199: Chapter 197 Fleeting Dreams

As was his custom, Yun Ming

lay on the bamboo chair in the courtyard, holding a teacup in his hand.

The tea was ordinary tea, not enlightenment tea.

He had said he didn't usually drink enlightenment tea, and he meant it.

A small plate of mystic pattern jade seed sunflowers sat on the tea table, the kernels plump and the golden patterns on the shells shimmering in the sunlight.

He cracked a few seeds and took a sip from his teacup.

Life passed plainly, as plain as the plain water in his cup, but he didn't find it boring.

He had accumulated some gacha pulls and, too lazy to wait, threw them all in at once.

Dozens, hundreds of pulls transformed into a pouring galaxy, radiant and densely packed.

Spirit Stones piled up like mountains, as did Medicinal Pills and Magical Artifacts, but most were common goods he didn't even bother to look at.

Until a golden light lit up in the depths of the sea of stars.

The light wasn't piercing; it was soft, flying over slowly to land in his palm.

It was a Jade Slip, within which was sealed a Formation.

The Floating Life Dream Illusion Array.

Sixth-Rank.

Its effect was to create an ultimate illusion, simulating a lifetime of Reincarnation.

Those caught in the array would be immersed in a false life, from birth to death, experiencing love, hate, passion, enmity, sorrow, and joy.

When they woke from the illusion, they often couldn't distinguish reality from fantasy; their Dao Heart would be shaken, and their spiritual power would spiral out of control.

At best, their cultivation would regress; at worst, they would suffer Qi Deviation.

Of course, while trapped in the illusion array, one was also at the mercy of others, unless their Divine Soul was strong enough to break free.

Yun Ming pressed the Jade Slip to his forehead, and the Formation's information flooded into his Sea of Consciousness.

The methods of deployment, the tricks of control, and the placement of the Formation Eye were all imprinted into his Divine Soul.

This Formation had come at just the right time.

His Nine Heavens Sky-Net Sword Array had been destroyed while dealing with someone previously, and he hadn't replenished his offensive Formations.

While the Zhoutian Star Array was powerful, it was a sect-protecting grade array; the commotion it caused was too great, making it unsuitable for a small courtyard.

The Floating Life Dream Illusion Array was a Sixth-Rank Formation, of sufficiently high grade, and being an illusion array, it was low-key and inconspicuous.

Setting it up in the courtyard would provide defense without affecting daily life.

If someone with ill intent sneaked in and triggered the Formation, they would fall into an illusion.

Even if the opponent had profound cultivation and couldn't break free in a short time, it would be enough for him to react.

Yun Ming stood up and began to set up the Formation in the courtyard.

The Formation Eye was set under the stone table, at an unremarkable bluestone slab. He pried up the slab, buried a jade bead covered in formation patterns, replaced the slab, and stepped on it firmly.

The formation patterns spread out from beneath his feet, sinking deep into the ground like tree roots, extending to every corner of the courtyard.

Traces of formation patterns seeped under the walls, beside the flower beds, next to the vegetable patch, and even into the gaps between the roof tiles.

The moment the Formation was completed, wisps of faint mist arose out of thin air in the courtyard.

The mist wasn't thick; it was thin, like morning dew or mountain haze.

It rose from the ground and permeated the courtyard, adding a touch of elegance to the originally ordinary little yard.

Sunlight filtered through the mist, refracting into faint rainbow halos.

The air became fresh, like the clearing after rain or a morning in the deep mountains.

Yun Ming took a deep breath, feeling as though even his lungs had become a bit cleaner.

He nodded with satisfaction.

This Formation didn't harm people, didn't disturb anyone, and even improved the environment.

Those with ill intent who felt their way in would only have themselves to blame for their bad luck.

Normal visitors, like Zhou Qian, wouldn't be harmed as long as they didn't trigger the Formation's attack mechanism.

Perfect.

He stood in the courtyard for a while, suddenly feeling a bit of a craving.

Not for Medicinal Pills used for cultivation, nor for fasting spirit cuisine, but for Mortal food.

Steaming hot, fragrant, and flavorful.

He thought about it and decided to go out and buy something to eat.

He changed into clean clothes, tied his hair back, and pushed the door open to leave.

The alley was very quiet, and the sunlight was pleasant. He turned onto the main street and walked toward the East Market.

The Evernight Immortal Kitchen was located in an alley in the East Market of Qingyao City. The shop wasn't large, but business was excellent.

The biggest feature of this restaurant was that it was open twenty-four hours a day; there was food available whenever you came.

For a Cultivator like Yun Ming, this timing was very friendly.

Sometimes he would perform Alchemy until midnight and come out hungry for food, and only this shop would still be open.

Over time, he had become a regular here.

