Chapter 111: Like a Dream, Like Reality

  He opened his eyes in a pitch-black darkness where he couldn't see his hand in front of him.

  No wind sound, no rain sound, no thunder, no electric hum, the world seems to have been quiet from the beginning, all sounds are silent.

  "Thud, thud", something powerful was throbbing, gradually becoming the only sound in her ears, heavier than breathing, clearer than thoughts. Shen Bailian slowly exhaled, stretched out a palm, and slowly pressed it to her chest.

  There should have been a wound there.

  However, the clothes that his palm touched were still intact, and he didn't feel any pain when he applied force with his palm. It was as if the sword light that had pierced through his chest, and the bloodstains that had spread everywhere, were all just an illusion.

  His clothes were dry and soft, as if they had never been rained on. He moved slightly, and the hand placed beside him suddenly touched something in the darkness. The icy sensation was transmitted to his skin, and his palm instinctively turned over, grasping the hilt of the sword in his hand.

  Suddenly, a dark blue light appeared around me, the narrow sword light was so weak in this vast and endless darkness, yet it seemed like a stubbornly burning fire, swaying, flickering, but never extinguished.

  He slowly stood up, holding the Spring Water Sword horizontally in front of him. The crystal-clear sword body reflected his pale face, slender eyebrows, clear eyes, and tender complexion. That was unmistakably a young man, himself in his youth!

  Shen Bailian's eyes widened in astonishment, meeting the surprised gaze of the young man in the reflection. After a long while, a faint smile appeared at the corner of his lips, so shallow, yet so bitter.

  Is this really just a dream?

  In the dream, I don't know how long I walked, but the dark blue sword light could only shine a few feet around me. The farther darkness was like being blocked by thick curtains, not allowing any light or sound to pass through.

  Shen Bailian's footsteps didn't stop, his gaze quietly fixed on the few feet in front of him, where the Chunshui sword floated at eyebrow height, leading him forward with a faint glow. The sword light fell into his pupils, transforming into flowing crystal points, and those eyes seemed like two semi-transparent glass beads.

  Suddenly, the hair hanging on her shoulders gently fluttered, and a gentle breeze swept over.

  The spring water sword light dimmed in time, Shen Bailian raised his eyes and looked far away, in the distant distance, there was a faint glow flashing, gradually getting brighter and brighter, occupying all his field of vision.

  He quickened his pace and walked into the light.

  Suddenly, everything in front of her became clear. Shen Bailian narrowed her eyes and looked around, only to find that everything she saw was a vast expanse of white mist, endless and boundless. When she turned back to look at where she came from, the dark mass had already been shrouded by thick white fog, making it impossible for her to tell which direction she was heading.

  Through the mist, a woman's voice suddenly rose, faintly humming a melancholy tune, pleasant to hear but hard to conceal the desolation: "... Ethereal Spirit Phoenix, Longing for a distant return... My thoughts are with you, forever separated by wishes... For eternity without a chance meeting, when will you come flying? ... For eternity without a chance meeting, when will you come flying? ..."

  The song drifted away, unknown whether it was near or far, flowing in the misty air like water, making it even more mysterious. Shen Bailian followed the sound and found that the fog in front of her gradually cleared, revealing the vague outline of a cluster of flowers and trees behind. As the gentle breeze passed by, it brought with it wisps of fragrant floral scent, which accompanied the song and made one's heart drunk.

  Shen Bailian walked along, admiring the vibrant scene of blooming phoenix flowers. In her heart, she thought: This place is somewhat like the intoxicating flower shade behind Mount Qionghua. As she turned past three rows of flowering trees, a woman suddenly appeared before her eyes. The woman's back was facing outwards, and her face was towards a cluster of phoenix flowers that were densely packed together like brocade. Bees and butterflies hummed around her, occasionally kissing the lightly fluttering edges of her clothes.

  The woman did not notice Shen Bailian's approach at all, and she continued to sing softly: "...... The phoenix spirit is far away, the long return is distant ...... My thoughts are lingering, forever separated from my wishes ......". When she sang to this point, her voice had just stopped, and she heard her muttering in a low voice, "My thoughts are lingering, forever separated from my wishes ...... Alas, forever separated from my wishes ......". As she spoke, she let out a soft sigh.

  Shen Bailian suddenly heard her extremely light and soft voice, only to feel an inexplicable sense of familiarity. Just as she was about to step forward, she suddenly raised her eyes to see a white-clad youth walking over through the flower bushes. Her footsteps came to an abrupt halt, and she swiftly retreated back behind the flower tree.

