Chapter 159: The Price of Waking
Fang Ming left the auction before the final dust settled.
Red Fiend Divine Boat, Ma Hong Yun, Zhao Lian Yun, the struggles of rank eight experts and super forces — all of those were important, but they were no longer his immediate concern. He had already obtained what he wanted most.
Unravel Mystery Immortal Gu.
Eagle Nest inheritance.
The two gains were enough.
If he returned to his aperture now, he could begin studying Unravel Mystery and slowly create a dream path immortal killer move around it. But Fang Ming did not do so.
There was still one opportunity that could not wait.
Snowy Mountain blessed land.
Third branch peak.
A faint spatial fluctuation appeared inside Fairy Li Shan's residence. A moment later, Fang Ming stepped out from the dim light, his aura restrained and his expression calm.
The room was quiet.
Too quiet.
Fairy Li Shan was not in the reception hall. Hei Lou Lan was not present either. The servants and mortal Gu Masters of the third branch peak moved normally outside, unaware that anything had happened.
Fang Ming walked deeper into the residence.
Soon, he reached a bedroom.
On the bed, two figures lay still.
Fairy Li Shan.
Hei Lou Lan.
Their breathing was stable, their bodies were unharmed, but their souls were trapped elsewhere. Their brows were faintly furrowed, as if they were struggling inside a place no one else could see.
Fang Ming stopped beside the bed and looked at them.
"So it really happened."
The original flow had not changed much.
Hei Lou Lan had been caught in a dream calamity. Fairy Li Shan had tried to help and was pulled in as well. If no one interfered, both would remain trapped, and the danger would soon spread beyond this room.
Fang Ming did not approach carelessly. Dream realms were not ordinary traps. A person could stand beside the victim and still be dragged in if they touched the wrong connection.
But this danger was for others.
Inside Fang Ming's aperture, Dream Feather Immortal Gu stirred.
A faint dreamlike feather appeared in his palm. It was soft and illusory, as if it existed between sleep and waking. Around it, several mortal dream path Gu activated one after another, forming a light layer around Fang Ming's body.
His eyes became calm.
Dream Feather was not Unravel Mystery. It was not a wisdom path Gu used to deduce traces or form indirect dream path killer moves.
It was a true dream path Immortal Gu.
In direct dream exploration, it was even more suitable than Unravel Mystery. With it, Fang Ming could enter dreams safely, move within them, and retreat without being trapped. The difficulty was not protecting himself.
The difficulty was pulling others out without damaging them.
Fang Ming first reached toward Fairy Li Shan.
Her connection to the dream was shallow. She was not the true target of the calamity; she had merely been dragged in because she tried to help Hei Lou Lan.
Dream Feather trembled.
A thin thread of dream light spread from Fang Ming's hand and touched Fairy Li Shan's forehead. In an instant, Fang Ming's vision changed. Layers of blurred scenes appeared before him: snow, blood, a child's cry, a woman's voice, hatred like a black flame, and Fairy Li Shan's anxious figure sinking at the edge of it all.
Fang Ming did not go deeper.
He only caught Fairy Li Shan's dream shadow and pulled.
The feather in his palm flashed.
Fairy Li Shan's body shook.
Her eyes opened suddenly.
For a moment, her gaze was unfocused. Then her expression changed sharply, and she almost sat up.
"Little Lan!"
Fang Ming withdrew his hand. "She is still inside. You were only caught at the edge, so I pulled you out first."
Fairy Li Shan turned and saw Fang Ming clearly. Shock flashed in her eyes, then caution, then understanding.
"You came from the auction?"
"I left early."
Fairy Li Shan's expression became complicated. She did not ask how he knew to come here. Some questions were useless between Gu Immortals. Fang Ming had arrived at the right time and saved her. That was the only fact that mattered now.
Before she could speak further, Snowy Mountain blessed land shook.
A vast rank eight aura spread across the peaks.
