Fleeting Dream Across Three Lifetimes - Chapter 4

Her thoughts were heavy, and when her gaze fell on Su Zining, there was worry in her eyes. She seemed a little absent-minded, not realizing that Su Zining had taken in her every expression, a trace of amusement flickering in her peach blossom eyes. She was almost seventy percent certain this was no longer Lin Qingchen, but for someone capable of seizing another’s body, such a feat could only be achieved by a Nascent Soul cultivator or beyond. 

An old monster.

To seize another’s body severely damaged one’s karmic merit and left obstacles in cultivation, so those who would commit such acts were never good people. Yet this person was somewhat peculiar, treating her with inexplicable kindness. Though it was most likely for ulterior motives, for someone like her who had not yet grown strong, the benefits outweighed the dangers.

After a long while, Qin Mohan was startled by a knock at the door. She rose, went out, and brought in the meal, dismissing Hong Ying first.

Setting the dishes on the table, Qin Mohan noticed Su Zining’s eyes repeatedly darting toward the food, and a smile quietly bloomed in her heart. No matter how well Su Zining pretended, she hadn’t eaten for two full days. The delicate, enticing dishes and small bowl of porridge on the table instantly awakened her numb stomach, which gave a loud growl. Flustered, Su Zining quickly covered her belly, secretly berating herself for losing face.

The corners of Qin Mohan’s lips lifted before she quickly pressed them down, but Su Zining had still caught that fleeting smile. She had to admit, when this Lin Qingchen smiled, she looked very pleasing to the eyes. Unlike the perfunctory, false smiles from before, this one was faint, yet elegant, like a pear blossom swaying in a cool breeze; gentle and captivating.

Su Zining shook her head to herself. Why think so much? 

Just as she was mulling over her thoughts, that person softly said, “Are you hungry? Come and eat.”

Su Zining froze. Had she specifically asked for food to share with her? Looking at the single set of chopsticks and bowl on the table, she recalled that she herself had slept for two days without eating anything.

“What are you standing there for, aren’t you hungry?”

Su Zining pursed her lips, her bright eyes looking at her as she whispered, “You haven’t eaten for a long time either.”

Qin Mohan paused by the table, a flicker of annoyance crossing her face. She had been so focused on showing concern that she forgot their current identities. Saying nothing more, she picked up the chopsticks and sampled each of the three dishes, eating two small cakes. She ate unhurriedly, even pretending to savor them carefully, as if they were delicious. In truth, the food was rather bland. Pleasant enough, but far from exquisite.

All her life, Su Zining had indulged her appetite. Even after stepping into the Innate realm, she had never neglected her stomach. Watching Qin Mohan eat with such relish now nearly made her swallow her own drool. She grumbled inwardly, a moment ago she had been touched, but with just a single remark, the other had instantly forgotten her.

Though appearing absorbed in her meal, Qin Mohan’s eyes kept drifting toward Su Zining, quietly amused. So this was what Zhi Mo had been like as a child. Adorable, worrying about others even when starving herself, and now sitting there pitifully, like a small animal.

After eating just half-full, Qin Mohan set down the chopsticks, turned, and said, “I’m done. The rest is yours.” Each dish had been touched only lightly, the food neatly arranged, still looking clean and untouched.

Su Zining had endured every hardship, but right now she was starving. She certainly wasn’t about to dislike food just because someone else had tasted it. Lowering her head, she forced her eyes to redden, then looked up briefly at Qin Mohan before sitting down, carefully restraining herself so as not to eat too ravenously.

She held her chopsticks properly, picking up only a little each time, but she ate quickly. In just a few bites, her cheeks were puffed round as she chewed with effort.

Qin Mohan’s expression was gentle as she watched from the side, though perhaps it was the meal or perhaps something else, but drowsiness suddenly crashed over her. The sleepiness was overwhelming. She shook her head, trying to fight it off, and managed to say, “Finish eating and go back quickly. What happened today stays between us, don’t tell anyone. Since you’ve been punished, you must stay indoors to recover. Don’t come out these next few days.”

