At the Weapon Refinement Peak dining hall, Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou found Senior Sister Zhou Lulu, who was reading a book while painting sugar figurines.
"Senior Sister Zhou, is Junior Brother Li on the mountain?" Lu Yang asked politely.
"Oh, it's Junior Brother Lu and Junior Brother Meng. You've achieved Core Formation? That was fast." Zhou Lulu looked up, a flicker of surprise crossing her eyes when she saw Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou's cultivation realms.
When she was their age, she had only been at late Foundation Establishment.
"You're looking for Junior Brother Li? He's in his cave dwelling."
Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou both broke into smiles. They were as close as brothers with Li Haoran; having formed their cores, it was only natural that they show off in front of him.
Otherwise, what was the point of cultivating so hard?
"Junior Brother Li should be sleeping right now."
"Sleeping? As I recall, Junior Brother Li isn't someone fond of sleeping."
"He didn't use to be, but ever since he returned from visiting his family last time, he's taken to sleeping a lot. Every time he wakes up, his brow is furrowed in gloom, like he's had a nightmare. I asked him if he'd dreamed of something terrible, but he wouldn't say."
"I asked my father, and Father told me not to meddle in this matter either."
Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou exchanged a glance and roughly deduced the situation: Li Haoran was likely reliving memories of his past life in his dreams.
Qin Haoran had been a bona fide demonic cult leader, engaging in utterly insane and heinous deeds. Factoring in what the Cult Master had said about how many people coveted Qin Haoran's position, all of this would surely make Li Haoran feel uneasy.
The two put away their urge to flaunt and decided to pay Li Haoran a visit.
However, visiting empty-handed didn't feel right either. Seeing that Senior Sister Zhou Lulu's sugar figurines looked rather amusing, Lu Yang was just about to buy one for Li Haoran.
Before Lu Yang could speak, Zhou Lulu blew a gentle breath. As if springing to life, the two sugar figurines brandished weapons drawn from syrup and began clashing midair with a series of clangs and clatters.
Lu Yang's eyelid twitched at the sight. If his eyes weren't deceiving him, the combat power of these two sugar figurines was equivalent to the Golden Core stage.
If he bought them for Li Haoran, the two sugar figurines might just beat Li Haoran to a pulp.
Never mind, better pick a different gift.
Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou took a stroll around the dining hall: youtiao that could expand or shrink to serve as roof beams, steamed buns that could be hurled as concealed weapons, flatbreads that could serve as heart-protecting breastplates, stir-fried sesame seeds fit for practicing Iron Sand Palm... Not a single item could serve as a gift.
"The culinary skills in your dining hall are quite impressive!" The only celestial chef gave high praise to the Weapon Refinement Peak dining hall.
"I'd rather their skills were a bit lower."
"You have no ambition!"
Lu Yang turned a deaf ear to her.
...
In the pitch-black cave, a figure had a contorted, agonized expression, his body twisting involuntarily. It was as if he had encountered sheer agony in his slumber, yet unable to wake, he could only endure the torment in silence.
He snapped his eyes open, sweat soaking his robes and bedclothes.
Candlelight flared up, illuminating the cave dwelling along with Li Haoran's face.
Li Haoran stared blankly around the cave dwelling, only then realizing he was awake.
Recalling his experiences in the dream—the dark underbelly of the Nine Nether Cult, the unknown pressures Qin Haoran bore—he couldn't help shivering and cursed under his breath, "Damn these past-life memories..."
Regarding these recurring memories of a past life, his master, the Fifth Elder who presided over Weapon Refinement Peak, had no good solution either.
Li Haoran silently chanted incantations, first casting the Clothes-Cleansing Incantation to wash his clothes clean, and then the Body-Cleansing Incantation to cleanse his body, only then feeling slightly better.
"Hm? Senior Brother Lu and Senior Brother Meng are at the entrance?" The notification from the cave dwelling's array perked Li Haoran up.
