The Yuan King felt he was going mad.
For two consecutive days, whenever he fell asleep, he would see the once breathtakingly beautiful woman from Jing Country crawling out of a bronze mirror!
In his bedchamber, no bronze mirrors were allowed anywhere, and no one was permitted to have loose, unkempt hair!
The Yuan King now feared falling asleep.
"Summon the royal physician! Have him come examine me!" The Yuan King couldn't bear this torment any longer, believing it must be caused by his recent late-night exertions.
But even on the second day, after drinking the calming tonic prescribed by the royal physician, it was to no avail.
The terrifying coldness in his dreams grew worse with each occurrence.
Moreover, the woman crawling out of the mirror got closer to him each time. It seemed that after a few more dreams, she would be able to touch him!
In just two short days, the Yuan King's eyes became puffy and bloodshot, with dark circles forming around them.
His exhaustion made his temper even more volatile. "Any news from Jing Country yet? It's been two days, and still no word?"
The Yuan King kicked over his desk, his mood foul and his heart filled with unease.
In his two most recent dreams, the terrifying woman with the indistinct face had completely emerged from the mirror and begun to speak.
'Evildoers shall be haunted by a hundred ghosts...'
'Those who bring chaos to the world will face divine retribution...'
In his dream, the Yuan King was scared witless. When he woke up this morning, he not only dared not see the Empress, but he couldn't even bear to look at the palace maids around him!
Any woman now reminded him of his nightmares.
Why had he been having this terrifying dream repeatedly for the past two days, and why did it get longer each time?
Each occurrence was like a chapter in a story, continuing where the last one left off.
The Yuan King was terrified but unable to confide in anyone.
"It must be someone from Jing Country using sorcery against me!"
"Since ancient times, the righteous have defeated the wicked, and the capable have replaced the incompetent! Heaven's mandate is with me. My destruction of Jing Country is in accordance with Heaven's will, not an evil act at all! I shall achieve a great victory!"
The Yuan King shouted angrily in his hall, "I fear no ghosts! I have the fortune of the state on my side!"
The officials and attendants outside the hall exchanged worried glances, feeling uneasy.
The Yuan King was becoming increasingly unstable, shouting every day. They didn't know what had possessed him, but they dared not ask or discuss it.
By the third day, the Yuan King had even placed a peach wood sword and talismans under his pillow, and ordered two eunuchs to watch him sleep in the hall. If they saw him looking distressed, they were to wake him immediately.
But soon, he fell into another dream...
[The Yuan King's mental state has already dropped to 53.]
[What will happen when it reaches zero?] Xiao Chuchu wondered as she stayed in the royal tent. She hadn't yet returned to the capital of Jing Country with Xiao Yunzhou, still remaining at the border to guard against a potential Yuan army attack.
Every day, as she watched the Jing soldiers working hard to defend their land, her resentment towards the Yuan King grew stronger.
[Sigh, I hope his mental state doesn't drop any further. I'm worried the Yuan King might fall apart too quickly before experiencing my full dream gift package.]
[Hmm, today I'll add some horrifying sound effects and eerie lighting.]
[And throw in a video package of the Yuan army's crushing defeat, plus the sensation of sleep paralysis...]
Xiao Chuchu spent her points to redeem a series of nightmare effects, preparing to teach this tyrant, who casually started wars, a harsh lesson!
Anyone who incited conflict and caused loss of life deserved punishment.
With that thought, Xiao Chuchu compiled the nightmare with one click and sent it off to the Yuan King.
Xiao Yunzhou had been somewhat afraid to hold his daughter for the past couple of days.
These nightmares were terrifying even just to hear about.
Before holding his daughter, Xiao Yunzhou would silently chant 'Amitabha Buddha', believing that his righteous heart and accumulated good deeds would keep evil spirits at bay, only then daring to approach Chuchu.
Liu Chaniang silently mocked Xiao Yunzhou's behavior in her heart.
She wasn't afraid at all. Only those with guilty consciences feared ghosts; the righteous had nothing to fear.
"Chuchu is such a good girl, let mother hold you." Liu Chaniang was even a bit curious, almost wishing she could enter the Yuan King's dream to see how frightened he had become.
Just thinking about it made her feel vindicated.
To her surprise, just as her curiosity peaked, she heard her daughter's live broadcast.
