Discipleship
But what worried Wen Ya even more was that Si Mucheng had not discovered it.
He chatted with Shi Ling just like on the first day, word for word.
"Sir, are you also a Taoist master? Why would you live in seclusion here? Do you usually go out to exorcise spirits?"
"I was originally traveling around, but... after I found Mingruo, I settled here."
The two of them, like NPCs programmed with instructions, engaged in a conversation that was both harmonious and mechanical. Si Mucheng, however, did not find anything amiss.
Wen Ya observed secretly that, apart from the fact that they suddenly appeared here on the first day and met Shi Ling and his apprentice by chance, their current situation was that they had already stayed here for a night and were no longer meeting for the first time. It was as if the dream had made their appearance reasonable.
So when Mingruo came to say she was hungry, and Shiling went to cook, Simu Cheng enthusiastically ran over to help. Wen Ya watched Mingruo without showing any emotion.
Mingruo was still full of curiosity about her, and he asked, "Sister, do you know Master? Are you also a Celestial Master?"
Wen Ya paused, but didn't give the same answer as before. She said, "Don't you already know?"
Mingruo's smile froze for two seconds before returning to normal. She didn't answer Wenya, but continued, "Master is amazing! He can do everything. Master said I have a talent for magical artifacts, so he wants me to specialize in them!"
His tone was bright, yet at this moment there was an indescribable eeriness to it.
Wen Ya looked at him quietly, and Ming Ruo also maintained his smile and looked back at her.
After a while, Ming walked away nonchalantly, and soon, the exact same dishes were served again. Wen Ya watched the three of them chatting idly, oblivious to everyone else, as if watching a familiar soap opera.
After Shi Ling and Ming Ruo left, Si Mu Cheng feigned surprise and scoffed, "The Ancestor's childhood form! This is exactly the same as when he first learned Ming Ruo's identity."
Wen Ya, unable to bear it any longer, gently scolded, "Wake up! Think about when I told you about Ming Ruo's identity!"
Si Mucheng was stunned for a moment. Wen Ya seized the opportunity and tapped his brow. Si Mucheng seemed to instantly regain his senses.
His eyes darted around before he slowly turned to Wen Ya: "I... what's wrong with me..."
Wen Ya let out a barely perceptible breath and said, "I was influenced by the dream." Her face was serious. "Cheer up. If you can't stay awake, you might become one with the dream."
Si Mucheng suppressed his fear: "Then...what will happen?"
"Then you'll never be able to get out."
This terrified Si Mucheng. He rambled on, "I don't know what happened... If you hadn't woken me up, I would have felt perfectly normal, and what I said was exactly what I wanted to say..."
Wen Ya was speechless: "It was something you said yourself."
Si Mucheng thought for a moment and said, "That makes sense."
He's like a computer program, knowing what will happen next, running on his own and following the original plot.
He realized he had just lost control of himself and felt as if he would soon be assimilated by this dream. He was terrified and asked anxiously, "Xiaoya, what do we do now? Will I... will I be stuck in this dream?"
“No,” Wen Ya looked at him earnestly and held his hand reassuringly, “Don’t be afraid, I’m here.”
Si Mucheng had always believed that as long as Wen Ya was around, no ghosts could get close to him. And it was still true now. Just seeing her eyes, as clear as a spring, calmed his chaotic heart.
In the following days, Si Mucheng followed Wen Ya closely, while Shi Ling and Ming Ruo continued to act as if following the script, making the same actions and saying the same words as before, regardless of whether Si Mucheng or Wen Ya gave any response.
Six days passed quickly, and on the next day, it was back to the first day. This time, there wasn't even the slightest difference from the first meeting; it was exactly the same as the first day of the second time.
Time has looped.
When Si Mucheng saw Mingruo make a bowl of longevity noodles for Shiling for the third time, and the heartwarming scene of the master and apprentice eating noodles together to celebrate her birthday, he couldn't help but shudder. Even though the two of them were smiling, Si Mucheng felt a ghostly aura about them.
He didn't want to say anything discouraging, but he really was about to give up: "Xiaoya..."
“I understand,” Wen Ya suddenly said.
Si Mucheng's spirits lifted: "What?"
Wen Ya gazed thoughtfully at the master and disciple: "From the beginning, I felt that this evil spirit dream was different from the usual ones, because ordinary evil spirit dreams are a cycle of events that happened before the evil spirit died, since most ghosts' obsessions are related to their strongest thoughts before death. Li Huaming's dream last time was like that; what was special about his dream was that it had an inner world. But this evil spirit dream has a much larger time span, and they are all about trivial matters."
Si Mucheng quickly nodded in agreement: "Yes, yes, that's exactly why it felt so ordinary. That's why I let my guard down."
“So,” Wen Ya glanced at the master and disciple not far away, “returning to the rules, this dream is related to the obsession of the evil spirit. The continuous loop and the span of time are all related to this obsession of the evil spirit. In other words, these everyday trifles are all the obsession of the evil spirit.”
Si Mucheng also analyzed, "So, the relationship between master and disciple is the obsession of an evil spirit? Then who is this evil spirit? Shi Ling or Ming Ruo?"
Wen Ya hesitated. Even now, she wasn't sure, but she knew that finding the evil spirit was the key to breaking the dream.
