56: Chapter 56 Entering the Dream

Town Overseer Zhang Danian asked.

Zhang Huaiyuan did not pick up on what was just said, instead nodding directly: "It is arranged. The residence at the east end of Qingshi Town has been tidied up. When Zhi'er arrives, she will stay there first; I will not let her enter the town."

Town Overseer Zhang Danian gave a grunt of acknowledgment, his gaze falling back onto the pile of documents. The smile on his face gradually faded, replaced once again by that look of worry.

Zhang Huaiyuan looked at his father, opened his mouth to say something, but ultimately swallowed the words.

Town Overseer Zhang Danian was silent for a moment, his fingers gently tapping the desk. Suddenly, he asked: "What is the situation with Blacksmith Wang's family right now? Is there anything we can do to help?"

Zhang Huaiyuan sighed and shook his head.

"The couple is worried sick right now."

"That child has been targeted by those Immortal Sect people ever since birth. Now, they cannot even take a single look at it, and they have been driven to that dilapidated house at the corner of the town, washing their faces with tears all day long."

"A few days ago, Blacksmith Wang tried to go and reason with them, but he was pushed out from the doorway and fell. His leg is still limping to this day."

"Now, we can only wait for the people from Long City to arrive."

"Only when someone in charge arrives and decides the child's destination will this likely end."

Upon hearing this, Town Overseer Zhang Danian's brows furrowed into a knot. He then said with some anger: "Decide the destination?"

"That is their child. By what right do others get to decide its destination?"

Zhang Huaiyuan knew his father's temperament, so he did not speak.

In fact, saying anything would have been useless anyway; after all, who would care about the thoughts of a blacksmith?

"Sigh…"

Town Overseer Zhang Danian picked up his teacup, took a sip, and set it back down. His gaze fell upon the pile of documents, and he remained silent for a long time.

The candlelight flickered, casting shadows that danced across his face.

Ultimately, he stood up, walked to the window, pushed it open, and looked toward the east end of the town.

It was brightly lit there, and faint laughter could be heard—it was those Immortal Sect Disciples drinking and making merry.

"These people of the Immortal Sect do not care about the lives of Mortals at all…"

Town Overseer Zhang Danian was filled with resentment, but there was nothing he could do.

Even Zhang Huaiyuan, who stood behind him, felt the same way. Like father, like son, they both possessed sincere hearts, but were powerless to act.

During their conversation, the two of them completely failed to notice.

Right there on a tree within the courtyard of the Town Overseer's manor, Wu Li was perched motionless. His black feathers blended into the night, allowing him to hear their conversation clearly.

At this moment, a flash of cunning crossed Wu Li's eyes.

"Rare indeed…"

"It is a pity that in this world, you should not have such a heart."

With those words, Wu Li spread his wings and departed.

At the edge of Qingshi Town.

Blacksmith Wang and his wife had been driven here to a dilapidated wooden hut. The door panel was crooked, the window paper had several holes, and the night wind blew in, howling mournfully.

There were no Immortal Sect Disciples guarding them; in their eyes, this couple no longer had any value. The child was the treasure, but as for the child's parents, who cared?

An oil lamp was lit inside the room, its flame flickering in the wind.

Blacksmith Wang sat on the threshold, one leg stretched out straight. His knee was swollen like a bun, covered in bruises.

His wife sat inside the room, cradling that empty swaddling cloth. Her eyes were red and swollen, her tears already shed dry. She stared blankly at the wall, like a puppet whose Soul had been extracted.

Wu Li landed silently on the windowsill outside the room, folding his wings and pressing his body tightly against the window frame.

His claws gently gripped the wood without making a single sound.

His bean-sized black pupils peered through the holes in the window paper, taking in the scene inside.

In this world, the lives of the weak have never been their own to control; it was like that in the past life, and it is the same in this one.

"Hoo~"

Wu Li opened his beak, and a wisp of pale gray Demonic Qi surged from deep within his throat, drifting lightly into the room. The Demonic Qi was colorless and odorless, mixing into the night wind, making it almost impossible to detect.

Blacksmith Wang's breathing gradually became long and steady. His head tilted to the side, and he fell asleep leaning against the door frame.

