The transparency intensified until all three figures vanished like bubbles bursting in the air.
The man's panicked screams were abruptly cut off as if choked into silence.
At the same time, the overturned furniture, the damaged floor, and the shattered window in the room all returned to their original state.
If not for the lingering warmth of her touch, Yuanjiu might have believed she had only dreamt the whole ordeal.
Outside the hall, everything was silent.
Except for Yuanjiu—a five-day-old infant—no one knew of the harrowing battle that had just occurred.
Her heart was full of questions, but drowsiness overtook her again, and she drifted back to sleep.
The next morning, Yuanjiu awoke still feeling dazed.
Hanxue cradled her, walking around the room, and she took the chance to observe her surroundings.
As expected, not a single trace of the previous night's events remained.
Was it really not a dream?
Why had the woman called her "Master"?
Although Yuanjiu rationally suspected that the woman had mistaken her for someone else, deep down, she felt this possibility was slim.
Who was the person the woman wanted her to find?
And who were the ones trying to kill her?
Her heart was heavy with questions, but she knew these were not matters she could dwell on, nor were they answers she could uncover with her current abilities.
So she simply closed her eyes and nursed quietly in the Hanxue's arms.
Hanxue suddenly exclaimed, "I had the strangest dream last night."
Aunt Yue who is sewing a small garment, asked casually, "What did you dream about?"
Yuanjiu perked up her ears.
"I dreamt that someone snuck in, trying to harm the princess, and then another person appeared to fight them off… I tried to call out, but I couldn't move at all. It made me so anxious."
"It must have been sleep paralysis," Aunt Yue said knowingly, exuding an air of experience.
"Sleep paralysis?" Hanxue asked, puzzled.
Yuanjiu silently nodded.
Sleep paralysis, commonly called "ghost pressing on the body," happens when a person is unable to move or speak while dreaming, no matter how hard they try.
In truth, Hanxue had been manipulated by someone last night, leaving her unable to hear, speak, or move.
Her experience bore a striking resemblance to sleep paralysis.
Aunt Yue continued, "There was a special clan among demon called Dark Spirit Clan. Although its quite rare nowadays, they live within human dreams and sustaining themselves by invading them."
"Isn't that dangerous?" Hanxue asked nervously.
"Ordinary Dark Spirit exist in a spiritual state. They can only enter a person's dreams to paralyze them, which doesn't physically harm the person. But high level Dark Spirit can cultivate physical forms and taking on the appearance of magical beasts or even humans. They can manipulate dreams at will. If they harbor malicious intent, they can subject a person's mind to the most excruciating torment. Such torture can leave people in utter despair, even driving them to self-harm. However, the more wicked a person's heart, the easier they are to control. Heh, a kindhearted girl like you wouldn't have to worry even if you encountered one."
Hanxue gazed at Aunt Yue with admiration. "You know so much, Aunt Yue."
Aunt Yue's expression shifted slightly, but she smiled kindly and said, "This is just something I heard from my elders when I was a child. The Dark Spirit Clan's numbers have dwindled so much that few people know of them now."
Hanxue's misunderstanding had unexpectedly unearthed such astonishing information.
Yuanjiu mused to herself: Indeed, this is a strange world where anything seems possible.
This incident was just a small interlude, and Yuanjiu didn't dwell on it.
She had no way of knowing that, in the future, she would come to have a Dark Spirit as her pet.
Of course, that's a story for another time.