Chapter 4: The Woman in the Dream Was Too Wanton
Yun Sheng didn’t shrink back. Instead, she used her other hand to clumsily but firmly cup the man’s face.
Then, under the gaze of his eyes—which had flown wide open, filled with a storm of astonishment—she steeled herself, aimed for those cool lips again, and kissed him hard!
"Mmm..."
A strange, tingling sensation surged forth, accompanied by an even greater power. Yun Sheng’s spiritual landscape greedily absorbed this pure energy, and the comfort was so intense she almost sighed in pleasure.
She sought his kiss clumsily, with no technique, driven purely by instinct. She just wanted to get closer, to draw more from him.
The man she had "ambushed" tensed up in an instant, his body as rigid as iron. The grip on her wrist was so tight it hurt, and his breathing suddenly grew heavy and ragged.
"Mmph... How audacious!"
A low growl, suppressing both fury and a deeper unrest, was forced from between their pressed lips.
The next second, she was shoved away forcefully!
Yun Sheng staggered backward.
The mist roiled and parted for a moment due to the violent movement, and she finally saw the man’s face clearly.
Stern brows and eyes, a high-bridged nose, and tightly pressed lips stained an unnatural crimson from their struggle.
Those eyes, usually sharp, were now locked on her, churning with shock, rage, scrutiny, and a trace of deep darkness that had been thoroughly stirred up.
’It’s Bai Ye!’
’The Star Alliance War God!’
’Lin Yueyao’s fiancé!’
"Ah!"
An explosion of extreme shock and shame made Yun Sheng scream and bolt upright from the sofa in the spaceship’s passenger cabin. Her heart pounded like a drum, and a cold sweat instantly soaked the hair on her forehead.
’I can’t believe I... forcibly kissed the cold and imposing General Bai Ye in a dream?!’
"Oh, heavens..."
Yun Sheng covered her burning face, overwhelmed by a sense of shame and an absurdity that bordered on a total breakdown.
But the next second, the instinct for survival abruptly suppressed all those chaotic emotions.
’The dream... Power!’
’Last time I woke up from that kind of dream, I got a temporary Spirit Barrier.’
’So this time...’
Yun Sheng abruptly dropped her hands, held her breath, and tried to summon that unfamiliar power inside her—a power that didn’t seem to be her own.
VMM!
A translucent barrier, flowing with pure white light, suddenly materialized in front of her palm!
Although it was still weak, lasting less than five seconds before dissipating, the pure aura of the Holy Light White Tiger flowing through the barrier was unmistakably clear.
’It’s real!’
’I really can "borrow" power from those powerful Sentinels through these absurd dreams!’
This realization made Yun Sheng’s heart beat even faster.
’This method may be utterly mortifying, but... if this is the only chance I have in this world to quickly gain power and change my destiny...’
She clenched her slightly trembling fingers.
’Then, no matter who I dream of, and no matter what it takes... I have to seize this opportunity!’
「At the same time, in the command lounge next to the bridge.」
Bai Ye awoke with a start, sitting bolt upright. His breathing was abnormally rapid.
He raised a hand, the pad of his finger rubbing forcefully against his lower lip, where the warm, strange sensation from the dream seemed to linger.
Even more incredibly, the headache that had plagued him for so long—a persistent torment like a maggot feeding on his bone—had actually lessened considerably...
Bai Ye immediately sank his awareness inward. Within his spiritual landscape, amidst the spiderweb of cracks, a tiny section actually showed signs of nearly healing.
This was something that not even the soothing of an S-class Guide could accomplish.
Bai Ye’s eyes darkened like a frigid pool, a storm gathering within them.
’I must find her!’
「Three days later, the spaceship landed smoothly at Capital Star’s First Spaceport.」
The cabin door opened, and Bai Ye was the first to walk down the ramp.
Yun Sheng followed behind. Just as her feet touched the ground of the Capital Star, she saw Bai Ye suddenly turn around.
His gaze fell directly on Yun Sheng’s face, so sharp it felt like it could dissect her and see right through her.
Yun Sheng’s heart skipped a beat.
