Chapter Text
A major event was about to happen in Ghost City—the birthday of Ghost City’s master, whose age no one could even count, was approaching!
Naturally, Xie Lian was deeply troubled. The previous year’s birthday gift had caused quite a fiasco, so this year, he was being even more careful and cautious, unwilling to decide lightly what to give.
Since getting married, his skill in keeping secrets wasn’t as sharp as before. So, while lying in bed at night lost in thought, Hua Cheng immediately noticed something amiss: “Gege, what are you thinking about?”
Xie Lian was startled. “Ah…n-nothing.”
Hua Cheng raised one eyebrow. “Oh?”
Looking at his meaningful gaze, Xie Lian felt a pang of guilt. He quickly leaned over and covered Hua Cheng’s eyes with his hand: “…San Lang, you’ve overworked yourself. Go rest quickly. I’ll also rest soon.”
Upon hearing this, Hua Cheng obediently closed his eyes and lay down, though he murmured: “It’s okay, it’s okay. If Gege wants, San Lang doesn’t mind overworking one more time.”
“…” Xie Lian’s ears turned hot as he buried his head in Hua Cheng’s arms. “You should sleep now…”
Hua Cheng laughed, kissed Xie Lian’s forehead, and complied, holding him close as he rested.
Late at night, the red candles of Paradise Manor flickered.
Xie Lian, half-asleep, suddenly felt the person beside him turn over. He groggily opened his eyes, only to see Hua Cheng turn back again the next moment. He quickly leaned closer and whispered, “San Lang?”
Hua Cheng slightly opened his mouth and mumbled something indistinct.
This was the first time Xie Lian had heard Hua Cheng talk in his sleep! Curiously, he leaned even closer and asked: “San Lang, what are you saying?”
He had expected nothing in response, simply speaking out of curiosity—but Hua Cheng, as if hearing him, answered again.
However, this one sentence left Xie Lian completely stunned.
The red candlelight under the canopy was warm, yet Hua Cheng slightly curled up, as if dreaming of a frozen, snowy world. His long lashes trembled like cicada wings in the wind, and he softly called out: “Mom…”
•
“Dream-making?”
“Yes.”
“A sweet dream or a nightmare? One night or just an hour?”
“A sweet dream. The longer the better—preferably a whole night. And ideally, one that can be remembered upon waking.”
In the Dream Immortal Hall of the Upper Court, Xie Lian suddenly stood, palms pressed together, speaking with utmost sincerity: “I only know how to enter others’ dreams, but not how to create them. I humbly request guidance, Dream Immortal.”
“Not at all, not at all, Your Highness. Please, sit down!”
The old Dream Immortal hurriedly pressed Xie Lian back into his seat and scratched his graying hair. “Your Highness… to be honest… uh, this is a bit difficult. To give someone a whole night of pleasant dreams, first, they must be completely defenseless toward you; second, it requires a tremendous amount of spiritual power. The stronger the target’s power, the more it will cost… If the target is a mortal, that’s fine. But if it’s a divine officer—or…uh, your…your husband—then the power required would far exceed millions of merits!”
“Ah…I see.” After a moment’s thought, Xie Lian immediately devised a plan. “Thank you for the warning. But what you mentioned isn’t difficult.”
…He gritted his teeth. Millions of spiritual power? No matter. He can borrow them from San Lang. And there was plenty of time to return…
“Wow…” The old Dream Immortal’s eyes widened. “Well, well, with the Ghost King’s abilities, naturally… uh, so, you wish to create a pleasant dream for him?”
At these words, Xie Lian blushed: “C-c-correct, yes.”
The old Dream Immortal clicked his tongue. “Wait…a sweet dream, the longer the better, ideally a whole night, and to remember it afterward, ah…”
Seeing the tips of Xie Lian’s ears turn pink, he seemed to realize something important. His eyes suddenly went round as a peach: “Ah! I understand!”
“Hmm…h-what???”
Seeing the golden glow in the old Dream Immortal’s eyes, Xie Lian immediately stood up, waving his hands wildly: “No, no, no, you’ve misunderstood! I didn’t mean that! Not THAT KIND OF DREAM…”
“Your Highness, no need to explain. I understand young people’s matters—I understand everything!”
The old Dream Immortal shakily produced a small golden hourglass and placed it in Xie Lian’s hands. Solemnly, he said: “You’ve helped us many times. For this, I will give my full support. Don’t worry, with sufficient spiritual power, this will work. Take this hourglass and tonight…”
He glanced around to ensure no one was near, then whispered the ways into Xie Lian’s ear.
After finishing, he stroked his whiskers: “When the sand runs out, the dream ends. Follow my instructions exactly, and there will be no problem. One thing to note—don’t let your beloved discover the hourglass, or unexpected incidents may occur.”
Xie Lian quickly memorized everything and bowed deeply: “Thank you for your complete guidance! I will return the treasure immediately after use.”
“Oh, Your Highness, you’re too polite. Young people nowadays are much more courteous than in our time…” The old Dream Immortal hurriedly helped him up. “It’s nothing. Enjoy tonight, hehe.”
Xie Lian: “…………”
After a moment, he gave up explaining: “…Haha, thank you, it will be enjoyable, absolutely enjoyable…”
•
On the eve of Hua Cheng’s birthday, the red candles in Paradise Manor flickered for several hours before finally settling.
Xie Lian lifted Hua Cheng’s face, buried in his collarbone, up to his own: “San Lang, may I borrow something from you? It… might be a lot.”
“Oh? Might be a lot?” Hua Cheng raised an eyebrow, smiling. “It’s already quite a lot. Gege thinks that’s not enough?”
“…”
Xie Lian gently pushed Hua Cheng’s head onto the pillow and turned to face the other side.
Seeing this, Hua Cheng laughed and snuggled closer, kissing him. “I’m joking, I’m joking. What do you want? As long as San Lang can give it, I’ll give it all to Gege.”
Xie Lian turned in his arms and whispered softly: “It’s nothing, really. Just spiritual power. But I want a lot… I’ll gradually return it to you later.”
Hua Cheng didn’t respond to the promise of return, only curious: “Just spiritual power? That’s easy. But why does Gege suddenly need so much?”
Suddenly, Xie Lian’s alarm bells went off. Afraid Hua Cheng would realize something, he cupped Hua Cheng’s face and start to ask for kiss.
This move immediately stopped Hua Cheng from asking. He turned over and began steadily transferring his spiritual power. After some time, feeling it was enough, he reached to somewhere, only to be restrained by Xie Lian.
Well, it truly was just to collect a lot of spiritual power.
Hua Cheng smiled and withdrew his hand, cupping Xie Lian’s face to continue transferring even more.
Under the red canopy, the two entwined in a long kiss. By midnight, Xie Lian finally parted his lips slightly and whispered, trembling: “E-enough… that’s enough. That’s plenty…Thank you, San Lang…”
Hua Cheng exhaled, smiling deeply: “Is that enough? Actually…”
“No, no, no!” Xie Lian thought that if he borrowed more, he himself might not resist losing it. With a flip, he blew out the bedside lamp. “Sleep now. San Lang, do you remember what you promised me? During this time, you must sleep obediently every day.”
“All right.” Hua Cheng thought for a moment, then obediently said, “Gege says so… I’ll sleep.”
After a long while, the sounds of steady breathing came from the sleeper. Xie Lian quietly took the golden hourglass from under the pillow. Immediately, light spilled from his sleeves like a swirling star-wind around them.
The next moment, darkness engulfed him, and he no longer knew where he was.