Linyue's brain was already spinning, and the man—her maybe-master—replied casually, "Nothing's urgent. I have time for you."
And then the woman, Yun Qi, smiled. It wasn't just any smile. It was a smile that could melt mountains and make poets cry. Peaceful, radiant, and full of something deep and quiet.
Linyue held her breath. She pressed a hand to her forehead. It was official. Even in her sleep, she could not escape beautiful people, mysterious identities, and dramatic plot twists. At this rate, she might need a dream assistant. Or maybe just a plate of dumplings to get through the emotional whiplash.
In front of her, the man who definitely sounded like her master smiled like he had invented flirting. Radiant, charming, and dangerous. He leaned in and whispered to the beautiful woman, "Why don't we exercise… in a spiritual way?"
Linyue gawked.
Spiritual?! She knew that tone. That was not about meditation.
The woman's face turned bright red. Even her ears flushed. "Shameless pervert," she muttered, hiding her smile.
The man grinned, utterly proud. "Your shameless pervert."
Yun Qi playfully smacked his chest, her shy smile blooming like a spring flower. "It's still broad daylight. What are you talking about?"
The man raised a brow, completely unrepentant. "It's punishment. I told you not to call me Your Majesty."
Yun Qi sighed in defeat. "Alright… Qi Heng. Satisfied?"
He chuckled softly. "The punishment will still proceed."
Then because clearly her dreams had no shame filter, he swept the woman up by the waist and carried her down the hallway with all the seriousness of a man on an important romantic mission.
Linyue stared. Slowly, she covered her eyes with both hands. After a beat, she changed her mind and covered her ears instead.
Was this really her master?! The silent, brooding, terrifyingly powerful cultivator who rarely even spoke?
Now he was out here throwing flirty lines, carrying a goddess-level beauty through a marble hallway while talking about "spiritual exercise" in broad daylight?! What in the name of steamed buns was going on??
Yun Qi had called him Qi Heng. There was no mistake. Which meant… her master was not just secretly powerful. He was also secretly a smooth-talking romantic with a hidden royal title?!
Linyue's brain short-circuited again. What happened to him? Why the mask? Why did he turn from this heavenly flirt demon into brooding grumpy masked man?
Her cheeks burned in secondhand embarrassment. She never thought she'd say this, but she might never be able to look at him the same way again.
Linyue stood frozen in place, her hands still covering her ears. What was she supposed to do now? Just follow her master and that goddess-like woman through marble hallways, listening to their sweet-talk and "spiritual exercise" plans?
She shook her head furiously. No thank you.Absolutely not.
Then without warning, the world around her changed. The bright, polished hallway vanished in a blink. The golden glow was gone. Replaced by something colder and darker. The air grew damp. Shadows clung to the walls. She looked around and immediately recognized the space.
It was the cave. The same one where they had found the hidden spiritual spring. But it was different now. There were no walls of translucent blue quartz, no gentle hum of spiritual energy flowing. Just rough black and brown stone and a deep, dry crater in the middle where the spring used to be.
Unexpectedly, Yun Qi was there. The same ethereal, beautiful woman, but she was no longer glowing. Her robe was wrinkled and dirty, her eyes red and swollen, and her face was streaked with tears. She stood by the empty crater, weeping like her heart had been torn to pieces.
Linyue slowly approached, cautious.
Yun Qi didn't look at her. Didn't acknowledge her at all. It was like Linyue wasn't even there.
"So this really is a dream," she thought. "Or some kind of memory or illusion."
She moved closer, observing silently. The woman who had been smiling so radiantly now looked completely shattered. Linyue didn't know what had happened. Didn't know what could've caused someone so graceful to break down like this.
Yun Qi sank to her knees beside the crater, her voice cracking as she sobbed, "I'm sorry… I'm sorry…"
Tears kept falling. Her shoulders shook with every breath. The words repeated again and again. Broken, soft, and full of guilt.
