Fleeting Dream Across Three Lifetimes - Chapter 2

All of a sudden, the person lying on the bed snapped her eyes open, her forehead beaded with sweat as she panted softly. After a long while, her gaze fell on the window, where faint light seeped through the gap in the curtains into the room. The sky was only just beginning to brighten.

Qin Mohan rubbed her temples wearily, rose, and poured herself a glass of water. The cool liquid slid down her parched throat into her stomach, finally calming her down. Her head ached faintly. With her fair, slender fingers gripping the mug, she stared blankly at the whitening horizon. She seemed to have dreamed of that person again. She should have been happy, yet this time, for the first time, she could not remember what had happened in the dream. All she recalled was that person’s soft voice asking her, “If I wanted to take you with me, would you be willing?”

Vaguely, she remembered replying with just two words. “I would.”

After setting down the cup, she stood up and went to the bathroom for a shower. There was still little emotion in her dark eyes, though deep inside she sighed quietly. What use was saying she was willing? Could that person truly take her away? A world that, from her description, was perilous yet strange and wondrous, was as distant and unreal as an illusion.

She had decided not to join the Xia Group, though she had backup options. She never pinned all her hopes on a single place. But her translation draft still had more than five thousand words left. She needed to finish it early.

Seated at the small desk in the living room, she opened her laptop. While it was booting, she lowered her head to sip her tea. But before she could swallow, a window suddenly popped up on the screen. Qin Mohan glanced at her hands, which hadn’t even touched the mouse, and her eyes narrowed slightly.

Her first reaction was that it was a virus, yet the interface made her pause. It wasn’t an ad, nor strange code, but a novel. She never read novels on her computer, and Jiang Si would never tamper with her laptop. Why had this opened by itself?

Her gaze skimmed the page quickly. It seemed to be an immortal-cultivation story, with the heroine named Su Zining. From the synopsis, the setting was exactly the kind of clichéd cultivation-level-up plot Jiang Si had always despised.

And in this chapter, Su Zining, the legitimate daughter of the Su family, was revealed in testing to be an ordinary person without a trace of spiritual power. Compared to the collateral descendants of her generation who had all awakened spiritual roots, she was despised to the point of being treated like dust.

Su Yue was the true-born heir of the Su family. For over a thousand years, every generation had possessed dual spiritual roots, with at least one being of mid-high grade. Even the children born to his concubines awakened spiritual roots. Su Zining’s mother, though only a concubine-born daughter of the prominent Lin family in Ying City, had also been born with dual spiritual roots. Yet she gave birth to this anomaly, Su Zining. Su Yue even suspected she was not his child, and wished only to leave her to her own ruin.

Her mother too seemed to hold her responsible, never looking her in the eye, ignoring the bullying she suffered from others. Soon she bore a son, who tested with dual mid-high spiritual roots, delighting Su Yue so much that he forgot entirely about his suspicions of his wife’s infidelity.

Later in the chapter, several collateral cousins joined Su Zining’s younger brother, Su Haoran, in bullying her. During the conflict, Su Haoran accidentally injured Su Zining’s cousin, the direct daughter of the Lin family, Lin Qingchen, with his newly acquired heaven-grade artifact.

Lin Qingchen was the most gifted of her generation, having reached Foundation Establishment at eighteen, cherished dearly by the Lin family. Now that she had been injured by the Su family, the consequences would be dire if the Lin family learned of it. So naturally, Su Haoran and the others forced Su Zining to take the blame.

The story stopped right after Su Zining was severely punished by the now-awake Lin Qingchen, who used the opportunity to settle the matter while selling the Su family a favor.

Qin Mohan frowned, puzzled, because the moment she reached the last line, the page abruptly vanished.

She felt uneasy. The sudden appearance of that page was far too strange. Opening her browser again, she checked her history, but there wasn’t the slightest trace. Staring at the screen for a while, she slowly let out a breath, set aside her doubts, and focused on her translation work.

***

Jiang Si had gone to report for her internship at her family’s company today. She would graduate next year and was busy interning now, out all day, and often staying at the family’s old estate at night. So the entire house held only Qin Mohan.

After her shower, Qin Mohan towel-dried her damp hair. As the hair dryer buzzed, she couldn’t help but recall the strange events of the day. Even as she drifted into sleep, she was still thinking of the muddled dream and that eerie novel page.

