51: Dangerous Dreams

Early in the morning, Zhao Bufan appeared before the gates of the Yingchun Inn.

Even as a Thousand-Household Commander, he was only allowed to enter the inn after sending someone to announce his arrival and receiving a reply.

He ascended the stairs to the fifth and top floor. There were five 'Heavenly' rooms, but aside from Princess Qingyang, no one else resided on that floor.

"The Princess has already had her breakfast. Lord Zhao, please enter," said the halberd-wielding man who had blocked the city gates previously. He was Princess Qingyang's personal guard, named Huo Qingyun.

"Thank you!" Zhao Bufan replied with a cupped-fist salute, his expression calm as he entered the room.

Pushing open the door, Princess Qingyang—Princess Consort Pei Xinyue—sat gracefully on a chair. A faint fragrance permeated the air, and a wisp of white smoke curled from the incense burner beside her.

Behind Princess Consort Pei Xinyue stood two personal maidservants. They had served her since before she married Prince Qingyang. Upon seeing Zhao Bufan, they watched him with expressionless faces.

"Lord Zhao, do you have any news?" Princess Consort Pei Xinyue asked indifferently.

"Your subordinate is guilty. I have dispatched personnel to investigate near Lianbo City, but we have not found any trace of the Princess. I implore the Princess to grant me more time; your subordinate will thoroughly search both inside and outside the city," Zhao Bufan said, kneeling and cupping his hands.

Who could have imagined that Princess Nanping, an important figure, would suddenly go missing during the welcoming ceremony at the city gates?

Upon learning this news, Zhao Bufan immediately sent people to search, but after a night had passed, there was no information whatsoever.

However, this was not surprising, as it was unknown exactly when she went missing. He originally thought dealing with demons and hidden covetous gazes was troublesome enough; who would have thought such an incident would occur?

In fact, Zhao Bufan was relatively calm. Lu Shan almost went mad after learning about this, as it was a serious dereliction of duty for him. If Princess Nanping could not be found, and the matter was truly investigated, he probably wouldn't have a hundred lives to lose.

Currently, Lu Shan was still leading half of his men, searching along the path they had traveled, and had not yet returned.

"Forget it, this matter is not your fault. Speaking of which, sigh!" Princess Consort Pei Xinyue also had a headache. She seemed to have thought of something and sighed.

Evidently, she did not place much hope in the searching parties finding her daughter.

"There's no need to waste more manpower searching. That girl will come back on her own when she's had enough fun. As for the vow, proceed with the normal arrangements," Princess Consort Pei Xinyue said, waving her hand.

Zhao Bufan was slightly stunned. He had originally expected to be severely reprimanded and had even prepared himself for criticism.

He hadn't expected that, upon learning Princess Nanping was still unfound, the other party seemed not to be in a hurry.

Thinking back, when she learned of Princess Nanping's disappearance yesterday, she had only shown a helpless expression, without being overly anxious.

"Lord Zhao, let's end it here for today. I will see you out," the maidservant beside her immediately understood Princess Consort Pei Xinyue's gesture.

"Your subordinate takes his leave," Zhao Bufan respectfully said... Lu Ming helplessly watched his mother and Luo Hongzhuang converse. Luo Hongzhuang's sweet words constantly made Su Jingyi laugh, even completely ignoring her own dear son.

He simply didn't linger there, returning to his own courtyard.

Despite a fierce battle last night, Lu Ming wasn't idle; he continued to Cultivate his martial arts.

The more he understood the dangers of this world, the more Lu Ming yearned for powerful strength that would allow him to establish himself in this demon-infested world.

Time quickly came to evening. Tonight, dark clouds covered the sky, obscuring the cold moonlight.

From above, Lu Manor, aside from a few main areas where lights dispelled the darkness, was largely enveloped in shadow.

In his room, the slightly fatigued Lu Ming lay on his bed.

He had originally thought Luo Hongzhuang's arrival in Lianbo City would stir up some trouble, but to his surprise, she was unexpectedly well-behaved. Today, she hadn't even taken a single step out of Lu Manor.

As he thought this, a sense of drowsiness overcame him, and Lu Ming closed his eyes and fell asleep.

As time passed, the lights in Lu Manor gradually extinguished. Apart from the guards patrolling the manor with lanterns, everyone else was in a deep slumber.

And it was at this moment, at the edge of Lu Manor's wall.

Under the cover of darkness, a figure condensed from black mist could vaguely be seen quickly scaling the wall and drifting inside.

The black mist seemed to have no physical body, making it difficult to detect in the darkness. Only a pair of eyes glowing with a crimson light were visible.

The black mist was not searching aimlessly; it seemed to sense a certain Qi and headed directly towards Lu Ming's room.

Lu Ming, deep in sleep, did not notice the approaching danger.

Before the dimly lit bed, the black mist quickly surged towards the bed through the gaps in the window and door.

As a strange aura enveloped the surroundings, the sleeping Lu Ming was directly pulled into a dream.

A nightmare gradually formed, and a whisper filled with malevolence echoed in his ears.

Lu Ming looked at the ink-black, cloudy sky, his gaze hazy, as if he felt no doubt about any of this.

He was now in a mountain path, surrounded by lush vegetation, but its shapes were extremely distorted, appearing quite sinister.

As if under some control, Lu Ming walked aimlessly forward. A large amount of black mist permeated the air, like a sea of smoke, enveloping Lu Ming as if to swallow him whole.

As the black mist seeped into his body through his skin, Lu Ming felt an unprecedented coldness wrap around him, yet he had no thought of resistance.

"Death is your only 歸屬; your soul will become a part of me," a hoarse voice, indistinguishable between male and female, rang out, sending shivers down one's spine.

Lu Ming walked forward like a soulless husk. Just as the black mist was about to completely engulf him, his scattered pupils, as if stimulated by something, instantly refocused.

Feeling the bone-chilling cold surge into his body, Lu Ming felt an unprecedented sense of crisis.

"What's happening? Where exactly is this place?" Lu Ming instinctively gripped his saber, but his hand closed on empty air.

Realizing that all the anomalies seemed to be due to the surrounding black mist, Lu Ming did not ponder why he had appeared in this strange place. He immediately activated the Blood Essence Solidifying Spirit Method, and a surging Qi and blood instantly dispelled the icy black mist.

"How is this possible? How could you regain consciousness?"

The hoarse voice echoed through this world, its tone seemingly filled with disbelief.

He was merely an Initial Realm Martial Artist; how could he resist her power while asleep?