Chapter 67: Liu Shishi: Why is This Dream in Color?

A sense of familiarity washed over him.

In a blur, Zhang Yang realized the scene around him had transformed.

He stood before a massive city, facing a middle-aged man who exuded a stunning aura.

Though only a dozen or so figures on horseback surrounded this man, he opposed an army tens of thousands strong.

Clearly, such odds favored defeat. The ruler of the Chen Kingdom, observing from within the opposing ranks, thought to himself, “Yang Su has brought so few to quash this rebellion; has he lost his resolve?”

At that moment, Yang Su spoke slowly, “Tuo’er, it’s time to strike.”

Zhang Yang had fully assimilated the memories flooding his mind.

From now on, he was Yu Wento.

Swish!

Zhang Yang spurred his horse forward, standing in mid-air with the Xuanyuan Sword, an ancient weapon, in hand. His aura surged around him.

As one destined to be the Great Earth Sovereign, wielding the sword of the Yellow Emperor, he felt an unparalleled power coursing through his veins.

Circulating the magical energy within him, he unsheathed the Xuanyuan Blade, amplifying his strength. With a single, sweeping strike, he unleashed a torrent of sword energy that annihilated the thousands of charging cavalry in an instant.

Witnessing this display, the ruler of the Chen Kingdom, heedless of his nation’s shaman’s counsel, personally led a second wave of attack.

“Seeking death!” Zhang Yang, fully inheriting Yu Wento’s arrogance, continuously unleashed sword techniques, sending countless sword glares flying. In his eyes, tens of thousands of soldiers were no more than so many lambs, easily dispatched like slicing through vegetables.

The ruler of the Chen Kingdom was also slain in this battle, leading to the declaration of Chen’s downfall.

On his deathbed, the ruler of the Chen Kingdom clutched tightly to Chen Fu’s hand. “Grand Preceptor, you must assist Jingqiu in avenging our nation and restoring the Chen Kingdom. You must…”

“I shall obey your orders!” Chen Fu faithfully adhered to the imperial decree, orchestrating the substitution of his own son for Chen Jingqiu—a deception aimed at Yang Su.

The stage was thus set for the unfolding drama.

Eighteen years later, having achieved nothing of note, Chen Jingqiu found himself under intense pressure from Chen Fu. With little choice, he embarked on a quest to gather the Five Great Ancient Artifacts, a task deemed essential for the swift restoration of his nation.

Meanwhile, in a hotel room where Zhang Yang found himself staying in reality…

Tang Yan had just finished her bath and sat on the bed in her nightgown, studying the script with unwavering concentration.

Born in 1983, she was several years older than contemporaries like Yang Mi and Liu Shishi. After a long struggle, she had finally achieved breakthrough success with “The Three Daughters of Xia,” elevating her to A-list status. Consequently, her management team had orchestrated a “sweet, innocent, and slightly foolish” image for her, guiding her role choices and scripts along this direction.

Nevertheless, this didn’t mean she lacked acting skills. As a graduate of the prestigious Central Academy of Drama, she refused to back down. She would show Zhang Yang just how formidable she was.

After poring over the script for hours, she suddenly received a text message from Zhang Yang saying, “Goodnight.”

Trying to admit his mistake and win me over now? It’s too late. The corners of Tang Yan’s lips curled slightly as she decided to ignore Zhang Yang and continued reading the script on her lap.

But soon, a wave of sleepiness washed over her. In a daze, she found herself drifting off into dreamland.

She felt as if she had transformed into another person, yet that person was also her. As if she were living within this stranger’s body, experiencing various events through her eyes.

She became Tapar Yuer, a member of the Tapar deity race, who had arrived at the Great Sui military camp with her maidservant. Their mission: to forcefully seize the Luohe Treasure from its guardians.

With unparalleled strength, Tapar Yuer effortlessly secured the stone carving. Just as they prepared to leave, she encountered Yu Wento, clad in golden armor, standing guard at the entrance of the tent.

“A-Yang?!”

Yu Wento’s appearance and masked face were identical to Zhang Yang’s guise in Tang Yan’s memories.

Before she could process the thought further, Tapar Yuer had already struck, easily subduing Yu Wento. “Is that all you’ve got, Yu Wento?”

Remembering her location within enemy territory, Tapar Yuer swiftly took flight back to her own chariot.

“What do you mean ‘no big deal’? He’s just pretending.”

