Chapter 111: Dream
Under the heavy rain, M City"s safe zone is surrounded by a layer of mist. A blinding white light flickers, acting as a guide for people travelling through this vision-impairing fog.
Maintaining its high speed, it doesn"t take long for the Hummer to arrive outside the safe zone"s gates. From its outer appearance, it looks different from the one in X City. A two-meter high perimeter wall has already been built around it and a few meters away from the walls, a deep trench several meters wide was dug. After an entire day of continuous rain, the trench has already collected quite a bit of water.
As the Hummer approaches, the white spotlight lands on the vehicle, tracking its movement. Very soon, a series of creaks announce the lowering of a steel structure tall enough to cover the trench"s width and then some. This safe zone even managed to set up a drawbridge.
On the other side of the trench, an individual wearing a raincoat and waving a fluorescent red lightstick gestures for them to cross.
Following the direction of the lightstick, the Hummer slowly makes its way over the drawbridge, coming to a stop near the man. With another rumble of gears and chains, the bridge is withdrawn.
The man walks forward and taps a knuckle on the window. Long Zhanye unhurriedly winds it down. As soon as the man catches sight of Long Zhanye, his expression stiffens and immediately snaps to attention, saluting.
"Greetings to senior officer Long."
Seizing up the soldier, Long Zhanye leans his arm on the windowsill, the corner of his mouth hooking up as he asks. "How do you know my ident.i.ty?"
If this was A City, being recognised at a glance wouldn"t be unusual, for Long Zhanye"s reputation and striking appearance are known to all within the city"s military district. However, here in M City, a Private knowing who he is seems rather far-fetched.
"The district leader pa.s.sed down an order four days ago so everyone will be able to properly receive you when the time comes. Please take a look…" Ending the salute, the soldier shifts his army cap so it sits more comfortably before instructing someone to bring out…a photo depicting Long Zhanye in his casual military attire.
"…I a.s.sume not everyone was given one?" Looking at the cheap photographic paper typically used for ma.s.s production, Long Zhanye finds himself rendered mildly speechless.
"Reporting to senior officer. District leader said photograph papers are difficult to find, so only the brothers guarding the safe zone"s gates were given one each." Clearly, this Private is an honest and sincere person, for he doesn"t hesitate to answer Long Zhanye"s questions. "Senior officer, although my next course of action can be considered disrespectful, but for the safety of this sanctuary, I will have to ask you and your companions to spend a night in the outer house."
"As it should be. Please lead the way."
Under the soldier"s guidance, Long Zhanye parks the Hummer before getting off and stopping at an inspection checkpoint for a quick pat-down. Afterwards, they are directed to a building separated from the rest of the district. It is rather obvious this isolated housing was established not too long ago. Concrete walls with a single window, the supporting pillars and door are made of steel, ensuring it can endure quite a bit of damage. There is a single wooden table and two beds within, with an ordinary pillow and no quilts.
"There aren"t any leaks and although it"s a simple bed, at least we don"t need to curl up and sleep." Li Qing nods his head, satisfied with their lodgings. Evidently, he really cannot stand being confined inside a car for several days on end. Pulling Qin Jun over to the bed on the left, he announces, "Qin Jun and I will take this one. Older brother Long, you and little Yuan can use that one."
"I don"t mind either way." Huo Zaiyuan really can"t be bothered about which bed they use. Reaching out to intertwine his fingers with Long Zhanye, he drags the older man down to sit on the bed with him.
"Rest here tonight, little Yuan, don"t enter your s.p.a.ce. Although there are no suspicious devices or bugs installed in this room, someone can still sneakily peek through the window," Long Zhanye murmurs as he wraps his arms around Huo Zaiyuan.
"Un."
Consequently, they refrain from taking food out of the s.p.a.ce and storage ring, instead eating the snacks they have on their person before settling down to sleep. After travelling on the road for several days straight, each of them is exhausted, so they turn in early.
Before he drifts off, Huo Zaiyuan stealthily places a paper crane in the room so he can be warned beforehand just in case something happens in the middle of the night. Using Long Zhanye"s arm as a pillow, he places a hand on the other"s waist and closes his eyes.
The downpour outside continues but it doesn"t stop the four men from dozing off. Very quickly, the only sound within the house is steady, even breathing.
~~~
A gentle breeze blows across, bringing with it a cool, refreshing feeling as it pa.s.ses over one"s body. Unbidden, a comfortable groan emits from Huo Zaiyuan"s throat.
The hand on his stomach slowly slides down to the ground as a clear sound of droplets. .h.i.tting a body of liquid drags him out of his half-asleep state.
A few drops land on Huo Zaiyuan"s face, the ice-cold feeling causing his brow to wrinkle. His eyelashes flutter for a moment before he blinks dazedly and finally open his eyes.
The scene he is met with is one he has never seen before. His back is currently leaning against the thick and solid trunk of a matured peach tree. Tall and covered with lush green leaves, its branches spread gloriously outwards, each bearing nine sparkling, baseball-sized peaches.