Fairy Li Shan's face changed.
Old Ancestor Xue Hu.
His voice echoed through the blessed land, deep and unquestionable.
"All of you, come to the main hall. I have an important matter to discuss."
Fairy Li Shan's expression turned pale for a breath.
If Fang Ming had come even a little later, she would still be trapped in the dream realm. If she failed to answer Old Ancestor Xue Hu's summons, suspicion would fall on the third branch peak.
And Hei Lou Lan was still lying here.
Once Old Ancestor Xue Hu discovered Hei Lou Lan, the consequences would be beyond imagination.
Fang Ming glanced at Hei Lou Lan. "Hide her temporarily. You answer the summons first."
Fairy Li Shan reacted quickly. She used her methods to move Hei Lou Lan away from the obvious place, then tidied her aura and expression. Before leaving, she looked back at Fang Ming.
"Do not touch Little Lan until I return."
Fang Ming smiled faintly. "Then you should return quickly."
Fairy Li Shan gave him a deep look, then left.
The third branch peak became quiet again.
Fang Ming remained in the room and waited.
During this time, a letter Gu flew in and circled outside the restriction. Fang Ming looked at it but did not touch it. A moment later, Fairy Li Shan's method activated from afar, letting the message pass to her.
It was Fang Yuan and Tai Bai Yun Sheng.
They were still at the auction.
Fairy Li Shan replied only that she had met with some trouble earlier but was fine now, and that there was no need for them to come.
The matter ended there.
Fang Yuan and Tai Bai Yun Sheng remained at the auction.
The opportunity fully shifted into Fang Ming's hands.
After some time, Fairy Li Shan returned.
Her face was calm, but her eyes still carried lingering fear. Old Ancestor Xue Hu had not discovered anything. The danger had passed, but only barely.
She entered the room and looked at Fang Ming.
"Just now, this was truly thanks to you. If Old Ancestor Xue Hu had found Little Lan here, even I might not have been able to preserve her life."
Hei Lou Lan's identity was too dangerous.
Ma Hong Yun and Zhao Lian Yun had already fallen into the hands of powerful figures. Once their souls were searched, many secrets from Imperial Court blessed land would be exposed. Hei Lou Lan's appearance, her role, and her connection to the collapse of Eighty-Eight True Yang Building would become deadly information.
Fairy Li Shan understood this better than anyone.
Fang Ming sat down calmly. "She is still in the dream."
"Can you save her?"
"I can."
Fairy Li Shan was startled.
She had expected difficulty, delay, preparation, perhaps even refusal. But Fang Ming's answer was direct.
"You can save her now?"
"Yes."
Fang Ming did not exaggerate. He had Dream Feather, mortal dream path Gu prepared in his aperture, previous dream exploration experience, and dream path knowledge traded from Fang Yuan. Hei Lou Lan's dream calamity was troublesome, but not impossible.
Fairy Li Shan stared at him. Hope rose in her eyes, but she quickly suppressed it.
"What do you want?"
Fang Ming smiled.
"Attitude Gu."
The room fell silent.
Fairy Li Shan's gaze instantly sharpened.
"No."
Her refusal came without hesitation.
"Attitude Gu is rank eight. Even if you can save Little Lan, this price is too high. At most, I can offer you a rank six Immortal Gu, or resources of equal value."
Fang Ming did not seem surprised.
"Rank eight? In your hands, what use does it have?"
Fairy Li Shan's expression darkened.
Fang Ming continued calmly, "Attitude Gu is famous, but fame is not the same as value. If you cannot use it properly, cannot feed it easily, cannot build a system around it, and cannot reveal it openly, then in your hands it is worth less than a suitable rank six Gu."
Fairy Li Shan replied coldly, "Even if we cannot use it well, we can trade it."
Fang Ming smiled.
"Am I not offering you that trade now?"
Fairy Li Shan was stunned.
Then she laughed, but there was no joy in it.
