Chapter Twenty-Nine: Dreaming

The Prince of Zhou’s residence ultimately did not issue an order for human sacrifice today. As the Princess Consort walked out, supported by Matron Qin, the concubines, led by the Shi woman, were already dressed in mourning attire, kneeling on the ground and weeping.

She paused and said, "You all heard the argument in the room earlier. We must wait for the Heir Apparent to submit the memorial and receive the Emperor’s decree before any final decision is made. For these few days, you should focus on mourning properly before the spirit tablet. Do not let your minds wander, and certainly do not attempt to follow him in death on your own."

She crouched slightly, peering into their eyes. "I know you fear waiting for death. I have waited for so many years, and I fear it too. But you are now six lives bound as one. It is one thing to not fear your own death, but do not drag others down with you at the very end."

The Shi woman trembled and quickly replied, "Please rest assured, Princess Consort, we will certainly not commit suicide."

In this situation, if even one person took their own life to be buried with the deceased, the others would be forced to follow suit. Thus, they must either live together or die together. Indeed, some were on the verge of breaking under the immense pressure, thinking that since death was inevitable, it might be better to end it early and find release rather than living in daily terror. Yet, while they were willing to die themselves, they did not want to be responsible for the deaths of others. To take a life for no reason—what if in the next life they were once again concubines of the imperial house, with their fates beyond their control? How miserable would that be?

The Prince of Zhou stood beside the Princess Consort, sighing at these words. The lively spirit he had displayed moments ago vanished, leaving him looking ghastly and grim. He drifted back to Pan Yun’s side. "This custom is deeply detrimental to one's spiritual merit and human kindness. I wonder when it will ever be abolished."

"Isn't this all the evil karma sown by your own ancestors?" Pan Yun remained silent. The Prince of Zhou was merely feeling distressed and needed to voice his thoughts; he did not necessarily require a response.

The spirit shed for the Prince of Zhou had been erected. Zhu Zijin, accompanied by Zhu Tongxie, stood vigil, while Zhu Zihao and Zhu Zihan also kept them company in silence. As night fell, the two men urged Zhu Zijin to take Zhu Tongxie back to rest, saying, "He is still young and cannot keep vigil all night. His health must come first." After some hesitation, Zhu Zijin had Lady Gu carry Zhu Tongxie away to rest.

As Zhu Tongxie was being carried out of the mourning hall, he saw Pan Yun standing at the entrance and pointed to the empty space beside her, calling out, "Grandfather, Grandfather..."

Lady Gu wiped away her tears and coaxed him, "Grandfather is asleep. Our little Xie must be a good boy..."

Zhu Tongxie tilted his head, watching his grandfather standing beside the elder sister, and felt that his mother was lying. His grandfather was clearly standing right there. Seeing his grandfather look over, he waved happily.

The Prince of Zhou was surprised once more. "He can see me? Could it be that my grandson has a profound talent for cultivation?"

Pan Yun was unfazed. "Children have clear eyes; their 'heavenly eyes' have not yet fully closed, so they can see certain things." She paused and added, "However, this child does indeed have some innate talent. Why don't you give him to the Sanqing Temple?"

The Prince of Zhou hesitated and shook his head; he could not bear to part with him. Zhu Zijin now had only one son; if he were taken by the Daoists, what would become of the Prince of Zhou’s estate in the future? He rolled his eyes and said, "We can maintain close ties. Let him become a lay disciple. When he is older, if he still possesses this talent and has achieved success in cultivation, it will not be too late for the Sanqing Temple to accept him."

He now fully trusted the abilities of the Sanqing Temple. With so many charlatans in the world, it was hard to find someone with genuine skill. Having luckily encountered them, he was unwilling to let the opportunity slip. He would first establish a bond of goodwill, then keep in frequent contact so that if the Prince of Zhou’s residence faced trouble in the future, they could seek help.

The Prince of Zhou said, "Please help me send a dream to Zijin once more."

Pan Yun replied, "Sending dreams is not so easily done..."

"I will have him send you another tray of silver."

Pan Yun responded, "That is easily arranged."

Pan Yun led him toward the guest quarters. Seeing that the lights were out in the rooms of Doctor Zhang and the eunuch, she formed hand seals to weave a dream and then sent the Prince of Zhou into it. The Prince vanished on the spot. Xuanmiao, standing under a tree, had witnessed the entire process and could not help but frown deeply. Pan Yun’s gaze locked onto her with precision. They stared at each other in the darkness for a moment before Xuanmiao approached. Neither spoke; they simply waited in silence.

At that moment, the Prince of Zhou was weeping bitterly in Doctor Zhang’s dream, bowing repeatedly and begging him to return to the capital to fulfill his final wish. "This has become an obsession. If it remains unfulfilled, I will have no peace, even in death."

Doctor Zhang tossed and turned, deeply annoyed, wanting to drive the Prince of Zhou out of his dream, but the Prince kept chattering away in his mind. Finally, unable to bear it, Doctor Zhang turned over and snapped his eyes open. The dream-anchor Pan Yun had placed on him shattered instantly.

The Prince of Zhou zipped back to Pan Yun’s side, looking puzzled. "Why did he wake up?"

Pan Yun said, "It is fine. The dream has been delivered. If he does not act accordingly, I will make him fall into a deep sleep tomorrow, dreaming incessantly, forcing him to believe the dream is real until he is compelled to fulfill your wish."

The Prince of Zhou nodded. "The next one is that Eunuch Qian, right?"

As Pan Yun was about to form the seal to weave the dream, Xuanmiao pressed her hand down, looking at her with an inscrutable expression. "The dream-sending you speak of—are you weaving these dreams yourself?"

Pan Yun asked, "Is there a problem?"

