In Your Dreams

But her Fifth Junior Sister, tears streaming down her face, struggled to her feet and stumbled toward her, heedless of everything else.

Inch by inch, the tip of the sword pressed against Song Yao's chest, yet the girl seemed completely oblivious.

Forced to sheath her sword, Song Yao watched as the girl's legs gave out, sending her collapsing into her arms. Crying, she sobbed, “Third Senior Sister, you found me.”

“You've come to be with me again.”

Tears fell onto Song Yao's shoulder, scalding hot.

Song Yao wanted to cast her aside, but the wounds she had sustained from fighting the demons to get here—wounds that hadn't yet healed—suddenly tore open once more.

Overwhelmed by the agonizing pain, her vision went black, and she lost consciousness alongside her.

...

As the dream faded, Song Yao opened her eyes and stared at the bed canopy, unable to gather her thoughts for a moment.

That time, she had clearly gone there to farm some corruption values, yet she had ended up being carried out of the demon realm by her Fifth Junior Sister instead.

She couldn't even remember if her corruption values had increased. All she knew was that after that, her Fifth Junior Sister had become incredibly clingy, asking to do everything together.

Even though Song Yao rejected her far more often than she agreed, her Fifth Junior Sister had never grown tired of trying.

Her mind drifted back to the scene right before she had blacked out.

How had such a sweet, lively, kind, and carefree girl turned into... this?

What on earth had Ye Chongguang done to her?

Had he controlled her mind?

Thinking about it made Song Yao's head ache. Resolving to learn from her mistakes, she reflected deeply on her pain.

Next time, she absolutely could not overuse the spiritual energy within the seal again.

It was a fate worse than death.

If she ever found out which bastard had placed that seal on her, she would definitely end his miserable life.

Wait, no.

She was planning to retire to the mountains and forests; it was probably better not to take anyone's life.

A simple farmer shouldn't have blood on her hands.

After letting her thoughts wander aimlessly, Song Yao finally felt a bit better. Her mind cleared, and she struggled to sit up in bed.

Once she was sitting up, however, she realized something was off.

Whose room was this?

Whose bed was this?

Green drapes and white canopies hung around her. The room was spacious but virtually empty of decoration, save for two pots of Autumn Glow flowers on a shelf. She had heard those were quite popular among evil and demonic cultivators, as refining them into pills yielded hallucinogenic effects.

Was she still in Black Cloud Mountain?

The discomfort in her body had eased considerably, suggesting someone had treated her injuries.

Song Yao wanted to get out of bed to investigate, but her ankle was suddenly yanked back, accompanied by the crisp chime of a bell.

Looking down, she saw a thin red cord adorned with a golden bell tied around her ankle. The other end was secured to the foot of the bed.

Song Yao blinked.

What was the meaning of this?

She conjured a blast of spiritual energy in her palm and struck at the red cord. It failed to break. Instead, the energy rippled outward, jolting her back a few steps.

After several failed attempts to break the cord, she gave up. Instead, she searched the room before heading to the door and pulling it open.

Outside was a vast, empty courtyard. The buildings on either side were shrouded in dim shadows, their thick, cold walls resembling a heavily fortified fortress that enclosed her room right in the center.

Beyond the distant wall lay a winding, labyrinthine path, its destination impossible to discern.

Song Yao remembered that Black Cloud Mountain consisted of various caves of all sizes and a main hall deep within the mountains.

If she wasn't mistaken, she was currently in the main hall. Judging by the layout, she was likely in its innermost depths.

Who had brought her here?

Her Fifth Junior Sister?

Unable to make sense of the situation, Song Yao took a step toward the outside, only to halt abruptly just above the threshold.

The red cord wasn't long enough. She couldn't leave.

Now she had a slightly better grasp of the situation.

It seemed...

She might...

Just perhaps...

Have been imprisoned here.

Wait.

Why imprison her?

