"You're going fishing this early in the morning?"
As Liu Zonghe walked out the door with his fishing gear, Yu Huilan chased after him.
"Yeah, I have nothing to do at home. Want to come with me?"
"I'm not going, it's too hot," Yu Huilan said.
Liu Zonghe heard this and looked up at the sun in the sky. The sun hung high in the sky, emitting intense heat.
It shouldn't be noon for the sun to be directly overhead, but Liu Zonghe didn't feel strange. Instead, it felt natural, without a hint of doubt.
Liu Zonghe went out the door. The cement road in front of the door had turned into a dusty dirt road, but he still felt no doubt, as if everything was as it should be.
He arrived at the embankment. Both sides of the narrow embankment were overgrown with weeds and thorny bushes.
The tall willow trees that were once on the embankment had also vanished without a trace.
But Liu Zonghe seemed to know this place like the back of his hand. He directly followed a small path through the grass to the riverbank and sat down on a nearby stone.
Then he began to skillfully bait the hook, string the bait, cast the line, and then quietly watched the water surface, waiting patiently.
The cicadas chirping in the trees, the dogs barking in the village, a few chicken clucks, and the insects chirping in the grass – everything seemed so quiet and peaceful.
Just then, a child's voice came from the bank.
"Awang, Awang, don't run so fast, wait for me."
Liu Zonghe, who was sitting still, trembled, and ripples spread across the water.
Liu Zonghe looked towards the bank and saw two little boys running towards him on the embankment.
"Acai..."
Liu Zonghe felt his head swimming, unable to recall many memories. He vaguely remembered playing with Acai.
Just then, Awang rushed down from the embankment. Liu Zonghe looked at himself in surprise.
Awang didn't seem surprised to see him. He just grinned at him and disappeared as if he were a bubble.
"Awang, are you fishing?" Acai rushed down from the embankment and asked Liu Zonghe.
Liu Zonghe looked down at himself. He didn't know when he had turned into Awang, with his small hands, dark arms, shorts, and bare feet.
"Awang," Acai called him again.
"Acai?"
"It's me, what's wrong?" Acai asked doubtfully.
"I... I... I miss you," Awang said, his voice trembling.
"Mmm, I miss Awang too. Awang, where have you been? I haven't seen you for a long time," Acai said happily.
"Where did I go?" Liu Zonghe's mind was foggy, and as he tried to recall, the answer quickly appeared in his mind.
"Second Uncle took me to the city," Awang said.
"Wow, that's amazing! Awang, is the city beautiful? Are there lots of delicious foods and fun things to do?" Acai asked excitedly.
"Mmm, lots of delicious food, and the toffee you like best. Second Uncle bought it for me, but I couldn't bear to eat it. I wanted to save it for you... save it for you..."
Awang's memories began to resurface from his hazy mind.
"Awang, you're so good," Acai said, touched.
These words were so familiar. This was what Acai liked to say to him the most, because they were best friends.
"Awang, look, what's this?"
At that moment, Acai took out a small wooden boat from behind him.
"My little wooden boat."
"Yes, Awang, I found it back for you. Don't you want to play with me anymore? Let's still be best friends, okay?" Acai said, placing the small wooden boat in Awang's hand.
Awang took it blankly, looking at the small wooden boat in his hand, and tears finally started to fall.
"Awang, what's wrong? Why are you crying?" Acai looked at him strangely and reached out to wipe away his tears clumsily.
"I'm sorry, Acai, I'm sorry, it's all my fault, woo woo woo..."
Awang cried heartily.
Time seemed to go back to the day Acai died. He cried back from Acai's house and then cried his way to the embankment, lingering there unwilling to leave. Awang's parents were so scared that they thought he wanted to commit suicide, and they stayed on the embankment with him for most of the night.
After this incident, his parents, who were still hesitant about letting Awang go to the city, finally made up their minds and sent Awang to the city.
"Awang, why do you say sorry? It has nothing to do with you," Acai said, scratching his head innocently.
"It's all because of me that you drowned, Acai. It's all my fault, I'm sorry."
"It has nothing to do with you. I fell into the river myself and drowned accidentally. I'm not angry with you, but I waited for you for a long time, and you didn't come. I'm a little angry."
Acai put his hands on his hips, his neck pulled back, his eyes wide open, indicating that he was very angry.
