Chapter 241: Things that happen in reality can feel like dreams

When Yu Guang began establishing a preliminary new administrative structure in Chazhou alongside the villagers of Du Village, Yu Yin had already reached the borders of Maozhou.

He wasn’t alone—Xiao Shi was with him.

When Yu Yin suddenly pointed at her and ordered her to follow him to Maozhou, Xiao Shi, who was already terrified of him, was so scared she nearly burst into tears.

But Yu Guang nodded his approval. Left with no choice, Xiao Shi reluctantly followed Yu Yin, glancing back every few steps.

The young girl knew that, having turned into a demon, it was impossible for her to return to her old village. Her family was no longer there either.

Big Brother had asked his younger brother to take her along, but from the moment they first met, she had been deeply frightened of this beautiful yet chilling young man.

As soon as they were out of Big Brother’s sight, Yu Yin planted some puppet strings inside her body and coldly informed her:

“Your condition is unstable right now. I’ve implanted spider threads in you. If you lose control, I will take command of you. But you’d better not cause me trouble, or I’ll eat you. Understood?”

Already scared of him, Xiao Shi turned pale at the sudden voice in her head. Her thin face made her wide, terrified eyes even more prominent as she looked up at him.

“Did you hear me, Little Locust?”

He was speaking inside her head again!

Xiao Shi hurriedly nodded, her voice trembling with tears. “I-I’m called Xiao Shi.”

When they encountered the first evil spirit in Maozhou, Yu Yin stood under the shade of a tree, his arms crossed, and told the little girl beside him, “Little Locust, go eat that evil spirit.”

“I-I don’t dare.”

“You’re a demon. It’s perfectly natural for demons to eat evil spirits. Go now!”

Alone and helpless, Xiao Shi hesitated as she approached the terrifying evil spirit, then turned back and said, “It—it’s too big. I don’t know how to eat it.”

“You are the demon Locust God. You can eat anything—that’s your instinct. Don’t make me repeat myself.”

This time, the voice in her mind carried a hint of compulsion, urging her forward.

Yu Yin thought to himself, comparing her to the Locust God from his past life—a creature driven purely by instinct with no trace of human consciousness. This timid girl hardly resembled a demon.

If not for the agreement he made with his elder brother before leaving, Yu Yin wouldn’t have bothered dealing with her at all.

From the moment they encountered the first evil spirit, every subsequent one they came across was ordered to be consumed by Xiao Shi.

Her fear gradually gave way to familiarity, and eventually, she even began to find them quite tasty—more satisfying than regular food.

At last, she realized she was no longer human but a demon, just like the scary young man accompanying her.

She started timidly trying to curry favor with him, even taking the initiative to carry his cat for him.

There weren’t many evil spirits in Maozhou. Without much delay, Yu Yin led Xiao Shi straight to Maozhou’s Divine Academy.

The Divine Academy and the Exorcism Bureau existed in nearly every province, though their states varied widely.

For example, Chazhou’s Divine Academy was in decline, and the Exorcism Bureau there was practically a hollow shell. Meanwhile, Maozhou’s Divine Academy was bustling with activity, and the Exorcism Bureau boasted numerous cultivators.

Despite being neighboring cities, the two were polar opposites.

In Maozhou, anyone with even a shred of talent would be admitted into the Divine Academy to train. However, their cultivation was generally shallow and unremarkable.

Ordinary people couldn’t see the darkness lurking beneath Maozhou’s surface prosperity. But Yu Yin, who had once been the darkness itself, understood it better than anyone.

More than a decade ago, a cunning and deceptive demon emerged in Chazhou. It didn’t prey on evil spirits but instead had a taste for cultivators.

Within a few years, it had devoured almost all the cultivators in Chazhou without restraint, causing widespread panic and leaving the city’s ranks of cultivators nearly empty.

This was the primary reason behind the decline of Chazhou’s Divine Academy today.

The demon that had drained Chazhou of its cultivators eventually left the province in disappointment and made its way to neighboring Maozhou.

This time, it decided against overfishing the pond. Instead, it planned to cultivate a steady supply of food.

To achieve this, it disguised itself as the headmaster of Maozhou’s Divine Academy, eagerly recruiting disciples to raise as livestock.

To ensure these “livestock” wouldn’t grow too powerful and pose a threat, it deliberately screened out and devoured the most talented and intelligent young cultivators early, leaving only the mediocre and incapable behind.

Why was Yu Yin so familiar with this demon’s methods?

Naturally, it was because, in his past life, this demon, Gong Yuan, had been one of his subordinates.