“He knows you’re the descendant of Shennong, the only one who can unlock the secrets of the stone steles. That’s why he’s using you.”

Tang Yan wanted to reveal the truth to Tapar Yuer, but she clearly couldn’t.

Soon, Yu Wento suddenly appeared behind Tapar Yuer. “Have you unlocked it yet?”

Tapar Yuer’s expression shifted, but she didn’t back down. She lifted her chin, her eyes sparkling mischievously. “It seems my gu hasn’t been a hospitable host for you.”

Yu Wento gave a faint smile. “Continue deciphering. If you satisfy me, I’ll spare your life.”

Hearing this, Tang Yan couldn’t help but interject, “How arrogant! Yu Wento is just like A-Yang.”

Next, Tang Yan experienced many things through Tapar Yuer’s perspective.

The interactions between Chen Jingqiu and Zhang Lie felt like fast-forwarding through a video, barely registering.

However, every confrontation with Yu Wento was crystal clear, like two forces clashing—within these moments, a hint of love blossoming from hatred began to emerge.

At least as a “spectator,” Tang Yan found herself unexpectedly rooting for this pair.

As for Zhang Lie and Chen Jingqiu, they paled in comparison to Yu Wento.

Mainly because Tang Yan knew Yu Wento’s many actions were out of necessity, not malice.

In the end, Tapar Yuer sacrificed herself to protect Chen Jingqiu within the bloody array.

“u…u!”

As the first rays of sunlight caressed her face, Tang Yan slowly drifted back to the world of the waking.

Her mind was laden with hazy memories, each one entangled with the name “Yu Wento” in a dance of combat.

As if simply channeling these recollections could transform her into Tapar Yuer, she could feel herself empowered to confront Yu Wento directly.

Of course, she wasn’t Tapar Yuer; but there was certainly nothing stopping her from harassing Zhang Yang.

I must have been too engrossed in the script; that would explain such an vivid dream, Tang Yan thought.

Yet, a hint of perplexity lingered - why had her dream involved Tapar Yuer and Yu Wento, rather than the protagonist Chen Jingqiu and his nominal first love, Zhang Lie?

It’s probably because I’m more familiar with A-Yang. I watched him portray Yu Wento yesterday, and he did set me off… Tang Yan quickly rationalized the sequence of events.

The mind races during the day, manifesting in dreams by night. It’s just that I was rather preoccupied with these thoughts earlier.

Gently touching her cheek, Tang Yan rose from bed and began her morning routine. She then sent messages to Liu Shishi and Nazha, inviting them for breakfast.

“Hm?!”

Her phone on the bedside table quivered, jolting Liu Shishi awake. A faint blush spread across her fair face, as if signaling a sudden fever. Sensing the coldness between her legs, the redness intensified, and she instinctively bit her lip.

How… how could I dream something like that?!

In her defense, she had been preoccupied with the sensations of acting alongside Zhang Yang all day.

This wasn’t her first acting gig; she’d collaborated with many talented actors before. But Zhang Yang was the first who made her timid about making eye contact.

His eyes seemed almost sentient, whispering deep affection and love that made her want to flee. After all, she was Liu Shishi, not Ningke—though she portrayed Ningke on screen, her core essence was the Demon Monarch’s daughter.

Whenever they wrapped filming, Zhang Yang’s gaze would revert to normal, leaving her feeling strangely hollow.

As these thoughts swirled in her mind, she drifted off to sleep.

Perhaps it was the result of her overactive imagination before bed, but she found herself living through Dugu Ningke’s life.

On the surface, Dugu Ningke was a noble lady of the Sui Dynasty, but in reality, she was a Western demoness who had been transplanted into this body—the daughter of the Demon Monarch.

In her dream, Yu Wento looked exactly like Zhang Yang, with the same infatuated gaze he’d used while acting.

Dugu Ningke and Yu Wento fell in love, married, and even had a child.

Liu Shishi felt as though she were experiencing a romantic relationship with Zhang Yang, culminating in marriage and parenthood.

It was as if this was her past life with Zhang Yang.

Worse still, the childbirth scene wasn’t glossed over; she lived through every excruciating moment.

Why? How could I dream of something so… explicit? And with such vivid detail?

“Hmm, it must be because Mimi tried to show me those adult materials once…”

“But they wouldn’t be stored in that part of the library, and Zhang Yang is so…”

“Could it be my imagination running wild?”