Chapter 1500 - 809: Dream-Entering Technique (Double-Length)

The sword's body quivered slightly, as if waiting for praise, but Chen Yi paid it no mind, for a letter had appeared at the sword's hilt.

Chen Yi was somewhat surprised. Although the flying sword message delivery was swift, the round trip seemed unusually fast.

Unless... Zhou Yitang's current location wasn't far from Chang'an, this thought made his heart skip a beat, but he quickly suppressed it.

He reached out, and the Tai Sha Sword obediently landed in his palm, rubbing against him flatteringly.

"Alright, stop dawdling," Chen Yi lightly scolded, without much sincerity, and brushed his fingers over the sword's body to take the letter.

In the moonlight, Chen Yi unfolded the plain paper. The handwriting was thin and vigorous, each stroke very familiar; it was indeed Zhou Yitang's handwriting. The letter was not long, concise, and straight to the point:

"Letter received. Mother of Non-Birth is severely injured, her foundation shaken, unable to restore for a hundred years; this indeed is a good opportunity. However, as far as I know, although the Mother of Non-Birth is revered by the White Lotus Sect as an ancient god, she is not the sole instance, nor the most ancient or frightening. Such unspeakable, indescribable existences..."

The letter wasn't long. Chen Yi glanced over it roughly, his brow furrowed slightly. The White Lotus Saint Mother is currently serving a being similar to the Mother of Non-Birth. According to Zhou Yitang, this may not be unrelated to the current Dragon Qi fluctuations of the Western Jin. She stated in the letter that the current flow of Dragon Qi in the Western Jin is peculiar. Originally, the five capitals of the Western Jin corresponded to five dragon veins, but now four of the five dragon veins have weak auras, leaving the one belonging to Chang'an particularly robust.

The way of man, to take from the excess and supplement the lack.

The planning within, the core must be in Chang'an. Zhou Yitang suspects that Emperor Jianji of Western Jin is plotting something; otherwise, how could the Western Jin Royal Family alone stir the dragon vein?

Chen Yi's gaze lingered on the last few lines, his brow furrowing more tightly.

The fluctuations in the Dragon Qi of the Western Jin, four veins weakening while Chang'an alone prospers... This is no longer merely a matter of the White Lotus Sect or some ancient divine being, but touches upon the very foundation of the dynasty's national fortune.

If, as Zhou Yitang speculates, this matter involves the Western Jin Royal Family, or even Emperor Jianji himself is behind it, then the machinations involved are likely more shocking and perilous than imagined.

He continued reading. There was another section, the ink seemed a bit lighter than before, and the writing more deliberate, as if Zhou Yitang had pondered it over.

The letter mentioned that during her early travels with her master, she had come across some absurd legends in ancient inscriptions and texts, saying that the real Chang'an was not above ground, but beneath the Nine Netherworld. At the time, it was dismissed as a rustic tale, laughed off. Yet, thinking now of the peculiar single prosperity of the Chang'an dragon vein, and the strange movements of the White Lotus Sect in this area, she suddenly felt this rumor might not be entirely groundless. The city above ground is yang, accommodating the living populace and maintaining the imperial laws; should there be another world underground, it would be yin, possibly gathering spirits, sealing ancient relics, or... sustaining foreign deities. These are mere speculations, with no concrete evidence.

At this, Chen Yi felt a sudden chill in his heart.

An underground Chang'an?

Zhou Yitang's letter did not end there. Anticipating his doubts, the tone shifted, saying: A giant city like Chang'an, with a population of millions, weaves thoughts day and night; dreams are as numerous as grains of sand, intertwining and linking, forming a chaotic abyss. If one wishes to explore, one could use the Dream-Entering Technique to investigate, much like you once spoke of "collective unconsciousness."

Seeing this, Chen Yi nodded slightly. This was indeed a good method. This Great Yu Capital has the Spring and Autumn Annals, and the Western Jin Capital has the Five Directions Five Wisdom Array. If one frequently acts within Chang'an City, even with the Invisibility Concealing Breath Technique, it would inevitably trigger the capital's grand array mechanisms.

However, the chaos of dreams, being inherently without order, and mingling myriad thoughts, makes it easier to conceal traces.

Zhou Yitang even briefly mentioned at the end of the letter: "Taihua has an archive, the 'Pillow Book', which might record methodologies for dream exploration, and the Yin Family could be consulted."

At this point, the letter ended, and Chen Yi was about to put it away when he noticed the paper was thicker, with writing on the back.

