Mistakenly Connected to the Jade Flower Branch

Chapter 131 Nightmare

Before Xue Yunting could react, Luo An had already walked back into the hall.

Xu Sheng leaned against the gate, and only after Xue Yunting left did he turn back and say, "Yunting was willing to sacrifice for Nan Yue, and you don't even praise him but say such things about him."

Luo An coldly asked, "Why aren't you going?"

“I have no feelings for Nan Yue, and it’s not worth sacrificing for Nan Yue. Yun Ting is a scion of a prominent family in Nan Yue.” Xu Sheng sighed, “You’ve been in Heaven and Earth for too long, and everyone spoils you. You don’t understand the dangers of the world.”

Does that sound familiar? Luo An was extremely disgusted: "You guys definitely don't understand."

Xu Sheng said, "Look at your spoiled young master attitude. You get upset just from being told a few things. If you were an emperor, you'd be a foolish ruler who wouldn't listen to advice..."

Luo An turned to leave, saying, "I'm going back."

Xu Sheng was surprised: "You're leaving already? Then what are you doing here?"

Luo An said, "Let's see how the disciples of Guigu Valley use their troops like geniuses. But the result is nothing special, so I won't watch."

"Master Luo, even the renowned Medical Manor cannot bring the dead back to life. Healing the sick and saving lives is difficult enough, let alone conquering cities and seizing territory..." Luo An's face darkened, and Xu Sheng, seeing an opportunity to back down, said, "It's late. Let's leave tomorrow. There are troops stationed everywhere. If they accidentally mistake you for a spy and kill you, wouldn't that be unjust?"

Luo An thought for a moment: "You haven't achieved a decisive victory in Yuezhou, and you haven't captured Longli City. The Southern Yue army has no deterrent power whatsoever. Why should Duke Duan surrender?"

Xu Sheng corrected him: "You misunderstood. I didn't ask Duke Duan to surrender, I just asked him to find a son-in-law. To be honest, no one would miss out on a son-in-law like Yun Ting..."

Luo An stared at him: "I have a question, General, please enlighten me?"

Xu Sheng was unusually cautious: "You can ask."

Luo An asked, "Why are you willing to return to Nanyue as the commander-in-chief of the three armies?"

Xu Sheng hesitated for a moment: "My godfather told me that I am free and do not need to be bound by anyone or anything. Even so, he has still taught me with great care for ten years. My mother has given me everything she should have given me, even more so than she has treated you. I would never be so ungrateful."

Luo An clearly didn't believe him. Xu Sheng didn't press the issue: "Just think of it as me wanting to test just how difficult it is to contend for the world?"

Luo An said, "If you want to try, then go ahead and try. There's no need to drag me along."

Xu Sheng refused decisively: "No, we're brothers, we share the good times and the bad."

Luo An asked patiently, "What exactly do you want?"

Xu Sheng said, "I want to unify the world. An Liangchen has ambitions, so why can't I?"

Luo An said, "He's ambitious and won't hold me back."

Xu Shengyi said sternly, "Closeness and distance matter. You and An Liangchen are cousins, so he's wary of you. We're twin brothers, so I'm supporting you."

Xu Sheng couldn't help but laugh after saying that, and said between laughs, "I'm serious, you have to believe me."

Luo An nodded: "I believe you. Like father, like son, soldiers fight side by side!"

Xu Sheng was slightly taken aback: "What do you mean?"

Luo An said, "If we're talking about seniority, I'm the elder brother; an elder brother is like a father!"

Xu Sheng glared at him: "You went back to Bianjing and found clues?"

Luo An's indifferent tone shattered Xu Sheng's expectations: "No! It's just standard reasoning."

Xu Sheng said with a hint of anger, "Bullshit!"

Luo An said, "This is an insult to scholarship."

Xu Sheng said, "If you're not convinced, come and fight."

Luo An shook his head: "A gentleman uses words, not fists."

Xu Sheng said, "Don't make excuses if you can't win."

Luo An said, "You're a master in martial arts, and I'm a master in medicine. Are you sure you want to fight?"

Xu Sheng patted his folding fan in his hand, unfolded it, shook it twice, and then put it away again, looking quite frustrated.