Frowning, Song Yao retraced her steps to the foot of the bed. With a flick of her hand, the Bishui Sword unsheathed, and she slashed at the carved wooden bed without hesitation.

A heavy explosion resounded, and the bed was instantly smashed to pieces, wood splinters flying everywhere.

Yet, the specific section of the carved bed rail where the red cord was tied remained completely unscathed, without even a scratch.

Song Yao examined it and was shocked.

What kind of decent person made a bed out of this material?

It could practically be used to forge swords!

Since she was currently injured and low on spiritual energy, trying to chop through this thing would likely take a great deal of effort.

After a moment's hesitation, Song Yao conjured a talisman in her hand, slapped it onto the bed rail, and channeled her spiritual energy to drag the rail forward.

If she couldn't break it, couldn't she just carry it with her?

With the talisman's assistance, the bed rail became much lighter. Unfortunately, Song Yao was simply too weak. She had barely moved the rail to the doorway before she was panting heavily, her vision swimming as if she had low blood sugar.

Having cultivated to this level, getting low blood sugar was an absolute joke.

Song Yao tried to push through, but her legs refused to support her. She had no choice but to sit down and lean against the doorframe to rest.

When she finally caught her breath and her vision cleared, a shadow fell over her.

She looked up, catching the cool, distant gaze of her Fifth Junior Sister completely off guard.

In the next instant, Wen Tang spoke, her voice even colder than when they had first reunited: “Third Senior Sister, where are you planning to run off to this time?”

...

Having been moved to a different room and confined once again, Song Yao began to question her life choices.

Of all the things she had planned for, she never expected her Fifth Junior Sister to see through her identity.

It was one thing to be recognized, but she had actually been locked up by her Fifth Junior Sister.

Forced to sit on the edge of the bed, Song Yao engaged in a silent staring contest with Wen Tang. After a long while, she tried to coax her gently, “Fifth Junior Sister, we haven't seen each other in so long. Shouldn't we sit down, have a drink, and catch up? Tying me up like this... don't you think it's a bit much?”

She crossed one leg over the other. “How about this? Untie this cord for your senior sister first, and we can talk things over properly.”

Wen Tang's gaze swept over her coolly, her tone unyielding. “Untie you, so you can disappear again?”

Song Yao coughed twice. “How could that count as disappearing? It's not like I wanted to go to the Earth Realm; something happened to me! Besides, haven't I returned now? Come on, untie me first. I promise I won't run...”

Wen Tang kept her eyelashes lowered, her expression devoid of emotion. Her thin lips parted as she coldly spat out two words: “In your dreams.”

Song Yao: “...”

She felt a faint wave of despair.

Her Fifth Junior Sister used to be the kindest and most easygoing person. What on earth had she gone through to turn into this?

With a crumpled face, she asked, “What about the Nine Saints Hall then? How about we go back to the Nine Saints Hall together? Didn't Tangtang like the Nine Saints Hall the most?”

Wen Tang paused slightly at those words, her eyes flickering with a faint, momentary tremor. However, that fleeting trace of emotion was instantly swallowed by cold indifference.

She raised her eyes to look at Song Yao. There wasn't a hint of past warmth in her gaze. Her voice was cool and flat as she delivered the exact same response: “In your dreams.”

Song Yao: “...”

So cold.

Just like Eldest Senior Brother.

She wanted to keep coaxing her. Various arguments ran through her mind, but she ultimately suppressed them all. Instead, she simply tilted her head back, staring up at her with watery, earnest eyes, and asked, “Did you lock me up because you missed me?”

This time, it was Wen Tang's turn to fall silent.

Her eyes remained placid, but her hands clenched slightly within her sleeves, as if she couldn't comprehend how the person before her could ask such a question so casually.

Regardless of whether Wen Tang answered her, Song Yao accepted her confinement with remarkable ease. She curled her eyes into a smile and said with utmost indulgence, “Alright, it's fine. If we don't go back, we don't go back. Your senior sister will stay here with you.”