Chapter 371: The Nightmare’s Eighteen Sleep-Inducing Techniques (19)

Chapter 371: The Nightmare's Eighteen Sleep-Inducing Techniques (19)

Jiang Zhuxiu looked at Song Chuyi, his eyes with a hint of wickedness now filled with a bit more amusement.

"Alright," he responded, his tail hook teasingly brushing against Song Chuyi's collarbone.

"I'll ensure A'Chu gets a good night's sleep."

Song Chuyi gave a soft hum of satisfaction.

Seven hours of sleep a day—that's just like a normal human, isn't it?

That's great.

————

Only half a year later did Song Chuyi learn that other Nightmares could draw energy from pleasant dreams.

This was even reported in official news, stating that the current Nightmares had evolved and no longer deliberately created nightmares.

People could now sleep without worry.

As a result, the authorities revised working hours to four and a half days a week, from 10 AM to 4 PM, with the rest of the time free to go home and sleep.

People were sleeping more, and life was becoming more hopeful.

The once-thriving coffee shops and tea houses became increasingly rare, eventually just becoming part of daily life as beverages.

Song Chuyi hadn't expected Jiang Zhuxiu to change how other Nightmares absorbed energy.

In his worst-case scenario, he had imagined the Nightmare Clan dwindling down to just Jiang Zhuxiu.

Surprisingly, the existing two hundred Nightmares hadn't starved to death.

Jiang Zhuxiu occasionally took him dream-hopping.

Through this, he met quite a few Nightmares.

These Nightmares had varied preferences when it came to dreams; some enjoyed watching reunions of long-lost loved ones, while others preferred the whimsical dreams of children.

Some even enjoyed dreams brimming with human desires.

Their preferences weren't much different from human tastes.

Occasionally, Song Chuyi caught glimpses of humanity in these Nightmares.

It was the flowing emotions, the ability to think that time had honed.

Though Song Chuyi found it strange, he didn't dwell on it.

It wasn't until many years later, when Jiang Zhuxiu took him to a spiritual temple to offer incense.

In the grand and majestic hall, Jiang Zhuxiu returned to his true form.

Shadows continuously emanated from him, quickly filling the entire hall.

Song Chuyi stood opposite him, hands hanging at his sides, and asked in confusion.

"What's going on?"

The coldness in Jiang Zhuxiu's eyes had long since faded, leaving only the Nightmare's inherent charm and a tender, indulgent look towards Song Chuyi.

"People believe in gods and buddhas."

He raised his right hand, and the shadows transformed into the shape of a divine lotus flower.

"Yet they don’t realize that gods are hidden in this world."

Song Chuyi’s long lashes trembled slightly.

Jiang Zhuxiu looked at the divine lotus flower in his palm and smiled, "A'Chu, did you come to save this world?"

His smile was so gentle, nothing seemed out of place.

But Xiaotong was screaming frantically in Song Chuyi’s mind, "Ahhh! Host! Why is the villain showing signs of wanting to destroy the world!"

"Isn’t he supposed to be with you now?"

This had never happened in any of the previous worlds.

Usually, after being with Song Chuyi for a few years, the villain would lose the desire to destroy the world.

Life would naturally become smooth and peaceful until natural death, when Song Chuyi would leave the small world.

This sequence of events had never gone wrong, but today, it did.

Xiaotong was on the verge of crashing.

"Host, what do we do! He’s incredibly powerful now. Just one nightmare from him could wipe out all of humanity."

"The Nightmare Clan is under his control too. With just a thought, he could annihilate them."

Xiaotong’s voice quivered with urgency.

Song Chuyi gently patted the little white bun in his mind, his voice soft, "Xiaotong, it’s okay, just calm down for a bit, alright?"

Xiaotong suddenly paused, then whispered, "Okay, host."

Xiaotong fell silent, and Song Chuyi looked at Jiang Zhuxiu across from him, smiling gently:

"No."

Jiang Zhuxiu fixed him with an intense stare, "You’re lying to me."

"If you're not here to save this world, then why did you come to me?"

"How can your emotions in dreams alter my energy structure, even change those Nightmares?"

"You've given us human emotions."

"You are the god who came to save this world, aren't you?"

He had long sensed that he was not the original host body.

A soul so radiant shouldn’t exist in this world plagued by Nightmares.

Song Chuyi gently shook his head, "I'm not lying."

"I didn’t come here to save the world."

He acknowledged being an outsider.

Thunder rolled across the sky, yet no rain came.

Song Chuyi acted as if he didn’t notice.

"I came to stop you from ending the world."

Jiang Zhuxiu stared at him in silence.

After a long pause, he finally spoke, his words slow and deliberate.

"What difference does it make?"

Deep down, he knew.

He knew the difference, but he wanted to hear it straight from him.

"If I were here to save the world, I’d be the savior."

"But I came because of you."

He stepped forward, hand outstretched, palm up.

The sacred flower floated gently into his palm.

He grinned, "Now you’re the savior, not me."

"Jiang Zhuxiu, the gods are hidden in this world, after all."

"But even the gods don’t realize they’re gods."

The sacred flower slowly faded, dissolving into a wisp of white light.

The shadows filling the hall scattered like mist in the light.

Song Chuyi headed for the door, but just before stepping out, he glanced back at him.

"This is what it means to be human."

A bolt of purple lightning crashed down, striking the ground before Song Chuyi.

The ground split open, as if in warning—or maybe in fear.

In that instant, Jiang Zhuxiu appeared before Song Chuyi, pulling him close and kissing him fiercely.

A desperate kiss, as if pouring all his strength into it.

Song Chuyi melted into the kiss, his body yielding.

It felt like another fleeting, beautiful dream.

After nights of passion, Jiang Zhuxiu’s form began to fade, like a shadow dissolving in sunlight.

Finally, Xiaotong couldn’t hold back any longer and asked:

"Host, why did the villain decide to destroy the world at the last second this time?"

The mission almost failed!

Not only did the mission fail, but the heavens of this world also discovered the host's identity as an outsider.

This time, we’ll only get a tiny bit of energy.

Song Chuyi walked forward in the sunlight.

"He’s probably about to regain his memories."

He lifted his head, staring straight into the blinding sun.

His eyes stung, and tears started to form.

"I hope he’s just a regular human in the next world."

"Otherwise, if he gets his memories back, we’re screwed."

Xiaotong: "Don’t worry, Host! Worst case, I’ll call the main system for backup!"

Song Chuyi laughed, "Alright, if he really remembers, Xiaotong, you better haul ass to the main system."

Xiaotong: "Got it! Don’t worry, Host!"

Song Chuyi gave the little white bun a poke. "Alright, let’s head to the next world."

A wave of familiar dizziness hit, and everything went dark.

When he came to, Song Chuyi asked in his head, eyes still closed:

"Xiaotong, is the bad guy in this world just a regular human?"

Xiaotong paused for a moment, "Host, well..."

Song Chuyi: ...

We’re in trouble.