Huaishu opened his eyes.
The surroundings were pitch black.
Having just awakened from a terrifying dream, all he wanted now was to devour that steaming bowl of beef noodle soup.
He wiped his face, trying to clear his head.
Then he stood up, roughly gauging his bearings, and slowly shuffled toward the door switch.
After about ten steps, he reached out, groping for the switch where he remembered it being.
The next second.
He froze.
His hand didn't meet the damp cold of the wall, but the fabric of clothing, still warm from a human body.
Hua Xu jerked his hand back, eyes wide, trying to make out the scene before him.
But the night was pitch-black, as if draped in an impenetrable veil of darkness.
He strained his ears, listening intently for any sound around him.
Beyond his own breathing and heartbeat, there was deathly silence.
He shook his head, trying to shake off the panic and fear, and reached out again.
This time, the touch was unmistakable.
Cheekbones, bridge of the nose, eyes... It was a human face and hunched back, the real warmth radiating through his palm.
Right now, this person stood directly before him.
A chill shot up his spine, exploding toward the crown of his head.
Hua Xu jerked his hand back and staggered two steps backward.
"Who? Who's there?"
No answer.
"Human or ghost, make a damn sound!" Huai Xu demanded again, ready to swing a punch the moment any sound broke the silence.
A long pause.
"Shhh!"
A soft shushing sound came from all directions.
"Damn it! What's with the shushing? With my master's protection, come out if you dare!" Hua Xu had grown bolder.
"Don't move." A low, hushed male voice came from the darkness.
This time the sound seemed to focus—from the front left.
Hua Xu swung his fist, but it was caught by a large hand.
"You're being watched!" This time the voice sounded right beside his ear.
"Who?" Hua Xu shook off the hand, preparing to strike again.
"You shouldn't ask." The man clearly had no intention of fighting, stepping back two paces.
The moment the words left his mouth—
Whoosh—
A lamp beside him flared to life, casting an eerie red glow.
Only then did Huai Xu clearly see his surroundings.
This wasn't his cramped rental room.
Standing to his left front was a man with waist-length hair.
The man appeared to be around twenty-five or twenty-six, with sharply defined features that, upon closer inspection, bore a slight resemblance to Huai Xu. His lips were tightly pursed, pale, and his brow furrowed. He wore a neat, clean blue robe.
His jet-black, glossy hair was neatly gathered at the back with an elegant hair tie, not a single strand out of place.
The man stared at Huai Xu with resentment in his eyes, clearly displeased with Huai Xu's earlier discourtesy.
At that moment, Huai Xu felt something in his embrace growing faintly warm.
He reached in and pulled it out.
The Flower Manual of the River of Oblivion.
The four characters on the cover glowed, the spine trembled, and the book slipped from Huai Xu's grasp.
It hovered before him, pages turning without wind, pausing to settle on the page about Liu Shan.
Blood-red ink seeped through the paper fibers, writing itself:
[Liu Shan]
[Owner of the Shirt Shop]
[Obsession: Dignity]
The writing stopped. The handwriting—it was his own!
Hua Xu glanced at the Flower Compendium, then at the man beside him, his eyes filled with confusion.
Meeting her gaze, the man shrugged. "It's all true."
"Where are we?" Hui Xu turned to ask Liu Shan.
"The Realm of Mortal Dreams." Liu Shan's eyes held complexity, his tone tinged with resignation and helplessness.
At that moment, the Flower Compendium closed itself, transforming into a wisp of light that flew into Hui Xu's embrace.
Huaishu reached to touch the spot, finding nothing there.
"You're Liushan. Then who am I?" Huaishu asked, staring at the figure before him who resembled himself.
The words had barely left his mouth.
Zzzzz—
The crackling of electricity filled the air once more.
Colorful lights flickered on one after another, then began to flicker incessantly, casting the entire commercial street in a flickering, uncertain glow.
"Don't ask!" Liu Shan blocked Huai Xu's path, scanning the surroundings warily. "It heard us!"
Faint, countless footsteps echoed from all directions.
The sound of insects crawling.
Closer and closer.
"Above!" Liu Shan shoved Huai Xu aside.
A giant eight-legged insect, half a story tall, plummeted down.
The creature bore a human face, crab legs, and a spider's abdomen—a grotesque assemblage that shattered Huaixu's understanding of the insect world.
