Chapter Thirty-Four: Things Have Become Complicated

Seeing the familiar red characters, Ye Feifan felt his hair stand on end.

According to the system, his "dream fishing" was supposed to erase cause and effect, making it impossible for anyone—barring exceptions—to see through him. Yet, the red characters before him completely overturned the system's description.

"Emotions reaching a certain intensity trigger a resonance. A woman's intuition transcends cause and effect."

The system’s emotionless explanation left Ye Feifan feeling as if he had fallen into an ice cellar. He couldn't help but think of the contents of the side quest.

"Save me?"

Was it a registered letter sent to him? Was she truly Hua Wenliu?

Even with the answer before him, Ye Feifan struggled to accept the truth—their childhood friendship, those lavender-scented memories, were all tainted by ulterior motives. Of all his childhood companions, only Hua Wenliu and the eldest daughter of the Li family had felt truly sincere. He had always looked upon Hua Wenliu with the affection of an older brother for a younger sister.

This revelation was earth-shattering, dealing a heavy blow to his heart. His childhood playmate was truly gone.

"Is this danger still coming from humanity?" Given the previous pocket watch incident, Ye Feifan couldn't help but link the "Weeping Heart" to the shop assistant. The matter regarding the Liu family was far from over.

From the incident with the feng shui master, it was clear that Hua Wenliu’s body had been cremated and divided into several parts, placed across Tianzi City to weaken her power. The Buddha statues were hollow, filled with her ashes. If his deductions were correct, the Liu family must have a secret passage leading to the true locations of those statues. The brothel was merely one of the strongholds suppressing her remains; the primary locations would not be so easily discovered.

He needed to cultivate a relationship with Liu Chen. He would fish in Liu Chen’s dreams dozens of times, orchestrating "accidents" to ensure they met, then offer him a spiritual medicine (a drop of energy liquid) to earn his trust and make him dependent. Once he secured that connection, he could visit the Liu residence under the guise of friendship. With the Wufa Sect as his backing, they wouldn't dare make a move on him openly, providing him the perfect opportunity to uncover the truth.

Having settled on this plan, Ye Feifan began to fish in Liu Chen’s dreams.

The opening move was set; the rest involved exit strategies and further research to ensure the Liu family couldn't track him. Perhaps the Zhang family could be utilized, or even the Red-Clad Driver, though he wasn't sure if a thunderstorm would occur. If he spent the night at the Liu residence and Hua Wenliu didn't cause trouble, he could purchase a dream-entry potion from the shop to keep the head of the Liu family in a deep slumber until dawn, making his work much easier.

After spending a long time refining the dream-fish in the Dream Smelting Furnace, Ye Feifan checked his points. By being frugal with dream bait and incense, he had earned over a thousand points, enough for another ten-pull.

Aside from upgrading cultivation techniques, points were best used for dream-fishing tools and lucky draws. The rewards from draws were the greatest, though the probabilities were uncertain. Others might gamble, but Ye Feifan dared not—his name contained the character for "non" (negative), and fortune simply ignored him.

"Congratulations to the host for obtaining the [Midnight Knocking] plot card!"
"Congratulations to the host for obtaining the [Midnight Knocking] plot card!"
"Congratulations to the host for obtaining the [Midnight Knocking] plot card!"
"Congratulations to the host for obtaining a single draw ticket!" (x6)

Looking at the haul, Ye Feifan breathed a sigh of relief. His lucky days were destined to be at night—after reaching the depth of misfortune, a turning point was bound to emerge.

"Three plot cards can upgrade [Midnight Knocking] to Nightmare difficulty. Does the host wish to upgrade?" The system's voice echoed in his ears, and for a moment, he hesitated.

Even the standard [Tick-Tock] was perilous; he couldn't imagine how terrifying a normal [Midnight Knocking] would be. If he tempted fate with Nightmare mode, he would be writing his own will sooner or later.

Ye Feifan had observed the side quests for a long time and learned much from the system: risk and opportunity went hand-in-hand. Once cleared, three new side quests would refresh. To save points, he had to complete old tasks to unlock the new wall. The plot cards he drew would expire after the quest was completed (the system would recycle them for 100 points, a massive waste).

Reflecting on how deep the waters of Tianzi City were, Ye Feifan gritted his teeth and decided to stir the pot. Fishing in murky waters might yield unexpected gains.

"Upgrade!"

"Host has used three plot cards. [Midnight Knocking] has been upgraded from Normal to Nightmare difficulty. Rewards have been significantly increased."

"Use the [Scarlet Night] plot card!"

Since he had increased the difficulty, he might as well commit to the fight.

"Side Quest [Scarlet Night]: Blood stains the screaming night; trust and betrayal often push kindness into the abyss. That night, everyone died, yet the weak emerged victorious... Please go to the Xun residence before midnight, find the truth, and survive until dawn to complete the quest. Nightmare-level rewards are based on performance, with a guaranteed 3,500 points, ten draw tickets, and a piece of newspaper information. Failure will result in a one-month reset period."

