Unlike before, there was no escort this time. Accompanied only by Longwei, Yu Han awkwardly sat in the passenger's seat, watching Longwei driving quietly. His injuries, although patched, were still fresh. Yu Han couldn't help but glare at him from time to time.
Longwei was a strange person. He had lied, hid his abundant knowledge of Yu Han's past, and kept proper boundaries around Yu Han. Even with all that, Yu Han couldn't dislike him.
It seemed Longwei had his own reasons for everything. At least, Yu Han wanted to believe that.
"What if we get attacked again?" he randomly asked as the car took the main road outside the Capital.
Longwei's grip on the steering strengthened, "We won't. The weather forecast said there would be a snowstorm."
Yu Han's eyes narrowed, "What has that got to do with assassinations?"
Longwei sighed, "You ask too many questions."
"Can you blame me for it, though?"
Longwei glanced at Yu Han from the side of his eyes, "The Other Side is in a dispute with us mainly because of the weather. Zaohua is a secluded planet, away from all stars and systems. The Other Side wants to bring it closer to stars to improve the weather because their cultivation can't stand the weather. We have already adapted to the weather, so we are at an advantage."
"Why not bring it to the stars? The weather sucks here anyways…"
"His Majesty chose this planet for his people to bring them away from wars. All other galaxy systems are tainting with evergoing wars. You should be grateful you exist in a peaceful land."
Yu Han almost scoffed. This was quite the 'peaceful land' if he had to worry about his life in every passing moment. Longwei's words made him wonder about his existence.
If the people of Zaohua had developed a cultivation technique to adapt to the harsh weather, why was Yu Han spiritually cripple? Did that mean he belonged to the Other Side?
"Why don't you share the cultivation with the Other Side and end the conflict?" Yu Han asked out of curiosity.
Longwei sighed deeply. He was visible annoyed of Yu Han's endless questions. Truthfully, Yu Han couldn't sit quietly. He had an ominous feeling of slipping back into his mind if he stayed quiet.
"All the people here belong to His Majesty's race. Only this race is capable of performing that kind of cultivation. You won't see people from other planets utilizing existing Cosmic Energy to manipulate Qi. This only belongs to us," Longwei explained patiently despite being annoyed.
"Cosmic Energy?" Yu Han raised an eyebrow.
Longwei glared at Yu Han, "Later. Let me drive."
Yu Han dropped his shoulders in disappointment and turned his head to look outside. The sky had started to turn grey, foreshadowing a snowstorm. It reminded Yu Han of the last assassination attempt.
Longwei still bore the injuries of that encounter. It was strange to think that someone as powerful as the Veiled Lady would surrender to the weather.
Tired of all the thinking, Yu Han subconsciously closed his eyes, falling into his mind. As soon as he realized he had slipped into that unknown domain, he tried to open his eyes but in vain.
In his mind, he saw a lush green garden. Flowers of vibrant colors surrounded him with beautiful lakes and waterfalls filling the air with their cleanliness. He suddenly felt calm and warm.
Unlike the dark skies outside his mind, the world inside was beautiful and worth staying behind. For the first time, his mind didn't show him strange visions and political discussions. He felt at ease, taking a step further into the garden while spraying his arms to touch the passing flowers.
What a beautiful world it was, the complete opposite of that snowy secluded planet where everyone wanted to control him or kill him.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath in. The fresh scent of flowers mingled with the clean air, creating a perfectly calm environment. With his eyes still closed, Yu Han slowly crossed his legs and sat on the soft grass.
Suddenly, the fresh air scent turned into a musty odor, making Yu Han open his eyes. His eyes widened when he laid his eyes on the same garden—full of blood and dead bodies. Each waterbody turned into a deep red bloodbath, the sky reeked of rust, and the flowers all wilted away.
Terrified, Yu Han gulped and stood up, only to feel something dropping down from the sky. As he looked up, a large burning star appeared a few meters away from him, its sparks falling here and there, burning the lush garden and turning it into a horror-filled war ground.
Yu Han opened his mouth to scream, but failed to produce a sound and instead, woke up in the car with a gasp, catching Longwei off-guard.
"What's wrong?" he asked bluntly.
Yu Han took heavy breaths, glancing across the car, then outside the window. The road was no longer visible now that the thick fog from the ongoing snowstorm.
"Hey, kid?" Longwei poked at his shoulder in concern, "What's wrong with you?"
Yu Han gulped and shook his head, "Nothing."
He hadn't told anyone about his random mind slips, nor did he think it was necessary. It could be related to his past.
Although skeptical, Longwei didn't question him further and continued driving. It had gotten dark outside, so Yu Han wondered how long he had been asleep for. The strange dream seemed to last for only a couple of minutes.
Suddenly, Yu Han started feeling sick. Maybe it was because of slipping into his mind again.
"Mr. Liu, can we stop the car?" he asked in a polite tone from the fear of being turned down.
"Why?"
"I feel like throwing up."
Longwei glared at him before quickly stopping the car by the side of the road. He sighed and left the car first, quickly scouting the area for safety.
"Come out!" he gestured to Yu Han through the window.
Yu Han quickly rushed out of the car and squatted by the snowy sidewalk with his head down. Longwei started hitting his back out of concern. Suddenly, the kid started coughing a whole waterfall of blood, staining his clothes with the blood.
Longwei gasped, "Y-Your…"
Yu Han looked up at Longwei with narrowed eyes. It seemed he felt better after coughing up some blood.
"No, this can't be…" Longwei gulped and stood up, "Clean yourself. We're going back to the Capital."