Chapter 36: Dream or Reality

  "After all this time, why won't you let me go?"

  I once thought that the moment I met Gongzi Xing Tian was the end of my suffering, but it turned out to be the beginning of my pain; I once thought that I had escaped from the devil's clutches, but it turned out that after sending away one devil, another devil arrived; I once thought that for this lifetime, I would have nothing to do with devils again, but it turned out that I was destined to be a magnet for devils.

  "Hey, hey, hey, fox spirit, what nonsense are you spouting while holding me?"

  This voice was like a thunderclap in my ears when it sounded beside me.

  This is Miss Qin Qi's voice, yes, it is indeed Miss Qin Qi's voice.

  I raised my head again, but there was no monster and no cave.

  This is Qin's villa, and this bed is the one I lay on that day.

  Miss Qin told me that I had just walked out of the house for less than five steps and fainted to the ground, and this fainting lasted for six days and seven nights.

  Miss Qin said again, the glittering poison was something she helped me resolve.

  "I asked her: 'What about the poison of Hong Shang? Who helped me get rid of the poison of Hong Shang?'"

  "What's this about a 'red calamity'? What red calamity?" Miss Qin Qi was completely bewildered.

  Only starlight is shining brightly, no red scars, no monsters, no caves. Is it really just a dream of mine?

  "Listening to you that day, I thought you really had extraordinary skills, but it turns out you were just boasting to scare people. With your level of poisonous techniques, how did you actually defeat my cousin back then?"

  Miss Qin's face had three parts disdain, six parts astonishment, and one part contemplation.

  "Was I really lying in bed for six days and seven nights?" I asked persistently.

  "Isn't that so? You're doing well, sleeping soundly by yourself, but poor Brother Hua, he's been keeping watch by your bedside every day without eating or sleeping."

  Miss Qin's face at this moment was three parts melancholy, six parts heartache, and one part haughty coquetry.

  "Where is Third Master?" I asked aloud.

  "I'll have you brew medicine outside, you fox spirit!" Miss Qin Qi said with a slight curl of her lip.

  The words of Huādié are entirely consistent with those of Miss Qīn.

  That's to say, I had been lying on the bed in this room all along, and during that time, not only didn't I go to the wild mountains or remote hills, but also hadn't even stepped out of the house door half a step.

  If that was just a dream, then the dream was too real. If it wasn't a dream, how should I explain this moment?

  Given the prestige and status of Qin Manor, there must be a master poisoner in the manor who can neutralize the poison. Moreover, since Xue Shan Cha is Miss Qin's cousin, they might have an antidote for Hong Shang's poison.

  Adding up the time I spent on the road and the time I wasted with the monster, it shouldn't be more than three days.

  This means I was very likely rescued by Huā Húdié and Qín Qiū Xiǎojiě.

  However, this raises two unresolvable issues.

  Firstly, when the monster was dragging me away, it passed through a patch of thorns, which left blood-red marks on my arm.

  Even the best Nine-Flower Jade Cream can't eliminate all scars within a few days. And on my arm, it's smooth and white, without any signs of injury.

  Secondly, if I didn't misjudge at that time, if the monster was indeed that person, with his skills, Huā Dié and Qín Qiān Miss would not have been able to walk out of the cave alive, let alone bring me along.