Opening the cave dwelling's entrance, he saw Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou wearing bright, beaming smiles.
"Junior Brother Li, awake?" Lu Yang smiled, quietly observing Li Haoran's condition.
With dark circles around his eyes and drooping eyelids, Li Haoran wore a thoroughly haggard and listless expression. Ruling out the possibility of him depleting his primal yang by his own hand, the only remaining explanation was Qin Haoran's memories.
"Please, come on in, both of you," Li Haoran greeted them warmly.
The two walked into Li Haoran's cave, where an array of refined magical artifacts was on display: armor, shields, bronze cauldrons... If a Golden Core master smith were to see them, they would praise the workmanship as extraordinary.
Li Haoran gave a slight crook of his finger, and a teapot on the table moved of its own accord. Sprouting two arms and two legs, the teapot pattered across the tea table, filled itself with water, loaded itself with tea leaves, put its lid back on, and sat atop the stove to heat itself.
Before long, it brought itself to a scalding heat. The tea bubbled to a boil, and tilting its body, the teapot filled the cups with tea and pushed them in front of Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou.
Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou subconsciously said "thank you," only to realize a moment later that the teapot was merely a spiritless artifact—why were they thanking it?
"I hear you haven't been sleeping well lately, Junior Brother Li?"
At the mention of this topic, Li Haoran slumped, a wry smile creeping onto his face. "Senior Brother Lu guessed right. The fact that I'm Qin Haoran's reincarnation is something I can't tell others, so I can only pour out my troubles to the two of you."
Lu Yang patted Li Haoran on the shoulder with an expression that said I understand completely. "You must have witnessed many secrets of the Nine Nether Cult in your dreams, and those secrets have brought you immense torment."
Li Haoran nodded, quite emotional that someone finally understood him. "Yes! Every single day when I close my eyes, all I see are the Nine Nether Cult's budget deficits!
"Salaries for the cultists, aftermath cleanup expenses, business travel allowances, stronghold construction costs... Money is bleeding everywhere! The Nine Nether Cult has no legitimate way to make money at all; all they know is murder and robbery, but how much can that possibly bring in? It's a drop in the ocean! Every single day is losing money, losing money, losing money!
"A colossal organization like the Nine Nether Cult needs money for food, clothing, shelter, and transport, but spirit stones don't just blow in on the wind! Where are the spirit stones supposed to come from?
"And the underlings are completely clueless about the situation, daydreaming about building an earthly Nine Nether City! Leaving aside whether the imperial court would find out, does the Nine Nether Cult even have the spirit stones to build a city?!
"Can you imagine? Every day, Qin Haoran sat in the Cult Master's seat, and after handling all kinds of business, all he did was rack his brains for ways to make money!
"When I dream, it's through Qin Haoran's perspective. I sit there blankly with Qin Haoran, pondering how to make money.
"Or else I'm facing deficit numbers alongside Qin Haoran, trying to find a way out. Now my head hurts just looking at numbers!
"Fortunately, Qin Haoran later met Yiren, who gave him a safe haven. Otherwise, just imagining it makes me realize how impossible Qin Haoran's predicament was."
Li Haoran rubbed his temples in agony, venting to the two.
Lu Yang: "..."
Meng Jingzhou: "..."
Why wasn't this anything like what they had imagined?
Lu Yang recalled how Qin Haoran and Su Yiren had met: someone had pursued Qin Haoran, severely injuring him and causing him to crash through a barrier and faint before Su Yiren, which had sparked their subsequent destiny together.
Earlier, Lu Yang had deduced that the Nine Nether Cult was plagued by internal turmoil, and that someone plotting to usurp the throne had besieged Qin Haoran.
Hearing this now, it seemed that wasn't the case at all.
"Then the people pursuing Qin Haoran back then were..."
Li Haoran said expressionlessly:
"Creditors."
Chapter 293