Love Travels through Time (My father who traveled through time and space to cultivate immortality came back to pick me up) - Chapter 21
Chapter 21: The Dream Intrusion Art
Did he really think a honey trap would make her crumble? Did he expect her to confess who the “expert” behind her was, only for him to slaughter her effortlessly amidst a swirl of false affection?
Xiang Haikui understood the logic, but where did he get such confidence?
Then again, Meng Xilou certainly had the assets of a domineering CEO.
His status alone was enough to intimidate anyone, and plenty of young girls would find him irresistible.
Unfortunately for him, Xiang Haikui had seen her own master and her own boss.
Only yesterday, she had even butt heads with two high ranking officials from the Underworld.
Compared to them, what was this piece of junk stone from the Upper Realm? Her boss had a whole wagon of them in his little black orb.
To put it boldly, unless the Emperor of the Upper Realm or the King of the Underworld personally appeared, very few people in this cultivation world could actually scare her now.
No wonder people said daughters should be raised in luxury so they wouldn’t be easily swindled by scumbags.
She really had to thank her boss.
Wait, why did that make her boss sound like her father?
“Senior Brother, I’m full.”
Before Meng Xilou could straighten up, she stood up abruptly.
The top of her head slammed into his chin with full force, and she was the first to cry out in feigned pain.
After whispering in her ear, Meng Xilou had been maintaining a “charming” smile with a perfectly tensed jawline.
This collision nearly sent his teeth flying.
His facial muscles twitched for a long time before he regained control.
He knew she did it on purpose but had to endure it.
“Junior Sister, you really should fix that reckless temper of yours.”
Xiang Haikui didn’t bother arguing.
It was a waste of time.
She took off the necklace and tossed it onto the table.
“I don’t have the habit of throwing away other people’s things. Find a maid to do it for me.”
“Senior Brother, I’m going back to rest.”
Without waiting for his nod, she deactivated the door seal and walked out of the hall.
She was too lazy to act for him.
Walking through the garden, she thought to herself that this idiot probably hadn’t faced rejection like this before.
With her acting so defiant, would he drop a line like, “Woman, you have successfully caught my attention”?
Ugh. Xiang Haikui stopped thinking about it.
It was disgusting.
Why not just attack her, torture her for information about the “expert,” and then kill her? Why be so circuitous? She truly didn’t understand what went on inside the heads of these “clever” people.
***
In the room, Meng Xilou put away the soul stone.
A cold, stern curve touched his lips.
He didn’t feel defeated; this was expected.
It was merely a test, and now he was certain she was just a simple girl.
Her joy, anger, and sorrow were written all over her face, unable to be hidden.
He had considered direct action—interrogation and execution.
But a simple girl like her was easy to take captive.
Once she fell in love, she would lose her way and obey his every word.
Meng Xilou had to know who the “expert” behind her was.
Perhaps he could even use her to eliminate them.
Otherwise, even if he killed Xiang Haikui, a second one might appear on his sister’s path to earning merit.
As for capturing a mortal girl’s heart, how hard could it be? Right now, she was just influenced by the negative ideas fed to her by that “expert.”
He would simply weed them out one by one.
***
Xiang Haikui slept through the night clutching her sword, with maids standing guard.
When she woke, the maids had prepared a fragrant bath.
The spiritual energy rising from the spirit spring water was enticing, and nameless flower petals floated on the surface.
“Second Miss, this can clear your meridians and benefit your cultivation. It was prepared by Master Meng…”
“That’s enough.”
Xiang Haikui knew it was from Meng Xilou.
Men’s methods for chasing women hadn’t changed since the dawn of time.
She squinted, first dipping her sword, Tian Kuang, into the water like a silver needle testing for poison.
Once she confirmed it was safe, she began to undress.
Maids stood in every corner of the room.
Fearing those little monsters might enter, she couldn’t dismiss the maids, but she felt awkward bathing in front of so many people, so she kept her inner robes on.
“Second Miss, Master Meng also prepared…”
“Master Meng…”
“Master Meng…”
Amidst the constant chatter about “Master Meng,” Xiang Haikui drifted off into a nap.
With Tian Kuang hovering above her, she felt perfectly safe.
But in her daze, she realized something was wrong.
Her soul seemed to be slowly detaching from her consciousness.
She forced herself to wake up and sit straight.
The surroundings felt frozen; everyone was motionless.
She reached for Tian Kuang but grasped only air.
Was she dreaming?
While confused, a faint rustling sound reached her ears.
Was it coming from above? Just as she looked up, a thick hemp rope used for hanging dropped from the ceiling and looped around her neck!
She was pulled out of the water by the rope, her legs kicking at the empty air.
Tian Kuang was right there, but she couldn’t touch it.
This feeling of suffocation was different from drowning, but no less terrifying.
This wasn’t a dream! This wasn’t a dream!
Xiang Haikui remembered.
Her master had taught her about this wicked technique that could create a dreamscape to kill the opponent’s soul.
It was extremely difficult to master and was essentially a “life for a life” trade.
The killer would die within the victim’s dream.
As for how to break it, her master had taught that too.
One had to find the overlap between the dream and reality and shatter it.
The overlap wasn’t hard to find.
She saw it: a vase on the table was smoking like a chimney.
“Junior Sister is indeed not simple. You actually know this Dream Intrusion Art and its cure?”
