Chapter 147: Monsters in Dreams and Reality

"King of Hell? Sent them back? Two three-headed hounds?" Hearing Wei Xiaoping calling out the name of the King of Hell in his dream, Immortal Xuanzhe thought to himself that the King of Hell was merely the supreme deity presiding over the netherworld in legends. As for whether such a god truly existed, no one had ever witnessed one! Yet now, Wei Xiaoping was actually saying in his dream that the King of Hell had sent him back! Well, since he saw the King of Hell sending him back in his dream, it seemed his physical condition had recovered quite well!

Thinking this, Immortal Xuanzhe immediately stepped forward to feel Wei Xiaoping's pulse.

While taking Wei Xiaoping's pulse, Immortal Xuanzhe pondered over the words Wei Xiaoping had spoken in his dream. He felt that one of the sentences Wei Xiaoping had muttered just now was rather peculiar! Which sentence was it?!

Still holding the pulse, Immortal Xuanzhe continued to dwell on Wei Xiaoping's mention of the "two three-headed hounds," feeling vaguely that these words corresponded to something.

Suddenly, his brow unfurled, and he thought to himself: "Could those two monsters I encountered when I came over just now be so similar to the 'two three-headed hounds' Wei Xiaoping mentioned in his dream? Could the 'two three-headed hounds' Wei Xiaoping spoke of be those two three-headed monsters captured earlier? The heads of those two monsters indeed resembled those of dogs! And they also had three heads growing on a single body! Could the appearance of these two three-headed monsters in the military camp be triggered by Wei Xiaoping's awakening? Otherwise, why such a coincidence? If that is truly the case, then what Wei Xiaoping said in his dream about the King of Hell sending him back is the truth! Furthermore, Wei Xiaoping also said in his dream, 'Where is His Excellency the King of Hell? He sent us back, and before we could even express our gratitude to His Excellency, he vanished!' Who does the 'us' in this sentence refer to? Could it be Wei Xiaoping and those two monsters?"

With these thoughts, Immortal Xuanzhe said to Zhang Xiaoyan:

"Xiaoyan, go find Huang Xianlin and tell him not to let anyone tease those two monsters!"

"Master Uncle, what monsters?" Zhang Xiaoyan asked, looking somewhat bewildered.

Immortal Xuanzhe replied, "This matter cannot be explained clearly in a moment. Let Dahuang take you to find Huang Xianlin!——Dahuang, take Xiaoyan to Senior Brother Huang Xianlin's place, and have Xiaoyan tell him not to let anyone tease those two monsters!"

Upon hearing Immortal Xuanzhe forbid anyone from teasing those two monsters, Dahuang widened its eyes. It thought to herself: Weren't those two monsters captured precisely because they were about to attack the military camp? What has gotten into this old Taoist? Why is he suddenly turning around to protect them?

However, considering that Immortal Xuanzhe was his master's mentor, a cultivator who had practiced Daoism for thousands of years, and possessed a thousand years of worldly experience, he naturally could distinguish right from wrong, good from evil.

With this thought, Dahuang led Zhang Xiaoyan to the place where the two monsters were confined.

After Dahuang and Zhang Xiaoyan left, Immortal Xuanzhe resumed taking Wei Xiaoping's pulse!

"Just as Zhang Xiaoyan said, Wei Xiaoping's pulse is now even more normal and healthy than that of an ordinary person! But why is he still in a semi-conscious state of half-sleep and half-waking?" Immortal Xuanzhe wondered.

Immortal Xuanzhe helped Wei Xiaoping sit up, positioning him cross-legged on the bed with his back facing him. Placing his left palm against Wei Xiaoping's back, he channeled his inner energy to infuse true primordial breath into Wei Xiaoping's back.

Before long, wisps of meandering white mist began to rise slowly from the spot where Immortal Xuanzhe's palm pressed against Wei Xiaoping's back. As the white mist ascended, Wei Xiaoping's eyes slowly opened, gazing blankly at his surroundings.

Seeing that Wei Xiaoping had regained consciousness, Immortal Xuanzhe immediately stepped around to face him and scrutinized him closely.

"Master, when did you arrive?" Seeing Immortal Xuanzhe before him, Wei Xiaoping hurriedly tried to stand up to pay his respects.