The restaurant waiter saw him from a distance and greeted him with a smile.

The waiter was a youth of seventeen or eighteen with an Early Stage Qi Refining cultivation. He was sweet-tongued and had a good memory.

Yun Ming had visited a few times, and the boy remembered exactly what he liked to eat, what he didn't like, what he ordered every time, and what wine he drank.

“Mr. Yun is here!” the waiter greeted with a smile. “The usual? To go?”

Yun Ming nodded: “The usual, to go.”

The waiter shouted toward the kitchen at the top of his lungs: “One portion of Cold Lantern Shadow Liver! One portion of Jade Furnace Third Watch Pastry! One portion of Drunken Immortal Shrimp! One portion of Stir-fried Three Spirit Vegetables! One portion of Dark Musk Scented Pork Hock! One jar of starry river drunken shadow dew! To go for Mr. Yun!”

A “Got it!” came from the kitchen, followed by the sound of a spatula flipping and the aroma of cooking oil drifting out.

Yun Ming stood at the counter waiting, his gaze sweeping across the restaurant.

Lunchtime had just passed, so there weren't many people in the shop, only a few tables of customers.

An old man sat in the corner, drinking alone with only a plate of peanuts in front of him.

Two young Cultivators, a man and a woman, sat by the window, talking in low voices and laughing occasionally.

Behind the counter, the shopkeeper was clicking an abacus.

Yun Ming suddenly wrinkled his nose.

He smelled a scent—not the fragrance of food, not the aroma of wine, nor anything else in the shop.

The scent was very faint, so faint it was almost imperceptible, but he still caught it.

It was a fragrance, not of flowers or fruit, but the kind of aura that emanated from the core of a living creature.

His Divine Sense reached out inconspicuously, scanning the inside and outside of the restaurant.

There was nothing unusual. People on the street were coming and going, all ordinary Cultivators and Mortals, with no suspicious characters.

But that scent remained, fleeting and ethereal, floating in the air like an invisible thread.

Yun Ming thought for a moment and said to the waiter: “starry river drunken shadow dew, make it two jars.”

The waiter was taken aback for a moment.

Every time Yun Ming came, he only ordered one jar of starry river drunken shadow dew to drink alone, no more and no less.

Why two jars today? He was stunned for a second but quickly reacted, replying with a smile: “Got it, two jars of starry river drunken shadow dew! Just a moment, Mr. Yun!”

He shouted toward the kitchen again, then turned back and asked curiously: “Mr. Yun, do you have a guest at home?”

The corner of Yun Ming's mouth twitched slightly in a faint smile.

He looked at the waiter and said: “I don't know if it's a guest or not.”

The waiter was a bit confused but didn't dare ask more.

Mr. Yun was an eccentric man who didn't like to talk or socialize; every time he came, he would just take his food and leave without staying.

Today, he had actually said something cryptic. The waiter pondered it for a long time but couldn't figure out the meaning.

The kitchen worked quickly.

In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the food was ready.

The waiter packed the dishes into a food box, stacking them layer by layer, and tied the two jars of starry river drunken shadow dew together with a cloth rope for easy carrying.

He carried the food box and the wine jars over to Yun Ming.

“Mr. Yun, your order is all here.”

Yun Ming took the food and wine, paid with Spirit Stones, and turned to walk out of the restaurant.

The waiter stood at the door, watching his departing back, and scratched his head, muttering to himself: “Why was Mr. Yun so strange today?”

The shopkeeper behind him was clicking the abacus, saying without looking up: “Mind your own business.”

The waiter shrank his neck and went back to attending to the customers.

Carrying the food box and wine, Yun Ming walked back leisurely.

Sunlight spilled onto the bluestone road, shimmering with a warm glow.

The streets were bustling with people and traffic.

He didn't walk fast, carrying his things like any ordinary person returning home from buying groceries.

But his Divine Sense was constantly spread out, covering the surrounding area for hundreds of meters.

That scent was still there, following him at a distance, neither too close nor too far, like a shadow.

He didn't look back, nor did he quicken his pace.

He just walked unhurriedly, crossing the main street, turning into the alley, and arriving at his own courtyard gate.

He pushed the door open and stepped inside.

The courtyard was filled with a faint, cool mist.

On the stone table lay the tea he hadn't finished drinking and the melon seeds he hadn't finished cracking this morning.

He placed the food box on the stone table, set the two jars of wine beside it, then turned and closed the courtyard door securely.

He stood there, not entering the house, not sitting down, and not opening the food box.

He simply stood in the center of the courtyard, looking at the closed door as if waiting for something.

The mist swirled around him, and the formation patterns of the Floating Life Dream Illusion Array operated deep underground, waiting quietly.

He didn't have to wait long.