The Dragon Corpse in the Dream

Zhang Fei's eyes lit up at the sight of the dried meat in Zhang Chen's hand. Not even bothering to wash his hands, he pounced straight at it.

"Go wash your hands. Eat after you've cleaned them properly," Zhang Chen scolded irritably. "Zhang Tuowei, hurry up and take your brother to wash up!"

Hearing this, Zhang Tuowei could only put down the dried meat with great reluctance in his eyes, then obediently take Zhang Fei away to wash their hands. Zhang Chen found some heated water in the house, filled a ceramic bowl with it, then took out the honey, scooped in a large spoonful, mixed it into the water, and carried it to his stepmother. "Mother, this is honey I found in the mountains. Try some."

Honey was good stuff, packed with all sorts of nutrients and abundant vitamins.

"This is valuable stuff. We've been wasting such a good thing for nothing. We could sell it for some coarse rice, or trade it for a few feet of cloth to help with the household expenses." Zhang Shi felt somewhat pained. Looking at the honey water before her, she swallowed, then turned her eyes toward Zhang Chen. "Mother doesn't like sweet things. You drink it! Having a bite of meat is enough for me. This sweet stuff cloys the throat. Mother doesn't like it."

As she spoke, she pushed the honey water away and lowered her head to pick up her embroidery needle. "You drink it. Mother doesn't like sweet drinks!"

Looking at Zhang Shi's thin, frail frame, then at her palms covered in old scars, an indescribable emotion surged up in Zhang Chen's heart and lodged in his throat, making it hard for him to speak.

Zhang Chen looked at Zhang Shi and forcibly pressed the bowl of honey water into her hands. "Mother, drink it quickly! I found a honey hive in the mountains and learned some beekeeping tricks from someone. This little bit of honey is nothing to me. Once my bee swarm grows larger, we won't lack honey to eat."

Zhang Chen's words were firm. Zhang Shi looked at him, at the expression on his face that brooked no argument. Her lips moved, but in the end, she accepted the bowl with both hands, lowered her head, and began to drink the honey water in small sips.

Zhang Chen made another two bowls of honey water and called the two little ones over. Then he took a butcher's knife from his basket and began slaughtering the roe deer.

With one stroke, he pierced an artery. Zhang Chen pressed down hard with both hands on the constantly struggling roe deer. Its entire body had been tied up, and with Zhang Chen holding it down, it could only watch as its life slowly drained away. Seeing that the time was right, two fangs silently extended from Zhang Chen's palm and sank directly into the roe deer's neck. In just three to five breaths, all the blood in its body had been absorbed. It completely lost its life and ceased struggling.

Looking at the blood in the basin, which amounted to only one bowl, Zhang Chen could not help shaking his head with a sigh. "Why does this roe deer have so little blood?"

Zhang Chen feared Zhang Shi might grow suspicious, but he had overthought it. Zhang Shi had barely slaughtered any game in her life, much less a roe deer. How could she know how much blood a roe deer's body contained?

"I'll help you!" Zhang Shi hurriedly finished her honey water and moved to step forward.

Hearing that, Zhang Chen was afraid she would notice something amiss and quickly raised a hand to stop her. "Mother, don't dirty your hands. It's only a roe deer; I'll have it dealt with soon enough. Go boil a pot of water for me instead. I'll need to prepare the hide later."

Zhang Chen did not dare let Zhang Shi come help. If she discovered that there was not a trace of blood left inside the roe deer, it would be troublesome. He did not think he could fool her clever mind.

"What a pity, this roe deer. If we could sell the meat, how much grain could it buy? How many days would it feed us?" Zhang Shi looked at the roe deer, regret in her eyes.

"Mother, don't worry. Our family won't lack meat to eat from now on." Zhang Chen smiled as he comforted her. Not to mention his hunting skills—even with the Beast Control Technique he had mastered, he would be able to eat meat every day in the future. They certainly would not starve to death.

By the time Zhang Shi's water came to a boil, Zhang Chen had already cut up the roe deer and tossed it into the pot to stew.

Watching Zhang Chen continuously throw meat into the pot, Zhang Shi's eyes filled with distress. "Don't put in so much! Don't put in so much! Add more wild vegetables, and we can make it last for more days."

"Mother, this weather won't let roe deer meat keep anyway. We might as well stew it all and eat it, to nourish our bodies." Zhang Chen smiled.

A roe deer did not actually have much meat—about as much as a whole roasted lamb.

"We should still take the meat we can't finish and sell it." Zhang Shi looked at the piled-up roe deer meat and began calculating carefully.