Su Zining swallowed her food with difficulty and nodded repeatedly. She could sense Qin Mohan’s exhaustion, and after finishing her words, she watched her walk toward the inner room. Halfway there, Qin Mohan murmured drowsily, “Slow down, don’t choke.”

Her voice, thick with sleep, lacked its usual feigned indifference, and it stirred something inexplicable in Su Zining’s heart. How could that old monster, after seizing another’s body, suddenly seem so endearing? In her eyes, Qin Mohan was already an old being who had taken over someone else, though for all she knew, she herself might be even older.

On the bed, Qin Mohan fell asleep before she could even pull up the covers. When she opened her eyes again, the familiar white ceiling above her made her heart sink. She shot upright, quickly scanning her surroundings. A white mug was by the bed, and the curtain was slightly ajar. This was her original world!

Sitting there in a daze, her brows furrowed tightly. Was it another dream? No… impossible. Those feelings, those events had been too vivid to be a dream. Had she come back again? Rising, she yanked open the curtains. Blinding sunlight flooded in, forcing her to squint. The day was bright.

She washed absentmindedly, then crossed her arms and paced the room, restless. If it was real, then had Lin Qingchen returned to that world? What about Su Zining? She had inexplicably taken over her body and spared Su Zining. If Lin Qingchen had woken, how would she treat her? And wouldn’t it soon be exposed that her body had been possessed?

The more she thought, the more uneasy she became. Qin Mohan quickly went to her desk, sat down, and opened her computer again, holding her breath as she waited for the desktop to load. Once it was fully open, apart from the icons and the small pop-up showing the boot time, there was nothing else.

Her heart felt hollow. Returning should have been a good thing. No matter how out of place she felt in this world, it was safer than there. But Zhi Mo, Su Zining, was still there. She couldn’t bear the thought of such a pure, helpless girl trapped inside some inexplicable book, treated like that.

Her hand clenched tightly around the mouse. Supporting her forehead, she felt an ache in her chest. Hadn’t she said she would take her away? Why had she been sent back?

***

When Jiang Si came in, she saw Qin Mohan sitting silently at her desk, gripping the mouse. On the screen was a translated text scrolled just two lines down, yet she sat motionless, her expression rare in its weariness and defeat.

In Jiang Si’s memory, Qin Mohan had always been calm and indifferent, no matter what she went through, never letting it show on her face. Seeing her like this was not only shocking, but worrying.

“Mohan? Mohan?” Jiang Si called several times before Qin Mohan finally came back to herself. 

The emotion on her face receded, and she rubbed her forehead with a faint smile. “You’re back?”

Jiang Si’s delicate brows furrowed. “Something’s wrong with you. What happened? Yesterday you were fine, did something happen?”

Jiang Si was the only close friend Qin Mohan had in this world. She knew her concern was genuine, but such matters were hard for anyone to believe, at most brushed off as nothing more than a dream. Her gaze dimmed as she shook her head. “I dreamt all night, and it wasn’t a good dream. Even after waking I couldn’t shake it off, so I feel a bit unwell.”

Jiang Si looked doubtful. “That’s really all?”

Qin Mohan gave a helpless smile. “What else could it be?” Jiang Si thought about it. Other than the contract falling through yesterday, nothing much had happened. With a sigh, she asked, “What kind of dream makes you so troubled?”

Qin Mohan was briefly dazed, then gave a bitter smile. “I dreamt of someone I had been close to since childhood, and something bad happened to them.”

Jiang Si wanted to ask who, since she had never seen Qin Mohan close to anyone, but recalling her background, she feared it might touch on painful memories. She simply patted her shoulder instead.

“Have you eaten yet?” Jiang Si checked her watch and asked.

Qin Mohan shook her head and stood. “You haven’t eaten either, have you? There are ingredients in the fridge, I’ll cook.”

Jiang Si frowned, swallowed, and forced herself to refuse. “You don’t look well. Let’s order takeout.” Qin Mohan was an excellent cook. Ever since living with her, Jiang Si’s taste had been spoiled. No restaurant food ever compared to hers.

