Chapter 8: Ethereal Nightmare
The Wuming Demon Mountain, the Demon Sovereign's Hall...
"Worthless!" A hand slammed fiercely on the nearby table in anger.
"Lord, forgive my incompetence," someone immediately knelt beside.
"That Earthworm is a beast I personally refined, and it was even tamed with the magic aura of the Shadow Demon King. How could it be captured so easily by that group of useless fools led by Liaoying?" The reprimand came from beneath the mask.
The person kneeling nearby dared not speak, only lowering their head even further.
The voice beneath the mask sighed helplessly. After a while, it slowly uttered, "Forget it, you all may leave for now." Then, waving a hand, indicating those around to depart.
The person kneeling before was first stunned, then rose and retreated.
"Commander Hua, do you feel that there's something different about the Demon Sovereign when he comes in?" A demon soldier nearby asked.
"What's different?" Hua Qiuyuan responded.
"I can't quite put my finger on it, but it feels like something is off compared to before. The taste in his meals has changed, and it seems like his temperament is also different from before," the demon soldier answered after some thought.
"Indeed, the Demon Sovereign's temperament has been different since that incident," Hua Qiuyuan nodded slightly.
"I wonder what the Demon Sovereign has been cultivating in seclusion. How could he ruin his appearance like this? Now he wears this mask all day long, making it impossible to see his emotions. It's really unsettling for us brothers," the demon soldier complained.
"Do your duty. The affairs of the Lord are not our concern," Hua Qiuyuan said sternly.
Inside the Jingyun Residence,
A thick stack of books lay on the table in front of Li Luoning, burying his head underneath. "Take these books. Once you've memorized them, I will teach you how to use them."
"So many?" Mi Xingzhe slowly emerged from behind the pile of books, eyes widening at the two mountains before him.
"Many? This is only half of what Qingyi studied before." Li Luoning didn't even lift his head. In his view, these books were nothing.
"But I don't have Qingyi's knowledge, and besides..." Mi Xingzhe hesitated.
"And besides what?" Li Luoning thought Mi Xingzhe was just making excuses to avoid studying and put down the book, raising his eyes to look at him.
"I... don't know many characters..." Mi Xingzhe scratched his head embarrassedly, smiling awkwardly.
"How few is 'not many'?" Li Luoning had indeed overlooked this. Considering his previous life of wandering, illiteracy should have been expected.
Hearing Mi Xingzhe's words, Yun Qingyi picked up a book and opened it, pointing to a word. "What's this?"
Mi Xingzhe took the book, but it fell down immediately. However, he still looked at it seriously, then looked through the book before finally shaking his head blankly.
"And this?" Yun Qingyi picked up another book, flipping through it to find a page, pointing to a character.
Mi Xingzhe still shook his head blankly.
"And this?" Yun Qingyi persisted, pointing to a character in another book.
"Oh, I recognize this one. This character should be 'up'." Finally, there was a word that seemed familiar to Mi Xingzhe, and he answered somewhat proudly.
"Never mind, Qingyi, you teach him literacy first," Li Luoning couldn't help but feel a headache.
"Can we start learning tomorrow?" Once he heard that he had to start with writing characters, Mi Xingzhe suddenly felt bored. He wanted to procrastinate; if he could delay it by one more day, then that's one more day.
"No!" Yun Qingyi and Li Luoning both said in unison.
"Oh..." Mi Xingzhe quietly took two steps back, intending to slip away while the two were not paying attention. However, seeing the glance Yun Qingyi gave him, he glanced towards Li Luoning.
Turning his head, he saw Li Luoning looking at him seriously. Mi Xingzhe had to obediently sit down, pick up the pen beside him, and imitate the actions Yun Qingyi taught him.
Several days later, when Li Luoning went to the Great Hall for a meeting and Yun Qingyi needed to gather herbs in the mountains, she brought Mi Xingzhe out of the Jingyun Residence and asked him to wait outside the hall.
"Junior Brother~" Mi Xingzhe was bored, kicking the grass beside the hall, when he heard someone calling him. Turning his head, he saw a familiar figure.
"Senior Sister Rulun." Seeing that it was Yue Rulun, Mi Xingzhe smiled and saluted.
"Good boy~" Yue Rulun smiled and waved her hand, indicating that he didn't need to be so polite.
"Senior Sister Rulun, do you need me for something?"
"Take this." Yue Rulun took out an exquisite sandalwood box from behind, gleaming with golden light.
"For me? What is it?" Mi Xingzhe asked, puzzled.
"This is a good thing. It took me a long time to get it from Medicine King." Yue Rulun patted Mi Xingzhe's shoulder proudly.
