Li Meirong’s dreams were a hazy mix of her previous life and her current plights.
She dreamt she was back in her small yet cozy apartment, and one of her Siamese cats named Liuli lay comfortably on her lap. She was eating a honey glazed lightly fried Salmon on top of an American bread bun as she sat on her beige shaded sofa in front of the television. It was one of the meals she got addicted to lately. She used to be picky with what she ate.
She had no choice but to learn how to take care of herself early on. Her parents both worked overseas and barely spared time for her since young age. It was lonely, but Li Meirong learnt how to make herself tasty meals due to it.
Liuli’s eyes shimmered and he meowed in demand.
In the dream, she understood what he wanted.
It went along the lines of. ’Comfortable. Pet me. Feed me..’ free webnovel.com
Li Meirong cut a slice of her fish and let Liuli nibble on the leftovers contentedly.
The dream shifted as dreams tend to do. She now stood at the entrance of that very same train station where her life ended, her head hung low. It was nighttime and raining, people rushed back and forth, and the lights flickered dimly, but she didn’t care. It was all a blur to her. She was too miserable to mind her hair getting wet and her blouse and skirt that got soaked. She just finished talking to her ex-boyfriend on the phone after a long day at work. He wanted her to pack the items she forgot at his place.
Before she hung up on him, he didn’t forget to mention that the reason he found another girl was because he "felt that she really never was into him". Even when she found out he was cheating, she didn’t even get mad. Instead, she just asked him why couldn’t he be a man about it and at least break up with her before hooking up with another girl.
Li Meirong’s response was "You are the one who cheated, you are the one who broke things up between us, and now you’re also the one complaining to me?" She slammed her finger on the end call button right after.
It was her third breakup. She honestly didn’t want nothing to do with men at this point. If you’re not out to please them, then you’re not attentive enough. If you’re too independent and don’t need their help, then they don’t feel manly enough, if you’re too dependent, they feel used.
She clutched her cellphone tightly, her fingers turned red. Honestly, she did harbor feelings for her ex. It hurt her to see him cheating on her, but what good would it do for her to cry about it and be miserable? She’s been called an ice queen before, but it’s not that she had no feelings. She was just better at containing her emotions.
The vision in her dreams shifted yet again. She was underneath Zhou Shang. The man who bought her first night in the whorehouse. He unclasped his inner garments, his pants fell down to his ankles.
She closed her eyes in horror.
That splash of blood that flew on her face felt warm.
The sequence changed and it was like Zhou Shang was never even there, all she saw were a pair of brilliant golden eyes gazing at her.
She felt so warm. So treasured.
That stunning man with long silver hair and glowing phoenix eyes hugged her to his chest. He smelled really good. A cool fresh scent which reminded her of Peppermint and Lemon Verbena. Li Meirong dreamed she was Like Liuli, her cat who laid so contentedly and happy on her lap. She did the same. Laid happy and satisfied in his arms.
The comfortable dream soon took a morbid turn. All around her were flames. The room she was in burnt down, the wood quickly got eaten by the fire.
She looked up and saw the silver haired man smile down at her. He hushed her and told her that they will shortly be far away from there.
She believed him. His gentle gazed which soothed her quickly changed to a fierce glare as he flung one of his hands about while he held her tightly with his other arm, his claws lengthened. A pair of fox ears materialized on top of his head, and with 8 fluffy tails swinging around his backside with matching silver fur.
He condensed fire straight out of his hand! Flames materialized out of thin air and he threw them around almost like it was a game.
The brothel went up in flames. Sounds of agony and the scent of charred flesh filled the air.
The dream shifted again, and she imagined herself in the tropical jungle in front of Chou, the spirit plant she encountered this time. He was the size of a tree and he jumped up and down crazily. With every fall to the earth Chou did, the heavy impact caused the rainforest floor to shake and crack.
He cried out in a childlike manner ’Feed me! Feed me!’
Li Meirong held the a tree nearby for support as the ground shook. She felt a strong grip around her waist and turned around in a rush.
She saw the demonic cultivator in front of her now. He was the Jiangshi master who wanted to drain her dry of blood. His body was half melting, the chalk paste skin on his face drizzled down and parts of his skull stood out. His eyes were hollow sockets. even his hair waved around him with invisible wind, flailing like snakes.
He held her tight and whispered "It’s because of you...You did this to me.." his rotting mouth kept opening and closing after he finished forming his sentence.
"Ahhhhhhhh!!!!!! Get away!! Get away!" Li Meirong screamed so loud her voice stopped working.
The Jiangshi master didn’t let go, he kept calling her "Li Meirong. Li Meirong.."
Until his voice changed from a vicious murmur to a clear and soft voice. The tone snapped her out of the nightmare.
Li Meirong blinked in and out of consciousness.
"Li Meirong. Li Meirong.." That clear voice kept calling her name.
Her lips were cracked and dry. She was completely dehydrated and starving. She couldn’t recall the last time she drank or ate a meal. Her voice was hoarse.
The first thing she saw was Mo Cheng, Mo Jing’s older brother. His handsome features were a light in the darkness to her now. She couldn’t believe it. Is she still dreaming?
She was lying on a wooden mattress in what appeared to be a pavilion. It was a beautiful scenery, quite unlike the previous residences she’s been in. Fresh clean and airy. Through the pillars in the open room she could see a pond with large Koi fish swimming about. There were a few lotus flowers scattered in the pond, and a little wooden bridge was constructed on top of it, so it would be possible to walk through and gaze at the waters up close.
She reached her palm to Mo Cheng’s face and stroked his cheek hesitantly.
"Mo...Cheng? Is it really you?" Li Meirong’s voice cracked in attempt to speak.
Mo Cheng’s worry filled eyes inspected Li Meirong up and down. He was bent on top of her body that lay on the mattress and held her hand to his cheek.
His bronze healthy skin and clean orderly look was a complete contrast to Li Meirong’s deathly pale, disheveled and starved appearance.
"Yes. It’s me. Mo Jing and Shu Qianqian found you when they hurried back to see if you came to the place they stayed at a day before, and sure enough you were there knocked out cold. They said you saved their lives and disappeared."
"They couldn’t wake you up no matter how much they tried, Qianqian handed you water bit by bit through your lips and my little brother mashed the fruits they rationed while you were comatose to feed you. When the senior disciples came to collect you on the third day, I went along with them. After seeing your state, I brought you to the healer’s peak in the Forgotten Waters Sect. You did it Li Meirong. You passed!"
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