It sounded like the voice of her Second Senior Brother, Ye Qianzhi.
Xiang Haikui was bewildered.
Was her father’s second disciple also from the Upper Realm? Were they all in this together?
Ye Qianzhi sighed softly.
“But you are hanging there. How will you break that vase?”
How hard could it be? Her master had taught her everything.
The opponent had entered her dream.
In this dream, except for the rope which was his tool for murder, everything else was her own consciousness.
Her conscious world was like a sandbox she could control.
Xiang Haikui shouted at the vase, “Fall!”
The vase suddenly grew legs, jumped off the table, and shattered into pieces.
Crash!
The dream shattered.
Xiang Haikui woke up and immediately gripped Tian Kuang.
The bathtub exploded, splashing water everywhere and sending the maids scurrying back in fear.
Holding her sword in one hand and throwing a cloak over herself with the other, she stormed toward Ye Qianzhi’s room.
Ye Qianzhi had already opened the door seal.
Xiang Haikui entered with a dark expression.
Just as he locked the door, her blade swept past, cutting a bloody line across his cheek and scarring his face.
Ye Qianzhi’s face was pale, and blood hung from the corner of his mouth.
He was clearly suffering from a severe internal backlash from the failed technique.
“Second Senior Brother, are you also from the Upper Realm? One of Meng Xilou’s dogs?” Xiang Haikui sneered.
“How loyal of you. To deal with a girl like me, you’d actually trade your own life?”
“If I were his man, I would have waited four more days to act.”
Ye Qianzhi wiped the blood from his lips and smiled bitterly.
“And if I erased you in a dream, you would die silently. Master wouldn’t feel it and wouldn’t have his mind disturbed.”
Xiang Haikui frowned.
“Then do we have a grudge? Why kill me?”
Ye Qianzhi shook his head, adjusted his robes, and knelt. Xiang Haikui retreated a step, her sword still ready.
“What are you doing?”
Ye Qianzhi let out a long sigh.
“I’m sorry, Junior Sister.”
After apologizing, he spat out another mouthful of blood.
“I am truly just a mortal, an evil cultivator. Years ago, it was Master who saved me when I suffered a cultivation deviation and gave me a second chance. Recently, I used some forbidden arts to discover the Eldest Senior Brother’s true identity and his plans.”
So that was it. Xiang Haikui began to understand.
“So, you wanted to kill me before they could act, before my father enters his second great cycle?”
Ye Qianzhi remained kneeling.
“Junior Sister, the opponent is simply too powerful. We cannot fight them. Even if you’ve had a lucky encounter, it’s like an egg striking a stone. To protect Master and the Silver Sands he worked so hard to guard, I had no choice but to resort to this.”
“It certainly was a poor choice,” Xiang Haikui cursed internally.
You’ve turned yourself into a lunatic with those wicked arts!
She was furious and wanted to stab him.
But in this cutthroat environment, he truly cared for her father.
If things went sideways later, he would be an ally.
She sheathed her sword and walked out, shouting coldly, “Tend to your injuries. Act like you know nothing and stop causing trouble with Wu Mian. You can’t kill me, Wu Mian can’t kill me, and Meng Xilou certainly can’t!”
Returning to her courtyard in a rage, she saw Meng Xilou again.
He was wearing a dark green robe, meeting her with that standard “stoic CEO” face.
“Junior Sister, you’re looking a bit disheveled. Where have you been?”
Xiang Haikui ignored him. She went to her room, changed into her blue gauze dress, put her hair in a bun, and pinned the feathers at her temples.
Meng Xilou called from outside, “An unknown monster has appeared outside the pass. Have you fought it before?”
“Yes, it ate Lu Xiqiao’s camel and nearly dragged away Third Senior Brother earlier.”
Hearing serious business, Xiang Haikui opened the window.
“Is Senior Brother going to kill it?”
“Yes. Several tribes outside the pass have sent pleas for help. The monster seems to be evolving. It doesn’t eat people, but it roams everywhere eating camels. The tribes are full of complaints.”
Meng Xilou stood with his hands behind his back, a slight smile on his lips.
“Since you’ve fought it, would you care to join me?”
Xiang Haikui was indeed curious about the monster.
It had been moving beneath the sand.
What if it disturbed her father’s secluded cultivation? The moment the thought of going crossed her mind, Tian Kuang began to vibrate.
She didn’t hesitate.
“Then let’s go.”
When they reached the city gate, she saw only one camel.
This was clearly an attempt to get her to ride with him.
Looking around, he hadn’t brought a single guard.
Was he going to catch a monster or go on a date?
Xiang Haikui refused to budge.
She turned to the guard at the gate.
“Bring another one.”
“Second Miss, this…” The guard looked at Meng Xilou, troubled.
“That monster evolves by devouring camels. Taking more camels out there is just feeding it spiritual power.”
Meng Xilou mounted the camel and held out his hand.
“Be sensible. Don’t make a scene.”
If it weren’t for the crowd at the gate, Xiang Haikui would have drawn her sword.
“Senior Brother, if that’s the case, why ride a camel at all?”
Xiang Haikui gestured for him to dismount.
“Come on, let’s walk out of the pass together.”
Sweat to death for all I care! Let’s see how you act cool when you’re covered in filth!
