Chapter 2484: Dream's Calamity

In Da Chu, at Yu Nu Feng.

Chu Xuan and the others hadn't slept yet; they had gone to pay their respects to Hu Xian Er and Bei Sheng again.

As they emerged from the small grove, they were met by a group of guests from Xuan Huang, including talents like Xiao Yuan Huang, Kui Niu, Zhong Huang, Xi Zun, Nan Di, and Long Jie. They had all come for Yao Chi, and Long Jie in particular was carrying a plain zither on his back.

Arriving shortly after was a woman, the holy maiden of Qi Xi Palace, Xu Nuo Yan.

When she came to Yu Nu Feng again, the way she looked at Ji Ning Shuang was the same as in their previous life—there was an expression in her eyes that shouldn't belong to a woman. She always saw the woman called Yao Chi as a beautiful young man named Ji Wu Chen, who had disguised herself as a man and taken away her romantic fate from that past life. Even after one cycle of reincarnation, she still couldn't let it go.

The crowd turned their gazes toward the Qi Xi holy maiden, their expressions quite peculiar. After hearing about that ancient story, they all found such matters hard to believe—it just seemed so unnatural and dramatic.

Especially Long Jie, whose look was the strangest of all.

For some reason, seeing the Crown Prince of Cang Long and the Qi Xi holy maiden made Ye Fan and Gu Lan both feel very uncomfortable. One called Ji Ning Shuang "mother," and the other called her "mother-in-law." One was like a son, the other like a daughter-in-law—this scene today felt incredibly awkward!

"Our Ninth Lady really goes for anyone, men or women alike!" Tang San Shao sighed.

"It seems so." Ye Ling pouted, wondering how many more unknown stories her father and Ninth Lady's generation had gotten into. This tale was just too exciting.

The little girl reacted a bit slowly. After saying that, she seemed to think of something else, stepped forward, and kicked Tang San Shao. "Who gave you permission to say 'our'? Get lost."

"Make yourselves comfortable." Chu Xuan smiled. She was fine with the others, but when she saw Long Jie, her expression turned unfriendly. The same went for Chu Ling and the others.

This little serpent was still thinking about their Ninth Lady. It was a good thing Ye Chen wasn't here, or he'd chase him across the stars and beat him. You're already married—is it appropriate to keep thinking about my wife?

It's not appropriate!

That was exactly what the Ling Clan holy maiden wanted to say. Along the way, she had given Long Jie thousands of resentful glances. If looks could kill, he'd have died a thousand times over. I'm your wife! It's one thing to love other women, but loving someone else's wife is just too much.

In fact, when they were intimate, Long Jie might even unconsciously mistake her for Dong Shen Yao Chi. In a moment of excitement, he might actually call out Yao Chi's name.

"I'm here to save someone." Long Jie took a deep breath, speaking with great righteousness.

"Old Niu figures this is a total scumbag."

"Yeah, more like a scummy dragon."

"If I were Old Seven, I'd beat him all the way to the Nai He Bridge."

Long Jie's mention of saving someone drew sideways glances from the crowd. We know your sneaky intentions—don't bother with this nonsense. Yao Chi is already a mother-in-law figure, and you're still hung up on her?

"It won't hurt to try." Chu Ling glanced at the dazed Ji Ning Shuang. Even a sliver of hope was worth pursuing—maybe it could really help her regain her senses.

"Play it properly, or I'll stew you." Xi Yan clenched her little fist, not forgetting to threaten him. If it came to a fight, she alone could beat Long Jie until he cried.

Long Jie coughed dryly and set down the plain zither he was carrying.

The crowd stepped back together, leaving Ji Ning Shuang alone, sitting quietly under the old tree. Her expression was wooden, her eyes empty, like a stone-carved ice sculpture or an emotionless puppet.

"She's really turned into a bookish fool." Xiao Yuan Huang scratched his monkey fur.

"If we stripped her clothes right now, she probably wouldn't react at all." Kui Niu stroked his chin, who knows what wild idea prompted that comment.

No sooner had he spoken than he was sent flying out of Yu Nu Feng. The monkey followed suit, and the two ended up plastered against a rock wall outside the mountain, each in a perfect spread-eagle position.

The one who struck was Chu Xuan. This cow and this monkey always came with their foul mouths—if they didn't get a beating now and then, they'd forget this was Yu Nu Feng and turn into total thick-skinned pests.

Meanwhile, Long Jie had already sat down not far from Ji Ning Shuang, set up a table, placed the plain zither on it, and glanced at the dazed Yao Chi. His heart ached fiercely.

That woman had once been his lifelong belief; he would have been willing to oppose the entire heavens for her, even at the cost of his life.

Unfortunately, they were fated to have a connection but no fulfillment.

In that moment, his mind wandered. Letting go of those feelings was too difficult—it wasn't that he was fickle, but that he loved too deeply. The name Yao Chi was a belief etched deep in his soul. Whenever he saw her, he couldn't help but show a touch of a man's tenderness.

In that instant, the Ling Clan holy maiden's eyes dimmed considerably. As Long Jie's wife, she wasn't losing to Dong Shen Yao Chi—she was losing to her own husband.

"If you don't start playing, I might just hit you." Nan Ming Yu Shu glanced at Long Jie. With your wife right here, you're being way too bold—do you want to get sent flying?

As her words fell, Long Jie finally collected his thoughts and plucked the zither strings. The melodious sound, like a wondrous immortal tune, echoed across Yu Nu Feng. He was playing the awakening chapter of the Jiu You Xian Qu.

Everyone fell silent, all eyes on Ji Ning Shuang.

As they expected, the dazed woman showed no reaction to the music. It wasn't that the Jiu You Xian Qu was ineffective—it was just that the player wasn't the right one. If Ye Chen had played it, things would have been different.

