Luo Binghe said: "Parasiting on others' dreams and frequently changing hosts, the spiritual power of your soul weakens with each change. However, if you can latch onto a fixed host long-term, you can recharge your reserves and recover your soul's original state."
He paused, then said: "Can it be that Elder Dream Demon must have reached the limit of his lifespan to insist on picking me as a host to develop?"
Having been seen through by him, the Dream Demon didn't deny it and wasn't angry. Instead, he generously admitted: "Not bad! I didn't think a brat like you had such a wide knowledge and powerful memory to even know this point."
Luo Binghe wasn't going to tell him that the words he said earlier was just his blind guess.
The Dream Demon saw his calm and collected expression and couldn't figure out this brat's mind. He continued: "However, you shouldn't assume that this old man must have you for a host no matter what. Talented people among the demons are in the thousands upon thousands and they would kneel down for this honor! But you, you should carefully weigh your choices and think about whether you can pass up this opportunity."
In fact, all these years had weakened his soul. Originally living in demonic energy, he was living well and after cultivating for maybe eighty years, he would become as doughty as a dragon and lively as a tiger. However, he couldn't understand why Sha Hualing would muddleheadedly use the demonic energy as a weapon and secretly hide it on Luo Binghe's body. He already didn't have the energy to search for another host.
But after reaching a dead end, he found a new place to live. On this brat's body, there was a weak and almost hidden powerful strength. He was endlessly ecstatic. How could he let this go?
Once he made up his mind, he didn't care how strongly Luo Binghe refused. He coaxed and pestered and coerced and tempted, using all kinds of methods to persuade him to practice the demonic path like himself. All to let his flesh and soul to become even more suitable for him to live off.
The Dream Demon said: "This old man will give you time. You should think it through thoroughly. Otherwise, you and your Shizun's souls will be lost and trapped forever in this dream. This point, this old man can still achieve!"
Luo Binghe suddenly looked up. At that moment, Elder Dream Demon was shocked to a halt by the cold light flashing in the young boy's eyes.
Luo Binghe spoke calmly and deferentially, but his voice was ice-cold: "Right now, you are negotiating terms with me and you can talk about anything. But if you talk about hurting Shizun, I won't let you off!"
The Dream Demon was startled for a long while before he recovered himself, shocked that he had actually been frightened by the imposing manner of such a small, low-cultivation Human Realm practitioner. All these hundreds of years across the length and breadth of the Three Realms – even at the bitter moment when his body was destroyed, he had never been pressured by that powerful expert into feeling this kind of pressure.
Of course, he wouldn't know that this kind of miracle was called (the protagonist's exclusive) overbearing aura!
Suddenly, a burst of laughter sounded from the cave.
"You brat, you really thought I meant it!"
After that old voice finished saying these words, Luo Binghe suddenly felt his limbs grow heavy. His surroundings blurred and spun, then all was dark.
Luo Binghe woke in the woodshed, alert and breaking out into a cold sweat. Even his vest was completely soaked.
At the same time, Shen Qingqiu sat up dizzily from his bed.
Only after violently gasping for tens of breaths was he finally able to let out a sigh of relief.
Tragic beyond compare!
For what! In the original work, Ning Yingying was also thrown into a dream inside a dream by the Dream Demon; for what did she get a dream of warm childhood memories of Daddy and Mommy, picking flowers and riding horses and the like; for what did he get a dream of getting surrounded and beaten up by four people, running like mad in a narrow wood path while chased by a huge fireball from behind!
The most frightening thing was towards the end of the dream within a dream. The Dream Demon also pointed out what he was frightened of the most!
In a dark and damp dungeon, he was suspended in the air by a ring around his waist. He couldn't feel his four limbs. Opening his mouth, he wasn't able make a sound and could only helplessly scream. His entire body was burning pain.
He didn't know how long he was in the dream before he heard the sound of door opening from outside. Unhurried footsteps gradually approached and a human shadow was projected onto the floor in front of him.
An inky black robe embroidered with silver thread in beautiful but simple designs. From that person, an ice-cold majesty emanated, more breathtaking than the lack of air in the dungeons.
Shen Qingqiu couldn't see the person's face. But he was clear who that person was!
The Dream Demon was worthy of being the legendary figure of demon legend. This dream was made much too realistically. Even the humid smell of rot seemed to still dwell in his nose, making people vomit.
Shen Qingqiu grudgingly sat for a while, then rolled off the bed and started to vomit.
Ding dong. The undying system chose this moment to pop up with a notice: [Congratulations for completing the 'Dream Demon Enchantment' plotline! The system awards you with 500 Coolness! Please continue your efforts! ]
Shen Qingqiu exploded: 'Fuck your mom [1], when you threatened to take away points, wasn't it also 500? Is setting all those penalties really good? Also, I already walked through the dream within a dream plotline, how come you aren't giving this to me as other income? System, don't play dead, we should sign a new contract!'
At this moment, a person burst through the bamboo doors like a gust of wind.
"Shizun!"
Once he heard this voice, he knew who it was. Shen Qingqiu painfully rolled his eyes. Right now, he really didn't want to see this face! He already had trauma! [2]
Sure enough, Luo Binghe had already flung himself to his side, worriedly asking: "Shizun, how are you? Is there discomfort anywhere?"
I'm all right! If you were to move away from me a little more, I'd be even better!
Shen Qingqiu listlessly put on a fresh face and stood up by himself: "All is fine with this master..."
Luo Binghe originally wanted to help him up, but had his hand pushed away and couldn't help feeling shocked.
Shen Qingqiu truly hadn't noticed these small changes in his expression. After neatly rearranging his clothes and confirming that his appearance wasn't lost, he asked: "Did that Dream Demon give you any difficulties?"
