Flowers in the Mirror, Moon in the Water

Within the narrow secret tunnel, Zhao Lanmeng crawled ahead while Old Train followed behind him. "Couldn't you have made this place a bit wider?" Old Train grumbled, growing thoroughly irritated with crawling. He loathed such cramped, suffocating spaces. Zhao Lanmeng turned his head. "It took me over a decade to dig this passage out. Being able to dig it this wide was no easy feat." "Isn't this tunnel part of a dream?" Old Train asked. "Aren't you the master of everything in dreams?" "I can't just change this on a whim," Zhao Lanmeng replied. "This secret tunnel is real. If you don't believe me, go take a look in Chaoge. Pull out the bricks of Dream-Tethering Tower, and you can crawl in through this very tunnel." "Why would a real thing appear in my dream?" "Because I linked your dream to Dream-Tethering Tower." A bend lay ahead. It took Zhao Lanmeng tremendous effort to twist his body around the corner. "Do you need me to give you a hand?" Old Train was ready to use Sever Path to Open a Road. Zhao Lanmeng waved his hands frantically. "Don't you dare do anything reckless! This place is real. If you make too much noise, Meng Qian will notice us." "Aren't you going to fight her to the death?" "I'm not afraid to fight her, but we can't let her prepare in advance and scheme against us." The two crawled for over an hour before finally reaching the tunnel's exit, arriving beneath the foundation wall of a workshed. Peering inside through the window, they saw a man drawing a blueprint on a blackboard while another man beside him helped calculate figures. The man handling the calculations was named Zhao Dajun. He was a number theorist, otherwise known as a calculation cultivator. Old Train said, "I recognize him. Old Seven knows him too." Back when Li Banfeng had stumbled into Dream-Tethering Tower, he had witnessed firsthand the dream manor Zhao Dajun had constructed, along with the cluster of charming, gentle schoolteachers inside it. "Didn't he want to spend the rest of his life in his manor?" Zhao Lanmeng said, "Some are content to spend their whole lives like that, but others still want to do something else." Old Train was curious. "What does he want to do?" "He wants to build a city. He's currently collaborating with that artisan cultivator, who has already built one before." At this, Zhao Lanmeng looked somewhat ashamed. "Inside Dream-Tethering Tower, there are already dozens of cities. On that point, Meng Qian truly is better than me." "Dozens of cities? That many?" Old Train counted them off one by one. As far as he knew, there couldn't be more than ten cities in Dream-Tethering Tower. "Stop counting," Zhao Lanmeng said, shaking his head. "You and the you in here are different after all. You two can communicate through dreams, but he knows far more about Dream-Tethering Tower than you do. He has walked through nearly every corner of this place. When you merge with him, the influx of memories might deliver quite a shock." Old Train was mentally prepared for this. "No matter how big the shock is, it's better than the artisan cultivator half. Just thinking about that half makes me feel like I'm going mad. You see me talking in circles, but most of the time I'm not crazy. Old Zhao, why did you fall asleep? What did we come here for?" Zhao Lanmeng explained, "Let me sleep for a bit to sense where your soul is located. It's a complicated process that takes a long time." Old Train translated his words: "You're going to sleep for a long time?" "I walked so far, of course I need to sleep a bit longer. Really, I'm... I'm doing this for your own good." Zhao Lanmeng drifted off to sleep. Grandpa Train squatted by the workshed wall, watching the pedestrians coming and going, taking in the orderly buildings all around. Memories that had never belonged to him began surfacing continuously in his mind. His soul had a deep resonance with him; the closer they were, the stronger the connection. This made him realize something he might have overlooked. Meng Qian was doing something massive—something colossal beyond imagination. Zhao Lanmeng suddenly opened his eyes and said to Old Train, "He's here! I saw him in my dream!" "What must come will always come!" Old Train stretched his limbs. He had clashed with Meng Qian in dreams many times. Facing such an opponent, he wouldn't overestimate her, but he certainly wouldn't slack off either. After waiting for a dozen minutes, Old