Chapter 28: Nightmare (Part Two)

Guangzong arrived at the place he had agreed upon with Zhai Hongyi. The shallow waters there had already frozen into solid ice, and the trees had shed their remaining leaves, leaving behind bare, gray branches that lashed wildly at the sky under the command of the wind, like countless whips.

Zhai Hongyi had been waiting for him for quite some time, leaning against a sturdy tree. Despite the depths of winter, she wore only thin clothes, her beautiful eyes lively as she gazed at Guangzong. Guangzong was evidently impatient, getting straight to the point: “The antidote!”

“You men are always so hasty!” Zhai Hongyi covered her face, laughing. “I invited you out here to discuss a partnership.”

“What partnership?”

“Do you know why I’m so persistent about Wei Li?” Zhai Hongyi walked slowly to Guangzong’s side, lightly placing her hand on his shoulder, her tone seductive. “The Lord of the Underworld has issued a bounty. Anyone who captures her and delivers her to the Underworld will receive five hundred years of cultivation. For beings like us, that’s an irresistible temptation.”

“You think I’ll help you?” Guangzong gripped his prayer beads tightly, glaring at Zhai Hongyi.

“Monk, even if I don’t capture her, other beings will come one after another. Can you protect her for a moment, or for a lifetime?” Zhai Hongyi pressed closer to Guangzong, murmuring in his ear, “I am a Nightmare. I can weave any dream, see through any heart. In dreams, she spends a lifetime with you. Monk, do you truly believe she would convert?”

Anger burned in Guangzong’s dark eyes. He struck directly at Zhai Hongyi with his hand gripping the prayer beads, but she vanished instantly, reappearing behind him, laughing, “You have such a promising future. Don’t let a monster ruin it!”

“Give me the antidote!” Guangzong’s tone betrayed his agitation. The string of prayer beads in his hand scattered, shooting toward Zhai Hongyi. Like a wisp of smoke, she appeared before him, her expression suddenly cold and severe. “Monk, taste the flavor of dreams.”

The prayer beads returned to Guangzong’s hand in an instant. Confronted with the sudden nightmare, Guangzong raised the beads in front of him, and a burst of Buddhist light exploded, spraying Zhai Hongyi. Her sharp cry echoed as wounds of various sizes appeared all over her face and body. She instinctively stepped back, her eyes shadowed, the smile on her lips freezing at the corners. In her cold, moon-like eyes glinted icy light. “I curse Wei Li to be forever lost in nightmares, never to escape for all eternity!”

Guangzong’s anger grew, his eyes wide as he stared at Zhai Hongyi. “Zhai Hongyi, you—”

“This time, she’s not having sweet dreams.”

With that, Zhai Hongyi vanished completely. When Guangzong returned to the mountain temple, Wei Li had already fallen into a deep sleep, her face locked in a frown. Guangzong, furious, helped her from the bed, but no matter how he called to her, Wei Li was deeply trapped in the nightmare.

Flustered, Guangzong searched through all the information he could find about nightmares, but still found no way to break the curse. Just as he was utterly alone, Wen Bai arrived, still holding his feather fan with his usual calm demeanor. Seeing Guangzong and Yue Shi ready to fight, Wen Bai smiled faintly, sat down, drank a sip of water, and said, “I’m not here to fight. I’m here to save my wife.”

Although Wen Bai stated his purpose, the word “wife” made Guangzong uncomfortable. He said coldly, “What method do you have?”

“This is a curse cast by Nightmare. Only the one who tied the knot can untie it; we must address the root. Since Li’er is trapped in the nightmare, we must enter it and bring her out!” Wen Bai spoke slowly.

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“How do we enter? How do we save her?”

“I can perform a ritual to put you to sleep and send you into her dream,” Wen Bai rose, looking at Wei Li, who lay on the couch. “But—”

“But what?” Yue Shi asked eagerly.

“But it’s a nightmare, woven by Nightmare. In the dream, every character and scene is her creation. She doesn’t recognize us. If Nightmare realizes we’ve entered Wei Li’s dream, she can conjure anything to kill us!”

“No matter. I’ll go!”

Wen Bai’s eyes were cold and profound as he looked at Guangzong, his feather fan waving gently, a faint smile on his lips. “You could die.”

Guangzong didn’t argue further, urging Wen Bai to hurry and perform the ritual to make him sleep. Before the ritual, Guangzong told Yue Shi to be cautious around Wen Bai, as he was not to be trusted.

Wen Bai quickly prepared everything needed for the ritual. Guangzong lay at the center, smoke curling around him, filling his nostrils. Soon he drifted into sleep. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in a long palace corridor, before a sleeping chamber bearing the sign of the Jade Flower Hall. Dazed, he wandered into the inner courtyard, where he saw Wei Li, her eyes bandaged, carrying a food box and feeling her way along the wall to the corner of the courtyard, struggling. Guangzong hurried forward, wanting to take her hand and lead her away, but then remembered Wen Bai’s warning; his hand fell back.