"I'm sorry, I... I..." Awang choked, not knowing how to explain.
Seeing Awang's sad look, Acai sighed, his shoulders drooped, and his whole body relaxed.
"Awang, we are best friends, right?"
Awang nodded quickly upon hearing this. "Of course, we are best friends, forever."
Awang clutched the small wooden boat in his hand, wiping the tears from his face, smearing them with black dirt.
"Awang, then I'm not angry with you anymore. And Awang, you've grown up. I didn't recognize you, and I even scared away your fish. Am I very bad? We're even, haha..." Acai laughed triumphantly.
As Awang spoke, it was as if a seal had been broken. Awang's hazy mind became clear. Looking at himself again, he had returned to Liu Zonghe's appearance, and the small wooden boat in his hand was gone.
The surrounding scenery had turned into the rebuilt embankment, with lush grass on both sides and shady willow trees. He was standing under the willow tree where he often fished, which was where the villagers used to wash rice and clothes, and where Acai had drowned.
The only thing that hadn't changed was Acai, who stood before him just as he remembered him, or rather, more clearly than in his memory.
"Acai?" Liu Zonghe asked in surprise again.
"Mmm, what's wrong?" Acai asked, tilting his head slightly.
"You... you're not dead, are you?" Liu Zonghe asked hesitantly.
"Mmm, so this is in your dream, isn't it amazing?" Acai asked proudly.
"Dream?"
Upon hearing this, Liu Zonghe understood that he was dreaming, but he couldn't wake up.
"I'm sorry." Liu Zonghe said with immense guilt.
"I already said that, I don't blame you. You don't need to say sorry. But Awang, you've become an old man, haha..." Acai laughed happily again.
"Yes, I've become an old man. Maybe I'll join you soon."
"Join me?"
Acai froze for a moment upon hearing this, then shook his head, looked at the river, and seemed lost in thought.
"Acai," Liu Zonghe called out.
Acai snapped back to attention, turned to look at Liu Zonghe, and then smiled.
He smiled happily and simply, with pure joy, unmixed with anything else.
"Awang, I left the little wooden boat at our secret base. Remember to pick it up."
"Okay."
The secret base Acai mentioned was a dilapidated abandoned temple about two miles from the village. They often played and frolicked there. Under the crumbling statue of a deity, there was a loose brick, and they had dug a hole to hide their so-called "treasures."
However, decades had passed, and he didn't know if that so-called secret base still existed.
But before he could speak, Acai raised his hand and waved goodbye to him. "Awang, goodbye."
"Ah..."
Liu Zonghe froze for a moment. Before he could react, Acai faded before his eyes and disappeared.
"Acai."
Liu Zonghe exclaimed and woke up from his dream.
"You old geezer, what kind of dream did you have? You were crying your eyes out, and I couldn't wake you up," Yu Huilan asked, sitting by the bed.
Liu Zonghe touched his cheeks, which were wet with tears.
He sat up and looked at Yu Huilan beside him, saying softly, "Did I wake you up?"
"It's nothing. Anyway, when you get old, you don't sleep much."
Liu Zonghe didn't speak, sitting on the bed in a daze, carefully recalling everything in the dream.
He remembered all the details clearly: Acai's smile, his habitual little movements, all so clear and real, not like a dream at all, but like reality.
Yu Huilan got out of bed and poured Liu Zonghe a glass of water.
"Have some water."
Liu Zonghe came back to his senses and, instead of taking the cup, got out of bed, picked up his clothes from the foot of the bed, and put them on.
"I'm going out."
"It's the middle of the night, where are you going?" Yu Huilan asked in surprise.
Liu Zonghe paused for a moment, then said, "Why don't you come with me?"
"Oh, where are we going?" Yu Huilan asked, putting down the water cup.
Liu Zonghe didn't answer the question, but continued to himself, "Remember to wear boots and bring a flashlight."
"This old man is being so mysterious," Yu Huilan muttered, but she began to put on her clothes as instructed.
And so, in the quiet night, the two of them went out, one carrying a shovel and the other a flashlight.
At this moment, Liu Nanfeng was also waking up from his dream. This was the first time he had controlled his dreams. He didn't expect to be so powerful in his dreams, like a god.
He could not only enter Liu Zonghe's dream but also pull Acai's soul into the dream and control the entire dream, making everything unfold according to his "script."