Train felt a sense of danger closing in. He whipped his head around and saw Grandpa Train sprinting toward them like wind and lightning. His eyes were not deceiving him. This was the other Grandpa Train—the half of his soul trapped in Dream-Tethering Tower. The two Grandpa Trains looked at each other, tears streaming down their old faces. Without a word, they embraced. Indeed, they embraced, and after the embrace, they became one and the same person. With both parts of the soul merged together, Grandpa Train's soul was essentially complete. Zhao Lanmeng shouted, "Retreat, quick!" Grandpa Train asked, "Aren't you going to fight Meng Qian?" "The timing isn't right. Let's get out of Dream-Tethering Tower as quickly as possible." Grandpa Train chewed on his finger. "But I think Dream-Tethering Tower is pretty fun." Zhao Lanmeng shook his head. "Don't be careless. I'm not that familiar with Dream-Tethering Tower." "But I am!" "Hurry up and move!" Zhao Lanmeng led Grandpa Train back into the secret tunnel, eager to escape Dream-Tethering Tower as fast as possible. Yet no matter how fast they were, crawling would still take an hour. Old Train followed behind, asking Zhao Lanmeng, "You dug this tunnel, so it should count as your home ground, right? If you fight Meng Qian on your home ground, you shouldn't be at a disadvantage." "It doesn't work that way. Every inch of Dream-Tethering Tower belongs to Meng Qian. When it comes to fighting, this tunnel is completely useless." "You're saying it's completely useless?" "Yes, the tunnel is also part of Dream-Tethering Tower..." Zhao Lanmeng instantly regretted his words. He realized he had phrased it poorly; he shouldn't have called it completely useless. *Rumble!* The tunnel that had originally fit only one crawling person was blasted wide open by Grandpa Train using Sever Path to Open a Road, transforming into a train tunnel. "Choo-choo! All aboard!" Zhao Lanmeng froze in place. Grandpa Train yelled, "What are you standing around for? Get on the train!" "I haven't bought a ticket yet..." Zhao Lanmeng felt dazed. "You can buy one after boarding!" Grandpa Train hoisted Zhao Lanmeng onto his back and began chugging forward. "Attention passengers, this train is bound for Pillow City! Boarding passengers, please check your tickets and take your assigned seats! Any passenger riding without a ticket who refuses to pay will be assigned to clean the lavatories in every carriage! If you don't clean them spotless, no meals will be provided! Chuff-chuff! Chuff-chuff!" Spewing clouds of steam and smoke, Old Train dashed along with Zhao Lanmeng on his back. Gradually, a refreshing scent of cosmetic powder drifted from behind. Zhao Lanmeng glanced back into the pitch-black tunnel. Two long sleeves skimmed along the stone walls, flying rapidly toward them. Meng Qian was in pursuit. Zhao Lanmeng roared in fury, "Vile woman, cease your arrogance! If you have the guts, come fight me for three hundred rounds!" Old Train looked back and asked, "Are you serious?" Zhao Lanmeng whispered, "It's a bluff! Run faster!" Old Train ran faster and faster, yet Meng Qian drew closer and closer. Her pure speed could not match Old Train's, but Dream-Tethering Tower was her domain, and both space and distance were subject to her influence. The tunnel Old Train had carved out began to constrict, and it would soon hinder his speed. Zhao Lanmeng let out a yawn. Meng Qian suddenly felt a wave of drowsiness. In that brief trance of a thought, the tunnel stopped shrinking, and Old Train pulled far ahead of her. Once she regained her wits, Meng Qian resumed the chase, only to discover an extra bed sitting in the tunnel. The bed was extraordinarily spacious, draped with a quilt of smooth, soft silk. Sitting upon it, Meng Qian felt even drowsier. The quilt gently wrapped around her, poised to pull her into deep slumber. Sloth Cultivator technique: Sleeping-Mat Affection. Anyone afflicted by this technique developed an irresistible attachment to beds and bedding, wishing for nothing more than to clutch the quilt tightly and never part from it in this lifetime. Yet Meng Qian still managed to wake. She bit down on a lock of her own hair, suppressing the fatigue, and pushed her speed even further in pursuit. Old Train glanced back at Zhao Lanmeng. "She didn't fall asleep. Your Sloth Cultivator skills are lacking." "What do you know! Even if Meng Qian fell asleep, she could still chase us in her dreams! On