Chapter 93: The Dream

Chapter 93: Chapter 93: The Dream

The dream began without warning.

Xi Yunxui found herself standing high above the clouds, suspended in a vast and boundless sky where the wind tore through her clothes and sent the hem of her robes billowing behind her.

Yet she was no longer dressed in the simple uniform of a maid.

A magnificent crimson robe covered her body, its fabric shimmering like flames beneath the strange golden light surrounding her. Every movement sent ripples of red and gold across the material, making her look as though she had been wrapped in fire. Upon her head rested an elaborate crown formed from long, radiant feathers, each one glistening with a brilliance that made it impossible to look at for too long.

Xi Yunxui stared at herself in confusion.

She did not know where she was.

She did not know who she was supposed to be.

And yet, somehow, the sight before her felt strangely familiar.

When she lowered her gaze, her breath caught.

Far beneath her, the earth had become a battlefield.

Thousands of cultivators filled the land, their figures moving through clouds of dust and spiritual energy as weapons collided with deafening force. Swords flashed beneath the sky, spears pierced through protective barriers, and powerful techniques exploded across the battlefield in bursts of light. Some cultivators fought in the air while others clashed upon the ground, and with every passing moment, more people fell.

There was no distinction between friend and enemy.

Everyone was fighting.

Everyone was killing.

Xi Yunxui could see the terror in their eyes, the desperation on their faces, and the blood staining their clothes as they struggled against one another. The scene should have been nothing more than a strange dream, something distant and unreal, yet the emotions washing over her felt painfully genuine.

Horror.

Grief.

Despair.

Her chest tightened as she watched the slaughter below, and an inexplicable sadness settled over her heart so heavily that she almost felt as though she could no longer breathe.

Why was she so sad?

Why did the deaths of these strangers hurt her?

Before she could find an answer, a figure suddenly appeared in front of her.

The person moved through the sky as though gravity meant nothing, approaching her with a speed that made the surrounding clouds scatter. Xi Yunxui tried to hear what they were saying, but although she could see their lips moving, not a single word reached her ears.

She instinctively tried to respond.

Nothing came out.

The next moment, her body moved without her permission.

She was flying.

The battlefield disappeared beneath her as she was pulled toward a distant structure towering above the surrounding landscape. It was enormous, its dark silhouette stretching toward the heavens, with walls that seemed to have existed for countless years.

Xi Yunxui did not know why she was going there, yet her body continued moving until she reached the tower.

Her feet touched the ground.

The massive doors stood before her.

Without hesitation, she pushed them open.

The moment she stepped inside, a sharp pain tore through her chest.

A sword had pierced straight through her heart.

Xi Yunxui’s entire body stiffened.

For a moment, she could not understand what had happened. She stared down at the blade protruding from her chest, her mind refusing to process the sight even as an unbearable pain spread through her body.

Her fingers trembled as she slowly raised her head.

And when she saw the face of the person holding the sword, everything inside her went still.

Huo Jingchen.

No.

It looked like him.

It had to be him.

Xi Yunxui stared at that familiar face, desperately trying to understand what she was seeing. Her lips parted as she tried to speak, but no sound came out. The pain became overwhelming, drowning out every thought as darkness began to swallow her vision.

And just before everything disappeared—

Xi Yunxui jolted awake.

She shot upright in bed, breathing heavily as her hands instinctively clutched at the blankets beneath her. Her chest rose and fell rapidly while she stared into the darkness of the room, completely disoriented.

For several moments, she could only sit there and listen to the sound of her own breathing.

The dream remained vivid in her mind.

The battlefield.

The blood.

The tower.

The sword.

And that face.

Xi Yunxui’s hand slowly rose to her chest.

There was nothing there.

No wound.

No blood.

No sword had pierced her heart.

Yet the sensation remained so real that she could almost feel the phantom pain lingering beneath her skin. More than the physical pain, however, it was the sight of that face that unsettled her.

Why had it been Huo Jingchen?

Or rather, why had the person who stabbed her looked like him?

She had no answer.

With a quiet breath, Xi Yunxui pushed the blankets aside and climbed out of bed. She walked into the bathroom, splashed cold water over her face, and remained there for a moment with her palms pressed against the sink as she tried to clear her head.

