The Vengeance of Bai Ze

The east is turning white.

The air inside the silken tent was filled with the cool fragrance of winter plum blossoms. The fingertips of the Ganlong Venerable unconsciously clenched beneath his wide sleeves, and the dragon patterns embroidered on the brocade quilt were pressing against her burning, perfect back.

You Su's dark outer robe and her plain skirt intertwined on the jade footstool, like two dragons rubbing against each other in the snow.

"Your Sovereign Lord..."

You Su had actually been awake for some time, but she didn't dare to open her eyes, nor could she believe the haunting images in her mind.

He knew that the woman beside him had probably woken up long ago, but hadn't dared to.

Although the two were worlds apart in age and status, the other party ultimately did it to save him. Even if it was all a dream, in the end, he still benefited.

After all... this is Sovereign Lord Bei Ao! Even sharing a dream with him is something that others wouldn't even dare to dream of.

The dream was false, but the memory was real. It was better to clarify things in the dream than to feel awkward in reality. Only then did he muster his courage and speak first.

Her profile is actually more stunning than her full face; her deep features are more pronounced from the side, like majestic snow-capped mountains rising and falling amidst a blanket of white snow. If the God who created humanity were here, he would marvel at this as one of his most prized works of art.

The woman's long eyelashes trembled slightly; to You Su's surprise, she hadn't actually fallen asleep at all.

She hesitated to open her eyes, her thoughts the opposite of You Su's. As long as she could hold out until reality returned and then open her eyes, she could pretend to have just woken up from a dream and remembered nothing.

If it were truly a real-life dual cultivation session with You Su, that would be one thing; she's certainly not a coy woman. But this dual cultivation in a dream—what should she say when she wakes up?

So you found my weakness in your dream, and you're going to take responsibility for it? Or did I catch you in your weakness in my dream, and now you're going to marry into Bei Ao's family?

As someone in a higher position, she naturally didn't want to get entangled with the young man over a mere, illusory dream; otherwise, it would seem as if she were being unreasonable and stubborn.

After all, if she were in You Su, she would feel immense pressure. So it would be better to let her wake up and pretend nothing happened, which would be more refreshing and easier.

In short, it was all a dream; let's just consider it... a beautiful memory.

"My Sovereign Lord..." the young man whispered again in her ear, "Do you know where this is?"

She wanted to continue pretending to be asleep until she woke up, but she couldn't bear to hear the boy calling her so earnestly. This was the first time he had ever addressed her as "you" (formal), and he was acting as cautiously as someone who had done something wrong.

She didn't want You Su be so cautious with her, thinking that replying to him in her dream wouldn't affect her pretending to forget when she woke up. So the woman parted her lips slightly, but still didn't open her eyes:

"It must still be the sixth layer of the dreamer's dream."

Hearing her words, You Su looked up and glanced around again, but after confirming everything, she still felt something was wrong. "Why don't you open your eyes and take a look?"

The woman's eyelashes trembled again, but she ultimately did not open them.

"I... I am a little tired and am closing my eyes to regulate my breathing."

You Su found it amusing to see the blush creeping up the woman's face. He thought to himself that her statement, "Women of Bei'ao are all bold in love and hate," was just empty boasting in the heat of the moment. At this moment, she was clearly acting like a coward.

She didn't want to open her eyes, You Su had a way to make her open them.

The young man leaned forward and kissed the woman's thin lips.

"What are you doing?!"

As You Su had expected, the woman hurriedly pushed You Su away. Saving someone was one thing, but now that it was done, how could she, the Sovereign Lord of Bei Ao, be casually teased by a man with whom she had no established relationship? Even in a dream, it was absolutely unacceptable.

You Su met the woman's half-shy, half-annoyed gaze, and saw that this Northern Ao Sovereign Lord, who dared to challenge the Immortal Ancestor, was now disheveled and with his hair in disarray, an unparalleled sense of accomplishment welled up in his heart, and his Blood Qi surged unconsciously. He was also somewhat tempted to make a move.

Ganlong Venerable took in the changes in the boy's eyes and secretly regretted falling into the trap. He shouldn't have opened his eyes. When they first met, the boy's eyes were innocent and pure, but now they had turned into an aggressive and possessive desire.

No one had ever dared to look at her with such audacity, yet she couldn't get angry. Instead, she felt a warmth in her heart, which she was ready to offer to Bei Ao, that she hadn't experienced in four hundred years.

"Don't be so presumptuous..."

She pushed the boy aside a little, secretly annoyed that she had felt somewhat uncomfortable under the intense gaze of a young man.

"This isn't the sixth layer of the dream realm," You Su persisted, pressing her advantage further.

Upon hearing this, Ganlong Venerable was taken aback and had no time to pay attention to You Su, who was standing very close to him. He hurriedly looked around.

But the more she looked, the more alarmed she became, because everything around her was extremely familiar to her.

Isn't this her bedchamber in the Dragon Seeing Palace?!

How did I get here? Which layer of the dream is this?

