Seeking Truth with a Sword-Chapter 663 - 597: Mountain Summit

The early morning sun pierced through the valley’s mist, illuminating the lush, verdant vegetation.

Li Ang and Song Shaoyuan trod along the steep, stone-paved mountain path. As they climbed, they listened to the forest creatures’ gradually enlivening chirps and buzzes.

Li Ang reached a steep slope, and the view suddenly opened up before him. The sea of clouds surged, and precipitous peaks stood sharply. A welcoming pine broke through rocks on the sheer cliff. Looking out along the ancient pine’s extended branches, he could faintly glimpse the structures of the Academic Palace through the mist.

"HUFF... HUFF..."

Song Shaoyuan also climbed the steep slope and stood beside Li Ang, looking down the mountain.

"Brother Song, you’re winded already?" Li Ang joked. "It wasn’t like this before."

"It’s because I haven’t trained in so long."

Song Shaoyuan forced a faint smile, his eyes slightly vacant as he stared at the scenery below.

Xia Mountain was steep and difficult to climb. Furthermore, the valleys were scattered with invisible Prohibitions targeting the free-roaming demon beasts, which also affected one’s breathing rate.

Thus, even with the physique Song Shaoyuan had developed since embarking on the Cultivation Path, he was still slightly out of breath.

Li Ang saw the expression on his face. He knew Song Shaoyuan hadn’t yet recovered from the Dream Eater incident. He sighed inwardly and said, "There’s still a way to go. Let’s keep climbing."

"Alright."

Song Shaoyuan nodded, steadied his breathing, and followed Li Ang up towards the mountaintop.

"Brother Song, do you still remember Wei Zijing?"

"The one from the Yizhou State School for girls? I remember. What about her?"

"When I returned to Yizhou a few days ago, I heard from the neighbors that she got married. She married Zhai Yiming, who studied with us at the Yizhou State School."

Li Ang laughed. "Actually, she used to have a crush on you."

"COUGH, COUGH. That’s all in the past."

Song Shaoyuan’s face reddened, and he waved his hand dismissively.

During their school days in Yizhou, he was handsome and excelled both academically and morally. His family was also quite wealthy, so he had won the favor of many girls.

Unfortunately, the Song Shaoyuan of that time was denser than a block of wood, interested only in studying and leisurely exploring nature.

Once, during a group outing to the mountains with their Yizhou classmates, Wei Zijing ’accidentally’ sprained her ankle on the mountain path and subtly hinted that Song Shaoyuan should carry her.

But Song Shaoyuan was motivated by his strong sense of community and care for his teachers and classmates. Upon seeing that Wei Zijing had genuinely sprained her ankle, he consulted with a few other male students. They immediately fashioned a simple stretcher from branches and cloth, carried her down the mountain amidst the astonished gazes of passersby, and rushed her to the medical hall. Thus, he missed a chance at romance.

The two chatted and laughed about various things from Yizhou as they climbed further up the mountain path, eventually reaching a resting pavilion perched on the edge of a cliff.

By this time, the sun shone brightly. The mountain mist was slowly dissipating, and the temperature gradually rose.

Li Ang released his Telekinesis, sweeping the fallen leaves off the pavilion’s bench, and casually placed his package on the stone table.

He opened the package. Inside were two pairs of chopsticks and two tin-cased lunchboxes. Stickers on the lids indicated which portion belonged to Li Ang and which to Song Shaoyuan.

Li Ang smiled faintly, took out two Hot Talismans, and stuck them to the bottom of the lunchboxes to warm them. Then, he looked up at Song Shaoyuan and asked, "How’s everything at home?"

"Huh?"

Song Shaoyuan was momentarily startled, his expression turning somewhat sorrowful. "It’s okay..."

Actually, it wasn’t okay at all.

In the Illusion Realm created by the Dream Eater, a phantom of Aunt Song’s long-deceased husband had been conjured. A wife and daughter were also fabricated out of thin air for Song Shaoyuan, and the corresponding false memories were implanted into the entire family’s minds.

