"Then please pass on my thanks for their kindness," HuiXiang murmured between sips of water.
Qinmu’s head suddenly throbbed violently. She braced one hand against the bed and massaged her forehead. Ever since returning from Yufei Han’s place, this kept happening. Could it be… because of what happened with Yufei? Had her body taken such a toll?
*No, no. That can’t be right. If that were true, no one on Earth would ever do it again.*
But then… what was causing this?
Qinmu couldn’t ponder further. The pain had worsened to the point where even massaging her temples brought no relief.
Seeing Qinmu’s pained expression, HuiXiang ignored her own leg injury. She scrambled off the bed and rushed to Qinmu’s side, her voice tight with worry: "Sister, what’s wrong?"
Qinmu tried to speak, but her throat felt blocked. Only broken sounds escaped—"Mm… uh… ah"—like a mute struggling to be understood.
"Huh? Sister, what’s happening to you?!" HuiXiang gently patted Qinmu’s back with her left hand, careful not to jostle her fractured right arm.
Qinmu endured the agony a moment longer before her vision darkened. She collapsed face-first onto HuiXiang’s bed.
"SISTER!! SISTER!!!" HuiXiang screamed, tears welling in her eyes. They spilled over, rolling down like beads onto Qinmu’s shoulder, soaking through her outer robe.
Hearing the commotion from HuiXiang’s room, Qingyu rushed in. "What happened?"
Through sobs, HuiXiang gasped, "Sister… she fainted! We need to get her to a hospital—now!"
Qingyu first settled HuiXiang back onto the bed. Then she hoisted Qinmu—who was slightly lighter than herself—onto her back and sprinted toward the nearest hospital.
"Qinmu will be fine. Don’t worry," Qingyu called back as she ran.
HuiXiang sat frozen on the bed, replaying Qinmu’s sudden collapse in her mind. *When did she get this strange illness? Why didn’t anyone tell me?*
Outside the window, a girl in white flashed past. She had been watching over Qinmu all along. The moment she saw the Rough Jade around Qinmu’s neck flare brightly again, she understood: the jade was the culprit behind Qinmu’s collapse.
She had to catch up to Qingyu—and save Qinmu.
At the hospital, doctors rushed Qinmu into the emergency room. Meanwhile, the girl in white cast an illusion, rendering herself invisible to passersby. She then chanted a spell to enter dreams—and succeeded.
Inside the dream, Qinmu sat alone in a vast, white void. Nothing existed here—no people, no objects, only endless blankness.
The girl in white materialized behind her and strode forward. "Young Master, we finally meet."
"Meet?" Qinmu frowned. She didn’t recognize this lovely girl with flowing white hair.
"Yes! You might not know me, but I know you. I’m Li of Spring City. Pleased to make your acquaintance~" The girl beamed, extending her hand eagerly.
Qinmu shook it hesitantly. She only remembered darkness swallowing her before waking here—and now this stranger felt unnervingly real.
"I’m Nangong Qinmu."
Meeting a beautiful girl in a dream felt like a bad omen. All Qinmu wanted was to return to her sisters.
"Then I’ll call you Qinmu. And you may call me Li," the girl chirped. She plopped down facing Qinmu, her bright eyes fixed intently on her.
Qinmu shifted uncomfortably under her gaze. "Why are you staring like that?"
"Because you’re lovely," Li declared without hesitation. "Whether as a boy or a girl—you’re utterly captivating. Impossible not to adore."
"…Thanks," Qinmu mumbled, turning her face away.
"What is this place?" Qinmu asked, eyeing the endless white expanse.
"A dream," Li replied cheerfully.
"A dream? So you’re… a dream spirit?" Qinmu’s eyes widened.
"No. I’m from your world. Well—*not* human." Li corrected herself hastily.
"*Not human*…" Terror flashed across Qinmu’s face. *Am I dead? Is this the Pure Land?*
"Don’t be scared! I’m no demon. I’m Li of Spring City—a goddess! The most beautiful, generous goddess your kind reveres!" Li struck a flamboyant pose. Qinmu didn’t bother watching. *She’s as cheesy as some magical girl show.*
"Then… why are you here? To take my soul?" Qinmu braced for the worst.
"Of course not! I’m here to *save* you." Li’s eyes widened earnestly.
"Save me? How?"
"By… *waking you up*." Li flicked Qinmu’s forehead, as if scolding her for being slow.
"Wake me up? And how do you plan to do that?"
"By taking off that jade around your neck." Li reached for the Rough Jade glowing faintly at Qinmu’s throat—
—and was blasted backward by a searing bolt of lightning.
"Oww! That *hurt*! What kind of jade *is* this?!" Li scrambled up, rubbing her sore backside before approaching again.
Qinmu finally noticed the oddly shaped jade pendant. Its glow had faded, leaving it looking like an ordinary piece of stone.
"What is this? How did I never notice it before?"
She tried to remove it, but the jade clung to her skin like it had fused with her flesh…
*What… is happening?!*
Panic surged through Qinmu. How had such a strange thing attached itself to her?
Li cautiously reached out again—and was thrown even farther this time.
"Waaah! It’s bullying me! I quit!!" Li vanished from the dream with a hop.
"Hey! You haven’t saved me yet! Don’t run away!!" Qinmu yelled after her.
Left alone, she could only wait.
Soon, sensation returned to her body. Her eyes fluttered open to see Qingyu sitting beside her bed, eyes bright with hope.
"Qinmu! You’re awake!" Qingyu rushed forward, propping Qinmu up against raised pillows.
"Where… am I?" Qinmu scanned the unfamiliar room.
"The hospital. You fainted earlier. I brought you here. But don’t worry—you’re fine."
The sharp scent of disinfectant filled Qinmu’s nose. White sheets. IV drips. Nurses and doctors passing in the hallway.
"No wonder my dream was all white," Qinmu muttered to herself. *But where did that girl in white go? Li? Claiming to be a goddess… What a weird kid.*
"White? A dream? What did you dream about?" Qingyu asked with a sly smile.
"Nothing… just lilies. White lilies. Yeah, that’s all…"
"Really?"
"Of course!"
Qinmu glanced out the window. Night had fallen. *Guess I won’t be discharged until tomorrow.* At least she was healthy—she wouldn’t add to the chaos at home.
