Jian Zhaoxing

Chapter 144 Obsession and Nightmare

"Zhiqing? Did you have a dream just now too?" Lu Huai thought about his dream and felt a little confused.

When Lin Zhiqing was asked this question, she recalled the chaotic scenes in her dream, and she decisively chose to give a few evasive answers.

After all, she couldn't very well say that she was begging me to be with her even on her deathbed in her dreams, could she?

After she casually brushed it off, Lu Huai nodded. Thinking of his dream and fearing Lin Zhiqing might ask about it, he quickly looked at Jiang Liuyun beside him:

"Brother Jiang, is he still not awake?"

“That’s right.” Lin Zhiqing nodded: “The sound of wind and turning pages in that study can induce a dreamlike state, and most people, if unprepared, simply cannot resist it.”

"I'll wake him up now, and you keep watch for me."

“Okay.” Knowing the situation was urgent, Lu Huai quickly moved back a bit, facing the courtyard gate of the study.

Upon seeing this, Lin Zhiqing first called Jiang Liuyun's name softly.

He did not respond.

Moreover, the expression on his face was as if he were trapped in a nightmare, which was extremely ugly.

Lin Zhiqing frowned, feeling a little strange. Could it be that his dream was not a perfect state of life?
She decided to try it first: "Jiang Liuyun, what you are seeing is all an illusion. You will wake up after I count to three."

"Listen carefully, I'm about to start counting." Lin Zhiqing stepped back slightly and raised her voice: "One, two, three!"

She finished counting the numbers, but Jiang Liuyun didn't react at all.

Unable to wake him up, Lin Zhiqing took a few steps forward and patted him on the shoulder.

Still no use.

Lu Huai also noticed Lin Zhiqing's actions and asked softly, "What's going on?"

Lin Zhiqing's expression was serious: "The dream on the first floor will try to keep the person in the dream within the scene. He probably didn't notice anything wrong, so he hasn't been able to wake up."

"By the way, how did you wake up?"

Lu Huai hadn't expected her to ask this question, since it concerned Jiang Liuyun's life. After hesitating for a moment, he told the truth: "I woke up after seeing my jade abacus."

Hearing this, Lin Zhiqing nodded, and she thought of her dream again.

What a coincidence, she also saw that small and exquisite jade abacus.

Dreams are the brain's processing and transformation of everyday events and objects into specific scenarios.

Therefore, many familiar people and similar events appear in Lin Zhiqing's dreams.

But he had no idea what dreams Lu Huai and Jiang Liuyun had.

Lu Huai surprisingly managed to break free from the dream on his own, but Jiang Liuyun couldn't even wake himself up after entering the dream, indicating that he had already become somewhat immersed in it.

Thinking of this, Lin Zhiqing spoke again: "Is the scene in your dream the life you long for?"

Lu Huai blinked, his expression somewhat unnatural. After thinking for a while, he still couldn't give an answer: "Mostly yes, the dream I had was very strange."

"My dreams are strange too." Lin Zhiqing said thoughtfully. So, the dreams of the three of them must have similarities, such as all three having an ideal state.

The person I like likes me too.

I am confident that I can accomplish what I set out to do.

The person I like is my ideal type in every way.

This is the ideal state of the dreamscape created on the first floor of the study.

Aside from creating an idealized, perfect life scenario or instilling a hypnotized person's obsession, Lin Zhiqing couldn't think of any other conditions that would make someone addicted to a dream.

The process of waking someone from a hypnotic state was also based on this condition, which was a psychological pre-set for Jiang Liuyun.

But this condition doesn't seem to hold true now. Lin Zhiqing isn't sure what Jiang Liuyun was dreaming about, so of course she can't wake him up. After hearing Lin Zhiqing's explanation, Lu Huai also understood the seriousness of the situation: "In other words, unless we know what he was dreaming about, we can't wake him up?"

"That's not it, there's another way." Lin Zhiqing rubbed his chin.

"What method?" The mind-reading techniques that Lu Huai had encountered tonight were far beyond his comprehension, and he subconsciously thought that this method would be very difficult.

"Wait a moment." Lin Zhiqing didn't answer immediately; she looked around as if searching for something.

A moment later, her eyes lit up, and she walked straight toward the bushes not far from the corner of the wall.

Although Lu Huai was puzzled, he remained standing still, keeping an eye on everything around him and listening to his surroundings, keeping a watchful eye on Lin Zhiqing.

Lin Zhiqing squatted down in front of the grass, reached out and parted the grass, and the corners of her mouth curved up.

She quickly returned.

Seeing the wildflower in her hand, Lu Huai was even more puzzled. He couldn't help but ask, "Zhiqing, can this flower awaken Brother Jiang?"

"I'll give it a try first." She didn't make any promises too confidently.

"A wildflower can actually be used like this." Lu Huai nodded thoughtfully, as if thinking that he could use the flower to solve the problem the next time he fell into a dream.

Lin Zhiqing saw through his thoughts at a glance: "Of course, flowers don't have that effect."

“But if Jiang Liuyun is afraid of this flower, then it’s fine.”

"Brother Jiang, why are you afraid of this flower..." Lu Huai paused, taken aback.

Jiang Liuyun is not afraid of flowers, but he is afraid of their fragrance, because he was once tricked by the peony flowers that young ladies in the capital threw on him.

He was the one who told Lin Zhiqing about this.

Seeing that he understood, Lin Zhiqing didn't delay any longer. She lowered her head and smelled the wildflowers.

Hmm, although it's very faint, you can still smell the fragrance.

He gently placed the small flower on Jiang Liuyun's nose.

After pausing for a few seconds, Lin Zhiqing keenly noticed that the tip of his nose twitched, and quickly moved behind him.

"Achoo!" Jiang Liuyun sneezed and immediately opened his eyes.

His eyes narrowed, his brows furrowed, his eyebrows drooped, and he was breathing heavily, clearly still not understanding the situation.

"Brother Jiang, you're awake!" A smile appeared on Lu Huai's face.

"I...wasn't I in the study?" Jiang Liuyun's eyes turned to confusion as he saw the scene before him.

"That study was set with traps of the Mind-Analysis School. We were all dragged into a dream, and it was Zhiqing who pulled us out," Lu Huai explained.

"Zhiqing? Qing'er!" Upon hearing this name, Jiang Liuyun's face showed anxiety: "Where is Qing'er? Is she alright?"

"I'm fine." Lin Zhiqing breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the man had woken up, and then stepped out from behind him.

Seeing Lin Zhiqing appear, Jiang Liuyun breathed a sigh of relief: "It's good that you're alright, it's good that you're alright."

Lu Huai and Lin Zhiqing exchanged a glance, both feeling that Jiang Liuyun's dream was somewhat different from theirs.

Lin Zhiqing was a little curious and asked, "What did you dream about?"

Because of that dream, Jiang Liuyun's forehead was covered in a fine layer of sweat, and he scratched his head sheepishly.

"Qing'er, my dream was a bit ominous. I dreamt that you disappeared from this world."

"I want to find you again, but I can't find you anywhere."

Lin Zhiqing nodded thoughtfully; it seemed that Jiang Liuyun's dream was the latter.

His obsession is... to find himself?