Shen Cuiyu glanced at the closed door behind Lu Chun and shook her head.
"It's nothing. We were just discussing some matters about the academy. Miss Lu, why are you sitting alone in the yard? Where's Young Master Wang?"
Hearing this, Lu Chun nodded and replied.
"Jingxuan is still sound asleep. I..." Her eyes flickered for a moment before she forced a smile. "I just couldn't fall asleep and came out to get some fresh air."
Noticing Lu Chun's strange behavior, Shen Cuiyu didn't press for an immediate answer. Instead, she motioned for the other disciples to go back first.
Then she took Lu Chun's hand and led her back to her own wing room. After closing the door, Shen Cuiyu poured a cup of hot tea for Lu Chun.
"Miss Lu, if you have anything to say, just speak freely. I'll keep it a secret and won't let others know."
Lu Chun took the teacup. The warmth from her palm gradually dispelled the chill in her body and cleared her mind.
She looked at Shen Cuiyu gratefully. This celestial master in front of her was actually a few years younger than her, yet she always gave Lu Chun a sense of reliability, making people unconsciously trust her and then open their hearts.
"I do have something I want to talk to you about privately." After hesitating for a while, Lu Chun finally said.
"Actually, I was woken up from a dream. I had a... very strange dream."
Her face turned red again as she began to tell the dream in detail.
"I was half - asleep just now. Vaguely, I felt someone touching my face. At first, I thought it was Jingxuan, but then, something cold got into my quilt..."
According to Lu Chun's description, that thing was like a flowing silk, soft but full of strength, so slippery that one couldn't catch it at all. It wound its way up along Lu Chun's calf...
This delicate touch was so real. Before Lu Chun could see what the thing looked like, the coldness disappeared without a trace. Instead, someone hugged her from behind.
Lu Chun clearly knew that the person behind her was not Wang Jingxuan, but the person's aura was so familiar, as if this person had hugged her millions of times before.
Lost in confusion, Lu Chun slowly turned around.
The moonlight poured in like water, filling the room with a clear glow. She recognized the person's face.
He leaned closer. His black hair intertwined with hers like a waterfall. Lu Chun heard the man's jade - like voice whispering in her ear, making her heart beat wildly.
"Xiaochun..." He chuckled, like a lover's murmur. "I'm really not used to this name."
The man reached out and stroked Lu Chun's white hair. Although he didn't say a word, she could clearly feel his pity.
Their breaths mingled. Every touch was a new exploration.
The strangest thing was that Lu Chun didn't feel disgusted by his closeness at all. Until the room was filled with amorous feelings...
Lu Chun suddenly woke up from the dream. It was pitch - black all around. It turned out that it was just a dream!
Wang Jingxuan beside her was breathing evenly, obviously still in a deep sleep. Lu Chun was stunned for a while, then suddenly covered her face. Shame and guilt welled up in her heart!
Lu Chun was very proper. Except for her husband, she had never had contact with any other men. Why did she have such a dream?!
Frustrated, she put on her outer clothes and went outside, hoping that the chilly wind could blow away the ripples in her heart. Unexpectedly, she just met a group of celestial masters who came to check...
At this point, Lu Chun was extremely ashamed and angry. She lowered her head deeply and didn't dare to look at Shen Cuiyu.
"I don't know why I had such a dream. I feel sorry for Jingxuan..."
Shen Cuiyu remained calm. She first comforted Lu Chun.
"It's okay. It's just a dream. You've been worrying about finding Wang Jingxuan for a whole month. We've all seen your loyalty and affection. This mansion is full of strange things. It's not surprising that your dream is abnormal."
Lu Chun, who had been keeping her head down, finally raised her face slightly. There were tears welling up in her eyes.
"... Really?"
Shen Cuiyu nodded with a bit of amusement and then asked.
"Did you see the person's face clearly in the dream?"
Lu Chun wiped away her tears and nodded.
"He was a young man, with a gentle and handsome appearance." As she said this, a look of confusion appeared on her face. "And I feel like I'm so familiar with him, as if I've seen him somewhere before..."
Shen Cuiyu nodded thoughtfully. At the same time, doubts welled up in her heart.
Was the man in Lu Chun's dream the snake demon?
If it really was, did the snake demon have two faces?
When facing the celestial masters, it showed its hideous original form, but when it entered Lu Chun's dream, it took on a well - cultivated human form...
"Xiaochun, where's the amulet I gave you?"
Lu Chun quickly took out the talisman paper from her bosom.
"I listened to you and kept this talisman paper close to my body. It never left me."
Looking at the intact talisman paper, Shen Cuiyu knew that the snake demon had no intention of harming Lu Chun at all. What on earth was it up to?
There were really a lot of strange things happening this day. Wang Jingxuan's lies, Lu Chun's forgiveness, the snake demon's scare and its appearance in the dream...
Shen Cuiyu looked out of the window. The moon was bright and the stars were few. A faint demonic aura was hidden in the air and soon blown away by the wind.
She turned to look at Lu Chun. Her eyes were as clear as a cold pool. Every word she said was like a stone thrown into stagnant water.
"Xiaochun, actually you've already known in your heart that there's something wrong with Wang Jingxuan, right?"
Lu Chun trembled imperceptibly, as if this sentence had hit her deepest pain.
She fell silent. After a while, she nodded very slowly and heavily. Her voice was hoarse with exhaustion.
"My mother always said when she was alive that it's hard for people to be muddled - headed. For some things, once they're exposed, there'll be no way out. I'm afraid that if I see too clearly, this life... will really become unbearable."
Shen Cuiyu's tone was calm but carried an undeniable strength, like the evening bell and morning drum.
"Xiaochun, sometimes the way out you think you have might be an abyss; the clarity you're afraid of might be the only way to survive. Once you're in a dead - end alley, you should turn back in time. Muddling through life is not always a vast and open road, but sometimes it's like trapping yourself in a cocoon."
Lu Chun suddenly raised her head, as if she had been severely hit by this sentence. She was in a daze for a long time, as if she was seeing the predicament she was in for the first time.
Finally, the confusion in her eyes was gradually replaced by a determined firmness. She bowed respectfully to Shen Cuiyu.
"Please, celestial master... show me the way. What should I do?"
The door was gently closed. Shen Cuiyu and Lu Chun went out together. They called Pei Yu, Zhong Shengwan and Dongfang Xiao. Everyone went back to Wang Jingxuan's courtyard. In the wing room, he was still sound asleep.
Shen Cuiyu lit another calming incense. Meeting Lu Chun's worried look, she explained.
"Don't worry. This is just to make him sleep more soundly and ensure that he won't wake up suddenly in the middle."
Zhong Shengwan still remembered the scare from the snake demon and rarely showed some enthusiasm.
"Let's go and take a look at those locked wing rooms."