The Dream Actor Flower

At noon the following day, the House Centipede Woman walked out of the newland, utterly crestfallen. Yesterday, from noon until dusk, and from nightfall to dawn, she had wanted to kill Ma the Fifth several times, but she could never bring herself to strike. Such was the talent Feng Daiku had given him. Walking over to the wild boar, the House Centipede Woman said in a trembling voice, "It only turned out like this because I fell under his technique. You can't tell anyone about this." The boar snorted a laugh. "Whatever you have to say, go tell your mother. I already told her just now." Turning deathly pale, the House Centipede Woman asked, "What did she say?" "She said you've disgraced her completely, and that she's going to beat you to death, you shameless wench. Just wait and meet your doom." Terror washed over the House Centipede Woman's face. "Why did you tell my mother?! Why couldn't you keep your mouth shut?!" The boar couldn't be bothered to waste breath on her. "You've already come out of the plot. Now it's my turn." The House Centipede Woman looked at him in shock. "You dare go in?" "Why wouldn't I dare? I'm not a woman!" The boar gave a savage sneer and glared toward Ma the Fifth. "He can barely stand! Killing him will be easier than stepping on a grasshopper!" Ma the Fifth was indeed somewhat weak, but there was no fear on his face. He watched the boar steadily. Xiao Genzi gripped his ladle and hoisted his bucket, bracing for a fight to the death. Just as the boar was about to step into the plot, a furious roar came from behind him: "Let me see which beast defiled my daughter!" The roar echoed across the wasteland for a long time as another house centipede emerged from the depths of the forest. The wild boar hurriedly cleared a path. This was someone he couldn't afford to provoke. The House Centipede Woman was over three meters long, but this giant house centipede stretched more than five meters. Her upper half was human, while her lower half was that of an insect. With a rustling scuttle of two rows of slender legs, she arrived at the edge of the plot. This was the House Centipede Woman's mother. Ma the Fifth looked at the House Centipede Mother's features. Her face was well-proportioned, her complexion fair, and she was strikingly pretty, looking no older than twenty-eight or twenty-nine. With a thud, the House Centipede Woman dropped prostrate beside her mother, weeping, "Mother, listen to me, it's not what you think! It was like this..." "Listen to your bullshit?!" the House Centipede Mother roared, terrifying the daughter until her bones and sinews turned to mush. "You really have disgraced me completely!" the House Centipede Mother ground out between clenched teeth. "Scram back home! Once I slaughter this bastard, I'll tear those worthless bones of yours apart when I get back!" Not daring to utter a peep, the House Centipede Woman spread her two rows of legs and bolted into the deep forest. The House Centipede Mother glared at Ma the Fifth. "Little thief, are you ready to die?" Ma the Fifth nodded calmly. "I'm ready." *** Li Banfeng was exploring the newland. Previously, he had only traveled back and forth between the Orange Grove and the Lesser Underworld, but this time he ventured into many unfamiliar areas and encountered many strange creatures. He saw emerald snake vines; these creatures, resembling both snakes and vines, were not very clever, and as long as one fled beyond their root systems, they would not attack. There was also a tiny weed just over an inch tall called shattered cluster chrysanthemum. This plant posed a considerable threat: if one accidentally stepped on it, it would drill straight through the sole of a shoe and burst out through the upper. Li Banfeng had never seen anomalies like these before. Fortunately, the liquor gourd was well-traveled and knowledgeable, able to name most anomalies and explain their traits. "Little Brother, if you see shattered cluster chrysanthemums, be sure to steer clear of them. Stepping on one is the same as stepping on an entire cluster—there are plenty more waiting ahead in ambush." Li Banfeng carefully memorized the appearance of the shattered cluster chrysanthemum. On this wasteland, one had to watch every single step. After walking another three to five li, Li Banfeng suddenly heard a sound beneath his feet. Thinking he had stepped on something he shouldn't have, Li Banfeng lifted his foot and looked down. The ground was barren, without even a blade of weed. Yet there was indeed a sound. It was singing. "Cannot forget, cannot forget, cannot forget your faults, cannot forget