Chapter Eighty-One: So Many Troubles in Sleep

On a clear and tranquil night, the stars and moon shone brightly. In the gentle evening breeze, two guests arrived at a somewhat secluded yet sizable inn in Blackwater Town. One dressed in white, the other in violet; hand in hand, they stepped lightly into the warmly lit lobby, bathed in a soft orange glow.

The night attendant, with a cloth draped over his shoulder, deftly wiped his hands and greeted them with a cheerful, bowing smile. “Are you gentlemen looking for a room?”

Ming Shuang, clad in lotus-blue robes, nodded and replied, “Yes, we’d like a room—the best you have.”

Behind the counter, the innkeeper, who had been absorbed in his accounts, looked up at the new arrivals with a kindly, honest smile. “Are you gentlemen here from another town to join the Ice River Festival tomorrow in Blackwater?”

Li Yi was suddenly struck by a thought: if one were the King of Zombies, did that mean there was no need for diligent cultivation?

Jian Wei helped Wanyan Yong settle onto a patch of open ground. After their conversation and Yong’s reassuring words, her fear had eased considerably.

Qiao Qiao stretched idly, preparing to turn over and sleep, though cursed insomnia plagued her. What else was there to do here, besides sleep? Her body, altered by injections, lacked its former strength and suppleness; even sleep felt rigid and unnatural.

Five years ago, Ji Keyin had arranged for her to attend this school. Before leaving, Keyin had given her only a modest amount of living expenses, promising to send more from time to time. Yet, after that, there had been no further word.

After two bouts of cathartic weeping, Su Nuannuan’s heart had finally settled into calm, but as she spoke of these matters again, her eyes still brimmed with tears.

“Mingjian, you seem in unusually good spirits today,” Liu Menghu remarked, surprised at the man who had remained silent since his arrival, yet whose lips betrayed an unmistakable smile.

Zhou Qian happily set out for the Yan family’s birthday banquet, but to her surprise, upon entering the hall, she immediately encountered the lavishly dressed Nie Jing.

The fleeting coldness in Xia Weiwei’s gaze that morning had vanished; she was still the same as ever, always wearing a friendly smile, whether meeting teachers or students—never too distant, but never quite close either.

“After your IV this afternoon, I’ll take you home. Tonight, I’ll prove it to you. The doctor said after one round of infusion, you’ll be fine—there’ll be no restrictions.” Duan Chengyu’s lips curved into a sly grin.

Seeing the ring slipped onto his finger, he was suddenly struck by a sense of loss, with not a trace of joy. Why was that? Why?

“It’s like this: Xuan just ascended to the Immortal Realm, and he still has disciples in the lower world, so he wants to open a restaurant here to earn some immortal stones. But he has no patron, so he has to trouble you. Is that all right?” Xue Ting said with a smile to Dream Glass Immortal Lord.

Another question lingered: Why had the twenty thousand Yellow Xuan cavalry, brought south by Hu Che’er from Wuyuan, not joined the Cang Wolf Army? This, too, was part of Guan Yu and Hu Che’er’s prior arrangements— to lull the Xiliang forces, Guan Yu had Hu Che’er lead his men in ambush just off the main flank.

“Let’s hope that future reward truly is generous, and not just ‘future reward,’” Zhou Chao said with a half-smile.

“This melody belongs only in heaven—how often can mortals hear its like?” The verse flashed through the minds of the assembled officials, so aptly describing the music.

By the time Zhang Fei reached Mi Luo Pavilion, darkness had fully fallen. In the distance, hundreds of torches flickered, and one rider blocked the road at its center.

As for the rest—gifts were sent by superiors, received by subordinates, and Yang Chao no longer needed to be involved.

She carried the memory of that event for a lifetime; even years later, when midnight dreams returned, she still saw her mother’s contorted face.

“If Fellow Daoist Duan Wuya opens a bank in our central region, I would have no objection. But if he intends to open a materials shop, that might be harder to justify,” Shi Sheng remarked, glancing at Duan Wuya.

“Beep beep beep, boom!” The timed grenade thrown earlier exploded at the appointed moment, erasing the traces left by the sniper rifle and all evidence at the scene.