Chapter 67 Dreams: Mermaids Rarely Dream

A gentle night breeze blew, and moonlight streamed into the bedchamber through the huge stained-glass windows. The moonlight flowed like water on the smooth floor tiles. At the deepest part of the bedchamber was a pool of water, the surface of which was ruffled by the breeze, creating tiny ripples of light.

Jia Yue sank into the pool, his lower body transforming into a giant fish tail, his fins gently flapping in the water. Although he hadn't returned to the sea for a long time, and had always appeared in human form in Tianque for so many years, as a merman, he still preferred his original form. When he went to sleep, he would transform into his original form and fall asleep in the pool.

He closed his eyes, just as he was about to fall asleep, when he heard a rustling sound coming from the edge of the pond. Something was approaching him from behind the screen.

He knew immediately who it was from the furtive commotion. The merman didn't open his eyes, but simply moved his lips, "Come out."

A small silver head immediately emerged from behind the screen, and its slender body swam vigorously towards the pool.

But before it even entered the water, it was stopped by a transparent nodule. The owner's cold voice came from above, "Weren't you going to run away with someone else? Now that she's thrown you away and doesn't want you anymore, you know to come to me?"

When its owner pointed out that it was not liked by that person, the silver snake immediately lost its spirit. Its head drooped limply, and its body remained motionless but began to tremble slightly, as if it were sobbing sadly.

After a while, the water in the pool rippled slightly, and the silver snake's body became light as it was scooped up by its owner. Unlike before, it didn't fawn over its owner's wrist; it simply nestled in his palm, like an abandoned child finally finding shelter.

It seems it has made a mistake; he is its master, not that heartless woman.

Helpless, Jia Yue had no choice but to put it in the pool to sleep with him. After all, a spirit beast is not human, its consciousness is limited, and all its actions are based on instinct. Although he didn't know why it was so fond of that thorny woman, it was still his contracted spirit beast. Since it had been hurt and saddened by someone, he had to comfort it.

Fine, let it stay in the pond tonight, and let it roll back to its nest tomorrow.

Overnight, even the deepest sorrow should dissipate.

The merman closed her eyes again, her cheeks behind her ears twitched slightly, and her breathing gradually calmed down.

The little snake swam around in the water, unable to find a safe place. The disappointment caused by being rejected by that person made it desperately want to find someone to rely on. It coiled back around its owner's wrist, which was the only place it was allowed to stay in the past. Today, its owner did not drive it away, so it boldly climbed up the wrist and quietly crawled up to its owner's forehead, settling in the spot closest to its owner.

A mermaid and a snake fell asleep on the surface of the pond, where the night breeze gently rippled.

The entire world turned into a pale gold, without boundaries, without sun, moon, or stars. The whole world was in chaos, with the overwhelming gold swirling and flowing like a golden vortex, at the center of which was a bottomless black hole.

Jia Yue stood in the golden world, unable to tear his gaze away from the golden vortex for a long time. The black hole seemed to be sucking him in, but he felt no fear. He just kept moving closer, wanting to see it more clearly.

But the vortex suddenly retreated, and the world became clear again. The gold shrank into a small ball, which turned out to be a pair of eyes.

Golden liquid flowed within, shimmering and rippling. Those eyes were smiling at him.

So he laughed too. Unable to reach her, he reached out, wanting her to come closer. But she only sparingly extended a finger to touch his hair. Only then did he realize the vast difference in their sizes; next to her, he felt like a tiny toy. Yet, he still lingered on her touch, and as her finger was about to withdraw, his body followed her faster than his mind.

But the other person's hand vanished. He chased after it until he crashed into a glass wall, unable to get any further. The world outside the wall was a blurry shadow; the person was gone. A tremendous sense of unease instantly overwhelmed him, accompanied by the despair that the other person might never appear again. He forgot all his magic, like a fish trapped in a fishbowl, anxiously and passively waiting for the other person to reappear.

A very long time passed, each moment unbearable. Just as he was about to be overwhelmed by despair, a hand appeared above his head. His heart, empty from the hopeless wait, was instantly filled with joy. The person had returned, and he felt better. Outside the glass wall, rain was falling softly, and the other person was using their hand to shield him from the wind and rain. This realization filled his heart with joy.

Through a layer of glass, a blurry figure could be seen outside. Although he couldn't see the person's face at all, he had a feeling that it was a young girl. The world outside the bottle swayed with her steps, but he didn't feel annoyed at all. Instead, a secret sweetness arose from the bottom of his heart.