your grace; cannot forget our walks in the rain, cannot forget those embraces in the wind..." A rendition of "Unforgettable Love," singing of infatuation that pierced deep into the bone. Even the liquor gourd, being female, seemed moved by it. "Little Brother, you've run into a Dream Actor Flower." "A Dream Actor Flower?" "It's also called the songstress flower. Legend has it that when a songstress passes away, if someone in the mortal world still misses her singing, her soul will travel to the newland. "She will pick a stage for herself, put on a beautiful evening gown, and continue singing for passersby. "Look quickly, right over there—it's that flower." Even without a detailed description, Li Banfeng knew which flower the gourd meant. It was simply too conspicuous, and where it grew was just as conspicuous. It grew on the wilderness some twenty meters away from Li Banfeng. There were no other plants around it; on the vast, empty wasteland, there stood only this flower, over three feet tall. Its color was even more eye-catching. It had not yet bloomed; its bud was as long as a forearm, its petals a deep crimson, beaded with drops of dew. Its leaves were most peculiar: the upper leaves wrapped around the flower bud, while a string of leaves below hung all the way to the ground like the train of a gown. "Little Brother, listen to her song! Listen carefully! Meeting a songstress flower in the newland is your good fortune. "Just listen to how well she sings—even the immortals in heaven could hardly do better." Immortals in heaven? The liquor gourd was usually free and easy. Why had she suddenly turned so sentimental today? After pausing to listen for a moment, Li Banfeng began walking away. He didn't think this rendition of "Unforgettable Love" was anything special, nor did he believe anyone in this world could sing better than his wife. Seeing Li Banfeng about to leave, the liquor gourd hurriedly tried to stop him. "Little Brother, don't be in such a rush to leave! Listen a little closer!" "There's nothing good about it. It's far worse than my wife's singing!" "Little Brother, look! The flower is blooming! The songstress flower has bloomed!" Li Banfeng looked back. The songstress flower's petals were blooming petal by petal. At the center of the blossom stood a stamen over five inches tall. The stamen had a head, shoulders, and a waist, though its two legs were indistinct, resembling a woman standing in the center of the flower, singing. "Little Brother, look how beautiful she is!" The liquor gourd's state was rather strange. Li Banfeng swept a glance over it and kept walking. "Nothing worth looking at, and her singing isn't that great either." No matter how the liquor gourd urged him, Li Banfeng refused to linger. The singing stopped abruptly. The stamen leaped out from the center of the flower and blocked Li Banfeng's path. "Sir, please wait. You said I don't sing very well—on what basis do you say that?" Anyone else would have been shocked by how a stamen could leave the heart of a blossom. Li Banfeng wasn't shocked. Looking down at the stamen, he answered earnestly, "It sounds bad because it sounds bad. What is there to explain?" "To say it's bad after hearing just two lines—isn't that a bit arbitrary? You had better listen a little longer." The scenery around him suddenly shifted. The wilderness vanished, replaced by colorful flashing lights and melodious music. There was a stage, a dance floor, and round tables. Li Banfeng sat beside a round table, holding a glass of wine in his hand. On the stage stood a gorgeous woman wearing a green qipao, singing that very song, "Unforgettable Love," with profound affection. She was the songstress. The surrounding patrons stared unblinkingly at the songstress, holding their breath as best they could for fear of missing a single note. This was a dance hall. No one was dancing on the dance floor, for every eye was transfixed by the songstress. Li Banfeng was not entranced; he was analyzing the situation. How had he ended up in a dance hall? He must have fallen under an illusion. How does one break an illusion? Li Banfeng had no experience with such things. The songstress gazed at Li Banfeng, a faint chill in her eyes. Li Banfeng tried to draw his Tang dao, only to pull a rose from his waist. The songstress smiled, stepped down from the stage, and walked right up to Li Banfeng. Taking the rose into her hand, she brushed it against Li Banfeng's cheek and asked softly, "Sir, do you still think I sing poorly?" Li Banfeng answered honestly, "It really is bad." Her expression turned hideous, and she slashed the rose across Li Banfeng's