Chapter 170: God’s Favor (19)

Chapter 170: Divine Favor (Part Nineteen)

Zhong Dao'an sat in the chair, lost in his thoughts.

Floating in the air, Xie Fangcheng felt somewhat awkward.

Working for many years, he had witnessed countless gruesome scenes. Granting a streak of golden light to soothe the shattered merit and fragmented souls— who either became malevolent spirits wreaking havoc in the world or remained confined to working in the underworld till the end of time— was not a big deal for Manager Xie.

But for the spirits on the brink of complete dissolution, it was akin to bestowing a second chance at life.

Of course, Zhong Dao'an apparently had a remarkably strong mental constitution, unlikely to tread the path of malevolence unless under extraordinary circumstances, let alone becoming a spirit facing complete annihilation.

Yet, the resentment and negative energies from those spirits clung to him like a persistent affliction, constantly teetering him at the edge of a cliff, always at the risk of falling off.

Despite his resilient mentality, the incessant resentful whispers deep within his soul haunted him day and night, a sensation capable of driving one insane in just a matter of days.

Xie Fangcheng's golden light, however, pulled him back from the precarious edge.

But Manager Xie had aided countless individuals, many in far graver situations than Zhong Dao'an. No matter how unique his case, it was unlikely to be something that Xie would remember for over a decade.

Now an observer witnessing everything from a godly perspective, he couldn't shake off an underlying sense of awkwardness, as if he had been spotlighted for a good deed and then asked to give a speech on a stage, an utter social faux pas.

"Cough... Wake up, will you?" Unable to bear the sight any longer, Xie Fangcheng awkwardly reached out to shake Zhong Dao'an awake.

It was only when his hand passed through Zhong Dao'an's shoulder that Xie Fangcheng realized a pressing issue.

...How were they supposed to exit this dream?

This silver dream-fish was evidently much more potent than the modified ugly fishes, whose dream realms were largely fabricated from desires conjured from memories, unrealistic dreams that could engulf individuals like Wei Yuan or allow more perceptive individuals like Qi Chanyang to extricate themselves.

But Xie Fangcheng wouldn't succumb to such illusions.

Xie Fangcheng, a person void of dreams, was subject to a seemingly logical office worker's nightmare, one created from his most frequent complaints about overwork and desiring the demise of his boss, which ended up infuriating him to no end.

However, this silver variant resembled the dream-fishes of the underworld, specializing in revisiting memories without adding excessive fantasies.

Yet, the more accurate the recreation of memories, the harder it became to distinguish reality from the dream.

Xie Fangcheng could only escape because Zhong Dao'an's startling revelation jolted him awake.

But how could Zhong Dao'an awaken from his dream?

The "Xie Fangcheng" in the dream had already departed, leaving no one to embody and utter shocking phrases to awaken Zhong Dao'an.

Just as Xie Fangcheng was scratching his head in confusion, unsure of what to do, Zhong Dao'an stared at his own hand, murmuring to himself.

"...Something's not right."

Zhong Dao'an turned towards the spot where "Xie Fangcheng" had appeared in the dream, murmuring, "I should know his name... but I've never seen him before."

If it were an ordinary person, they might have experienced a fleeting moment of bewilderment, assuming that this sensation arose from having seen this somewhere before, but simply failing to remember it clearly.

But not Zong Daoan.

Having lived to such an age, every step he took was calculated precisely.

After all, while ordinary people can afford to make mistakes, any error on Zong Daoan's part could easily lead to irreparable consequences.

While it is normal for others to have a vague inkling of knowing someone's name but being unable to recall it, Zong Daoan instantly perceived the anomaly in the situation.

He abruptly turned his head, gazing at the book placed on the table.

It was a recently purchased copy of "Epicurus". Zong Daoan casually flipped to a page behind the bookmark, a page he supposedly hadn't read yet, and could immediately confirm that he had indeed read this book before.

A person whose name he ought to know, someone who seemed critically important to him.

A book that supposedly should have been finished, yet was not...

Zong Daoan closed his eyes, attuned to all the incongruities surrounding him.

This was a dream.

Almost instantly, the realization dawned on Zong Daoan.

His eyes snapped open violently.

The master of the dream had awakened, and the dilapidated surroundings of the small room began to crumble and vanish like pixelated bricks.

Zong Daoan snorted coldly. Though he had not fully regained his memory, at that moment, he had intuitively mastered the control of his dream realm.

Behind the disappearing room lay an endless expanse of cognitive space, where countless memory scenes stood like projections in the void, flickering rapidly frame by frame.

The entire background of this cognitive space was a swirling mess of colors, resembling a painter's palette, forming various images.

A silver-white fish swam joyously amongst the memories until the master of the dream tore through its retrospective journey, only then did it leisurely turn its head to lock eyes with Zong Daoan.

For the first time, Xie Fangcheng got a clear and complete view of its appearance.

Was this one of those bleached Reminiscing Fish from the Underworld Ditch?! Except for the color, everything else looked exactly the same!

The white Reminiscing Fish seemed unaware of its actions, tilting its head innocently upon seeing Zong Daoan, its two azure eyes brimming with wisdom.

With a wave of Zong Daoan's hand, a transparent cage instantly erected around the Reminiscing Fish, firmly imprisoning it.

