Dao Companion Crippled, Coveters Move

Chapter 289 287: Lin Qianyan's Little Red Riding Hood Dream

As Pei Sword Immortal was being aggressively taken by Shang Miaoyan, and while Ye Liyuan prayed silently by a window, Lin Qianyan, far away in another place, suddenly startled awake from a dream.

Lin Qianyan's pretty face was flushed crimson from a hot sweat, as if painted with the colors of a sunset. Fine beads of sweat trickled down her snow-white, swan-like neck, soaking the collar of her clothes and making her appear exceptionally beautiful yet fragile.

'How could I… How could I have a dream like that…'

Lin Qianyan murmured, weakly pressing a hand to her forehead. A trace of lingering fear remained in her pupils, as if she were still caught in the nightmare's aftershocks.

As a Void Refining Realm Great Cultivator, her Dao Heart should have been clear and serene, incapable of producing such wicked thoughts or absurd nightmares.

And yet, she had just fallen into a depraved dream that had shaken her to her core.

In the dream, she had returned to her mortal days. Back then, she was still an innocent and carefree young girl, and Pei Yuhang was just a talented and ambitious young man.

In the dream, Brother Pei hadn't been taken away by that "Fairy" to the mountains to cultivate. Instead, he had relied on his talents to successfully enter the Capital City and become an official.

This made Lin Qianyan overjoyed. She thought that if Brother Pei hadn't been taken to that depraved Demon Cave, she could have spent the rest of her life with him.

'Even if we never cultivated, even if our lives were short and we grew old and frail, it wouldn't matter. As long as I could grow old with Brother Pei and experience every precious first time together, I would die with no regrets!'

"Qianyan, once I've established myself in the Capital City, I'll send for you. We'll live together."

The Pei Yuhang in her dream had held her hand before leaving for the Capital City, promising her this gently.

Lin Qianyan had nodded, her heart full of joy, her eyes filled with hope and trust.

However, time flew by in the dream, and Lin Qianyan waited in Lishui Village for three long years.

At first, Pei Yuhang sent a letter every month, filled with praise for the splendor of the Capital City and his plans for their future.

But gradually, the letters became fewer and farther between—from one a month, to one every six months, and finally... they stopped completely.

Unease grew in Lin Qianyan's heart, and she finally decided to go to the Capital City to find him herself.

But the moment she stepped into the Capital City, the colors of the dream abruptly turned bleak and gray.

Behind the Capital City's prosperity hid a filth and decay she had never imagined. She asked around everywhere and finally found Pei Yuhang in a lavish mansion.

However, the sight before her was like being plunged into an icy abyss.

Pei Yuhang, his eyes hollow and numb, wore a magnificent silk robe. But the robe was disheveled and stained with some unknown filth.

He was surrounded by a group of gorgeously dressed princesses and powerful noblewomen, who teased and toyed with him wantonly. And he... showed no signs of resistance, even obediently playing along with their mockery, like a broken toy.

"Brother Pei!"

Lin Qianyan's heart felt as if it were being sliced by a knife. She rushed forward, wanting to pull him away from the hands of those wicked women.

But her hands passed right through his body, as if he were a mere illusion and she, just a helpless onlooker.

She could only watch, powerless, as Pei Yuhang was pushed and toyed with by those people, as he fell deeper into a depraved abyss of debauchery.

"Why? Why is it that even when you weren't captured by the Yin Yang Sacred Land, we still couldn't be together and have a pure love?"

Lin Qianyan cried out in anguish.

A flicker of light finally returned to Pei Yuhang's numb eyes. He looked at Lin Qianyan and said in a hoarse voice:

"Qianqian, this isn't your fault. This is my fate... But, if only you had come to find me sooner..."

The dream shattered in an instant.

And Lin Qianyan was finally awake.

"Haaaah—"

Taking a long breath, she reached for the glass of ice water on her nightstand and downed it in one gulp.

The cold water slid down her throat, the chilling sensation finally pulling her back from the lingering echoes of the dream.

Once she calmed down, her keen intellect took over.

As a Void Refining Realm Great Cultivator, she would absolutely not have a dream for no reason.

Dreams had always been linked to divination and "Spiritual Vision."

In the eyes of those "Half-immortal Calculators" from the Celestial Secret Pavilion, dreams were a special dimension that transcended reality, often heralding some kind of omen.

The higher a Cultivator's cultivation, the more likely their dreamed omens were to come true.

It was said that Great Powers could even accurately see scenes of their own demise in dreams—their Destined Death.

Lin Qianyan clenched her delicate fists, a faint unease stirring in her heart as a complex emotion flickered in her eyes.

'I dreamed that Brother Pei was defiled by countless wicked women... Does this mean something?'

'But according to Ye Liyuan, the current Brother Pei is cold and solitary. He usually only moves about within the Cold Palace Sword Mansion and its vicinity. The only women he interacts with are the few juniors in his mansion, or perhaps his female sect-sisters…'

'Brother Pei shows no signs of being a womanizer, nor does his lifestyle suggest it. How could he have been targeted by wicked women?'

'Could it be—'

'—that besides Ye Liyuan, every woman around Brother Pei is a wicked woman with ill intentions?!'

Lin Qianyan let out a soft laugh and shook her head, as if mocking herself for losing her mind and entertaining such an absurd thought.

'Sister Ye might be a little naturally dense, but Brother Pei is so smart. If there really were bad people around him, how could he not know?'

