Chapter 71 The Sound of Pomegranate Blossoms and Rain (Part Two) Ye Li.

"I think I know whose dream this is?"

She was beautiful and delicate, like a tiny, brand-new doll. Her pointed chin was still a little rounded at this time. It turned out that her eyes had been stubborn since she was a child, and her mouth would turn down slightly when she was angry.

The little girl who just ran past is Ye Li when she was 7 or 8 years old. Perhaps they have entered the dream of an acquaintance.

The reason Xia Zhu could make such a confident statement was because this guy was essentially a scaled-up version of himself.

Realizing that this was very likely Ye Li's dream, Xia Zhu was both excited and embarrassed, with a feeling that she was invading someone else's privacy without permission.

This dream also seems different from my previous dreams.

She raised her hand and brushed it towards the tips of the grass by the roadside, just as a faint phantom passed through her fingertips without her noticing, coupled with Xiaoye Li's previous indifference.

"The people in the dream seem unable to see us?" She looked at her hands, trying to figure out whether the transparent phantom was herself or something in the dream.

"Have you forgotten the prophecy of Shence? Our dreams are bound to be affected to some extent. Isn't it normal that the people in our dreams can't see us?" Ying Huo stood under the shade of a tree not far away, and Xia Zhu couldn't quite see his face. "Aren't we going to go and take a look? If she is Liang, then that's perfect. We can kill her and get out of the dream."

Kill him? Xia Zhu was taken aback, recalling his cryptic words from earlier.

After thinking for a few seconds, she decided to go and see for herself. To be honest, Xia Zhu was also quite curious about what kind of obsession Ye Li, who seemed so perfect, was struggling with.

As I walked into the stairwell where Ye Li had disappeared, a cool breeze blew in; it was much cooler here than outside. The space wasn't very spacious to begin with, and under the stairs were two dusty motorcycles and a pink children's bicycle, which looked like they had been there for a long time, with a thick layer of dust covering the exposed foam seats.

The small, mottled wall on the right is covered with all sorts of small advertisements and notices from the building's residents. It's also crammed full of the main electrical box for the building that needs to be installed.

Every detail was crystal clear, indicating that Ye Li had a very deep impression of this place.

Turning the corner of the stairs, there's a large, old-fashioned openwork floral wall. Brilliant sunlight streams through the gaps into the dimly lit hallway, casting dappled floral shadows on the concrete floor. Passing under the floral wall, you can feel a brief burst of intense heat.

Ying Huo followed silently behind, showing little interest from the beginning. After all, these people and things had nothing to do with him, and he had no intention of ever exploring areas he had never set foot in before. Human society was like a distant galaxy to him.

For some reason, Xia Zhu stopped, turned around and looked down at Ying Huo, who was standing under the flower wall, the dazzling sunlight turning his spiky hair golden.

Upon noticing her movement, Ying Huo also stopped and tilted his head slightly to meet Xia Zhu's gaze.

"If you don't want to be with me, you can find a place... to rest. This dream shouldn't be too difficult or dangerous; I can handle it myself."

Ying Huo seemed surprised by her words, his expression relaxed for a moment, and then he inexplicably laughed. This was the first time his laughter was without any mockery. Xia Zhu felt her eyes sting; she really shouldn't stare at the sunlight for too long.

"Don't even think about it." Ying Huo's breath was light and airy, the two words as light as a feather. He slowly walked to Xia Zhu's side, turned his head and glanced at her. "Don't think I don't know what you're thinking. You want to steal the Natural Aspect Stone and then dump me, right?"

He suddenly stopped, and because he was a head taller than Xia Zhu, he looked down at her instead.

"Like last time? Don't even think about it."

Ying Huo's gaze suddenly turned hot as it fell on her skin, making Xia Zhu not know where to look. She belatedly realized that he was trying to use his advantage in language and height to create a disparity in their auras, making her feel guilty for no reason, even though she hadn't done anything wrong.

Doesn't he understand that the polite words he used to agree to take him in were tinged with ulterior motives? Xia Zhu had already ended the previous conflict with his fists, and the two of them should now go their separate ways.

Unless, unless Ying Huo could immediately tell her the true purpose of following him, and the name he had some doubts about.

But she still didn't say anything, brushed past his shoulder and continued up the stairs, just like Ye Li had treated her.

I climbed many stairs until I finally saw that small figure on the fourth floor.

Perhaps because of the hot weather, the door to apartment 401 wasn't completely closed, but rather left ajar. Xiao Ye Li crouched by the door, peeking furtively inside.

Xia Zhu initially thought she had gone out to play late and was too scared to go home, so she hid at the door to scout things out. She figured that since she was invisible, she could help her see if her parents were angry.

So she went to the door and tried to wave her hand in front of Ye Li's eyes to make sure that no one else could see her. But as soon as she squatted down next to Ye Li, she saw a pair of teary eyes.

The little girl's eyes were red-rimmed, with two pools of water in her eye sockets, but she kept her lips tightly pressed together, and the tears just wouldn't fall.

Looking at the pitiful child, Xia Zhu couldn't help but wonder, "Does playing at home mean I'll get a beating?" Seeing how frightened the child was, she tried to wipe away her tears.

A children's song was leaking from the crack in the door, and the static of the electricity was crackling and playing something like "Big Windmill." When Xia Zhu was Ye Li's age, she hadn't watched television yet, so she didn't know which children's program it was.

She thought, it seems Ye Li's parents aren't too angry, since they've already tuned the TV to the channels their child likes.

