Chapter 29 029 Return to the Present World
His vision blurred with a bloody mist, and his temples throbbed with a splitting pain. Duan Lansheng stared blankly at the hand.
The hand waited patiently for him, neither urging him nor withdrawing it.
Gradually, influenced by the peaceful aura emanating from her, he placed his hand in her palm, and she immediately grasped it tightly.
Seeing that the boy could still listen to others, Lu Yuanyuan breathed a slight sigh of relief, held the child's hand, and pressed her thumb firmly on his web of thumb to comfort him.
To be honest, she had no idea what awaited them ahead. However, as the only outsider here who knew this was the Sea of Consciousness, she had no choice but to bite the bullet and take on this NPC task of guiding the protagonist through the difficulties.
As soon as Lu Yuanyuan stepped into the mansion, she felt as if she had entered the inside of a constantly spinning kaleidoscope. The path under her feet stretched into the distance, and at the end, there was a chest.
System: "Ding! Congratulations, host, for finding the key to your sea of consciousness [Nine-Tailed Fox Skin], successfully filling in the hidden plot."
Lu Yuanyuan: "...!"
System: "Ding! The hourglass countdown has 10 minutes left. Please keep your mind stable and prevent yourself from being devoured by inner demons. Take the key and leave your sea of consciousness."
The words had barely left her lips when a torrent of information flooded into Lu Yuanyuan's mind. Bathed in a dazzling array of images, the mystery unfolded before her eyes!
—His inner conflict was actually related to his mother's fox fur.
The story dates back to the year Duan Lansheng's mother's clan fell. That villain surnamed Fan lured cultivators to ambush and kill the fox clan. Nine-Tailed Fox and her few remaining clansmen died in the fierce battle, and the cultivators were also severely weakened, with only two wounded managing to escape.
When the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman benefits. Fan Shen, who lurked in the shadows watching the battle unfold, was ironically the least affected. After Jiuwei's death, Fan Shen, devoid of humanity, stripped her of her beautiful fox pelt.
In this petty person's eyes, this monster, who had once been kind to his family and possessed spirituality, was probably no different from a wild fox that fell into a trap while hunting in the mortal world.
That wasn't all. Seeing his two fellow cultivators lying on the ground, this bastard went all out and killed them while they were unable to move.
That's right, cultivators possess superhuman physiques. But if they suffer a fatal wound, such as having their head severed, then even a great immortal couldn't save them.
By selling the treasures he plundered from the Nine-Tailed Fox's lair and the items he stole from the two cultivators, Fan Shen earned his first pot of gold. In the following years, he transformed from an insignificant small merchant into a wealthy man.
When his mother's clan met with disaster, Duan Lansheng was only five or six years old. By the time he grew into a teenager and had the ability to take revenge, Fan Shen, that villain, had been dead for many years, and the whereabouts of the Nine-Tailed Fox's pelt had been completely lost.
This unresolved issue became a buried past that Duan Lansheng could never let go of. No matter how hard he searched, he could never find any trace of his mother again.
...
After reading the complete story, Lu Yuanyuan rubbed her temples, her veins throbbing.
That's disgusting.
This guy surnamed Fan is absolutely disgusting; calling him scum wouldn't be an exaggeration.
Previously, Duan Lansheng had only mentioned this bastard's past with the fox clan. Now, after seeing all of his misdeeds through the system's spoilers, she realized that the truth was far more cruel than what she had seen.
Fortunately, in real history, this scourge did not die after Duan Lan grew up. He only outlived the Nine-Tailed Clan by two years before being killed by mountain bandits.
Presumably, what's inside the box at the end of this passageway is...
Just then, Duan Lansheng seemed to see the box at the end of the road as well, and he asked somewhat blankly, "What...is that?"
"We'll find out when we get there," Lu Yuanyuan said, pulling him along.
Along the way, illusory figures coalesced and dispersed around them. Just as they reached the front of the box, a sandstorm-like cloud of blood mist suddenly arose. Thousands of troops, accompanied by shrill cries, surged towards them. Lu Yuanyuan was startled, knowing that the lustful ghost was making its move to stop them from getting closer to the box. She quickly shielded Duan Lansheng behind her and tightly closed her eyes.
However, when the stench subsided, nothing was left behind; their faces and clothes remained as clean as ever.
No way?
Such a grand display, yet it turned out to be a completely harmless illusion?
Lu Yuanyuan was surprised and confused. Suddenly, she felt her right hand tighten and be pinched.
She looked down and saw Duan Lansheng staring intently in one direction. Startled, Lu Yuanyuan followed his gaze.
Just meters away from them, where there had been nothing a moment ago, the writhing patches of color slowly coalesced into two afterimages after the blood mist dissipated. A gigantic fox lay on the ground, a longsword piercing her chest and back, her lungs bulging like a broken bellows. She raised her head, tears of blood streaming from her eyes:
"My son, weren't you looking for me? Didn't you want to avenge me?"
"I'm right here, why don't you come over?"
...
Lu Yuanyuan cursed under her breath.
