Chapter 164: Chapter 162: This Cultivation Is Really Good

Zhou Gong wore a plain-colored robe, his long hair tied up with a coronet, yet it was still much longer than Wen Ying’s.

He appeared as if from thin air, bringing his props with him—a complete tea table set.

But this time, he held a small, cube-shaped box. The side facing Wen Ying had two small doors.

Zhou Gong didn’t open the box’s doors. Instead, he handed it to Wen Ying. "You and I share a bond of fate. This is my first gift to you: the Dream Butterfly."

"The Dream Butterfly? The saying goes ’Zhuangzi dreamt he was a butterfly,’ but Zhou Gong dreams of butterflies, too?"

Little White asked aloud in surprise. Wen Ying mentally applauded it. ’That’s what I wanted to know, too.’

Zhou Gong chuckled. "Miss Wen, this Dream Butterfly can draw people into dreams. You must use it with caution."

"Then can this Dream Butterfly let me see you again, or come back here?"

Zhou Gong just smiled, not answering the question.

"What’s the second gift, then?"

’Since he said it was the *first* gift, there must be a second one,’ she thought. ’Otherwise, there’d be no need to use the word ’first’.’

With a wave of his hand, a book appeared in Zhou Gong’s palm—a thin one.

Wen Ying’s first reaction was, "Is this a map of the Immortal Realm? Are you planning to let me go on a looting spree there before I leave?"

Zhou Gong was speechless. "..."

"I’ve observed that your cultivation, Miss Wen, lacks a proper system. This contains foundational methods for a cultivator—Breathing techniques and some simple mental methods that will aid your progress."

Wen Ying reached out and took the book. "Thank you, Senior. Are there any life-saving techniques?"

"None."

Wen Ying pulled a box of chestnut pastries, a box of yogurt cream puffs, and a box of baked durian out of her pocket. "I can never repay your great kindness, Senior. These are some delicacies from my hometown. If you don’t mind, please have a taste."

The moment she finished speaking, the food vanished from her hands and reappeared on Zhou Gong’s tea table.

Wen Ying stared wistfully at the tea table. ’Don’t tell me that table is some kind of Spiritual Treasure?’

’It doesn’t have to be an Innate one. An Acquired one would be fine, too!’

Unfortunately, it was as if Zhou Gong couldn’t see her longing gaze this time. "It’s getting late, Miss Wen. It’s time for you to go."

Dejectedly, Wen Ying hugged Little White. "Then I’ll have to trouble Senior to send me out."

Just as she felt herself about to depart, Wen Ying suddenly reached out and pinched Zhou Gong’s handsome, youthful face.

Zhou Gong stared, dumbfounded, at the spot where Wen Ying had vanished. ’That girl is truly audacious.’

’Fate... what a wondrous thing.’

A smile played on Zhou Gong’s lips. He was already looking forward to their next meeting, wondering what she would be like.

He seemed full of anticipation for their next encounter.

*

Wen Ying woke up.

Awake, Wen Ying sat on her bed in silence.

Little White sat beside her, also silent.

Only the starlight in the dark night twinkled.

The dream, Zhou Gong, Foundation Establishment, the Dream Butterfly, the mental method.

Each and every thing made Wen Ying’s head spin.

What concerned Wen Ying the most was her Foundation Establishment. When she had been "hatched" like an egg, she had already successfully established her foundation.

She had even broken through the Early-stage Foundation Establishment and reached the Mid-stage Foundation Establishment.

A breakthrough was the happiest of occasions, but while she was in there, Wen Ying hadn’t mentioned it to Zhou Gong.

’For one, Zhou Gong might have been able to see it for himself. For another, she still didn’t know what kind of being he truly was, so she couldn’t reveal everything.’

When the system’s rewards started getting strange, Wen Ying made a small discovery: the world itself seemed to be starting to change.

But for ordinary people, it was completely unnoticeable.

It was still unknown if someone like Zhou Gong was even from this world, and it wasn’t one hundred percent certain whether he was a friend or an enemy.

The only thing she could confirm was that when she pinched his face before she left, it felt really nice.

It was a shame she had no luck with Zhou Gong’s treasures.

Wen Ying looked at the wooden box sitting quietly to the side.

The two small doors were shut tight. Wen Ying reached out, looking at the box. ’If I open these doors, will I see the Dream Butterfly?’

’Is the Dream Butterfly an actual butterfly?’

Driven by curiosity, Wen Ying reached out and slowly pulled open the small bronze rings on the two doors.

SWOOSH!

Little White suddenly covered its eyes. "Master, Master, is a super-intense, attention-grabbing light about to come out!"

Wen Ying was speechless. "..."

’This little guy wasn’t this cringey before it could talk, was it?’

Not getting a reply from its master, Little White cautiously lowered the two small paws covering its eyes, looking terrified. Its acting skills were truly extraordinary. "Whew, whew, it didn’t blind my big eyes."

After the doors opened, there was a sense of emptiness.

But this was not an ordinary emptiness.

It was a vast, boundless emptiness, an infinite, endless void. The feeling was hard to describe.

However, at that very moment, a tiny, colorful butterfly suddenly flew out from within the doors.

Its wings flapped and flapped.

As it flew forward, it left a trail of shimmering, colorful light that was visible to the naked eye.

Its grand entrance was even more stunning than the dazzling special effects in a movie.

Little White’s jaw also dropped as it stared at the multi-colored butterfly.

The little butterfly flew and flew, eventually circling around and around Wen Ying. Watching it, she whispered, "Can you understand what I’m saying?"

The little butterfly suddenly stopped, appearing directly in front of Wen Ying, and then nodded at her.

"Do a little spin."

The little butterfly did a spin, then looked at Wen Ying.

"Your name is Dream Butterfly, but I think ’Little Butterfly’ is more convenient. I’ll call you Little Butterfly from now on. This is Little White, and you’re Little Butterfly. You’re both my family now."

The little butterfly did another spin.

"Little White, see that? She’s very happy! She thinks the name I gave her is great."

"How does Master know she’s not protesting?"

Wen Ying smacked Little White on the head. "Ever since you learned to talk, have you noticed you’ve become a little annoying?"

"But I’m so adorable, super-duper adorable! If you don’t believe me, Master, post my picture online and ask everyone!"

"Crap! It’s already 11:40, isn’t it?"

Little White attempted a kip-up, fell over again, and then scrambled to its feet. "I’ll go check on Chaochao’s mother and Mr. Qin right away."

The Dream Butterfly flew back into her little house, but the house suddenly transformed into a long, woven bracelet of cotton and linen that wrapped around Wen Ying’s wrist.

Wen Ying looked at the instant bracelet. ’It’s actually quite pretty.’

But she was in no mood to admire it right now. She owed the system over ten thousand reputation value and had to get to the grind immediately!

"Start live stream."

A flash of light appeared on the screen, and the live stream chat immediately flooded with viewers.

[I did some divination and just knew Doctor Wen would be streaming. See? I managed to catch her!]

[Doctor Wen’s streams have all been at ungodly hours lately. I’ve even gotten a few pimples from it, so depressing! But pimples can grow; I can’t miss Doctor Wen!]

[Last time, Doctor Wen really opened our eyes. What about today? I have a sudden feeling Doctor Wen is about to do something big!]