  That young man's eyes were bright and his face was handsome, with a red mole at the center of his eyebrows. He looked exactly like Xuan Xiao. He walked directly to the woman's back and said in a low voice: "Su Yu, why didn't you go to the forbidden land for cultivation today, but instead came here to play?"

  The woman's body stiffened as she heard the words, turned around, and indeed it was Su Yu's peerlessly beautiful face. She furrowed her brow, bowed to Xuan Xiao, and called out in a low voice: "Shixiong."

  Xuan Xiao only then saw her worried face, and his cold expression couldn't help but soften. He spoke in a gentle voice: "Just now I heard you singing, fellow disciple for many years, yet I didn't know that Su Yu still understood music. However, the melody was quite sorrowful, what were you singing about?"

  She sighed and said in a low voice, "That song is indeed very sad..." As she spoke, she recited the lyrics again, and with great nostalgia, said, "Seeing the beautiful blooming phoenix flowers here, I couldn't help but think of my hometown's small city. Every year when the flowers bloom, the entire city would be filled with phoenix flowers that looked like a tapestry of misty clouds from afar. When I was young, my father would hold me and take me to see the flowers, and under the flower tree, he taught me this song. Now, it's blooming season again..." She gazed up at the lush, vibrant flowers on the tree, her eyes filled with melancholy.

  Xuan Xiao was taken aback, and a hint of realization flashed in his eyes: "So Su Yu is homesick and has no heart to cultivate." He also raised his head to appreciate the flowers, and softly recited the lyrics he had just heard, "My thoughts are distant, forever separated from my wishes..." When he finished speaking, he too let out a faint sigh.

  Su Yu looked at him with a glance, and suddenly asked: "Xuan Xiao Shixiong seems to have a lot of feelings about this song too, could it be... that Shixiong's heart is also thinking of someone?"

  Xuan Xiao's face suddenly flashed a hint of embarrassment, and he quickly turned his head to cough lightly, covering up by saying: "It's just that the lyrics have a profound and far-reaching meaning, so I simply recited a few lines." Then, with a serious expression, he said: "While it's not wrong to come and scatter your worries by appreciating flowers during times of trouble, you mustn't learn from Yun Tianqing's example and become infatuated with pleasure, neglecting your cultivation. You and I bear the heavy expectations of our master and the various senior uncles, so we must focus on cultivating with all our might every day."

  Su Yu's face flashed a hint of melancholy, nodded in response, and suddenly said: "The flowers are blooming profusely, looking at them is delightful, being surrounded by the fragrance of flowers and the songs of birds, Su Yu often feels peaceful. I've observed that Brother Shifu enjoys stargazing during his leisure time, I suppose Brother Shifu's state of mind while gazing at the stars is similar to mine when admiring flowers?" As she spoke, she didn't wait for Xuan Xiao's response, only smiled slightly, bowed and left along the path.

  Xuan Xiao watched as her slender figure gradually disappeared behind the dense flowers and trees, before turning back to gaze at the vibrant peony flowers that seemed to be burning with splendor, letting out a soft sigh.

  After a long time, a clear and cold voice finally sounded under the flower tree. The voice was filled with sighs, but also revealed a hint of longing. He whispered to himself: "The sky hangs the Milky Way, the stars shine brightly, looking at it makes one's heart feel broadened, but that night, the figure of that person wielding the immortal sword under the starlight is truly unforgettable..."

  Shen Bailian stood behind the flower tree, gazing at the white-clad figure with a complex expression. She quietly retreated a few steps, wanting to turn around and leave. These dreams, now seem to only add to her melancholy, what else are they good for?

  But before he could react, a faint "crack" sound came from under his feet. He had accidentally stepped on and broken a withered branch. The slight noise instantly reached the ears of the young man in the thicket, who suddenly turned his head, his gaze flashing over: "Who?!"

  A strong gust of wind suddenly rose, and the petals that covered the sky fell from the branches, rushing towards Shen Bailian's face. The chaotic flowers blinded her eyes, gradually covering up all other scenes. She couldn't help but search for the boy's figure anymore, hastily closing her eyes tightly, stretching out her hands to wildly brush away the petals in front of her, and her feet stumbled forward several times. Suddenly, her foot felt empty, and she heard a splashing sound, only to find that one foot had stepped into the water.