Zhang Chen laughed when he heard that. "Mother, you have to believe me. I won't let you and my younger siblings live hard lives ever again. Besides, my brother and little sister are at the age when they're growing. How can they go without meat? If they don't grow tall later, they won't be able to find wives."

Hearing Zhang Chen's words, Zhang Shi looked at him. In the end, she yielded. "You're the man of the house now, the pillar holding up this family. From now on, we'll listen to you."

Zhang Chen smiled at that and began stewing the meat and rendering the fat, working without pause to prepare the roe deer, cutting up the meat and putting it all into the pot.

There were two ways to preserve meat for a long time. One was to air-dry it. The other was to fry it all in oil while rendering fat, then add plenty of salt. Even in the scorching heat of summer, it would not spoil.

The two little ones ate stewed meat and drank honey water, living quite comfortably.

Before long, the aroma of roasted meat drifted through the air. Zhang Chen dished out the fried meat and set it on the table alongside the stew. The family began their meal.

The two little ones ate merrily, and Zhang Shi too ended up with her mouth gleaming with oil.

"In a few days, I'll bring you more game. Their meat can't be cut off. They're growing taller and developing now—how can they go without meat?" After finishing his meal, Zhang Chen began gathering his knife and hide.

Mother Zhang looked at him and began nagging endlessly. "You don't need to worry about us. The three of us—mother and children—will always find a way to survive. You're the one who has it hard alone. If there's food, look after yourself first. If you have extra game, take it out and sell it for money. Save it up so you can find a wife."

Zhang Chen smiled but did not argue. With chaos about to emerge, silver in chaotic times was nothing but useless stone. What could be more important than filling one's belly?

Carrying the hide over his shoulder, Zhang Chen bade farewell. Rather than returning to the village, he headed straight into the mountains. After drinking the roe deer's blood, he felt wonderfully energized. With delight written across his face, he made his way into the mountains, checked his traps, and found them empty, with no game caught. Then he went farther into the hills to train his hunting falcon.

When the sky began to darken, Zhang Chen fed the hunting falcon once more before carrying his basket down the mountain. But halfway down, he saw Wang Wu, covered in mud, sitting on the ground and cursing at the top of his lungs.

"I'll fuck your ancestors for eight generations, you dog-born bastard! If you've got the guts, kill me! What kind of skill is it to torture me like this?"

"I'll fuck your ancestors! Fuck your mother! I'll fuck your great-grandmother to death!"

"You think I'm afraid of you? If you've got the guts, kill me! If you can't kill me, then I raised you!"

"..."

From afar, Zhang Chen watched Wang Wu curse furiously at empty air. Wang Wu's face was twisted with rage, his body shaking as he spewed every obscenity he knew, as though he were arguing with someone.

"Uncle Wang, what are you doing?" Zhang Chen approached from a distance. Seeing Wang Wu like this gave him a fright. Thinking Wang Wu might have been possessed, he quickly opened his Dharma Eye. A flash of golden light flickered in his eyes, and a breathtakingly beautiful young woman appeared in the void before him, holding two fish and staring at Wang Wu's foul-mouthed tirade with an ugly expression.

Zhang Chen's gaze swept over the Fox Spirit's soul, then the fish in her hands, then Wang Wu's mud-covered body. How could he not understand what had happened?

"What a sin. Wang Wu has been targeted by the Fox Spirit!" Zhang Chen's mouth twitched as he muttered inwardly. He was also amazed that the Fox Spirit's abilities had grown so great that she could manifest her soul beneath the blazing sun. It was quite a skill, making Zhang Chen even more wary.

As though he had not seen the Fox Spirit at all, Zhang Chen looked at Wang Wu and pretended ignorance as he asked the question.

When Wang Wu saw Zhang Chen approaching, his curses abruptly stopped. His face reddened, strange lights flickering in his eyes, and he stammered, unable to say anything.

"Uncle Wang, is there anything you can't tell me?" Seeing Wang Wu's manner, Zhang Chen asked.

"Do you have anything to eat?" Wang Wu suddenly asked.

Zhang Chen was taken aback and examined Wang Wu. His lips were dry, his face pale, and his stomach rumbled like rolling thunder. He clearly looked as though he had been hungry for a long time.

"Could Uncle Wang have been targeted by the Fox Spirit? Is the Fox Spirit taking revenge on him?" A thought flashed through Zhang Chen's mind. After all, Wang Wu had nearly skinned the Fox Spirit alive and pulled out her tendons. With such deep hatred, given the Fox Spirit's peculiar temperament, Zhang Chen would not believe she would let him off without retaliation.

