Exploring the Illusory Tomb Part 1 [Ancient Times Version] - Chapter 36: A Dreamlike Ephemeral Bloom

Chapter 36: A Dreamlike Ephemeral Bloom

“Aoyue…” 

I called the name—Aoyue. I could speak it aloud, but I didn’t know where I had heard it before. I lay on the ground. I met those bl00d-like crimson eyes. My head throbbed as if it would split open. And it felt like countless pale hands reached out from within my mind. They were set against the backdrop of a bl00d-red sky. Grief-stricken voices cried out endlessly. They were piercing through my eardrums. They whispered ceaselessly in the darkness.

They repeated the same words that echoed in my nightmares:

—Come back, return here.

—Come to us.

The silver wolf sniffed the air above my body. It then silently backed away. Its silver claws were rested in the green grass. It made no sound at all. It was standing there still. Its bl00d-red eyes were calmly watching me.

Luo Shen lowered her bow and came toward me. From above, she looked down at me. Through the deep night of her eyes, I saw my own helpless, confused face reflected. Then, she bent down. She lifted me into her arms. Her soft hair fell near my ear. It tickled slightly with a sensation like a gentle electric current.

“It’s gone.” 

I heard her soft whisper. It was always calm like a cup of tea.

I glanced into the distance and saw the large white figure shrinking away into the misty night. Its followers trailed respectfully behind. It was like a tide in submission. The night of bloodshed ended under the silver plate-like moon.

It stopped in a shadowy pit, looked back at me, then howled at the silver moon in the sky. The white wolves behind it howled in response. Their sorrowful cries were spreading layer by layer.

The howls were mournful. It was like a dirge on the grasslands.

I had never been so tired. In a daze, I didn’t know how long I slept. When I woke, I was alone. I was lying on a pure white woolen bed. It was warm all around, heated by a fire.

Outside the yurt, it was noisy—sounded like a celebration. Accompanied by horsehead fiddles and the bold songs of grassland men. The sounds entered my ears one after another.

I stretched my weary limbs and stared at the covered felt curtain. My vision was slightly blurry. It felt like I had slept forever. Faces and scenes came and went in my dreams.

It wasn’t a world I knew, nor people I recognized.

There was Aoyue in that world, a tall man dressed in black, and a woman whose face felt painfully familiar. She wore a luxurious fox-fur coat, smiled gently, and had a tear-shaped mole below her eye. But sadly, I only saw her for a brief moment. There were only fragments in a hazy dream I couldn’t decipher.

*Sigh…* I exhaled gently and shook my head. I was trying to sweep away the chaotic images in my mind. I wasn’t injured. But my whole body ached badly. A swollen sensation made me feel like I might burst at any moment.

When I looked up, I saw a familiar snow-white robe—so close I could see the flying crane patterns embossed on the fabric.

Luo Shen held a steaming soft wool towel in her hands. She silently bent down and looked at me. Her clear, bare face was so close that I couldn’t look away. Then she gently wiped my cheeks and neck with the warm towel. The comforting heat eased the weariness in my body.

“You’ve been taking care of me all this time?” 

I took the towel from her and wiped my hands. She quietly sat beside me and nodded.

“They’re celebrating out there?”

“Yes, for driving away the wolves tonight.”

Wolves? I froze. The silver figure disappearing under the moonlight flashed in my mind. I lowered my head in silence.

“It’s gone. Are you very sad?”

“Maybe……. When I saw it, my heart suddenly hurt so much. It was like I remembered many terrible things.” 

I glanced at her and saw the seriousness in her face. She tilted her head to look at me. Her calm expression carried a quiet elegance at the corner of her eyes. It made me suddenly lose the words I wanted to say. So I changed the subject with a smile: 

“That demoness must be having fun out there with all that meat and milk wine. Look, she’s nowhere to be seen.”

“She drank a lot. But she kept asking A’erzhen about the Dragon Ravine.”

That piqued my interest. 

“So, what did A’erzhen say?”

“He said that the Qìsha tribe has guarded the Dragon Ravine for generations. They never allow outsiders in. The wolves have been wandering inside for many years. And they sometimes come out in packs to hunt. That’s when the Qìsha tribe suffers most.” 

She gave me a long look. 

“But he’s very grateful we helped lift the siege. Especially you. Do you know what the Qìsha people call you now?”

“What?”

“Suo Lì Mù’ěr.”

I was confused. The Qìsha language was strange. Seeing me frown, her eyes shimmered gently with delight.

“The Morning Star of the Grasslands,” 

She explained. 

“They say you’re the woman who can command the silver wolves. And they revere you like the dazzling star at dawn.”

My face grew hot—not from the praise itself. But it was because the beautiful, ephemeral woman before me said it. Just hearing her speak those words filled my heart with joy.

Looking down, I noticed I was already wearing a clean set of clothes. I instinctively grabbed my collar and gasped, 

“You… You changed my clothes?”

She smiled as if she understood the hidden embarrassment in my voice. She nodded slowly, drawing out the end of her words: 

“Yes… I saw it all, from head to toe.”

My face burned even more. I could almost hear a string snapping in my mind. She, however, continued casually: 

“Your skin is very fair. Very beautiful.”

