After reaching the cave, Chen Feng and Su Yun rested for a while. Once they had recovered, they ate some breakfast.
Now, it was time to change their clothes.
To maintain propriety, they took turns changing.
Chen Feng first stepped outside to keep watch while Suyun changed into her thick winter robes inside the dim shelter.
A short while later, Chen Feng stepped back inside.
Dressed in the heavy, plush winter attire typical of northern travelers, the thick white-furred collar framed her delicate, rosy face, making her look exceptionally dainty and adorable. Her petite figure looked almost swallowed up by the heavy winter gear, giving her an irresistibly charming appeal.
She fidgeted slightly, her face flushing bright red as she looked up at him. "Master... how does this look on me?"
A soft, genuine smile appeared on Chen Feng’s face as he looked at her. "You look very cute."
Her cheeks turned red, and she quickly stepped outside.
"Master, you can change your clothes now."
Shortly after, Chen Feng also changed inside the cave. Dressed in the heavy winter attire, Chen Feng’s appearance became even more striking.
His thick, raven-black hair cascaded loosely over his broad shoulders, framing a face defined by sharp, chiseled features. A balanced aura of cool confidence and tranquil authority radiated from him, making him look far above any ordinary mortal.
When Su Yun turned and caught sight of him, her breath hitched for a moment. Her cheeks flushed bright red. In her heart, she thought, *"Master is truly so handsome. He is nothing like those old, terrifying monsters my father used to talk about in his stories. But... my master is the most powerful and handsome person in the world. His sharp jawline, his hair, everything about him looks almost unreal..."*
Instantly, Su Yun shook her head, panicking inwardly. *"No, no! I shouldn’t be thinking such things about my master. After all, he is my teacher; I must always show him respect."*
Intside, Chen Feng’s voice called out from the entrance, "Su Yun? You can come inside now."
Using his inner energy, Chen Feng gathered dry branches from outside and lit a fire within the cave.
He then retrieved some rations from his inventory, and the master and disciple quietly shared a simple meal. Afterward, they dried some damp brush and leaves near the fire to create a makeshift sleeping area.
Chen Feng looked at Su Yun and said, "You should go to sleep now. We have an early morning tomorrow."
Su Yun looked at him with concern. "But Master... you haven’t slept at all for the past three or four days, not even for a single moment. You should rest first. I’ll keep watch."
She knew that during their grueling journey and inside the carriage, Chen Feng had never rested properly.
Even though a Martial Master’s body was resilient, four days of continuous exhaustion were taking a toll.
However, Chen Feng couldn’t afford to fall into a deep sleep just yet. Who knew if an assassin from the Su family or a beggars from the beggar Sect was tracking them, waiting for them to lower their guard?
Reassuring her, Chen Feng said, "Don’t worry, I’ll be resting right here too. Everything will be fine."
They both lay down on their respective bedding near the crackling fire. The soft, dancing flames cast flickering shadows against the stone walls of the cave. Chen Feng lay flat on his back, staring up at the rocky ceiling, his eyes wide open. Su Yun lay turned on her side, facing him.
"Close your eyes and go to sleep," Chen Feng whispered softly. "I’m actually going to sleep now."
With stubborn affection, Su Yun murmured, "No, Master... I’ll watch you sleep first, then I’ll close my eyes."
Yet, within half an hour, sheer exhaustion overwhelmed her. Her eyelids grew heavy, and she drifted into a deep, peaceful slumber.
Hearing her calm breathing, a gentle smile touched Chen Feng’s lips. He turned his gaze back to the ceiling.
He mentally checked the 20 gold coins resting in his system inventory. With that much wealth, he could have easily booked the most luxurious suite in a grand city inn, enjoying fine food and a comfortable bed.
Yet, such was his fickle fate—when he was practically a beggar, he slept on cold streets; and now, as a powerful martial artist, he was once again sleeping on the bare, freezing floor of a cave.