When the bronze box was destroyed and the Dream Eater vanished, the Nightmare also melted away like wax. However, those almost tangible memories of being with their family lingered in their minds.

Since returning to Chang’an, Song Shaoyuan had been dejected and had kept to himself indoors. You Xiao struggled to maintain appearances, acting as if nothing was wrong in front of others. Aunt Song seemed fine on the surface, but at night, she would hide in her room, secretly wiping away tears as she reminisced about her deceased husband.

"Risheng?"

"Mm?"

"...Do you think reality and falsehood matter that much?" Song Shaoyuan said softly. "Even a Candle Cloud Cultivator like Lu Qingya can’t distinguish between truth and illusion. If the Nightmares created by the Dream Eater didn’t drain Life Force, I think many people would willingly immerse themselves in its Dream Realm and live there for a lifetime, right?

"No," he continued, his voice low, "I should say, even if the Dream Eater’s Nightmares *do* drain Life Force, I believe many would still willingly indulge in them."

Warm and sincere familial affection, unforgettable love, deep and equal friendships—all the positive emotions of the human world could be fabricated, created, and molded by the Dream Eater.

"...Maybe."

Li Ang, who had pondered this question for a long time, couldn’t offer a clear answer. He shook his head, opened the now-heated metal lunchbox, and pushed Song Shaoyuan’s portion toward him. "Try this."

Song Shaoyuan picked up his chopsticks and took a piece of stir-fried meat. His eyes lit up. "This tastes good. Did you make it?"

"Hardly."

Li Ang smiled and opened his own lunchbox. SNAP.

A letter fell onto the table.

"Hm?"

Li Ang raised an eyebrow. The envelope was stuck to the underside of the lid with glutinous rice paste, and its opening was also sealed with rice paste.

He tore open the envelope and said casually, "Of course, the one at my place made it."

"The one at your place?"

Song Shaoyuan, his hand holding the chopsticks frozen mid-air, looked puzzled. "Who?"

"Who else could it be? Cui Qiao, of course."

Song Shaoyuan looked even more baffled. "...Who?"

Li Ang’s expression froze instantly when he saw the first sentence on the letter.

"Master, by the time you read this, I will likely be gone.

"When did it start... I think it was probably after we returned to Chang’an. I started noticing some slight anomalies.

"A kettle I’d already taken off the coal stove would suddenly reappear on it. Clothes I’d put away would suddenly be back on the drying rack in the courtyard when I turned to look. A floor I’d just swept would be dirty again the next second.

"Things I remembered doing seemed to have never actually happened.

"At first, I thought it was still the aftereffects of the Dream Eater incident—something like that short-term memory loss you mentioned, Master. But it wasn’t.

"I went to the reading group, and everyone unconsciously ignored me. Even Le Ling had to strain to notice my presence.

"I went to classes at the Academic Palace. My deskmate, who knew me just yesterday, gave me a strange look and asked who I was. The gate guards didn’t recognize me; the teachers didn’t remember me. They even suspected I had sneaked into the Academic Palace and wanted to send me to the Supervision Department. But a little while later, the teachers forgot all about it.

"For the past few years, dinner at home has been regularly delivered from the restaurant, always with two sets of bowls and chopsticks. But now, it’s consistently just one set. Even you haven’t noticed this, Master. Every evening, as usual, you tell the restaurant attendant to deliver two sets of bowls and chopsticks for the next day.

"People gradually stopped remembering who I was, and eventually, they even began to stop seeing me.

"I understand now. The problem is with me. I’m disappearing from this world.

"It turns out I’m a Nightmare too."

BOOM!

An overwhelming wave of Telekinesis erupted from him, radiating violently in all directions.

The gravel on the ground instantly caved in, forming a circular depression. A fierce wind swept through the pavilion, kicking up a thick cloud of dust.

"COUGH, COUGH!"

Song Shaoyuan coughed, fanning away the dust in front of him.

Li Ang steadied himself against the table and stood up. His pupils widened drastically, his eyes reflecting the words on the paper.