The blurry, stained glass walls swayed back and forth, and the scene shifted, leaving him in a vast expanse of water. The night was deep, the water wide, and he was utterly alone. He wanted to find that person, but didn't know where to begin. He didn't know her name, didn't recognize her face; he couldn't grasp anything. Like a child abandoned by adults, he sank into a deep sense of powerlessness in the water where he should have felt safest.

But the next moment, as if sensing his helplessness, a blurry figure suddenly emerged from the water. She was facing away from him, but he recognized her instantly—it was the person he was looking for. Almost instinctively, he swam to her and, without thinking, hugged her tightly. The instant their skin touched, he felt a surge of contentment, almost to the point of tears.

She pressed herself tightly against him, her breath filling his nostrils. The thought of her in his arms made his heart melt, leaving him utterly weak. But he couldn't afford to be weak; if he relaxed even slightly, she would vanish again. He held her even tighter, wishing he could sprout a thousand vines to entwine her, to bind her forever. He couldn't care less about anything else; only one instinctive thought remained in his mind: hold her tight, never let her go again.

Perhaps his strength made her uncomfortable; she struggled in his arms. He lowered his head and gently kissed the skin of her neck, begging her to let him hold her a little longer, but she still struggled. Of course, he wouldn't let go. He pleaded with her while holding her even tighter, pressing her back tightly against his chest. He could even clearly feel the scars on her back. If he could, he even wanted her to be embedded into his body, so that they would never be separated. Just like that, forever together…

"Thump—" Something fell into the water.

The person in his arms vanished like the wind; he couldn't hold onto anything, and an overwhelming fear swept over him, instantly destroying the entire world.

Inside the palace, the merman suddenly opened his eyes in the pool. His icy blue pupils contracted sharply. He got up and swam to the shore, where he lay on the edge of the pool, panting heavily, as if he had dreamt of something extremely terrifying.

Merfolk rarely dream, and he almost never dreams at all.

How could I have such a dream?

Jia Yue clutched his chest tightly, where his heart was pounding wildly. An unprecedented and unfamiliar emotion exploded in his heart like a thunderclap, the intense emotional impact like a tsunami, leaving him weak all over, lying by the pool like a fish dying of thirst.

Was that real and intense emotion truly his? Could such a cold merman really feel love and desire for someone?

Would he love someone like that?

Jia Yue stood by the pool, panting for a long time, trying to shake off this unfamiliar feeling. But the comfort he felt in his dream because of her warm gaze, the boundless joy when he saw her, the immense satisfaction when their skin touched, and the desperate fear and reluctance when they parted... all of these things assaulted his heart.

Such an intense desire to make the other person a part of one's very being, a love so strong that one wished to empty oneself and give everything to her.

Although it was a dream, it felt incredibly real.

A voice inside him told him it was true. Even though he didn't want to admit it, he had to face reality. Those intense emotions and profound experiences had truly existed.

Even though that memory has been completely erased, those emotions still remain in his heart. With just a gentle touch, they flow like a river bursting its banks.

As Jia Yue closed his eyes, the blurry figure from his dream immediately surfaced in his mind, stubbornly occupying his attention.

He knew who she was, the mortal who had triggered his transformation.

Without a face or a voice, just a blurry figure, he was able to evoke his most hidden emotions, along with his memories.

But wasn't she dead? She died in a war before he could even awaken and differentiate. He sent people to collect her body, but in the village burned to the ground, every corpse was charred beyond recognition. She and her people died together, eventually turning to dust. She was just a tiny mortal, insignificant as an ant; a turmoil in the world was enough to crush her.

She was dead. The person he had been chasing so desperately and embracing so tightly in his dream was dead. This realization made Jia Yue's chest ache so badly she could hardly breathe; her heart felt empty, as if a piece of it was missing, leaving her feeling utterly desolate as the cold wind blew through.

He tried to recall what she looked like, but there was nothing, nothing at all.

His memory was a blank, leaving only some vague but deeply etched feelings. He forgot what she looked like, forgot everything related to her, but his feelings for her clung to him like a leech, secretly hidden in his very being, lurking and waiting to strike him hard just when he thought he had completely let go of the past.

He suddenly felt a pang of hatred for her, hating that she had given him a love that was etched in his heart, and then died so easily; hating that if she couldn't be with him forever, why did she have to stir his emotions in the first place?

I hate her.