Seeing her reluctant expression, Qin Mohan chuckled. “No need, I’ll cook.”

Jiang Si’s eyes lit up. “I want simmered pork, sweet and sour fish, tofu stuffed with meat… forget it, anything you make is fine. I’ll help you.”

Rolling up her sleeves and tying on an apron, Qin Mohan shooed her out. “If you help, then we’ll only end up with takeout.”

Jiang Si flushed, then quickly called out without shame, “No shredded ginger!”

She sat in the living room, watching Qin Mohan roll up her white sleeves and calmly wash and prepare the ingredients. Her tall figure, fair skin, and long dark hair pinned back with a silver clip gave her an elegant air. Even in the simple, homely act of cooking, she carried a refined grace that was pleasing to the eye. Resting her chin in her hand, Jiang Si couldn’t help but sigh. Whoever married Qin Mohan one day would have truly struck gold!

Here was peace and quiet, but in another world, undercurrents stirred.

***

When Lin Qingchen awoke, it was already nearing mid-morning. Her mind was hazy, and it took a long while for the fragmented memories to piece together. Her face turned ugly. She couldn’t believe that person last night had been her. How could she possibly care so much about Su Zining? At most, she would have kept her alive to be useful, but to give her the Lin family’s sacred healing medicine? The memories in her mind were crystal clear, yet she couldn’t recall the emotions behind those actions. It was far too strange. That self in her memory seemed like a stranger, though the voice was still somewhat hers. If the memories hadn’t been so vivid, and if she hadn’t known that possession usually never returned the body to its owner, she really would have believed she had been possessed.

What was going on? Had someone cursed her? Her eyes darkened with unease as she carefully circulated her spiritual energy, probing every part of her dantian and meridians, but she found nothing unusual. What was happening? Distraught, she stared at the box of Jiuhua Ointment before her, then said quietly, “Hong Ying, where is Su Zining?”

***

The entire day, Qin Mohan remained drained of energy. But at three in the afternoon, the strange interface popped up again.

This time, however, what she read stunned her. Lin Qingchen… was dead.

The cause was astonishing. In Su Zining’s dantian, a Celestial-grade artifact had been sealed. According to the book’s explanation, artifacts in the cultivation world were ranked Earth, Heaven, Celestial, Saint, and Divine, each tier divided into lower, middle, and upper grades. For ordinary cultivators, even possessing an Earth-grade artifact was rare. Heaven-grade treasures were mostly reserved for clan heirs. Celestial-grade artifacts were only granted to a select few prodigies among the five great sects or three great clans—items that could be counted on one’s fingers. Saint-grade treasures were said to exist only in the three sacred lands. As for Divine artifacts, they were creations of heaven and earth itself, unseen by any mortal.

One could imagine the devastating power of a mid-grade Celestial artifact sealed in Su Zining’s dantian. When it activated to protect its master, it directly killed Lin Qingchen.

With Lin Qingchen’s death and the artifact exposed, what awaited Su Zining was certain doom. The Su family would want to seize the treasure, the Lin family would want her dead, and others would covet the prize as well. Pursued on both sides, Su Zining only survived by the artifact’s triggered power, escaping death but left gravely wounded, finally falling into Ying City’s Burial Grounds; one of the three great deathtraps of the cultivation world. Those who entered never returned alive. What it was truly like inside, Qin Mohan didn’t know, but she remembered one line from the book with painful clarity—this was the hell Su Zining never dared recall for the rest of her life.

A chill ran through Qin Mohan, her nerves taut, though drowsiness weighed on her heavily. The sensation was all too familiar; it was just like that last time.

Before seven o’clock, she returned to her room to rest. Jiang Si, worried she might be ill, was told only that she was unbearably tired. Once in bed, Qin Mohan fell asleep almost instantly. Seeing she had no fever and slept soundly, Jiang Si suppressed her worry, turned off the lamp, and went back to her room.

As soon as she drifted off, Qin Mohan felt herself dragged into a vortex, her head spinning, her body heavy. When she suddenly woke, her eyes opened to yet another ancient, antique world. And this time, the feeling was… very bad.