Bai Lingling did not know when she fell asleep. One moment she was fussing over herbs and complaining about hungry ghosts stealing her food, and the next her consciousness drifted into a warm, glowing world that smelled like steamed buns and roasted duck.
In the dream, the sun was too bright, almost heavenly, pouring gold over a marketplace that should not exist. Stalls glittered as though they had been polished by immortals.
A pot of spicy soup bubbled merrily. Meat buns stacked higher than mountains steamed softly. Strings of candied hawthorn shone like red pearls.
And Bai Lingling?
She was stunning.
Her scarred mortal face had disappeared completely. Her true appearance had emerged, the one she had not seen since she entered this weak human body.
Her hair fell like spilled ink, long enough to sweep the ground behind her. Her eyes carried the hint of a demon's glow, alluring and dangerous. Her every movement made dream-people turn and stare until they bumped into walls.
But she paid no attention to them. She held a meat bun in each hand, another between her teeth, and muttered through the bun in her mouth.
"In this life, if cultivation refuses to bless me, then at least let me eat happily. Otherwise, what is the meaning of living..."
Mo Lingxu stood half-hidden among the crowd, tall and straight as a shadow against the sunlight. His eyes, now in human form, were sharper than any blade. His black hair brushed his shoulders. Even standing still, there was a quiet danger surrounding him, the kind that made weaker demons tremble and flee.
But here he did not bring fear.
Here he only watched.
She was beautiful in a way that unsettled him. Not fragile beauty. Not human beauty. Something older, richer, like a spirit born from moonlight and poison.
He watched her take another bun.
He watched her bite into it happily.
"Mmh delicious!"
He had slept in countless realms, drifted through thousands of years, met queens and saints and demonesses. Not once had he ever stopped to observe someone like this.
But this little snake, full of secrets and trouble and charm, made him pause.
He stepped closer. Still, she did not sense him. She was too busy arguing with a roasted duck on a hanging hook.
"Why do you look so plump... yet taste so little in real life? Disappointing."
The dream flickered and the roasted duck darkened. The market stalls suddenly blurred like melting ink.
And suddenly, the bright world collapsed into darkness.
A cultivation field stretched beneath storm clouds, the scent of ancient forests and heavy rain filling the air. Stone pillars rose from the ground like broken swords. Spiritual power crackled faintly.
In the center stood Bai Lingling.
Her expression changed completely.
No longer the food-obsessed girl, she stood with unwavering determination, her eyes deep and calm.
This was not a dream of play.
This was a memory of cultivation. Days when she still strove toward golden immortality. Nights spent resisting heavenly thunder. Lifetimes she clawed her way through with blood and teeth.
She lifted her hand and spiritual light condensed into a shimmering whip.
And then her form rippled.
Her bones shifted, melted, expanded.
Her body elongated, wrapped in pure white scales that glowed like moonlit jade.
A massive serpent unfurled in the center of the field. Elegant. Deadly. Proud.
A white snake demon of extremely high rank.
Mo Lingxu's breath stilled as he watched her coils stretch across the dreamscape. His eyes widened slightly, something rare, something almost startled.
"So it is true," he murmured. "A snake demon."
The moment his voice touched the air, the dream trembled like a drum struck by thunder.
The white serpent froze.
Her pink eyes snapped open.
And the world shattered.
Everything collapsed into white light before rebuilding itself into a quiet grassy plain beneath a calm sky. Bai Lingling stood in human form again, her long hair stirring in a breeze that came from nowhere. Her aura was sharper than before, aware and cold.
Her gaze locked onto him instantly.
He felt it, the weight of her attention.
"You can see me?" Mo Lingxu said, startled for the first time in centuries.
She frowned.
"Of course I can see you. You are standing right there. Are you stupid? This is my dream."
He blinked.
She blinked back.
They stared at each other like two idiots meeting in the wrong story.
But then her eyes narrowed suspiciously.
"Who are you? Why are you in my dream? State your business before I smack you out of it."
Mo Lingxu's lips curved slowly.
Amusement flickered through his gaze.
Dangerous amusement.
She took one step back.
Her spiritual whip materialized, glowing like frost.
He raised a brow.
"You want to fight me?"
She lifted her chin and struck without warning.
The whip lashed forward like lightning.
He dodged effortlessly.
The second strike came faster, curved with cunning.
He sidestepped again.
The third strike hummed through the air, filled with killing intent. She moved beautifully, the way only a demon who had lived far longer than mortals could move. She twisted, leapt, spun, her hair like a black ribbon trailing behind her.
And Mo Lingxu?
He watched every movement with lazy interest, barely shifting his weight, letting her attacks cut through empty air.
"Are you mocking me?" she hissed.
"Not at all," he said with a smile that made her stomach twist. "I am admiring you."
She swung the whip harder.
"Shameless demon!"
He laughed.
She threw spiritual energy directly at him.
He caught it with one hand.
Her eyes widened.
He stepped closer.
She stepped back.
He stepped forward again, faster than her dream could process.
She gasped as his arm slid around her waist, pulling her against his chest with a movement too smooth to be gentle.
Her palms pressed against the hard plane of his chest.
She tried to push.
He did not move.
"Let go!" she demanded.
His breath brushed her ear, warm and low.
"You attacked me first. Should I not take compensation?"