Ming Qi didn't know how long he slept. Suddenly, he realized he was dreaming, a dream that had troubled him for a long time.
In his dream, he saw a beautiful girl in white, ethereal and graceful. Her beauty was breathtaking, terrifying, and made him feel a little uneasy.
The girl's lips moved slightly, as if she were constantly whispering something, but Ming Qi couldn't hear a single word.
After an unknown amount of time, the girl's sleeves fluttered as she turned and left, leaving a faint silhouette in Ming Qi's dream.
Whew!
Ming Qi sat up suddenly, realizing that the sun was already high in the sky.
This sleep had been quite restful, and he felt a surge of strength throughout his body.
Bang!
Ming Qi threw a punch with ease, striking a nearby stone. The stone immediately shattered and cracked, scattering to the ground.
The force of a single punch was truly terrifying.
"Dreams are born from the heart, but I've never seen that girl in white."
After standing up and stretching his muscles, Ming Qi began his slow journey home. His mind was still lingering on the dream. Logically, things seen in dreams should have some connection to reality, but in this case, he couldn't find any trace of it in reality.
As he walked along, the image of the girl in white in his dream became increasingly clear in his mind.
The girl's beautiful eyes were filled with a smile, and every frown and movement was filled with infinite charm.
"No, this dream is unrealistic!"
Ming Qi searched his memory, but could not find when or where he had seen such a beautiful girl.
They say dreams are born from the heart; what you think about during the day you dream at night. But he had never seen this girl, yet he kept having the same dream over and over again.
The same silent mountains, the same stunningly beautiful girl in white.
This was truly unscientific for Ming Qi.
Back home, Mo Lan was still reading in the yard. His two brothers, along with his parents, were all out busy.
"Ming Qi, Mom told you to eat at home at noon."
Mo Lan saw Ming Qi coming back from outside, put away her book, and said with a smile.
"Okay, I see."
Ming Qi patted Mo Lan's head lovingly and went into his room.
Ming Qi's room now had a lot more furniture: a square desk, several finely crafted chairs, a complete set of pens, inkstones, and a guqin.
In his previous life, Ming Qi was a genius, proficient in all arts, including music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. In this life, he used these things to hone his character.
Arriving at the desk, Ming Qi put the guqin away, changed into clean clothes, and lit a burner of sandalwood.
Cleaning clothes and burning incense were mandatory practices for the elegant scholars and sages of ancient Earth before beginning to play the qin. Of course, this didn't mean Ming Qi was a scholar who pursued elegance; it was simply his habit.
Buzz...
A melodious qin sound rang out, enveloping the entire Yanzhuang in its beautiful music.
Ming Qi was playing the famous ancient piece, "High Mountains and Flowing Water."
The towering mountains, the gurgling water, a poetic feeling of being immersed in the landscape, arose spontaneously.
Mo Lan, standing outside, unconsciously put down her book and listened intently.
However, before the song ended, Ming Qi's fingers suddenly trembled, and one of the seven strings suddenly broke, emitting a harsh trill.
"The string is broken. Is anyone eavesdropping?"
Ming Qi chuckled. What era was this? He came from a high-tech background, and he had never taken such mysterious matters seriously.
After the string broke, Ming Qi stood up, set the guqin aside, and pulled a sheet of drawing paper from the table, spreading it out flat.
A brush, a touch of ink, and a sheet of paper.
Ming Qi freely painted, the outlines of mountains and rivers, a starry night backdrop, and a stunning young woman in flowing white clothes.
As he picked up his brush, he was actually trying to copy the white-dressed girl he had seen in his dream from memory.
It was clear that Ming Qi was not at peace today, because this dream had been bothering him for three years. Ever since that strange incident three years ago, he had been having the same dream over and over again, more and more frequently, and with increasing clarity.
And the one constant in his dreams was the girl in white.
Ming Qi's painting skills were exceptional, and she reproduced the dream scene with exquisite fidelity. In a short while, with the final stroke, the girl's ethereal figure in white came to life on the paper.
Then, with a flourish of her brush, she wrote a large "dream" in the upper right corner of the paper.
After finishing, Ming Qi stared at the enormous "dream" character, pondering deeply. This word had troubled him for a long time, yet he could never find a solution.
At noon, Ming Qi's mother returned and prepared a sumptuous lunch, and the family happily enjoyed a reunion dinner.
After dinner, Ming Qi took out some gold and gave it to his eldest brother, Miao Sen, with a few words of advice before leaving.
This time, Ming Qi left home, intending to travel for a while. If he wanted to reach a higher level, he needed the guidance of a master and the rich spiritual energy of heaven and earth, both of which he lacked.