  Shen Bailian hastily opened his eyes again, only to see that the scene in front of him had suddenly changed. The flower tree and the young man were nowhere to be seen, and the scenery before him was no longer the intoxicating flowers and shade. Warm sunlight fell on him, and a thin layer of mist floated across his face, revealing a vast lake behind it. A gentle breeze rustled the dense lotus leaves on the lake's surface, and among the round leaves as green as jade plates, pink and white lotus flowers swayed gently, sometimes visible, sometimes hidden. Nearby, a drop of dew fell unintentionally from the petals, and in the blink of an eye, it shattered into countless sparkling fragments on the lotus leaf.

  The scene was surprisingly familiar, and Shen Bailian only glanced around briefly before recognizing that this was indeed the Thousand Island Lake where he had once sailed with Murong Ziyin. This lake is located in Chenzhou City, Zhongyuan, separated from the Kunlun Mountains' Qionghua Sect by a distance of ten thousand miles, and it would be impossible to come and go freely unless one were in a dream state. But since he had arrived, Shen Bailian thought to himself that he might as well calm down.

  Suddenly, a sound of oars splitting the water came from the east, and Shen Bailian turned her head to look over, her breathing paused again. She saw a small boat slowly approaching through the opened lotus leaves, with two people sitting on it. One of them was a young man facing this side, wearing a jade crown, dressed in blue and white Taoist robes, with a huge sword case lying horizontally across his knees. He was quietly gazing at the person sitting opposite him, the clear lake water reflecting the countless ripples in his eyes, making people mistakenly think that he was extremely gentle.

  The man sitting opposite the young man had a slender back, with a long sword by his side and a five-colored silk tassel flying in the wind. When Shen Bailian's gaze fell on this person, he suddenly felt a strange feeling in his heart. Seeing one's own illusion in someone else's dream was truly an eerie and unusual sensation.

  The two of them seemed to be having an intimate conversation, and the oars in their hands would occasionally dip into the water with a gentle splash. The ripples on the lake's surface gently pushed the small boat forward, drifting towards the center of the lake. Shen Bailian suddenly felt a sense of urgency in her heart, wanting to get closer to the two of them. She glanced at the shore and saw that there was still another small boat moored there, so she hastily jumped down into it.

  The small boat had been weaving in and out of the lotus leaves for a while, when the two people on it drew closer again. The young man's face gradually became clearer, and Shen Bailian felt a sense of relief. Just at this moment, a ray of sunlight fell down, and in the hazy soft light, the young man's eyebrows and eyes moved slightly, revealing an extremely clean and elegant smile.

  "Shen Bailian, since you have treated me with sincerity, Murong Ziyin will also return a sincere heart to you. Even if you are a demon, I, Murong Ziyin, will never regret being with you!"

  The loud oath echoed over the lake, Shen Bailian stared blankly at the youth enveloped in light, and suddenly felt a warmth surging up in her heart, gradually boiling over, burning until her chest began to ache with pain, yet amidst the pain was a thread of indescribable joy.

  Suddenly, the strong wind started again, and the lake surface instantly generated towering waves. A wave of blue water rushed forward and hit the small boat that Shen Bailian was riding on. The boat shook violently for a moment, and then suddenly sank down. Only a gurgling sound was heard, and the green lake water had penetrated through the bottom of the boat, gradually accumulating in the cabin. In a short while, a cool feeling spread over his feet, and the water overflowed his calves. He lowered his head to look, only to see that the hem of his robe had already been soaked in the water. Then another wave came, and the boat suddenly flipped over. Shen Bailian felt his body suddenly drop, and in an instant, he was surrounded by the endless blue waves.

  The crystal clear lake water gradually submerged his neck, overflowing his mouth and nose. The small boat with two people sitting in it was still parked in the center of the lake, but it was getting farther and farther away. Ziying! Shen Bailian suddenly shouted in his heart, and a thread of blood suddenly floated up from the lake water. He vaguely touched his chest, where an increasingly severe pain was spreading. The young man on the boat seemed to have noticed something, and he suddenly lowered his head to look into the water. His lips still had a faint smile, and his clear and calm eyes pierced through the lake water, touching Shen Bailian's face. In a daze, the young man's lips trembled slightly, as if saying something.

  Shen Bailian only felt that the pain in his chest was becoming more unbearable, and blood was constantly flowing out from between his fingers. He vaguely remembered: Ah, that's the wound from being stabbed by Xuan Xiao... Just then, a clear and cold yet concerned voice suddenly sounded beside his ear.

  "Ba Ling, aren't you going to wake up yet?"