Nightmare

Do you have a lover?

After an unknown amount of time, a cold, mechanical voice suddenly entered Yu Xiaogang's ears.

He groggily opened his eyes, instinctively trying to raise his hand to rub his throbbing temples, but was horrified to find his whole body stiff and unable to even move a finger.

Apart from still being able to think and move his head, the rest of his body was completely reduced to a puppet at the mercy of others.

Beneath his feet lay a boundless, still lake. His body was lifted off the ground uncontrollably, hovering in mid-air.

Silence reigned all around, broken only by a clear, ethereal voice, indistinct in gender, that rang out once more, devoid of any emotion:

"Do you have a lover? If you do not answer after being asked three times, the punishment is death."

Yu Xiaogang's heart skipped a beat, but after the initial panic, she gradually calmed down.

Given the opponent's unpredictable methods, killing him would be effortless. In this situation, he could only... be a wise man to yield.

Besides, when it comes to romantic relationships, he's wide awake.

Yu Xiaogang is not only a theoretical Grandwet but also a Casanova. Not only does he have the Holy Maiden of the Spirit Hall as his devoted admirer, but his cousin is also completely devoted to him.

He was always quite proud of this, and in Yu Xiaogang's eyes, it was simply a freebie tailor-made for him.

Yu Xiaogang gathered her thoughts and confidently replied loudly, "Yes."

A slight ripple spread across the calm lake surface as the voice continued to press, "Who is she?"

Just as Yu Xiaogang was about to consider whether to answer Bibi Dong or Liu Erlong, the voice suddenly interrupted him:

"He is A Jie, right?"

Upon hearing this seemingly mundane rhetorical question, Yu Xiaogang's confident expression immediately froze.

Brother Jie's muscular physique, along with images of him researching Martial Soul Theory, flashed uncontrollably before my eyes.

Yu Xiaogang immediately denied it:

"No! Absolutely not! How could I, a grown man, possibly fall in love with a burly man?"

As soon as he finished answering, a blinding flash of blood suddenly erupted from the lake beneath his feet.

The ethereal voice, devoid of any inflection, coldly pronounced. "Hypocritical. Deserves punishment."

Ripples spread through the void, and a thick whip of light lashed out from nowhere, striking Yu Xiaogang's chest.

Yu Xiaogang cried out in pain as she was whipped, her body swaying violently in mid-air. "Ouch! It hurts so much! I really didn't lie."

Before he could catch his breath, the ethereal voice rang out again. "So, your lover is A Wei, isn't he?"

Yu Xiaogang's face turned from white to black; she was almost going crazy. What kind of hellish place was this? Why were they so fixated on these scholars?

He shook his head frantically, trying his best to explain:

"It's not him! Brother Wei and I are just academic confidants, working together entirely on the research of Martial Soul Theory. There's absolutely no personal relationship between us. I swear to God I absolutely don't love him."

However, the crimson light on the lake surface did not fade; instead, it began to bubble with large patches of dark red foam, as if it were boiling.

The indifferent voice declared once more, "Those who evade genuine feelings will be punished doubly."

Snap! Snap!

Two even thicker light whips lashed out from the void, striking Yu Xiaogang's body.

The double whips lashed down, and excruciating pain, like flesh being torn apart, swept through her entire body. Yu Xiaogang convulsed in agony, crying out in pain:

"It really wasn't them... I'm innocent!"

The voice in mid-air remained unwavering, tossing out the next question with a rhythm that instilled despair in him:

"So, Billy or A-Jiao, who is your true love? If you don't answer seriously, the punishment is death."

On the calm lake surface, dark red light transformed into a massive vortex, and a violent killing intent pierced through Yu Xiaogang's entire body.

As death truly approached, Yu Xiaogang's body went limp, and she begged for mercy repeatedly:

"They're all big, strong men, how could I possibly love them? Why are you forcing me to admit something like this?"

"Stubborn and incorrigible."

A flurry of whips rained down, the sound of them striking echoing endlessly.

Yu Xiaogang was like a sandbag in a gale, being beaten in mid-air, howling in pain. Her clothes were torn to shreds, and she was so badly beaten that she was barely breathing and almost fainted.

Just as Yu Xiaogang was only able to exhale and not inhale, gentle ripples suddenly appeared on the previously boiling lake surface.

Water splashed as two chairs emerged from the lakebed.

With teary eyes, Yu Xiaogang looked up and saw Bibi Dong and Liu Erlong sitting on the stone chair.

The two women were tightly chained to the back of a chair and unable to move. Their mouths were sealed with tape, so no matter how much they struggled, they could not utter a single syllable, only soft whimpers.

Yu Xiaogang, as if grasping at a lifeline, screamed desperately towards the stone chair:

"It's them! They're the ones I love!"

On the seats, Bibi Dong and Liu Erlong could only respond to Yu Xiaogang with muffled whimpers of "Ugh... Ugh..."

But the sound in mid-air did not return.

A thick, bronze-colored mist suddenly rose from the void, and heavy footsteps pressed in, treading on the ripples of the lake, filling the air with the aura of a muscular man.

The mist slowly cracked open, revealing four gaps.

Four burly and robust figures— Brother Jie, Brother Wei, Brother Billy, and Brother Jiao —emerged from the void with graceful strides.

A single, glistening tear slid slowly down Brother Jie's cheek. He clutched his broad chest, his eyes filled with sorrow.

"A Gang... We've been together day and night, sharing joys and sorrows. Even in times of crisis, the four of us brothers risked our lives to help you soar to great heights. Why... why do you deny the genuine bond between us time and time again?"

Brother Wei also raised his hand to wipe away tears, his voice trembling as he sobbed, "Gangzi, you've hurt us so much."

Amidst the relentless shouts of condemnation, the four burly figures began to grow rapidly in size.

In just a few breaths, the four transformed into towering Tai Tan, their bronze muscles gleaming with an oily sheen, casting a massive black curtain that completely obscured Yu Xiaogang.

Brother Jie looked down, his giant hand slowly reaching towards Yu Xiaogang.

"A Gang, don't be afraid, let your confidants teach you what true love is."

Looking at the enormous, bronze hand overhead that blotted out the sky, Yu Xiaogang screamed, her face drained of color:

"Don't come any closer! Meow--"

A piercing scream shattered the silence of the beach.

Yu Xiaogang suddenly sprang up, waking up from her nightmare.

The blazing sun beat down relentlessly, its heat so intense it stung the skin.

Yu Xiaogang was panting heavily, her chest heaving. Her whole body was soaked in sweat, as if she had just been pulled out of the ocean. The terrifying image of the four Tai Tan approaching was still lingering in her mind.

"Huff... huff... it was a dream, it was just a dream..."

Yu Xiaogang raised her sleeve to wipe the cold sweat from her forehead, muttering to herself in shock.

A faint spatial ripple was hidden in mid-air.

Gu Yuena's purple eyes held a hint of mischief as she looked at the still-shaken crew-cut guy on the beach.

She had seen this story in the book Gu Yue had given her, and found it very interesting, so she decided to let that annoying short-haired guy experience it for himself.

She rubbed her back with her hand behind her back, her little mouth pouting in grievance:

"Hmph, you wretched buzz cut guy, you made me get a spanking. Ouch... the pain in my soul, even a clone can't avoid it."

Gu Yuena frowned, her delicate brows furrowed, and muttered under her breath, her voice puffed out:

"Now you're scared? You'll be scared to death."

As the silver-haired girl muttered to herself, Yu Xiaogang below wiped away the cold sweat and tentatively tried to stand up and move a few steps, but a piercing pain immediately shot up.

"Awoo--"