Chapter 75
The Chen family indeed encountered a major incident.

Madam Zhao Yunluo fell asleep and couldn’t be awakened, no matter how others called out or shook her. Her eyes remained shut.

It was said that she had only taken a nap with Chen Yaoguang during noon, but when Young Master Chen woke up, he found his wife pale, brows furrowed, and stiff as a block of ice. Attempts to call her name or touch her shoulder yielded no response.

Chen Yaoguang was horrified and quickly sent servants to summon Ning Ning and others back to the mansion. When everyone entered the room, they could immediately see his reddened eyes.

“Young heroes, please save my wife!”

Chen Yaoguang had a refined and handsome appearance, expected of a young nobleman, but he had become thinner since being imprisoned. Now, with his eyes reddened with worry, he seemed somewhat pitiful, far from the image of a wealthy young man.

It seemed like this couple had a good relationship.

Their luck was just unfortunate. While others faced trivial troubles, these two suffered greatly. Misfortune seemed to have knocked at their door relentlessly.
Zheng Weiqi was most knowledgeable about demonic creatures. Listening to the servants’ account on the way, she already had an idea.

She composed herself and took a few steps forward. With just a glance at Zhao Yunluo lying on the bed, she revealed an expression that said, “As expected.”
“It’s a nightmare demon,” Zheng Weiqi said solemnly.

“This type of demon feeds on dreams and consciousness. Once possessed by a nightmare demon, one will endure endless nightmares, losing consciousness in a cycle of death and rebirth until their last trace of essence is drained, leading to death in their sleep.”

As the senior sister of the Xuanxu Sword Sect, Zheng Weiqi was reliable and usually very competent. She smiled slightly, displaying an air of superiority. “This demon is not difficult to deal with. As long as I delve into Madam’s consciousness and expel it, the Nightmare Demon will leave on its own.”

Chen Yaoguang nodded eagerly, not daring to say much. He stepped back obediently. “Thank you, miss.”
Today, with the sunlight streaming in, the indoor atmosphere was not as gloomy as before.

The sunlight poured in through the wide-open wooden windows, casting a gentle glow on Zhao Yunluo’s delicate face.
Unfortunately, the current condition of Madam did not match this serene scene at all.

She had been having nightmares, her face turning blue and her breathing rapid within a short period, with dried tear streaks in her eyes. Zheng Weiqi couldn’t bear to see her like this and silently recited a spell, mobilizing her consciousness.

A continuous stream of breath circulated in her consciousness like tides, containing profound and rich spiritual power in every corner. A strand of consciousness floated up invisibly but firmly under her control, gradually approaching Zhao Yunluo, lying on the bed.
Suddenly, Zheng Weiqi’s expression changed.

“Strange.”

Without any extra movements, she remained still for a while before opening her eyes, sounding puzzled. “My consciousness… can’t perceive Madam.”
It was known that not only humans but even demons and monsters resonated with the consciousness of cultivators. The only things unable to be perceived were those without consciousness, such as tables, chairs, or sunlight and rain.

Zhao Yunluo obviously didn’t belong to that category.
This revelation left everyone present puzzled. He Zhizhou scratched his head, whispering, “Could it be because everything in the Tower is an illusion? They, as fabricated characters in the illusion, have no souls?”

This was rather embarrassing.

Zheng Weiqi had confidently claimed a solution earlier, only to find herself unable to even touch the Nightmare Demon, let alone awaken Zhao Yunluo to give Chen Yaoguang an explanation.

This reason seemed somewhat reasonable. Ning Ning pondered for a moment but frowned. “But if that’s the case, what’s the purpose of trapping Zhao Yunluo in the tower? Each plot point should hide a clue, right?”

“Unable to perceive?”
Chen Yaoguang’s face turned pale. “How could this be?”
Naturally, Zheng Weiqi couldn’t casually blurt out, “Because you’re all paper people in the illusion.”
To maintain face and avoid an awkward situation, she attempted to change the subject: “I’m also unclear about the reason—does young master Chen have any clues about Madam being trapped?”

