TBWE Chapter 27

Entering Dreams

At dawn, a light rain had fallen on the mountain, making the stone steps cold and slippery.

Chu Li carried the food box forward, walking in tormented silence all the way. At the end of the stone steps, the shrine came into view, and her steps faltered as those inappropriate memories flashed back in her mind.

“Qingyu, are you sick? You look terrible,” Chu Queling looked at her with concern. “Why don’t you wait outside while I take the offerings in?”

The shrine’s main gate stood wide open, dark inside.

Chu Li had changed into a high-collared button-up shirt that concealed the purple-red marks. She gripped the food box handle tightly and shook her head. “I’m fine, let’s go.”

When they came, Chu Ruoying had told her that while the shrine appeared to be a place for worshipping deities, it was actually for suppression.

Under normal circumstances, as long as they didn’t venture deep into the shrine, there would be no danger.

Her black dress with white trim swept across the high threshold, and the great hall was as silent and cold as always.

Chu Li kept her head down as she and Chu Queling quickly removed the old offerings and replaced them with today’s newly prepared ones. This time they made no sound at all, and both secretly breathed a sigh of relief. They picked up the food box and backed away from the shrine with lowered heads.

After just two steps back, the heavy altar table in front of them overturned without warning.

BANG——!

In the crash and clatter, incense burners and offerings shattered all over the floor. Chu Queling let out a short scream and fell to the ground.

Crimson light blazed from the depths of the shrine. Chu Li saw a “wall” constructed of ancient characters, with black mist violently crashing against the flowing wall structure, causing the entire shrine to shake.

“Run!” She staggered to steady herself, dropped the food box in her hands, grabbed the terrified and paralyzed Chu Queling, and gritted her teeth as she dragged her outside.

Startled by the shout, Chu Queling barely regained her senses and was pulled along by Chu Li as they ran outside.

The terrifying, muffled sounds of impact echoed continuously behind them as they stumbled and swayed, practically crawling over the threshold.

Writhing, hideous tentacles emerged from the depths of the shrine, crossing the seal and pursuing them toward the main entrance of the great hall.

This scene far exceeded what ordinary people could endure. Chu Queling stared in absolute terror, her throat producing distorted screams before her eyes rolled back and she fainted completely.

BANG!

A tremendous crash shook even the mountain itself. Tiles fell from the shrine’s eaves in a cascade, fragments scattering at Chu Li’s feet.

The entrance to the great hall seemed to have an invisible barrier that blocked the wave-like surging tentacles inside the shrine.

Using the vermillion threshold as a boundary, they could not cross even half an inch.

“Chu… Li…”

A murky, cold voice came from within the shrine. When it spoke her name, it seemed as if it wanted to crush every inch of her bones before swallowing them.

Chu Li swallowed with difficulty, acting as if she hadn’t heard the commotion inside, and lowered her head to drag Chu Queling bit by bit away from the shrine’s eaves.

More violent sounds of impact and heavy objects being crushed came from within the shrine.

“You’d better… not let me catch you again.”

The shrine returned to silence.

Chu Li’s legs gave out and she sat down beside Chu Queling, like a survivor of disaster, her heart pounding so hard her chest ached.

****

The commotion on the sacred mountain alarmed the Grand Nuo.

The Grand Nuo specifically requested to see the branch family member responsible for delivering offerings. Chu Queling had fainted from shock and was sent for treatment. Chu Ruoying led Chu Li through gate after gate to reach the main family’s inner sanctum.

All along the way, clan members wearing Nuo masks accompanied them. Chu Ruoying could only use anxious glances to ask if she was injured.

Chu Li quietly shook her head and briefly touched her aunt’s hand to reassure her.

In front of the ancient small building, main family members took turns on guard duty. Seeing Chu Ruoying arrive, they nodded to each other in greeting.

The two-story wooden building was constructed from blood cedar, its natural wood grain forming twisted human faces, making it look from afar like a hundred ghosts embracing the building.

Chu Ruoying stood with Chu Li outside the main entrance, waiting quietly. Bronze bird-head bells hung from the eaves, chiming without wind.

The main door creaked open, and an aged, hoarse voice came from within. “Come in.”

The main hall was lit with lamps, the floor covered with animal hides, unnaturally cold for summer.

The door closed automatically. On the wall facing the entrance hung a genealogy of the Chu family spanning thousands of years, outlined in writhing red lines, the characters small as flies, densely packed.

The east wall was covered with richly colored Nuo masks that, as the two entered, turned their flexible eyeballs to stare at the visitors.

A thin figure wore the Grand Nuo ceremonial robes with a Nuo mask on their face, sitting cross-legged on a low couch, holding a dark red walking stick.

“I called the little girl here for questioning. Why did you come too? Are you finished with your duties?”

The Grand Nuo’s tone was flat, revealing neither joy nor anger.

Chu Ruoying’s expression remained unchanged as she patted Chu Li’s shoulder. “This child is entrusted to my care by relatives from the maternal side. She offended the Nuo god and I feared she might be frightened, so I came along.”

“You certainly value this girl highly.” The Grand Nuo tapped the ground twice with the walking stick. “Come here, let me take a look.”

The air seemed to freeze.

Chu Li imitated the manner of branch family members, keeping her eyes lowered submissively, stepping forward one step at a time. With each step, more cold sweat seeped from her palms.

The dark red walking stick came into view—the murderer of her parents was right in front of her.

Chu Li secretly clenched her palms, hatred burning intensely while simultaneously fearing the other party might see through her original appearance. Her heart pounded as she endured the sharp gaze examining her body.

Chu Ruoying inconspicuously pressed the Nuo mask at her waist, ready to act at any moment.