Just as Gong Yuan raised a stable of cultivators as future sustenance, the demon Silk Nest from his past life had similarly kept his underlings as eventual food.

To others, Maozhou’s situation might seem complicated, but to Yu Yin, it was simple.

As long as he uprooted the deep-seated “tree” that was Gong Yuan from Maozhou, everything else would resolve itself.

Recalling the task his considerate elder brother had assigned him, Yu Yin let out a faint chuckle.

Sometimes, he felt that Yu Guang might be the only person who understood this world as deeply as he did—perhaps even more.

Yu Yin could also tell that Yu Guang used the matter of marriage as leverage to compel him into action. But since Yu Guang had dared to make the request, he shouldn’t think of going back on it. This marriage was non-negotiable.

And correspondingly, Gong Yuan’s demise was equally non-negotiable.

Yu Yin stepped onto the stone stairs leading to the entrance of Maozhou’s Divine Academy. Xiao Shi followed behind, holding the gray-eyed cat like a dust-covered shadow.

Suddenly, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed as countless cultivators, clad in flowing white robes and armed with weapons, rushed out.

“They’re demons!” one of them shouted. “The headmaster has ordered us to capture them!”

Sensing the overwhelming hostility from a powerful fellow demon, Gong Yuan could no longer sit still.

Yu Yin raised his hand and removed his mask. In his view, the sky was dark and lifeless, and above the entire Divine Academy hung a vast black spider’s web that he had woven.

The threads dangled, connecting to every person. With a gentle flick of his fingers, he manipulated the threads, causing anyone charging toward him to lose control of their bodies and tumble aside.

“What’s going on?!”

“I can’t control myself!”

Yu Yin effortlessly brushed aside the webs, moving toward the mountain path.

“You think you can run now? It’s too late,” he whispered silently, his lips barely moving.

Not long ago, he had devoured a human-faced serpent; now it was time for a four-legged serpent.

*

Meanwhile, Yu Guang and the others had temporarily dealt with the situation in Chazhou and had returned early to Zhuzhou.

“Aren’t we waiting for Yu Yin?” Wu Jin asked.

“No need,” Yu Guang answered.

Since he had promised to marry the youngest brother, he needed to return and make preparations in advance.

Upon their return, everyone at the Exorcism Bureau was thrilled, though they couldn’t help but ask why Yu Yin hadn’t come back with them.

Yu Guang gathered a few close associates and announced the news that he was going to marry Yu Yin.

Surprisingly, not even Wu Jin or Ban Ying, Pei Wenjue, or anyone else showed any signs of surprise or shock.

“We’ve been waiting for you to say this for a long time, Big Brother,” Ban Ying said with a smile.

Yu Guang glanced at their faces and said, “I’ll need to trouble all of you to help prepare everything necessary for the wedding…”

“Don’t worry, Big Brother. Everything’s already prepared! Wedding robes, bedding, wine, candy, and even the wedding chamber—they’re all ready!”

As this was mentioned, everyone present displayed expressions of pride mixed with subtle modesty, anticipation veiled with a touch of smugness.

Every single one of them had contributed to the preparations. Even Ming Yu, who was always busy teaching at the Divine Academy, had been dragged into reviewing designs for wedding robes, sampling wedding candy, and being responsible for writing the invitations.

Yu Guang glanced at their faces again and asked in puzzlement, “How did you all prepare so early?”

After all, he had only recently figured things out and made his decision not long ago.

“With the bond between you and Yu Yin, it was only a matter of time before these things were needed. Naturally, we prepared ahead of time,” Ban Ying explained.

Yu Guang recalled that Wu Jin had also said some strange things earlier. It seemed they might have misunderstood something.

However, he didn’t feel the need to clarify things completely. Instead, he discussed the wedding plans with them, finalizing what needed to be done next.

At the end, he was left with one question.

Yu Guang’s gaze swept over the group—past Wu Jin, who had a guileless and silly look; Ming Yu, who remained silent and stoic while holding his blade; and the younger Shi Bai and the cheerful, round-faced Wu Shan.

His eyes lingered briefly on Ban Ying, who was reliable and meticulous, before finally settling on Pei Wenjue, who had the air of a carefree, flirtatious nobleman.

“Xiao Pei, I need to ask you something,” Yu Guang said, draping an arm around Pei Wenjue’s shoulders and pulling him aside.

Pei Wenjue looked puzzled. What could Big Brother not understand that required asking him alone?

“What’s the question? Just say it, Big Brother.”

“So, about men and men—how does that work? Is there something special to know?” Yu Guang asked.