"Fang Ming, do you think I do not understand what you are doing?"
"I would be disappointed if you did not."
Fairy Li Shan's eyes narrowed. "If Little Lan is exposed, you will not escape trouble either. The Northern Plains forces already obtained Ma Hong Yun and Zhao Lian Yun. Once they soul search them, they will know Little Lan's appearance. If she is discovered, everyone tied to her will be implicated. You are part of the alliance too."
Fang Ming leaned back slightly.
"My Eastern Sea business has faced some trouble recently. I may need to leave Northern Plains for a while to smooth things over."
Fairy Li Shan looked at him with a smile that was not a smile.
"The pledge requires allies to help when needed."
"I agree," Fang Ming said. "But dream realms are dangerous. My calamity is also approaching. I need to focus on passing it first, then recuperate, then explore more dream realms and gain more experience. After a year or so, I should be fully prepared."
Fairy Li Shan's face sank.
"A year?"
"From my experience, Hei Lou Lan can last at least that long in this state."
Fairy Li Shan's hand tightened.
Fang Ming spoke as if discussing the weather.
"As for calamities striking her blessed land while she is asleep, that is not my business."
Fairy Li Shan's gaze turned colder.
Fang Ming looked at her and added, "However, the junglefowl food beast formation I lent her, and the two Immortal Gu inside it, are my property. If they are damaged in any way, I will keep Attitude Gu according to our agreement."
Fairy Li Shan froze.
For several breaths, she looked at Fang Ming with disbelief.
Then she pointed at him.
"You planned this?"
Fang Ming looked at her strangely.
"If I could control calamities inside Hei Lou Lan's immortal aperture, then I must be a venerable."
Fairy Li Shan felt a headache rising.
This man was shameless, but his words were hard to refute.
He had not caused Hei Lou Lan's dream calamity. He had not summoned Old Ancestor Xue Hu. He had not forced the future calamities in Hei Lou Lan's aperture. But he had placed his formation and Immortal Gu there earlier, and now those same things had become leverage.
Fairy Li Shan took a deep breath.
"Ask for something else."
"No."
"Fang Ming."
"I want Attitude Gu." Fang Ming's tone remained calm. "I can give you time to consider."
After saying this, he really stopped speaking.
He sat to the side and waited.
Fairy Li Shan looked at Hei Lou Lan's unconscious body. Her expression changed several times. Anger, hesitation, helplessness, calculation — all of them passed through her eyes.
Attitude Gu was rank eight.
But Fang Ming's words were not entirely wrong.
For Hei Lou Lan, Attitude Gu was precious but difficult. She could not openly use it. She could not fully exploit its value. It was a treasure that attracted danger.
Meanwhile, Hei Lou Lan's life was before her.
There was also the junglefowl food beast formation. That formation produced steady profit, and the two Immortal Gu inside it were real foundation. If those became Hei Lou Lan's permanent property, her future development would immediately stabilize.
Fairy Li Shan finally sighed.
"Fine."
Fang Ming looked at her.
"The junglefowl food beast formation in Little Lan's blessed land, and the two Immortal Gu inside it, will permanently belong to her. In exchange, Attitude Gu will belong to you permanently. You must save Little Lan."
Fang Ming smiled.
"Deal."
Fairy Li Shan's expression was heavy as she completed the handover. Attitude Gu was not an ordinary Gu. Even placing it before Fang Ming carried a sense of pressure. It was rank eight, and its aura was deep and restrained, as if it did not need to show power to prove its status.
Fang Ming stored it carefully.
Attitude Gu.
Now it was his.
The price was not small. He had given up the junglefowl formation and two Immortal Gu, but the value of Attitude Gu to him was far greater than it was to Hei Lou Lan.
More importantly, this Gu completed a missing piece in his disguise system.
Fang Ming did not admire it for long. He walked to Hei Lou Lan's side.
Fairy Li Shan's voice was low. "Can you truly save her?"
