That vast, snowy world stretched as far as the eye could see.
Qingmu didn't know how much Mental Power it would take to pass through the dream barrier and enter that forbidden area. He really wanted to try and see what was there. But he knew that Hong Zhenlong's mental state couldn't sustain his dream for long. His dream was the only passage connecting him to that world. If Qingmu entered the forbidden area while Hong Zhenlong exited the dream, the situation would become very complicated. Qingmu might be trapped in that space, unable to find his way back.
He couldn't take the risk without being absolutely certain.
However, there was one Qingmu didn't quite understand—since the shadow was already in Hong Zhenlong's dream, why didn't it just go in on its own, instead of forcing Hong Zhenlong to break through that barrier?
Qingmu originally wanted to interact with this shadow for a while longer, to study the characteristics of this race, just like Lester did.
However, the shadow seemed to have seen through his intention and suddenly pounced on Qingmu.
Qingmu sensed a surge of Mental Power, the same power that Hong Zhenlong had suddenly unleashed when he was restrained and had an attack. At the same time, Hong Zhenlong's physical consciousness also rushed towards Qingmu, unleashing the same power.
The two Hong Zhenlong were like clones, their movements were exactly the same. Qingmu knew this was because the shadow had become one with Hong Zhenlong, influencing each other. When the shadow had the intention to kill Qingmu, Hong Zhenlong's original consciousness also had the same thought.
In this dream, Qingmu, as an intruder, posed a great threat to the space. If it weren't for his powerful Mental Power suppression, Hong Zhenlong would have pounced on him like a tiger whose territory had been invaded, which would have only resulted in the collapse of the space.
The reason the shadow could influence Hong Zhenlong was because Hong Zhenlong himself had similar thoughts. Just like how the shadow made Hong Zhenlong furious and rush into the forbidden area, it was Hong Zhenlong's true thoughts that had been suppressed in his heart for a long time. The more forbidden the place, the more he wanted to go in and see. However, he had temporarily suppressed his curiosity due to the legacy of his ancestors and his fear of the unknown.
Two bursts of Hong Zhenlong rushed forward simultaneously. If it were just an ordinary person, they would have been torn apart by the violent Mental Power by now.
Qingmu gently shook his head. Putting the shadow aside for now, Hong Zhenlong's actions would severely deplete his own mental energy, and might even damage his consciousness. Fortunately, the shadow hadn't fully grown yet; otherwise, Qingmu wouldn't be able to distinguish between the real and the fake, and would have had to exit the dream.
He gently raised his hand, and Hong Zhenlong and his shadow slowed down, as if they had plunged into water, their movements becoming slow motion.
The air in the dream space slowly solidified, and tiny, crystalline ice crystals could be seen appearing in mid-air. The movements of the two Hong Zhenlong slowed down, until they finally stopped moving. Strips of ice around them reflected the sunlight, and a space about half the size of a room had turned into ice. The two figures looked like ancient creatures frozen in transparent amber, twisting and writhing in agony.
Qingmu strode forward, stretched out a hand, and gently pushed the part of the ice block where the shadow was. The large half of the ice fell down and shattered into tiny particles, each containing a small shadow of Hong Zhenlong.
The real Hong Zhenlong is still inside the ice.
A red sun appeared in the sky, so close it seemed within reach. Under its intense sunlight, the ice began to melt, turning into a puddle of water, and the ice particles on the ground had long since disappeared.
Hong Zhenlong stood on the ground again.
Strangely, the scorching sun did not melt the snow on the ground, and under the bright light, he had no shadow.
The rules of this dream are completely different from the dream that Hong Zhenlong himself constructed. It's like you set up a tent in the snow, and after living there for a while, it turns into a cave dwelling.
Hong Zhenlong stood there in astonishment, then suddenly collapsed, convulsing as if having an epileptic seizure.
Qingmu knew that Hong Zhenlong's Mental Power was depleted and his body had reached its limit, so he had to be pulled out of the dream. But Hong Zhenlong was powerless to wake up and could only struggle like a nightmare.
Qingmu abruptly exited the dream and saw Hong Zhenlong on the bed with stiff muscles, his body rigid, and drool dripping from the corner of his mouth, as if he were about to die.
Hong Kui, unaware of what had happened, shouted to the book, "Father, what's wrong? Father!"
Qingmu walked over and removed the old man's hands from his chest, then helped him up.
Hong Zhenlong shuddered, slowly opened his eyes, looked around, and then said to Qingmu, "Thank you."
Qingmu put the old man down and said, "Alright, you won't have nightmares anymore for a while."
Hong Zhenlong was already in poor health, and his mental state was now at its worst. Qingmu hypnotized him again and told Hong Kui, "Your father needs to rest. No one should disturb him until he wakes up naturally."
Hong Kui instructed the servants to take good care of him, and only after Hong Zhenlong was completely asleep did he leave the bedroom with Qingmu.
The setting sun was ablaze with color, and the entire sunset scene could be seen through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the resort's lobby.
Hong Kui invited Qingmu to enjoy the sunset while having dinner together.
The North America tycoon didn't put on airs of wealth; dinner consisted of only three simple dishes: yellow onion steak, Alaska halibut, and a Chinese-style water shield soup. The dishes were simple yet exquisitely prepared, making them very appetizing.
While eating, Qingmu unconsciously thought of the Boss Coal and felt that this glutton was actually quite pitiful, spending all his time in Liuying Lane, eating only the dishes made by Bi Shenghua and the small restaurants on the street. Qingmu thought that he should take him out more often in the future, so that he would have more food to eat and wouldn't keep pestering Bi Shenghua to make Bi Shenghua knuckle all the time. But he was also afraid that if he spoiled Crow's taste, he would be even more difficult to please.
During the meal, Hong Kui smiled and said to Qingmu, "What my father said is true; our family's business is no smaller than any other family's in United States."
Qingmu said, "If your father wants to whitewash his image, why doesn't he just go into politics? Look at the Kennedy family, the Bush family, and now Chuangpu."
Hong Kui said, "My father once said that politicians and gangsters are like rats in the sewers, spreading plagues."
Qingmu said, "The sewers didn't get dirty because of the rats; they got dirty because they were dirty, which is why there were rats."
Hong Kui said, "But the existence of sewers at least makes human society appear clean and tidy on the surface. Isn't that the feeling that people want? Half darkness can bring the other half light, half filth can bring the other half cleanliness. Isn't this what the China often refer to as the balance of yin and yang?"
Qingmu looked at Hong Kui with a puzzled expression. "What are you trying to say?"
Hong Kui said, "What I want to say is, are you really not going to consider inheriting the family business?"
Qingmu sensed that Hong Kui wasn't testing him as a competitor, and asked curiously, "Logically speaking, you should be the one most opposed to me joining the line of successors. Doesn't having one more heir mean you'll inherit less of the estate?"
Hong Kui laughed and said, "You're wrong. The heir of a family doesn't exclusively enjoy all the inheritance; he's merely a manager, like the patriarch of an ancient family. The family's assets are shared by the entire family. We will do our utmost to cultivate talent within the family. If it weren't for the fact that Chinese people in North America could never achieve corresponding political status, we would have already entered politics."
Even so, that shouldn't be a reason for you to welcome me in. Power is more tempting than money, isn't it?
"You're right, none of these are reasons. The real reason is that I don't want to be the heir to this family at all," Hong Kui said. "I used to be proud of being chosen as the heir, but ever since I entered the forbidden land of dreams, I've suddenly lost interest in worldly fame and fortune."
"You've entered the forbidden area?" Qingmu exclaimed in surprise.