She hurriedly sat up, wanting to get a full look around, but suddenly felt a chill on her chest as the silk quilt that had slipped off was caught by the towering snow slope.

Her gaze met You Su's as they focused on the spot where the quilt was stuck, and then she suddenly realized—where are my clothes!

What does it matter to me in reality if I dream about taking off my clothes?

She instinctively gripped the silk quilt tightly. Several red marks, still causing a persistent, ambiguous pain, remained on her waist, abdomen, and back. Images from her dream flooded back, and the tips of her ears instantly burned bright red.

I'm not awake yet... I'm not awake yet! I must still be dreaming!

"Do you know where this is?" The boy sat up, hooking a strand of her hair with his fingertips, and smiled like a satisfied cat.

"How could I possibly know?"

For some reason, she felt it was better for the boy to address her as "you" (formal).

"This must be the Sovereign Lord's bedroom."

You Su took a deep sniff beside him, seemingly intoxicated, though the title 'Sovereign Lord' held a hint of something more.

"You Su has been blind since childhood, so his sense of smell is more acute. The fragrance here is very faint, but it doesn't dissipate when it's cold—it smells very nice."

Ganlong Venerable looked at him in astonishment, only to realize that the boy was more shameless than she had thought, yet she couldn't get angry because of his comment that it smelled very good.

Just then, a voice came from outside the door, startling the battle-hardened Venerable Bei Ao, who suddenly froze.

"Master... is he awake?"

What's Chi Yu doing here?!

The woman felt even more nervous than when facing the Heavenly Listener Immortal Official, and a thin layer of sweat involuntarily appeared on her nose. Before You Su could even open his mouth to speak, she pushed him into the quilt and covered him with her hands.

A light knock came from outside the hall, Long Chiyu's clear voice carried a hint of trepidation:

"Disciple has prepared medicine for Master. If Master wakes up, please allow disciple to take the medicine in."

After a long silence, just as Long Chiyu was about to retreat, Ganlong Venerable finally couldn't bear it:

You're so thoughtful.

"It is what this disciple should do." Long Chiyu bowed respectfully outside the door and prepared to push the door open, but found that the door could not be opened.

"It's not appropriate to disturb me while I'm meditating. Your intention is good enough; you may leave now."

Long Chiyu outside the door, was taken aback, a hint of bitterness in her eyes, and stammered in agreement.

Ganlong Venerable frowned slightly, not because he noticed his disciple's strangeness, but because of the boy's hand lingering on his back.

You Su practiced swordsmanship diligently, and his palms were broad and rough, making every rub exceptionally clear.

Ganlong Venerable's breathing became disordered, and he almost gritted his teeth. Remembering that the boy seemed to be fondling her back, he felt offended and hurriedly went to grab the salty pig's trotter.

Unexpectedly, the shameless young man took the opportunity to turn around and wrap his arms around the woman's waist from behind, like an unremovable plaster.

"Let me check the injuries for you again, Sovereign Lord..." You Su whispered, burying his face in her neck, referring to the time when Ganlong Venerable suffered burns on his shoulder and back.

Ganlong Venerable tensed up. Though the memories were sweet, they couldn't cloud her judgment. An invisible ice blade pressed against You Su's Adam's apple.

"Silence! No more insolence!"

You Su thought to himself that this woman was indeed not the arrogant and easily bullied junior sister, and dared not push her luck any further.

The ice blade vanished instantly, You Su obediently embraced the peerless fairy, feeling quite content and satisfied.

"Master..." Long Chiyu was still there.

Ganlong Venerable's heart tightened again, thinking to himself that his disciple today was rather strange, and he waited for her to continue.

"Young Master You... alright?"

As soon as the words fell, not only Ganlong Venerable, You Su also felt as if a thunderbolt had struck his heart.

So, after hiding for so long, and using that opportunity to 'threaten' this woman who was planning to deny everything, the girl outside the door, who held such great significance for Ganlong Venerable, actually knew all along that You Su was in her master's palace?

Ganlong Venerable's fingertips trembled. He took a deep breath and asked:

"Did you send your master back?"

"Master came back on his own."

Ganlong Venerable frowned deeply, searching her Sea of Consciousness but unable to find any memory of returning to her palace. After all, she hadn't had a moment's rest since returning to the Divine Mountain, let alone the possibility of returning to her palace.

"You've learned to deceive your master too?" she asked reproachfully.

"This disciple dares not!" Long Chiyu said fearfully. "It was indeed Master who returned on his own the night before last, along with Lord Bai Ze and... Young Master You. However, Young Master You was unconscious at the time, and Master didn't say anything along the way. This disciple was afraid that Master might need something, so I waited outside the house the whole time."

They've been waiting outside the whole time?!

Upon hearing that the snow slope was undulating, Ganlong Venerable hurriedly asked, "What about Bai Ze? Where did Bai Ze go?"

"Lord Bai Ze left this morning, and before leaving, he angrily instructed his disciple to prepare medicine for you."

"What did she order? What medicine?"