cheek. The thorns pierced his skin, and blood flowed, yet Li Banfeng felt no pain. The songstress said softly, "It seems you haven't listened enough. Then stay here and listen a while longer." Li Banfeng asked, "What if I said it was good?" She shook her head. "Then you definitely wouldn't mean it." "What if I meant it from the bottom of my heart?" "Then you can stay here and listen for a lifetime." "Unreasonable, aren't you?" Li Banfeng tried to stand up, but his legs felt as if they were made of cotton, utterly devoid of strength. The songstress patted Li Banfeng's face. "This is my domain. What I say is the only reason here." No strength, and no sense of pain—this was a dream. Wake up! Hurry and wake up! Li Banfeng snapped his eyes open, tearing free from the dream. He was still standing on the wasteland, listening to the liquor gourd introducing the shattered cluster chrysanthemum. "Little Brother, if you see shattered cluster chrysanthemums, be sure to steer clear of them. Stepping on one is the same as stepping on an entire cluster—there are plenty more waiting ahead in ambush. Like that songstress flower! Little Brother, look how beautiful she is..." They were just talking about shattered cluster chrysanthemums—how did it jump to the songstress flower again? Was he still dreaming? This gourd was fake! Li Banfeng took off the liquor gourd, tossed it aside, and bolted at full sprint—only to find himself back in the dance hall, glass of wine in hand, sitting beside the round table. The songstress stood on the stage, watching Li Banfeng with a smile. *** "Little Brother, did you hear what I said about the shattered cluster chrysanthemum just now? If you heard me, answer! There are quite a few shattered cluster chrysanthemums around here, you've got to be extra careful!" The liquor gourd had been introducing the weed to Li Banfeng, but halfway through, he had suddenly stopped responding. "Little Brother? Little Brother..." The liquor gourd felt slightly put out. Compared to the other artifacts, she saw herself more as Li Banfeng's confidante; there ought to be at least a baseline of mutual respect between them. She circled around Li Banfeng, saw his glazed eyes, and heard his somewhat heavy breathing. Only then did she realize he was asleep. Fallen into a dream? There's a Dream Cultivator nearby! Need to wake him up fast! The liquor gourd called out a few times, but Li Banfeng didn't react. Floating into midair, she rammed directly into Li Banfeng's head. Thud! Thud! Two dull impacts. Li Banfeng didn't wake up. She couldn't keep slamming his head, or else he might be knocked unconscious, which would trap him in the dream forever. "Tang dao, give Little Brother a slash! Not too deep!" The Tang dao unsheathed itself, circled Li Banfeng twice, and slid back into its scabbard. The liquor gourd asked, "What do you mean by that?" The blade answered, "How could a virtuous minister slay his lord?" "I'm not telling you to slay him! Just nick him so he feels pain!" The Tang dao refused. "I am loyal and honorable. I shall never commit such treason." One really couldn't blame the Tang dao for being pedantic. The Tang dao was considered a high-grade artifact, possessing far greater intelligence than ordinary artifacts, but it could not violate the rules set by its own definition. Every artifact had its self-definition and the rules governed by that definition. The gourd defined herself as his female confidante; teasing him or bumping him a couple of times was harmless. The Tang dao, however, defined himself as a loyal minister and brave general. Until he had delivered three strikes, the Tang dao had to maintain absolute loyalty toward Li Banfeng. Unless the time came to duel Li Banfeng after those three strikes, under no circumstances could the Tang dao attack him. "Little Sister Pendulum, will you try?" The pendulum replied coldly, "What are you asking me to try? As if I would dare touch Master!" The Hanxue Pendulum already loathed the gourd. Though she behaved demurely before Li Banfeng, speaking with the gourd brought out that same aloof cruelty of Luo Yuni. Moreover, she too was bound by the rules of her definition. Defined by the gramophone, the pendulum firmly believed she was Li Banfeng's woman. Aside from occasionally doing his makeup, she would never do anything to harm him. The pendulum was also doing her utmost to rescue Li Banfeng. Mind Cultivators held an advantage over Dream Cultivators, so she attempted to control Li Banfeng's consciousness and drag him forcefully out of the dream. As expected, she failed. Li Banfeng had far too many thoughts swirling in his mind, with