True Solution of the Sword Dao

"Mm." Wang Chunli nodded, "Now the three of us have become the hunting targets of the Red Boots. Red Boots is a Dream Eater, specifically targeting people like us...."

"What happens if we are consumed?" Chen Jing suddenly asked.

Wang Chunli glanced at her and said indifferently, "We will die."

Chen Jing was suddenly startled.

"Dream Eaters are creatures, precisely monsters, that absorb people like us!" Wang Chunli’s eyes flashed with intense fear. She pointed at the two ferocious scars on her face. "See? These scars were left by Red Boots. Even in reality, I have the same scars on my face."

"The situation now is that Red Boots has set its sights on us. I came here to gather the strength of others to resist her. The same goes for you, right?" Wang Chunli looked at Chen Da, who quickly nodded.

"Yes, I also unintentionally discovered that I possess the ability to enter the dreams of those around me, and my own world has been completely consumed, which is why I had no choice but to come here," Chen Da replied gravely.

"Based on the fact that we Awakeners create a certain range of dreams every moment, since one person cannot withstand alone, gathering several people should be able to resist the invasion of Red Boots on our world. That’s the idea I had in mind when coming here," Wang Chunli paused, "Red Boots is definitely still outside the door, this must be your world." She pointed at Chen Jing.

"Do you feel a kind of inexplicable sense of loss, as if something is slowly and continuously disappearing?"

Chen Jing blinked, feeling carefully, and indeed she could feel a faint sense of disappearance.

She nodded and said, "Indeed, very subtle, very subtle."

Both Wang Chunli and Chen Da’s eyes lit up.

"It looks like you are much stronger than us. This gives us more time. Now, the problem is simply to find some people with very powerful dream abilities, pull them into our world, and we won’t have to fear Red Boots anymore. We might even be able to fight back!" Wang Chunli said joyfully.

"Why do you say that?" Chen Da asked, puzzled. He also seemed not to understand this world very well.

"Actually, the so-called Red Boots is just an Awakener much more powerful than us. Dream Eaters feed on the dreams of other Awakeners to strengthen themselves. As long as we become stronger ourselves, we won’t have to fear her invasions anymore, and we might even invade back!" Wang Chunli said confidently.

"But how do we find other Awakeners apart from us?" Chen Jing asked, puzzled.

"I know a person who is very powerful. As long as we can bring him into our team, we shouldn’t have to fear Red Boots."

Chen Jing felt something was off, but seeing the confidence on Wang Chunli’s face and knowing she didn’t know as much, she didn’t really say anything.

Suddenly, a faint voice came from beside her ear.

"Sister, are you feeling better? Sister?"

"Is it Little Wu’s voice?" Chen Jing was stunned.

Snap!

The operating room lights went out instantly. Silence surrounded her. No other sound could be heard, only her own breathing and heartbeat.

"Chen Da?" No one answered.

"Wang Chunli?"

Still no response. Chen Jing felt a chill in her heart. The two people who were just beside her a second ago had vanished in the blink of an eye.

The lights in the operating room had gone out, and she could not see anything else. Chen Jing felt a bit scared.

She reached out her hand towards where Chen Da and Wang Chunli had been sitting.

Her fingertips suddenly touched something cold and soft, like human skin.

"Wang Chunli? Is that you?" Chen Jing asked softly.

Suddenly the touch at her fingertips vanished, and it felt like something was slowly blowing on the back of her neck.

Chen Jing felt a shiver run down her spine.

"Wang... Wang Chunli...." Her voice trembled.

Snap!

The operating lights came on again. Chen Jing’s eyes dazzled. Chen Da and Wang Chunli were sitting right in front of her.

"What happened, you were just calling my name?" Wang Chunli asked, looking puzzled.

Chen Da also looked at Chen Jing, baffled.

"I suddenly couldn’t see anything just now, the lights went out all at once! Neither of you responded to me! And there was something behind me blowing air!" Chen Jing said in a panic.

Wang Chunli’s expression changed drastically in an instant.

"No good! Don’t sleep..."

Before she could finish, the surroundings suddenly brightened up.

"Sis! You finally woke up!"