In comparison to the modified, fragile and ugly reminiscing fish, this silver one was clearly distinct from them.

Upon being caged, the Reminiscing Fish paused, before letting out a soft "yin", astonishingly finding its way out of the cage.

It naturally possessed the ability to roam freely in human cognition and could even influence the four-dimensional space to a certain extent. Especially for those with weaker control abilities, they might easily lose themselves in the dream, allowing the master of the dream to become a fish, if their self-cognitive intensity is not strong enough.

But Zhong Daoan is clearly not of the weaker variety.

The Back-to-Dream Fish not only scampered away in a puff of smoke but also blended into the background like a chameleon.

The next second, the surroundings shifted dramatically, and the fish, which was pretending to be part of the background, was swiftly ensnared by a red line.

The witnessing Xie Fangcheng couldn't help but be utterly amazed.

The mental space of humans has a fundamental layer, wherein a person with a bright perspective possesses a sunnier baseline, while a darker individual's would be somewhat grim, depending on individual temperament and personality. However, these traits are typically hard to alter, hence the baseline remains mostly unchanged.

Not only is Zhong Daoan's baseline like a dynamic GIF that moves, but he can also alter it freely, a phenomenon unheard of by Xie Fangcheng.

This kid is really... I knew he was strong, but I didn't expect him to be this powerful!

This brain of his, it must shine and thrive in the Underworld's finance department!

The Back-to-Dream Fish, attempting to flee again with a "ying" sound, found that Zhong Daoan had already mastered the control of his mental space.

In the blink of an eye, the fragments of memory that once stood in the space were swiftly consolidated and put in place, followed by the rise of eight laser cannons from the ground, their barrels aimed directly at the silver fish.

The Back-to-Dream Fish dared not "ying" any further. Although it might not fear these laser cannons in reality, as it existed in a different dimension than real objects, the lasers in the dream were evidently not ordinary ones.

In their own dreams, dream masters embody the rules of the universe. When he endowed the laser cannons with the authority to "annihilate any intruder," it meant that they could indeed obliterate this mere Back-to-Dream Fish.

The silver little fish "whimpered" a couple of times inside the cage.

The black Back-to-Dream Fish indeed appeared somewhat terrifying with their dark skins and bright blue eyes, especially when seen in the overall grim environment of the Underworld. Moreover, years of absorbing the yin energy and resentment in the Underworld River made these fish generally aggressive, bullying the new ghost officials frequently. This behaviour only ceased when Xie Fangcheng discovered that these fish smelled really good when steamed.

However, without any prejudice, this white one looked rather pretty and cute. Apart from its color, it resembled the ones in the Underworld River but had a completely different aura, looking somewhat like a larger-tailed white half-moon Betta, its tail fin emanating a gentle, pearlescent glow.

But beauty is of no use here.

Zhong Daoan extended his hand, and irrespective of the fish's desires, it could only "whimper" as it was caught in his grasp.

Zhong Daoan looked at the fish in his hand with indifference, seemingly contemplating crushing it then and there to rid himself of the annoyance.

Just then, a flash passed before Xie Fangcheng's eyes.

The familiar ceiling, the familiar light.

They had exited the dream.

Zhong Daoan held the fish firmly in his right hand, his left hand still held by Xie Fangcheng.

Having witnessed his dream and realizing that they had met before - albeit Zhong Daoan had recognized him much earlier and he had no memory of it - left manager Xie feeling somewhat sheepish as he withdrew his hand.

Zhong Daoan only glanced down without saying anything, his focus returning to the fish in his hand.

"Is this the 'Back-to-Dream Fish'?"

"Uh, it should be... But the ones where we are, are all black, this one is white," Xie Fangcheng replied, then scholarly stroked his chin, "Perhaps it's an albino variant?"

Zong Daoan smiled.

It might be because Jie Fangcheng was now looking at him through a strange filter, but when Zong Daoan smiled, Jie Fangcheng perceived an unexpected hint of... tenderness?

Damn...

Jie Fangcheng's gaze flitted away in an instant.

Zong Daoan seemed to be in a good mood, yet he didn't elaborate further.

Although they had caught the dream-returning fish, it apparently wouldn't be easy to preserve.

"What's its use?" Zong Daoan asked.

Jie Fangcheng replied honestly, "Steamed, braised, or stir-fried would do. It's not edible, but it emits a rich flavor that lingers for a long time."

The fish in Zong Daoan's hand straightened its back in disbelief, turning to look at Jie Fangcheng. Though it was just a fish, its eyes seemed to convey an anthropomorphic sentiment of "You can't be serious, bro".

Jie Fangcheng continued, "I have experience handling this, do you need my assistance?"

The dream-returning fish flapped its broad tail fin frantically, vividly demonstrating what a "desperate struggle" looked like.

Zong Daoan smiled again, seemingly in good spirits, without mentioning that Jie Fangcheng had entered his dream and witnessed the moment they first met.

He spoke about the matters related to the mission very casually, which unexpectedly eased Jie Fangcheng's nerves.

"Perhaps not for now, but... I have thought of other potential uses for it."

"Hmm?"

In the midst of their conversation, a familiar yet pained voice suddenly echoed from the distant, silent God's Residence Tower.

"Qiao Mai!!"