PD -Chapter 44 The Dream Becomes Reality

Once again, I recalled the moment in the dream when that consciousness spread its angelic wings and opened its eyes to glare directly at me.

A sense of unease crept into my heart. I was worried that the effeminate guy might retaliate for my intrusion into his dream and target Tan Shanshan instead, setting some kind of trap for her within Tang Shanshan’s dreamscape.

“Brother Han, what’s wrong?” Zhu Zhu nudged me.

I immediately snapped back to reality, shook my head, and indicated that I was fine. Then I turned to Tang Shanshan and spoke gently.

“Don’t worry too much. It was only a dream. Let me check on you.”

As I spoke, I pressed two fingers against her forehead and used my spiritual power to examine the strength of her primordial spirit.

“Everything’s fine. The Yin Jade is still being suppressed.”

A moment later, I withdrew my hand and reassured her.

The results were no different from the last time I had examined her. There were still two primordial spirits residing within her body—one yin and one yang. For the moment, they remained in a state of balance. In fact, after taking the Yuanling Pill, Tang Shanshan’s original primordial spirit had gained a slight advantage.

“Don’t overthink it. Get some more rest. We’ll all stay here with you.”

I helped her lie back down and carefully tucked the blanket around her.

Tang Shanshan looked at me. The deathly pale color had gradually returned to normal. She met my gaze for a moment before quickly looking away and slowly settling back onto the bed.

But after such a terrifying nightmare, sleep was impossible.

She tossed and turned repeatedly, unable to drift off again.

In the end, I switched on the television, and the three of us sat together watching it to distract ourselves.

A wildly popular variety show eventually succeeded in lifting Tang Shanshan’s spirits. She even laughed along with some of the segments.

But once the show ended, the late-night news that followed made everything even stranger.

The broadcast interrupted its regular programming with breaking news.

In a small town fifty kilometers outside the city, nine children had mysteriously disappeared.

All nine were third-grade students from the local elementary school. They had failed to return home after classes, and by late evening their parents had begun searching frantically. After questioning people around town, an older child reported seeing them heading toward a pond together, suggesting they might have gone swimming.

At present, all nine children remained missing.

A rescue team had already arrived at the pond and dispatched divers to conduct a search operation.

However, as of the time of the report, there was still no sign of any of the children.

The instant she saw the news, Tang Shanshan shot upright in bed.

When the television switched to live footage from the scene, she raised a trembling hand and pointed at the screen.

“I… the pond in my dream… it’s this place!”

Her face was filled with terror.

“And… and there were ten children in my dream. If you exclude me… that’s exactly nine!”

She looked at me, her voice growing softer and softer, like a frightened deer.

On the television, the pond beside the embankment appeared vast and undoubtedly deep.

Powerful floodlights illuminated the area.

Rescue divers repeatedly surfaced from the water and then plunged back down, tirelessly searching for the missing children.

The pond’s surface remained eerily calm.

Yet beneath the darkness of the night, it looked unimaginably deep and cold—like a giant beast with its jaws open, ready to swallow anyone who approached.

“Shanshan… maybe it’s just a coincidence?”

Zhu Zhu stared at the screen and shook her head.

But even she sounded unconvinced. Her voice trembled as she spoke.

“Have you ever been there before?” I asked Tang Shanshan.

She shook her head.

She had never visited that place in her life.

Besides, she couldn’t even swim. Why would she ever go to a pond?

“Qiu… I mean, you stupid Daoist,” Tang Shanshan said, looking at me. “What exactly is happening?”

She desperately wanted answers.

Why had one of her dreams become reality?

Unfortunately, I had no answer.

This situation was far stranger than any of us had imagined.

Most of all, I was worried that the effeminate guy was somehow behind it.

“Can… can we go take a look?”

Tang Shanshan pointed at the dark pond on the television once more.

“I want to know what’s really going on. And… and those children are so pitiful. If they were really dragged to the bottom by the monster from my dream, then…”

Tears began streaming down her face again.

The suffocating terror she had experienced in the dream seemed to be returning.

“If all of this is real, that monster will probably kill even more children. Can you help them?”

I sighed inwardly.

There was no reason for me to refuse.

Tang Shanshan was now somehow connected to this incident, and we had to uncover the truth.

Besides, she was right.

If the monster in her dream truly existed, then it absolutely could not be allowed to continue harming people.

I nodded.

“Get some rest. I’ll take Liu Xiaopeng and investigate. If things really are as they appeared in your dream, we’ll deal with it.”

With that, I gathered my belongings and turned to leave.

To my surprise, Tang Shanshan climbed out of bed and suddenly grabbed my hand.

“I want to come with you!”

She looked directly into my eyes.

“No.”

I rejected the idea immediately.

“If everything you dreamed is real, then it’s even more dangerous. In your current condition, you can’t go.”

But Tang Shanshan refused to let go.

She held onto my hand stubbornly.

“I keep feeling that this has something to do with me. I have to go with you. I can’t let you face the danger alone.”

Even after I repeatedly shook my head, she continued alternating between pleading and pressuring me.

In the end, I simply couldn’t win against her persistence.

I reluctantly agreed to bring her along, but with one condition:

Once we got there, she had to follow my instructions without exception.

After everything was settled, Tang Shanshan hurried to get a few more hours of sleep.

As soon as dawn broke, we would set out for the town where the pond was located.

Meanwhile, I returned to the agency to organize the equipment we would need.

The moment I opened the office door, I noticed that the lights were still on.

Liu Xiaopeng was sitting in front of the computer playing a game.

He wasn’t surprised to see me return. I’d already called him earlier.

During the days I had been away, he had practically moved into the office.

As soon as he saw me, he closed the game and stood up.

“Brother Han, is Sister Shanshan doing better?”

“More or less stabilized, I suppose…”

I sighed, lacking any real confidence in my own answer.

“I’ve already packed everything we need. The van was repaired a few days ago too. It’s just that the repair costs…”

Liu Xiaopeng scratched his head awkwardly.

I knew life wasn’t easy for him.

Honestly, these past few days would have been impossible without his help.

A wave of gratitude suddenly washed over me.

Walking over, I patted him on the shoulder.

“The expenses will be reimbursed. And next month, you’re getting a raise. That haunted-house case turned a pretty good profit.”

“Thank you, Boss!”

Liu Xiaopeng broke into a simple, honest grin.

“Try to get some sleep. We’re leaving at dawn.”

With that, I headed into my room.

I couldn’t even be bothered to change clothes.

Cherishing the few remaining hours of rest, I collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep almost instantly.