“You… you… I…” 

My shoulders trembled uncontrollably, my fingers twisted nervously. I was turning pale and almost transparent with a faint blush. I wondered how red my face must have been.

Seeing my embarrassment, she smiled gently and said innocently, 

“Changing clothes—seeing something is unavoidable. Or should I gouge my eyes out?”

I leapt up in panic: 

“Who—who wants you to do that!” 

I fled to the curtain and muttered, 

“I’m hungry. I’ll go find something to eat.”

She sat on the bed and smiled: 

“Alright. Bring me some milk wine when you return.”

I nodded quickly. I lifted the curtain and stepped into the night. My heart was still pounding.

Outside was loud and lively. I looked around and saw a huge bonfire in the distance. Yu Linxing was in her fiery red outfit. She was laughing and drinking with others around the fire. Laughter echoed across the grasslands.

“Sister.”

Just as I was heading toward the fire, a soft voice called out behind me—crisp like a wind chime on a breezy corridor. I stopped in surprise. Who would call me sister at this hour?

I looked around and spotted a small figure in the shadows. I walked over and saw a young girl standing before me. She was about eight years old. She wore a luxurious fox-fur coat, different from the Qìsha style. And she had a snow-white fox tail scarf around her neck.

Her delicate face was like a porcelain doll. Her black-pearl eyes were full of joy. Looking into her eyes felt like gazing into a star-filled sky.

“Sister,” 

She called again with a pure smile.

Whose child was this? She was so adorable. I bent down. I aligned with her forehead, where a faint golden crescent moon was painted.

I patted her head and smiled, 

“Little girl, what is it?”

She giggled and opened her palm in front of me. Like a magic trick, a crystal-clear flower bloomed in her hand—like glass, snow-white. It had five gently trembling petals and five bl00d-red stamens in the center.

A *Bloom of Dreams*? I was shocked and overjoyed.

According to books, the Bloom of Dreams grants a lifetime of good dreams—no anxiety, no sorrow. This flower was not only beautiful but also a rare and precious medicine that many longed for yet couldn’t obtain.

She held it up to me: 

“For you, sister.”

For me? I stared at her in surprise. The noise of the world seemed to fade. It left just the two of us. I even wondered if she, too, had come from a dream.

“You don’t want it? This is a treasure,” 

She pouted, looking unhappy. Her pouty little face made me want to squeeze it. I smiled and shook my head. 

“It’s too precious. I can’t accept it.”

“You don’t like me?” 

She asked, pouting more. 

“Big Doggy sent me. It told me to give it to you. If you don’t take it, it won’t play with me anymore!”

Big Doggy? I was confused. What was this child saying? She stomped her little feet angrily. 

“If you don’t take it, I’ll be mad!”

I laughed and gently picked the flower from her palm. 

“Alright, I’ll take it. Thank you. What’s your name?”

Just then, a breeze blew through. It lifted my hair and brushed my cheek. My vision blurred. And in the wind, I heard her bell-like voice:

“My name is Changseng.”

Changseng… Eternal Life…

The wind died. I rubbed my eyes and opened them again. Nothing but darkness. The girl named Changseng had vanished. But the flower still rested in my palm. Its petals gently trembled as if whispering secrets in the night.

Such a strange child—where did she come from? I stood there for a while. I then walked toward the bonfire. Smiling at the drunken red-clad woman, I said, 

“Demoness, I’m here for a bowl of wine.”

Yu Linxing lifted her charming face. Her drunken eyes were hazy and alluring. She slurred slightly: 

“Wine… wine… good…” 

She reached around but couldn’t find anything.

I walked over, patted her thin shoulder: 

“Alright, alright, here it is. Stop searching.” 

I grabbed a wine jar and a bowl and began pouring. Ah Que, who was beside her, nodded kindly to me.

Yu Linxing snatched the wine jar and grumbled, 

“So it was here! Made me look forever.”

Looking at her slightly drunk, lonely face, I felt a pang of sympathy. 

“You’re drunk. Don’t drink anymore.”

She held the wine and muttered, 

“Who says I’m drunk? What nonsense…” 

Then called: 

“Ah Que, drink with me!”

I couldn’t stop her and sighed. Ah Que turned to me and said, 

“She’s always like this when drunk. As long as someone drinks with her, she’s fine. Don’t worry, Miss Shi, I’ll take care of her.”

I nodded helplessly. Sometimes, that demoness really was just a child.

Leaving the crowd, I returned to the yurt with the wine. The room was still warm.

“Luo Shen, here’s your wine,” 

I called out.

No reply.

She lay on the bed. Her ink-black hair cascaded like a waterfall. It was flowing off the edge. Her white robe slipped slightly off her shoulder. It revealed her long neck and a patch of snow-white skin. My heart skipped. And I felt dry-mouthed.

“Asked for wine and now you’re asleep?” 

I whispered, placing the wine on the table.

Then I noticed the Bloom of Dreams still in my hand. I gently kissed the petals, then tucked it into Luo Shen’s flowing black hair.

The translucent petals glowed brightly. It bloomed quietly within her hair—snow-like flower, snow-like woman—seamlessly blending.

Sweet dreams, Luo Shen.