After hearing this, Fang Zhixing’s first reaction was to look at Xigou’s system panel.
[Life Remaining Times: 10]
"Xigou, I want to ask you three questions,"
Fang Zhixing pondered briefly and raised three fingers.
"First, can you and I have the same dream?"
"Second, if you die once in a dream, does the system also count it as losing one life?"
"Third, look at my system panel, conditions 5 and 6 are already completed, and those occurred in my ’dream’."
Xigou looked up, his face instantly filled with question marks, completely baffled.
If that was indeed a ’dream,’ how could a mere dream be considered as completing a mission?
How is that different from creating something out of nothing, from sheer fabrication?
Fang Zhixing fell silent, suddenly remembered something, turned around, and hurried back to the house, rushing toward a room.
The door creaked open.
Fang Zhixing pushed the door open directly and looked around the room, frowning deeply.
Wang Jiayun was not in the room.
Moreover, the room was cleaned up nicely, with no belongings left behind.
Xigou followed, transmitting a message: "Wang Jiayun is no longer here, also, the carriage is gone too."
Fang Zhixing immediately instructed, "Didn’t you awaken a new Bloodline Burst Skill? Try it out."
Xigou suddenly shivered, right, upon Fang Zhixing’s advancement to Nine Ox Realm, he had awakened a superb skill.
"Heaven and Earth Boundless, Hundred-Mile Tracking!"
Xigou shivered and slowly closed his dog eyes, imagining Wang Jiayun’s unique scent, and then took a deep breath.
In an instant, countless scents flocked from all directions and surged into Xigou’s nostrils.
Shortly after, Xigou opened his eyes, asserting confidently, "Wang Jiayun is not within a hundred miles."
Fang Zhixing’s expression darkened, and he hurried back to his room to check his belongings.
His travel bag was still there, nothing was missing.
But, the two boxes of treasures gifted by Wang Jiayun were gone.
Xigou recalled carefully, "In the dream, you left those two boxes of treasures in the room at Cuizhu Pavilion."
Fang Zhixing grunted, slowly sat down, and started counting the Gold Tickets and change he had on him.
Soon, he came to a conclusion, "I’m short of money, and the missing amount is exactly what I spent in the county."
Xigou blinked, totally confused and wondered aloud. "What in the world is going on, could everything we experienced in the dream be real?
If it was real, what are we experiencing right now?"
Fang Zhixing responded, "People might dream, might see illusions, but do you think the system would do that too?"
Xigou was startled and said, "What do you mean, that wasn’t a dream? But I clearly saw you dreaming in bed."
Fang Zhixing pointed at the sky, asking, "The moment you woke up here and the moment you were resurrected should be the same time, right?"
Xigou thought for a moment, then nodded, "It really is."
Fang Zhixing continued, "Me too. The only thing we can be sure of now is that the time in the dreams aligns with the time in reality.
However, Breaking Precepts Evil Monk mentioned ’three years’; he believed our first meeting was three years ago."
"What, three years ago?!"
Xigou was choked up, his mind racing, "Could it be possible that Breaking Precepts Evil Monk mistook me for someone else?"
Fang Zhixing shook his head, "From what Sui Jiefu suggested, Breaking Precepts Evil Monk’s identity is not simple; he might possess some ultimate skill that allows him to recognize me at a glance. No, it seems like he suddenly recognized me after our eyes met."
Xigou found it hard to imagine, guessing, "Hmm, he might remember your eyes then; when you are fierce, your gaze is indeed terrifying."
Fang Zhixing took a deep breath, frowning, "Never mind that, let’s leave this place first."
Xigou couldn’t wait either, echoing, "Right, right, this is too spooky, let’s get out of here."
The man and his dog walked out of the house and turned to run towards the South Gate.
As they watched the road under their feet and the dilapidated South Gate, the more they looked, the more something seemed off.
Suddenly, Xigou exclaimed, "We walked this road yesterday morning, right?"
Fang Zhixing nodded, "Yes, I clearly remember; we definitely walked it once, unless there’s something wrong with our memory."
Xigou felt an increasing panic inside, quickened his pace, and rushed out of the South Gate.
He suddenly braked hard, looked up around him, and was completely dumbfounded.
The scene before him was not the official road outside the South Gate, but the city’s Racecourse Street.
Fang Zhixing abruptly halted, his eyes widening.
At that moment, he was standing right on Racecourse Street.
The street was desolate, not a soul in sight, only the wind sweeping the fallen leaves spinning on their own.
Fang Zhixing turned around sharply, then saw a city gate standing behind him.
The situation was just like the day before yesterday when he had entered Yulan County.
Suddenly, Xigou shouted, "Fang Zhixing, this is still the South Gate!"
Fang Zhixing saw it too; they had left the county through the South Gate and yet entered the city through the South Gate again.
Fang Zhixing tiptoed and leapt up, landing on top of the city wall.
He first looked inside the city; looking out, a thin mist pervaded the city.
The gray mist lingered, ghostlike, wandering between every street and building.
Fang Zhixing’s mind involuntarily brought up the restricted areas he had visited.
Then, he turned his head and immediately saw an official road extending into the distance outside the city gate, along with the forests on both sides of the road.