Xiao Yi, who had been snoring softly, suddenly sat bolt upright like a corpse without even opening his eyes! His movements were stiff, with an indescribably eerie air. He slowly rose to his feet, eyes tightly shut and face utterly expressionless, as though something were controlling him.
Then something happened that made Xiao Yan and Yao Chen's hair stand on end. With his eyes still tightly closed, Xiao Yi began flailing his hands through the air, sometimes punching forward, sometimes pressing his fingers together like a sword. His movements were a jumbled mess, utterly devoid of form, and he mumbled indistinctly, "Beat... beat you to death, you old qi-stealing thief... behold... behold my Dream-Sleep Arhat Sword... urgh... yellow talisman..." His steps faltered, yet he somehow maintained his balance as he stumbled around the cramped room, "practicing."
"Aaaah!!!"
Xiao Yan let out a startled shriek and instinctively sprang backward, slamming straight into the wall. He stared in terror at Xiao Yi, who was throwing punches and kicks like a sleepwalker, and felt a chill down his back. This guy... could cause trouble even in his sleep?!
Yao Chen's spectral form shuddered violently too, clearly startled by this sudden turn of events. He instinctively floated over to Xiao Yan. The two who had just been "negotiating"-or rather, the human and the ghost-now found themselves clinging to each other, trembling as they watched Xiao Yi wield his "Dream-Sleep Arhat Sword" with his eyes closed. Neither dared breathe too loudly. This lunatic was more frightening than a ghost!
Xiao Yan clutched Yao Chen's illusory "arm"-if that vague mass of energy could be called an arm-with every hair on his body standing on end and his teeth chattering. Watching Xiao Yi continue to wield his utterly formless "Dream-Sleep Arhat Sword" with his eyes tightly shut, he felt a chill shoot from his tailbone to the back of his skull. Even the three lumps on his head seemed to hurt more.
"S-Senior..." Xiao Yan lowered his voice, speaking almost directly into Yao Chen's "ear," terrified of disturbing the fellow who was "slaying demons in his dreams." "Th-this guy is way too freaky! How about... how about we take advantage of him being asleep and just... kill him? He only just arrived, anyway, and he has no family or friends here. If he dies here... nobody should come asking questions, right?"
Fear had sent Xiao Yan's thoughts down a rather peculiar path, producing this simple, brutal idea. Mainly, the sight of someone performing the "Dream-Sleep Arhat Sword" while asleep was simply beyond his comprehension. It was terrifying!
Yao Chen's spectral form rippled again at those words, and he turned to give Xiao Yan a look that said, "Are you an idiot?" Although he, too, badly wanted to silence this brat who spouted nonsense and even wanted to use a virgin boy's urine against him, Yao Chen had lived for many years and seen far more bizarre things than Xiao Yan. Besides, as an elder, he had absolutely no wish to see children kill their own brothers.
"Kill him?" There was an indescribably strange note in Yao Chen's voice. "Boy, do you want to find out whether he can get back up and keep performing this 'Arhat Sword' without his head? Given how absurd this fellow is, I have no doubt he could come up with some new trick to torment you even after he dies!"
Yao Chen's words were like a bucket of ice water over his head, making Xiao Yan shiver instantly. An image sprang unbidden into his mind: a headless Xiao Yi zombie, some unknown liquid dripping from the severed stump of his neck, marching stiffly after him in relentless pursuit while wielding the "Dream-Sleep Arhat Sword"; meanwhile, another translucent Xiao Yi, a soul wearing the same clothes, floated at his bedside and whispered into his ear night after night, "Give me back my head..." What a beautiful sight-a double helping of physical and mental torture! Xiao Yan's face went white with fear, and he frantically shook his head, trying to fling that dreadful image out of his mind.
"No, no, no! Senior! Forget I said anything! Forget I said anything!" All Xiao Yan wanted now was for this walking plague to settle down completely, whether alive or dead, so long as he stopped being so terrifying.
Watching Xiao Yi continue to stagger about with his eyes closed, swinging his fists and mumbling, "...taste my sword... old ghost...," Yao Chen felt a headache coming on as well. He had to deal with someone who refused to follow any normal rules, yet take care not to hurt him. With another helpless sigh, he flicked his illusory finger again. This time, a wisp of barely visible gray powder drifted out and landed precisely on Xiao Yi.
Almost instantly, Xiao Yi, who had still been "showing off his martial arts," went limp as though his bones had been pulled out. He hit the floor again with a thud, this time unable to so much as twitch, as if he had completely dissolved into a puddle of mud. Yet even with his body subdued by the Tendon-Softening Powder, his mouth still refused to rest. It continued moving faintly, releasing the weakest of sleep-mumbled words: "...hehe... can't hit me... mad yet...?"
Looking at Xiao Yi sprawled on the floor, moving like an octopus while his mouth kept quietly chattering, Yao Chen's spectral form actually distorted a little, seemingly from sheer irritation. He hovered in midair, studying Xiao Yi from above. Only after a long while did he turn to Xiao Yan and remark in a tone mingling amazement, helplessness, and utter speechlessness, "I have roamed this continent for so many years... yet never in my life have I encountered anyone this absurd!"
With difficulty, Xiao Yan dragged his gaze away from the puddle of "mud" on the floor, trying to ignore Xiao Yi, who, though limp and powerless, was still wriggling ever so slightly while uttering incomprehensible sleep-talk such as "...octopus... fist... wrap around you..." He drew a deep breath and forced himself to focus once more on the "old grandpa" before him-or rather, his future opportunity.
"Ahem... Senior," Xiao Yan tried to make his voice sound a little steadier, although the wriggling fellow beside him made it terribly difficult to concentrate. "What you said earlier about taking me as your disciple and helping me become strong... did you mean it?" As he spoke, a flame called longing rekindled in his small eyes, and even the lumps on his head seemed to hurt less.
Yao Chen's spectral form also forced himself to stop looking at the fellow on the floor who had upended his entire worldview, turning his attention back to Xiao Yan. He nodded slightly, recovering the bearing of a master, with a faint smile. "I never make empty claims. I can clearly see your talent. Though it has suffered some damage, its foundation remains. With my guidance and the right medicinal ingredients, returning to your peak, or even surpassing your former self, will not be difficult."
"Of course," Yao Chen shifted his tone, his gaze growing deep. "I also need your help. And until I recover, you must not reveal my existence to anyone, including your father."
Before you continue