FRGNM -Chapter 23 Chasing the Dream

The burly man’s expression grew even uglier. He snorted coldly, twisted his neck, and said, “Little girl, don’t blame us. Someone paid three hundred taels of silver for us to wait here for you. What we’re supposed to do—you should know, right?”

“I really don’t know what you’re talking about,” Ling Ruoxi replied calmly. “But I’ll give you five hundred taels each. Whoever told you to deal with me—you go back and sleep with her instead.” The corners of her lips lifted as she brushed the dust from her clothes.

The man froze for a moment and quickly glanced at his lackeys. Just as they were hesitating and preparing to discuss it, Ling Ruoxi leaned against the wall and said lightly, “Of course, I mean five hundred taels per person. Are you doing it or not? If not, I’ll find someone else.”

“We’ll do it! We’ll do it!” the men shouted eagerly. “Five hundred taels each!” Scratching his head, the big man hesitated and said, “But Miss… the target is a man.”

“A man?” Ling Ruoxi was startled. Wasn’t it Ling Huiru and her people? For a moment, she couldn’t quite figure it out. Exactly how many people wanted to ruin her?

“Yes—there! That’s him!” The men hurriedly pointed upward. When they looked at the person standing on the roof, their bodies trembled. With fifteen of them, they probably still couldn’t take that man down.

Him?

Ling Ruoxi slowly lifted her head—and froze.

What kind of man was this?

Dressed in tight black clothing, his perfectly sculpted body was outlined like that of a hunting panther. Unlike the exaggerated muscles of the earlier brute, his masculine strength was restrained yet irresistibly alluring. His long legs stood firmly on the roof ridge, his tight trousers clinging to well-shaped hips, and the unmistakable outline in front was enough to set imaginations running wild—certainly not something children should see.

By every measure, he was the image of perfection.

Yet his face was covered by a black mask, hiding his features entirely. Only a pair of eyes—cold as frost—were visible, their expression unreadable.

“Well hello, handsome,” Ling Ruoxi whistled lightly. “What’s your name? Nice body. I’m sure you’re good-looking too. What, afraid I’ll ravish you? Relax—I’m on a celibacy break. I won’t touch men.”

She never missed a chance to tease a good-looking man.

Nangong Mo and Ye Ningfeng were both handsome, but to her they were just eye candy for flirting. This man was the same. Being able to flirt with handsome men—wasn’t that every woman’s dream?

“Third Miss of the Ling family?” The man on the roof spoke coldly, his black eyes fixed on the woman below. When his gaze met hers, he abruptly turned away. “I ask you—on the fifteenth of last month, were you violated in the Bamboo Sea?”

The fifteenth?

Ling Ruoxi paused. She hadn’t kept track of dates. She had only arrived in this world about a month ago and had even been unconscious for several days. The fifteenth—yes, that sounded about right.

“What, handsome? So interested in my affairs?” she smiled. “I was violated—does that make your heart ache? How about you come down and talk? I’m pregnant; it’s not convenient for me to climb up.”

She beckoned lightly, smiling.

The man above frowned and snorted. “Pregnant? Then it isn’t you after all.” With that, he looked ahead and leapt away. The black figure vanished in an instant.

“Huh? He just left?” Ling Ruoxi stared blankly at the rooftop, then turned to the men approaching her. Her hair nearly stood on end. “What are you doing? I don’t like your type.”

“Yeah, yeah, we know,” the big man said awkwardly. “But Third Miss Ling—weren’t you violated on the fifteenth last month? And you already found out you’re pregnant? That’s really fast, isn’t it?” Even he found it unbelievable. “Normally, the earliest pregnancy signs show up after two months. You’re only at one month. You can’t just jump to conclusions because of physiological changes.”

“Uh…” That… actually made sense. And a few days ago, she had only heard Zuo Mingfeng mention it—she herself couldn’t diagnose a pregnancy by pulse.

But from what Nangong Mo and the others said, Zuo Mingfeng was the greatest medical practitioner in Northern Ning. When he treated someone, the illness was cured almost instantly. Even asking him to see a patient was harder than ascending to heaven. With over a hundred disciples and even grand-disciples, his status was extraordinarily high. If Nangong Mo hadn’t been gravely injured, he wouldn’t have come at all.

A legendary divine physician—there was no way he’d get this wrong.

“Forget it. No point thinking about it,” Ling Ruoxi muttered, scratching her head. It was just a pity—she hadn’t gotten to chat more with that handsome man before he left.

In the quiet mountains, a figure dressed in dark gold stood tall, gazing over the vast bamboo sea. His black hair fluttered in the wind as his long fingers rested on a pillar, tracing the marks left by blades.

The breeze picked up, stirring the ribbons of his robes. The lofty man crouched down and gently touched the grass, staring at the bloodstains long since dried. The brown bear’s corpse had been devoured by wild beasts, leaving only a pale skeleton. Fallen trees lay broken, bearing scars of past destruction.