Love and hate tangled together in his chest. He could only vent his love and hate, which had nowhere to go or find a place to settle, when he looked at the blurry and illusory figure in his dream. It was as if his heart was being torn apart by a knife.

The merman's perfect face revealed a rare hint of vulnerability. He couldn't understand why these emotions, which should have been submerged and silent, were suddenly stirred up tonight, even though everything seemed normal.

Everything seemed normal, but why did he feel that the bedroom was empty and cold?

"Thud—" Something fell down, the sound clearly audible in the silent hall.

A pearl, seemingly fallen from nowhere, rolled along the edge of the pool before quietly settling into the water. Since it sank to the bottom without disappearing, it can be assumed that nothing happened.

However, the little snake, which had fallen into the pond from its owner's head due to its unrestrained sleeping posture, also saw the pearl. It painstakingly picked up the pearl with its mouth and, as if to show off its accomplishment, carried the pearl back to its owner.

The result, of course, was not a pleasant one. The silver snake was startled by its master's appearance, opened its small mouth, and with a "glug," swallowed the pearl, choking it and causing it to thrash around in the water.

*

Also on Tianque Mountain, another palace was brightly lit.

Although it was late at night, Jiang Yuhuo had been asleep for too long and was wide awake. She had asked the merman female cultivator named Qingping, and Wen Yizhan was not in Tianque. It seemed that he had promised Jia Yue something and was doing a errand for him.

She couldn't imagine what Jia Yue would ask of Wen Yizhan, but she felt that given Jia Yue's petty nature, it probably wouldn't be an easy thing.

After much thought without reaching a conclusion, and unable to sleep anyway, Jiang Yuhuo simply rummaged through her clothes and found a communication talisman to write to Wen Yizhan: Where is Senior Brother now? I heard you are doing things for others; do you need any help? My fever has subsided; please don't worry. Once I obtain the Spirit-Descent Wood, I can leave the Heavenly Palace and reunite with you.

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Author's Note: A sudden burst of inspiration struck me at work, and I impulsively wrote a pre-order. I'm sharing it with you all here, and by the way, please add it to your favorites! [doge emoji]

Is it a legitimate act of infiltration?

A young Alpha has joined the CIA. He's of average talent and comes from an ordinary family. It's said he took the entrance exam eight times before finally getting in.

She always had a smile on her face, was very polite, and didn't talk much. Apart from her strikingly beautiful face, she was otherwise unremarkable and seemed like an extremely honest person.

To be honest, Zhao Ying thought life after getting a permanent position was pretty good; it was great to have a government job. A cup of tea, a cigarette, and a piece of intelligence to keep her occupied all day. She coasted along, clocking out on time, only occasionally taking on small tasks assigned to her by the organization.

That's right, she was actually a spy sent to infiltrate the enemy, a pawn planted inside their ranks.

But gradually, things started to go wrong.

First, a well-meaning leader wanted to help her solve her personal problems and insisted that she go on a blind date with the speaker's arrogant and power-hungry young master.

(Yes, yes, I am not good enough for you, but could you please stop showing off your glands to seduce me?)

Later, fearing she would be exposed, the organization sent her a "wife" who was supposedly an all-rounder, but this "wife" would blush whenever she spoke to her.

(Big brother, do you still remember that you're a rational and calm Beta?)

Her superior, A, would occasionally take her out on field missions alone, saying that he wanted her to protect him.

(As expected, you can't be too capable at work.)

She accidentally saved a widowed Omega member of the royal family, and afterwards, he would call her relentlessly every night, summoning her alone.

(She didn't touch it, not even a finger. Her family has been in poverty for three generations, they're terrified of hunger. If you suddenly serve her a state banquet, who would dare to eat it?)

Zhao Ying was exhausted, constantly navigating the complexities of powerful figures, a task that drained both her mind and body. Watching the men throwing themselves at her, Zhao Ying sighed and rubbed her forehead – was this really a legitimate undercover operation?

But since I'm already here, what can I do but quit this secure job? I guess I'll just have to keep working.

The organization entrusted her with such an important position; she must live up to the organization's expectations and beliefs.

Later, Zhao Ying rose through the ranks, enjoying both official success and romantic fortune.

She felt it was time to end it; if she continued to lie low, she would eventually become the top leader...

Note:

1. The female lead is chaotic yet kind-hearted, with a loving nature; she falls in love with every man she meets.

2. Poisoning products from the TV series "Lurking"

3. I'll add more later if I think of anything else.