Chapter 384 - 0241 Self-inflicted and self-endured (two-in-one)_2

Protection?

Who?

Protect from whose hands?

He had seen similar scenes before, in the System.

And now, there was a similar essence, only the galaxy in his palm could continue to survive.

Compared to the intensely real experience of being with Yun Qian, the absurd scene before him was more like a dream, as his mind became muddled... Xu Chang’an felt dazed.

When people dream, they forget a lot upon waking up, and Xu Chang’an was no exception; at least, he wouldn’t remember this scene once he woke up.

But as long as he was in the dream, he could influence the dream.

For instance...

Though Xu Chang’an’s consciousness was unclear, in the face of this heaven and earth-destroying bizarre scene, besides instinctively gripping the vortex in his hand, his first thought was to look around, searching for Yun Qian’s figure.

In such danger, of course, he wanted to protect Yun Qian.

And there’s a truth in the world: if Xu Chang’an actively wanted to find Yun Qian, then no matter what world, what dimension he was in, no matter how unobservable and incomprehensible his thoughts might be, he would definitely find her.

Even in his utterly illogical dream.

If he couldn’t find the girl, there was only one possibility—he didn’t want to find her.

Only when he was unwilling to see the girl would she not appear in his world.

And at this moment, Xu Chang’an wanted to find her, so Yun Qian was present.

"..."

There was a small bridge on the street, and Yun Qian, dressed in a red robe, stood there, gazing at the pitch-black sky.

From Xu Chang’an’s perspective, something seemed different about Yun Qian. Her expression was faintly confused, as if she hadn’t noticed the terrifying sights before her, merely immersed in her own world.

Until she sensed something, and her hands twisted together.

Xu Chang’an was also happy because, in the face of disaster, he had still found the girl.

Xu Chang’an casually tossed the inexplicable vortex in his arms aside and walked towards Yun Qian.

Then they met.

That’s how it should have been.

But a dream is just a dream, devoid of logic.

So, when Xu Chang’an reached out to grab Yun Qian’s hand... the entire world seemed to shake, and Yun Qian slid away, appearing as though she instinctively retreated from Xu Chang’an’s advance.

Xu Chang’an raised his head in confusion.

He saw the girl’s eyelashes trembling, her hands twisting together, appearing somewhat frightened.

With Yun Qian’s defeat, even the pervasive darkness began to recede, restoring everything swallowed up to its original state. Where was the apocalyptic atmosphere?

Clearly, it was a realm of high skies, light clouds, warm clouds, and blooming flowers—an age of prosperity.

"Miss?"

In the dream, Xu Chang’an heard himself call out once, receiving Yun Qian’s slightly uneasy response, a voice he seemed only to have just heard.

"Don’t again... I, I’m really tired."

"..."

A dream is just a dream.

This certainly wasn’t a method to "defeat" Yun Qian.

Besides, he wouldn’t remember any of this when he awoke, only the first layer of the dream.

——

Celestial Bright Peak, at the break of dawn.

A light rain started outside the window, the sky a bit gloomy, clearly morning yet closely resembling dusk.

By the time Xu Chang’an regained his senses, he felt refreshed, inexplicably in a good mood.

Inexplicably?

Xu Chang’an froze for a moment; that wasn’t inexplicable at all. Quickly... an extremely strange expression surfaced on his face because he recalled that intensely real dream.

At this moment, Xu Chang’an was somewhat afraid to confirm if that beautiful scene was indeed just a dream.

Slowly opening his eyes, Xu Chang’an saw the room at Celestial Bright Peak North Garden and breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Sure enough... it was a dream.

He ought to say it was just as well it was a dream, otherwise, Xu Chang’an wouldn’t dare imagine, he might leave an impression of trauma on the girl.

She just didn’t have the strength and couldn’t curse, otherwise she would have scolded him for sure.

But there was no other way; on deeper thought, since back when Yun Qian had "teased" him by disguising herself during their meeting at the Sword Hall with Li Zhibai, countless things had kept him continuously suppressing himself, and this was the inevitable result of that extreme suppression.

Xu Chang’an wouldn’t say it was Yun Qian’s own doing; he would just think that his disposition wasn’t strong enough, that he hadn’t restrained himself.