The turning point came in the sixth cycle when Wen Tianyan appeared.
At that time, Si Mucheng was already somewhat dazed. Every day was the same story. Even though he kept reminding himself to stay awake, he couldn't control his state of mind.
So when Wen Tianyan and Wen Yongjie appeared at the courtyard gate with Wen Xiaofeng, his mind went blank for a moment, like a rusty machine turning. His eyes were wooden and he didn't move for a long time until Wen Xiaofeng flew over with a coo, her beady eyes still showing a bit of life, and pecked him on the head with her beak.
Si Mucheng cried out in pain, "Xiao Feng!" Whether it was from the pain or something else, his mind became much clearer.
Wen Xiaofeng squatted proudly on his shoulder, looking extremely arrogant.
Wen Ya and Wen Tianyan exchanged a glance, conveying a tacit understanding between them.
At this moment, Shi Lingming and his apprentice had already noticed the two people at the door. They were originally discussing a problem in "Spirit Weapon", but after sensing the presence of outsiders, they both paused, as if a computer had frozen, for about ten seconds before resuming operation.
"And who are you two?" Shi Ling arrived gracefully, her face still bearing the same gentle smile.
Wen Tianyan said in a deep voice, "Excuse me, my nephew and I are traveling back to our hometown. We got lost here. May we rest here for a while?"
Shi Ling made a gesture: "It's alright, please come in. Ming Ruo, go and pour some tea."
Wen Tianyan and Wen Yongjie walked straight to where Wen Yasi and Mu Cheng were sitting, and Ming Ruo poured them tea. Neither the master nor the apprentice paid any attention to the little incident; after serving the tea, they ignored everyone at the table and continued their discussion. It seemed they didn't care how many people came in.
Wen Ya thought to herself, "The evil spirits in this dream are quite tolerant."
But then I thought, does this mean that the evil spirit believes that no matter who comes in, "he" can prevent them from leaving?
Wen Ya's expression darkened slightly; it was likely that another fierce battle was about to begin.
Seeing that the illusionary figure wasn't paying much attention to them, Wen Tianyan whispered to Wen Ya.
Whatever his plans were before entering the dream world, he had to put them aside for now. Wen Ya was very clear that the most important thing at hand was to break the illusion; everything else could be dealt with after they got out.
It turned out that after Wen Tianyan and Wen Yongjie were drawn into the dream, they had been trapped in the thick fog, wandering around and unable to escape. Using talismans and formations in the dream might alert evil spirits, and Wen Tianyan, not understanding his situation, dared not make any rash moves. Trapped in the thick fog, the perception of time was even less noticeable, and Wen Tianyan didn't know how much time had passed when suddenly the sound of flapping wings grew louder, and Wen Xiaofeng descended from the sky, raising her head and letting out a clear cry, instantly dispelling the thick fog.
"We owe this all to Xiao Feng," Wen Tianyan said.
There is an ancient belief that crowing at dawn can ward off evil spirits, and Wen Xiaofeng is considered a professional at it.
Wen Ya reached out and touched Xiao Feng's comb, then told Wen Tianyan about what had happened between her and Si Mu Cheng.
Wen Tianyan glanced meaningfully at the master and disciple, and asked, "Have you already figured out the evil spirit's identity?"
Wen Ya remained expressionless: "That's about enough."
Si Mucheng's eyes widened: "You know who it is?"
“Hmm,” Wen Ya glanced at him, “but we still need to confirm. We might anger it. Now that Grandpa is here, our chances of winning are much higher.”
Before confirming the whereabouts of Wen Tianyan and Wen Yongjie, Wen Ya was unwilling to anger the dream's master. Besides, she wasn't very confident in herself.
From this perspective, even though the relationship between the grandfather and granddaughter may not seem that deep, Wen Ya feels that she is still influenced by Wen Tianyan in many ways.
Upon hearing this, Wen Tianyan exchanged a glance with Wen Ya and then asked, "When do you plan to go and test the waters?"
Wen Ya looked at the horizon, which was faintly showing signs of night: "Tonight."
Night fell quickly.
Wen Ya had already experienced this six times and knew exactly what would happen today.
On this day, Mingruo still looked like a child, a little older than when they first met, but a little younger than when they celebrated Shiling's birthday. The day was quite ordinary, the only memorable thing being that Mingruo found a little rabbit at the entrance of the courtyard that evening and begged Shiling to take it in.
As with the previous six times, after dinner, Mingruo was playing outside alone when he saw a fluffy little white rabbit in the grass outside the door. He happily went up and grabbed the rabbit's ears. Just as he was about to go inside to call his master, he saw someone blocking his way.
Xiao Ming looked up, his big eyes fluttering, as he gazed at the person who had come.
Wen Ya calmly met his gaze and sighed silently, "Have you had enough fun?"
Mingruo tilted her head curiously: "Sister Wen, what did you say?"
"Don't call me that. In the lineage of Celestial Masters, you are the ancestor. Ancestor, stop pretending."
Mingruo suddenly shut her mouth, her clear black and white eyes gleaming with a cold, eerie light.
Wen Ya's expression turned solemn: "If I'm not mistaken, you are the master of this dream."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