Fortunately, he had fried dried meat in his basket. He hurriedly took it out and handed it to Wang Wu. Wang Wu did not even bother speaking, nor did he care about the mud and grit on his hands. He simply began cramming the meat into his mouth like a madman.

When the Fox Immortal NanNan saw Zhang Chen arrive, she was wary of the golden light protecting him. She shot Wang Wu a vicious glare, then carried the fish away.

But after taking a few steps, Fox Immortal NanNan seemed unable to swallow her anger. She turned and stalked back, flung the huge fish in her hand, and sent its tail lashing across Wang Wu's face with a series of sharp slaps. Hearing the crisp crackling of the fish tail, Zhang Chen could not help but feel the pain for Wang Wu.

"You've gone too far! You've gone too far! You dog-born bastard, I'm your father! If you've got the guts, beat me to death!" Wang Wu was dazed from the blows, but once he recovered, he burst into curses, still refusing to yield.

Seeing Fox Immortal NanNan's expression grow increasingly ugly, Zhang Chen knew she probably had not expected Wang Wu to be so hardheaded. Even after being tormented like this, he still would not soften. Even in the face of mysterious power, he refused to bow his head.

Seeing Fox Immortal NanNan about to swing the fish tail again, Zhang Chen hurried forward to mediate, placing himself between Wang Wu and her.

"Sir, please stop cursing. Come have some meat and rest a while. Tell me what happened."

Wary of Zhang Chen's golden light, Fox Immortal NanNan did not dare rush at him. She merely stamped her foot in fury before storming away with a stream of curses. "Damn Hunter! I, Fox Immortal NanNan, am not done with you! You nearly skinned me alive and tore out my tendons, and I merely made you suffer a little, yet you still dare curse me like that! I, Fox Immortal NanNan, have never accepted a loss! You're in trouble now! You're in deep trouble!"

Fox Immortal NanNan cursed as she departed, leaving Zhang Chen to keep comforting Wang Wu. Wang Wu was starving to the point of seeing red, wolfing down the dried meat.

"Eat slowly. Have some water—don't choke," Zhang Chen said, handing Wang Wu a waterskin. Pretending not to understand, he asked, "How did you end up in such a miserable state?"

Wang Wu took the water and gulped it down. Only after quite a while, once his belly was finally full, did he look at Zhang Chen, his eyes brimming with grief, indignation, and terror. "Kid, run. Don't stay in this village. There's something wrong with this place. I've been haunted for the past half month!"

Zhang Chen's lips twitched, but he knowingly asked, "What happened? How were you haunted?"

Wang Wu took a breath, swallowed the last strip of dried meat, and scanned his surroundings. Then he lowered his voice. "Don't ask. Just leave this village. There are filthy things here! The farther you run, the better!"

"Filthy things? What filthy things?" Zhang Chen showed a look of surprise.

At that, Wang Wu took another huge gulp of water. His eyes warily swept the surroundings before he lowered his voice again. "I'm telling you, some evil thing has latched onto me! That damned thing comes to my house every day and carries off my coarse rice, white flour, and game. It's practically emptied my whole house. I haven't eaten for three days. Today, when I passed by the stream, I saw the water level had dropped and there were fish in it, so I went in and caught two huge fish. But before I could even bring them home, that damned 'thing' snatched them away!"

By then, Wang Wu's voice was overflowing with sorrow and fury. "Three days! I haven't had a grain of rice for three days! At this rate, I'll starve to death!"

Zhang Chen raised his brows. Looking at Wang Wu, he also felt that Fox Immortal NanNan had gone too far. What he had suffered before was now being replayed on Wang Wu. A tough, iron-boned man like Wang Wu had been tormented into such a state—it was truly speechless.

"Kid, hurry and run. This village isn't safe. Before long, that 'monster' may grow into something formidable and start harming people. I'm afraid I don't have much time left." Speaking of this, Wang Wu's heart filled with terror, tears gathering in his eyes. "I used to think you'd see me through my old age and bury me when I died. No need now. You can dig a pit and bury me already."

Looking at Wang Wu's haggard face, Zhang Chen did not know what to do for a moment. He was helpless against Fox Immortal NanNan as well, still unable to fathom her true capabilities.

Especially that ability of hers to manipulate objects—Zhang Chen found it extremely troublesome. He had yet to think of a solution. Against Fox Immortal NanNan, he currently only possessed the ability to protect himself.