Fang Ming placed one hand above Hei Lou Lan's forehead.
"If I could not, I would not have asked for the price."
Dream Feather appeared again.
The room blurred.
Fang Ming entered the dream.
The first thing he felt was hatred.
It was heavy, sharp, and endless, like black iron chains wrapped around the dream realm. The scene around him shifted rapidly. A young Hei Lou Lan. A woman's fading figure. Hei Cheng's cold face. Blood. Snow. A promise that had rotted into obsession.
This dream was not difficult because of depth alone.
It was difficult because Hei Lou Lan herself was feeding it.
Her hatred toward Hei Cheng held the dream together. Her obsession became the walls. If Fang Ming only killed the dream image of Hei Cheng, the dream would twist and return. If he dragged Hei Lou Lan out violently, her soul might suffer hidden damage.
Fang Ming moved through the dream with Dream Feather protecting him.
He did not sink.
He did not lose himself.
The dream tried to pull him into Hei Lou Lan's emotions, but the feather light around him cut through the pressure. He watched, tested, and moved again.
In one scene, Hei Cheng appeared before Hei Lou Lan.
Hei Lou Lan roared and attacked.
Fang Ming flicked his finger, and dream light pierced Hei Cheng's forehead. The man collapsed.
The world did not break.
Instead, the scene darkened and restarted.
Fang Ming was not surprised.
"Killing him for her is useless."
The dream changed again.
This time, Fang Ming did not interfere immediately. He let Hei Lou Lan attack, fail, struggle, and rage. Only when the hatred reached its peak did he step beside her and speak.
"This is a dream."
Hei Lou Lan did not hear him.
Her eyes were red. Her mind was buried under hatred.
Fang Ming raised Dream Feather.
The feather light fell on her like snow.
"This is a dream," he repeated.
The world shook.
Hei Lou Lan's movements slowed.
Hei Cheng's figure twisted, becoming clear and blurry at the same time.
Fang Ming continued walking beside Hei Lou Lan through the changing dream. Each time she sank into hatred, he used Dream Feather to cut open a gap. Each time the dream tried to reset, he followed the thread of her awareness and pulled it upward.
He did not need seven days.
He did not need dozens of failures.
Dream Feather gave him safety, and his dream path mortal Gu gave him tools.
But Hei Lou Lan's obsession was still strong.
The rescue lasted through the night.
By dawn, the dream finally cracked.
Hei Lou Lan stood in the dream world, staring at Hei Cheng's fading figure. Her expression was still full of hatred, but her eyes had regained a trace of clarity.
"This is…"
"A dream," Fang Ming said.
The word entered her mind like a blade.
The world shattered.
In the bedroom of the third branch peak, Hei Lou Lan's body trembled.
Her eyes opened.
For a moment, she stared blankly at the ceiling. Then her gaze sharpened, and her aura shifted. She turned her head and saw Fang Ming standing beside her, his hand slowly withdrawing.
Fairy Li Shan rushed forward.
"Little Lan!"
Hei Lou Lan sat up slowly. Her mind was still heavy, but she understood enough.
"I was trapped in a dream realm."
Fang Ming nodded.
"I pulled you out."
Hei Lou Lan looked at him. Gratitude appeared first, but it was quickly followed by suspicion. She knew Fang Ming too well to believe that he had acted out of kindness.
"What did it cost?"
Fairy Li Shan's expression stiffened.
Fang Ming smiled faintly.
"The compensation has already been settled."
Hei Lou Lan's heart sank.
She looked at Fairy Li Shan.
Fairy Li Shan avoided her gaze for a moment, then sighed.
"The junglefowl food beast formation and the two Immortal Gu inside it now belong to you permanently."
Hei Lou Lan's brows moved.
That was good news.
Too good.
Then she realized what the other half had to be.
Fairy Li Shan continued quietly.
"Attitude Gu is no longer yours."
Hei Lou Lan's expression changed.