Xuanmiao glanced at the Prince of Zhou, formed a seal with one hand, and a flash of spiritual light flew into the Prince’s soul. With a wave of her hand, the Prince of Zhou zoomed away, lightly drifting into Eunuch Qian’s room.

Pan Yun’s eyes widened. Opening her "Heavenly Eye," she saw the Prince of Zhou slipping seamlessly into Eunuch Qian’s dream. The Prince himself immediately noticed the difference. With Doctor Zhang, he had been bowing and begging in the doctor's room—a dream woven by Pan Yun. But here, with Eunuch Qian...

Eunuch Qian was having a grand courtly dream. Wang Zhen, whom the Prince of Zhou recognized, was kneeling at his feet helping him put on his shoes. The eunuch’s hands were covered in gold rings, and he was sipping tea with affected elegance. The Prince of Zhou’s sudden appearance startled him, but he quickly steadied himself, posturing with his fingers. "Prince of Zhou, why have you come here?"

The Prince of Zhou detested Wang Zhen, but that did not mean he liked this Eunuch Qian. Seeing the man’s hypocritical, arrogant, and domineering behavior in the dream, he suspected that if this person gained power, he would be even worse than Wang Zhen. Thus, instead of begging, he said sternly, "I have a matter that requires Eunuch Qian to make a trip."

Seeing the Prince of Zhou being so arrogant in his own dream, Eunuch Qian subconsciously conjured various disasters for him—the Emperor discovering his treason, stripping his title, exiling him, beheading him, and confiscating his assets. Logic mattered little; he made the dream as miserable as possible. But the Prince of Zhou was no pushover. Before the beheading could be carried out, the dream shifted; the Prince of Zhou joined forces with the Imperial Clan Court, slaughtering his way through, capturing Eunuch Qian, and killing Wang Zhen.

The dream was incredibly fluid. Unlike the previous one, which was rigid and trapped both him and Doctor Zhang, here they could act as they pleased. The Prince of Zhou seemed to wield the dream better than its master, and it became Eunuch Qian who suffered.

Eunuch Qian vaguely realized he was having a nightmare and tried to wake up, only to find he couldn't open his eyes or move his limbs. He told himself it was just a dream and not to be afraid, but even when he felt as if he had opened his eyes and saw the dark room, his eyelids remained shut. He tried to move, but his limbs were numb, as if pressed down by a thousand-pound weight.

Eunuch Qian broke into a cold sweat. It suddenly dawned on him that the Prince of Zhou was dead—he was suffering from sleep paralysis. The scene in the dream shifted; the palace vanished, replaced by the room he was currently in. Eunuch Qian knelt on the ground, weeping and begging for mercy. "Your Highness, I had eyes but failed to recognize greatness. Please spare me! Whatever requests you have, just name them, and I will surely obey."

The Prince of Zhou, having enjoyed the thrill of "slaughtering" in the dream, pulled back. Looking down at Eunuch Qian, he said, "It is nothing major. I just need you to return to the capital tomorrow and plead with the Emperor on my behalf..."

The Prince of Zhou forced Eunuch Qian to agree and had him repeat the instructions twice to ensure he would not forget before finally departing the dream with lingering reluctance.

As soon as he drifted out, Eunuch Qian’s legs kicked into the air. With a full-body shudder, he jolted awake. Soaked in sweat, his limbs cold and his heart racing, he sat up trembling, realizing he had indeed been plagued by sleep paralysis and had dreamt of the Prince of Zhou. Terrified, he threw himself onto the floor, kowtowing in all directions. "Prince of Zhou, forgive me! In the dream, I did not know it was you; I thought it was just a dream..."

The Prince of Zhou drifted back to Pan Yun, satisfied, and bowed respectfully to Xuanmiao before saying, "Little Friend Pan, could you perform a dream like this for Doctor Zhang as well?" Although he spoke to Pan Yun, his eyes couldn't help but linger on Xuanmiao.

Xuanmiao smiled faintly. This time, she didn't even form a seal; she simply waved, and the Prince of Zhou went tumbling happily through the air, merging into Doctor Zhang’s room. Doctor Zhang had just fallen asleep, and the dream had only just begun—a table full of delicacies in his home—when the Prince of Zhou appeared right across from him...

Upon seeing the Prince, Doctor Zhang, now experienced, tried to wake up, only to find that this time, he could not wake up at all.

Pan Yun’s expression went blank. She marveled inwardly, *Xuanmiao is so powerful. Is this a technique from this world? It seems even more formidable than my dream-weaving.*

"Meow—" Pan Xiaohei took a few steps on the tree branch, laid down, and looked down at the two below, responding, "Your previous civilization was incomplete. You only knew the 'what' but not the 'why.' Countless techniques and arts were lost by the 26th century. Dream-weaving is claimed to be a restored ancient technique, but you know yourself how much of it was self-invented. Clearly, there are superior techniques here for ghosts to enter dreams."

Xuanmiao heard the constant meowing and looked up at the cat on the branch. It was rare for her to be so talkative. "I noticed long ago that you seem able to communicate with this black cat. Is it limited to this cat, or can you talk to other animals too?"

Pan Yun remained silent.

Xuanmiao continued, "You are very young, yet your power is not shallow, and the techniques you know are varied. I do not know who your master is, but you have gone astray on many paths. I advise you not to practice further until you return to Sanqing Mountain, lest you harm yourself and leave behind lasting complications."

She looked back at Doctor Zhang, who was still dreaming, and said to Pan Yun, "To make a ghost enter a dream, one does not need to place an anchor on the person. Ghosts are already in the 'third space,' and dreams are also an alternate space. By placing an anchor on the ghost itself, it can connect to the dreamscape, allowing it to enter the dream of anyone it wishes."