"How do you feel?" Su Jinxiu asked from the side.
But Liu Nanfeng didn't answer immediately. He was still immersed in the thrill of controlling everything. Since gaining the ability to enter dreams, his first attempt to enter Su Huamei's dream had failed, and his second attempt to enter Su Jinxiu's dream was immediately detected by her. Then, he was basically guided and controlled by her, so this feeling of power wasn't very strong.
This time, after being guided by Su Jinxiu, she directly let him take complete control of the dream. This feeling of powerful intoxication was somewhat similar to when he immersed his consciousness in the "Guan Shan Hai" scroll.
Seeing that Liu Nanfeng didn't answer, Su Jinxiu frowned slightly and said, "Nanfeng, don't get lost in this false power. Dreams are, after all, illusions, and dreams are also more dangerous than you think."
"Don't worry, I'm fine." Liu Nanfeng had also recovered by this time.
"It's good that you're fine. Don't get addicted. The ability to enter dreams seems powerful, but it's actually only effective against ordinary people. It has almost no effect on other beings. Because as long as they have intelligence and can transform into human form, other beings have gone through countless hardships and have forged their souls to be extremely strong. If you rashly enter their dreams, you won't be able to control their consciousness, and you might even be backlashed, making you unable to distinguish between reality and illusion and trapping you in the dream forever."
"Is it that dangerous?"
"Of course. But you don't need to worry too much. As you become stronger, you will also become stronger in dreams. As long as you are careful, it's fine."
Afraid of scaring Liu Nanfeng by saying too much, Su Jinxiu comforted him.
"What about the little carp? Is her soul also very strong?"
Su Jinxiu chuckled at this.
"You just can't let go of Hongjin, can you? Why do you always drag her out as an example?"
"Heh heh..." Liu Nanfeng also smiled a little sheepishly.
"Hongjin is special. Although she is just a little carp, she has dragon blood. Her soul is naturally strong. If she seizes an opportunity and leaps over the Dragon Gate, she can shed her mortal shell and transform from a fish into a dragon."
"Dragon Gate? Does such a thing really exist? Is it a gate?" Liu Nanfeng asked curiously.
As a native of Da Xia, he was too familiar with these myths and legends. What he didn't expect was that all of this was actually true.
"I don't know. This is a secret of the dragon race. However, the most recent one to leap over the Dragon Gate and transform from a fish into a dragon was the little carp's mother."
Liu Nanfeng thought of Ao Jiangyue. She was a natural dragon, so she should know about the Dragon Gate, right?
Perhaps he should ask her next time he sees her to see if Hongjin has a chance to leap over the Dragon Gate.
"What are you thinking about? It's getting late, let's go to sleep," Su Jinxiu said, patting him lightly.
Liu Nanfeng glanced at the time. It was almost two in the morning.
However, Liu Nanfeng found that he couldn't sleep again. He had tossed and turned in bed for a long time before falling asleep earlier.
Seeing Su Jinxiu lying next to him, Liu Nanfeng reached out his hand.
"Don't mess around, go to sleep." Su Jinxiu took his hand away without opening her eyes.
"But I can't sleep."
"Didn't you say you couldn't sleep before? And you still slept soundly?" Su Jinxiu opened her eyes, looked at him, and closed them again.
"Okay, okay..."
Liu Nanfeng helplessly closed his eyes too. Su Jinxiu opened her eyes, glanced at him, and closed them again, a smile on her lips.
A long time passed. In the quiet night, only Su Jinxiu's light and even breathing could be heard beside his pillow.
At this moment, Liu Nanfeng opened his eyes again. His heart felt like a burning flame, making him unable to sleep. He also felt dry-mouthed. The chicken soup at dinner was too salty. He always felt that Su Jinxiu had done it on purpose.
He quietly got out of bed, went to the living room, opened the refrigerator, and drank half a bottle of iced water. It quenched his thirst, but the fire in his chest couldn't be extinguished.
Just then, a pair of hands rested on his shoulders from behind, and then a delicate body pressed against his back. Slender and long hands slipped under his collar and touched his chest.
Although his palms were soft and cold, they could not extinguish the flame in his heart. Instead, they made it burn even more intensely.
"You little scoundrel."
Su Jinxiu, lying in bed, muttered, turned over, and continued to sleep.