Chapter 16

Luo Binghe stood frozen. "Mine?"

He took a step back, gazing at the desolate, boundless landscape. "My dream... is actually like this?" he murmured.

Dreams are born from the heart. At such a young age, his inner world wasn't one of blooming flowers and verdant willows, but this bleak vista. One couldn't help but sigh.

Shen Qingqiu pretended to ponder for a moment. "This is no ordinary dream. I'm afraid someone has tampered with it without your knowledge. The spiritual power fluctuations within are intense and unstable. This master was inadvertently pulled in by you."

Luo Binghe's face showed shame. "This disciple is useless, implicating Master once again." He focused his thoughts. "Who would tamper with my dream?"

Fully enjoying the pleasure of a spoiler, Shen Qingqiu pierced straight through the mystery. "No need to overthink it. The edges of this dream seethe with demonic energy, and the method is so crude. It is undoubtedly the work of the demon race."

Hearing this, Luo Binghe wasn't surprised, but his hatred for demons was reignited. "The demon realm's fiends truly act with vicious cruelty."

Who knows what expression Luo Binghe will make when he later learns of his own mixed demon heritage and remembers these words...

Shen Qingqiu smiled. "Vicious, not necessarily. Perhaps their intentions were quite the opposite."

Words spoken from a god's perspective are often incomprehensible to others. Luo Binghe didn't understand. What did 'opposite intentions' mean? But Shen Qingqiu's smile was meaningful, the tail end of his sentence lifting with a hint of frivolity, a flavor that could stir restless thoughts. At this point, Luo Binghe didn't dare to think further.

Shen Qingqiu actually harbored no frivolous intent at all; he felt he was being perfectly upright. The one who had tampered with Luo Binghe's dream was Sha Hualing. There was naturally malicious intent within it, but the greater component, as everyone understands, was the budding affection of a young maiden's heart.

Otherwise, why target him and not others? For a demoness, the one she likes is precisely the one to bully mercilessly. If her bullying couldn't kill him, she'd be impressed. If he died, he was too useless and not worth pining over.

"This dream is far from simple. An ordinary nightmare technique couldn't hold me; a mere thought could break it. But this dream is exquisitely crafted. I'm afraid if we destroy the core of this illusion, neither of us will be able to leave."

Luo Binghe grew anxious. "You mean Master could be trapped here forever?"

Shen Qingqiu glanced at him. "You would be too."

A thought struck Luo Binghe; his face flushed then paled. "...This is all this disciple's fault."

Shen Qingqiu said, "What's done is done. More words are useless. We must find a way to break the barrier and leave as soon as possible."

Luo Binghe nodded silently and followed behind Shen Qingqiu as they walked toward the dream's edge.

Shen Qingqiu's face was as calm as still water, but his mind was a raging storm, engaged in a rapid back-and-forth with the System.

[System Prompt: You have now entered an important plot branch: The Dream Demon's Barrier. Please ensure that within this branch, you assist Luo Binghe in overcoming the Dream Demon's illusion. Failure will result in a deduction of 1000 Coolness Points.]

Here we go again. Another Coolness Point deduction, always these heart-stopping numbers. I work diligently for so long to earn a few points, and you deduct 1000 in one go? Is that really okay?! Don't be so ruthless... no, System, don't be so absolute!

But that wasn't the main point. The point was—the script was wrong!

Let's review the original synopsis for this plot: Luo Binghe, pushed into the Dream Demon's attack range, acts on instinct for self-preservation in the crisis and pulls the person he trusts most into the barrier with him.

Shen Qingqiu urgently tapped at the System. "Dada! Big one! Giant one! Are you sure there's no bug? In this part, Luo Binghe is supposed to be romancing a girl. And the girl is responsible for helping him resolve his inner conflicts, using love to help him conquer his inner demons. How did I directly replace that role now?! What happened to the deep affection, spiritual connection, and harem acquisition? What happened to the little Junior Sister who would never abandon him, sharing life and death?"

[Self-diagnosis detects no bugs. System operating normally.]

No bug meant this plot branch had to be navigated successfully, or it was death.

The butterfly effect!

The one originally pulled into the nightmare with Luo Binghe should have been Ning Yingying. As the person closest and most trusted by Luo Binghe on Qing Jing Peak in the early stages, this dungeon-crawling + intimacy-boosting mission was clearly her job.

What was happening now?

How did the hat of "most trusted, closest person" somehow land on his own head?

Shen Qingqiu felt immensely honored but had absolutely no desire to accept such a distinction.

Seeing Shen Qingqiu's inscrutable expression, Luo Binghe asked with concern, "Master, what's wrong?"

Shen Qingqiu immediately collected himself, replying calmly, "Nothing. This master was thinking that the demon manipulating the dream is adept at attacking the fragile points of the human heart. You must be on guard."

Luo Binghe nodded, his expression firm. "This disciple will never allow Master to be implicated again."

This is too bitter. Not only was he dragged into a dangerous plot, but he also probably had to shoulder the responsibilities of the female lead's role. Shen Qingqiu had zero desire to follow the male lead through mountains of blades and seas of fire, face the terrifying Dream Demon, block attacks for him, and provide free psychological counseling...

Then again, complaining was useless. In the past, he'd habitually curse Xiang Tian Da Feiji in such situations, but on second thought, Brother Feiji was quite innocent too. As a proper, upright harem novel author, he definitely wouldn't want this situation in his story either—a perfectly good girl replaced by a scumbag villain. How distressing. Ordinary readers would throw the book.

