Chapter Eleven: A Dream
The man turned and strode purposefully down a winding path, making several left and right turns before finally arriving at the entrance of a house. He looked around carefully, ensuring no one was nearby, then slipped inside and sounded a peculiar whistle.
In less than ten seconds, a swift bird darted in from outside the window. The man extended his right hand and caught the bird. From his robe, he produced a jade slip about the size of a lighter, and infused it with a trace of spiritual energy.
He inscribed twenty-six words into the slip: "The Sect Master of the Hundred Poisons Sect, Elder Jin, and the North and South Envoys have, for reasons unknown, suffered soul annihilation." After placing a special restriction on the slip, he tied it securely to the bird's leg.
This was a first-rank swift bird, the equivalent of a first-layer Qi Refining cultivator in the cultivation world. Unlike any aggressive demon beast, swift birds had no offensive capabilities. Their value lay in their ability to cover a thousand miles in a single day, making them the cultivators’ preferred messenger—akin to carrier pigeons of the mundane world.
He tossed the swift bird out the window, watching as it soared into the distance before finally leaving the house himself. After departing, he navigated a labyrinth of paths before stopping at a courtyard in the mountain's rear.
He did not enter, but stood outside the gate and spoke in a low voice: "Grand Elder, we are in grave danger. The soul lanterns of the Sect Master, Elder Jin, and the North and South Envoys have all gone out!"
...
This was the lair of the Hundred Poisons Sect. The lamps burning in the main hall were soul lanterns belonging to every cultivator of the sect above the early Core Formation stage. Each soul lantern was forged from a strand of its owner’s essence soul, their lives tied to its flame: even if the cultivator was thousands of miles away, if their soul perished, the lantern would extinguish as well.
The four figures in the main hall were Crimson-Clad Guards. When they saw the soul lanterns of the Sect Master, Elder Jin, and the North and South Envoys all go out, shock rooted them in place, too afraid to act rashly.
Little did they know that the situation was far more dire than they imagined—perhaps even catastrophic.
Though the Hundred Poisons Sect ranked eighth among the ten great sects of the cultivation world, it had only one cultivator above the Core Formation stage—a single Nascent Soul expert, revered as the Grand Elder. There were only seven late-stage Core Formation cultivators: the Sect Master, two elders, and four envoys. Including the five early-stage Core Formation protectors, the sect boasted a mere twelve Core Formation experts in total.
With four late-stage Core cultivators lost in a single stroke, more than half their strength was gone. It was likely the Hundred Poisons Sect would soon lose its place among the ten great sects.
...
After delivering his message outside the courtyard, the man waited a long time, but the courtyard remained silent. Though anxiety gnawed at him, he dared not leave. Hours passed with no sign from within. Still uneasy, he finally departed. Who knows how long after his departure, the spiritual energy inside the courtyard began to fluctuate violently...
...
Changnan City.
A residential complex in the economic development zone, a hundred miles from Meiling.
The complex was at the heart of the development district. By the standards of the mundane world in 2019, the average price per square meter here had reached 21,000 yuan. Because of purchase restrictions, apartments had to be bought outright in cash; thus, anyone who owned property here was either wealthy or of high status.
The location was impeccable: close to a plaza, adjacent to a subway station, and ringed by several large commercial centers, it offered every convenience. The district was also within a top school zone, making the homes even more coveted—so much so that even the affluent needed connections to buy in.
The complex was divided into residential and villa sections. The residential area had twenty-four apartment buildings; behind them, the villas were arranged in both row and standalone formations. The apartment buildings featured two units per floor, all facing south, each with three bedrooms and two living rooms—a standard modern layout.
...
In one unit of a building at the center of the complex.
In the secondary bedroom of an apartment on the fourth floor to the left, a young man lay sound asleep. It was March, and the nights were cold, so before sleeping he always made sure to shut the window. Yet now, the window stood open, though the boy was oblivious, lost in slumber.
In his dreams, he seemed to smell the scent of peonies, sweet and intoxicating. Slender, delicate hands slipped beneath his quilt, caressing him. A smooth, supple body pressed close. He tried to awaken but found he could not, and could only surrender to the dream’s allure.
His hands explored the silken body, warm and inviting, and soon he responded eagerly, the two entwined in a tight embrace. One article of clothing after another fell away, all left unspoken...
~~~
What a feeling it was! The boy was overwhelmed by wave upon wave of pleasure—indescribable and profound...
...
“How grand is Tai Mountain? Its green ridges stretch endlessly across the land of Qi and Lu. Nature’s craftsmanship gathers all divine beauty here; the interplay of yin and yang divides dusk from dawn. Clouds surge, stirring the chest; a bird darts homeward, piercing the eye. One day I shall climb to the summit and look down on all other mountains.”
Feng Yisheng stood beside a tree, reciting with emotion, his voice rising and falling with feeling.
He was still bewildered, unable to fathom how he had arrived at Mount Tai in such a manner. Yet, on reflection, he found it not so bad. At this moment, reciting the great poet Du Fu’s “Gazing at Mount Tai,” he was moved to the core.
This poem, written in Du Fu’s youth, brims with the aspirations of an extraordinary mind and has drawn countless visitors to Mount Tai for over a millennium. Its influence far exceeds that of most modern celebrities; to compare them to the Poet Sage would be nothing short of an insult.
...
A young heart is prone to wild imaginings, but no matter how fanciful Feng Yisheng’s thoughts usually were, now he found himself utterly perplexed.
Last night, when he went to bed, he was still in Changnan City, West River Province. Yet upon waking, he found himself on Mount Tai in East Lu Province.
If not for the lingering scent of peonies clinging to him, he would have thought he was still dreaming.
He punched a nearby tree. Though he made no sound, the pain in his fist told him: you are truly on Mount Tai!
...
Murmuring the poem again, Feng Yisheng savored Du Fu’s “Gazing at Mount Tai.” As the saying goes, after seeing the Five Sacred Mountains, one need not see any other.
He had long dreamed of climbing Mount Tai, to experience what it was like to stand above all others. He never imagined it would happen this way—transported by sleep, in the wake of a dream that was as vivid as it was enchanting.