Yu Han’s heart was caught in a tight grip. He looked up and saw Huang Niuniu calmly sleeping, her chest moving in a slow rhythm.
He crawled to his halberd.
No, it’s too big to use in the hut! He took the dagger that Huang Niuniu had placed by the bed. If they come in, will they use the door or the window?
The door was tightly shut, but a well-placed attack, even by someone like Yu Han, might break it, let alone cultivators of a higher level. But it was hard to open from the outside.
Yu Han felt like his heart was about to explode, each beat loud enough that everyone within a hundred miles could hear it.
Calm down! Fei Rui is here. He’s Level 10. They can’t—fuck it!
The window, unlike the door, could be opened with just a stick. Yu Han took a position under it, slightly to the side, but kept an eye on the door.
He focused his mind, concentrating on a certain art he hadn’t had much time to practise.
Thousand Petals Awareness!
His sight grew dim, as did his senses of touch and taste. Like petals wilting. Unlike them, his sense of sound bloomed like spring.
And he finally heard the foes. The voices were quiet, barely louder than their breathing, and intentionally produced to blend in with natural sounds.
But he heard them.
“Did they do it?” A rough voice said from outside. “This fat arse ruined our catch. A virgin wisp’s worth more—”
“Best not to get angry, son,” another voice said. Older. “In this line of work, you’ve got to keep your emotions in check.”
The other one didn’t reply. For a while, there was silence.
Then footsteps. A soft grunt. The sound of someone landing on damp grass. If Fei Rui hadn’t woken him, he would never have noticed these sounds. If he didn’t have Thousand Petals Awareness, he might have missed them even if he was awake.
Did they jump over the fence? Yu Han grabbed the dagger tighter. His eyes went to Fei Rui.
And bigger, until Fei Rui took up almost half of the hut. His steps were silent, eight long legs positioned all over the hut to support his body. Some legs pushed against the wall, others on the floor. His claws opened, looming over the window like a guillotine. The amber irises in those obsidian eyestalks grew dimmer until they went out completely.
Then, all at once, his orange shell changed colour, blending in with the environment. Like a spider, the ghost crab hid, waiting for prey to step into the trap.
It was an eerie sight. Yu Han shuddered, not because of the foes outside, but his own accorded spirit beast.
A moment passed. Yu Han crawled back to his mat, closed his eyes, and pretended to be asleep. He turned over onto his belly, hiding the dagger from view.
Slow, deep breaths. What else? No snoring! What else? Right. Mouth slightly open. Should I drool? What did that Instagram reel say?
He wasn’t the best actor. He could only use the disparate tricks and tips he’d seen in YouTube and Instagram videos.
Relax. Relax. If they come in, they’re dead. Yu Han decided to fully trust Fei Rui’s power.
Voices sounded near the door. Through the wood, it was as if Yu Han could see two silhouettes casting menacing shadows. It was all in his imagination, but his mind conjured up the worst-case scenario.
“No gaps.”
“Check the window. Peek in if you can.”
“Aye, old man.”
A few more seconds. Footsteps moved from the door to the window. After a while, the steps faded. Yu Han counted the seconds.
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Did they leave?
“He didn’t shag the wisp, at least not today. The smell ain’t there. And dao companions wouldn’t sleep separately, right?”
“They probably noticed you tailing them and are on their guard.” The older voice sounded annoyed. “This is the first time she’s slept over at the fat boy’s place, right?”
“I’d like to see you do better.”
“Forget it. Let me check.”
There were some rustling sounds.
“The girl’s a virgin. Her primordial yin’s still there.” The old one sounded relieved. “We’ll fetch a good price.”
“You know it’s creepy as hell that you practise a psychic sniffing art to tell if a girl’s a virgin or not.”
“That’s not its main use, son. How do you think I forage magical herbs others miss?”
Slavers? Seriously? Or just kidnappers? Yu Han risked peeking out. Fei Rui had shifted positions slightly.
Fei Rui said.
Yu Han subtly shook his head.
Time passed, and the footsteps moved around his hut. Then, someone climbed to the roof and jumped back off. There was some rustling near the outhouse, and someone probably fiddled with the fences, too.
“Don’t mess up. The ingredients don’t come cheap,” the old voice said.
“I know! Arrays are my shit, so don’t butt in.”
“You see that spirit beast?”
“It’s just a tiny crab. What? Level 3 at most, right? Didn’t see it though.”
“I’d say Level 2, but never underestimate spirit beasts. The arts they have are too unpredictable.”
“Do you think it noticed us?”
“So, you were in a gang back where you’re from? Heard your mortal kingdoms don’t get to see spirits much.”
“I ran the gang.” The younger voice sounded defensive. “I’ve been doing this with my previous crew for years. Seen shit no bloke could explain, spirit or not! S0 don’t act like you’re better than us.”