This is truly hitting the snake where it hurts most; this thing knows exactly where to stab someone in the most vulnerable spot, and it's so realistic. Forget about the little Duan Lansheng; even the sixteen or seventeen-year-old version of him outside might not be able to handle it!
Sure enough, the child she was leading stopped in front of the illusion, seemingly terrified by his inner demons, clutching his head as if knives were ripping into his brain. Then, he swayed and took a step in that direction.
Lu Yuanyuan tightened her grip around his waist, wanting to pick him up and sprint over him without thinking twice, but she found that she couldn't move him at all!
As expected, the guest couldn't resist the master of the sea of consciousness at all!
No longer caring about anything else, Lu Yuanyuan knelt down hard, using her weight to slow him down, and whispered in his ear, "Duan Lansheng, wake up!"
A crisp shout shattered the illusion, and Duan Lansheng stopped in his tracks, feeling his shoulder being gripped tightly as he was forcibly turned around. Lu Yuanyuan squatted in front of him, her dark eyes fixed on him with unwavering determination: "Duan Lansheng, that's not your mother, it's all fake. Only you and I are real here."
"..."
"Don't be trapped by the past. The past is the past. You have to move forward." Lu Yuanyuan said, emphasizing each word, "Let's go home and take her with us."
As soon as they finished speaking, they both heard a crisp sound of something breaking and collapsing.
The surging blood mist dissipated, filling the sky and earth. There were no more obstacles; only they remained in the dark world, a warm, gentle white light falling upon the box in front of them.
Duan Lansheng suddenly lost his strength and knelt on the ground, reaching for the lid of the trunk. But as he tried to open it, another hand reached out from the side and gripped the lid.
The child trembled and looked up.
"Don't look." Lu Yuanyuan sighed softly, moved her hand up to cover the back of his hand, and patted it: "Just remember what she looked like when she was alive."
The next second, it seemed as if warm water droplets hit the back of her hand.
Immediately, she felt a strong pulling force, and her vision went black.
She didn't know how much time had passed when she heard the long-lost cries of many people, a cacophony that made her head ache.
"Wake up! Hey, Junior Sister Lu!"
"She just fell off the sword, didn't she? It's almost dawn and she's still not awake."
"Are you knocked unconscious?"
Lu Yuanyuan opened her eyes as if in a dream, only to see a sky faintly lit by the morning light, and four large faces appearing above her head: "..."
Seeing that she had woken up, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Having been trapped in Duan Lansheng's consciousness for so long, Lu Yuanyuan felt like a wild woman returning from the deep mountains. She squinted and slowly tried to recognize the faces before finally matching them with her memories.
They were the same Shushan disciples who had worked with her on the dungeon "Immortal Flesh" before she was sucked into her sea of consciousness!
Thank God, thank Earth, has she finally returned to the real world?
System: "Ding! The demon-slaying dungeon [Immortal Flesh] is complete. Rewards are below; please check the stats panel." [Health Points] 50/100 (Average)
[Combat Strength] 30/100 (Fancy but ineffective)
[Spiritual Power] Not unlocked (Mortal Body)
[Character Completion Rate] 40%
Then, the system said: "Ding! Congratulations to the host for successfully assisting the master of the sea of consciousness, Duan Lansheng, in escaping his predicament. The following is a special reward from the lustful ghost: the cultivation manual 'Three Styles of Charming Heart'."
A book with a dark blue cover appeared in the void; the design was quite normal. But the name sounded rather unserious.
Lu Yuanyuan asked suspiciously, "What kind of secret manual is this? Is there anything special about it?"
System: "The first half of it is a special breathing and regulating method that will help you accelerate your Core Formation. The second half records a large number of dual cultivation techniques. Once mastered, you can absorb the spiritual power of powerful individuals through intimate acts of varying degrees—as long as it doesn't exceed a certain limit, it won't be detected."
Lu Yuanyuan: "...?"
System: "After all, the Lustful Demon is a lewd demon that enjoys tempting humans to have relations with it. The rewards dropped in its dungeons will also have its own style."
There are indeed methods of dual cultivation in this world, but they are all based on the premise that both parties are willing to cooperate. Moreover, there is usually a certain difference in strength between the two people. When the stronger one nurtures the weaker one, it is a great tonic for the weaker one.
The immortal sects do not advocate this path, but they have not officially declared it to be an evil path either.
That's where the problem lies. Theoretically speaking, in any dual cultivation, the person being absorbed should definitely feel it.
Secretly absorbing spiritual energy is 100% heretical and unorthodox. But the system says it won't be detected as long as it doesn't exceed a certain limit... Could this be considered another form of power bank?
Lu Yuanyuan thought for a moment and said, "I don't have time to study it now, can you put it away for me first?"
System: "No problem."
After arguing with the system for a while, Lu Yuanyuan became much more awake and struggled to sit up. A female cultivator carefully helped her up, and Lu Yuanyuan leaned on the other woman's shoulder. Suddenly, the crowd parted, revealing a familiar figure.