In the dim room, a sudden flash of dazzling white light flared by the bedside. The light burst outward, then quickly retracted, vanishing into silence as if it had been an illusion. The body on the bed trembled suddenly, then lay motionless again.

She did not know how much time had passed before she suddenly awoke from a dream. Eyes opening, she saw that though the sky outside was dusky, the room was lit with a soft glow. Her pupils shrank and her heart leapt, because what she saw above was not her familiar ceiling, but an elegant, ornate canopy with an antique air. This was nothing she recognized.

She shut her eyes, then opened them again after a moment. Nothing had changed. If anything, everything was clearer. Scanning the room, she saw that all the furnishings were antique and exquisite. The gentle glow came not from a lamp or candle, but from a large pearl hovering unscientifically in the middle of a silver tripod in the corner of the room, slowly rotating.

No matter how calm she was, Qin Mohan could not help but sit bolt upright. Pain flared in her left shoulder. It was not sharp, but it seeped from the bones, forcing her to clamp her lips shut. Any thought that this was merely a dream was instantly erased. Where was she?

Just then, a woman in a light-blue gown hurried in. Seeing Qin Mohan sitting up on the bed, she exclaimed excitedly, “My lady, you’re awake!”

The hand Qin Mohan kept hidden beneath the quilt curled slightly. Pressing down the tumult in her heart, she forced herself to nod cautiously.

The woman immediately said, “The patriarch and the young master have been very worried about you. I’ll fetch them at once.”

Patriarch. Young master? Clearly, everything before her eyes confirmed that this was a world utterly different from her twenty-first century. And it did not seem like an ordinary world either. Her gaze fell on the hovering luminous pearl, and her expression grew complex.

She examined her attire. Her clothes were intact, a lotus-hued flowing immortal skirt. Touching the fabric, she found it unbelievably soft with a faint coolness, unlike any common material. The door was open, and Qin Mohan could hear suppressed groans, the crack of a whip, and occasionally a man’s cold reprimand.

Her heart tightened slightly. Just then, a middle-aged man in a dark brocade robe and a young man in a blue long gown walked in quickly, both dressed in ancient attire.

The middle-aged man hurried to speak. “Qingchen, you are finally awake. Does the wound still hurt? It is all Haoran’s fault for being so reckless, showing the Qingfeng Sword to that insolent girl, which caused her to injure you. That girl is being punished as we speak. To have harmed a direct daughter of the Lin family is an unforgivable crime. As for how to deal with her further, it will all depend on your decision. And Haoran, hurry and apologize!”

Seeing Qin Mohan’s calm and unruffled demeanor, Su Yue grew uneasy. Though he had married Lin Shan, she was only a concubine-born daughter. Even if she was favored, he dared not treat the most cherished heiress of the Lin family as if she were simply his niece. Though Lin Qingchen was usually courteous to the Su family, it was more out of politeness than genuine regard, and she might not be willing to spare Su Haoran. So he quickly urged his son to apologize.

On the surface, Qin Mohan showed nothing, but inside she was shaken. These familiar names instantly reminded her of the novel she had read earlier that day. Could it be that she had entered the world of that story, becoming Lin Qingchen, the one who seemed gentle and well-mannered but was in fact cold and ruthless?

Her heart surged like stormy waves, yet she had no choice but to feign composure. If this was truly the case, what should she do? She understood Su Yue’s words clearly. Between the lines, his intent was only to have her vent her anger on Su Zining, sparing Su Haoran and the others.

Qin Mohan frowned inwardly but decided not to overthink. After all, this was just a novel, and there was no need to take it too seriously. The most important thing was not to let anyone notice anything strange until she figured out how she had come to be here. She had only read one chapter, and her understanding of Lin Qingchen was limited, but since there was a storyline, she knew roughly how this person would act.

Recalling Lin Qingchen’s attitude in the book, she pressed out a faint smile and said lightly, “Debts should be paid by those who owe them. Although it was Haoran’s spiritual weapon that injured me, as Master Su has said, Su Zining is the true culprit. Naturally, I will not lay too much blame on Haoran. As for punishing Su Zining, it cannot be avoided, otherwise…” She did not finish the sentence, but the meaning was clear. Her tone revealed no flaw, thanks in part to years of hearing Zhi Mo’s archaic phrasing.

