Logically, “Wen Yuzhu” had also been drawn into the Huangliang Scroll and coveted the Divine Seal within Shen Yunjin; there was no reason she would sit by and await her end.
Just as Shen Yunjin stood up, he suddenly felt the pear-blossom clouds swirling densely around him, ink-like colors once again twisting and deforming the world.
As they left, he heard Xie Weiyuan’s voice: “The Huangliang Scroll is opening another dream.”
After a blinding flash of brilliant light, the dream of the Huangliang Scroll shifted to a new location.
He spun around abruptly, but the figures of Xie Weiyuan and Ji Yunlan had already vanished.
As the radiance dissipated, before him lay a corridor of water pavilions and tiered halls. The jade steps and carved railings were distinctively those of the Jiuyou Sect. When the sect was first renovated, the finest purple-jade ink lacquer had been used; everything was inlaid with gold and jade, exuding elegance and solemnity.
Only the somewhat dilapidated woodshed in front of Shen Yunjin seemed jarringly out of place compared to the magnificent buildings surrounding it.
This must be a dream of the Jiuyou Sect.
A faint, labored gasping sounded from behind the door. Shen Yunjin’s heart trembled.
Could this be the dream from my youth?
He pushed open the door, as if to verify his suspicions.
With a creak, the door opened.
A snow-white figure rushed forward, seemingly unable to stand, and stumbled into his arms.
The woodshed was dim, and he could not make out the face. His internal suspicions solidified: the Huangliang Scroll was actually reenacting a dream he had once had!
The other person had also entered the dream and had even been affected by “drug-poison” within it.
This reenactment was the most unspeakable dream from his youth.
Adolescent boys often have ignorant, restless dreams, and waking up to find one has to do laundry is normal enough. Unfortunately, this particular dream was his first…
Just like the original dream, Shen Yunjin felt restless and burning hot, as if his entire body were being roasted by fire. He was unsure whether to hold the person in his arms or push them away.
He couldn’t see the person’s face, so he could only ask bluntly: “Are you alright?”
The scent of orchids wafting into his nose stirred his inner restlessness, and his grip on the person’s shoulders deepened. That faint fragrance hooked the beast in his heart, plucking at the string of his reason.
So hot…
It seemed only the person in his arms was cold, the only thousand-foot cold ice capable of melting the molten iron of his desire.
Shen Yunjin could not help but grip their shoulders tighter.
This touch feels different from the memory… why is it a man’s physique?
Shen Yunjin no longer remembered if the object of his original dream was male or female, but it certainly hadn’t been a rigid, sturdy man’s body like this. Back then, it had been a pool of warm spring water, a soft and fragrant jade stone nestled in his arms.
The strange man did not reply but shivered, clearly struggling as well.
“Shen Yunjin? Is that you?”
He could not hear clearly, nor could he discern the voice. But the dream continued to stimulate the fragile nerves in his brain. Inflamed with desire, parched, and burning, he looked at the person’s lips and felt an inexplicable urge to kiss them.
What is this fragrance…
His mind was so dizzy.
He knew it was wrong, but the fragrance wound around his nerves. The person before him seemed so familiar clearly, he couldn’t see their face, but they felt like deep-seated lovers.
Why did the Huangliang Scroll force him back into this dream?
His heart exploded, a strange flush staining his face. Following the pull of the intoxicating scent and his own heart, he forcibly pinned the person’s shoulders and leaned in to kiss them.
The other party was stunned, their breathing stilled by his actions, before they began to struggle violently.
But his strength was overwhelming. He pinned their struggling wrists and continued the kiss, even prying open their teeth to greedily devour the orchid scent clinging to them.
No… how can I do this in a dream?
Shen Yunjin shook his head, trying to clear his mind, which gave the person before him the opportunity to lash out they delivered a fierce kick to the man’s most vulnerable spot.
“Hiss…” The pain snapped him to clarity. He retreated half a step, yet refused to let go of their wrists.
“I am so uncomfortable…” he murmured.
The other party froze, seemingly gauging exactly where his discomfort lay, their tone hesitant: “Did I kick you too hard?”
Shen Yunjin shook his head. He found it difficult to speak, so he bit his lip: “No, there is a place that is so uncomfortable… so hot.”
“Where? It shouldn’t hurt that much, should it?” The man’s voice was low as he leaned in to look at him.
“Please… help me. It is so hot, so hot.”
“This… how am I supposed to help?” The other person said through gritted teeth.
