Su Qiyun’s decision to confront the “Night of Invasion” was, of course, not a suicidal impulse.
She surely had her own stratagem, compelled to undertake this perilous gamble only after exhausting all other options.
Their acquaintance in the Senhai Source Realm was a fleeting encounter, marked by a single brief alliance. While their rapport was not poor, it extended no further.
With Su Qiyun’s resolve firm, Jiang Wang found no compelling reason to intervene.
He could only, like Wu Quji, watch her retreating figure vanish into the inky blackness.
Suddenly, Su Qiyun crumpled to the ground.
Unable to resist the oppressive slumber, the moment she stepped beyond the efficacy of the Divine Dragon Incense, she succumbed to sleep.
She had not even left the sight of Jiang Wang and Wu Quji.
Wu Quji, eyes fixed upon her, did not turn his head as he inquired, “Shall we rouse her?”
Qing Jiuye had once stated, “Those who fall asleep, so long as they are watched, shall not be invaded.”
This was one of the Senhai Holy Clan’s methods against the night, but it was strictly confined to the Land of Divine Concealment, for no one could remain awake in the outer night.
The Divine Dragon Incense was an obvious exception.
However, the Divine Dragon Incense, derived from the heartwood of the Divine Dragon Tree, was exceedingly precious and could not be judged by conventional standards.
Under the influence of the Divine Dragon Incense, both Jiang Wang and Wu Quji remained awake.
Jiang Wang, too, stared intently at Su Qiyun, fearful of blinking simultaneously with Wu Quji and thus losing the ‘stare.’
“Wake her,” Jiang Wang declared, rising.
If she couldn’t even resist slumber, resisting the “Invasion” was an utter impossibility.
This was clearly not the outcome Su Qiyun had desired.
Maintaining their vigilant gaze, the two, bearing the Divine Dragon Incense, moved towards Su Qiyun in unison.
Su Qiyun’s sudden descent into deep sleep underscored the potency of the Divine Dragon Incense in their minds.
Previously, they had prepared it merely as a strategic precaution, uncertain if the “Night of Invasion” would vanish with Yan Xiao’s demise. Now, Su Qiyun’s sleep provided irrefutable proof.
“Su Qiyun. Su Qiyun.”
“Qi Yun! Qi Yun!”
Amidst her stupor, Su Qiyun seemed to hear someone calling her name.
This voice… it was so familiar.
Little Fish, is that you, Little Fish?
She cried out inwardly.
She yearned to open her eyes, to see Little Fish’s face, but her eyelids were impossibly heavy, as if pressed by a mountain, refusing to budge.
Is it you, Little Fish?
The voice continued to call, “Qi Yun! Qi Yun!”
“Wake up, wake up! You mustn’t sleep!”
Su Qiyun strained to pry open her eyelids.
Let me see you, where are you?
Let me hold you. Where are you?
“Qi Yun! Qi Yun! Don’t sleep again, don’t sleep…”
Traversing the forest, seeing that empty, dangling skirt.
Gripping double daggers, dancing amidst the throng of snakes.
Pouring out her heart and soul, diligently reviewing material records.
Clenching her teeth and grinding them, fighting Yan Xiao in a battle of life and death.
She had never wept over it.
She had pinned up her hair, concealing her appearance.
Not a man’s child, she wished to surpass the sons of men.
She was willing to endure hardship, to carry her tears, she yearned to endure.
But this time, hearing that voice…
She felt both urgent and distressed, struggling and wronged.
Her defenses crumbled instantly.
Tears surged forth at once.
Tears fell like rain, each drop a testament to powerlessness and pain.
Her eyes… burst open.
Su Qiyun opened her eyes, seeing the faces of Jiang Wang and Wu Quji, confirming they were her two companions from the battle against Yan Xiao.
She abruptly sat up, gazing around.
Still in Xuanlu Forest, still before the wooden house.
No Little Fish.
Jiang Wang and Wu Quji exchanged bewildered glances, unable to comprehend why Su Qiyun awoke with her face streaming with tears.
“Just now you couldn’t resist sleepiness, so we woke you,” Jiang Wang explained, then asked, “What did you see?”
Su Qiyun shook her head. “I saw nothing.”
She asked, “Was it you two calling me just now?”
“Yes,” Wu Quji replied. “Who else could it be?”
“Your method, it didn’t work?” Jiang Wang pressed, his tone unspokenly acknowledging the matter of her tears.
