Chapter 681: All Are Within the Dream
"How could that be..." Yu Nian'an still wore that sweet smile that sent chills down Xiao Cheng's spine. "How could the one you entered possibly be my dream?"
Xiao Cheng's eyes widened as the truth of everything began to surface in his mind.
Why was Qi Xia's expression so wooden?
Why had Qi Xia lost all his ability to think?
Why couldn't he even perform the simplest cognitions?
Because in this dream, he wasn't the master at all. He was merely one of those being ruled over.
He was no different from those motionless people standing on the street. If there was any difference at all, it was that Qi Xia still had his facial features intact.
But how had this bizarre situation come about?
"Sister Yu..." Xiao Cheng took a deep breath, then swallowed hard. "I can pretend I know nothing... I won't fix that crack either. Just let me out."
Xiao Cheng felt that the girl before him was far more terrifying than he had ever imagined. This situation was completely beyond his ability to handle.
She had spotted him long ago but deliberately pretended not to see him. Every move he made must have seemed as laughable as a child's in her eyes.
She only intervened when he tried to interfere with the dream. She had absolute control over this dream, and killing him would be as easy as turning her hand.
But if he died here, his physical body outside would also die. Now his only option was to beg her to let him go.
"Xiao Cheng... hold on a moment."
Yu Nian'an finished washing the pot and hung it aside to drain. But the pot was clearly dripping sticky strands of black blood.
She wiped her hands on her apron, then turned around and said, "Xiao Cheng... I really don't want to kill you, but you can't leave."
"Can't... leave?"
"Mm." Yu Nian'an nodded. "You probably don't realize what terrifying thing you've gotten caught up in. This isn't simply entering and exiting a dream. From the moment you came in, you were destined not to be able to leave."
"What do you mean...? Sister Yu... I..."
"So I've also been thinking about how to free you." Yu Nian'an said in a flat tone. "By the way, if I kill you, will Xia wake up?"
Xiao Cheng slowly took a step back. This outcome was no different from what he had imagined.
But who exactly was Qi Xia...?
If this girl named Yu Nian'an wasn't the master of the dream, then why did she have such strong dominion over it?
"Because I am the 'Guardian' of this space." Yu Nian'an answered.
That brief sentence sent a chill down Xiao Cheng's spine.
"Xiao Cheng, in this space I can hear your thoughts. I know you're not a bad kid." Yu Nian'an shook her head with a smile. "But if you don't die soon... 'He' will come. If 'He' sees you, I'm afraid you'll never know peace again."
"'He'...?" Xiao Cheng's lips quivered, his pupils flickering. "Sister Yu, what do you mean by 'never know peace'? Who exactly will I have offended?"
"You think this is just a diseased dream?" Yu Nian'an wiped all the bloodstains on her apron clean. "Xiao Cheng, this is another battlefield besides the 'Land of the End.' Not to mention you, even I can't get out."
Xiao Cheng blinked, half-understanding, and asked, "A battlefield... between who and who...?"
"Between Qi Xia and the 'Heavenly Dragon.'" Yu Nian'an answered without hesitation. "Do you really think a conflict between those two is something you can interfere with?"
"So that crack was..." Xiao Cheng looked incredulously through the crack in the kitchen door toward the living room.
"It was the work of the 'Heavenly Dragon.'" Yu Nian'an replied. "But you don't need to worry. Everything is within Qi Xia's control. You can die in peace."
What a bitterly ironic "don't need to worry."
If Xiao Cheng had to name his ultimate purpose for coming here, it was simply to live.
He had no intention of braving fire and water for a stranger like Qi Xia, whom he had only met once. After enduring all kinds of torment, the last thing he wanted was to die inexplicably in the other man's dream.
"What a pitiful child..." Yu Nian'an frowned slightly, her expression darkening. "Whether outside or in here, people always threaten your life, don't they?"
"Sister Yu... I can't hide anything from you, but could you tell me who you are?"
Xiao Cheng knew that death was now a foregone conclusion. If the outcome couldn't be changed no matter what, he only hoped to ease some of the confusion in his heart.
Yu Nian'an slowly raised her head. Her face was like a gentle breeze in this endless hell.
She was serene, tranquil. Every time Xiao Cheng looked at her face, he felt his fear being soothed.
"I am a 'Heart.'" Yu Nian'an answered.
"What...?"
"I am responsible for guarding the last line of defense in Qi Xia's heart, and I act strictly according to his instructions." Yu Nian'an said. "I am both a 'Heart' and the final 'Guardian' of Qi Xia's inner world. As long as I am here, he cannot be defeated."
Although Yu Nian'an had patiently given her answer, Xiao Cheng felt there were even more things he didn't understand.
"You are a 'Heart'... but why are you in human form?" Xiao Cheng continued. "How did you become the master of Qi Ge's dream...?"
"Because he entrusted everything to me." Yu Nian'an replied.
As the words fell, Yu Nian'an reached out and waved her hand in the air. A rope appeared out of nowhere in her grasp.
Seeing this rope, Xiao Cheng's eyes shot wide open. "Sister Yu... you also...?"
"'Entering Dreams'? I don't know. After all, I'm not even a 'person.'"
Yu Nian'an slowly tossed the rope upward. One end burrowed into the ceiling like a venomous snake, then tied itself into a knot and fixed itself there. The other end curled slightly, forming a loop meant for hanging.
"Xiao Cheng, this place is really dangerous." Yu Nian'an said. "You go first."
Though she said "dangerous" and "go first," Yu Nian'an clearly pointed at the rope.
Xiao Cheng's whole body went numb. He knew that once he stuck his head into that rope, he would wake up in reality—or in the interview room.
"Sister Yu, I have one more question..." Xiao Cheng said. "If you can answer this, then dying here will be worth it."
"Alright, no problem." Yu Nian'an nodded. "Go ahead and ask."
"This world... has it always been like this?" Xiao Cheng took a trembling deep breath. "The things you've been feeding Qi Ge... have they always been like this?"
"Of course not." Yu Nian'an gave a bitter smile, then reached up to tuck her long hair behind her ear. "This world used to be bustling with traffic. Our happy little home wasn't big, but it was warm. But starting yesterday, everything was destroyed."
"Yesterday...?" Xiao Cheng was stunned. "What do you mean by destroyed?"
"The 'Heavenly Dragon' merely waved his hand, and the entire city turned to nothing." Yu Nian'an said. "Xiao Cheng, if it were you, would you have that ability?"
After those words, Xiao Cheng was utterly shocked.
"Sister Yu, what do you mean?! Is the 'Heavenly Dragon' also an 'Entering Dreams' user?!"