Chapter 35: Dreaming
Chu Yun's words, "Zhilan is our biggest trump card," made the atmosphere, which had just calmed down, tense again. Mo Li and Li Ge's eyes shifted back and forth between Chu Yun and Zhilan, their eyes filled with complex emotions. The four of them returned to the abandoned house and closed the doors and windows. "I understand what you mean," Mo Li spoke first, her voice more serious than ever. "You want to take her into the dream with you." "Yes," Chu Yun replied without hesitation. "No!" Mo Li objected without hesitation, her voice sharp and resolute. "I absolutely disagree! Chu Yun, have you forgotten where we're going? It's a mental prison constructed from the nightmares of the entire village! Not only are there unknown nightmares inside, but there are also Shadow Pavilion masters who have already infiltrated! The three of us would be in grave danger if we went in, and now you want to take an unarmed little girl in?" She pointed at Zhilan, her tone a little hurried with excitement. "Look at her, can she protect herself? Does she know talismans? Does she know mechanical engineering? She doesn't even know the most basic fighting skills! Taking her in isn't helping us, it's harming her! Not only would we have to deal with the enemy, but we'd also have to divide our attention to protect her, which would put all of us in danger!" Mo Li's objection was based entirely on the calmest and most rational tactical analysis. Every word was well-reasoned. "I disagree too," Li Ge's voice rang out. While her tone wasn't as passionate as Mo Li's, it was equally filled with undeniable resolve. "Mo Li is right. The spiritual world is far more dangerous than the real world. In reality, we can still use our bodies to shield her from attacks. But in dreams, attacks are directed directly at the soul. None of us can do her job. Once her mind is targeted by Nightmare or the Shadow Pavilion, she will be torn to pieces in an instant." She looked at Chu Yun, a hint of confusion in her eyes. "I admit, I've never seen such pure power as hers. However, this power doesn't justify risking her life. She's just a child, Chu Yun. She shouldn't be drawn into a battle of our level." Faced with the fierce objections of his two companions, Chu Yun didn't immediately retort. He was silent for a moment, as if trying to formulate his words. "Let me ask you," he began slowly, his voice low and powerful. "What would be the best outcome if we took action against that Nightmare Wolf?" Li Ge thought for a moment and replied, "The best outcome is that Mo Li and I find a way to contain it, and you use...
Chu Yun's words, "Zhilan is our biggest trump card," made the atmosphere, which had just calmed down, tense again. Mo Li and Li Ge's eyes moved back and forth between Chu Yun and Zhilan, their eyes filled with complex emotions.
The four of them returned to the abandoned house again and closed the doors and windows.
"I understand what you mean." Mo Li was the first to speak, her voice more serious than ever before, "You want to take her into the dream with you."
"Yes." Chu Yun answered without any hesitation.
"No!" Mo Li objected without hesitation, her voice sharp and resolute. "I absolutely disagree! Chu Yun, have you forgotten where we're going? It's a mental prison made up of the nightmares of the entire village! Not only are there unknown nightmares inside, but there are also Shadow Pavilion masters who have already infiltrated! The three of us would be in great danger if we went in, and now you want to take an unarmed little girl in?"
She pointed at Zhilan, her tone a little hurried due to excitement: "Look at her, does she have the ability to protect herself? Does she know talismans? Does she know mechanical engineering? She doesn't even know the most basic fighting skills! Bringing her in is not helping us, it's harming her! Not only do we have to deal with the enemy, but we also have to divide our attention to protect her, which will put all of us in danger!"
Mo Li's opposition was based entirely on the calmest and most rational tactical analysis. Every word he said was well-reasoned and logical.
"I disagree, too." Li Ge's voice rang out. While her tone wasn't as passionate as Mo Li's, it was equally filled with unquestionable resolve. "Mo Li is right. The spiritual world is far more dangerous than the real world. In reality, we can still use our bodies to shield her from attacks. But in dreams, attacks are directed directly at the soul. None of us can do her any favors. Once her mind is targeted by Nightmare or Shadow Pavilion's forces, she'll be torn to pieces in an instant."
She looked at Chu Yun with a hint of confusion in her eyes: "I admit that I have never seen such pure power as hers. However, this power is not a reason for her to risk her life. She is just a child, Chu Yun. She should not be involved in a battle of our level."
Facing the fierce opposition from his two companions, Chu Yun did not refute immediately. He was silent for a moment, as if organizing his words.
"Let me ask you," he began slowly, his voice deep and powerful, "if we had attacked that nightmare wolf just now, what would have been the best outcome?"
Li Ge thought for a moment and replied, "The best outcome is that Mo Li and I find a way to contain it, and you use your power to forcibly purify it. However, this process will affect at least one-third of the villagers in the square. They will suffer mental trauma at best, and some may die on the spot. Moreover, your own strength will be exhausted, and we will no longer have the strength to fight."
"That's the problem." Chu Yun looked at them. "Our approach was wrong from the beginning. We're not facing an enemy that can be defeated with 'strength'. The more we attack it, the more we become its enemy, the stronger it becomes, because fear and pain are its food."