“Now, now. Don’t get mad, son. Spirit beasts don’t understand human speech so readily, even if noticed. As for hearing through psychic whispers?” The words were followed by a chuckle. “To it, our voices will sound like animal growls because of the psychic misdirection. We’re just wild hogs and rabbits, yeah? Not to mention the fatty’s only Level 1.”
“Nice. Where’d the boss get these artefacts though? They can’t be mortal-grademortal-grade. Elite? Earth?”
“Don’t ask too many questions.” The old voice lowered; an unspoken warning dripped in each word.
For a while, the talks stopped.
“I say we take the girl now. With the pill bomb, the fat one and the crab won’t wake for a few days at least.”
“They have friends, remember? And the Night Alchemists might check up on them.”
“Then how about we carry them both back? Leave a note that they went to the hidden realm by themselves or something?”
“Then you carry the fat one.”
“You have higher cultivation!”
“Disrespectful young’uns, making the old do the work.”
Yu Han tensed, focusing on Fei Rui’s pincers, which seemed to glint even in the dark. The footsteps went around the hut once more.
“Forget it. For some reason, the law enforcement hall’s been questioning them recently, too.”
“You think they’ll mention us?”
“I would if I noticed someone tailing my wife.”
“Would you though?”
“The boss ain’t happy. The noble parasites are causing—”
Their sound went further away.
“…an eye… tomorrow…”
“…hidd… realm—”
Yu Han counted to two hundred, then opened his eyes. Faint moonlight leaked through the gaps in the window board.
“Are they gone?” he whispered. It was a risk.
Fei Rui said. His childlike voice calmed Yu Han’s beating heart. The crab’s colour changed back to the usual orange. He shrank, and soon, he was the size of a pug.
“I didn’t know your Camouflage art was so potent,” Yu Han said.
“The art you use to change colour.”
Yu Han didn’t know how to respond.
“You can beat them up if I say so, or if you think it’s necessary,” Yu Han said. “Don’t eat them. They aren’t tasty.”
“They would taste like rotten eggs.”
“Just don’t eat them.”
Huang Niuniu stirred. She smoothly changed position to her left side. Her legs kicked out, and she seemed to almost sneeze.
But didn’t.
It bothered Yu Han.
She’s a deep sleeper.
He lay down. How long till daybreak? Could he even fall back to sleep now? Shouldn’t he be fretting, trying to think of a countermeasure?
I can do that in my dreamscape, Yu Han thought. Fei Rui will wake me if they come again.
Sleep needed a constant heartbeat. Slow. Steady. Even getting up and walking to the bathroom would raise one’s heartbeat, let alone having slavers prowl outside one’s home.
Surprisingly enough, Yu Han opened his eyes in the dreamscape not much later.
“When did I fall asleep?” The moment was elusive. He had previously tried to figure out which moment his psyche transitioned from the outside world to within. Maybe if he could solve the riddle, he’d have Fei Rui’s ability to look inside the dream and reality at the same time.
This one looked the same as all the others. Speleothems, water dripping, light shining through cracks. From the wet stone floor, wisps of fog rose, broken by the march of eight legs.
At the tunnel’s end was an opening loosely covered with speleothems. Beyond, a great, liquid darkness.
The black wasn’t of a continuous colour. It flowed like thick mud.
“Nope.”
“Can grass even dream?” Yu Han took a careful step towards the API endpoint.
A faint roar of wind. The splash of a stream, broken by rocks. A bird’s cry. A snake’s hiss.
“What’s going on?” Yu Han concentrated, this time using Thousand Petals Awareness. The sounds grew more varied. Dogs. Leaves. Fish. Lovers. Schemes.
Fei Rui tugged at his trouser cuff.
“Will it even work if I do it?”
Yu Han thought of Huang Niuniu.
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Huang Niuniu - Cow girl. Nice, sweet, and after the ship arc, unpredictable.
Fang Zhao - Red-eyed cripple. Noble Young Master (one of the good ones?).
Xiao Zhuzi - His name literally means Little Bamboo, former beggar.
Hu Feng - Farmer’s son. Maybe a bit perverted.
Li Weidong - Almost drowned trying to clear his Tribulation.
Dong Tianlan - Granddaughter of Elder Scribe. Has an eternal frown.
Dong Chou - Ninth Scribe Official of the Outer Sect. Probably has high blood pressure.
Yong Lefan - Sarcastic Senior Bro with a stone book.
Shi Miao - Mysterious white-haired girl who may or may not resort to violence.
Song Yinuo - Mysterious pig-tailed spoiled brat.
Duan Xiaolong - Is cool. Has monkey.
Sima Yan - Son of Riversong Commandary City's City Lord. Is a-hole.
Pang Jiming - Sima Yan's lackey #1.
Ma San - Sima Yan's lackey #2. Bushy beard's less bushier brother.
Tan Ruoxuan - Pony-tailed Law Enforcement Lady.