her home turf, reducing her to this state is already quite an achievement!" "Are you two going to fight or not?" Zhao Lanmeng said, "We'll fight once we reach your dream! I won't take advantage of her, but I sure as hell won't let her take advantage of me!" "Choo-choo!" Old Train whistled. "Next stop, my personal dreamscape! Arriving passengers, please prepare to disembark!" While crawling the tunnel had taken an hour, once Old Train truly ran, the journey took vastly less time. In the blink of an eye, they reached the opening. Old Train bounded outward, carrying Zhao Lanmeng on his back as he leapt out of Dream-Tethering Tower. Zhao Lanmeng whirled around and cast his technique: Flowers in the Mirror, Moon in the Water. Meng Qian reached the entrance only to slam directly into a barrier. Sliding down against its surface, she could only watch helplessly as Old Train carried Zhao Lanmeng away, vanishing from her sight. Dream-Tethering Tower belonged to Meng Qian, but the Chaoge before them belonged to Old Train's dreamscape. A barrier lay between dreams and reality, and Zhao Lanmeng had used Flowers in the Mirror, Moon in the Water to thicken that barrier even further. Old Train asked, "You're not fighting her?" Zhao Lanmeng replied, "The fight is over. One strike to win." "That counts as a fight?" Zhao Lanmeng kept his eyes half-closed. "You don't understand the rules of Dream Cultivators." "Since it's over, does that mean I don't have to run?" Zhao Lanmeng yawned. "You still have to run. She can break through the barrier." Meng Qian pushed herself up from the ground and touched the barrier before her. Breaking through a dream barrier was not difficult for her. Yet after feeling along it for quite a while, the barrier remained unbroken. It was not that she couldn't; she simply didn't want to. She turned and walked back into Dream-Tethering Tower, a smile on her face and tears glistening in her eyes. He was gone. Eighteen Wheels was finally gone! Guarding half of Eighteen Wheels' soul had been a mission assigned to Meng Qian by the Shang State. Now the mission had failed, but the blame could not be placed on her incompetence. Zhao Lanmeng, a high-ranking Dream Cultivator, had invaded Dream-Tethering Tower alongside the other half of Eighteen Wheels' soul. Two hands could hardly fend off four, especially when both invaders possessed such terrifying combat strength. How could this be Meng Qian's fault? The more Meng Qian thought about it, the more thrilled she became. If that crazy old man hadn't been causing trouble all these years, Dream-Tethering Tower would have had at least three times as many cities. A glamorous woman dressed in a skirt suit and heavy makeup approached Meng Qian, curtsied, and said, "A big shot from the Outer States has stayed behind at my place." Meng Qian handed the woman an elixir pill. "Squeeze out everything he knows." The woman accepted the pill, thanking her profusely. "Don't worry, he's been squeezed dry already." A large swath of information was presented before Meng Qian. Her smile grew even sweeter. "Another great deed accomplished! With this great merit, losing Eighteen Wheels can barely be glossed over!" *** Inside the companion dwelling, Zhang Gunli looked around restlessly, asking Li Banfeng, "This is the little train, right?" Li Banfeng pulled up a chair, sat down across from Zhang Gunli, and praised, "You're quite perceptive." Dragging his injured leg, Zhang Gunli also found a chair and sat down. "I am the head of a school, and a master of one." Li Banfeng looked at him with contempt. "You count as a head?" Zhang Gunli took out two silver dollars. One was inscribed with *Head of Loan Cultivators*, and the other with *Master of Loan Cultivators*. "The peddler personally gave me these. If you don't believe me, you should at least believe him, right?" Li Banfeng inspected the silver dollars' quality; the items were genuine. "I imagine there are simply too few loan cultivators. The peddler couldn't find anyone better and had to pick the tallest among the dwarfs, so he settled on you." "It's true there aren't many loan cultivators, but I'm not as useless as you say. Li Qi, if I hadn't crossed paths with Eighteen Wheels today, I wouldn't have been injured, nor would I have lost the will to fight. You might not have beaten me." Li Banfeng sighed. "I also think that fight was somewhat unfair to you. How about this: let's have an open and fair match shortly. But