Difficulties? The Dream Demon could kneel to Luo Binghe and treat him like the heavens and still think he wasn't fast enough. Shen Qingqiu knew it, but still had to ask. Luo Binghe hesitated for a moment, then replied: "That demon Elder didn't have enough spirit power Afterwards, this disciple was angered out of the dream. Shizun, did you encounter anything in the dream within a dream?"
Shen Qingqiu shamelessly boasted: "Even if anything was encountered, there's nothing this master can't deal with!"
Sorry _. Truthfully, he really couldn't deal with it!
Right now, he was still dwelling on the trauma from earlier. Luo Binghe being so close to him gave him goosebumps all over, even his gaze was strange and evasive. Luo Binghe was unclear about why he was like this, but seeing his odd expression and evasive eyes, his heart was a bit anxious and apprehensive. He wanted to put his head forward, face-to-face, and ask what to do to make things better.
Fortunately, Shen Qingqiu regained his composure very quickly and remembered what he should do as a teacher at this time. In the next moment, he reached out his hand to grasp Luo Binghe's wrist, slightly surprising the other.
Shen Qingqiu sternly said: "A Demon Realm spirit invading your mind is not a joke. Binghe, relax, this master is going to inspect you. This Dream Demon's interest isn't good."
Seeing Shifu willing to be straight with him, Luo Binghe was able to relax his heart a little and obediently say: "Yes."
His heart felt strung up in tension. What if Shen Qingqiu getting pulled out of the dream realm exposed the demon seal on his body...
Fortunately, though Shen Qingqiu was very diligent in checking him over, he didn't find any abnormalities. Of course the inspection wouldn't reveal anything. The power accumulated by the Dream Demon for many hundreds of years was a famous name and meant water-tight skills. But over time, this would pass of course.
Shen Qingqiu's inspection had no results, but he still focused on Luo Binghe. If anything happened, he should immediately report to him.
Luo Binghe asked: "Shizun, the demons... are they all unpardonably evil and should be absolutely killed?"
Even without looking at his expression, Shen Qingqiu knew that right now, Luo Binghe must be wavering over matters such as the human and demon separation and the inability of good and evil to coexist. It was time for him to teach again.
Shen Qingqiu thought, then said: "It might not be the case. Just as humans are separated into good and evil people, the demons also have these differences. We can only see the Demon Realm people persecuting humans, but it could be that from that corner, there are also humans who harm innocent demons. Many times, these are only racial views that let the divide between both sides become deeper and deeper."
For example, the truth behind the persecution of Luo Binghe's father and mother that year. Truthfully, it was only two young people who wanted to fall in love, but weren't careful and were too high-profile to the point that everybody panicked.
This was a reason so old that it couldn't be any older. In modern times, all kinds of combinations of ancient, wuxia, and xianxia dramas all concerned this hidden truth. However, this human and demon grudge was deeper than the sea and from ancient times to present all kinds of battles were fought over this. They were too unorthodox and earned the condemnation of the world.
This was Luo Binghe's first time hearing a master-level personage speak like this. He was shocked to a stop, his heart beating peng peng. Forcibly calm, he said: "Shizun's meaning is that even though there are relations with demons, it might not be evil, correct?"
Shen Qingqiu saw that he was a little excited and a little nervous waiting for his answer, and smiled: "As long as nothing deliberately wrong is done, as long as the heart is righteous, there can be friends on that side. Dividing lines such as evil are never decided by one race or Realm. Moreover, demons are naturally born with strong spiritual power, far more than humans. On this point, this master fully admires them. If their strength can be put to good use, used for righteousness, how can this be anything other than good?"
The Demon race had an excellent natural talent for cultivation and at ten years, could definitely suppress that of the Human Realm's. With different races, their strengths would differ as well. The Human race relied on spiritual energy and the Demon race relied on demonic energy; Shen Qingqiu felt that they should be mostly the same thing, just the color and feeling weren't really the same. He also didn't know if the Demon Realm fengshui was good or what, but a great number of demons were born full of demonic energy. At three years old, they could tear a live person apart; at eight years old, they could split mountains and crack stone...cough, cough, this was exaggerating a little.
However, the truth of the matter was, many of the Central Plains people could cultivate for ten years but only reach the level of a smiling baby. Even more people were like dry ponds; their spiritual power might as well be a zero egg [3]... it couldn't be any worse. If it wasn't because humans proliferated like a spreading seeds and scattering leaves, the Demon race people rare, the Human Realm would have long since been colonized by the Demon Realm... otherwise the plan to bully others wouldn't have been handled so strictly.
These words said, Luo Binghe's eyes gradually lit up, shining.
Although his heart was just, he wasn't a pedantic man. Since it couldn't be eliminated, it would be better to use it. Perhaps, he could even become strong!
Strong enough that he could protect Shizun from anyone with his own hands. Strong enough that Shizun wouldn't suffer any bit of harm.
The system carried a notice: [The protagonist decided to practice demonic cultivation, Coolness level +50! ]
Coolness level only 50... After Luo Binghe learned demonic cultivation with the Dream Demon, his strength increased by at least ten times. Ever since, for a long he mounted girls and everything went successfully; you're telling me the coolness level is only 50?
Shen Qingqiu already didn't want to argue with the system anymore. Anyway, this was a coincidence. He originally only wanted to experience the pleasure of saying words like these. After all, there were too many dramas that would have at least one person who would have this kind of wise and farsighted role, saying these kinds of profound things.
After being preoccupied about this heaven-and-earth shaking feat for a while, Shen Qingqiu had two dark circles appear from being unable to sleep through the night. He waved his hand: "It's late at night. Since there isn't anything else, quickly go on and rest." Luo Binghe obediently retired.
But he hadn't walked out for many steps before he heard Shen Qingqiu call out behind him: "Come back."