The first strange dream

Not a single household among so many had lit a lamp. Were they really that frugal?

Or did everyone have the good habit of going to bed early and rising early?

Still, although the lack of lamplight was strange, it was not inexplicable.

For now, Zhu Lianqing assumed the sun was too fierce during the day, so everyone went to bed early at night and headed out early to work the fields.

Zhu Lianqing truly could no longer keep her eyes open. She lay down fully clothed and almost immediately slipped into sleep.

The night was deep, shadowy shapes flickering outside the window. The sound of fluttering wings was so faint it was almost inaudible amid the chirping of spring insects in the countryside.

Those wings lingered outside the window, but like a headless fly unable to find its target.

Inside, Zhu Lianqing was still trapped in a dream.

She seemed to be in an extravagantly opulent palace, yet it was dim and eerily mysterious.

The hanging bead curtains tinkled in the wind, and gauze brushed her cheeks. Everything was strange in the extreme.

Zhu Lianqing knew she was dreaming, but she still proceeded warily. Parting layers of exquisite bead curtains and swaying gauze drapes, she saw an utterly lavish bed in the distance.

A woman sat on the bed, her back to her.

Layers of bed curtains concealed her true appearance, leaving only a hazy silhouette.

Viewing a beauty through a curtain had a charm all its own; half-concealment was the most tantalizing of all.

But Zhu Lianqing knew that any woman who appeared in your life this way had to be either a demon or a devil.

If you dared approach, she would dare take a bite out of you.

Naturally, it could not be anything as nice as a kiss. She would take a mighty slurp right from the crown of your skull.

So Zhu Lianqing regretfully stopped where she was and quietly watched that lovely silhouette.

But after watching for a while, she could not resist striking up a conversation.

"Hey, beautiful, are you a demon who lures people into dreams to suck out their vital essence?"

"But haven't you made a mistake? This trick won't work on me."

"If you're going to transform, at least turn into a beautiful young man. Then I might reluctantly lift your gauze curtains for a look, but don't get any wild ideas about my vital essence."

Unfortunately, the beauty ignored Zhu Lianqing.

Zhu Lianqing found it dull.

There was no need to seek a way out of such a low-level dream. As long as she held fast to her true self, it would crumble without a fight.

When Zhu Lianqing opened her eyes the next morning, she still felt a little regretful that she had not gotten to see a beauty's back.

She stretched her limbs and pushed open the door just as Sister-in-law Little Liu brought over some porridge she had cooked.

In truth, Zhu Lianqing no longer needed to eat, but since it had already been brought over, she did not refuse. As she accepted the bowl, she asked a question.

"Sister-in-law Little Liu, does everyone in the village go to bed so early? Last night, I didn't see a single household with a lamp lit."

Sister-in-law Little Liu looked a little rueful. "Miss, a cultivator like you might not know how precious lamp oil is. Ordinarily, no one can bear to use it. Besides, everyone goes to bed early after sunset, then gets more work done before dawn the next day while it's still cool."

The answer was very close to what Zhu Lianqing had imagined. She nodded. "I see."

"Will you be leaving today, miss?"

Zhu Lianqing said, "I really shouldn't impose any longer, but I haven't decided where to go yet. Sorry for the trouble, Sister-in-law, but could you put me up for another day?"

Sister-in-law Little Liu immediately smiled. "What are you saying? We're only too happy to have visitors in the village. Just make yourself comfortable and stay."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Sister-in-law Little Liu went off to work, and the little courtyard grew quiet again.

Leaning against the doorframe, Zhu Lianqing thought about the dream from last night. It really was bizarre.

By rights, she should not have fallen prey to such a low-level dream. Was her soul unstable because she had just changed bodies, or was something strange going on here?

Zhu Lianqing decided to stay another night. If she encountered that dream again, she would lift the curtains no matter what and see just who that woman was.

By the afternoon, Zhu Lianqing simply went to help Sister-in-law Little Liu fetch water from the river. Unexpectedly, two young people emerged from the reeds, their faces covered in dirt.

Just as Zhu Lianqing was wondering whether these two were humans or ghosts, Sister-in-law Little Liu had already gone over to them.

She first helped up the young woman who had tripped, then asked gently, "Why were you two passing through this wild slope? In this weather, mind you don't run into any snakes."

"Ah!" Hearing there might be snakes, the woman clutched the arm of the man beside her in fright while complaining angrily, "This is all your fault! Just to save that little bit of boat fare, you insisted on dragging me along the bank. Not only did we get lost, but now my clothes are covered in burrs."

The man did not answer the woman. Instead, he first introduced them to Sister-in-law Little Liu, who had helped her up.

"What a sorry state we're in. My name is Wei Mingchi, and hers is Qin Man. We were supposed to head from here to Falling Snow City in the Northern Territory, but we nearly lost our way. Fortunately, we met you two here. Is there anywhere nearby where we could stay the night?"

"There's only one village nearby. If you don't mind, come back to the village with me first. This young lady looks so tired her face has gone pale."

At that, A Man's expression grew even worse.

Wei Mingchi brushed the bits of grass off his clothes. "Sorry for the trouble. A Man has never walked so far before. She really is worn out."

"Wei Mingchi, you clearly need to rest too, so how has this become about me being too tired? You make it sound as though you're looking for somewhere to rest just for my sake. And I'm not some delicate thing who can't walk far, but look at the path you chose! Every step was either too deep or too shallow."

Wei Mingchi's face stiffened. "A Man, we need to rest now. Must you argue with me about this here? What's the point?"

A Man snorted. "All that talk just to say I'm being unreasonable again, right? Then if you knew perfectly well this was how I am, why did you agree to go to the Northern Territory with me to see the snow on Mount Luo?"

"If this isn't being unreasonable, what is?"

Listening to their argument made Zhu Lianqing's temples throb.

Sister-in-law Little Liu, however, glanced between the two, shook her head helplessly, and tried to smooth things over. "All right, you're both so tired. Say a little less and come with me. I'll take you to the village to rest."

"You go ahead. I'm not walking with him. I'll follow behind you."

Wei Mingchi looked as though he wanted to say something, but in the end he merely frowned and let A Man follow far behind.

Perhaps Sister-in-law Little Liu was accustomed to picking people up by the river like this, for she naturally began chatting with Wei Mingchi along the way.

"At first, I thought you two were brother and sister, but now you look more like a couple."

Wei Mingchi did not deny it, though he was surprised by Sister-in-law Little Liu's keen eye. "How could you tell?"

"Anyone who's been through it would probably know at a glance. Only young couples in this world bicker endlessly over little things like that. Friends and family tend to be more forgiving toward each other instead."

Wei Mingchi paused, then lowered his head. "Actually, A Man and I could count as family too. We grew up together, and the elders on both sides passed away one after another. We were originally already married long ago."