first, you have to tell me a few things." Zhang Gunli said, "Let's make things clear. If we fight again and I win, what then?" Li Banfeng said, "I'll let you walk away. Whatever state you beat me into, I'll take as my own fortune, and I won't hold it against you." "Good, it's a deal!" Zhang Gunli's eyes gleamed. His technique was already at work here. The core of a loan cultivator's methods lay in debt IOUs, but some debts had no IOUs. For instance, if someone urgently borrowed money, or an acquaintance borrowed without leaving a written agreement at the time, would the loan cultivator still collect the debt? If they didn't collect, they wouldn't be called a loan cultivator. The technique Bestowal of Coins was designed precisely for debts lacking written IOUs. As long as someone took a loan cultivator's money, they fell under the technique's effect, and the debt was formally recorded. During their earlier clash outside the companion dwelling, Li Banfeng had touched Zhang Gunli's silver dollars, and Bestowal of Coins had already succeeded. Just now, Zhang Gunli had handed Li Banfeng the head's silver dollar and the master's silver dollar. Adding those together, Li Banfeng effectively owed Zhang Gunli three separate debts. There was another category of debt that could not be measured in money, yet such debts had to be collected all the same. The loan cultivator technique used just now was called A Promise Worth a Thousand Gold, designed to handle obligations unrelated to money. He had sealed the agreement with Li Banfeng: "It's a deal." If Li Banfeng later reneged and refused to fight him, Li would owe a debt to Zhang Gunli, and Zhang Gunli's techniques would still take effect on him. Li Banfeng asked his first question: "What was your real purpose in coming after Zhao Lanmeng?" Zhang Gunli answered, "It was a mission given to me by the court. I was ordered to kill Pillow City's local god, find his covenant deed, and bring it back to Chaoge. Chaoge would then appoint someone else to oversee this territory." Li Banfeng asked, "You're saying you were told to kill Zhao Lanmeng merely to seize a piece of proper land?" "That is no small matter. The Inner States have never held proper land in Puluo Province. For them, this is a rare opportunity." Did that really count as an opportunity? "Why did it have to be Pillow City?" Zhang Gunli spoke frankly: "I genuinely don't know that. I've only heard rumors. Pillow City is a peculiar place; a single parcel of territory can split into several. If the Inner States could secure this foothold, they might achieve other ambitions in the future." Li Banfeng nodded slightly without comment, then asked, "Why did you make a move against the City of Fools back then?" Zhang Gunli shook his head. "I truly never laid a hand on the City of Fools. Sun Tiecheng and I grew up together. He was the one who taught me my techniques." "Stubborn to the bitter end." Li Banfeng called out, and Jiu'er walked over to Zhang Gunli. The moment he saw Miss Jiu, Zhang Gunli's heart gave a violent jolt, though his face remained placid. Miss Jiu smiled. "Uncle Zhang, I trust you've been well!" Zhang Gunli asked, "A'yu, why are you here?" "Never mind where I am. Let's settle the score regarding what happened back then. Why did you lead Shan Chengjun into the City of Fools?" Zhang Gunli said, "I was forced! Under the peddler, aside from Eighteen Wheels and your father, no one could match Shan Chengjun! Your father left with the peddler to fight the Bandit Suppression Camp, and Eighteen Wheels went mad and couldn't keep Shan Chengjun in check. When Shan Chengjun cornered me, what else could I do? To save my life, I had to guide them! But I didn't lead them on the main road—I led them straight into the trap you set! I wanted to join forces with you to wipe out Shan Chengjun and his men! Even if I had to say this in front of your father, I wouldn't hesitate!" "Oh, you certainly have the nerve to say it, and my father would definitely believe you—because back then, even I believed you!" Miss Jiu smiled, tears shining in her eyes. "Back then, I truly thought you had lured them into the trap. I brought all our forces, prepared to fight them to the death. How could I have ever imagined that on the battlefield, the first person you schemed against was me!" Zhang Gunli immediately denied it. "You can't speak such nonsense! I never laid a finger on you!" "It looked like you didn't act, but how do you explain