Su Qiyun silently wiped away her tears, then retrieved a piece of ring jade from her neck.
The jade was exquisitely shaped, its color a frosty white.
“This is a Divine Consignment Jade passed down by my master. It can divide the Divine Consignment Thought. I thought, if I couldn’t resist sleepiness, I would just split my Divine Consignment Jade. This way, I could maintain consciousness until dawn. I didn’t expect… I didn’t even have time, and I just fell asleep.”
Su Qiyun had placed her hopes in the divided Divine Consignment Jade, surely holding some confidence in it. But the moment she stepped out of the range of the Divine Dragon Incense, she plummeted into deep sleep, with no time to react whatsoever.
It was evident that Qing Jiuye’s assertion that no one could remain awake in the night outside the Land of Divine Concealment held no falsehood, at least in the absence of the Divine Dragon Incense.
“Absolutely no room for resistance…” Wu Quji murmured.
He had observed Su Qiyun carefully during her deep sleep. She was in a normal state of deep slumber, perhaps a little more profoundly asleep, but otherwise showed no abnormalities.
Of course, for a cultivator of extraordinary ability, such a sudden and inexplicable “deep sleep” was inherently difficult to comprehend.
Jiang Wang mused for a moment, then asked, “While you were in deep sleep just now, did you hear, or perhaps feel, us calling you?”
Su Qiyun was silent for a time, then said, “I seemed to hear Little Fish’s voice.”
Her tone was uncertain.
Because Little Fish… was no longer.
“Was it an auditory hallucination? Perhaps you were still dreaming at the time. A troubled heart will give rise to dreamscapes after falling asleep,” Wu Quji analyzed.
“Perhaps,” Su Qiyun considered. “I also heard another voice, a very strange voice.”
“What did it say?” Jiang Wang inquired.
“It seemed to be… ‘Go back’?” Su Qiyun struggled to recall. “I don’t remember clearly.”
This matter was peculiar indeed.
Su Qiyun, a cultivator of no small strength, could not possibly experience auditory hallucinations without cause, even if they were illusions. If it was a pure dream, dreaming of Little Fish was understandable, but where did that strange voice come from?
Dreaming was a common phenomenon, but falling asleep in the Senhai Source Realm under the night’s influence and immediately dreaming was highly suspect.
Deep sleep in the Senhai Source Realm’s night was certainly perilous, yet it also seemed to offer glimpses into certain hidden truths.
Jiang Wang then asked, “If you were to fall asleep again now, do you think you could wake up?”
Su Qiyun understood his meaning and considered it seriously. “I’m not sure. It was particularly difficult to wake up just now. I was conscious, I wanted to open my eyes, but I couldn’t exert any strength at all. I still don’t know how it happened, but when the tears flowed out, I just opened my eyes.”
She described her state at the time with great composure.
Jiang Wang somewhat wished for Su Qiyun to attempt it again.
To “listen” to those voices, to ascertain whether someone was truly interacting with her in her “dream,” or if it was merely a pure dream.
This night had piqued his curiosity.
However, he wasn’t certain if this deep sleep was easily broken, given how long he and Wu Quji had been calling her.
If she couldn’t be roused, then he and Wu Quji would have to collectively watch over Su Qiyun the entire night until dawn.
For Su Qiyun, the Divine Consignment Jade had been proven unreliable. Entering sleep again meant placing her life and death entirely in the hands of Jiang Wang and Wu Quji.
Could this degree of trust exist?
Simply staring for a night was not a concern. But consider a simple scenario: if danger arose and attacked, would Jiang Wang and Wu Quji risk maintaining their gaze while dealing with the crisis?
Trust was certainly not sufficient.
Then, could the pursuit of the truth of the “Night of Invasion” compel her to disregard all else?
Su Qiyun pondered repeatedly, finally biting her lip. “I can try once.”
This undoubtedly required immense courage.
Jiang Wang simply said, “You can trust me.”
With that, he and Wu Quji prepared to retreat with the Divine Dragon Incense, intending to watch Su Qiyun fall asleep again.
But just then, the Divine Consignment Jade at Su Qiyun’s neck suddenly emitted a frosty light.
The red cord tying the jade automatically untied, and the Divine Consignment Jade itself floated up, suspended in the air, facing the three of them.
“Ah.”
A sigh echoed.
Su Qiyun quickly stood up, retreating slightly to Jiang Wang’s side.
“That was the voice!” she said cautiously.