But soon, the sound of another child singing along with the TV came from the room. He sounded to be about the same age as Ye Li, or even younger.

"Our Cancan sings so well, how about we ask Dad to enroll us in an extracurricular class so we can become stars on stage in the future?" A gentle female voice rang out.

"Xiao Wan, don't be like that. These things should be based on the child's own wishes. Besides, Mom and Dad don't expect Can Can to know everything. Our Can Can just grow up happily!" The speaker was probably the little girl's father. He seemed to have picked up his daughter and was bouncing her around in his arms. The little girl giggled and laughed, and the laughter mixed with singing drifted out the door.

Xia Zhu was a little confused. She had never heard that Ye Li had a younger sister. She was wondering what this happy family had to do with little Ye Li when the little girl with two braids and her hands clenched into fists wiped her eyes and ran away, tumbling down the street so fast that Xia Zhu couldn't even react.

Xia Zhu stood up blankly. Something seemed to sweep across her head from outside the door. She patted her head and her eyes fell on a bundle of mugwort and calamus on the security door.

Dragon Boat Festival.

She seemed to understand something and subconsciously looked at Ying Huo behind her.

"Let's go, the demons have all run away, be careful we can't catch them." Ying Huo stood at the top of the stairs, his left foot had just stepped onto the next step when all the surrounding scenery began to shift and change. The cicadas' chirping grew longer, the summer sun blazed brighter, and the latticed windows at the top of the stairs receded rapidly, being infinitely replicated in the distorted space.

The light was so bright it made her eyelids ache, and Xia Zhu couldn't help but raise her arm to shield herself. She only lowered her arm when she heard Ying Huo's voice.

"Alright, it seems it's not as simple as you think."

The scene before them had changed; it was no longer an old-fashioned residential building, but a dimly lit dance studio with the lights off. Three mirrors reflected two bewildered figures inside, and outside the window to the left, a languid sunset was unfolding.

A gentle evening breeze stirred the curtains, bathed in the orange glow of the setting sun, and light and shadow shifted slowly across the wooden floor. The dance studio was empty, so lonely it seemed unapproachable, save for the warm glow of the setting sun that filled the space.

In the shadows by the window, there seemed to be some photos pasted on them. Xia Zhu took a few steps toward them and parted the curtains that had been blown in by the wind. The glass frame was filled with that familiar little figure, wearing a white tutu, standing on tiptoe, spreading her thin arms. Her expression was stubborn, and even though tears were already in her eyes, she tried to hold her head high like an unyielding swan.

This is the ballet studio where Ye Li spent her childhood.

The other children weren't in the photo, perhaps because her family was well-off and she had the right to one-on-one lessons. Although she didn't know why they had been suddenly teleported here, Xia Zhu guessed that there might be more scenes behind the door on the right.

These are all fragments of Ye Li's memories.

As she had said before, it was just an ordinary dream.

Dreams are nothing more than flashes of past memories—fearful, nostalgic, and inescapable.

For some reason, Xia Zhu inexplicably believed that this dream would continue to be ordinary yet tinged with sadness, without any monsters suddenly jumping out or any demons trying to trap them within it.

They only need to find Ye Li to escape the dream.

We'll see when the time comes... Besides, she didn't bring her little sword with her.

Xia Zhu snapped out of her reverie. Ying Huo had somehow walked to the window beside her, and the two of them, one cold and one warm, were separated by light and shadow. She had to rub her eyes and realized that she had forgotten to take off her contact lenses before going to bed. Now the lenses were dry and stuck to the surface of her eyeballs, and a few tears would drip down her cheeks if she wasn't careful.

The evening breeze and the setting sun mingled, blowing the hair across his forehead and sprinkling it with tiny golden specks, softening his sharp features and making his cold, gray eyes appear gentler. Xia Zhu secretly thought to herself, Ying Huo is as beautiful as a dream itself, sometimes possessing an undeniable aggressiveness, and sometimes so fragile that a gust of wind could dissipate him.

She secretly stared at his profile, from his forehead to the tip of his nose and then to his pale pink lips. Suddenly, a jumble of fragmented images flashed through her mind. It was early morning, dark gray mountain peaks, a forest after a heavy rain, and a misty fog.

Those images uncontrollably entered her eyes, and Xia Zhu felt a wave of dizziness.

"Hey, what's wrong?" The cold voice pulled her out of her daze, and a strange anger welled up in her chest. She shook her head, glanced quickly at the person in question, and then left with an even colder "Nothing," before walking straight to the door.

Ying Huo looked at Xia Zhu's hair swaying gently near her lower back, feeling at a loss. He had wanted to say it for a long time: her cotton pajamas were incredibly tacky and had no aesthetic sense whatsoever. They were infuriating to look at. Even his eighty-year-old grandmother wouldn't wear such shapeless and sloppy clothes!

Of course, Ying Huo didn't have a grandmother. And of course, the pajamas were just ordinary pajamas.

Xia Zhu rolled her eyes at him for no apparent reason. Before he could even get angry, she had already given him the cold shoulder.

Xia Zhu gripped the doorknob with her left hand, turned her head, and glared fiercely at Ying Huo. "Are you leaving or not? I'm warning you, the scene behind the door will probably change again. If there's any danger, don't blame me for abandoning you."

Danger? This triggered Ying Huo's keywords, and he quickly calmed down and gave chase.

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The author's note: Sometimes, if you're not careful, you might type Ying Huo's surname as Ying, but most of the original surnames had the "woman" radical.

The next chapter is from Ye Li's perspective; you can skip to the next chapter if you're not interested.