Immortal Xuanzhe immediately pressed him down and said, "Disciple, do not move! How are you feeling now?"

"Thank you for your concern, Master, this disciple is fine now!" Wei Xiaoping stepped down from the bed, intending to fetch a cup to pour water for Immortal Xuanzhe.

Wei Xiaoping poured a cup of water for Immortal Xuanzhe.

Observing Wei Xiaoping's gait closely, Immortal Xuanzhe realized that his body was indeed fully recovered. He told him to sit down and asked, "Tell me, Master, why did someone stab you in the heart from behind? And with such precision! Logically speaking, given your martial prowess, there are not many in the vast and desolate wilderness who can match you as an adversary, not to mention that you possess the divine protection of the Nine Heavens Aegis!"

"I encountered my younger brother, Wei Xiaofang, Master!" Wei Xiaoping said, his voice tinged with sorrow.

"Oh? Where did you meet? On the battlefield?" Although Immortal Xuanzhe had roughly guessed the course of the duel between Wei Xiaoping and Wei Xiaofan, he still wanted to hear the account firsthand from Wei Xiaoping himself.

"My younger brother is now a general of the Shihui Kingdom, and has changed his name to Yang Shengtian! Furthermore, his spiritual consciousness seems to have been controlled! He has forgotten everything from our childhood completely...!" Thereupon, Wei Xiaoping recounted to Immortal Xuanzhe how he had first met Wei Xiaofan through Huang Xianlin, how he had journeyed alone to the Shihui Kingdom to search for him, and how they had crossed swords on the battlefield.

Having heard the narrative, Immortal Xuanzhe linked it to his own encounter with Yang Shengtian on the battlefield that day, making him even more certain that Yang Shengtian was one hundred percent Wei Xiaofan.

Judging by the fact that Wei Xiaofan had changed his name to Yang Shengtian and was controlled by soul-capturing sorcery, his sudden abduction ten years ago was likely connected to members of the Heavenly Curse Demon Clan, Yang Jiutian (the state physician of the Barbarian Kingdom), and King Yang Sancheng of the Shihui Kingdom! As to why he thought this way, Immortal Xuanzhe had not yet sorted it out completely, but he vaguely sensed a close relationship among the Heavenly Curse Demon Clan, Yang Jiutian, and Yang Sancheng.

At that moment, Zhang Xiaoyan, Huang Xianlin, and Dahuang walked in.

Seeing that Wei Xiaoping was already standing and conversing with Immortal Xuanzhe, Dahuang, Zhang Xiaoyan, and Huang Xianlin quickly strode forward.

"Xiaoping, have you fully recovered?" Huang Xianlin grabbed Wei Xiaoping's shoulders, looking him up and down from left to right as he asked.

With a mixture of joy and apology, Wei Xiaoping said, "I have completely recovered! Thank you for your concern, Senior Brother! I am sorry for causing everyone such worry."

"That's good! That's good!" Huang Xianlin gave Wei Xiaoping's shoulder a playful punch and said, "The days you spent in a coma, kid, were pure torture for all of us!"

Nearby, Dahuang also stretched its neck forward, gently nudging Wei Xiaoping's back affectionately, shaking its head a few times, and letting out a low whine, as if to say: Master, why are you still ignoring me?

Wei Xiaoping immediately turned his head, cupped Dahuang's chin in his hands to make it look at him, and said jokingly, "Brother Dahuang, tell me the truth, where did you go off to play during the days I was unconscious? Why is it that the moment I wake up, I only see Master and not you?"

Seeing the expression on Wei Xiaoping's face as he spoke, Dahuang knew his master was joking with him, so it opened its jaw wide, putting on a fierce look as if pretending to bite Wei Xiaoping.

Feigning terror, Wei Xiaoping gently slapped Dahuang and dodged its snapping jaws!

Immortal Xuanzhe, Zhang Xiaoyan, and Huang Xianlin burst into laughter at the sight!