Long Chiyu, standing outside the door, hesitated for a moment before softly saying, "Scutellaria baicalensis, Atractylodes macrocephala..."

The list of medicinal herbs for preventing miscarriage was read out one by one, and the last fig leaf in Ganlong Venerable's heart was finally torn away.

She certainly didn't need to take care of her pregnancy, but Bai Ze's revenge truthfully told her—this wasn't a dream, this was stark reality.

She suddenly remembered the person she met in the ninth layer of the dream, who said, "There is no such thing as an illusion."

The so-called illusion is merely a means to keep them unaware that they are in reality; the events that happen in their dreams also happen in reality.

Yes... how can dreams help You Su yin-yang balance in reality?

This was merely an excuse she dared not face. As the Sovereign Lord Bei'ao, how could she, at four hundred years old, not feel ashamed to do something like having sex with a younger man?

Suddenly, she felt the boy's warm chest press even closer, even tighter than when he was clinging to her, as if he were afraid she would run away.

"Thank goodness it wasn't a dream." He murmured softly, pressing his face against the wounds that had been ravaged by the cold poison.

The woman froze, her eyes flashing.

She was willing to do anything to save You Su, but the truth behind the young man's words of affection when he was weak was unknown. Perhaps it was just to be saved, or perhaps he could have said it if another woman were by his side.

She suddenly realized that her subconscious avoidance stemmed from her fear that the person she had only met once in four hundred years might not like her—this would be a greater blow to her pride than an old cow eating young grass, and avoiding the situation would at least preserve her last shred of pride.

But now it seems there's no need to run away anymore...

The phrase "I also love the Sovereign Lord" was not a flattering lie, but his dying words.

The inherent boldness of the women of Bei'ao was rekindled, and even their shyness when intimately embracing men faded somewhat:

Why are you so fond of my back?

The young man chuckled, "Does Your Sovereign Lord want to hear the truth or a lie?"

"That's the truth, of course."

"The Sovereign Lord's back can bear the spirit of Bei Ao; he stands straight whether facing wind and snow or the Immortal Ancestor. You Su naturally holds him in high esteem."

The woman didn't bother to distinguish whether it was genuine sentiment or flattery; in any case, she was very pleased.

"And what about lies?"

"There's no lie, but... I haven't finished telling the truth yet."

"Then continue."

"Your Sovereign Lord's back is beautiful."

You Su never felt ashamed in bed; he could clearly feel that the beauty in his arms was even warmer.

Unfortunately, dreams have their advantages, because outside of a dream, there can't be only the two of them.

"Master... do you still want to drink the medicine?"

Long Chiyu asked in a trembling voice. Ganlong Venerable's palace was protected by Formation Technique, so she couldn't hear the sounds inside. However, she could roughly guess something astonishing from the medicine and Lord Bai Ze's expression.

Inside the room, the magnanimity the female immortal had just mustered vanished, replaced by overwhelming shame.

She was incredibly clever; she had long ago discerned that her disciple harbored a secret admiration for You Su after being rescued by him. But this old, immortal master not only first put her disciple's beloved to death, but then, preemptively, kicked him out of the woods...

You could say she could be honest with anyone, even Wangshu Fairy, but she couldn't be completely honest with her only disciple, because she cared about her.

Chi Yu waited outside for a day and a night like a wronged party, complaining about her 'fake master' rather than Bai Ze, her real master.

Bai Ze's retaliatory move was truly insidious and ruthless.

"I am in good health and do not need any medicine. After my treatment, Young Master You is out of danger, but he has not yet woken up. Please tell me about everything that happened on Mount Shen in detail." She barely managed to maintain her dignity as a teacher.

"That night, all those who participated in the battle fell into a deep sleep. When I awoke, I only saw Wangshu Fairy alone guarding the Sea Well. She said that the Dream Master had retreated, and then she collapsed from exhaustion. The Sea Well also seemed to have destroyed itself because it could no longer bear the Evil God. The evil spirits that came with the Dream Master were almost wiped out before, and yesterday the Evil Warding Department began to search for the remaining ones..."

"Wait, she drove away the Dream Master all by herself?" Ganlong Venerable asked in surprise, You Su also perked up his ears.

"According to the cultivators who awoke earlier, Wangshu Fairy... persuaded the dream master to leave by her own words."

You Su and the Ganlong Venerable had turned around, exchanged a glance, both seeing the shock in each other's eyes.

Everyone was drunk except for her senior sister, which didn't surprise You Su. But her ability to make the Evil God retreat with just words was truly astonishing.

"How did she persuade him?" Ganlong Venerable's tone also became serious.

To single-handedly repel Evil God should have been an extraordinary feat, so why did he do it with his mouth?

"It's said... she kept repeating the same sentence." Long Chiyu paused, "Let's go, it's not safe here... let's go, it's not safe here..."

The door was suddenly shaken open, and snow fell from the beams and pillars.

"Where is my senior sister now?!"

How many people still know this phrase?

Long Chiyu's bright face dimmed as she looked at her beautiful master and handsome young man rushing out.