Dream Ape

A month passed in the blink of an eye.

The Kaiyuan Martial Academy finally announced that its entrance examination would be held at Guangling Valley, thirty li east of Feng City. In an instant, Martial Disciples from all four prefectures under Kaiyuan Prefecture stirred into action, some riding horses, others taking boats, all swarming toward Feng City.

At this time, the governor of Feng City also issued a very strict curfew decree: during the three months before and after the academy's examination, all martial artists were forbidden from causing trouble within the city—minor offenses would be punished with heavy shackles, while serious ones would result in immediate execution on the spot.

On the streets of Feng City, large and small, groups of armored soldiers began to appear, each carrying spears and bows, looking quite imposing.

The major noble families and various guilds strictly restrained their clan disciples and members, forbidding them from provoking martial artists from elsewhere during this period.

Shi Mu, who lived on the outskirts of the city, stayed inside his manor for the entire month without taking a single step outside. He spent his days practicing blade techniques and fist forms, and at night he slept soundly, as if he had completely forgotten about the Kaiyuan Martial Academy's examination.

A seemingly young white ape, along with over a dozen gray apes, leaped and played across several mountain peaks, chasing one another.

Not until the sun set behind the western mountains did the other apes, exhausted, enter a huge stone cave one after another to rest and sleep.

Only the white ape remained full of energy, lingering outside the cave. It nimbly climbed a large tree at the top of a peak, wrapped its tail around a branch, crouched on the branch, and gazed up at the silver moon in the sky, motionless.

A startling scene unfolded.

The white ape had only been crouching on the tree for a short while when, under the moonlight, specks of white light suddenly appeared in the sky. They grew more and more numerous, flickering in the air like fireflies.

The white ape blinked. Its originally clear black-and-white eyes instantly turned golden, looking incredibly eerie.

With a "puff" sound.

The dense white specks stirred without any wind, surging downward like a tide and plunging into the ape's golden pupils.

An indescribable feeling of comfort spread through the white ape's entire body, making it grin widely and dance with joy involuntarily...

With a "bang," Shi Mu abruptly sat up from his wooden bed. His entire body was drenched in sweat, soaking his clothes, and his face was unusually pale, as if he had just engaged in strenuous exercise.

"The seventh time! What is this dream all about? Seven days in a row, the same dream every night—this is too bizarre!"

Shi Mu wiped the sweat from his forehead, his eyes somewhat vacant as he muttered to himself.

He had started having this strange dream seven days ago, and every night it was the same.

In the dream, he transformed into a white ape, leaping through the mountain forests and playing with other apes, vaguely feeling like the leader of the entire ape troop.

But in the first six nights, the dream ended when he entered the cave with the other apes to rest, and he woke up abruptly. It was not like tonight's dream, where he stayed outside the cave, climbed the branch, and witnessed that eerie scene afterward.

"What's going on? Could it be that Stone Monkey Bloodline detected in me is acting up? After all, I dreamed of an ape. But why has this never happened before? Could it be related to the sense of Qi I recently awakened?"

Shi Mu's expression shifted between gloom and uncertainty as he pondered.

He happened to look up and suddenly noticed that the paper-covered window, which had been tightly shut, was now open, blown by the wind. A faint moonlight streamed in through the window, covering most of his bed.

Shi Mu's expression flickered. Almost instantly, he thought of the moon he had seen in his dream.

The next moment, he got out of bed, walked a few steps to the wooden door, pushed it open, and strode out.

The small courtyard outside the bedroom was bathed in bright, clear light.

Shi Mu looked up and saw a bright crescent moon in the pitch-black sky, emitting a faint white glow, appearing exceptionally serene and holy.

He stared at the crescent moon in the sky for a full quarter of an hour before frowning and lowering his head, sweeping his gaze across the small courtyard.

In a corner of the courtyard stood a half-withered old tree, five or six zhang tall, with sparse leaves that seemed barely alive.

Shi Mu narrowed his eyes and studied the withered tree carefully for a while. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him, and he walked over.

He hugged the thick tree trunk, climbed to the top in a few swift moves, then planted both feet firmly on a large branch, crouched slightly, and looked up at the sky. His posture was exactly like that of the white ape in his dream.

Was it an illusion?

From this angle, Shi Mu felt that the moon hanging high in the sky seemed a bit larger and even brighter.

But as time passed, nothing happened.

The young man grinned and let out a bitter, self-deprecating laugh.

He really was acting foolish—staying up in the middle of the night, climbing a tree to imitate the actions of a beast from his dream.

If anyone else in the manor saw this, they would probably think that Young Master Shi had lost his mind.

Thinking this, Shi Mu was about to shake his head and jump down from the branch.

But just as he was about to move, a "boom" suddenly rang in his head. His entire body stiffened, frozen motionless on the branch, his head still tilted up at the moon in that eerie posture.

Shi Mu felt as if he had truly gone mad!

He had actually entered the previous dream again, once more transforming into that white ape, staring wide-eyed as he desperately absorbed the specks of light raining down from the sky. His pupils burned with heat, yet his whole body felt incredibly comfortable.

Unlike the previous dreams, this time, although he had taken the form of the white ape, his consciousness was perfectly clear. He knew he was dreaming.

What made Shi Mu's blood run cold was that no matter how hard he tried to exert force, he could not move the white ape's limbs even a fraction. It was as if his consciousness had been trapped alive inside the ape's body.

Terrified as he was, Shi Mu could only helplessly let the white ape crouch motionless on the branch.

He waited. He did not know how long passed before the white ape's body stirred, and he suddenly regained control over it.

Shi Mu was overjoyed. But before he could do anything with the white ape's body, another "roar" in his mind made him instinctively close his eyes.

The next moment, when Shi Mu opened his eyes again, he was completely dumbfounded.

He was still crouching on the branch, looking up at the sky.

But now, his body had returned to its original human form. His clothes were soaked with dew, and the sky he gazed at was faintly brightening. The once high-hanging moon had blurred and mostly faded away.

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