As described in the novel, Su Yue’s decisiveness in making Su Zining the scapegoat was because the Lin family had happened to send someone over, furious about Lin Qingchen’s injury. Su Yue dared not act lightly, and had to protect his precious son.

Hearing her words, Su Yue felt displeased, but still breathed a sigh of relief, nodding repeatedly. At that moment, Lin Qingchen’s third uncle returned with healing medicine. Hearing Su Yue’s explanation, he gave a cold snort and said, “Since that’s the case, Su Yue, your worthless daughter has caused harm to my Qingchen. A mere beating is not enough to make up for it.”

Su Yue forced a smile. “That girl deserves her punishment. It is all up to Third Master to decide. I’ve already sent Haoran to fetch a Guiyuan Pill to nourish Qingchen’s body as a token of apology.” 

Guiyuan Pills were normally reserved only for direct Su descendants when injured. Though not the very best, they were exceedingly precious. Hearing this, Lin Xiao relented, and quickly asked Lin Qingchen, “Qingchen, are you all right?”

Qin Mohan shook her head, then said in a low voice, “That Su Zining is far too arrogant. Several times before she has ignored me. I will handle her personally.”

Lin Xiao frowned. “You are still injured. Can the Su family not deal with such a trivial matter?”

Su Yue’s expression darkened, but he forced a smile. “Of course we will deal with it properly. Since she harmed Qingchen, I already had her whipped fifty times. If that’s still not enough, since she injured Qingchen’s left shoulder, let her pay with her left arm. Bring her in!”

At once, a bloodied girl was dragged inside. Her tattered green clothes were covered in whip marks seeping with blood. The fabric was torn, exposing raw flesh. Her hair was disheveled as she collapsed to the ground, her body trembling faintly, pale fingers clawing into the floor as she endured excruciating pain.

Qin Mohan’s eyelids twitched as a chill ran through her heart. How could someone speak so lightly about this? Even if he doubted she was his child, after raising her for so many years, could he really be so ruthless? Besides, she was still Lin Shan’s daughter. How could Su Yue treat her so casually?

“This won’t do. She is still Aunt Lin’s daughter, and also my cousin. To handle her this way would make me seem unfeeling,” Qin Mohan said. She knew that if she did not stop it, Su Zining would meet the same fate as in the book. Though she did not lose her arm, her dantian had been destroyed, turning someone already weak in spiritual power into a complete cripple. Even now, though she kept telling herself this was only a novel, she could not bring herself to do such a thing to a living person. And seeing such a young child beaten into this state filled her with deep unease.

Su Yue was slightly stunned. He knew Lin Qingchen well. Though she looked like a refined young lady, she was vengeful and petty. For the sake of the bigger picture she might spare Su Haoran, but she would never go easy on the scapegoat Su Zining. In fact, Lin Qingchen also disliked Su Zining, since that useless girl was even more beautiful than her, something bound to breed resentment in a young woman.

Qin Mohan did not miss his suspicious glance. Rising to her feet, she said, “I will deal with her personally. Since she is the true culprit behind my injury, it is not unreasonable for me to handle it myself. Third Uncle, you’ve troubled yourself to bring me medicine. Please, take a rest.”

Seeing her insistence, Lin Xiao said no more and left first.

Once Lin Xiao was gone, Qin Mohan turned her gaze back to the Su father and son, smiling faintly. “You two may leave as well.”

With a signal from Su Yue, he and Su Haoran departed, leaving only a woman in yellow robes in the room, clearly Lin Qingchen’s maid.

“You should wait outside too.”

“Yes, my lady.”

In the blink of an eye, only two people remained in the room. By the soft glow of the hovering pearl, Qin Mohan looked at Su Zining, who was nearly a figure of blood, and could not help feeling pity.

Meanwhile, Su Zining, half-conscious and on the verge of fainting, kept her entire body tense, waiting for the woman before her to make a move. If she remembered correctly, this woman would cripple her. But something seemed different. She clearly recalled that she had awakened much later, and in front of everyone, Lin Qingchen had wasted her without hesitation, never once meeting her alone like this.

Biting down hard on her lip, bloodlust flashed briefly in her enchanting eyes. She clenched her teeth, fighting to stay awake. She could not allow herself to suffer the same fate again!