Chapter 629: Apparent Death, Not True Death

Before Ye Qianning could process what was happening, her surroundings were plunged into a vast expanse of white. Then, a white-haired old man emerged from the mist.

The old man was dressed in ragged clothes, carrying a wine gourd as he staggered toward her.

"Oh? Little one, was that you speaking just now?"

Ye Qianning didn’t say a word. She sized him up from head to toe, twice over. When the old man was right in front of her, she reached out and pinched his leg.

"Hiss! Little girl, do you have to be so rough? Does this old man have a grudge against you or something?"

’He can feel pain. Does that mean this isn’t a dream?’ Ye Qianning wondered.

"A dream? Heh heh, looks like I’ve had too much to drink again." The old man swayed and looked around. "Strange. Why can’t I seem to walk out of this white mist?"

Ye Qianning, too, was finding it hard to tell if this was a dream or reality.

"Little girl, is this your doing?" the old man asked, looking at Ye Qianning again.

"Who are you?" Ye Qianning asked.

"Me?" The old man lifted his wine gourd, smirking at her. "I was about to ask you the same thing, little one."

"Ye Qianning, from the General’s Manor," she stated plainly.

"The General’s Manor?" the old man said in surprise. "Don’t tell me you’re the young lady from the General’s Manor who just died? Goodness me, little one, are you a human or a ghost?"

"Whether I’m human or a ghost doesn’t matter. The fact that I can appear in your dream proves you possess abilities beyond that of an ordinary person. I want to ask you to deliver a message for me, and I will reward you generously afterward."

’The fact that he knows of me means he’s in the Capital City.’

"How will you reward me?" A shrewd glint appeared in the old man’s eyes.

Ye Qianning’s gaze fell upon the wine gourd in his hand. "Celestial Jade Nectar. I guarantee it’s more delicious than any wine you’ve ever tasted."

"Then take it out and let me have a taste."

"I don’t have it on me right now."

"Heh. Little girl, you’re not trying to get something for nothing, are you?"

"Sir, as you can see, we’re most likely in a dream. If you help me, I guarantee that when I wake up, I won’t go back on my promise to give you that fine wine."

Trapped in the white mist, Ye Qianning found her personal storage space had completely vanished, leaving her unable to retrieve anything.

The old man studied her, then glanced around once more. "A dream?"

"Yes. Sir, you have the air of a transcendent master. For us to meet in a dream, surely this is fate, is it not?"

"You little brat, don’t give me that nonsense about fate. You’re a dead person! If I deliver a message for you, wouldn’t I be leaking heavenly secrets? No, absolutely not." The old man waved his hands in refusal.

"You really can’t?"

"I can’t," the old man insisted. "Though I may not be the most devout, the Way has its own principles. How could I interfere so recklessly?"

"You’re already drinking alcohol, what’s this nonsense about ’principles’?"

"You little brat..."

"Sir, if you go take a look, you’ll see. I only appear to have stopped breathing; I’m not actually dead."

The old man stroked his beard, his gaze growing profound and inscrutable as he studied Ye Qianning.

Ye Qianning’s form began to waver, and her head spun. She realized her time in the dream was running out. "Sir, you must go to the General’s Manor! You must...!"

Before she could finish her sentence, the white mist vanished. She was back in her personal space, sitting in the same spot and holding the booklet.

Ye Qianning looked down at the booklet. The two words, "Enter Dream," had vanished as if they had never been there at all. The whole experience felt surreal.

’I don’t know if I can count on that old man.’

’If I can’t rely on him, then I’ll just have to rely on myself. After all, getting out of Beili takes about two months, so there should be enough time.’

The sky slowly began to brighten.