no distinction between primary and secondary, making them entirely uncontrollable. Yet the pendulum had not come away empty-handed. "There's singing!" the pendulum responded. "There's singing in Master's thoughts, a woman's..." Her voice sounded a bit muddled; upon hearing the song within his consciousness, even she had nearly drifted into a dream, barely holding on through her innate Mind Cultivator talent. Singing? Hearing the pendulum's words, the liquor gourd didn't dare touch Li Banfeng's mind either. Where on earth did the singing come from? The gourd thought of the Thread-Hook Earring: "Little Sister Thread-Hook? Did you hear singing? Are you asleep? Wake up!" The pendulum scratched across the earring; against the earring, she showed no mercy. The earring woke up, and hearing the gourd's question, hurriedly answered: "There really was singing. I heard it just now too—listened to only two lines before falling asleep." The liquor gourd muttered under her breath, "A Dream Actor Flower... there's a Dream Actor Flower beneath the ground." The Tang dao slid from its scabbard, circled for a moment, and said, "I have seen Dream Actor Flowers. So long as it doesn't break above ground, no one can hear its song. I see no unearthed Dream Actor Flower nearby." Indeed, if the flower hadn't broken ground, where did the singing come from? The gourd couldn't figure out the reason either. The pendulum, however, had figured it out. "It's all because of this cheap tramp of an earring! She's leeching off Master again!" The price of the Thread-Hook Earring was that the wearer would hear sounds they shouldn't hear. The Dream Actor Flower had originally been underground, and Li Banfeng shouldn't have been able to hear her song, but because of the Thread-Hook Earring, he had heard it. The Thread-Hook Earring pleaded, "I didn't do it on purpose! I didn't want to hurt Master, I just..." Midway through her sentence, the earring fell asleep once more. The pendulum said to the gourd, "Hurry and wake Master! We need to leave this place immediately." Waking Li Banfeng wasn't difficult; aside from hacking him with a blade, the gourd could think of other ways. The problem was that waking him would be pointless. The earring had just woken up, only to fall back asleep in the blink of an eye. This was the Dream Actor Flower's method: once you heard her song, you could be pulled back into the dream at any moment, and repeated cycles of dreaming could inflict severe injury on you. "We have to find a way to force the Dream Actor Flower out!" The Tang dao barked, "As long as she comes out, I'll chop her to pieces immediately!" The pendulum retorted, "Quit spouting useless nonsense! If she were willing to come out, would we even need you to chop her?" While none of them could think of a way to make the Dream Actor Flower reveal herself, a feeble voice suddenly uttered a single word: "Blood." Who was speaking? It was the Judge's Brush. The Judge's Brush crafted by a Sloth Cultivator. He was willing to speak only this single word; he couldn't be bothered to say a syllable more. Blood. What blood? The gourd couldn't figure it out, nor could the Tang dao, but the pendulum suddenly remembered. "The Linli monster's blood! An Herb Cultivator's blood! I'm still holding a mouthful!" Back when they killed the Linli monster, the pendulum had drunk her fill of blood. After so many days, most of it had been digested, but she had saved one last mouthful. Everyone had forgotten about it, never expecting the Judge's Brush to remember. In truth, the Judge's Brush remembered many things; he was just too lazy to bring them up. The pendulum leaped into midair and spat the mouthful of blood across the barren earth. Across the wasteland, vegetation of all kinds began to sprout and grow madly. Most of these plants had merely been dormant seeds in the soil, but stimulated by the Herb Cultivator's blood, they rapidly took root and sprouted. The Dream Actor Flower lurking deep within the dirt, now touched by the Herb Cultivator's blood, also began growing uncontrollably. Rustle, rustle, rustle... A blossom broke through the soil. Its petals were deep crimson, yet to open; several leaves wrapped around the bud, and a string of leaves hung all the way to the ground like the train of a gown, looking just like a songstress in evening wear! It really was a Dream Actor Flower! The pendulum let out a furious cry: "Die, bitch!" The flower's roots shot out, kicking up a flurry of dirt to block the pendulum. The Dream Actor Flower tried to flee, but the Tang dao flashed past. The stem snapped, and the flower bud tumbled to the ground.