Lian’s gaze sliced across me like a blade.
For a split second, cold prickles ran down my spine again.
The fake Lian from my nightmare was still fresh in my mind—black blood dripping from the corner of his mouth…
Just thinking about it made every hair on my body stand at attention.
I squinted at him, and suddenly a brilliant idea popped into my head.
“Hey. Last Mid-Autumn Festival, under that oh-so-romantic moonlight—what shameful thing did the two of us do?”
The words had barely left my mouth before Lian arched a brow and replied coolly,
“I was merely humoring you back then. There was nothing shameful about it.”
I blinked.
Huh.
That… actually did sound like the real Lian.
Even if something did happen, he’d die before admitting it.
Classic prideful bastard behavior.
To be sure, I pinched my own cheek hard—so hard tears almost popped out.
“Okay—damn, that hurts! So this one should be the real deal. Lian! Finally! You’re here! I just saw—well, dreamed—some fake version of you. Scared the life out of me!”
Lian let out a disdainful snort.
“You certainly know how to dream. Move. Hua is waiting.”
“Hua?!”
I hurried after him. “Where’s everyone else? How did you even find me?”
Lian didn’t change expression.
“I used a few tricks to shake off those gray-robed men. Hua and I split up to search for you. We didn’t expect to find you here, sleeping as though we weren’t worried sick.”
That explanation sounded awfully familiar.
I snorted inwardly. Worry? Them? As if.
Lian maybe… out of some leftover affection.
But Hua?
He mocks me for sport. The man doesn’t even own concern.
Still… hearing they’d been looking for me brought a small warmth to my chest.
“Let’s go, let’s go!”
I wiped my nose with the back of my hand and followed Lian out of the stone chamber.
The passage twisted left and right, then suddenly opened into a wide chamber.
And there it was—treasure heaven.
Seven or eight chests stood in the center, all propped open, overflowing with gold, silver, jade, ceramics, bronze tripods—so shiny it nearly seared my retinas.
And right in the middle of the treasure pile crouched a familiar figure.
Hua.
He heard us coming, lifted his head, and actually smiled.
“Come here.”
My eyes lit up. Finally, a reunion!
Judging from the setup, this was an antechamber for burial goods.
And—holy crap—actual ancient treasure.
Real stuff!
I jogged forward, calling,
“Hua! What are you looking at? Did you find any cli—”
I didn’t even get the sentence out before a hand clamped around my wrist.
“Finally caught you.”
The voice turned cold—nothing like Hua’s usual tone.
A chill shot straight down my spine.
I jerked my head up—
—and Hua’s face twisted.
Not just twisted—melted.
His features crumpled like wet clay, reshaping into something grotesque.
Bulging eyes. Crooked nose. A mouth splitting almost to the ears.
“What—what the hell?!”
Every pore on my body opened in sheer panic. I struggled like mad.
I looked over my shoulder for Lian—
but there was no one.
The Lian who’d been right behind me had vanished.
No. No way.
Don’t tell me—
Another dream?!
A dream within a dream?!
I panicked, lifted my free hand, and slapped myself. Hard.
Uno. Duo. Trio.
My cheeks were on fire—but the scene didn’t change.
That thing still had me in a death grip, its nails digging into my wrist.
“Oh no oh no oh no—why am I not waking up?!”
Just then—
Whoosh—!
A folding fan shot through the air and cracked against the creature’s hand.
“Watch out!”
A familiar voice rang out.
The monster shrieked, releasing me. Its whole body writhed like it was burning, then shifted—revealing its true form:
A chimera-looking beast—
part tiger, part leopard, part nightmare—
with a thin dog’s tail stuck ridiculously to its backside and fangs like daggers jutting from its maw.
It glared at me, roared, and bolted into a crevice in the stone wall, vanishing.
I stared at my wrist, cold sweat pouring down my face.
Then I looked up.
Two familiar figures stepped into the chamber.
Hua snapped his fan shut, snorting.
“So you were here.”
Lian stood behind him, arms crossed, eyes sharp as ever.
“Had we been any later, you’d have become that creature’s feast.”
“R–really?”
My voice cracked as I backed up a step.
“You’re real, right? Not another illusion? Don’t—don’t you dare morph into something else!”
My brain was mush.
My palms were soaked.
That twisted Hua-face still haunted my vision.
I stared at the real Hua, swallowing hard.
“Then… then tell me this. Last year, what was the best-selling wine in the Zhenshu Pavilion?”
Hua raised a brow, surprised, but answered,
“‘Jade Spring.’ You drank yourself stupid that time and hugged the wine jar like a chamber pot. Have you forgotten?”
I choked on air, face burning.
Only the real Hua would bring up something I’d rather swallow and die with.
I turned to ask Lian something, then froze.
Wait.
The fake Lian in my dream had passed all my questions too—
then promptly turned into a monster.
My confidence wavered.
My mouth opened—then shut again.
Lian, of course, noticed immediately.
He let out a cold, mocking laugh, eyes glinting.
“Thinking of testing me as well? Hmph. You have three moles on your back, forming a crescent shape. Dare say I’m wrong?”
I stiffened.
My face went crimson.
That was a secret I barely acknowledged myself.
“You—You’re talking nonsense!”
But I didn’t even sound convincing.
Hua added calmly,
“Did you truly fall into an illusion just now?”
I sagged against the wall, breathing hard, feeling reality finally settle.
Lian spoke next, voice still cool.
“That creature is called Fangmei. It feeds on bones and excels at shapeshifting to confuse the mind. When you fainted, it took the chance to invade your dreams and lure you using familiar faces. Had we not arrived in time, it would have dragged you into its illusion permanently.”
I shuddered violently, clutching my head.
“It freaked me out! I knew that version of you was acting weird—cold one moment, creepy the next! Thank heavens you two came!”
Hua clicked his tongue.
“Your luck is absurd. Anyone else would’ve been dinner by now.”
Lian didn’t respond.
He turned toward the treasure chests, eyes narrowing.
“These are nothing but bait. The real coffin may not be here.”
My neck shrank in pure dread.
This tomb was one walking nightmare after another.
And that Fangmei escaped.
Who knew what else lurked ahead?
But with the two of them beside me…
my heart finally steadied a little.
Still—
I couldn’t shake the feeling that the beast’s glare lingered somewhere in the dark.
Watching.
Waiting.
Ready to pounce again.
Is all that we see or seem
But a dream within a dream?
——A Dream Within A Dream (by Chandeen) Edgar Allan Poe