Chapter 181
Chapter 181
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: Dream
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"...Ha."
The view outside the window was still dim, the unique chill of dawn prickling my face.
I woke up drenched in sweat from the dream.
"...Damn it."
It was that dream again.
The absurd one where my daughter rapes me.
It had been five days since returning to Shaanxi, and every night it was the same dream.
To be precise, the content varied slightly.
The end result was always me getting raped, but the positions or plays differed a bit...
'Don't think about it, you lunatic...'
-Throb throb
My head throbbed from the accumulated fatigue of not sleeping properly for days.
With the same nightmare every night, I couldn't get any real rest.
I wondered if this was what insomnia felt like.
Falling asleep was hard enough, but even when I did, the fatigue didn't lift—instead, stress piled up. Naturally, I lost the desire to sleep, and forcing myself became a vicious cycle.
But humans can't go without sleep entirely, so it was driving me mad in every way.
Sleep was meant to recover fatigue and provide rest, so why did it terrify me now?
'Saintess, come out for a sec.'
[Huh... It didn't work?]
'A bit better than yesterday, but still the same.'
[...I see. Maybe not enough blessing...]
With only days until the all-out war against the Blood Cult, I didn't have much to do, but I couldn't keep letting my condition deteriorate like this.
I needed a clear mind for any variables, and if Ye Xiaotian or the Sword Empress struggled, I'd have to comfort them.
So I'd asked the Saintess for help, but it had little effect.
When I considered seeing a physician, I doubted this era had many versed in mental issues. Even if one existed, how could I explain it?
'According to the heavenly secrets I read, the Heavenly Demon raped me, and now her daughter rapes me in dreams every night, so I can't sleep.'
No way could I say that.
Better to seek magic than a dubious physician I couldn't trust or confide in.
I'd consulted the Saintess, received blessings, and even spent points on a magic tool promising good dreams, but nothing worked.
'No more effective magic tools?'
[Dream-related ones were heavily used in the war, so stock is low. Banshee-type monsters erode minds through nightmares, so we distributed them to all soldiers. I'm checking the warehouse now, but nothing useful for you...]
'Anything you used?'
[I overcame them with holy power. Natural nightmares were bearable because of you... Ah, how about this?]
'What is it.'
[Succubus Queen's Dream Express...]
'Put it away.'
[Eek.]
Succubi were dream demons, but this clearly wasn't what I needed.
...Still, maybe hear the description...
[It contains a fragment of the Succubus Queen's soul, guaranteeing the most ecstatic dream you've never experienced.]
Yeah. No thanks.
It'd worsen things, not help—zero chance.
At least let me rest in dreams.
[I'll keep looking, so wait a bit. If you can't sleep, a dawn stroll might help.]
'Maybe.'
I slipped out of bed carefully, not to wake Dang Ayoung.
I missed the soft warmth around my face, but no choice.
Turning from her chest—which looked even larger than usual due to the bandages—she always wore—I headed to the backyard quietly.
The pre-winter breeze felt chilly through my nightclothes, so I rubbed my arms. Then I spotted someone already there.
-Rustle
A sword danced across the sky.
Even I, a complete novice in martial arts, could feel profound insights in each swing—a sword dance feast.
For any warrior, it was a priceless opportunity hard to come by in a lifetime, just from watching. To me, it was simply too beautiful to look away.
The dazzling display continued for a few more minutes,
-Slash!
Ending with a faint plum blossom scent as the Sword Empress sheathed her blade.
-Clap clap clap
I applauded instinctively, and she turned to me.
"Sorry for not greeting you right away. Talking mid-flow breaks the rhythm."
"No, it's fine. That was amazing."
"Glad you enjoyed it."
I handed her a towel from the nearby table as she approached, but she waved it off with a smile.
"Just loosening up—no sweat."
"You're beyond that level."
"About half a shichen, I think. Not long."
'That's an hour.'
It'd take time to adapt to warriors' time sense.
Anyway.
"Don't you sleep? You're heading into battle soon."
Judging by the moon, it was around 3 or 4 a.m., so I wondered.