"I wonder if there are any extraordinary people in this world who can get rid of that monster," Zhang Chen probed. He also wanted to find out whether this world possessed supernatural powers.

Wang Wu shook his head. "Never heard of any. Once this thing latches onto you, all you can do is admit your bad luck. Whether you live or die, meet fortune or disaster, is impossible to say."

Hearing that, Zhang Chen frowned. Looking at Wang Wu, whose emotions were rising and falling wildly, he could not think of a solution for the moment and could only comfort him. "Uncle, don't be afraid. That strange thing has latched onto you, yet it hasn't taken your life. It's only been moving things from your house. That means it may not be something that casually kills people. They're just possessions—let it have them. If you can't get food in the future, come eat at my house. Supporting you is more than within my means. You know I catch more game every day than I can eat."

"But there's one thing: don't curse it so freely in the future. If it never meant to harm you in the first place, but you provoke it into anger with your insults, then if it lashes out in humiliation and kills you, there'll be nowhere to seek justice." Zhang Chen offered his advice.

Hearing Zhang Chen's words, Wang Wu sat blankly on the ground, his mind dazed. He seemed to regain a little strength. "When you put it that way, it does make sense. That monster hasn't taken my life, only moved things from my house. Maybe I still have a chance to live."

"Exactly. Better to live badly than die well. It's nothing more than swallowing a mouthful of indignation—why argue with it so much?" Zhang Chen quickly reassured Wang Wu. "Starting tomorrow, come to my house for meals. It's settled."

"No! Absolutely not!" To his surprise, Wang Wu hurriedly shook his head. "If you get too close to me, that monster might set its eyes on you too. If it latches onto you as well, that would be terrible. I cannot drag you into this. Absolutely not!"

Hearing Wang Wu's words, Zhang Chen shook his head. "Uncle, do I look like someone afraid of trouble? At worst, we can support that monster together."

Wang Wu refused to accept, shaking his head like a rattledrum. "Say no more. I've made up my mind. At worst, I'll eat something casually in the mountains, then bring the game back."

Zhang Chen sighed helplessly. He knew Wang Wu was extremely stubborn, but he had already resolved that whenever he caught game in the future, he would prepare it and bring it to Wang Wu. Wang Wu had treated him well—how could he stand by and watch him starve to death?

Zhang Chen escorted the dazed Wang Wu home, helped him wash the mud and grime from his body, and comforted him for a while longer before turning to leave. Back when he had merely been an ordinary person, he had suffered the same ordeal as Wang Wu, so he naturally understood the grief and fury in Wang Wu's heart. Fortunately, he had endured it and was gradually gaining the power to protect himself against Fox Immortal NanNan.

So that's why Fox Immortal NanNan hasn't come to trouble me lately. She went after Wang Wu for revenge instead, Zhang Chen muttered inwardly.

That damned Fox Immortal NanNan—could there really be no way to subdue her? Zhang Chen pondered.

So far, Fox Immortal NanNan was known to possess three abilities. First, her soul could pass freely through all material obstacles. This was the most troublesome one. Her soul could enter and leave matter at will, passing through all kinds of substances—truly appearing and vanishing like a ghost, impossible to guard against. Second, her soul could move objects. Combined with her ability to pass through matter at will, it was simply unsolvable. Third was form concealment. Fox Immortal NanNan's soul could choose to let people see her or silently vanish from sight. Only by opening the Dharma Eye could one trace her whereabouts.

Just as when Zhang Chen had watched Fox Immortal NanNan cooking next door, she had revealed her form then, deliberately letting him see her. Later, when she moved objects through the wall, she had deliberately concealed her soul-form to toy with him.

After analyzing Fox Immortal NanNan, Zhang Chen turned to analyzing his own three skills. After pondering for a long time, he found no solution. Of his three skills, only the first could restrain Fox Immortal NanNan's soul. The second could control wild beasts that had not entered a rank, while the third could only control his own blood. It seemed he truly had no good way of dealing with Fox Immortal NanNan.

"Besides, what I've seen of Fox Immortal NanNan may not be all of her abilities. She must have hidden skills as well. I wonder whether my first skill, once it advances to the Third Order, will be able to contend with her." A thought flashed through Zhang Chen's mind.

His Light of the Righteous God had already left Fox Immortal NanNan at a loss. If it could advance to the Third Order, perhaps he would have a chance to suppress her—or at least drive her away.

Zhang Chen returned to his house. Hearing the clatter of pots and bowls from next door, he could not help envying the bookworm Zhang Chen. That fellow was truly blessed. He had merely sold the family fields in exchange for a Fox Immortal NanNan, and in return had a beauty in red sleeves and fragrant lamplight, a Fox Immortal NanNan tending to him day and night. Zhang Chen envied him to the extreme, hating that such good fortune had not fallen upon himself.