Long Jie had feelings, but Yao Chi had none.

Without mutual affection, how could there be awakening from the daze?

Even so, Long Jie didn't stop.

He no longer looked at Ji Ning Shuang; he just focused on playing the zither, his eyes filled with tenderness. The music carried deep emotions—this piece would mark the end of his romantic ties. His feelings for Yao Chi would be buried in this Jiu You Xian Qu, a belief that would fade away with the immortal melody.

The zither played on, and Ji Ning Shuang remained unresponsive, but the crowd listened with hazy minds.

The music of someone in love always told a story. If they hadn't seen it themselves, they wouldn't have known that the Crown Prince of the Cang Long Clan had such masterful zither skills—or more accurately, that he loved so deeply.

Long Jie closed his eyes. In the moment his romantic ties ended, he imagined a beautiful scene: a serene peach blossom forest bathed in moonlight, where he played the zither and Yao Chi danced gracefully. They would be a divine couple, oblivious to the mortal world, her world-class smile blooming only for him.

But imagination was just imagination—it was a dream, not reality. She belonged only to that man named Ye Chen.

He didn't know when, but the strings snapped, and the music faded.

When they looked at Yao Chi, she was still as quiet as before, showing no reaction from start to finish.

Long Jie shook his head with a smile and slowly stood up, returning to the Ling Clan holy maiden's side.

"Have you let it go?" The Ling Clan holy maiden's eyes were still full of resentment.

"I've let it go." Long Jie smiled and, almost absentmindedly, took his wife's hand.

"I think she moved," Bai Hu Crown Prince suddenly said.

No need for him to point it out—everyone had already noticed.

This "she" referred to Ji Ning Shuang. Not only had she moved, but there were clear changes. Her entire body was enveloped in a misty immortal glow, like a dream or an illusion.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Ji Ning Shuang began to shrink bit by bit, visibly turning into a young girl, then into a little toddler. The only thing that didn't change was her expression—still wooden, her eyes empty, lost in a daze.

"This..."

It wasn't just the Xuan Huang talents; even Chu Xuan and the others were completely stunned.

Clearly, she had reverted to youth. She was now a two- or three-year-old girl, plump and rosy-cheeked, surrounded by immortal light, like a tiny sprite—utterly adorable.

"Your zither playing packs quite a punch!" Xuan Wu Crown Prince said blankly.

"Play a bit more, and you might send Yao Chi right back to the womb." Xiao Jiu Xian touched her chin, her expression full of amusement. It hadn't awakened her senses, but it had turned her young again.

As they watched, the crowd turned as one to look at Long Jie.

Long Jie opened his mouth, equally clueless about the reason. He was the most baffled of all—or maybe the Jiu You Xian Qu he learned was some kind of knockoff?

"Oh? Meng Zhong Ying Jie?" The quiet of Yu Nu Feng was broken by an exclamation.

Before the words settled, a light bulb—well, a person—arrived. It was Long Yi, that guy with his shiny, bald head that gleamed everywhere, especially at night.

"Meng Zhong Ying Jie?" Everyone was surprised and turned to look at Long Yi.

Long Yi stepped forward, stroking his chin while circling Ji Ning Shuang. As the remnant soul of the Long Emperor, his insight was sharp, and he could see Yao Chi's current state.

"Yes, it's undoubtedly Meng Zhong Ying Jie."

After observing for a while, Long Yi gave that answer, his tone very certain.

"What's the significance?" The crowd hurriedly asked.

"She cultivates the Dao of Dreams and has suffered backlash from it, triggering the tribulation in her dreams," Long Yi explained leisurely. "Just wait. It won't be long before she wakes up."

"That's good." The women breathed a sigh of relief.

"Not really." Long Yi shook his head. "The awakening I mean is within the tribulation itself—she won't have any memories from before it. Once she passes the tribulation, she'll be dazed again."

"This..."

"What the heck is this?" Not even a few moments of silence passed before more exclamations. Kui Niu and Xiao Yuan Huang, those two, had returned—one limping, the other clutching his waist, wiping nosebleed as they squeezed through the crowd. Seeing Ji Ning Shuang's youthful transformation, their expressions were priceless.

"This little one is so cute."

The two rubbed their hands, eyes gleaming, as if they wanted to step forward for a hug. Even though she had turned young, it was still Dong Shen Yao Chi. They hadn't hugged her when she was normal, so hugging her as a toddler would do.

Then, once again, they were sent flying, one after the other, straight back to that rock wall—this time in even neater spread-eagle poses. Chu Xuan's strike was even fiercer than before, leaving the two covered in blood.

True to Long Yi's words, little Yao Chi woke up, but without any memories. She blinked her big eyes, curiously looking around at everyone, her gaze full of confusion. She didn't know who they were or where this was.

"I have to hold her."

"Her little face is so plump and rosy, and those big eyes are so clear and bright."

"My turn, my turn."

Xiao Jiu Xian, Zhu Que Princess, the Ancient Clan holy maiden, and the Ling Clan holy maiden all rushed over. This adorable little one stirred their motherly instincts, and they jostled to hold her.

"This is just too much," Ye Ling said, at a loss for words.

"I want to hold her too." Tang San Shao chimed in.

He had barely finished speaking when he was kicked away by Ye Ling.

Looking at Ye Fan and Yang Lan, their expressions were indescribable. That was his mother, that was her mother-in-law. Seeing her like this, reverted to youth, was entirely new.

Chu Ling rubbed her brow, and Chu Xuan and the others did the same. The daze hadn't lifted, and now there was this tribulation, in the form of reverting to youth. What on earth was happening to the two young emperors of the heavens?