Though just a short paragraph, the handwriting was much more elegant, contrasting adorably with the previous:

"Chen Yi, Master Zhou told me to tell you not to overthink.

Did something troubling happen to you? Please don't be unhappy, okay? Even if you must be unhappy, take care of yourself.

I encountered many interesting things on the way, and I'll tell you when I return."

The letter was written in vernacular, seemingly considering that he found classical Chinese somewhat challenging.

"Little Fox..."

Chen Yi murmured incessantly, his heart softening into a puddle, the previous melancholy suddenly vanishing without a trace.

Truly adorable, the most adorable at home is always the Little Fox. Chen Yi suddenly felt a strong urge to pull the Little Fox tightly into his arms from a thousand miles away, thinking about the so-called cuteness aggression.

He was likely afflicted by this.

When Little Fox returns, he should pamper her until she cries, then he'd surely be happy... At this thought, Chen Yi started to grin mischievously.

......…

"You're saying, the Dream-Entering Technique?"

The next morning, just as dawn broke.

After washing up, Chen Yi saw that Yin Weiyin had awakened and dressed. He conveyed Zhou Yitang's mention of the Dream-Entering Technique from the letter, naturally omitting any specific conjectures about dragon veins and underground Chang'an, only suggesting using the sea of dreams to explore the hidden networks of Chang'an City.

Yin Weiyin casually pushed a bowl of tea towards him. Though Western Jin's brewing wasted good tea, it was suitable for early morning throat-clearing. She recalled briefly and then nodded: "The 'Divine Traveling in the Void' method recorded in the 'Pillow Book' indeed uses dreams as a medium to explore the hidden and unknown. It was created by the predecessors of Taihua Mountain to understand the hearts of all beings and refine their Taoist Hearts."

As she spoke, she couldn't help but think; last night, he wrote a word with her together, his thoughts a bit detached and drifting. But ultimately, no matter how many words could be said, it still depended on the methods of her as the First Lady.

Thinking this, her inner mood calmed slightly.

"Do you remember the magic spell mantra?" Chen Yi asked.

"Naturally." Yin Weiyin then clearly and steadily relayed an ancient spell of Clear Heart and Concentration and Dream Induction, along with several corresponding handprint acupoints to Chen Yi. The spell was not long, yet rather mysterious, merely listening induced a sense of deep consciousness dive.

"When do we enter the dream?" Yin Weiyin asked, while casually twisting her long hair, pinning it up with a hairpin.

"We can do it now." Chen Yi looked out at the gradually brightening sky.

Yin Weiyin thought for a moment, then shook her head: "The dream state is chaotic, with numerous variables. It's best to go together for mutual support." She

Chen Yi glanced at her, not opposing: "That's fine."

The two then ceased speaking, sitting cross-legged facing each other on the couch.

Yin Weiyin gestured for Chen Yi to press his palms against hers, then softly began reciting the Dream-Induction spell, her voice clear and resonant, melodious and mysterious. Chen Yi also silently recited, gathering all his thoughts, feeling an inexplicable force guiding his consciousness to slowly sink.

The surrounding world began to blur, the couch, window mullions, and morning light all swaying and blurring like reflections in water.

It was as if riding clouds and fog, or perhaps sinking into a warm deep sea, gradually losing the five senses and making the perception of time and space ambiguous and unclear. Just as an ordinary person often cannot remember how they fell into slumber, by the time they realize "this is a dream," they are already in it.

Unknown how much time passed, perhaps just a moment, the feeling of chaotic weightlessness gradually faded.

A solid feeling came from beneath their feet, and light and shadow gathered before their eyes, turning the scene from blur to somewhat clear.

They seemed to be standing under a corridor, the red lacquer on the pillars was somewhat mottled, yet still appeared heavy. Looking up, it was the grand grandeur of a mansion, with flying eaves and bracket sets, deep courtyards, and rockery盆景 placed in a scattered manner. Although dreamlike and somewhat blurry, the arrangement and decoration exuded an unsophisticated background, certainly not an ordinary household.

Chen Yi was absorbing the dreamlike majesty of this architecture, trying to discern which affluent family in Chang'an it belonged to, when he heard Yin Weiyin beside him emit a short gasp:

"Chen Yi! You... you..."

Chen Yi turned towards the voice, looking at Yin Weiyin. She was still in her simple Daoist robe, eyes widened, finger slightly trembling as she pointed at him, strangely.

"...You've turned into a child!"

Chen Yi was startled, instinctively looking down at himself.