His palm was scorching hot, as always. Feng Miao Jun struggled slightly, and Yun Ya immediately said, “If you break free, you’ll fall into someone else’s dream with no way back. Don’t blame me if I can’t find you then.”

Feng Miao Jun was skeptical but had no choice but to let him continue holding her hand.

That small hand was soft as if boneless. His grip tightened involuntarily as he led her with large strides out of the forest. Soon they reached the edge of the peach grove and stepped through a doorway.

The next moment, Feng Miao Jun was dazzled by a strong light. Having been in darkness for so long, she needed time to adjust to the sudden brightness.

After a while, she looked up and saw that the scenery before her had completely changed.

The delicate peach forest was gone, the scattered petals were gone. They now stood on a street in broad daylight, with sunlight stretching their shadows long on the ground. Shops lined both sides of the street, and people bustled about.

The scenery of this street was somehow familiar to her: “Danyang Street?”

This was one of the most prosperous main streets in Ursel City, which she often visited in disguise.

“Whose dream is this?”

“It belongs to the people of Ursel,” Yun Ya led her through the crowd. “This city is reality projected into the dream realm. Ordinary people continue their real-life activities here without realizing it.”

The streets were crowded with pedestrians, most wearing New Xia attire, both young and old—merchants, shoppers, diners—indeed not much different from reality, except the storefronts all looked somewhat different. The dream realm didn’t completely replicate reality.

As they passed a small alley, they heard sobs and curses coming from inside.

Feng Miao Jun turned to look. In the dark alley, several people were entangled. A young woman in her early twenties was being bullied in the center, surrounded by three men of varying heights and builds who snickered continuously.

Strangely, the pedestrians passing by Feng Miao Jun and Yun Ya looked straight ahead, as if they couldn’t see or hear the disturbance in the alley. Yun Ya, noticing her confusion, explained: “Ordinary people usually can’t see others’ dreams. They can only see what they want to see, or… what they don’t want to see.”

Cultivators’ soul power was far more substantial than ordinary people’s, giving them a broader field of vision.

Feng Miao Jun turned toward the dark alley. Yun Ya lightly pressed her shoulder and said, “Be careful. Meddling in others’ affairs might trap you in someone else’s dream, with no way out.”

Feng Miao Jun looked back at him: “But you’re here with me, aren’t you?”

This pleased him. Yun Ya’s lips curved into a smile as he withdrew his hand and unhurriedly followed her in.

The alley grew darker and deeper as they walked. Standing on the main street and looking in, the scene of violence had seemed only about a hundred paces away. But now they had walked a full two li before reaching those people.

The young woman on the ground was crying pitifully, half her clothes torn away, revealing her snow-white body. One man was already straddling her, moving up and down incessantly, while the other two held down her hands and feet, facilitating his crime.

Even though this was a dream, Feng Miao Jun was furious at the sight. A cold light flashed from her hand as the Star Sky Awl flew out, directly piercing the chest of the man committing the evil act.

The man fell to the ground, convulsed twice, then stopped moving. His form gradually blurred and finally disappeared. The other two turned around and glared at Feng Miao Jun upon seeing this.

These two fellows surprised her—one had wolf-like fangs filling his mouth and copper bell-like eyes; the other had a long, forked tongue hanging out and fine scales on his neck.

If they had anything in common, it was their hideous appearance.

Though surprised, Feng Miao Jun recalled the Star Sky Awl to her hand and raised it toward these two monsters.

Under her control, the awl’s tip emitted a faint cyan light.

The two monsters suddenly stopped baring their teeth and grinning. They stared at her for a few moments, then their faces suddenly showed fear. Next, they did something even Yun Ya couldn’t anticipate:

They turned and fled as if their lives depended on it.

“…” Feng Miao Jun stood frozen, then turned to look at Yun Ya. “Were they afraid of you?”

Yun Ya stood behind her, his body coated with a layer of moonlight, appearing sacred and inviolable in the darkness.

He didn’t deny it: “Perhaps.” After examining her closely, he gently took her hand again. “Let’s go. Don’t interfere too much with others’ dreams.”

The young woman on the ground got up, sobbing as she walked away. Feng Miao Jun watched her disappear into the darkness: “Will she remember us?”

“Hard to say,” Yun Ya took large strides. “Most people forget what happens in their dreams—less than ten percent of memories remain, and usually only in scattered fragments. So it’s best not to disturb their dreams. If too much of their energy is taken by nightmares, they’ll wake up feeling physically and mentally exhausted.”

“Those three monsters were nightmares?” Nightmares were notorious, and she had finally seen them today. “I read in books that they were originally human souls.”

“The joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness from reality are brought here as well. However, people can indulge without restraint in dreams. Over time, excessive indulgence fills them with evil thoughts, and they become unwilling to return to reality, gradually turning into nightmares.” Yun Ya explained, “Those who appear righteous in reality might reveal wolf-like features here—this is called ‘one’s appearance reflects one’s heart.'”

After saying this, he noticed Feng Miao Jun looking up at him, her gaze lingering for a long while. “What is it?”

“I’m waiting to see when you’ll sprout fangs and turn blue-faced,” she grumbled dissatisfiedly. “How come you still maintain this righteous appearance? It seems that ‘one’s appearance reflects one’s heart’ is all lies.”

This girl, was she finding ways to call him a beast? Yun Ya smiled: “When one’s heart is clear, one’s true nature is revealed—it shows I’m the same inside and out.”

Feng Miao Jun was long accustomed to his thick skin. A night breeze from somewhere stirred his robes. He tilted his head and smiled at her, the moonlight seeming to blur in his pale eyes.

She averted her gaze, not daring to hold eye contact with Yun Ya any longer. The passage was dark and quiet; walking here felt like being isolated from the world, with only this one person beside her, only the warmth from his palm remaining.

His hand was steady and strong, the warmth comforting her.

With each step she took, she felt as if she were stepping into the rhythm of her heartbeat.

“We’re going to see someone,” said Yun Ya, then pushed open a door in the dark alley.

Stepping through, Feng Miao Jun saw the setting sun about to sink below the wall, orange and round like a salted egg yolk, no longer fierce as during the day.

Evidently, in this person’s dream, it was nearly dusk.

Taking in the surroundings, they found themselves in a bamboo garden, with clusters of bamboo of various ages growing thick and dense, carving out deep, secluded corners.

Ahead was a half-moon-shaped gate, with several buildings just inside, where voices could be heard.

“Come.” Yun Ya lowered his voice, leading her behind the gate. The bamboo growing here was as thick as water buckets, with dozens in each cluster. The light was blocked by the bamboo leaves, unable to penetrate this corner.

Just from this action, Feng Miao Jun knew that whoever lived in the garden was no ordinary person; otherwise, they could have simply walked in openly.