Chapter 46 Entering the Dream

Arriving near the town, the group put away their mount and magical artifacts, disguising themselves as ordinary folks before heading inside. The bustling, lively sight filled everyone with excitement. The fifth junior sister even grabbed Liu An by the hand, running around to look at all sorts of novel trinkets.

Before long, the party arrived in front of a tavern, teeming with people and abuzz with clamor.

The third senior brother skillfully conversed with a waiter and, guided by him, led the way to a private room on the second floor.

The second senior sister sat at the innermost seat by a large round table. The fifth junior sister sat right next to her, while Liu An and the three brothers found seats quite casually.

Soon, the table was laden with a variety of exquisite dishes, sending forth an appetizing aroma.

The third senior brother heartily urged everyone to pick up their chopsticks, while the fourth senior brother, smiling broadly, filled everyone's cups with wine. Liu An and the Four-Unlike beast both swallowed hard with eager craving, their bright eyes fixed intently on a plate of roasted chicken in the center of the table.

The second senior sister was the first to use her chopsticks, and the atmosphere at the table quickly livened up. The third and fourth senior brothers drank and played finger-guessing games, having a wonderful time.

As for Liu An, who didn't know how to play, he remained out of the games, simply lifting piece after piece of food from the dishes into his mouth.

Having spent three months on Master's Cliff, Liu An was finally breaking his vegetarian streak today.

A look of blissful satisfaction instantly bloomed across his face. Meat juices overflowed, and the flavor was so delicious that it made him narrow his eyes in delight. Seeing this, the senior brothers beside him burst into laughter.

Beside them, the Four-Unlike beast waited with longing eyes for Liu An to feed it.

"Big Brother, don't just eat by yourself. Give me some so I can taste it too!" The Four-Unlike kept tugging at the hem of Liu An's trousers with its front hooves.

The second senior sister ate with gentle, refined manners, chewing and swallowing slowly. Meanwhile, the fifth senior sister's plate was piled high with roasted goose, lion's head meatballs, and chicken drumsticks.

From time to time, the third senior brother would poke the fifth senior sister's meat-stuffed cheek, almost causing her to spit out her food.

"Senior Brother, stop messing with my face, or I'll have Senior Sister hang you from a tree and whip you!" the fifth senior sister mumbled indistinctly around a mouthful of food.

The third senior brother, who had still wanted to reach out, was stopped by a single look from the second senior sister.

"Junior Sister, eat slowly. Senior Brother won't tease you anymore."

"Junior Younger Brother, don't just eat the food. Come on, have a drink! How can a real man not know how to drink?"

The third senior brother stood up, picked up his wine cup, and walked right over to Liu An.

Unable to refuse his senior brother's enthusiastic hospitality, Liu An picked up his own cup, clinked glasses with his senior brother, and drained it in one gulp.

The initial taste was burning and sharp, leaving a trace of subtle sweetness in the aftertaste. Not bad at all.

"Junior Brother, this wine is pretty good, isn't it?"

"Senior Brother, this wine is indeed wonderful. Ah, let's have another cup."

The atmosphere in the room grew even more relaxed. Liu An, having drunk too much, grew dizzy and slumped over onto the table.

Muttering drunkenly, he said, "Master, now that you're gone, what am I going to do?"

When Liu An regained full consciousness the next day, he woke up in his own room on Master's Cliff. The Four-Unlike beast was sleeping right beside him.

"Aah, my head hurts so much. I don't remember anything from yesterday's drinking." Liu An sat up, rubbed his temples, and looked around the familiar surroundings.

The Four-Unlike was also awakened by Liu An's movements.

"Boss, you got drunk yesterday, and the fourth senior brother carried you back on his back. Also, when we came back yesterday, we ran into Master. He said that once you sobered up, you should go see him."

Hearing that Master was looking for him, Liu An hurriedly put on his shoes and rushed out of the room.

Walking along the mountain path shrouded in floating clouds, the air was exceptionally fresh. Before long, Liu An arrived at Master's quarters.

"Master..."

"Enter."

Granted permission to enter, Liu An stepped in gingerly, poking his head through the doorway.

"I wonder why Master has called for me today."

"Didn't you want to step into the Second Realm? Today, I shall lend you a hand. Come." Master sat cross-legged on a futon and beckoned to Liu An.

Liu An approached Master and knelt down before him.

Master gently tapped Liu An's forehead with his finger.

"Sleep. In this great dream, who awakens first? Throughout my life, I know myself."

A wave of sleepiness quickly washed over Liu An, and he drifted off, falling sluggishly to his left. With a gentle wave of Master's hand, Liu An's body floated up and lay flat on the floor.

At that moment, Liu An opened his eyes in a dream.

"Liu An, wake up! You little sleepyhead, what time do you think it is?" A young woman a head taller than Liu An giggled and shoved his shoulder.

"Today is the big day for the immortals to descend and accept disciples. How could you have forgotten?"

"Who am I with again? My name is Liu An, and you are..." Liu An half-opened his eyes and looked suspiciously at the woman before him.

"Don't play dumb with me. I'm your sister, Liu Lingling. If you don't get up right now, I'm going to call Mom to come get you."

"I have parents?" A splitting headache struck Liu An as a massive flood of memories surged into his mind.

My name is Liu An, and I am the Prince of the Northern Han Kingdom. My mother is Zhang Qiao, and my father is the reigning Prince of Northern Han, Liu Xiongan. My sister is Liu Lingling, and I am a prodigal, dissolute playboy.

"Sis, can't you stop nagging?" Liu An said with a spoiled, haughty air.

"Can I afford not to nag? On such an important day, you're still sleeping in! Father, Mother, and the nobles of the city are already preparing to welcome the immortals."

Once Liu An finished dressing, his sister led him before his father.

"Good-for-nothing, I'll lecture you later."

Soon enough, amidst the astonishment of the crowd, they looked up toward the sky. Boundless purple Qi shrouded the firmament, rolling with majestic momentum like the waves of a vast sea. It was the spectacle of purple Qi coming from the east for thirty thousand miles, stretching endlessly into the distance like a soaring giant dragon suspended in the heavens—a truly terrifying sight.

"The immortals are coming, it must be so!"

The townspeople all dropped to their knees in reverence to the descent of the immortals. At that moment, a Daoist priest standing beside the Prince of Northern Han murmured in his ear, "Purple Qi coming from the east—this is the arrival of a sage. This is extraordinary."

Liu An, however, remained unimpressed, feeling as though he had seen it all before and it was no big deal.

"An'er—hurry and pay your respects properly. Do not be so rude!" A gentle voice sounded beside Liu An's ear.

"Oh, I know, Mom," Liu An replied casually, without a moment's hesitation.

Yet a strange sense of dissonance lingered in Liu An's mind: *Why was I so obedient? Do I really have a mother?*

Before Liu An could ponder further, an elderly man in white robes, riding a divine crane, slowly descended right in front of Liu An's father.

"Greetings, Immortal. Please honor our inner hall and rest for a moment before selecting the children with extraordinary aptitudes."

The white-robed elder stroked his beard with a benevolent expression.

"Very well."

While the white-robed elder sat drinking tea and making small talk, the prominent noble families of the city had already gathered all the talented youths of their clans within the Northern Han Prince's Mansion.

A servant entered the inner hall, first bowing respectfully to the immortal before stepping over to Liu Xiongan to report that the arrangements were complete.

Upon hearing this, Liu Xiongan's face lit up with great joy, and he hurriedly rose to invite the immortal forward.