Next to him is an open lake, clear and crystalline water gleaming a stunning silver. This particular colour is one he has gotten very familiar with since the spring water in his s.p.a.ce is the exact same shade.
Fingertips running lightly over the water"s surface, Huo Zaiyuan can feel the immense spiritual energy within, bubbling forth to the surface and circulating back down again. The feel of it is so comfortable that it draws a long sigh from him. A strand of white hair flutters down, disappearing beneath the water"s surface.
Huo Zaiyuan stares at the strand of hair and freezes for a second, evidently taken back by his sudden change of hair colour. Hesitantly, he leans out to look at his reflection on the water.
He had just started to move forward and hasn"t even managed to catch a glimpse when his arm is caught from behind. Before he can react, his is lifted bodily and surrounded by a warm embrace.
Who are you?
Opening his mouth to question, Huo Zaiyuan discovers that no sound emerges from his throat, as though his vocal cords have disappeared. Lifting his head to look at the person holding him, all he can see is a bleary face, the only clear object being the black dragon totem circlet resting above the stranger"s eyebrows.
The man hugging him bows his head as though looking at Huo Zaiyuan. Leaning closer, he seems to be saying something which he (HZY) can"t hear. In return, Huo Zaiyuan"s head moves on its own in a shallow nod, as if someone is controlling his body.
Receiving a wordless consent, the stranger carries him to a small pavilion surrounded by a sea of flowers not far away, setting him down gently on a stone bench.
Only now does Huo Zaiyuan see the man"s body clearly. Long inky black hair hanging freely down to the stranger"s waist, a silver dragon hairpin securing the topknot on his head. A few loose strands fall over his shoulder, settling against his chest. Clad in long, silver-hemmed black robes decorated with silver embroidered dragons, it gives the man a formidable and aggressive aura. Even if he can"t see the person"s facial features clearly, Huo Zaiyuan somehow feels that black clothes and black hair are extremely fitting for this person.
The man beckons and a young green-haired child clad in green robes carrying a tray with a purple tea set upon it comes bouncing over. The child"s balancing skill is exceptional, for although their movement is vivacious, the china set in their hands doesn"t move an inch, standing as firm as Mt. Tai[1].
A cup is placed before Huo Zaiyuan and the stranger fills it up with tea, leaning in to say something. Again, Huo Zaiyuan feels himself nodding and a small smile involuntarily surfaces as he replies.
The black-clothed male turns to address the child and the little one skips away, leaving the two of them alone once more, sitting in the pavilion and enjoying tea over short conversations. As Huo Zaiyuan cannot hear what is being said, it leaves him feeling extremely vexed.
He has no idea why he would suddenly appear in this place, why he cannot speak at all, placed in a body out of his control, and who this black-clothed male is.
Just as doubts begin to surface in Huo Zaiyuan"s heart, the green-clothed child comes skipping back, holding a picture scroll in his hands. Upon entering the pavilion, the child holds it out before Huo Zaiyuan.
Against his will, he lifts his head to look at the other man, only to receive an encouraging nod. His hands move to unfurl the scroll.
When his gaze drops to the picture, his eyes widen in astonishment…
Since he cannot control his body, he cannot look up to gauge the stranger"s expression, but he is able to carefully scrutinise the picture before him.
Long hair draped gracefully over slender shoulders, delicate visage and slim figure, the man in the picture is clad entirely in white, robes billowing gently in the wind. A graceful hand stretches out into the distance, fingers poised as if reaching out for something, appearing for all the world like a descending Immortal…
Isn"t this the exact same painting currently hanging on the back wall of the bamboo house in his s.p.a.ce? The one depicting his ancestor Huo Tianji? Besides the absence of a name signed near the bottom, both pictures are identical.
Could it be this painting was drawn by the man clad in black and given to his ancestor?
Not waiting for Huo Zaiyuan"s astonishment to fade, the stranger"s next action adds to his amazement. Slowly extending a hand, a slender finger flicks swiftly through the air. As the silver light fades, a white jade calligraphy brush appears in his hand. The Holy Dragon Bone Brush is then placed gently before Huo Zaiyuan.
The painting was a gift from this man, and so too, it seems, was the Holy Dragon Bone Brush…
What exactly is this man"s relationship with his ancestor? Who in the world is he?
"Who is who?" A deep, raspy voice sounds in his ear.
Huo Zaiyuan abruptly stiffens and his eyes fly open, immediately landing on Long Zhanye"s handsome face, whose dark eyes is full of question.
"Zhan…Zhanye, why are you here?"
"What kind of nonsense are you spouting? Come on, get up. We"re going to see the safe zone"s district leader." Pulling Huo Zaiyuan up so he is sitting on the bed, Long Zhanye begins to wear his clothes while waiting for Huo Zaiyuan to regain his bearings.
Staring absently at Long Zhanye, he finally comes back to his senses…
Right. He was merely dreaming.
Footnotes:
[1] Mt. Tai: A significant historical and cultural mountain, commonly featured/mentioned in Chinese fiction.