When the laughter subsided, Wei Xiaoping walked over to Zhang Xiaoyan and said jokingly, "Xiaoyan, you owe me an explanation too. Where did you go off to play while I was in a coma? The moment I wake up, I only see Master and not you, and you're only coming to see me now!" With that, Wei Xiaoping put on a heartbroken expression: "And to think I used to treat you like my own younger sister!" He turned his head away, blocking his face with his sleeve while putting a finger into his mouth to wet it with saliva, then dabbing it at the corner of his eye.

Seeing this, Zhang Xiaoyan thought Wei Xiaoping was genuinely hurt. She immediately walked up to him, pulled his hand away, and looked into his eyes. Noticing the slightly damp corners of his eyes, she was instantly overcome with distress and heartache as she said, "Big Brother Xiaoping, I didn't go play! Truly! Ever since you were brought back injured that day, Dahuang and I have been staying right here nursing you!" As she spoke, she retrieved a handkerchief from her bosom, gently wiped his "tears," and continued, "Everyone was so worried about you while you were unconscious!"

Putting on an aggrieved tone, Wei Xiaoping asked softly, "Is that true? You're not lying to me? Then why didn't I see you the moment I woke up?"

Zhang Xiaoyan explained, "That was because Big Brother Dahuang and I had to step out for a moment. Master Uncle saw us leave—in fact, it was Master Uncle who told me to go find Xianlin!"

Hearing this, Immortal Xuanzhe suddenly remembered something and immediately asked Wei Xiaoping, "Xiaoping, during the time you were unconscious, did you see anything in your dreams?"

Zhang Xiaoyan also chimed in, "Yes, Big Brother Xiaoping, while I was guarding your bedside, I heard you talking a lot of nonsense in your sleep! Every time I heard you speak, I thought you were about to wake up, but then you didn't! Do you remember seeing anything in your dream?"

Prompted by Immortal Xuanzhe and Zhang Xiaoyan, Wei Xiaoping fell silent for a moment, appearing to search his memory for dream fragments.

After closing his eyes in quiet contemplation for a brief while, Wei Xiaoping said, "There were all sorts of chaotic things in the dream; I don't remember much, and I have no idea where to start thinking from."

Seeing that Wei Xiaoping could not recall the dream and wore a slightly strained expression, Zhang Xiaoyan said, "If you can't remember, then don't think about it! You've just woken up from a coma, and your body probably hasn't fully recovered yet, so don't strain yourself. After all, it was just a dream!"

Immortal Xuanzhe insisted, "Then try to recall what you dreamed right before you were about to wake up."

Noticing how earnestly and solemnly Immortal Xuanzhe was questioning Wei Xiaoping, Zhang Xiaoyan and Huang Xianlin sensed that he must have discovered something, and they too turned to look at Xiaoping with rapt attention.

Closing his eyes once more in deep thought, Wei Xiaoping recounted, "Just before dawn broke, I dreamed that the King of Hell was sending me back along with two monsters with three heads! As we were about to arrive home, just as I was about to thank the King of Hell, I turned around, but the King of Hell was gone—I don't know when he had left. When I looked for the two netherworld hounds, I found that they too had somehow vanished. Seeing that the King of Hell and the two netherworld hounds were gone, my soul plunged straight back into my physical body, and then I woke up."

Hearing Wei Xiaoping mention that two three-headed netherworld hounds had accompanied him back in his dream, Zhang Xiaoyan, Huang Xianlin, and Dahuang were all struck dumb with astonishment. For the three of them had just returned from the place where those two three-headed monsters were confined.

Xiaoping had just regained consciousness this very morning, and those two three-headed monsters had also appeared in the military camp just before dawn today. Furthermore, the two three-headed hounds that Xiaoping claimed accompanied him back in his dream bore an uncanny resemblance to these two captured beasts. Could it be such an incredible coincidence? Could Wei Xiaoping have truly brought back two actual three-headed hounds from his dream?

Immortal Xuanzhe inquired further, "Do you recall what those two monsters in your dream looked like?"

Wei Xiaoping immediately described in detail the appearance of the two netherworld hounds from his dream and asked, "Master, why do you ask? Has something happened?"

Having listened to the description, Immortal Xuanzhe stroked his beard, musing thoughtfully, "Come, I will take you to see the two monsters and check whether they look identical to the two netherworld hounds you saw in your dream!"