Ye Feifan was stunned. The location for this plot card was the Xun residence!

The side quest rewards were generous, but the Nightmare difficulty made it clear this would be bloody. It was highly likely to involve a Red-Clad Specter, exceeding the danger level of the Red-Clad Driver.

"Trust," "betrayal," "kindness," and "the weak"—the keywords suggested the task was far from simple. If everyone died, how could the weak be the victor? The dead could not be winners! This was definitely a red-level [Top Secret File]!

Thinking back on the Xun residence, Ye Feifan realized he knew nothing about who the "weak" might be. He had never paid attention to the Xun family affairs.

This was troublesome. He had seen Xun Tianxing's dreams, but they were filled with memories of youth and provided little useful information. Even the dreams of the Xun family servants yielded nothing. It was said that one dreamt of what one thought of during the day; if no one was suffering, he wouldn't find the clues he needed.

What could it be?

Ye Feifan toyed with the scrap of cloth in his hand, lost in thought, failing to notice it slowly fading away.

"Fragment related to side quest detected. Hidden side quest initiated."

"Hidden Side Quest [Accumulated Resentment]: The childhood friend failed to fulfill her final wish before death and remains anchored by obsession. With her ashes scattered and suppressed, her resentment grows. Help her find release... Head to Tianzi City at midnight, locate and destroy the Buddha statues, collect the ashes within, and scatter them into the Drowning River. Time limit: before dawn. Completion grants Hua Wenliu’s favor, a draw ticket, and a secret letter from a best friend. Failure results in the permanent loss of this task."

Coming to his senses, Ye Feifan saw the fragment had vanished. He read the hidden task, his expression thoughtful.

"A letter?"

Hua Wenliu’s favor might influence the attitude of the specter. He couldn't abandon this; what if she ended up saving his life at a critical moment? Besides, she was his childhood friend, the only person he had known who was truly sincere. Now that she had become a specter, he could not turn his back on her.

At first glance, the task seemed simple, but having survived a tragic childhood, Ye Feifan was suspicious. He suspected a conspiracy. Given Liu Decai’s personality and the dreams he had seen, the man definitely had other tricks. There were multiple Buddha statues, and some were surely decoys meant to confuse and prevent anyone from gathering all the ashes.

If he acted rashly, he would alert them. If the statues were moved, his mission would fail. He only had one chance.

The only way to succeed was to acquire the map showing the locations of the true statues. He trusted that the old fox, Liu Decai, would have marked them. Others might have maps, but they would certainly be incorrect. The system wouldn't help him; he had to rely on the map. The habits of powerful families were all the same—the map would be hidden in Liu Decai’s bedroom or study. If he monitored Liu Decai’s dreams, he was likely to find the location of the secret map.

"Knock, knock, knock."

Just as Ye Feifan began to plot, a knock sounded at his door.

He exited the dream state and sat up abruptly in reality.

"Who is it?"

"Senior Brother, it is Dong Guan. The Sect Master told me to take you to the training grounds."

"Understood."

He hadn't expected to spend the entire night lost in thought. Ye Feifan wondered if his sense of time had vanished within the dream, though he was relieved that his absorption of "Dream Breath" hadn't stopped, fueling his physical strength and cultivation base.

He stepped out of the room, and Dong Guan was waiting nearby.

He checked his pocket watch, tucked it away, and asked, "Has something happened with Master?"

It was six in the morning—cultivators were truly early risers!

Dong Guan’s expression was strange. He hadn't seen a pocket watch before. He simply shook his head and said, "The Sect Master is afraid you will waste time on useless morning lessons at the martial arts field, so he told me to take you to the training grounds instead."

"Thank you, Junior Brother."

"You are welcome; it is my duty."

Dong Guan led the way, and Ye Feifan followed. The scenery was fresh, but it made no impression on him; his mind was entirely consumed by Hua Wenliu.

[Midnight Knocking] had reached Nightmare difficulty, and the Zhang family would surely be in chaos. The [Scarlet Night] at the Xun residence was also precarious. Thanks to the feng shui master, the Liu family was temporarily safe, but the other great families were likely faring no better.

As for why the Liu family didn't move, it was largely due to the pride of a great family. Their history spanned centuries; moving would signal weakness, and the other families in Tianzi City would descend upon them like vultures. Thus, even if the Liu residence was full of ghosts, they had to grit their teeth and stay.

Ye Feifan understood their mindset, but he had no intention of showing mercy. He planned to earn a hefty sum of points—and when he finally drew the [Weeping Heart] plot card and upgraded it to Nightmare level, he would give the Liu family a truly massive surprise.

[PS: Prosperity, Democracy, Civility, Harmony, Freedom, Equality, Justice, Rule of Law, Patriotism, Dedication, Integrity, Friendliness.]