This was a hospital room, with white walls, nurses around, and Chen Wu sitting beside her.

Chen Jing’s face was filled with terror.

***************

"This way, this way." Xu Ke stood at the entrance of the supermarket, shouting loudly. She was dressed in a one-piece knitted dress paired with thick knitted stockings, stylishly wrapped in a black scarf. Beside her was a beautiful girl wrapped in a thick down jacket, wearing white knitted ear muffs, her skin fair.

Lin Fei followed the voice and, at the entrance lit by the supermarket’s lights, saw the two girls. He waited for the vehicles in the middle of the road to pass, then crossed the road unhurriedly and approached the two girls.

"This is He Wenwen, you’ve met her before," Xu Ke introduced.

Lin Fei nodded, recalling the previous dinner with Xu Ke and the outsider he had encountered when he had killed Sun Chengbin’s brother in the park. As for this girl who had mentioned over the phone that she particularly wanted to meet him, he had some answers. However, he didn’t really care, distracted as he directed True Force while chatting with Xu Ke about recent events.

He Wenwen seemed to know she was not particularly welcome, just silently standing to the side, not speaking. Despite Xu Ke’s repeated subtle hints, she remained indifferent.

The three slowly walked along the supermarket’s sidewalk.

"Come on, say something, Wenwen!" Xu Ke finally couldn’t hold back.

"What?" He Wenwen said softly, looking rather embarrassed.

"Didn’t you have something to discuss with Lin Fei? Now that you’ve met him, why aren’t you speaking?" Xu Ke said, annoyed.

He Wenwen buried her head completely into the collar of her down jacket, losing her usual composure and arrogance. She didn’t know why she was so eager to meet this young man who could kill someone nonchalantly yet still smile. After seeing his true character that day, the behaviors of other boys seemed particularly ridiculous and childish in comparison. Despite being of the same age, it felt like he lived in a completely different sphere from her and those around her.

The boyfriend she had afterward was also dumped by her, and now everything seemed tastelessly dull to her. Recalling her two cousins’ luxurious lifestyles, their extraordinary knowledge and conversation, and the high social level and circles inadvertently revealed, her mind contrasted that with the young man in the park, who smiled as he looked down at the corpse, and the black sedan slowly driving away afterward. The two different scenes made her realize the world of the young man before her was utterly unlike her cousins’ level. Subtly, she felt a sense of superiority. Thinking of the people she knew, being in a circle even higher than her cousins’, brought her a mild pleasure, as if the slight disdain and subtle frustrations she had previously endured were slightly alleviated.

Suddenly, Lin Fei abruptly looked up, his gaze turning toward the direction of Chen Wu’s sister’s hospital. A trace of puzzlement flashed across his eyes.

"What’s wrong?" Xu Ke asked, puzzled.

"Nothing," Lin Fei smiled, "just remembered something interesting."

************

It took a while for Chen Jing’s emotions to calm down.

"Sis, had a nightmare? It’s alright," Chen Wu comforted.

Chen Jing breathed heavily, Wang Chunli’s last cry still echoing in her ears. She didn’t know what Wang Chunli was trying to say at the end. Don’t sleep? Don’t fall asleep?

Could it be that something bad happened in the dream, so she wanted me to stay awake?

Chen Jing guessed.

She turned her head and saw Chen Wu’s strong body and worried face, feeling a bit more secure.

"Xiao Wu, I don’t want to stay here anymore."

"How can you? You’ve just had surgery. You need to recuperate for a while, and what if the condition recurs?" Chen Wu objected. "Don’t worry, sis." He held Chen Jing’s hand, "Xiao Wu is right by your side."

Chen Jing knew it was unlikely she would be discharged anytime soon, her body truly couldn’t withstand much disturbance, so she just nodded her head.

But she remembered Wang Chunli’s last words—don’t sleep.

Night slowly passed by. Chen Wu was supposed to leave, but seeing his sister’s wan face, he ultimately stayed.

Chen Jing stayed awake till midnight, her mind growing increasingly foggy, her eyelids drooping several times, but she kept forcing herself to stay alert.

The hospital at night was quite deserted. Chen Wu dozed off beside her.