Chapter 7 Zhuangzi's Dream (Part 7) The man in Young Master Gu's arms...

Since he is already in a "dream," why should he restrain himself?

Song San stared at the back of Gu Lianzhou's head, his mind completely bewildered.

This person was very wary of her.

-

The passageway was crowded with people, and the air was thick with the smell of perfume. Song San carefully avoided the pedestrians, following closely behind Gu Lianzhou.

Thanks to Young Master Gu, Xu Xiang did not lay a hand on her, and her journey was relatively smooth.

After walking for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the road became increasingly remote, but there was still no sign of a latrine. Suddenly, a man rushed out from around the corner like a headless fly and bumped straight into her.

The force was so great that it knocked the person backward several steps.

Unable to dodge in time, Song San hurriedly called out "Gu Lianzhou," but when he looked up, he saw the man's colorful clothes fluttering, like a moth fluttering its wings at the light, and he quickly disappeared into the blind spot around the corner.

When she lifted the obstructing illusion to give chase, she only saw an empty, secluded path, without a single ghost in sight.

Song San: "..."

It's no use; the "three urgent needs" excuse was just a pretext for him to get away with it.

This person is deliberately trying to get rid of me.

He's a clever man; he knows how to use deception to control her.

Unfortunately, he's a greenhorn who can't distinguish friend from foe.

Song San scoffed, reached into the hidden pouch at his waist, pulled out an exquisitely crafted copper ball, and unscrewed the cap.

Under the dim light, a pale blue beetle emerged from its round mouth, wriggled its plump body, fluttered twice, and then spread its translucent wings.

It took off with a flap of its wings, hovered in the air for a moment, and then flew straight ahead.

This is a unique guide worm from the Ten Thousand Insect Valley of the Heavenly Mystery Sect.

It is said that this insect lives by the Yellow Springs, drinks the water of the River of Oblivion, eats the roots of the Red Spider Lily, and can freely travel between the Yin and Yang realms.

She then raised this kind of guide worm.

During the struggle, she secretly smeared some spider lily powder on Gu Lianzhou's belt to prevent him from getting lost. Now, just as she expected, it came in handy.

Song San closed the copper ball, put it back in his waistband, and then followed after him.

She wanted to see what Gu Lianzhou was really up to today.

Walking along the path and passing through a covered walkway, you can see bright lights ahead, and the sounds of people bustling about, creating a lively scene in the distance.

Song San couldn't help but click his tongue slightly.

The scale of Nuanchun Pavilion far exceeded her expectations.

As far as the eye can see, three majestic pavilions stand firmly, connected to the main building by a long corridor, forming a fan shape.

Gu Lianzhou plunged headlong into it, like a grain of sand thrown into a pond, impossible to find again.

The guide worm hovered in mid-air, buzzed twice, and suddenly glowed. As if sensing something, it turned and flew off in the northwest direction.

Song San immediately followed.

-

The blue beetle landed steadily in front of a secluded private room, then suddenly tilted its wings and spun around as it fell.

Song San lowered his eyes, reached out and took the guide worm, then stuffed it back into the copper ball.

A sudden cool breeze brushed against Song San's neck, making his hair stand on end.

She cautiously looked around and noticed that, without her noticing, the bright yellow candlelight had turned blood-red, then darkened as if stained with ink.

The previously lively crowd fell silent, as if their throats had been choked.

They stopped moving and stared silently at one spot.

Song San suddenly felt a sharp pain in his temple.

Countless dark, piercing gazes converged on her, watching her every move.

The red light flickered, making the shadows appear longer.

"three."

"two."

Song San muttered to himself, his eyes icy cold.

"one."

She raised her hand to touch the door, applying slight pressure. A creaking sound was heard, accompanied by the rustling of footsteps behind her.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a tall, thin, dark figure hunched over and leaning towards her.

Dark, withered fingers slowly approached, about to touch the top of his head.

Without turning his head, Song San threw down a yellow talisman, and purple electricity entered the ground beneath his feet, spreading rapidly behind him.

In an instant, surging lightning formed a net, keeping the monster behind them at bay.

A shrill howl stirred up a shockwave, and with the force of this, Song San stepped forward and disappeared into the doorway in an instant.

-

The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Song San paused, almost wondering if he had entered the wrong room.

Only one oil lamp was lit in the room, barely illuminating the white walls. In just a few breaths, the entire scene could be seen in the small space.

There was only a table, a chair, and a screen.

Gu Lianzhou was nowhere to be seen.

If the furnishings are too simple, they will inevitably give away the flaws.

Song San strode forward, reached out and grasped the handle of the oil lamp. With a strong pull of his wrist, a grating "crunch" was heard, and as the oil sloshed slightly, the bricks beneath his feet vibrated.

In a flash, Song San nimbly took a step back and bent down to look at the movement.

Beneath the wooden table, a square opening was clearly visible, leading to a dark and deep passageway hidden within the room.

Song San frowned slightly.

Gu Lianzhou used the excuse of going to the toilet to avoid being seen, but he actually came to this kind of place?

Without thinking twice, she lifted the tablecloth and crouched down to crawl under the table.

-

After passing through a winding, dark passage, which left his hair in a mess, Song San followed the faint light at the end of the road and emerged from the earthen wall.

The ground beneath her feet was smooth and flat, unlike the rough sand and gravel.

When you get closer, you can see that the sliver of light is thin and straight, as if it has split the dark night in two.

Song San's nose twitched, and then his eyebrows rose.

It smells like wood chips.

The secret passage leads to another side room.

While he was pondering, the man suddenly coughed violently.

Hearing the commotion so close by, Song San immediately felt as if he were facing a formidable enemy and froze on the spot.

This person probably has tuberculosis; the cough comes on suddenly and violently, like a tsunami crashing outwards.