This time, Ming Qi left without Dabai. He entrusted the protection of his family to him. After all, Dabai had now reached the peak strength of a first-level demon beast, fully capable of protecting Yanzhuang from bullying. And in such a small village, no matter how powerful a master or a terrifying sect of cultivators, would even look upon it.
"Sister Ziyuan, that's the guy."
Shortly after Mingqi left, Ziyuan and the little boy Zhengyao stood on a small hill beside Yanzhuang.
Ziyuan gazed at Mingqi's back, pondering for a long moment, as if struggling with something.
After a moment, she waved.
"Let's go find him and get the Ziyuan Feather back."
"Okay."
Zhengyao nodded, and the siblings hurried down the hill, following Mingqi's path.
Although their strength wasn't particularly strong, they were incredibly fast. They caught up with Mingqi just as she was running out of the Xuanshan area, where Yanzhuang was located.
However, this was also due to Mingqi's aimless wandering. If Mingqi had run at full speed, Ziyuan would have no chance of catching up.
Outside Xuanshan, a short distance ahead was a large town called Santai Town. This town was a prosperous place. Its proximity to Xiandu City and its extensive roads made it a natural meeting point between the mountains and the bustling city.
Ming Qi's immediate plan was to visit Santai Town. He knew of a monastic sect called the Biyou Sect not far from Santai Town. If he had the opportunity to join the Biyou Sect, he might be able to receive guidance from its masters.
He was currently at the fifth level of the Acquired Realm. If he was lucky enough to encounter a Biyou Sect recruitment drive, joining would be a breeze.
Ming Qi traveled with a carefree and relaxed demeanor.
But behind them, the young girl Ziyuan and the young boy Zhengyao were already suffering. Ziyuan was surprised to find that no matter how fast she ran, the person in front of her always maintained a distance of about a mile from her, neither too close nor too far. Even at full speed, the gap remained constant.
"Could he be doing this on purpose?"
The thought of this made Ziyuan's pretty face turn cold.
"This guy is truly despicable!"
As the day wore on and into the evening, Ming Qi continued to leisurely march ahead, while Zi Yuan and Zheng Yao, catching up from behind, were already panting with exhaustion.
Without a choice, the two had to stop for a brief rest, otherwise they would surely collapse from exhaustion.
Unexpectedly, Zi Yuan had barely paused when he noticed the man ahead had also stopped.
Swish!
The beautiful girl Zi Yuan was completely enraged. A shimmering emerald green bracelet on her right wrist flashed, and a divine talisman fell into her hand.
The talisman was the emerald green of wind, imbued with the elemental properties of wind.
Swish!
A trace of spiritual energy from heaven and earth poured into it, and the talisman instantly transformed into a green glow and merged into Zi Yuan's body.
Without a word, Zi Yuan pulled Zheng Yao beside her and hurried forward.
This talisman is called the Wind Talisman, and it boosts the user's movement speed for a limited period. It seems Zi Yuan is determined to catch up.
Swoosh!
Driven by the Wind Talisman, the two of them moved as fast as the wind.
Zi Yuan moved, and Ming Qi, ahead of her, also slowly circled a hilltop, disappearing into the night.
"Trying to hide?"
Zi Yuan snorted coldly, quickening her pace.
In the blink of an eye, they arrived in front of the hilltop.
"Miss, are you worried I'd get lonely walking alone? Would you mind accompanying me?"
Just as Zi Yuan spun around the hilltop at full speed, Ming Qi stood atop the small hilltop, dressed in black, looking cool and elegant. His long, flowing hair danced in the wind, giving him a majestic demeanor.
"Looking for death!"
Zi Yuan raised her eyebrows, and something suddenly appeared in her hand. She swung it at Ming Qi, swiftly running towards him without stopping.
"Such a hot girl!"
Ming Qi saw the flying blade coming towards him and touched his nose with a smile. When it flashed before his eyes, he reached out and gently grasped it.
"You!"
Zi Yuan was surprised to see Ming Qi easily grasp her weapon, but she showed no sign of retreating. In a moment, she was standing in front of Ming Qi, graceful and elegant like a lotus emerging from water.
But at this moment, Zi Yuan's expression was extremely grim.
Ming Qi was holding a short sword. It felt weightless in his hand and looked as thin as a cicada's wing. It was undoubtedly a top-notch weapon, at least a mid-grade Xuanqi.
Noticing the unpleasant expression on the girl's face, Ming Qi smiled and offered the short sword to Zi Yuan, as if to express his sincerity.
A hint of surprise crossed Zi Yuan's face. After a moment's hesitation, she accepted the sword.
"Why are you following me?"
Ming Qi wasn't angry; he just smiled.
Zi Yuan put the dagger back into her bracelet, then extended her jade-white hand and said, "Give me back the Zi Yuan Feather."