“Just like you did last time,” Shen Yunjin said, looking at him with innocent, softened eyes.
That person seemed susceptible to this, patting his head as if to soothe him: “When was ‘last time’? There is no way to use spiritual power to clear your meridians in the Huangliang Scroll.”
Shen Yunjin shook his head, stubbornly dragging their wrist to the “dog kennel” that couldn’t even be called a bed.
The other person frowned with clear disgust: “Must it be here?”
The orchid fragrance hit his nose again. Shen Yunjin could not control himself and tried to lean in for a kiss, but a bamboo-tube-sized object slammed into his head with a bang, suppressing the evil thoughts in his heart.
He muttered, aggrieved: “Is even a kiss not allowed?”
The person coughed twice and said righteously: “No!”
“Alright.” Shen Yunjin looked like an injured dog, disappointed, yet still gripped the person’s wrist tightly.
When the person finally understood what Shen Yunjin meant by “helping,” they panicked and retreated several steps. They were likely pale with fury.
But Shen Yunjin craved that bit of cool water so desperately. He blinked, looking at the person pitifully.
The other person waved their hand, maintaining a distance, and said firmly: “Not this!”
“But… it is really so uncomfortable.” The corners of his eyes flushed red.
“Uncomfortable or not, no!”
“…”
The fire continued to rage, completely unextinguished. But the cup of water refused to show him mercy; it circled around him, hooking him, drawing him in, but refusing to let him drink.
Shen Yunjin was so uncomfortable he felt like crying.
“Is it truly that unbearable?” The person finally stopped refusing outright, sounding hesitant.
Shen Yunjin nodded.
“Then… let me ask you a question.”
“Do you know who I am?”
Shen Yunjin shook his head ignorantly.
He only felt that the person before him was so alluring, he wished to merge them into his own bones and blood, never wishing to be separated for even an instant. How could he care about anything else?
The other person seemed to be thoroughly reassured, kneeling down to look him in the eyes, as if confirming whether Shen Yunjin truly didn’t recognize them.
But Shen Yunjin was so intoxicated by the orchid scent, he was no different from a sleepwalker.
“This once, and never again.”
Listening to the trembling voice, he felt puzzled as to what the other person was afraid of.
And then, the “thousand-foot cold ice” finally helped him, as if resigning to their fate.
The restless fire in Shen Yunjin’s heart was finally extinguished. He let out a long sigh, sounding satisfied and pained.
“…”
It was unknown how much time had passed before Shen Yunjin stood up, looking satiated. He felt refreshed, for the first time feeling that his long-congested meridians were completely cleared.
However, the other person was not doing so well. They looked gloomy, exuding a low, foggy aura, clearly harboring deep prejudices against Shen Yunjin.
Though it was a dream, Shen Yunjin felt a rare pang of guilt. He was just about to apologize when he felt a fierce hand-blade strike the back of his neck, and he fell into unconsciousness.
…
When Shen Yunjin woke up again, he was met with the inscrutable expressions of Xie Weiyuan and Ji Yunlan.
He rubbed the back of his aching neck, twisted his head, and rasped: “Why did I faint?”
Xie Weiyuan replied: “We went to the woodshed to find you and happened to see you collapsed there.”
Shen Yunjin finally remembered the sequence of events, and his face turned bright red: “I…”
“Did you remember something?” Xie Weiyuan raised an eyebrow, his eyes narrowing, looking at him with dangerous warning.
Shen Yunjin was naturally ashamed to speak of it; his earlobes flushed crimson as he shook his head: “Nothing, nothing at all.”
“Hmm,” Xie Weiyuan seemed relieved, saying lightly.
Shen Yunjin was still wondering who that person in the dream had been, when Ji Yunlan asked: “Does Senior Brother Shen feel any discomfort?”
He moved his limbs and shook his head: “No discomfort at all.”
Xie Weiyuan let out a cynical “Heh,” thinking that it would be strange if Shen Yunjin felt uncomfortable now—he had probably been so comfortable he was about to ascend to heaven.
It was just unfortunate for him.
His pair of jade hands had been so desecrated.
He sighed mournfully, his fingertips trembling slightly as he picked up a cup of tea to take a sip.
Just then, Ji Yunlan turned his head and, seeing that Xie Weiyuan’s hand holding the cup was unsteady, frowned in concern: “Why is Master’s hand shaking? Was it because of the forced use of the spiritual technique in the dream… and the body has not yet recovered?”