One minute, two minutes…

The Grand Nuo finally withdrew the gaze that seemed capable of dissecting flesh from bone and asked, “Why did the Nuo god become angry?”

Chu Li’s extremely taut nerves relaxed slightly.

This hurdle was passed.

She composed herself, quietly pulled her collar higher, and methodically recounted what happened in the shrine, describing in great detail how she and Chu Queling had been careful not to make any sound, while subtly emphasizing that the altar table had overturned suddenly.

Throughout her account, she conveyed that this incident happened very suddenly and had nothing to do with either of them.

Chu Ruoying timely added, “With the ritual ceremony approaching, perhaps the Nuo god is irritated and dissatisfied, taking it out on the two children.”

The Grand Nuo turned the white bone prayer beads, giving a perfunctory nod. “Let’s hope so. This ritual ceremony must not have any errors.”

****

After leaving the small building where the Grand Nuo resided, Chu Ruoying led Chu Li through several towering gates, turned a corner past a cluster of well-arranged residences, and brought her into a courtyard with three entrances and three exits.

The branches and leaves of a tall osmanthus tree extended diagonally over the wall, and the courtyard was lush with greenery.

The trunk bore many deep carved marks. Under the tree, an old swing swayed gently. The white walls had many weathered, faded graffiti, some signatures still clear enough to make out the names “Ruoxian” and “Ruoying.”

Chu Li stared in a daze, recognizing traces that belonged to her mother.

Chu Ruoying anxiously examined her entire body, lifting her clothes while asking, “Are you injured? What happened in the shrine…”

Ankles, calves, collarbone… After several hours, those marks had grown deeper in color, starkly visible against her snow-white skin.

Chu Li snapped back to attention, blushing from her ears to her neck, frantically pressing down her clothes.

“No, no injuries. Little Aunt, I’m fine. These weren’t made in the shrine.”

Though Chu Ruoying had never married, that didn’t mean she didn’t understand what these marks represented—clearly, they were recently made.

Waves of dizziness hit her, and she nearly couldn’t stand.

She only knew that the Grand Nuo had sent several groups of people to find Chu Li, but due to the Nuo god’s interference, they hadn’t succeeded.

Earlier, when she heard from returning junior members that the Nuo god’s manifestation was unusually close to Chu Li, she hadn’t believed it at all. Everyone in the Chu main family knew that once the entity enshrined in the shrine emerged, it would inevitably destroy the entire Chu clan. After the previous Grand Nuo left behind prophecies, all those who foolishly tried to approach the Nuo god died horrible deaths. She had never imagined that such an unspeakable existence could harbor merciful feelings toward humans.

Chu Ruoying’s face looked terrible. Chu Li felt uneasy and, looking at this face so similar to her mother’s, couldn’t help but hook her finger. “Little Aunt, I’m really okay…”

Chu Ruoying suppressed her emotions and gripped her hand. “I’ll send you off the mountain. We leave now.”

“Off the mountain? I won’t leave!” Chu Li stepped back twice. “Little Aunt, you know what I came here to do!”

Her close relatives had died tragically, and now she was completely alone—there was nothing left to fear.

Chu Ruoying covered her face and murmured. “I must have been possessed to agree to let you come back. You shouldn’t get involved again. Xiao Li, being targeted by Him will not end well.”

Chu Li understood, of course.

“I understand. I won’t leave.”

The two similar faces stared at each other for a long time before Chu Ruoying slowly looked away toward the swing under the tree. “I really can’t do anything with you—same stubborn temperament as her.”

“You don’t need to go to the shrine anymore after what happened there. Starting tomorrow, you’ll follow me and familiarize yourself with the main family’s layout.”

“Currently, the best opportunity to act is in three days.”

“Three days before the ritual ceremony, there’s a period of fasting. The Grand Nuo fasts for three days in the ritual hall, making offerings and listening to divine oracles. During these three days, unless there’s something very urgent, no one will be seen. On the second night of fasting, I’ll find a chance to bring you in.”

****

Night fell.

Chu Li sat cross-legged on the bed, checking her talismans. Chu Queling had been frightened during the day and, after waking up and being questioned by the Grand Nuo, had returned to drink calming medicine and was already asleep.

In Chu Ruoying’s courtyard, they had agreed on the timing for action. Afterward, she had also asked about those marks and how they came to be, so Chu Li had to confess about that strange dream.

“After nightfall, the seal’s effectiveness weakens. You carry His scent on you, so He can pull you into dreams.”

Chu Ruoying had prepared many accessories for her that could mask her scent.

Chu Li arranged them all neatly on herself, separately setting aside two concealment talismans in her backpack for use when they acted in three days. The remaining talismans and copper coin sword she kept in her hands.

Despite being fully prepared, she still planned to stay awake all night.

Not entering dreams would be safest.

The watch’s hour hand moved bit by bit as Chu Li drank two cups of strong tea and found a book from the small living room bookshelf to pass the time.

Tick-tock—the hour and minute hands overlapped at the number twelve.

Her fingers turned the pages, gradually slowing down until the book slipped from her hands and fell to the floor with a “thud.”

“…That was close, I almost fell asleep.”

Chu Li instantly woke up, rubbing her sleepy eyes and yawning as she reached for the strong tea on the bedside table.

Her hand recoiled like lightning as tea spilled silently across the floor.

She stiffly touched her neck—nothing there. The scent-masking items Chu Ruoying had prepared for her had vanished, leaving only the talismans and copper coin sword at hand.

Outside the French doors, pale moonlight was quickly shrouded by viscous black mist, plunging the earth into darkness.

He had come.