Zhang Chen sat quietly in his room for a while before washing up and going to bed. Wang Wu's experience that day had filled him with a sense of urgency. The threat of Fox Immortal NanNan had always been beside him; it had never gone away.

"I still need to keep digging tombs and collecting Experience Points," Zhang Chen muttered. He closed his eyes on the bed and began mulling over last night's dream again.

"So that Jade Tablet was transformed from a palm. That drop of blood was the last remaining vitality within it. The owner of that palm encountered a Great Enemy and was killed, then the palm was made into a Jade Tablet and buried in a tomb. Who knows how many years have passed since then, yet it still retained vitality, preserving fragments from those days and seeking to revive and cause trouble. It's truly unbelievable." Zhang Chen was secretly alarmed, thoughts flashing endlessly through his mind.

This world is far from simple. I'm still weak. I need to keep lying low and developing. I absolutely must not become the bird that sticks its head out first.

Rather than fear, Zhang Chen felt anticipation rising in his heart. He was not afraid that there were strange things in the world; he was afraid there were none. Only strange things could bring him a steady stream of Experience Points, grant him new skills without end, and give him limitless possibilities.

"No, that's not right! I seem to have forgotten something important!" Zhang Chen suddenly opened his eyes. "In my dream, I personally saw how that 'Emperor' constructed the tomb. I saw the tomb's layout and location with my own eyes. That's what matters most to me!"

Zhang Chen's heart began beating uncontrollably. "That tomb doesn't only contain the Emperor's Daughter—it also contains a dragon! If I can dig that out, how many Experience Points would I get? What heaven-defying skills would I gain?"

Zhang Chen was thrilled. He carefully recalled the structural map of the tomb, but his memories from that night were somewhat blurry, as if obscured by some mysterious, unknown power. Though they existed in his memory, they remained hazy and impossible to see clearly.

"The Emperor's Daughter's tomb isn't some small grave. Beneath it lies a massive palace complex spanning ten li in every direction. The tombstone is roughly ten meters from the Ancient Tomb's barrier! In other words, after another three meters, I can reach the Ancient Tomb's barrier, break through it, and crawl inside to obtain the Great Good Fortune within?" Zhang Chen's eyes were full of excitement. He was thrilled beyond measure.

"Not far now! Not far! It's only ten meters. Even if it were a hundred meters, I'd still chisel my way through!" Zhang Chen was excited, though a trace of doubt flickered in his mind. "But why was the area around the tomb frozen over and giving off such terrifying cold? That isn't normal. Unfortunately, what I saw in the dream was incomplete. I didn't see the entire burial process of the Emperor's Daughter. I only saw her placed within the tomb, and the Emperor offering sacrifices to her."

Countless thoughts flickered through Zhang Chen's mind, but he was quite happy. As long as he continued lying low, he would not need to worry about future advancement. Not only would he have no shortage of Experience Points, but even more incredible skills awaited him in the future.

At some point, Zhang Chen gradually drifted into a heavy sleep. The crystal core within his body flickered faintly, and the next moment, countless runes flashed inside it. Threads of aura drifted into Zhang Chen's mind, and in the next instant, Zhang Chen fell into a dream once more.

This time, Zhang Chen seemed to dream that he had become that palm, lying silently buried in soil that would never see the light of day. The years seemed untouched by change, and he did not know how long had passed. Then, all at once, a violent tremor came. It lasted for a long time before everything returned to stillness.

At a certain moment, the palm seemed to discover something. Its blood actually transformed into strands of red thread, slipping into the cracks in the earth. Then Zhang Chen saw the familiar Dragon Corpse, and the pool of blood flowing from it. At the sight of that blood, the red threads were overjoyed and began to devour the seeping blood in great gulps, undergoing some inexplicable transformation.

Just then, a pheasant crowed in the house, jolting Zhang Chen awake from his dream. Zhang Chen slowly opened his eyes on the bed, a flash of realization appearing in his gaze.

"I finally know why the skill True Dragon Qi dropped from the gravestone. The blood within that gravestone still retained its vitality. It must have tampered with the grave long ago and absorbed traces of dragon blood from within, which was why it could preserve a sliver of the true essence of Changes of Time without perishing!"

"But... that's not right either. Why did I dream of all this?" Zhang Chen sat up in bed uneasily, sensing that something was wrong. An inexplicable unease rose within him.