Chapter 30: Cursed Intrusion

Four days later, in the dark of night, with a bright moon illuminating the sky, Xiao Nanfeng slowly fell into a dream as he listened to the scriptures being recited in the distance. Reading and practicing his techniques consumed a great deal of stamina and mental energy, and he had a good night's sleep daily in order to replenish his reserves.

Tonight's dream, however, seemed rather unusual. Xiao Nanfeng found himself in a mountain valley, replete with the trappings of nature, with bright flowers, verdant blooms, and birdsong. He was relaxed and comfortable as he fished by a pond. Despite a long wait, no fish appeared—but he wasn't in a hurry. He waited patiently until the pond water turned pitch-black.

In his dreamlike trance, however, he didn't sense anything unusual—until the rod suddenly grew taut. Had he caught something?

His eyes brightened. He tugged on the rod, causing the black pond water to ripple. Slowly, a bleached skeleton was pulled out of the pond's surface.

"Ah!" Xiao Nanfeng cried out.

Xiao Nanfeng recognized the bleached skeleton immediately.

"Is this my dreamscape?" Xiao Nanfeng wondered.

Suddenly, the pond began to emit countless clouds of black gas, which began filling the sky. The entire valley, starting with the pond, was turning black.

"I'm dreaming? I need to wake up, then, to wake up!" Xiao Nanfeng pinched himself.

He used all sorts of techniques in an attempt to wake himself up, but found himself unable to do so.

Within the pond, the skeleton's head twisted. It pierced through the pond's surface with its claws, attempting to climb out of it.

"You—how did you get into my dreams?!" Xiao Nanfeng thundered in shock and rage.

He immediately infused spiritual power into his fishing pole, which pulsed with blue light, in an attempt to suppress the skeleton and send it back into the depths of the pond, but the skeleton was rising at a faster rate than he could push it down.

Xiao Nanfeng even thought he saw the skeleton sneer at him. He shuddered, feeling as though a huge calamity had befallen him. "Damn skeleton, get out of my dream!"

The skeleton slowly rose up from the pool, attempting to penetrate Xiao Nanfeng's dream completely. He was unable to leave, unable to awaken. Xiao Nanfeng had been forced into dire straits.

In Xiao Nanfeng's bedroom within the physical world, his body was deep asleep in bed. Black smoke suffused his bedroom, and in the midst of that smoke was the bleached skeleton.

The bleached skeleton stared at Xiao Nanfeng until he was sound asleep before suddenly spreading its arms wide.

The black smoke in the room was immediately roused. It revolved quickly around Xiao Nanfeng's bed like a miniature cyclone, lifting Xiao Nanfeng's body from the bed.

Xiao Nanfeng's body floated calmly in the air, immobilized, still deep in sleep.

The skeleton stared at Xiao Nanfeng for quite a while before stepping forward. It touched his arm with its head, then somehow began to meld into his body as it burrowed its way into his dreamscape.

Xiao Nanfeng's physical body spasmed. His face distorted in fear and terror—but he was surrounded by black smoke and unable to wake up.

Outside his cottage was the continuous sound of chanting and reciting. All seemed to be quiet and peaceful; none knew what horrors were being unveiled in Xiao Nanfeng's idyllic cottage.

Just then, by the Cliff of Meditation, Ye Dafu was glaring at one of his lackeys.

"You're the slowest at memorization—all of us had to wait for you!" he cried out.

"Boss, this is as fast as I can go! Any other time, it would have taken me twice as long to finish memorizing the scripture," the lackey replied, aggrieved.

"Forget it. Now that you're done, we can all leave together. You all know what we're doing next, don't you?" Ye Dafu grinned.

"Taking revenge on that damn bastard!"

"Right! He's long been a thorn to us."

"What's the plan, Boss?"

All his lackeys suddenly seemed energized. Ye Dafu nodded in satisfaction as he saw their anticipation and glee.

"You see that brat's cottage, don't you? Right over there." Ye Dafu pointed at a certain window.

"He's inside?" one lackey asked.

"That's right. I've asked around these last few days, and I'm confident that that room is his bedroom," Ye Dafu elaborated.

"He's sleeping now? Boss, you aren't expecting us to charge into his bedroom and give him a beating, are you?"

"With so many eyes all around us, we won't be able to manage it unseen!"

"Che! Look at this." Ye Dafu pointed at the ground

to see a stack of eleven rocks Ye Dafu had gathered.

"This is..."

"I picked up these rocks these last few days. They're all spiked and hard. We'll toss them through his window together and make sure he's in pain for the next few days!" Ye Dafu smiled viciously. "We'll run off the moment we hurl the rocks, so no one will know it was us."

"Excellent plan, Boss!"

"That window's made of paper. Considering our strength, our rocks would tear straight through and strike him in bed. Ha, if the rocks do hit, then..."