[Haha, the Yuan King is asleep, let me take a look.]
[How funny, he even had two eunuchs watching over him, ready to wake him up at any moment, but he's still dreaming. This is a system gift package, you know? I spent points on it, did he think he could wake up whenever he wanted?]
[Hehe, now as soon as the Yuan King enters that rural courtyard and sees a woman's silhouette and a bronze mirror, he starts putting on his pained expression.]
[The Yuan King is really losing it.]
Liu Chaniang immediately perked up her ears with interest, while Xiao Yunzhou silently walked over with his hands behind his back.
Meanwhile, on his bed in the palace, the Yuan King's brow was already furrowed in pain.
The two eunuchs standing guard exchanged a glance, hesitating whether to wake the Yuan King now, but he had already been 'ensnared' in his dream!
This time, the Yuan King saw his troops, sent to attack Jing Country, appear in the bronze mirror inside the room.
General Li Hao of the right flank was leading the way at the front of the army, having already reached the border of Jing Country.
The Yuan King was overjoyed.
Sure enough, his determination had moved the heavens, dispelling the eerie woman from the mirror and instead allowing him to dream of an auspicious sign for his Yuan army.
But the Yuan King had barely relaxed when he suddenly heard the sound of approaching hoofbeats.
Then came the rapid popping of firearms, like firecrackers, rising and falling like rolling thunder.
The Yuan King was startled, then watched as General Li Hao of the right flank, at the forefront of the Yuan army, was the first to fall!
Then dozens, hundreds of Yuan soldiers, their chests blossoming with blood.
"Retreat quickly! It's an ambush!" The Yuan King shouted urgently, completely forgetting this was a dream.
If they could retreat quickly, put some distance between them and regroup, the Yuan army's numbers would be enough to deal with this small cavalry unit.
Judging by the sound of hoofbeats and footsteps, the Yuan King was certain that the Jing forces firing the guns numbered less than a thousand!
What was there to fear? Yuan had a hundred thousand men.
A hand cannon could only fire five or six shots, ten at most!
Once the Yuan forces scattered, Jing Country wouldn't be able to hit many of them!
But just as the Yuan King thought this, he realized that the gunfire, which had filled the sky, was coming in wave after wave, endless, truly like firecrackers, with no pause in the roar!
How many shots had been fired?
The Yuan King stared in disbelief, his face quickly turning pale. The endless gunfire seemed to number in the thousands or tens of thousands, completely different from what he had imagined – that they would fire for a while and then stop.
Was Jing Country really this strong?
No, impossible, this was a dream!
Yes, a dream! Dreams were always the opposite of reality.
The Yuan King suddenly remembered this and relaxed. He just needed to wake up and everything would be fine.
Just wake up...
But the Yuan King's face froze as he realized that although his mind was clear, he couldn't open his eyes or wake up!
He tried to move his body, but it felt as if a great mountain was pressing down on him, so heavy he couldn't even move a finger.
The Yuan King took a deep breath and looked down in confusion. In an instant, he saw the blood-soaked Yuan soldiers who had fallen under the hail of gunfire from Jing Country earlier, now crawling onto his body...!
"Ah!" The Yuan King screamed, his eyes rolling back as he jolted awake from his nightmare!
The two eunuchs standing guard by the bed were so frightened they fell to their knees, "Your Majesty, we just couldn't wake you up no matter how hard we tried! We shouted with all our might!"
The Yuan King, drenched in sweat and breathing heavily, quickly looked down at his body.
Seeing only a thin blanket embroidered with golden dragons and nothing else, the Yuan King finally let out a huge sigh of relief.
It was alright, just a dream.
Only a dream.
Now there was nothing, everything was clean and normal.
The Yuan soldiers crawling on his body just now were all part of the dream...
But just as the Yuan King was halfway through calming himself, a soldier in golden armor came rushing down the corridor outside!
"Report—!"
"Your Majesty, urgent news from eight hundred li away!"
"The firearms of the Jing army are formidable. Our forces have suffered thirty thousand casualties at Luo Mountain City, and General Li Hao of the right flank has fallen in battle! The main army is retreating!"
W-what?
Wasn't that just a dream?
In an instant, the Yuan King felt as if he had been doused with ice water, the image of those blood-soaked bodies crawling on top of him flashing before his eyes.
His hands and feet went numb, and he tumbled out of bed!