the silver dollars scattered all over the ground?" Zhang Gunli said, "That was an ambush I set up! I meant to use it against Shan Chengjun!" Jiu'er gritted her teeth even as she laughed. "I truly admire your talent for lying. Why do you hold yourself in such high regard? Never mind a ground covered in silver dollars—even if you brought out your entire life's fortune, do you honestly think you could have laid a finger on Shan Chengjun? I stepped on your silver dollars and was suppressed by your loan cultivator techniques, leaving me unable to cast formations on the battlefield until we were completely wiped out! Do you dare claim that wasn't your doing?" Zhang Gunli shook his head. "No matter what I say, you won't believe me. Many people in the City of Fools are still alive. Whether you consider them truly alive or not, they can still speak! Go ask them: on the day the City of Fools was breached, did I ever set foot in the city? Did I kill a single person inside?" Jiu'er shook her head. "You indeed didn't enter the city back then, because you knew going in right away was useless. You knew that to learn Fool Cultivator techniques, one needed the medicinal powder. You knew Shan Chengjun couldn't find the powder, but you could. Once Shan Chengjun slaughtered everyone in the City of Fools, you would enter and take the powder, making the deed entirely seamless. Am I right?" Zhang Gunli shook his head and sighed. "Did you see all those things in a dream? If your heart is set on pinning everything on me, then believe whatever you wish." Li Banfeng said to Miss Jiu, "Zhang Gunli knows the technique Pouring Out Grievances. He claims he learned it from your father." Zhang Gunli looked at Miss Jiu. "I swear I'm not lying about that. If you don't believe me, we can confront your father together!" Jiu'er stared at Zhang Gunli, wondering whether he truly dared to confront him. After a moment of thought, Jiu'er smiled. "You wouldn't dare confront him. You just want to get out of the little train, don't you?" Zhang Gunli sighed. "My affliction cultivator techniques really were taught by your father. You have no idea how deep our friendship was back then!" Jiu'er nodded. "If my father taught you Pouring Out Grievances, he would have taught you all its key principles, and you would have mastered the technique completely. Try using it on me right now. See if you can deceive me. If you can make me succumb to the technique, I'll believe you." Zhang Gunli hesitated and did not cast Pouring Out Grievances. His technique could only soften Li Banfeng's heart for a fleeting moment; how could it possibly fool Jiu'er? Zhang Gunli turned to Li Banfeng. "She won't believe anything I say, and I don't care to say more. Seventh Master, I've answered everything you asked. It's time for you to fulfill our agreement and fight me once more." Li Qi owed Zhang Gunli three debts. In a fair duel, Zhang Gunli was confident he could defeat him. Even if Li Qi refused to fight, Zhang Gunli could use A Promise Worth a Thousand Gold, leveraging Li Qi's broken word to force another heavy debt onto him. "Fine!" Li Banfeng drew a sickle and handed it to Jiu'er. "Fight him. Give him a thousand cuts." Zhang Gunli rose abruptly. "Li Qi, you break your word!" "What honor is there to keep with a vile bird like you?" A woman walked out from the secondary room. Her appearance seemed somewhat unfamiliar to Zhang Gunli, but he recognized both her voice and her figure. Hong Ying! She was inside the little train too? She was one of Li Qi's people as well? With both Hong Ying and A'yu before him, Zhang Gunli knew escape was impossible. He focused all his attention on Li Qi. This was his last chance. If he could take Li Qi hostage, there was still a chance to break free. Li Qi sat leisurely in his chair, feeling the danger slowly creeping closer. Before Zhang Gunli could unleash his technique, Hong Ying and Jiu'er struck simultaneously, each severing one of his legs. Zhang Gunli collapsed to the floor, his two severed legs still propped upright where they had stood. Staring at Li Qi, he invoked Mountain of Debt Bearing Down. "You break your word and bully with numbers! Even if I die today, I'm dragging you down with me!" Li Qi remained entirely unscathed; the technique had produced no effect whatsoever. Why didn't it work? Thinking he hadn't exerted enough power, Zhang Gunli pushed the technique even harder. The gramophone in the room let out a chuckle. "Who broke their word? Aren't we holding a fair duel with you, strictly according to the agreement?" Gongs and drums clattered to life as Madam began singing *Five Ghosts Seize Madame Liu*: *"From deep slumber I hear ghosts wailing, shocking the soul,* *Raising my head, I see specters arrayed in the cold,* *Hideous faces shake bells with a spectral moan,* *This ghost with the soul-summoning banner claims your spirit for its own!"