He hadn’t considered that with the combination of moves Yun Qian had performed on him, even if he shaved his head and became a monk, it wouldn’t be enough to stop it.

Yet...

Xu Chang’an’s gaze fell on the ceiling, listening to the pleasant sound of rain outside the window, and... the constant increase of Celestial Dao Points on the System panel, finally feeling a sense of reality.

How refreshing.

Xu Chang’an thought that even the rain outside sounded pleasant, the air fresh, his mind clear, and even... the sensation of Yun Qian embracing his arm through the bedding felt good.

No one likes a repressive atmosphere, and Xu Chang’an was no exception. Although, as a husband, having a dream with his wife by his side... was quite undignified if spoken of, however, he felt genuinely good now.

He even wanted to hum a tune.

Feeling this good, even the thought of taking Yun Qian down the mountain to Beisang City to meet Zhu Pingniang today didn’t make him nervous anymore.

With a smile, Xu Chang’an turned his head to glance.

Yun Qian, as usual, treated him like a body pillow; Xu Chang’an could feel some of the girl’s fine hair entwined around his hand at that moment, so he didn’t dare make any big movements.

It seemed that Yun Qian’s sleeping posture was still not very good yesterday.

On the contrary, despite experiencing a dream as delightful as fine wine, his sleeping posture remained steady.

"Hmm..."

Xu Chang’an’s gaze grew tender.

The girl... why is she so beautiful?

Yun Qian wore a thick set of pajamas, adorned with intricately designed cute cloud patterns. Only... the girl’s poor sleeping posture left her hair disheveled, creating a discordance with the cuteness.

Xu Chang’an thought that people indeed need to relax, much like a reservoir that overflows once it’s full.

At least now, looking at Yun Qian’s sleeping face, he no longer felt any bit of seductive impulse; he didn’t even dare to take a deep breath, lest he disturb the world’s most adorable sleeping face.

With a deep breath, Xu Chang’an could smell the faint scent of soap on Yun Qian.

But...

What struck him as odd was that Yun Qian not only slept deeply, but her complexion appeared paler than before, as though she was utterly exhausted, even her breathing more feeble than usual.

The visibly tired look between the girl’s beautiful brows was even more evident.

Exhausted?

Xu Chang’an suddenly felt a bit guilty because if yesterday’s dream was anything to go by, the girl had every reason to be this exhausted.

But a dream is just a dream.

Having returned to reality, Xu Chang’an naturally wouldn’t believe it was Yun Qian’s dream rather than his own.

Whether it’s those words or the look of a boy a few years younger, now clear of being enchanted, with honesty in his heart, Xu Chang’an saw it all as just excuses for his weak will.

With a gentle sigh, Xu Chang’an gazed at Yun Qian, full of tenderness, condemning himself with disappointment.

He really dared.

Though he put on a decisive facade in the dream, resolving never to betray Miss Yun, he ultimately couldn’t resist the dream’s allure.

No.

The guilt in his heart was overwhelming.

When Yun Qian awoke later, he vowed to tell her the dream’s content, admitting everything he did behind her back, hoping for the girl’s forgiveness.

Only then could he feel at ease.

Yes.

As for why Yun Qian was so tired, Xu Chang’an certainly didn’t actually believe it was due to what he did in the dream; he was just feeling guilty earlier.

Thinking carefully, Yun Qian had followed him up Celestial Bright Peak, then to Muyu Peak, and upon seeing Li Zhibai at the Sword Hall, and later insisted on going to his residence, playing with Mao’Er, and even poured him wine in the evening.

Given her truly weak, genuinely unarmed state, she should be tired.

Reasonable.

Quite reasonable.

Today, I’ll make something delicious for her.

Now comes the problem.

Staring at Yun Qian’s weary appearance, Xu Chang’an wondered whether he should get up to make breakfast.

Would it wake her up?

Xu Chang’an didn’t know if he didn’t want to wake her or... just wanted to look at her sleeping face a bit longer.

Gazing at Yun Qian sleeping curled up, he suddenly thought of the Li Hua at Muyu Peak.

Just like the girl.