Besides, Lin Qianyan had met Pei Yuhang's head disciple, Qing Yueqiu, many times. She sincerely believed Qing Yueqiu was a good child who respected her master.

'For Brother Pei to have taught such a disciple, it must mean there's nothing wrong with the people around him.'

Lin Qianyan's eyes flickered, and she silently clenched her delicate fists again, a cold glint in her beautiful eyes.

'Since there's no problem with Brother Pei's social circle…'

'...then the only other place she could think of that would cause Brother Pei to fall into such a wretched abyss was…'

'The Yin Yang Sacred Land.'

The image of those many women laughing as they toyed with Brother Pei in her dream flashed through Lin Qianyan's mind. Such a scene of debauchery perfectly matched the style of that Sect.

Fury glinted in Lin Qianyan's eyes, so intense that the very space around her seemed to hum faintly.

"So… is the Yin Yang Sacred Land a calamity that Brother Pei is fated to encounter?"

"That evil Sect… They deserve to die!"

Her voice was thick with suppressed rage, and she clenched her hand so tightly her knuckles turned white.

'But—even though that Sect is detestable, didn't Brother Pei leave the Yin Yang Sacred Land long ago and say goodbye to his past identity as a Cauldron Slave?'

'And with Brother Pei's master having obscured the secrets of heaven, I should be the only woman who still remembers his wretched past…'

'Unless… there are still women in the Yin Yang Sacred Land who know about Brother Pei's miserable experiences.'

'That would be the source of all his misfortune.'

A sharp glint flashed in Lin Qianyan's eyes. She knew she was getting infinitely close to the truth.

The Fairy slowly stood up, walked to the window, and gazed out at the night sky in the direction of the Cold Palace Sword Mansion.

Her fingers gently brushed across the window lattice, the cool touch of the wooden frame bringing a sharp sensation.

"Brother Pei, I will protect you… I will never let anyone drag you back into the Abyss.

This time, Qianqian has the power. I will absolutely make it in time!"

Her voice was soft, yet it carried an unquestionable resolve.

Moonlight spilled over her, casting a long, lonely shadow that was nonetheless as tough and unyielding as a longsword.

...

...

Pei Yuhang pushed away the warm, tender body that felt like Soft Jade. His brow furrowed slightly as he silently walked into the shower to bathe.

The shower door was shut with a BANG, followed by the sound of RUSHING water, as if trying to wash away the absurdity and entanglement of the night.

Shang Miaoyan lay on the bed, her long, dark hair scattered messily across the pillow. Faint, amorous red marks still lingered on her pale skin.

Her eyes were half-closed, filled with a lazy, sated look. She gently brushed a finger across her lips, as if savoring the memory of the night's wild passion.

However, her smile quickly vanished, and a complex look flashed through her eyes.

She knew very well that although the night had been wild and satisfying for her, the price was that her relationship with Pei Yuhang had worsened even further.

'Heh… but our relationship was already terrible. I suppose this just takes it from freezing to absolute zero…'

She murmured to herself, her voice laced with self-mockery and helplessness.

Shang Miaoyan subconsciously glanced toward the shower, a flicker of loneliness in her eyes that she quickly concealed.

She let out a soft sigh and forced a smile onto her lips, as if comforting herself. 'Oh well. He's always looked down on me anyway. Even if he hates me a little more… how much worse can it get?'

Thinking this, Shang Miaoyan actually felt a little better.

A short while later, Pei Yuhang emerged from the shower. Droplets of water still clung to his skin, but he didn't bother to wipe them away, simply striding quickly to the clothes rack, seemingly eager to dress and leave.

HUMM—

A Jade Box, wrapped in a Spiritual Light, slowly floated before him.

Shang Miaoyan sat up. Her dark hair, slightly curled at the ends, cascaded over her shoulders like a waterfall, making her pretty face appear all the more bewitching.

Her fingers lightly brushed her lips, her voice soft and tinged with seduction. "The Sword Formulas inside are called the *Nine Swords of Solitary Yang*. Its author is long lost to history, but it is a powerful legacy from the Divine Desolate Era, and it's exceptionally suited to your constitution."

Pei Yuhang's expression remained cold and stern, his eyes devoid of any ripple, as if he had no interest in her offer.

Shang Miaoyan continued, "These Sword Formulas aren't a free gift. Over the past few days, I've absorbed a great deal of your Pure Yang True Qi to complete my Dao Foundation. I'm not far from the Void Refining Realm now.

Consider these Sword Formulas my thanks."

Here, Shang Miaoyan paused. Her tone became light, laced with a hint of teasing and provocation. "Of course, if Xiaohan is too concerned with his own pride to accept, I don't mind.

It's just that poor Liyuan will have been cheated on for nothing. If she knew her husband was slept with behind her back and didn't even get anything out of it, she'd surely cry her eyes out from anger, wouldn't she!"

Pei Yuhang was silent for a moment before finally reaching out and taking the floating Jade Box.

He looked up at Shang Miaoyan and said flatly, "Liyuan will be recovering her health in that regard very soon… When that time comes, I hope you will keep your promise and stop disturbing Liyuan's and my life.

We… should never have met. Why must you be so obsessed with me?"

This time, facing Shang Miaoyan, Pei Yuhang showed a rare lack of hostility, only resignation.

Hearing this, Shang Miaoyan neither denied it nor nodded in agreement.