When she finally returned to the bedroom, she picked up her phone and checked the time.

5:20 a.m.

It was still too early for dawn.

The residence remained wrapped in silence, with most of the servants still asleep and the household yet to stir into its usual morning rhythm.

Xi Yunxui sat before the dressing table, resting one elbow against the surface before propping her head against her hand. Her thoughts inevitably drifted back to the previous day.

After what had happened with Huo Jingchen, she had spent a long time convincing herself that she had made the right decision.

She was a maid.

He was the eldest young master of the Huo family.

Whatever feelings might have begun developing between them, she had decided that allowing them to continue would only bring trouble. Once she had made up her mind, she had returned to her duties, eaten dinner with Biyu and Hui, and deliberately avoided thinking about him.

She had not even seen Huo Jingchen during dinner.

It was only later, while she was returning to the staff quarters, that she had overheard several maids talking.

Apparently, Huo Jingchen had packed some of his belongings and left the residence.

The servants had been speculating among themselves, wondering whether his sudden departure had something to do with Huo Mingyuan and his family, who had been causing trouble in the household.

Xi Yunxui had pretended not to hear them and continued walking, but their words had remained in her mind.

She hoped it had nothing to do with what she had said to him.

The thought made her chest ache all over again.

Xi Yunxui rubbed her eyes, only to frown when a dull headache suddenly began throbbing behind her temples.

"Where did this come from?"

She massaged her forehead for a moment, but the headache refused to disappear. Eventually, she gave up and lowered her head onto the dressing table, letting out a long sigh.

"System."

A familiar panel appeared in front of her.

[Yes, Host?]

Xi Yunxui stared at the translucent screen for a moment before remembering something important.

"Today is the beginning of the countdown, right?"

[Correct.]

The system’s response immediately reminded her of the new rule introduced after its upgrade.

She had to solve at least one problem every day.

If she failed, her System Progress would decrease by three percent.

Xi Yunxui’s expression became slightly bitter.

"Is the problem I solve required to be related to my duties as a maid?"

[No.]

The answer came almost immediately.

[The problem does not have to be related to the Host’s maid duties.]

Xi Yunxui lifted her head.

"What do you mean?"

[The Host may solve a problem belonging to anyone or anything. The problem does not necessarily have to involve the Host’s occupation.]

Xi Yunxui blinked.

For a moment, she simply stared at the panel.

Then realization dawned on her.

"Oh."

A small sense of relief entered her expression.

"So I can still go to the mountain?"

[Yes.]

Xi Yunxui leaned back in her chair and released another sigh, this one carrying considerably less frustration than before.

That meant she did not necessarily have to choose between completing her system requirement and investigating the mysterious mountain she had received as a cultivation-related reward. As long as she encountered and solved a problem somewhere, the requirement would be fulfilled.

That was manageable.

At least, she hoped it was.

Xi Yunxui rested her cheek against her palm, her eyes becoming distant as the headache continued to pulse faintly through her temples.

"Honestly..."

She had not felt this emotionally exhausted in years.

Perhaps not since her parents had died.

After losing them, she had been forced to grow up far too quickly. With three younger siblings depending on her, there had never been room for her to fall apart whenever life became difficult. She could not allow herself to be overly emotional, could not spend too much time mourning, and could not indulge in sadness simply because she was hurting.

Someone had to remain rational.

Someone had to make decisions.

Someone had to keep moving forward.

And that someone had always been her.

Even when she was exhausted, she had continued working. Even when she was hurt, she had swallowed it and carried on. She had learned to push inconvenient emotions into the deepest corners of her heart because there had always been something more important that needed her attention.

But now, sitting alone in the quiet room before sunrise, Xi Yunxui suddenly realized how tired she was of always being rational.

She closed her eyes and leaned back against the chair.

"Maybe I’m just getting too emotional because I’m in a different world..."

The thought sounded like an excuse, and she knew it.

Her mind drifted back to Huo Jingchen’s expression when she had walked away from him.

For some reason, remembering that look hurt far more than it should have.

Xi Yunxui opened her eyes and stared at her reflection in the mirror.

She had always believed that if she understood something was wrong, she could simply cut it off and move forward.

Yet this time, knowing she had made what she considered the sensible choice had done nothing to make her heart feel better.

If anything, it had made the ache worse.