"He'll be bruised and bleeding all over! He might even end up paralyzed in bed for a few months."

"Amazing plan, Boss! We'll leave the Vault of Scriptures immediately afterwards. We're done with our punishment, after all."

Ye Dafu's lackeys gathered around him.

"Each of you will have one rock. Later, on my command, we'll throw them through the window together, then run off immediately!" Ye Dafu announced.

"Yes, Boss!" In high spirits, everyone picked up a rock.

They stared at the window, imagining Xiao Nanfeng's prone body within the room. They were carefully choosing the best angle with which to strike.

"Everyone, at once!" Ye Dafu whispered loudly.

"May your head bleed!"

"May your waist fracture!"

"May your face turn swollen, and your body paralyzed!"

Ye Dafu and his lackeys cursed as they threw their rocks through Xiao Nanfeng's window.

The eleven sharp rocks shot into his bedroom, tearing apart the window, as they struck his bed.

The sudden sound of tearing paper and dull thumps caused quite a few disciples to look toward Xiao Nanfeng's bedroom.

In the darkness, the eleven young men glanced at each other with smirks on their faces.

"No one will suspect us at all! Come, let's go!" Ye Dafu instructed.

"Yes, Boss!" his lackeys chorused.

The clique was just about to leave when a few robed men appeared behind them.

"Did you just toss rocks into Junior Brother Nanfeng's bedroom?"

"Were you trying to launch a sneak attack on Senior Brother Nanfeng?"

The disciples barred the way, preventing Ye Dafu's clique from escaping.

"What? When did you get behind us?!" Ye Dafu cried out, his face stiff.

Did you see us throwing rocks into that damn bastard's window?

Ye Dafu's lackeys found their knees turning to jelly. What had happened? How had they been discovered?

"Where do you think you are? The Vault of Scriptures is one of the most heavily guarded locations in the sect! Disciples are on patrol at every moment in the day. We're disciples in charge of the night patrol, and we saw all of you huddling suspiciously together. Did you really dare attack Junior Brother Nanfeng?"

The disciples who had been reciting scriptures all gathered to block Ye Dafu's path.

Ye Dafu and his clique pressed close against one another in fear. They thought that their plan had been seamless! How had everyone found out? What were they supposed to do?

They all looked anxiously toward Ye Dafu, who looked back at them in despair.

Why are all of you looking at me? I didn't know there would be guards around!

There was a dull thump in Xiao Nanfeng's bedroom.

"Could something have happened to Senior Brother Nanfeng? Quick, let's take a look!" A group of nominal disciples rushed over.

Xiao Nanfeng really had been in danger. The cyclone of black smoke had surrounded Xiao Nanfeng and caused him to float in mid-air. The skeleton's head and shoulders had already melded into his arm as it attempted to dive into his dreamscape.

Xiao Nanfeng's physical body spasmed. His face distorted in rage, anger, and fear, but he remained unable to wake up. At this critical moment, eleven sharp rocks were flung through the window.

The rocks struck the cyclone of black smoke, breaking its hold on Xiao Nanfeng. It shook violently, then dissipated.

Xiao Nanfeng fell onto his bed from mid-air. As he did so, his body shook, and his eyes opened.

He had awoken.

Xiao Nanfeng gasped out in shock. He had managed to wake up right before the skeleton could make its way into his body! He looked all around to see traces of black smoke in the air, not having dissipated fully, but the bleached skeleton was nowhere to be seen.

His forehead beading with sweat, he immediately sat up straight. He looked all around and found a number of rocks littering the floor.

"Senior Brother Nanfeng, are you alright?" someone called out from outside the cottage.

Xiao Nanfeng wiped the sweat from his forehead and quickly left his bedroom.

"Senior Brother, are you alright? We've caught those who flung rocks into your bedroom," one nominal disciple immediately stepped forward and reported.

Xiao Nanfeng glanced quizzically at Ye Dafu and his clique, who were surrounded by a large group of hostile disciples.

"J-Junior Brother Nanfeng, it was all a misunderstanding!" Ye Dafu cried out, an awkward expression plastered on his face.

"Right, it was all a misunderstanding!" his lackeys immediately added.

What can we do after being caught on the spot? Nothing but laugh about it and hope for forgiveness. Damn it, why are we so unlucky?!

Xiao Nanfeng glanced at Ye Dafu and his clique. He ignored them all and headed straight for Elder Ku's cottage.

"Master, your disciple Nanfeng seeks an audience!" Xiao Nanfeng cried out.

Ye Dafu and his clique gave each other shocked looks.

"We're done for. This lad's gone to report the matter to Elder Ku!"

"Boss, we're done for!" Ye Dafu's clique looked anxiously at their leader.

Ye Dafu himself was shaken. "What? He's reporting this to the elder directly? It's as if he's calling his parents on us!"