Lost in these wandering thoughts, Chen Feng didn’t even realize when sleep finally overtook him. After four days of relentless tension and physical strain, his body finally succumbed to the need for rest.
***
Chen Feng found himself standing inside his old college classroom. The professor was lecturing at the front, and he was sitting quietly at his desk, listening intently. Out of nowhere, a thin, hair-like blue line sliced through the middle of the air inside the classroom.
At first, no one else seemed to notice, but the line rapidly expanded, warping the entire atmosphere of the room. Outside the windows, dark, heavy storm clouds suddenly rolled in.
Chen Feng initially thought his eyes were finally failing him from staring at computer and mobile screens for too long. But when he saw the expressions of panic and horror on the faces of the students around him, he realized his vision was fine—something terribly wrong was happening right here in the classroom.
A blinding blue flash erupted from the spatial tear. Panicking, Chen Feng immediately looked toward his girlfriend, who sat on the bench directly in front of him.
Her name is Yin Yue.
She was exceptionally beautiful. Her long, silver white hair and unnaturally glowing blue eyes gave her an ethereal, captivating allure.
Her figure and features were so striking that if he hadn’t known her since childhood as a loyal friend and lover, he would never have believed an ordinary nerd like him could date such a stunning girl.
Yet, as Chen Feng caught her eye, she slowly turned her head away. A chilling, unsettling smile stretched across her lips—a grotesque expression that made Chen Feng’s blood run cold.
In a cold, alien voice, she whispered to him, *"I choose you."*
Before Chen Feng could process what she meant, before he could question the terrifying change in her demeanor, a blinding white light wiped everything from his vision.
*Snap.*
When he snapped his eyes open in sheer panic, he wasn’t in a classroom. He was staring at the ceiling of a damp, soaked floor . Something sticky and wet coated the ground beneath him.
Trembling, he turned his head to the side—and nearly screamed.
Right beside him rested the severed head of his closest college friend, dark blood still dripping steadily from the ragged neck.
Terrified, he scrambled to his feet and looked around, his heart dropping into his stomach. Out of the 85 to 86 students in their class, barely 10 or 12 were visible, and their bodies were mutilated and torn apart.
Consumed by dread, he thought of his girlfriend.
He loved her deeply. In the middle of this living nightmare, she was the only one on his mind. Ignoring the terrified survivors around him, he bolted toward the doorway of the chamber.
Searching desperately through room after room, he finally reached a secluded inner chamber.
There, he found her... but she was gone.
Resting upon a cold, obsidian stone altar was her severed head, displayed like a morbid, tragic masterpiece of a ruined world. Her long, stunning silver hair spilled over the edges of the dark blood socked stone like molten moonlight caught in a pool of shadow, glistening with a haunting, ethereal beauty.
Her porcelain face remained untouched, retaining that terrifying, flawless elegance, but blood wept silently from her wide, unblinking blue eyes—tears of crimson tracing down her cheeks like weeping rubies.
Her lips were parted slightly, as if frozen mid-whisper, capturing the lingering, silent terror of her final, agonizing moment. The rest of her body was gone, leaving only this haunting relic to mock his soul.
"No...!" a strangled cry escaped Chen Feng’s throat.
"...Master? Master, are you okay?"
Amidst the howling roar of the mountain winds outside, a sweet, trembling voice pierced through his terror.
Chen Feng snapped his eyes open. His eyes were slightly blurry, as though he had been crying.
Outside the cave, the fierce, freezing gale still raged, but golden rays of morning sunlight were filtering into the cavern entrance.
He looked up to see Su Yun leaning over him, big tears welling up in her wide eyes, her delicate face etched with deep worry.
Taking a deep, stabilizing breath, Chen Feng raised a trembling hand, gently wiped the tear from Su Yun’s cheek, and offered a soft, reassuring smile. "It’s nothing... just a bad dream."
Chen Feng tried to appear calm, but Su Yun could tell that her Master was not okay at all.