As the monster raised its massive claws to strike, Huaixu sensed danger and sprinted away.
Alas, two legs can't outrun eight. The giant insect swiftly cornered Huaixu into a dead end.
Just as its massive pincers were about to strike again,
Huaixu crouched low and rolled beneath its legs.
At that very moment, Liushan soared into the air, flicking countless silk threads from her fingers. They coiled around the giant insect several times, temporarily binding it.
"Hey there, Octopus King! Have you lost your mind from hunger? Daring to show up on Fanmeng Street at a time like this?!" Liu Shan tied the threads into a neat bow.
"No, wait! Run!" Liu Shan grabbed Huai Xu by the collar and pulled him backward. "The Octopus King is controlled."
The Eight-Legged King's eyes turned blood-red. With a furious roar to the heavens, the ropes binding it exploded outward, scattering in all directions.
It raised both massive pincers, aiming them squarely at Huai Xu.
Seeing the inescapable pincers closing in, Huai Xu extended his right hand. The Huai Bone Blade materialized in midair.
In the blink of an eye, as the claws descended, Huai Xu flickered and swung the Huai Bone Blade.
The next instant, crimson liquid spurted forth.
It splattered onto Liu Shan, who had rushed to the rescue.
Liu Shan, utterly disgusted, paid no heed to his own peril. He flung up his blood-soaked outer robe and lectured the Eight-Legged King:
" Listen here, Octopus King. Whether you're under someone's spell or control, you're paying for this robe today."
"Five hundred spirit stones—not a penny less!" Liu Shan held out a palm, addressing the still-roaring Octopus King.
Hua Xu glanced at the Octopus King's belly, where a faintly black spirit talisman flickered in an inconspicuous corner.
He approached Liu Shan, signaling with his eyes.
Liu Shan instantly understood, gave an OK gesture, and continued confronting the Octopus King.
Hua Xu tiptoed to the talisman, tearing off the black-tinged paper in one swift motion.
The moment the paper was ripped away, the blood-red glow in the Octopus King's eyes vanished instantly. Regaining his senses, he transformed into a handsome young man.
Pale-faced, biting his lip, and clutching his arm, the man lay on the ground, his eyes fixed intently on the locust bone knife in Huai Xu's hand.
"He saved your life. Shouldn't you at least say thank you?" Liu Shan was furious.
This Eight-Legged King was usually quite docile. His sudden violent outburst tonight definitely spelled trouble.
Buzz—
An ancient, drawn-out bell tolled.
It wasn't sound waves reaching the eardrums, but a vibration emanating directly from the depths of the brain.
Hua Xu watched the two figures across from him. They exchanged glances, clearly having heard the bell as well.
"What was bound to happen has finally come," Liu Shan sighed softly, tearing off a clean piece of cloth to bandage the Eight-Legged King's wound.
The Eight-Legged King's reaction to the chime was entirely different—his face held a faint look of anticipation and joy.
"Thank you." After offering his gratitude, he dissolved into a beam of light and vanished.
The lights lining both sides of the street had ceased flickering at some point. The multicolored lights gradually brightened as time passed, all hues eventually merging into a single white. The white light gathered and drifted upward toward the sky.
Dispelling the darkness, they revealed the vibrant clouds beyond.
A peculiar fragrance drifted on the breeze, carrying the scent of morning dew, refreshing and uplifting.
"Dawn is approaching," Liu Shan remarked, gazing upward at the sky.
Hua Xu stared at the locust bone knife in his hand, his expression growing distant. It felt as though he had forgotten something, yet instinctively remembered something else.
The locust bone knife slowly faded away. He turned his head to look at Liu Shan.
He recalled the days in the factory shack when Xiao Liu held a popular item and said to him, "Brother Huai, this style is flying off the shelves, but the cut needs some tweaking. We have to get it right so customers look their best when they wear it out."
Xiao Liu measured with a tape measure, his profile strikingly similar to Liu Shan's.
Liu Shan withdrew his gaze, patted Huai Xu's shoulder, and chuckled softly, "What are you spacing out for? Let's head back."
Hua Xu nodded. "Mm."
The street was no longer deserted. Shouts and playful banter filled the air, as if the battle with the Octopus King had never happened.
Hua Xu followed behind Liu Shan.
Suddenly, a little boy ran up, pointing at Hua Xu and shouting:
"It's you again!"