“A Green-rank Dou Qi practitioner?” The cold voice echoed. He touched the snapped trunk, his sword-like brows knitting slightly. His gaze shifted to the silvery gleam on the ground before he turned to the figure opposite him. “Did you find her?”

“No,” replied the black-clad man who entered and knelt on one knee. “This subordinate went to see Ling Ruoxi. I originally planned to have someone violate her to check whether there was a mark on her back. But that woman is already pregnant. She cannot be the one Young Master is searching for.”

“Already pregnant?” The dark-gold figure slowly raised his head. Looking at the swaying branches above, his long lashes trembled as he closed his eyes. “Then forget it. Since it’s not her, there’s no need to force the matter. She saved my life—I will repay that debt. It’s just…”

Tightening his dark-gold robes, he asked softly, “How are things on Qiongyu Immortal Island?”

“The other six Guardians have stabilized the situation and driven away the people from Heaven Beyond the Heavens. However, our casualties were heavy this time. It will take several years to reorganize Qiongyu Immortal Island. Young Master, time is pressing—you cannot linger because of a woman.”

The kneeling man lowered his head, falling silent.

No one knew how grave the situation on Qiongyu Immortal Island truly was. All information had been sealed—nothing could be leaked. Their sovereign had suffered devastating injuries. At least five years would be needed for the island to recover.

Five years… what would the continent become by then?

“Mm. Let’s return.” Without the slightest trace of reluctance, the man’s star-like eyes lingered on the ground. He thought of the woman he had once held in his arms—her flawless skin, and the unique purple mark on her back, meant only for him to touch.

Poisoned by an aphrodisiac and pursued by Heaven Beyond the Heavens, he had fled into the Bamboo Sea. With his last shred of reason, he set up a formation to block his enemies—but he hadn’t blocked her. That night of madness was etched into his memory. He had nearly torn her apart. Even knowing it was her first time, he hadn’t been able to stop.

A woman’s chastity had been destroyed by his hands—yet he didn’t even know her name. Like a dream, it came swiftly and vanished just as fast. She slept, while he, unable to endure the explosive power within him, left alone to vent it. When he returned, she was gone. The warmth in his fingers, the faint fragrance of her body—everything had vanished without a trace.

“Flowers in a mirror, moon in the water—past events, nothing but emptiness. Since it was a dream, let it never awaken. From now on, I’ll call you Chasing the Dream.”

With a wave of his hand, purple Dou Qi shot forth like a roaring dragon, carving two characters into the fallen tree:

追梦 — Chasing the Dream

If anyone else had witnessed this scene, they would have screamed in shock. On the Dragonbound Continent, Blue-rank Dou Qi practitioners were already exceedingly rare—yet here stood a Purple-rank practitioner!

“Let’s go. Back to Qiongyu Immortal Island.” With one hand brushing through his hair, the man cast a final indifferent glance ahead. He spread his right hand, and both figures vanished.

Only the gentle breeze remained, stirring fallen leaves. And only the two characters—Chasing the Dream—proved that what had just happened was no illusion.

“Achoo!” Rubbing her nose, Ling Ruoxi stretched lazily and gazed up at the blue sky. Such leisurely days were quite nice—or rather, thanks to Nangong Mo’s presence, the Ling family hadn’t disturbed her much lately.

“Little baby, what should I name you?” She touched her belly, feeling puzzled. The child needed a name when born. A child who had come so inexplicably—everything felt like a dream, catching her completely unprepared. Such a dream… she truly wanted to keep chasing it.

“Chasing the Dream. I’ll call you Chasing the Dream. Boy or girl—it’ll be Chasing the Dream.”  She patted her belly and stretched again. Just as peace settled in, hurried footsteps approached her courtyard.

Raising her delicate brows, Ling Ruoxi pretended to be asleep, leaning back on her lounge chair.

“Asleep?” Nangong Mo frowned as he looked at the woman resting there. Her long hair fell across her cheeks, covering most of her face and revealing only the beautiful half—truly captivating. Yet that half…

“Your Highness, His Majesty has already issued three edicts. We should return,” Ye Ningfeng said. He had intended to wake her, but his hand paused midair and withdrew. Let her sleep.

He had heard that pregnant women often didn’t sleep well. She must have only just fallen asleep.

Nangong Mo frowned deeply. He had rushed here after receiving the imperial decree—was it really just to see this woman? Even he didn’t know what madness had seized him. He only felt an emptiness in his chest, as if he could grasp nothing at all.

These days, he had been secretly observing this foolish woman—staring into space alone, smiling to herself, doing things he couldn’t understand. Slowly, he realized that perhaps he…

“Let’s go.” A woman he had already divorced—what was there to dwell on? He was the Crown Prince of Northern Ning. How could he ever marry such an ugly woman? He merely felt guilty—about that one sword strike.