She could feel that ever since that "dream," there was a new, indescribable scrutiny in the way Bai Ye looked at her. Although his gaze was still just as cold, its probing nature always made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end.
’He couldn’t have... recognized me as the person from the dream, could he?’
Yun Sheng was so nervous her limbs felt clumsy. She instinctively lowered her head, twisting the hem of her clothes, not daring to meet his gaze.
Bai Ye watched her cowering, timid appearance, his brow furrowing tightly.
The woman in the dream had a blurry face, but her bold, proactive aura was a world apart from this girl who didn’t even dare to look up.
’How could an ordinary person who struggled to survive in the slums and failed her awakening possibly possess the ability to touch and repair my spiritual landscape?’
"Adjutant." Bai Ye averted his gaze, his voice returning to its usual cold hardness.
"Yes, General!" A young officer in a crisp uniform immediately stepped forward.
"You’ll escort her to the Lin Family. Hand her over personally to Mr. Lin and Mrs. Lin."
"Yes, sir!"
After speaking, Bai Ye turned and strode toward a military hovercar that was already waiting. His tall, straight back quickly disappeared at the end of the private corridor.
Only when that oppressive presence had completely vanished did Yun Sheng secretly let out a sigh of relief. Her back was already damp with a layer of cold sweat.
’The way Bai Ye looked at me just now... it was terrifying.’
’Thankfully, he doesn’t seem to have connected me with that "audacious" woman from the dream.’
"Miss Yun Sheng, please come with me. The hovercar is ready," the adjutant said as he stepped forward, his tone polite yet distant.
Yun Sheng nodded and silently followed.
The hovercar drove smoothly into the Lin Family estate.
The estate’s architecture featured clean, modern lines, yet the details incorporated traditional elements, exuding a sense of technology and high-end aesthetics at every turn.
Yun Sheng was led to the main living room.
Outside the massive floor-to-ceiling windows was a meticulously manicured garden, and the light indoors was bright and soft.
She stood there awkwardly, her faded, threadbare old clothes a stark contrast to the luxurious furnishings around her.
Footsteps echoed from the hallway, and Mrs. Lin, Su Wan, appeared at the living room entrance.
She wore a well-tailored, light gray house dress, her hair neatly tied in a bun. The moment she saw Yun Sheng, her pace clearly quickened for a couple of steps before she stopped about three paces away.
"The journey must have been tiring. Have a seat first."
Su Wan’s voice was a little gentler than usual. She gestured for Yun Sheng to sit on the sofa, then pushed the exquisite pastries that had been prepared on the coffee table toward her.
"These are the house chef’s specialties. You should... try some."
Yun Sheng sat there awkwardly, not touching the expensive-looking pastries.
She truly didn’t know how to face Mrs. Lin.
’In the original novel, Mrs. Lin initially felt guilt and sympathy for the original owner of this body and did try to make amends. But later, after the original owner repeatedly embarrassed herself on important occasions and became a laughingstock in their social circle for her "failed awakening"...’
’...coupled with the fact that they could never establish a real sense of closeness, what little mother-daughter affection existed between them gradually eroded away with each disappointment and awkward encounter.’
Seeing that she didn’t move, Su Wan asked softly again, "You don’t like these? What would you like to eat? I can have someone prepare something else."
"There’s no need, thank you..."
Yun Sheng had just started to speak when the sound of lighthearted laughter and conversation came from the living room entrance.
"Sister Yue Yao, your spiritual guidance demonstration this afternoon was amazing! All my classmates said they were stunned!"
"You’re just flattering me. It was just a basic demonstration."
The siblings, Lin Yueyao and Lin Hao, walked in side by side.
Lin Yueyao wore a soft, cream-white dress with a gentle smile on her face, while Lin Hao followed beside her, a look of adoration on his.
The two of them were laughing and talking as they entered the living room. When Lin Hao looked up and his gaze swept over the unfamiliar figure sitting next to his mother, the smile on his face vanished instantly, and his brows furrowed in disgust.
"Who is she?" Lin Hao pointed at Yun Sheng, his tone rude. "Since when does our family take in beggars? Dressed like that, she thinks she’s worthy of being in our living room?"