Mi Xingzhe took the sandalwood box from Yue Rulun, slowly opened it, and saw two pills emitting a faint glow inside.
"This thing looks quite precious. I can't accept it." Mi Xingzhe quickly pushed it back.
"Oh, there's no need to refuse. After all, you called me Senior Sister. Just consider it a gift from me to you as your Senior Sister." Yue Rulun smiled.
"But this looks quite expensive." Mi Xingzhe felt embarrassed.
"It's not expensive at all. I got it from Medicine King for free. You don't have to worry about it. Keep it with you; it will be useful in the future." Yue Rulun urged.
"Alright, then. Thank you, Senior Sister Rulun." Mi Xingzhe accepted the pills and bowed deeply to Yue Rulun once again.
"In return, how about you invite me for a drink later?" Yue Rulun raised her eyebrows and smiled.
"Drink?" Mi Xingzhe repeated, puzzled.
"Yes, your Master's Blue Snow Clear Brew is famous for being good. I'll exchange this medicine with you for a pot of that brew. What do you say?" Yue Rulun smiled.
"Oh, I'll ask Master later and have him send you two bottles, Senior Sister." Mi Xingzhe innocently replied.
"Oh, you silly boy. If I could get wine from your Master, why would I need to bribe you with such good medicine? I heard that Blue Snow Clear Brew, except for Medicine King and your Senior Uncle, others can't get it even if they beg. However, since you've accepted my gift, help me figure out a solution, please?" Yue Rulun clasped her hands together, pleadingly looking at Mi Xingzhe.
"Well... okay, I'll think of something." Mi Xingzhe felt a little troubled, but since he had accepted Yue Rulun's gift, he reluctantly agreed.
"Alright, then it's settled. I have to go on patrol now. When you get the wine, remember to come find me." Yue Rulun saw the doors of the hall opening and left after saying this.
"Hey, Senior Sister!" Mi Xingzhe shouted loudly, as if there was something else to say, but seeing that Yue Rulun had already gone far, he didn't chase after her.
Mi Xingzhe was playing with the gift in his hand, completely unaware that Li Luoning was already standing behind him.
"When did you become so close with Rulun?" Li Luoning asked, somewhat surprised by Mi Xingzhe's conversation with Yue Rulun.
"Ah..." Mi Xingzhe was startled by Li Luoning's sudden voice. The box he was fiddling with was thrown up in shock but was fortunately caught by Li Luoning's quick hands.
"We... just..." Mi Xingzhe hesitated, not knowing what to say.
"What's this?" Li Luoning shook the box he just caught and asked.
"Oh, it's just something Senior Sister Rulun gave me. She said I should keep it with me for future use." Mi Xingzhe opened the box while speaking and showed Li Luoning the pills inside.
"Purple Cold Double Pearls!" Li Luoning raised his eyebrows in surprise as he looked at the contents of the box.
"What are Purple Cold Double Pearls?" Mi Xingzhe naturally didn't know the preciousness of these pills and thought they were just ordinary medicine.
"Do you know the effects of these Purple Cold Double Pearls?" Li Luoning smiled and looked at Mi Xingzhe.
Seeing Mi Xingzhe shaking his head, Li Luoning continued, "These Purple Cold Golden Pills are divided into Golden Pearls and Silver Pearls. The Silver Pearls are superior medicine for healing external injuries, while the Golden Pearls... are the top-grade medicine for enhancing internal energy cultivation."
"Oh, that sounds like a precious medicine. Maybe I should return it to Senior Sister Rulun." Mi Xingzhe was startled to learn of the value of these pills.
"No need. I understand Rulun's temperament. Since she gave you such a valuable gift, she must want to befriend you. Treat her sincerely in the future." Li Luoning advised.
"When you have time, let Qingyi accompany you to select a suitable gift from the Mirror Cloud Residence's storage room and give it to Rulun as a return gift." Li Luoning reassured with a gentle expression.
"Okay, then." Mi Xingzhe quietly put down the gift in his hand, feeling a bit sad for some reason.
Late at night in the Mirror Cloud Residence,
Mi Xingzhe, who had already fallen asleep, was trapped in an endless cycle of nightmares, his body curled up, covered in cold sweat.
"Little Junior Brother, wake up." Yun Qingyi had just returned from the medicine room and passed by Mi Xingzhe's window. Hearing movement in the room, she came in to take a look. Seeing Mi Xingzhe on the bed twisting in pain, she gently pushed him.
Hearing Yun Qingyi's voice, Mi Xingzhe weakly opened his eyes slightly, then fell asleep again.
