The short Taoist looked ethereal and righteous, possessing the bearing of a proper sect, but in reality, he was a scoundrel who would kill without batting an eye.
Upon receiving the command from the senior Taoist, he gripped the dagger again.
With a slight press of his hand, he could sever Long Feicheng's throat!
At this very moment, the wooden bird Sanyuan suddenly emerged from Yan Shouyi's satchel!
It had sensed the danger and had to come out to warn Yan Shouyi!
The senior Taoist also spotted Sanyuan at a glance, exclaiming, "This brat is indeed Yan Chou's son. This is Yin Mu Suo Hun, one of the ultimate techniques from the Lu Ban Scroll!"
The senior Taoist had suffered greatly at Yan Chou's hands in the past, making him very knowledgeable about the descendants of Lu Ban.
Seeing the moving wooden bird, he instantly understood what Sanyuan was.
The short Taoist hurriedly moved to grab Sanyuan, but Sanyuan was small and extremely agile. It dodged the short Taoist and landed directly on Yan Shouyi's head.
Then it frantically pecked at the back of his head!
The senior Taoist sneered, "You won't be able to wake him! In his dream, he can only see three great doors, each leading to a deeper level of the dream. Once he passes through three doors, he will lose all perception of the outside world. Even if he hears your voice, he won't be able to find his way back!"
Sanyuan ignored the senior Taoist's taunts and continued to peck at Yan Shouyi's head.
Seeing that Yan Shouyi showed no reaction, Sanyuan turned to alert Lin Zitong.
But Lin Zitong also remained unresponsive!
The short Taoist had already circled behind Sanyuan, preparing to catch the annoying little creature.
However, Sanyuan, as if it had eyes in the back of its head, preempted him by turning and pecking fiercely at the short Taoist's face.
Do not underestimate Sanyuan. Even ordinary sparrows can peck a hole in a person's face, but Sanyuan directly bit off a chunk of flesh from the short Taoist's face!
The short Taoist screamed in pain, retreated clutching his face, and plopped down onto the ground.
Sanyuan glanced at Zhang Shantong, then at Long Feicheng, and finally chose to fly towards Long Feicheng, who was more familiar but not very useful.
It landed on Long Feicheng's head and pecked him hard!
"Ouch!!!"
Unexpectedly, this peck actually managed to wake Long Feicheng up!
Long Feicheng clutched the back of his head and looked around in confusion. Seeing two strangers standing in the tea room, he was startled:
"Who are you?!"
The senior Taoist was dumbfounded, "How did you wake up?! In that dream, you didn't pass through any of the doors?!"
Long Feicheng recalled, "Dream? Doors? Oh! I remember now! So I was dreaming just now! I was too scared in the dream, so I just stood there stunned, and then I woke up inexplicably..."
The two Taoists were speechless.
The Drunken Dream Incense had always worked perfectly for them, and this was the first time they had failed, and it was because their target was too timid?
Long Feicheng quickly realized that these two Taoists were not good people.
He immediately lunged towards Yan Shouyi, "Brother Yan! Don't sleep! Wake up quickly!"
But by this time, Yan Shouyi had already passed through at least ten doors.
He had sunk into the depths of the dream and could no longer hear Long Feicheng's calls.
Looking at the three identical doors before him, Yan Shouyi felt a sense of numbness.
The constant repetition made it difficult for him to recall how many doors he had passed through, and he even lost track of time, unsure of how much time had elapsed.
If he continued like this, it would likely be endless, but he had no way back.
What should he do?
Yan Shouyi stopped before the doors, his heart filled with hesitation.
As he lingered, a strange sound emanated from one of the doors.
It sounded like... a flute?
The sound gradually became clearer, more crisp and resonant, with a melodious and beautiful tune.
However, within the melody, there was a subtle hint of melancholy.
Who was playing the flute?
Was there someone behind this door?
Filled with questions, Yan Shouyi approached the door and chose the one from which the sound was coming, passing through it.