A tinge of fear spread across Chen Yaoguang’s face, his tone uncertain. “If there’s something related… not long ago, a Taoist passed by here, claiming that there’s something abnormal about the Fengshui of Goose City. On the fifth day of the sixth month of this year, there will be a great calamity, causing havoc. He had no evidence, and he looked shabby, so we thought it was nonsense. But recently, strange events have been happening in the city, one after another. Perhaps the old Taoist’s words were true.”
He suddenly realized something, his bloodshot eyes widening. “The fifth day of the sixth month… isn’t that tomorrow?”
Ning Ning remained silent, listening carefully to his continuation.

“I’ve heard that you all might leave at any time, but now that Goose City is facing this disaster, if it weren’t for you all—”
The implication of staying was evident in these words, but Zheng Weiqi, who was supposed to play along, didn’t ignore it.
Instead, she responded with a serious tone, “Young Master Chen, don’t worry. We will do our utmost to drive away the demons and protect the safety of the people of Goose City.”
Chen Yaoguang quickly nodded. “Yaoguang thanks everyone in advance for your great kindness. This favor will not be forgotten in this lifetime.”

Pausing for a moment, he added, “As for my wife…”
Truly, he couldn’t help but mention his wife.

Zheng Weiqi tactfully continued, “We will find a solution.”
Chen Yaoguang’s expression finally eased a bit.

Although they said they would “find a solution,” none of them could communicate with the illusory people in the tower using their consciousness.
Later, they tried communicating with Chen Yaoguang nearby but still received no response.

It seemed there was indeed a barrier between the illusion and reality. Whether they could awaken Zhao Yunluo in the future would depend on the plot’s development.
Chen Lubai stayed in the room to take care of her sister-in-law, while the others left with their own thoughts. Seeing Ning Ning still with a frowning face, He Zhizhou nudged her with a telepathic message: “What’s up? Our young Official Ning, has something to say?

“I just find it somewhat strange,” Ning ning kicked a stone on the road and replied without telepathy, “from the moment Chen Lubai deliberately caught our attention on the street to the later flash flood, the Enchanting Painting, and the Nightmare Demon, it seems that every time we try to leave this place, we are forced to stay by new events.”
She thought for a moment, her tone light, “And there’s that ‘fifth day of the sixth month, the opening of the Demon Gate.’ If that’s true, why didn’t they tell us from the beginning? It feels like they made it up on the spot. Moreover—”

“Moreover, you still find it unreasonable that we can’t use our consciousness.”
Zheng Weiqi glanced at her with a smile, her eyes filled with casual amusement. “Even if everything is their plan, what if everyone in the Chen family is suspicious? The Demon Gate opens on the fifth day of the sixth month. ‘Those demons and monsters come out; as long as we have our swords, we can send them back.”

Now, with doubts looming, they were completely in a passive state, with no chance to take the initiative. So the discussion about this matter had to end here.
According to Zheng Weiqi’s words, it was “wait until midnight, deal with the situation, and even if we can’t handle it, we’ll just get kicked out of the tower and try again.”
Truly, it was very much in line with the style of the senior sister.

The group decided to conserve their energy and wait quietly for the arrival of the next day. With nothing to do, Ning Ning’s mind was always on edge, so she left the room and took a walk in the Chen mansion.

The heavy rain from not long ago had dispersed, but there was still a lingering coolness in the air, misting between the emerald bamboo and green grass in the garden. Looking around, the blue water was clear enough to pinch, occasionally accompanied by the chirping of birds and the murmuring of water, creating a serene and picturesque scene.
She walked aimlessly for a while until she saw the familiar figure of a young girl by the pond in a pavilion.

Chen Lubai was lazily sitting on a circular bench, leaning against the railing, and staring at the water without moving. Perhaps sensing someone approaching, she suddenly turned her head, her mouth still in a downward curve.

“Miss Chen.”

Ning Ning smiled. “Feeling bad?”

“Not really.”

Chen Lubai, after all, was still a young girl. Unable to hide her thoughts on her face, she looked even more sullen when she heard Ning Ning’s words, somewhat annoyed: “It’s just that my father is looking for a husband for me again—is he so eager to marry me off?”

Ning ning sat down with her on the bench, leaning on the railing to look at the emerald green water. “Miss Chen, don’t you want to get married?”
“I don’t want to get married at all.”

Chen Lubai threw a stone into the pond and propped her cheek with her left hand, supporting the soft flesh. “What’s good about getting married?”