At the same time, Gu Lianzhou's rough and unpleasant voice came through, "Master, are you alright?"

As soon as she finished speaking, the clear, crisp sound of a golden bell mingled with the creaking of the wooden bed as it rocked.

The room was in complete chaos.

Taking advantage of the chaos, Song San pushed open a crack in the door, crouched down, crawled out of the secret passage, rolled on the spot, and chose the nearest screen as cover.

Gu Lianzhou embraced the middle-aged man, leaning against the bed. He raised his hand to pat his father's back to help him catch his breath. His movements were so rough that the already overburdened wooden bed wobbled precariously, and the golden bells on the bed curtains swayed left and right, jingling.

Because of the commotion, he didn't notice that there was another person in the room.

Song San lay prostrate on the ground, cautiously peeking half his head out from behind the screen, looking at the master and disciple not far away.

But the old man had his head down, nestled in the arms of the 'flower butterfly,' his face indistinct.

He looks like a human being overall.

"You...why are you here?" The man, who was being vigorously patted by Gu Lianzhou, spoke with difficulty as if he were a small boat tossed about on the sea, "The Gu family...is no longer keeping you at home?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Lianzhou continued working and chuckled, "They're used to it. They just hope I won't make a big fuss. As for the rest, I'll handle it."

"Oh." The rustling of clothes came from inside the room. The person's voice rose and fell slightly, becoming a little louder than before. "They are quite carefree, cough—just a bunch of blind people."

The man's breathing was unsteady, and he coughed a few more times.

What's with all this talk of being restrained or not, blind or blind? How come Gu Lianzhou's daily visits to Nuanchun Pavilion have some ulterior motive?

Song San was overjoyed.

It's like searching high and low without finding it, only to have it come to you effortlessly. Perhaps the solution to breaking the illusion lies within this Warm Spring Pavilion.

In the midst of my joy, a gust of wind suddenly blew past my ear.

The screen in front of them suddenly tore apart like cotton paper and scattered in all directions.

"Who's there!" the boy shouted.

Song San looked up blankly, unable to react in time, his body exposed to the air.

Without the screen to shield her, she lay stiffly on the ground like a fish on a chopping board, waiting to be slaughtered.

Suddenly exposed to the sight of others, he exuded an indescribable air of sleazy.

...The air fell silent for a moment.

The 'Butterfly' was clearly shocked. For a moment, the two looked at each other and remained silent.

Song San pushed himself up, brushed the remaining dust from his palms, and said with an embarrassed smile, "Brother Gu, I've been looking for you for ages."

Young Master Gu pursed his lips, his gaze deepening.

After a moment, he said quietly, "Why are you so persistent?"

Like chewing gum, it's impossible to shake it off.

Without batting an eye, Song San said earnestly, "I was just worried about Brother Gu, so I rushed over here as fast as I could."

Gu Lianzhou knew she was lying, but he was too lazy to call her out. "Besides you, did anyone else come along?"

Song San waved his hand repeatedly: "They should be gone. If they are, they are not with me."

This is tantamount to admitting to stalking.

Gu Lianzhou scoffed, "His sneaky ways are nothing but the work of a rat."

He even started swearing!

Song San opened his mouth, about to retort, when a hoarse male voice from the side interrupted him, "Brother Zhou, what's going on?"

Only then did she shift her gaze to the person on the bed.

What was originally a casual glance turned into a thunderbolt-like shock for Song San, who froze on the spot.

She couldn't help but blurt out, "Master Fengxi?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the expressions on the faces of the two people opposite him became complicated.

The middle-aged man suddenly coughed and buried his head back down.

It looked as if he wouldn't stop until he coughed up all his internal organs.

Gu Lianzhou quickly patted his back to help him catch his breath, and looked at Song San with a more wary gaze, "How do you know my master's name?"

Song San was equally puzzled.

How could Uncle-Master Nie exist in Gu Lianzhou's illusion?

When did Uncle Nie become Gu Lianzhou's master?

These two people are clearly completely unrelated...

Gu Lianzhou looked at Song San, then turned to look at the person on the bed, "Master?"

The person on the bed lowered their head even further and remained silent.

"Perhaps I'm seeing things wrong. Let me take a closer look."

To comfort himself, Song San took a few steps forward and, under the man's flustered gaze, looked him up and down.

Song Sanbian looked at him and gasped.

It's incredible! How could there be two people in the world who look so alike?

Gu Lianzhou asked in confusion, "When did my master become your senior uncle?"

Song San choked for a moment: You just stole the words I was about to say...

Her gaze swept over the man's empty left sleeve, and her heart sank.

How come this place is exactly the same...?

I still remember when I was a child, I innocently asked when I saw my Uncle Fengxi's empty sleeve, "Uncle, where did your arm go?"

It is said that children speak without restraint.

At that time, her uncle was not angry at all. He squatted down in front of her, stroked her head and said softly, "Uncle fought a big battle with a monster and the monster ate your arm."

Upon hearing this, Song San, as a child, immediately burst into tears.

She cried bitterly, while Nie Fengxi laughed heartily.

He felt relieved, and Song San cried even harder, to the point that he ignored his uncle's bloodless lips and the cold sweat on his forehead.

I imagine that my uncle must have been in a very bad mood back then.

Nevertheless, he continued to comfort this snotty-nosed young woman.

"My dear Qiling, you're not pretty when you cry..."

What happened after that, so many years have passed, that it has become blurry and I can't remember it clearly.

That's when my martial uncle lost his arm.

The gold seal on his wrist was also lost.

After that, Song San never saw Nie Fengxi again.

The man before her was older than she remembered; his temples were gray, and his dark eyes no longer held the kindness they once had. He looked at her as if she were a stranger.

He is the illusory form of an evil spirit, not Nie Fengxi.