After a moment of disorientation, Yan Shouyi opened his eyes. The darkness and the three doors were no longer before him.
Instead, it was a small courtyard in the mountains.
The courtyard was surrounded by woods, and a low fence enclosed the yard. Two horses were tethered within the yard, and a tall ginkgo tree grew there. The ginkgo leaves were golden yellow, falling with the wind and scattering, covering the yard like a carpet of gold.
Beneath the tree, a man dressed in simple clothes, yet tall and imposing, was quietly playing a transverse flute.
Yan Shouyi stood outside the fence, observing the man.
The man had sharp eyes and sword-like eyebrows, a face as if carved by a knife. He possessed a masculine aura, resembling a general of ancient times.
His hands were calloused, bearing the marks of countless battles fought on the battlefield.
The melody he played spoke of endless longing and profound sorrow.
Just listening to it, one could feel the pain of a heart torn asunder.
"You seem to be enjoying it immensely."
Suddenly, the flute music stopped. The man, who had appeared out of nowhere, was now standing before Yan Shouyi.
Yan Shouyi stared at the man and asked, "Where is this? Who are you?"
"To me, you are the outsider. I should be asking you," the man said calmly. "However, I know who you are and why you are here."
"What do you mean?"
"This is a dream, and it's the depths of the dream. Only here can you see me and converse with me."
The man opened a door for Yan Shouyi, then turned and walked to the door of a small house, beckoning Yan Shouyi: "There is still time, come in and sit for a while."
Unsure of his whereabouts, Yan Shouyi seemed to have no reason to refuse and followed the man into the house.
The interior of the house was also simple. A beast hide was spread on the floor, with a low table placed on it.
The man sat cross-legged on the beast hide, gesturing for Yan Shouyi to sit as well.
After sitting down, Yan Shouyi observed his surroundings and noticed that other people should reside in this house.
There were two teacups on the table.
"My wife used to live here, but we have been separated for many years," the man said.
"Where did she go?"
"She died."
"What?"
"Death is a normal occurrence. To be precise, I am also dead."
The man's words left Yan Shouyi bewildered. If he was already dead, why was he appearing in his dream?
Suddenly, Yan Shouyi caught sight of a suit of armor hanging in the corner of the room. Upon closer inspection, it was a finely scaled armor of unique design.
This finely scaled armor was one of the famous "Thirteen Suits of Tang Armor," particularly favored during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. Why would it be in this small mountain cottage?
Could it be...
Was this man before him a former warrior on the battlefield?
A general?!
Yan Shouyi suddenly thought of something. He looked at the finely scaled armor again and saw that a character for "Jiang" was engraved on the chest plate.
At this moment, Yan Shouyi understood the identity of the man before him.
"Are you that general from the State of Qingjiang?" Yan Shouyi asked.
"I am surprised that you know my identity," the man said, sitting upright as if attending court, a slight look of astonishment on his face.
"Then your wife must be the princess of the State of Yushu..."
"You know more and more."
The more Yan Shouyi thought about it, the stranger it became.
Setting aside why a general from the State of Qingjiang would appear in his dream.
If the person conversing with him now was indeed the general of the State of Qingjiang, then the story in the ancient texts must have a continuation.
The general of Qingjiang and the princess of Yushu did not die after jumping into the river.
They survived, hid in the mountains, built a cottage in this paradise, and lived a free and beautiful life.
But this was in Yan Shouyi's dream. How could his dream be related to reality?
"Where is Lianhe? Did she find you?" Yan Shouyi couldn't help but ask.
The general's face stiffened.
He was clearly not expecting Yan Shouyi to know about Lianhe as well.
He collected himself and said, "She found us."
Yan Shouyi breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, "It seems your story had a happy ending."
"A happy ending?"
The general sneered, "Finally, there is something you do not know."
This time, it was Yan Shouyi's turn for his expression to stiffen.
After enduring so much, they still hadn't lived a happy and beautiful life?
Were fairy tales really all lies??
He couldn't help but ask, "What happened after that?"