The two advanced. The sky above and the scenery around them shifted like a kaleidoscope, sometimes stretching and distorting, sometimes shattering into countless fragments, unpredictable and ever-changing. Walking in this world, the picture was extremely bizarre, as if the people were painted by Da Vinci and the background by Picasso—the clashing styles created an overwhelming sense of dissonance.

Suddenly, from within the oppressive dark clouds, the corner of a city tower emerged.

They halted. Luo Binghe looked to Shen Qingqiu, awaiting his instruction. Shen Qingqiu pondered briefly. "Soldiers will be blocked with arms, floodwaters with earth. We go in."

Reaching the city gate, Luo Binghe looked up, a hint of confusion on his face.

Shen Qingqiu knew perfectly well—the city looked familiar to him.

Of course it was familiar. This was the city where Luo Binghe had wandered during his childhood.

Naturally, no soldiers guarded the gate. It opened slowly on its own. Shen Qingqiu led him inside.

The dream was terrifyingly real. When abstract, it resembled mere blobs of color; when realistic, it was indistinguishable from reality. The city's main roads, marketplaces, houses, and stalls were all crafted with insane precision. Lights blazed brightly, and figures moved to and fro. From a distance, it seemed bustling and lively. But upon closer look, even Shen Qingqiu, who was prepared, felt a jolt in his heart.

These moving "people" all lacked faces.

Their faces were just blurred masses, no discernible features, no sound. They didn't seem alive at all, yet they busily shuttled back and forth. The entire city was silent as death, presenting a grotesque parody of prosperity.

Luo Binghe had never seen such a sight. "Master, what are these things?" he asked, horrified.

Shen Qingqiu felt a creeping unease but shouldered the duty of the explanatory encyclopedia.

"This is an illusory city created using nightmare techniques. Within a dream, inanimate objects like houses and trees can be fabricated, but living, breathing people cannot. At most, they can only be made into faceless, speechless monsters like these. That said, to create a city of this scale within a dream, nearly indistinguishable from reality... I'm afraid only that individual is capable."

Luo Binghe cooperated fully, asking respectfully, "Which individual?"

Shen Qingqiu: "The Dream Demon."

The Dream Demon is the >

The Dream Demon's true form is a renowned senior expert of the demon race. His physical body was destroyed in a heavenly calamity hundreds of years ago, but his powerful primordial spirit remained intact. Since then, he has parasitized the dreams of others, surviving by absorbing spiritual power and vital energy.

Simultaneously, he is also one of the enlightening mentors on the protagonist's path to demonhood. Or we can give him a more intuitive and affectionate title: the Portable Old Grandpa.

It is he who, after Luo Binghe breaks the barrier, conventionally hits it off with the protagonist at first sight, conventionally imparts all his peerless knowledge, and conventionally helps the male lead with planning, strategizing, and dealing with miscellaneous foes from time to time thereafter.

Luo Binghe wanted to ask a few more questions, but his eyes inadvertently swept over the crowd and he froze for an instant. Shen Qingqiu asked, already knowing the answer, "What is it?"

Luo Binghe blurted out, "A face! Master! Just now I thought I saw people with faces!"

Shen Qingqiu readily complied, succinctly saying, "Follow them."

The two closely trailed the few individuals whose style starkly contrasted with the others, winding through the city's twists and turns, finally stopping before a narrow alley.

There were five people with faces. They looked like five youths, each with distinct noses and eyes, not blurred masses. Four taller ones surrounded one on the ground, a torrent of curses like "little bastard" and "son of a turtle" flying about chaotically. They didn't notice the two people following them at all.

Luo Binghe said, "They seem unable to see us."

He looked at Shen Qingqiu, as if asking, didn't you say the Dream Demon cannot create people with facial features?

It's time for the angst again! Shen Qingqiu sighed inwardly. "The Dream Demon indeed cannot use nightmares to create people, but these 'people' were not made by him. Luo Binghe, look closely at their faces."

Luo Binghe slowly shifted his gaze toward the group. Though his expression remained outwardly unchanged, a single bead of cold sweat traced a path down his temple.

Shen Qingqiu spoke, his voice low. "These aren't phantoms conjured by the Dream Demon. They are projections of real people who exist within your memory. The demon has merely dredged up these shadows slumbering in the depths of your heart."

But Luo Binghe was no longer listening. He pressed a hand to his temple, his face tightening as if gripped by a physical spasm within his skull.

Shen Qingqiu understood. Luo Binghe's inner demon had arrived.

The four loutish youths surrounded a child on the ground—a boy of perhaps four or five. Their boots and fists fell in a relentless storm. The small figure, clad in tattered rags, curled into a tight ball, arms wrapped around his head, enduring the beating in utter silence. It was terrifying; a child so young could easily be beaten to death.

"Hey! This blind little bastard dares to steal scraps from our turf!"

"Tired of living!"

"Stomp him! He says he's pitiful? Says he's hungry? Well, once he's dead, he won't need to worry about food anymore!"

A splitting pain lanced through Luo Binghe's skull.

That frail, small form on the ground... it was him from the past. Through a tangled mess of hair and smears of grime and blood, a pair of eyes shone with startling clarity—bright as twin stars. They fixed on him now with an intensity like honed blades.

Luo Binghe couldn't look away.

"Focus," Shen Qingqiu commanded, his tone grave. "They are only illusions."