PD -Chapter 23 The Mysterious Man in the Dream

Seeing that I was still standing there in a daze, the handsome man spoke again.

“Your spiritual power isn’t particularly profound, but it seems… somewhat interesting.”

I could tell he was evaluating me, and I immediately frowned.

Suddenly, I recalled a description in the “Yu” Technique section of the Records of Heavenly Mysteries about a dream-control art similar to something out of Inception. The legendary abilities of immortals entering dreams or transmitting messages across great distances likely worked through the same principle.

At once, I understood.

The man before me had entered and taken control of my dream.

“You’re the one who set up the voodoo formation at the Zhu residence?” I asked, staring at him.

“That’s right.”

Seeing that he had finally gotten a reaction from me, he curled his lips into a smile and even tilted his head upward in an exaggeratedly affected manner.

The man was narcissistic to the extreme.

“My name is Marcus. I think we should have a talk.”

As he spoke, he began walking toward me. His polished leather shoes clicked sharply against the floor.

Only then did I realize that the surroundings were actually a grand theater.

Marcus, the absurdly self-absorbed handsome man, stood on the stage, while a spotlight continuously followed his every movement.

“I’ve got nothing to discuss with a sissy. Just looking at you gives me goosebumps,” I said with a frown, deliberately pointing at my arm.

Marcus’s eyes turned colder, but he didn’t lose his temper.

Instead, he gracefully raised a hand and snapped his fingers.

Snap!

A beam of light appeared beside him.

A bed materialized beneath the spotlight, and lying upon it was the unconscious Tang Shanshan.

“What a pity,” Marcus said, turning toward her. He shook his head while speaking in a tone that made my skin crawl. “Such a beautiful young lady, and yet you’ve dragged her into disaster.”

“The jade marrow from that Yin entity has already parasitized her primordial spirit. If you intend to save her, I’m afraid it’ll be nearly impossible.”

“What do you want?” I demanded, glaring at him.

“I already told you—we should talk. Perhaps I have a way to help this young lady.”

As he spoke, he stretched out a hand toward Tang Shanshan’s face.

Gritting my teeth, I flashed forward and appeared directly in front of him, seizing his wrist before he could touch her.

“Not bad. You learn quickly,” Marcus said as he withdrew his arm.

He was referring to my teleportation.

In truth, I had only tried it on a whim.

After all, this was my dream. If Marcus could control it, then with the right method, I should be able to reclaim some control as well.

“You said you could help her?”

Ignoring his mockery, I fixed him with a hard stare.

“That’s right.”

Marcus nodded.

“But after everything is done, the Extreme Yin Jade Marrow inside her belongs to me. And…” He narrowed his eyes. “I’m also very interested in your family’s Records of Heavenly Mysteries. If you hand both over to me, I guarantee I’ll cure her.”

“You really know how to ask for the impossible,” I replied with a cold laugh, though inwardly my mind was racing.

Looking at the unconscious Tang Shanshan nearby, I felt a pang of guilt.

Everything had started because of me.

What right did I have to stand by and watch her be devoured by that Yin entity?

“How am I supposed to believe you have that capability?” I asked, glaring at him again.

Marcus squinted at me and slowly replied, “You don’t have to believe me. You can always figure something out yourself.”

“You…!”

I clenched my teeth in fury, yet there was absolutely nothing I could do to him.

“From now on, follow my instructions. I guarantee that Miss Tang will be fine. Once it’s over, I’ll simply take the jade marrow from the ancient Extreme Yin Jade.”

“I… agree.”

I forced the words out through gritted teeth.

“Excellent.”

Marcus smiled faintly.

“For her sake, you’re even willing to hand over your ancestral Records of Heavenly Mysteries.”

The way he looked at me was like a master admiring a newly tamed pet.

“The first thing you need to do is stabilize Miss Tang’s primordial spirit. It’s far too weak right now to resist the Yin entity inside her. If you let things continue as they are, she probably won’t last seven days before her soul completely dissipates.”

“You’re the successor of the Great Dao and the Records of Heavenly Mysteries. I assume you know whether what I’m saying is true. As for how to do it, I’m sure you already know.”

As he spoke, his figure began to blur, as though he were about to disappear.

“When the time is right, I’ll come find you again.”

Darkness engulfed my vision once more.

After leaving behind those final words, Marcus vanished.

I jolted violently and immediately opened my eyes.

I was still in Tang Shanshan’s hospital room.

She lay on the bed exactly as before, her lips still tinged with black.

Rising from my chair, I reached into my pocket and pulled out the black Yin Pearl I had found inside the voodoo formation at the Zhu residence.

This thing probably belonged to that disgusting, effeminate Marcus.

I had apparently dozed off in the chair, and through the subtle connection between himself and the pearl, he had invaded my dream and delivered his message.

Thinking of the arrogant way he had behaved inside the dream, a surge of anger flared within me.

Spiritual power gathered in my hand as I prepared to crush the Yin Pearl into dust.

But after hesitating for a moment, I suppressed my rage.

Saving Tang Shanshan was the priority.

I couldn’t afford to destroy my only remaining backup plan.

Letting out a sigh, I turned toward her and examined her condition with my spiritual power.

Sure enough, Marcus had been telling the truth.

As an ordinary person, Tang Shanshan’s primordial spirit was simply too weak. She had no ability to contend with such a powerful Yin entity.

If things continued like this, the consequences would be unimaginable.

I immediately called Liu Xiaopeng and Zhu Zhu, instructing them to stay by Tang Shanshan’s side and report any changes to me immediately.

As for myself, I rushed home as quickly as possible, intending to study the Records of Heavenly Mysteries in hopes of finding a way to save her.

But removing the evil entity inside Tang Shanshan while ensuring her primordial spirit remained unharmed…

The chances of achieving both were incredibly slim.

Even if I spent the entire night mastering every formation and incantation recorded in the Records of Heavenly Mysteries, I still couldn’t guarantee that I wouldn’t injure her when the time came.

After all, the Records of Heavenly Mysteries was fundamentally a Daoist text.

Most of its contents focused on exorcism techniques and formation arts.

For Tang Shanshan’s case, however, removing the parasitic evil spirit was closer to performing a form of treatment.

And methods of healing were only sparsely recorded within the book.

I had no idea what miraculous technique that sissy Marcus possessed that could preserve Tang Shanshan’s life.

Yet from the looks of it, he might truly be the last straw left for me to grasp.

The truth was, I hadn’t believed him merely because I had been intimidated.

Throughout our conversation in the dream, I had been carefully observing and analyzing everything about him.

And in fact, by the end of our exchange, I had already secretly regained some control over the dream.

Using the faint connection of spiritual power between him and that Yin Pearl, I had attempted to investigate his true identity and background.