"No, I don't have it, it's not like that, I'm not..." Mi Xingzhe's hands tightly gripped the blanket, his eyes still closed, murmuring to himself with occasional twitches.
"Little Junior Brother, wake up, Xingzhe..." Yun Qingyi tried to call out softly again, placing her hand on Mi Xingzhe's shoulder and gently shaking him.
"Don't do this, no, I'm not..." Mi Xingzhe didn't wake up, his voice murmuring the same incoherent words, with a tone of struggling desperation.
"Xingzhe, wake up, Mi Xingzhe~" Yun Qingyi realized something was wrong and increased the intensity of her shaking, trying to wake him up.
Despite Yun Qingyi's vigorous shaking, Mi Xingzhe showed no signs of waking up. Instead, he curled up even tighter, clenching his fists tightly and burying his head in his arms, sobbing softly.
Yun Qingyi gradually realized that Mi Xingzhe's condition might not be just a nightmare. Normally, such vigorous shaking should wake someone up from even the deepest sleep. Thinking this, Yun Qingyi couldn't help but feel alarmed. She quickly waved her fingers to stimulate her inner energy, then a golden spell slowly floated out from between her eyebrows, connecting to Mi Xingzhe's eyebrows, attempting to see what was happening in his dream.
"Cold... cold." Mi Xingzhe struggled to spit out the words, feeling something, then closed his eyes wearily.
Mi Xingzhe's whole body was burning hot, soaked in cold sweat, and despite Yun Qingyi's efforts, she couldn't wake him up or even get a glimpse into his dreams. Yun Qingyi began to feel panicked and hurried to call their Master.
Li Luoning, dressed in a simple robe, quickly followed Yun Qingyi into Mi Xingzhe's room. He reached out and tested Mi Xingzhe's forehead.
"Cold?" Li Luoning raised his eyebrows in surprise. Initially, he thought Mi Xingzhe might just be in a deep sleep due to catching a cold, but even so, his forehead should be burning hot.
But as Li Luoning observed Mi Xingzhe's forehead, he found it covered in large beads of sweat, yet his body temperature was as cold as ice. His neck veins were bulging, accompanied by rapid breathing.
Li Luoning's gaze fell on Mi Xingzhe's tightly clenched hands, and he forcefully pried open Mi Xingzhe's arms, placing his hand on Mi Xingzhe's wrist to check his pulse.
"No abnormalities in the pulse..." What was even stranger was that Mi Xingzhe's pulse was normal, but he was muttering incoherently with unclear consciousness.
"Could it be... the Ethereal Nightmare?" Yun Qingyi couldn't help but be shocked, quickly reminding.
The Ethereal Nightmare was a disease unique to Ethereal Bodies. It would absorb the painful memories of the carrier as energy, continuously draining and devouring the energy of the Ethereal Body. As the Ethereal Nightmare progressed, the Ethereal Body would eventually be depleted of energy and dissolve into nothingness.
Mi Xingzhe's body curled tighter and tighter, as hard as a stone. His brows furrowed, showing signs of breathing difficulty, accompanied by incessant coughing. His hands clenched into fists tightly pressed against his chest, with fingertips deeply embedded in the flesh of his palms.
"Mi Xingzhe, let go." Li Luoning suddenly smelled blood and quickly approached to check, finding that Mi Xingzhe's hands were tightly clenched, with fingertips deeply embedded in his palms, and his hands covered in blood.
Yun Qingyi also hurried over to help try to pry open Mi Xingzhe's tightly clenched hands. However, no matter how hard she pushed and called out, Mi Xingzhe remained as immovable as a stone statue, only curling up tighter and tighter. Even Yun Qingyi's efforts couldn't loosen his fingers.
Seeing Mi Xingzhe's hands becoming increasingly bloody, Li Luoning placed his fingers on Mi Xingzhe's forehead and instantly, Mi Xingzhe fainted.
"Little Junior Brother!" Yun Qingyi quickly softened her voice, seeing that Mi Xingzhe still didn't respond, but his body had relaxed significantly. She gently covered him with the blanket and then turned to look at their Master, her eyes filled with worry.
"No worries, I just temporarily suppressed his consciousness with a little spiritual power." Li Luoning glanced at Mi Xingzhe on the bed, his expression somewhat worried.
"Master, what's going on? Everything was fine before. Why did it suddenly turn out like this tonight?" Yun Qingyi asked nervously, gently holding Mi Xingzhe's hand and wiping away the bloodstains with the corner of her clothes, her eyes filled with distress.
"Ethereal Nightmare. It seems he doesn't have much time left." Li Luoning sighed and said.
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