Her chest tightened. This didn't feel like an illusion anymore. It felt like something real and terribly, heartbreakingly sad. Linyue watched, frozen in place, her hands curled tightly at her sides.
Was her master the one who made this beautiful woman cry like that? Her master, Qi Heng, looked so in love with Yun Qi. So gentle, so careful. Why would he let her end up like this? But then again, why was Yun Qi the one apologizing?
The cave echoed with her soft, broken sobs. It was like the darkness itself was grieving with her. Then Yun Qi did something Linyue didn't expect.
She stepped into the dry crater, the same place where Linyue had once found the glowing spring. Her steps were quiet, trembling. Still weeping, she raised her hand and summoned water from her palm. The water flowed gently, rippling outward and pooling around her ankles. She knelt in the center, her fingers brushing the surface. A single ripple spread outward. And then her body began to shimmer.
Linyue's eyes widened in shock.
Yun Qi's skin turned into mist, glowing faintly like moonlight. Then her veins lit up in delicate lines, blue like lightning caught beneath the skin, before they too dissolved into water and light. Her bones, her breath, her very soul dissolved gently. She didn't melt like a person in pain. It was more like… transformation. A peaceful undoing.
"For those who come after…" she whispered. But the words were no longer words. They flowed, like current. A ripple in time.
Linyue took a step forward. "What is she doing?" she whispered.
And then—boom—not an explosion, but something deeper. Yun Qi's core unraveled. Not into fire or death, but into light. A wave of sapphire light burst out from the crater, so pure it seemed to rewrite the cave itself. The air didn't burn, it shimmered. The jagged black rocks smoothed out into glassy walls of glowing blue quartz. Veins of silver danced through the stone like frozen rivers. The dull, lifeless cave became something radiant. Serene. Sacred. And in the middle of it all, where Yun Qi had stood, was the newborn spring. Clear. Still. Glowing with a quiet, endless light.
Linyue's breath caught in her throat. Did Yun Qi just… give herself up? To become the spring?
A tear slipped down her cheek. She had never met this woman before tonight. But suddenly, she felt like she had lost someone precious.
So the poem was real.
"Where silver maiden weeps eternal,
Her tears like stars that never fade,"
"Maiden." She had assumed it was a metaphor, a poetic way of describing something sacred. But no. It was a maiden. A real one. Yun Qi. This spring was her final resting place. The place where she had poured herself into light and water.
Linyue sniffled. Even the poem was terrifyingly accurate.
Wait… that poem… the wording… could it be? Did Master write that poem?
Her tears flowed faster, this time with confusion mixed in. She closed her eyes and cried quietly. A strange, aching sadness pressed against her chest. When she opened her eyes again, she heard a very familiar voice. Urgent and full of panic.
"Linyue! Linyue!" Shu Mingye's voice was coming from somewhere close. Closer than expected.
She blinked. "Mm? What?"
Shu Mingye immediately leaned over her, eyes narrowed in worry. "Are you okay? What happened? Are you still hurt? You've been asleep for three days! Why are you crying?!"
He looked truly anxious. His usual smug face was gone, replaced by a very serious frown. His brow furrowed so hard.
Linyue blinked again, still dazed. "I'm fine. I just… had a dream."
Shu Mingye didn't look convinced. "Do you feel anything weird? Uncomfortable? Don't lie to me, Pie."
"I'm not lying," she said softly. "I really feel fine."
Shu Mingye sighed deeply and sat down beside her. "You scared me…"
And then something fluffy flicked at her foot. She glanced down.
The white dog spirit beast. Fluffy, smug, and absolutely unbothered was curling up beside her leg. Its tail flicking lazily. Its big eyes sparkled with fake innocence, and it gave a tiny yawn, as if to say, "Oh? You're awake?"
Linyue narrowed her eyes at it suspiciously. "Were you the one who gave me that dream?"
The white dog looked up at her. Innocent. Pure. Adorable. Then it tilted its head slightly to the right.