* The original aria was mournful and drawn out, but Madam had altered it into short, shrill, and piercing cadences, terrifying Zhang Gunli to his very bones. "Zhao Xiaowan! How are you here too—" Zhang Gunli looked at Li Banfeng. "A fair duel between us!" "This was a fair duel all along. That's just how dwelling cultivators fight." Li Banfeng crossed his legs, listening to Madam's singing and gently swaying to the rhythm. A dwelling cultivator? The little train had become his dwelling? How could he possibly be a dwelling cultivator? How could a travel cultivator cultivate the dwelling path on the side? A Promise Worth a Thousand Gold had failed to suppress Li Banfeng, but Bestowal of Coins would surely work—after all, Li Banfeng had indeed accepted his silver dollars earlier. Zhang Gunli attempted to unleash another technique against Li Banfeng, only to find his chances virtually nonexistent. Madam exhaled steam, casually heating up the hotpot. Hong Ying stood watching from the side, waiting to see what remaining tricks Zhang Gunli might have. Jiu'er held the sickle, slicing Zhang Gunli apart cut by agonizing cut. As the family gathered around the table to eat, Li Banfeng remained lost in thought. Had Zhang Gunli come to kill Zhao Lanmeng truly just to seize Pillow City? If it were that simple, the Inner States would have snatched proper lands in Puluo Province long ago. Killing Zhao Lanmeng in Pillow City was something the peddler would never let slide. Even if Zhang Gunli took the covenant deed, he wouldn't be able to hold the territory—no one from the Inner States could hold it. What was the Inner States' true purpose in sending Zhang Gunli here? *** Old Train woke up and looked at Zhao Lanmeng on the bed. He slapped Zhao Lanmeng across the face. "Get up!" Zhao Lanmeng opened his eyes. "I helped you retrieve half your soul. Is there anything else?" "We've reached the terminal station, Pillow City. Time for you to buy your ticket." Old Train tore off a sheet of toilet paper and handed it to Zhao Lanmeng. Zhao Lanmeng held the toilet paper, staring at it for a moment. "How much is the fare?" "Three hundred!" "That expensive?" "It's not expensive at all—you rode soft sleeper! Old Seven, do you think this price is high?" Standing nearby, Li Banfeng said, "Soft sleepers all go for this price; it really isn't expensive. Brother Zhao, staying in Pillow City all the time—don't you ever get tired of it?" "Never!" Zhao Lanmeng took out three hundred in Huan Country notes and handed them to Old Train. "I'm content to sleep here for the rest of my life." Li Banfeng pulled out a stack of cash. "I'll buy you another ticket. Go out for a walk, and you can come back to sleep afterward." Zhao Lanmeng shook his head. "I can't leave. If I leave, the people of Pillow City won't be able to sleep peacefully." Old Train prepared for departure. "If they can't sleep peacefully, then so be it. They sleep three seasons out of the year—sleeping a bit less won't hurt them." *** Late at night, Chu Shaoqiang arrived at Chu Er's plot of land. Lowering his voice, he asked Chu Er, "What did you call me here for?" Chu Er remained silent. Sensing something amiss, Chu Shaoqiang turned to leave, only to see Li Qi appear right before his eyes. Chu Shaoqiang glanced back at Chu Er. "How did I ever father such a..." Li Banfeng said, "General Pingyuan, what do you mean by that? The imperial court assigned you to follow me—are you saying you don't even wish to see me?" Chu Shaoqiang forced a smile. "The Prince misunderstands. I was merely worried Huaiyuan's rashness might cause trouble for Your Highness..." "Shaoqiang, there actually is a troublesome matter right now. Zhao Lanmeng, the local god of Pillow City, has been killed, and his covenant deed is missing. The peddler is absolutely furious. Go investigate who did this for me, and make sure not a whisper leaks out." Chu Shaoqiang didn't dare make his stance clear. With something this massive having happened, he would certainly have to notify the Inner States.