This was an area he had genuinely never explored before.

Pei Wenjue: “…”

Pei Wenjue: “?”

It took him a moment to realize what Yu Guang was asking. When he did, his expression twisted awkwardly.

Out of everyone sitting there earlier, why did Big Brother choose to ask him? Did he really look like someone who knew a lot about relationships between men? He was clearly someone who liked women!

“Hahaha, it’s mainly because you seem the most worldly,” Yu Guang said, patting his shoulder.

Pei Wenjue suddenly remembered something and blurted out, “But haven’t you and Yu Yin already… done everything? Why would you ask me?”

The two of them exchanged puzzled looks for a moment before realizing something was off.

“Big Brother, those times when you and Yu Yin didn’t come back all night, then returned in the morning with Yu Yin unable to walk properly, covered in grass and dirt… What exactly were you two doing?”

“Night runs, of course. What else?”

“…”

The eavesdroppers: “………”

A few moments later, a row of faces flushed bright red with embarrassment and shame sat across from Yu Guang.

“W-Well, you can’t blame us for misunderstanding.”

“It’s kind of a happy accident, hahaha. At least our preparations weren’t wasted!”

“But Big Brother, since you and Yu Yin weren’t like that before, what made you suddenly decide to marry him?”

Yu Guang crossed his arms, amused at the group of nosy onlookers. “Stop prying. Go mind your own business.”

In truth, the reason was simple—it had been Yu Yin’s illusory dream that had reminded him.

There was nothing in the world that could force him to do something against his will—not even a dream.

If he had truly been unwilling to marry the youngest, the illusory dream would never have formed. He would have snapped out of it the moment he entered.

Realizing he didn’t mind marrying the youngest, Yu Guang himself was a bit surprised.

However, in his world, things were never overly complicated. Since both parties were willing, there was no reason not to go through with the marriage.

Besides, in that illusory dream, when Yu Yin sat under the jujube tree cutting out wedding decorations, the smile on his face was truly…

“Let’s get everything ready. The youngest should be back soon, and we’ll hold the wedding as soon as he returns,” Yu Guang said, standing up and announcing the end of the meeting.

*

Yu Yin, who had resolved the issue in Maozhou with lightning speed and rushed back to Zhuzhou, was entirely preoccupied with thoughts of how to force his elder brother to fulfill his promise.

He had his suspicions—it couldn’t be this simple. Big Brother couldn’t have agreed so easily.

But then, from a distance, he saw the Exorcism Bureau bustling with people. As he got closer, he noticed bright red flowers hanging on the stone at the entrance.

There was a festive couplet pasted on the door, and the courtyard had been cleared for a wedding venue.

“Yu Yin is back? Congratulations! You’re marrying Big Brother—I was so shocked when I first heard!”

“Ahem, don’t listen to him. We’re all genuinely happy for you and Big Brother.”

“Congratulations, younger brother—no, wait, I can’t call you that anymore!”

Everyone who saw him greeted him warmly with a smile.

The back courtyard was piled high with ingredients, the large kitchen was bustling with people, and laughter and the fragrant scent of food filled the air—exactly like his dream.

Ban Ying, lifting her skirts as she busied herself, spotted him and rushed over, her face lighting up with delight.

“Yu Yin! You’re finally back! Big Brother set the wedding date so quickly that we were all worried you wouldn’t make it in time. He kept saying you’d definitely return in time, but while he stayed calm, he nearly gave us all a heart attack!”

“Go rest in your room for a bit and try on your wedding robes. They’re in your room—check if they fit!”

Yu Yin: “…”

Yu Yin’s gaze swept to the corner, where Yu Guang sat beside a wooden basin washing dishes. Yu Guang looked up and greeted him with a simple, “You’re back.”

“You’re just in time. The wedding decorations haven’t been cut yet. You can handle it later,” Yu Guang added.

Hearing this, Ban Ying complained, “Big Brother has suddenly developed a mischievous streak. I suggested we cut the decorations together and put them up early, but he insisted on waiting for you to do it.”

Everyone knew about Yu Yin’s peculiar eyesight—sometimes it seemed like he could see, other times it was as if he couldn’t. Making him cut intricate wedding decorations was practically teasing him.

Yu Yin didn’t move from where he stood. Suddenly, he raised his hand and brushed a strand of his webbing in front of his eyes.

This wasn’t an illusion.

Yu Guang, as if sensing his doubt, continued wiping a bowl as he said, “Things that happen in reality can feel like dreams, but that doesn’t make them any less real.”

“Don’t just stand there. You have plenty to do.”

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