Wei Li heard the sound, her face brightening. “You’ve waited long, have you? Help me carry the food box.”

Guangzong took the box and grunted at its weight—it was far heavier than expected.

Wei Li giggled in delight, waving a finger in front of Guangzong. “It’s for you! Let’s go to the stone pavilion ahead.”

Guangzong led Wei Li to a stone pavilion in the courtyard. Wei Li found the rocking chair and sat down, appearing calm. “Don’t bother looking. I already sent the servants away.”

That explained why such a large sleeping chamber had no gatekeepers. Guangzong replied with a simple “Mm,” not daring to speak further for fear of revealing himself.

Wei Li slowly rocked the chair, then suddenly covered her mouth, snickering. “Lord, don’t you think this feels like a secret rendezvous?”

At the sudden clatter of a bowl, Guangzong’s bowl fell from his hand.

Wei Li continued, “I was only teasing. Usually you don’t say much, but you’ll speak a few words with me. Why is it you’re silent today? Are you angry with me? If so, I’ll stop. Such embarrassing words could easily be used against me.”

Guangzong had intended to quietly watch Wei Li for a while, but suddenly, a voice behind him cried, “Empress Dowager!” The joy on Wei Li’s face turned to panic; she stood and shouted at Guangzong, “Who are you?”

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Guangzong looked toward the source of the voice. The man possessed an indescribable aura, a kingly presence mixed with a fierce dominance. And so, Guangzong, having just entered Wei Li’s dream, was promptly thrown into a dungeon. The dungeon wasn’t so bad—just dark, damp, and crude. Guangzong lay on the ground, unmoving, his hands and feet shackled by iron chains, making every movement arduous, so he gave up on moving, pondering how to escape.

The jailer brought him a meal, saying he would be executed at noon the next day. Guangzong was thrown into confusion—could his luck really be this bad? He searched his belongings and finally found a few sheets of gold foil. Fortunately, Guangzong always kept gold foil on him in case Wei Li went hungry. The jailer had never seen gold so thinly beaten into sheets, and after Guangzong’s relentless persuasion, he finally sneaked Guangzong out.

Money makes the world go round; from ancient times to dreams, this truth remains.

Guangzong wanted to find Wei Li, but after wandering the palace four or five times, he lost all sense of direction. Luckily, it was late at night and few people were in the corridors. Guangzong easily avoided the handful of patrolling guards.

Just as Guangzong was at a loss, he heard a familiar voice singing a tune, growing closer. He saw Wei Li, her cheeks flushed from drink, staggering down the palace corridor, walking alone—why was no one supporting her? Wei Li, nearly blind, was bumping and stumbling; what if she hurt herself? Guangzong thought, why am I worrying about dream figures? With a thud, Wei Li fell to the ground. Guangzong helped her up, but she pushed him away; he quickly grabbed her hand. She stumbled into his arms, dazed, reaching out to ask, “Lord, Lord, is it you?”

Wei Li shook her heavy head. “If you don’t say it now, you’ll never have another chance. Lord, I think I quite like you. Do you like me, even a little?”

“Wei Li, don’t be foolish. How much did you drink?” Guangzong spoke in a low voice.

Wei Li didn’t recognize his voice, replying softly, “Don’t be angry, not much, just a little.” She showed him with her fingers. “Actually, I don’t like wine. My mother said it leads to trouble. I prefer the lotus seed soup she made—sweet, warm, so delicious. I love lotus seed soup…” Wei Li shook her head, smiling. “See, I’m rambling again. I ramble because—because I’m too, too lonely…”

At last, Wei Li covered her face and began to cry. For the first time since being left alone, she wept so bitterly.

Guangzong finally softened his voice. “Don’t cry.” Why did he feel heartache, even though this was only a dream?

Wei Li struggled to lift her head. “Back then, I wasn’t completely blind; I could still see a little. I saw my mother’s coffin, saw her lying inside…” She laughed to herself, reaching out to cup Guangzong’s face. “If only I could see you, Lord. You must be handsome. Lord, I want to see you.”

“Lord, I’ve never told anyone this. All these years, I’ve lived in hardship, in exhaustion. I miss my mother, though I never said it aloud. I also hate—I hate those who brought me to this point. I should never have lived in such misery.” Wei Li was sleepy, the alcohol weighing on her, the fatigue so strong she could fall asleep at any moment.

Wei Li poured out her story to Guangzong, her sobs nearly overwhelming him. Even if this was a dream woven by Zhai Hongyi, hearing Wei Li speak brought home the depth of her sorrow. She endured pain in the dream, giving an impression of tranquil days, but only after drinking did she break down in tears. This was Wei Li’s true nature…