"But Zhilan is different." His gaze turned to the girl who had listened to their argument quietly from beginning to end. "Her power is not to attack, but to comfort; not to destroy, but to empathize. She can do what none of us can do—calm the nightmare. This is the only way to break the deadlock in our operation."
"That's just your guess!" Mo Li retorted immediately. "You only saw her soothe a newly formed 'Nightmare Manifestation'. Who can guarantee that she can soothe the Nightmare's true form? What if the Nightmare's true form is far more ferocious and powerful than the giant wolf, and Zhilan's abilities are completely ineffective against it? What should we do then?"
"Then we will protect her until her ability takes effect." Chu Yun's answer was firm.
"How will you protect me?" Mo Li's voice rose again. "With your power, which makes you a target in your dream? Or with my 'heart knot', which is unfinished and could collapse at any moment? Chu Yun, you are gambling all our lives on an illusory possibility!"
"This isn't gambling." Chu Yun shook his head. He looked at Mo Li with a serious expression. "Mo Li, let me ask you this: if Li Ge hadn't used the Samsara Mirror to resist, and if I hadn't used the Evil-Breaking Divine Needle to break through the shield, would your fatal arrow have been able to hit the enemy?"
Mo Li's lips moved but he didn't say anything.
Chu Yun looked at Li Ge again: "Li Ge, let me ask you again, if Mo Li hadn't used 'Instant Step' to create a blind spot for you, and if I hadn't blocked the fatal blow for you in the end, could you have successfully separated those child souls?"
Li Ge also fell silent.
"We went from Qingxi Town to Jijia City, and then to here. Every time we survived, it was not because our own plans were so detailed, but because at the most critical moment, we chose to believe in the seemingly 'impossible' actions of our companions." Chu Yun's voice echoed in the small empty house, and every word struck Li Ge and Mo Li's hearts.
"Now, Zhilan is our companion. I trust her, just as I trusted you in Tianshu Tower. I believe in the pure aura she exudes, and in her innate power, a power we cannot understand. This is an intuition, the same intuition that I felt when I felt the guidance of the 'Heart of Heaven'."
His gaze swept over the two of them, his tone becoming extremely serious. "I promise you, in this dream, I will protect her with my life. As long as I'm still alive, no attack will fall on her. This is my responsibility as the 'hub' of this team."
Li Ge and Mo Li both fell into a long silence. Chu Yun's words left them unable to refute. They could find countless rational and tactical reasons why they shouldn't bring Zhilan in, but they couldn't deny that Chu Yun's "belief" was the cornerstone of their temporary team's success.
It was Zhilan who broke the silence.
"I... want to go." She looked at the three older brothers and sisters who were arguing for her and said in a low but clear voice.
The three of them focused their attention on her.
"I can feel it." Zhilan pointed to her heart. "In that darkest place, that 'very sad adult', he... is crying. I want to go and keep him company. Just like when the little monkey in the mountains fell from a tree and broke its leg, I stayed by its side and it felt less pain."
Her words were innocent and simple, yet they carried a power that struck people's hearts. She was not forced to do so, nor was she trying to help anyone; she simply wanted to soothe the "pain" she felt.
Li Ge looked into Zhilan's pure, unadulterated eyes, and for the first time, her resolve wavered. As a ghost doctor, she had spent her life dealing with death and pain. She understood better than anyone that some pains could not be healed by any medicine or magic. Perhaps the only thing that could truly combat them was this most fundamental "compassion."
Mo Li also frowned tightly, her mind working rapidly, calculating various possibilities and risks. Finally, she let out a long sigh.
"I still think this is an extremely risky and irrational decision." She looked at Chu Yun and said in a serious tone, "But if you insist and are willing to bear all the consequences, then, as the person in charge of 'technical support' for this team, I will do my best to minimize the risks."
She pulled out the half-finished "Heart Knot" from her bosom, her eyes becoming focused and sharp. "I will immediately modify the structure of the Heart Knot and add an "overload protection" circuit. Once Zhilan's mind is under an unbearable attack, the Heart Knot will prioritize severing her connection with the dream world and forcibly "kick" her out. At the same time, I will also set up a "mental barrier" specifically for her, using a portion of your power as the energy source. Although it won't be strong, it will at least be able to withstand the first wave of indiscriminate mental attacks."
Mo Li's compromise was done in an extremely professional and rational manner. She wasn't persuaded, but she chose to respect the team's decision and immediately began to think about how to use her own skills to compensate for the risks brought about by this decision.
Everyone's eyes finally fell on Li Ge.
Li Ge looked at Chu Yun, then at Mo Li, and finally her gaze settled on Zhi Lan's face. She was silent for a long time, so long that Chu Yun thought she would persist in her opposition.
Finally, she nodded slowly.
"I have a condition." She looked at Chu Yun and said word by word, "After entering the dream, the four of us must not separate. No matter what happens, we must stay together. This is the only prerequisite for our survival."
"I promise you." Chu Yun answered without any hesitation.
At this point, this difficult decision, which almost cost everyone's lives, was finally made.
"Then let's get ready." Chu Yun's voice put an end to this heated argument. "We must find Nightmare before Shadow Pavilion completes their ritual. Time is running out."
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