Qian instinctively piled on every possible calamity: the Emperor discovers his treason, strips his title, exiles him, beheads him, confiscates his property—no logic, just how cruel could he make it?

But Zhou Wang wasn't made of clay. Before Qian could conjure the execution, the dream shifted. Zhou Wang allied with the Imperial Clan Court and slaughtered his way through—capturing Qian and killing Wang Zhen.

This dream was free-form, unlike the last one, rigid and binding. Here, they could act however they pleased. And Zhou Wang wielded his freedom better than the dream's owner—so now it was Qian who suffered.

Qian vaguely realized he was having a nightmare. He tried to wake up—but his eyes wouldn't open, his limbs wouldn't move.

He told himself: It's just a dream. Don't be afraid. Just open your eyes. But when he thought he'd opened them, he saw only darkness—yet his eyelids hadn't lifted…

He tried to move his limbs—but half his body was numb, as if a thousand-jin stone crushed him. He couldn't turn over. Not even a finger twitched.

Cold sweat poured from Qian. Suddenly, he remembered: Zhou Wang was dead. He was being haunted by a ghost on his bed.

The dream shifted. The imperial court vanished. It became Qian's own room. Qian knelt on the ground, weeping uncontrollably, begging: "Your Highness, your servant had no eyes to see your greatness. Forgive me! Whatever you demand—I'll obey!"

The Zhou Wang, still unsatisfied after slaughtering countless foes in his dream, looked down at the eunuch Qian and said, "Nothing serious—just ask you to return to Jingcheng tomorrow and plead for me with the Emperor…"

The Zhou Wang forced Qian to promise, made him repeat it twice, confirmed he wouldn't forget, then reluctantly left his dream.

The moment he drifted out, Qian's foot kicked out into the air, his whole body shuddered, and he bolted open his eyes.

But he was drenched in sweat, his limbs cold, his heartbeat too fast; he sat up shakily from the bed, confirming he had just been haunted by a nightmare and dreamed of the Zhou Wang.

Trembling with fear, he fell to his knees with a thud and bowed in all directions, "Forgive me, Zhou Wang—I didn't know it was you in the dream, I thought it was just a dream…"

The Zhou Wang floated back contentedly to Pan Yun, bowed respectfully to Master Xuanmiao, then said, "Young Pan, could we try such a dream on Zhang the Physician?"

He spoke to Pan Yun, but his eyes involuntarily turned toward Master Xuanmiao.

Master Xuanmiao smiled faintly; this time, he didn't even form a hand seal—he simply waved him away. The Zhou Wang rolled joyfully through the air and vanished into Zhang the Physician's room.

Zhang the Physician had just fallen asleep; his dream had barely begun—in his own home, a table laden with exquisite delicacies—when, whoosh, the Zhou Wang sat down across from him…

Seeing the Zhou Wang, Zhang the Physician, experienced in such matters, tried to open his eyes and wake up—but found he couldn't wake up this time…

Pan Yun's expression was blank; inside, she marveled, 【Master Xuanmiao is incredibly powerful—is this magic of this world? It seems slightly stronger than my Dreamweaving.】

"Meow—" Pan Xiaohei walked two steps along the branch, lay down, and looked down at the two below, replying, "Your past civilization was deficient—you know only fragments of things. Vast numbers of cultivation arts and spells were lost by the 26th century. Dreamweaving is called a restored ancient technique, but how much of it is original invention, you yourselves know."

Clearly, here there exist superior, higher-grade spells that allow spirits to enter dreams.

Master Xuanmiao heard the constant meowing, looked up at the cat on the branch, and unusually spoke at length, "Long ago, I noticed you seem able to communicate verbally with this black cat.

Is this ability limited to this cat, or can you speak with other animals too?"

Pan Yun said nothing.

Master Xuanmiao said, "You're very young, yet your cultivation is already deep, and your knowledge of spells is scattered. I don't know who your master is, but you've taken many wrong paths. I advise you—before returning to Mount Sanqing—to stop cultivating entirely, lest you harm your body and leave lasting damage."

She glanced back at Zhang the Physician, still dreaming, and said to Pan Yun, "To guide a spirit into a dream, you need not place a trigger on the person's body. The spirit already resides in the Third Space; dreams are another dimension. Attach a trigger to the spirit itself, and it can link to any dream—it can enter whomever's dream it wishes."

The lucky numbers for today and tomorrow are all numbers ending in 5; screenshot as proof.

(End of Chapter)