“How could that be…” Yu Nian’an still wore the sweet smile that sent chills down Xiao Cheng’s spine. “How could you have entered my dream?”
Xiao Cheng’s eyes widened as everything suddenly clicked in his mind.
Why had Qi Xia’s expression been so wooden?
Why had Qi Xia lost all ability to think?
Why couldn’t he even grasp the simplest concepts?
Because in this dream, he wasn’t the master—he was just another subject under control.
There was no difference between him and the motionless people on the street. The only distinction, if any, was that Qi Xia still had his facial features.
But how had this bizarre situation come about?
“Yu-jie…” Xiao Cheng took a deep breath and swallowed hard. “I can pretend I never saw anything… I won’t fix that crack anymore, just let me leave.”
Xiao Cheng realized the girl before him was far more terrifying than he had imagined. This was a situation he couldn’t possibly handle.
She had noticed him long ago but deliberately pretended not to see him. To her, his every action must have looked as laughable as a child’s.
It wasn’t until he tried to interfere with the dream that she stopped him. She had absolute control over this dream—killing him would be effortless.
But if he died here, his body in the real world would perish too. His only hope now was to beg her to let him go.
“Xiao Cheng… just wait a moment.”
Yu Nian’an finished washing the pot and hung it up to dry, but the liquid dripping from it wasn’t water—it was thick, stringy black blood.
She wiped her hands on her apron before turning back to him. “Xiao Cheng… I don’t want to kill you, but you can’t leave.”
“Can’t… leave?”
“Mhm.” She nodded. “You probably don’t realize just how horrifying the situation you’ve stumbled into is. This isn’t as simple as entering and exiting a dream. From the moment you stepped in, there was no way out for you.”
“Then what do you mean…? Yu-jie, I—”
“So I’ve been thinking about how to free you,” Yu Nian’an said calmly. “By the way, if I kill you, will Xia wake up?”
Xiao Cheng took a step back. The outcome was exactly what he had feared.
But just who was Qi Xia…?
If this girl, Yu Nian’an, wasn’t the master of the dream, then why did she have such absolute control over it?
“Because I am this space’s ‘Guardian,'” Yu Nian’an answered.
That single sentence sent a cold sweat down Xiao Cheng’s back.
“Xiao Cheng, in this space, I can hear your thoughts. I know you’re not a bad kid,” Yu Nian’an said with a faint smile. “But if you don’t die quickly… ‘he’ will come. And if ‘he’ finds you, you’ll never know peace again.”
“‘He’…?” Xiao Cheng’s lips trembled, his pupils flickering. “Yu-jie, what do you mean by ‘never know peace’? Who exactly would I be provoking?”
“Do you think this is just a twisted dream?” Yu Nian’an wiped the blood off her hands onto her apron. “Xiao Cheng, this is another battlefield beyond the ‘Land of the End.’ Even I can’t leave, let alone you.”
Xiao Cheng blinked, not fully comprehending. “A battlefield… between who?”
“Between Qi Xia and ‘Tianlong,'” Yu Nian’an answered without hesitation. “Do you really think you can interfere in a fight between them?”
“So that crack was…” Xiao Cheng’s gaze drifted past the kitchen door toward the living room in disbelief.
“‘Tianlong’s’ doing,” Yu Nian’an confirmed. “But don’t worry—everything is under Qi Xia’s control. You can die in peace.”
How ironic was that “don’t worry”?
If Xiao Cheng had to name his ultimate purpose in coming here, it was simply to survive.
He had no intention of throwing himself into danger for Qi Xia, a stranger he’d only met once, enduring torment only to die inexplicably in the man’s dream.
“What a pitiful child…” Yu Nian’an frowned slightly, her expression darkening. “Whether outside or here, is your life always under threat?”
“Yu-jie… I can’t hide anything from you. But can you at least tell me who you are?”
Xiao Cheng knew death was inevitable now. If nothing could change the outcome, he at least wanted answers to ease the confusion in his mind.
Yu Nian’an slowly lifted her head. Her face was like a breeze in this endless hell—serene, tranquil. Every time Xiao Cheng saw her, his fear seemed to melt away.
“I am a ‘heart,'” Yu Nian’an answered.
“What…?”
“I guard the last line of defense in Qi Xia’s mind, acting solely on his will,” she explained. “I am both a ‘heart’ and the final ‘Guardian’ of his inner world. As long as I exist, he cannot be defeated.”
Though her answer was patient, Xiao Cheng only felt more lost.
“You’re a ‘heart’… but why do you take human form?” he pressed. “How did you become the ruler of Qi-ge’s dream?”
“Because he entrusted everything to me,” Yu Nian’an replied.
With that, she waved a hand through the air, and a rope materialized in her grip.
Xiao Cheng’s eyes bulged at the sight. “Yu-jie… you’re also…?”
“‘Dreamwalking’? I don’t know. After all, I’m not even human.”
Yu Nian’an tossed the rope upward. One end slithered like a serpent into the ceiling, knotting itself firmly, while the other curled into a noose.
“Xiao Cheng, this place is truly dangerous,” she said. “You should go now.”
Though she spoke of “danger” and “leaving,” her gesture toward the rope was unmistakable.
Xiao Cheng’s body went numb. He knew that once his head entered that noose, he’d wake up in the real world—back in the interview room.
“Yu-jie, I have one last question…” Xiao Cheng said. “If you answer it, this death will be worth it.”
“Alright,” she nodded. “Ask.”
“Has this world… always been like this?” He took a shaky breath. “Has what you’ve been feeding Qi-ge always been… this?”
“Of course not.” Yu Nian’an let out a bitter laugh, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “This world used to be bustling with life. Our little home wasn’t big, but it was warm. But starting yesterday, everything was destroyed.”
“Y-yesterday?” Xiao Cheng froze. “Destroyed how?”
“‘Tianlong’ merely waved a hand, and the entire city turned to nothingness,” she said. “Xiao Cheng, could you do something like that?”
The words left him utterly stunned.
“Yu-jie, what do you mean?! Is ‘Tianlong’ also ‘dreamwalking’?!”
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