It was Duan Lansheng.
He walked up to her, his face pale, his expression stiff and complex. Looking at her, his pale lips moved slightly: "You... are awake."
That expression...
Lu Yuanyuan's heart skipped a beat. This guy really remembered; it was time to test her acting skills!
She quickly feigned dizziness, leaning against the shoulder of the female cultivator beside her, interrupting him with a bewildered and weak expression: "Is it already dawn? I feel like I slept for a very long time, and my head hurts so much. What happened?"
Upon hearing this, Duan Lansheng paused, stunned.
No one noticed anything amiss, and they all started offering their explanations: "Duan Lansheng was attacked by a lustful ghost. You were right next to him, so you must have been quite shocked too."
"Besides your headache, is there anything else that's bothering you?"
Lu Yuanyuan remained frail, leaning against the female cultivator. She coughed lightly and said, "No, I'm just a little tired, my mind is blank. I'll go back and rest, and I'll be fine after a nap."
From behind the crowd, Duan Lansheng kept staring at her.
...
He remembered everything that happened in his sea of consciousness.
Heavy snow, Fan Shen, small town, doctor... and Lu Yuanyuan.
Everything in the sea of consciousness obeys the master's will.
At first, perhaps because he hoped someone would help him, Lu Yuanyuan appeared in the snow, took him in, and protected him. Later, that accident happened, and in that distorted, illusory world, he and she became an ordinary couple.
In his mind's eye, everything seemed so natural. When he came to his senses, he was almost stunned by the shock, absurdity, embarrassment, and deep shame.
However, this feeling of being at a loss cannot be described as disgust.
Because he always remembered the hand that led him away in his sea of consciousness.
His mind was buzzing, and Duan Lansheng couldn't sort out his thoughts for a moment. Little did he know, he didn't need to think so much at all.
Because Lu Yuanyuan had absolutely no memory of what happened in her sea of consciousness. Neither the good nor the bad; she had no recollection of it.
"..."
Fine, let it be.
Duan Lansheng clenched his sword-wielding hand and turned away.
Since she doesn't remember, there's no need to add to her troubles.
Besides, everything in his sea of consciousness wasn't what he wanted in the first place. He and Lu Yuanyuan didn't have much affection for each other, nor were they close. He didn't want these actions against his will to give her the wrong impression about their relationship.
We can find other ways to repay her kindness later.
...
The group investigated the case of the immortal flesh and then returned to the Guan family to rest.
Lu Yuanyuan was actually fine, but she still used the excuse of "needing rest due to concussion" to stay in the hotel room for a few days.
In the blink of an eye, three days had passed, and the group was finally ready to set off back to Mount Shu.
Early in the morning, under a clear and sunny sky, everyone was packing their belongings at the last stop of the mansion, while Duan Lansheng was also putting reins on his horses.
The Immortal Sect truly lives up to its reputation as a place that admires strength.
These outer disciples, when faced with something as manipulative as lust, would often find it difficult to break free from their entanglement for three days and three nights. Duan Lansheng, however, awoke from his illusion in a single night. Objectively speaking, everyone was convinced of his abilities, and their attitude towards him subtly improved considerably.
Lu Yuanyuan packed a bundle, took a piece of pastry, and stepped out of the mansion gate, where she saw Duan Lansheng's back as he carried a sword.
This was the first time she had seen Duan Lansheng alone since waking up from her sea of consciousness.
Lu Yuanyuan breathed a sigh of relief, walked over as if nothing had happened, and greeted, "Good morning, Duan Lansheng."
The tall, slender figure paused slightly, put down what he was holding, turned around, and replied softly, "Good morning."
"You're almost done packing, we can finally go back." Lu Yuanyuan walked down the steps, and suddenly caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of her eye. She turned around and saw a little girl with pigtails, who looked to be only two or three years old, lying by the door, looking at them curiously.
Lu Yuanyuan recognized the little girl; she was the granddaughter of the Guan family patriarch and his wife.
Seemingly a little shy, the girl shrank back slightly when their eyes met. Finding Lu Yuanyuan's attitude gentle, she grew a bit bolder and wobbled towards them. However, being too young, she hadn't quite found her footing and soon plopped down on the ground.
A servant-like figure chased after her: "Oh dear, Miss, so you were here... Immortal Masters, I'm so sorry, Miss was just too curious and insisted on coming out to see for herself."
"It's alright." Lu Yuanyuan smiled, bent down, and held out her hand to the little girl with the pouting lips: "Here, take my hand. You have to go home now."
Duan Lansheng paused.
Hearing the familiar words, he couldn't quite describe his feelings. He turned around and saw the child bewilderedly handing his hand to Lu Yuanyuan.
Lu Yuanyuan didn't notice him looking at her. She led the child back up the steps and handed him to a servant. Only then did she realize that a gaze was on her back. She turned around in confusion and looked at him with a questioning look.
"..." Duan Lansheng turned his head away, his brows furrowed with frost, his voice somewhat stiff: "It's nothing."
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