Dao Companion Crippled, Coveters Move

Chapter 338 325: Qing Yueqiu's Dream

Cold. Damp.

Qing Yueqiu felt the sticky dampness beneath her feet as she groggily opened her eyes.

The first thing she saw was a blinding crimson.

Beneath the pale soles of her feet lay a boundless sea of blood. The viscous, scarlet liquid flowed sluggishly, carrying a nauseating metallic stench as it tried to creep up the girl's exquisite, jade-like ankles. The scene, both sacred and profane, was utterly bizarre.

Qing Yueqiu frowned slightly at the sea of blood. Her head throbbed with pain, her memory a blur, like she'd blacked out from drinking. She had no idea how she had gotten here.

Suddenly, she felt something watching her. The gaze was cold and sharp, like an invisible blade grazing her spine.

Qing Yueqiu's heart suddenly raced. She whipped her head around, her crimson eyes trembling uncontrollably.

A colossal sword forged from corpses stood menacingly before her.

And at the very top of that corpse-sword, upon its hilt, was a jet-black throne.

A woman was sitting on it.

Her blood-red gown flowed like fresh blood, merging with the crimson at the foot of the corpse-sword.

This woman had the same silver hair as Qing Yueqiu, its strands shimmering with a cold luster.

Her skin was so pale it was almost translucent, but her eyes were a profound black, like a bottomless Abyss devouring all light.

How could Qing Yueqiu ever forget this familiar figure?

A single, chance glimpse in the Kunlun Mountain Secret Realm had been enough to sear the woman's image into her mind.

"Ji Shenyun—!"

The killing intent in Qing Yueqiu's eyes surged uncontrollably.

How many days and nights had she endured inhuman torment because of the Curse Seal this woman had branded her with?

Even longing for her Master had become an extravagant wish, let alone getting close to him.

This hatred made Qing Yueqiu wish she could raise her sword right now and run the woman before her through a thousand times.

Ji Shenyun tilted her head slightly, her gaze falling upon Qing Yueqiu. Her seductive red lips curved into a taunting smile.

"Well, well, little girl. It's been a while."

"How does the curse I left you feel? It must be quite unpleasant.

After all, you're such a wanton little Fox Spirit, harboring that ridiculous, improper obsession with your master. Your lust is poison, so the pain must be excruciating, hmm?"

Qing Yueqiu's fingertips dug deep into the soft flesh of her palms. She glared at the lofty Ji Shenyun, then let out a cold laugh.

"Ji Shenyun, I'm here to tell you that your scheme has failed!

My master didn't despise me because of it. We've overcome every obstacle and are finally together!

You once said my future would be one of loneliness. Well, I'm telling you now, you were blind!"

The girl's voice rose sharply, as if to pour out all her rage and resentment, to mock how ridiculous Ji Shenyun's prophecy had been.

Hearing this, Ji Shenyun merely chuckled, her red lips parting as she spoke with leisurely grace:

"Little girl…"

"You're celebrating too soon... It's not over yet. The real suffering is still to come."

"And finally, did you think that just because you abandoned me, I couldn't return to the mortal realm? How naive of you... I am about to get out.

Once I'm out, I will make you regret it. I will destroy what you hold most dear with my own hands…"

Qing Yueqiu's beautiful crimson eyes narrowed. "What do you mean? The Kunlun Mountain Secret Realm is clearly closed! It won't open again for nearly a hundred years. How could you possibly get out?"

To this, Ji Shenyun just chuckled without another word.

...

...

"Yueqiu? Yueqiu?"

A few calls, as soft as the wind, as if afraid to disturb her dream.

But that familiar, clear voice made Qing Yueqiu's eyelashes instinctively flutter like a butterfly's wings. She slowly opened her clear, crimson eyes.

Reflected in them was her Master's familiar face.

Handsomely alluring, yet not without a masculine air; a cool aloofness blended with an intoxicating gentleness.

It was like a spring breeze brushing across her Heart Lake, sending ripples through its surface.

In an instant, the girl forgot her recent nightmare. Her heart was filled with nothing but the Exiled Immortal Young Master before her.

"Master, you're really awake!"

Overjoyed, Qing Yueqiu grabbed Pei Yuhang's hand. The heart that had been caught in her throat finally settled, but as if afraid he would disappear again, the girl clutched his fingers tightly, unwilling to let go.

Seeing his beloved disciple's joyful expression, Pei Yuhang couldn't help but smile.

"Yes, I'm really awake."

He gently squeezed her hand back, feeling the warmth of her palm, and a sense of peace settled in his heart.

Pei Yuhang had been lost for a hundred lifetimes in that dream, experiencing countless cycles of reincarnation. He had lost his way amidst the perfume of countless women, dazed by carnal indulgence, unable to find his way back.

But now, seeing Yueqiu's innocent smile again, it felt as if all the shadows had been dispelled, leaving only tranquility in his heart.

He looked at the few wounds on the girl's body that had yet to fully heal, and a pained look filled his eyes.

Pei Yuhang lifted a lock of her silver hair and said softly,

"I'm sorry, Yueqiu. If only I had woken up sooner, you wouldn't have had to suffer."

Hearing this, the tears in Qing Yueqiu's eyes finally began to fall, but she was still smiling—a smile so radiant it was as if the whole world brightened with it.

"It's okay, Master. This is wonderful... truly wonderful. All that matters is that you're back…"

Her voice was choked with emotion, yet still clear, as if she wanted to convey all her joy and relief to him.

Pei Yuhang gently raised his hand to wipe away her tears, his touch so soft it was as if he were afraid she might shatter.

Gazing at the silver-haired girl, so full of fragile beauty, Pei Yuhang lowered his eyes. There was something he wanted to confess to Qing Yueqiu.

'Yueqiu, I... in the Illusion Realm, Qianqian and I...'

But then he remembered Lin Qianyan's warning... Pei Yuhang's fingertips tightened slightly, revealing his inner struggle and hesitation. In the end, he chose to swallow the words.

'Qianqian, why won't you let me tell Yueqiu about us?'

But, despite his guilt, Pei Yuhang still breathed a sigh of relief.

Forcing himself to confess to Yueqiu would have been a cruel act for Pei Yuhang as well.

If Yueqiu knew everything he had experienced during A Thousand Years of Great Dream, it would surely break her heart.

After all, even Pei Yuhang himself felt a deep sense of shame just thinking back on those sordid dreams, let alone what Qing Yueqiu, who loved him so dearly, would feel.

If Yueqiu knew that he had been intimate with all sorts of women countless times in his dreams, it was hard to imagine what kind of terrible state her Dao Heart would fall into.

Especially in that final lifetime.

While the girl was outside worrying about him, even fighting for her life, he was inside the dream, courting Lin Qianyan, even marrying her and having children... The contrast made him feel like an absolute scumbag.

No matter how he looked at it, he was just a piece of trash.

Right now, Yueqiu had just endured serious injuries and a huge emotional rollercoaster. Telling her about Qianqian and the dream now would probably be too much for her.

Perhaps that was what Qianqian had considered when she told him to keep it from Yueqiu for the time being.