A horse-drawn carriage with two horses pulling it clattered along a stone path. The driver, a gruff-looking older man, guided the horses steadily. Inside the carriage, two voices floated out through the open window.
“Liang Wu, your thing is too big. Let me put it in my spatial pouch.” Chen Li Li had a sweet smile plastered across her face as she tried to wrestle the game console from Liang Wu's hands.
“For the millionth time, it’s called a game console—a mist deck, to be exact,” Liang Wu corrected, exasperation creeping into his voice.
“Let me have your deck!” She didn’t care about the name—she just wanted it. The game had her hooked.
“What are the chances of me getting it back after I hand it over to you? I’d say zero, right?” He shot her a skeptical look.
“Just give it to me!” she demanded, tugging harder. Liang Wu, weakened by his diminished stats and the fact that Chen Li Li was already stronger than him—due to having already cultivated—couldn’t hold on. He tumbled from his seat, landing awkwardly in her lap.
They ended up in a tangled mess of limbs, staring into each other’s eyes for a brief moment. Then, with a triumphant giggle, Chen Li Li ripped the mist deck from his grasp. “Hehe! Your deck thingy is mine now!” She quickly stashed the console in the spatial pouch tied to her waist. It vanished with a soft flash of light.
“Give it back!” he yelled, lunging for her pouch.
“Nope! Hehehe!” She rolled out of the way, causing him to miss and fall on top of her again.
“Oof!” Liang Wu groaned as her knee inadvertently hit a sensitive area. He crawled back to his seat, clutching his nether region with a pained expression.
Chen Li Li climbed back up too, her playful demeanor replaced with concern. “Are you alright? I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you. Here, you can have your game console back.”
She held it out to him, but he shook his head. “You keep it. I was planning to give it to you anyway. I’ve already beaten every game, and it’s nice to know someone’s enjoying it.” He was originally intending on giving her the game console, he just wanted to put up an act of reluctance so she would feel grateful, however as one could tell, that failed miserably.
“Really? Can I keep it?” Her face lit up with a smile so bright and pure that it almost blinded him.
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He nodded, coughing awkwardly as he turned away. Still feeling the pain in his crotch he watched out the window to distract himself with the passing scenery.
“Yay!” She clapped her hands in excitement.
---
A few hours passed since the scuffle. Chen Li Li had immersed herself in Liang Wu’s game, finally defeating the winged tiger boss only to be stumped by the next challenge—a lich named Sha Zi.
Liang Wu, resting his eyes, suddenly felt something warm on his shoulder. He turned and found Chen Li Li’s head resting against him, her hair brushing his nose, the sweet scent of lilacs assaulted his senses. She had fallen asleep while playing.
image [https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXeS_0zLiHzqRSWqUfSFQ_ujX-q0RzSPgTaGJQ63wVV5xBDQri9gL0IB1c_UTrmCGZ9QrUow2mvDMSVkp987afhLFTWoB4BVPSxKzoFTXoE-GC3R4D4rNNXaANtFsiYdc_VGuSMIiTsMBHba3lUDPc-L5P5C?key=RZSlI8OZ21EUSXDlpUr0VA]
(I was going to add a version of this image with Chen Li Li drooling, however it looked a bit like something else. iykyk.)
He considered moving her but hesitated. She’d stayed up all night playing, A droplet of drool rolled down her lips and onto his robes. He frowned, torn between annoyance and amusement. In the end, he let her sleep. Seeing her enjoy something he created filled him with a strange sense of satisfaction.
Soon, he felt himself dozing off as well. Leaning his head back, he slowly drifted to sleep.
---
Liang Wu found himself in a strange dream. It was the first one he could remember having in the last hundred years. He was floating above his true body, observing it from a distance. Suddenly, his true body's eyes snapped open, locking onto him with a malevolent glare.
image [https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXdxKLVBPMD5SyaT0V89kjZDghQ5KXYV7jDbm7pHsRAfXxdMF136tU8Zl9idi30NjYpBc-0Xcu1gZMtuPSTNTKVZ9znkkrOhQpzB2PRqWfSe2-iFK12EBJxzD3MWm-vuH8SSVwT9B6_5xsubV5YjNyJTZgs?key=RZSlI8OZ21EUSXDlpUr0VA]
A wave of terror surged through him—far more intense than anything he’d felt before, even during his near-death battle against the Heavenly Will when he broke past the God Realm. He tried to move, to retreat, but found himself paralyzed, trembling in fear. Though he knew it was a dream, he couldn’t wake up.
Muffled voices echoed around him, distant and unclear. “...soul… quest system… partial update…”
His true body reached toward his chest with a grasping motion, as if it intended to tear his heart out. Just as it was about to succeed, a different voice broke through the chaos—silvery and soothing, it melted away his fear, allowing him to jolt awake.
---
Liang Wu’s eyes flew open. Bright light flooded his vision, momentarily blinding him. When his sight cleared, the first thing he saw was Chen Li Li’s concerned face hovering close to his.
image [https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXd_Ek44YuiXFmQ70ZTEwPIf77b_hoSSbnvWufFrJNq-m_ClwtoBQ-OFmAyahnEIKjdLMAn6sOGun3mR2-YW3kyQpV6Af6UC3_8oNUZ5tCEotETeq-fgg7YJz6jdGPtZnTh0UVj0HvRqkgTsOz51_k9lXk8z?key=RZSlI8OZ21EUSXDlpUr0VA]
“Were you having a nightmare? You were muttering and shaking in your sleep,” she asked, her brow furrowed with worry.
He scrunched his brow. “Nightmare? I haven’t had one since I was a child. It was just… a strange dream.” He brushed it off casually, but unease lingered in his gut. There was something unsettling about that dream, though he couldn’t pinpoint what. For now, there was nothing he could do but push it aside and move forward.