His wife's body also went limp; she collapsed onto the bed while clutching the swaddling cloth, falling into a deep sleep.

"Soul, enter the dream; Spirit, come and listen. My words shall be seen, my speech shall be heard. The lost shall awaken, the suffering shall find peace…"

"Dream-Entering Spirit-Communication Incantation!"

"Hum~"

An invisible force surged from within Wu Li's body, transforming into a ripple invisible to the naked eye that sank into the space between Blacksmith Wang and his wife's brows.

The two of them trembled slightly, their brows smoothing out, and the corners of their mouths even lifted slightly, as if they were having a pleasant dream.

In the dream, fog swirled everywhere.

Blacksmith Wang found himself standing on a gray, barren plot of land. Beneath his feet was soft soil, and there was nothing around him—only endless gray fog flowing slowly.

He looked down at his leg; it did not hurt, and the injury on his knee was gone.

He was stunned for a moment, reached out to touch it, and then tried to take a few steps. His legs felt as nimble as if he were ten years younger.

"Dear?" his wife's voice came from behind him.

Blacksmith Wang turned around abruptly and saw his wife standing behind him, still cradling that empty swaddling cloth.

Her eyes were no longer swollen, and there were no tear stains on her face, but the confusion and unease on her face were even more heartbreaking than tears.

"Where… where is this?" His wife looked around, her voice trembling. "Weren't we in the room? How did we get here?"

Blacksmith Wang shook his head; he did not know. He only remembered sitting on the threshold, and then he knew nothing else.

In the fog, a black figure slowly approached.

It was an old Daoist priest in black clothes and black hair, with a thin face and a pair of eyes as deep as two ancient wells.

"You… who are you…" Blacksmith Wang instinctively shielded his wife behind him.

"This old Daoist has a method that can allow you to retrieve your child… You must first use a ritual object…"

After a flurry of words, the old Daoist stopped speaking, turned around, and walked into the fog.

His figure grew fainter and more blurred, as if he were merging into the gray fog.

"Daoist Master! Daoist Master!" Blacksmith Wang shouted, chasing after him for two steps, but the old Daoist was already gone.

In the fog, only his voice echoed.

"Remember, this is your only chance…"

The moment the words fell, Blacksmith Wang opened his eyes wide.

The oil lamp was still flickering, and the night wind was still blowing. He was leaning against the door frame, drenched in sweat. His wife was beside him, also awake, her eyes full of tears.

The two of them looked at each other and saw the same dream in each other's eyes.

"You… you dreamt of it too?" His wife nodded.

Then, she felt that the texture in her hands was wrong. Looking down, she discovered that inside the swaddling cloth she had been holding all this time, there was now a character for 'Seal' that seemed to have been written in blood.

"It is… it is the Old Immortal… the Old Immortal has truly manifested…" his wife muttered, her voice so hoarse it was barely audible.

Blacksmith Wang pulled his wife, turned around, faced the door, and fell to his knees with a thud.

His wife also knelt down. The two of them kowtowed one after another toward the heavens, toward that gray night sky. Their foreheads struck the threshold and the muddy ground, making thumping sounds, until their foreheads were covered in mud.

"Old Immortal, please bless us… Old Immortal, please bless us…" Blacksmith Wang chanted, his voice a mix of crying and laughing, like a madman.

His wife did not speak, only kowtowing, one after another, as if she wanted to kowtow all the grievances and despair of these past days into the earth.

After finishing their kowtows, Blacksmith Wang climbed up, limped to the doorway, and poked his head out to look.

The street was empty; there was no one.

The lights at the east end of the town were still bright, but from half a street away, those laughs could not be heard clearly.

He looked both ways again, confirming that no one was watching, before turning back to beckon to his wife.

"No one is here. Let's go quickly."

His wife cradled the swaddling cloth and stumbled out after him.

The two of them, one after the other, hugged the base of the wall and walked toward the outside of the town.

Blacksmith Wang limped, walking slowly, but his wife did not urge him on, only following closely behind him.

The night wind blew, pressing their thin clothes against their bodies and making them shiver from the cold, but neither of them stopped.