"Sleep can be replaced by circulation and breathing. Even in peaceful times, I never let my sword rust—but better safe. Sharpen the senses."
"Ye Xiaotian says meditation suffices."
"I prefer moving the body."
Ah, got it.
Nothing more to ask if that's her preference.
I didn't know warriors that well anyway.
"And you? Trouble sleeping again? I heard you've been restless."
"...Yeah."
"Unlike us, you're a civilian. Force sleep even if hard—stagnant qi harms. Sleep plays a bigger role in body and mind than you think."
"I know..."
Earth drilled sleep's importance into me endlessly.
Insomnia's true terror was the mental issues it spawned.
To the Sword Empress, that was "stagnant qi."
Considering this sex-obsessed body, erectile dysfunction seemed unlikely amid other risks, but danger remained.
If the Saintess were idle, she'd probably say, [Come to our world, and I'll put you to eternal sleep! Zero insomnia worries!]
Luckily, she was busy.
[What do you take me for?!]
'You wouldn't?'
[I'd sooner risk side effects massaging your mind directly than prince you into Sleeping Beauty!]
What? That's scarier.
Massage how?
Don't mess with it freely.
And why risk side effects on my body?
[Since when do you have a say?]
'I do now.'
[Oh no!]
Before handover, control was mine.
Her rotten personality meant yielding it ended my life.
'Go find it!'
[Eek.]
I mentally booted the Saintess back to the warehouse and gave an awkward smile to the puzzled Sword Empress.
My poor state made multitasking fail; I barely heard her.
"Sorry, spaced out... What did you say?"
"No, I... Never mind the nightmare content—Mount Hua..."
"Pardon?"
"...Forget it. Just idle talk."
"...?"
Whatever she meant, if unimportant, fine.
"...Ah."
She looked enlightened, then said,
"If nightmares trouble you, how about thinking of your Master?"
An unexpected suggestion.
"...Pardon?"
"When raising my disciple, she had nightmares; I soothed her. You grew up with yours, so similar experience—might help."
"Master..."
I'd never considered it.
Embarrassing like seeking parents post-growth, but who else to lean on?
Like parents, regardless of feelings.
"Best to visit directly, but she's in secluded training... Hard to justify."
"Haha... No choice."
Unlike Dang Ayoung, I hadn't told the Sword Empress I bolted out on my own.
Reason...
'I'd get reamed...'
Her rigid personality, having raised a disciple, differed from Dang Ayoung's case.
Anyway, it helped.
"I'll try as you said. Thanks."
"Good. Kids need deep sleep to grow."
"...Growth spurt ended ages ago?"
"...Oops. Slipped."
I shot her a sulky look, then headed to my room, not Dang Ayoung's.
Better alone for old memories.
No need to wake her accidentally.
-Flop
I unfolded the bedding and settled into sleep position.
'Master...'
She'd probably emerged from the mountain by now.
Timeline suggested high chance.
Maybe scouring the Central Plains for me, eyes blazing.
'I'll visit reality soon.'
Unfilial disciple made a mess outside.
Bad timing for crucial period.
But it'd happen sans me, so leniency please.
-Swish
I pulled out her cherished bead, held it close, and reminisced long.
Always called her cranky, but so grateful.
Half-playful errands never exceeded my limits.
She handled real dangers or hard tasks herself. When I unexpectedly fell ill, she'd brew porridge and scour the mountain for herbs like a rat hunter.
-Pfft
That's why I fell for her back then.
She never saw me as a man, so I shelved it.
But please, no cooking.
It was sincere, so I ate despite illness, but her porridge was truly awful...
...Zzz...
.
.
.
Thankfully, I fell asleep peacefully. Thinking of Master worked wonders—the nightmare tormenting me for days was gone, replaced by a wholly different dream.
If the other was a distant unreal future, this was a cherished past memory.
Musing on Master pre-bed made it about our time together.
That part made sense, but...
-Splash
-Splish splash
Why...
"Is the water temperature bearable? It's lukewarm; thinking of heating it."
"Y-Yes..."
Why this dream, even in sleep...
...Bathing together?!