Luo An smiled contentedly: "Little brother, where do I live?"

Luo An, basking in the childish thrill of victory, had a wonderful dream, a dream of the night before he left Chongming Island...

He wasn't at home, and even in his dream he awoke with a start. Before his eyes were even open, Luo An's voice rang out in a low, sharp voice: "Who's there?"

Xu Sheng's voice rang out: "It's me."

The light came on, and Luo An sat up in bed, seeing Xu Sheng dressed casually and dashingly in a white undergarment. Xu Sheng walked over and sat down on the edge of the bed.

Luo An instinctively straightened his clothes: "What is it?"

Seeing his actions, Xu Sheng smiled strangely: "What are you afraid of? I'm not going to eat you. After all, an elder brother is like a father."

Luo An said, "Speak quickly if you have something to say, or shut up if you have something to say."

Xu Shengxun said, "This is an insult to scholarship."

Luo An threw the pillow at him: "Get out, disturbing my sleep in the middle of the night."

Xu Sheng dodged to the side: "Was it a wet dream or a sweet dream?"

Luo An asked helplessly, "What exactly happened?"

Xu Sheng leaned forward slightly: "I can't sleep alone, but you're quite a sight to behold..."

Is this a case of suffering a loss during the day and then having to get revenge at night?

Luo An felt a chill and unconsciously leaned slightly inward: "Compared to a goddess like Your Highness, I am but an average person."

Xu Sheng chuckled softly, "I don't mind."

Unable to bear it any longer, Luo An raised his hand and struck with seven or eight tenths of his strength.

Xu Sheng stumbled backward and slumped into a chair: "Sigh, murdering my own...brother..."

Luo An angrily asked, "What exactly do you want?"

Xu Sheng chuckled and said, "I had a nightmare, I was scared..."

Luo An asked, "You have nightmares too? You're afraid?"

Xu Sheng said, "I'm not a god, so how could I not have nightmares or be afraid?"

The word "immortal" struck a chord with Luo An. Luo An softened his tone: "What did you dream about?"

Xu Sheng was somewhat dazed: "I dreamt of a woman, probably middle-aged. She was trapped at the bottom of the sea, calling out to me..."

"Underwater?" Luo An asked. "What does it look like? What does it call you?"

Xu Sheng shook his head: "...Every time I dream about her, it's very clear, but when I wake up, everything is blurry. I don't know what she looks like, or what she calls out..."

Every time? Luo An reassured him, "Do you dream about it often? Dreams are always the opposite of reality, don't believe them."

Xu Sheng seemed not to hear, and continued to say to himself, "She reached out to me, but I couldn't reach her or touch her... Every time, I got very anxious, and that's when I woke up..."

She was chained to the seabed, surrounded by many fish she had never seen before... The ocean is so vast, I need great strength, I need many people to help me find it..."

Luo An suddenly opened his eyes wide.

Xu Sheng then realized what he had said. He got up and went out, saying, "Brother, I'm sorry to disturb your sweet dream."

Luo An stared at the door, lost in thought: The ocean is so vast, I need great power, I need many people to help me find it...

This is the driving force behind Xu Sheng's ambition to unify the world: he wants to mobilize the power of the world to find the woman imprisoned at the bottom of the sea.

Just as Luo An was about to lie down, he remembered a bedtime story his father had once told him.

Luo An was mature beyond his years and not close to anyone. His father usually treated him as an instructor, more like a teacher and student. Only once, when he had a high fever and was delirious, his father held him all night long.

It was probably because his father was affectionate with him when he had a fever, and after the fever subsided, he unusually acted spoiled, holding his father's hand and refusing to sleep. So his father told him a story:

East of the Bohai Sea lie five sacred mountains, with Penglai being the foremost. These mountains are supported by fifteen giant turtles, and guarded by goddesses. The mountains are abundant with exotic flowers, rare herbs, and wondrous animals. The mountain inhabitants live in harmony and enjoy long lives.

One day, a man named Longbo went to the Five Mountains and fished away six giant turtles, causing the two immortal mountains, Daiyu and Yuanqiao, to sink into the sea, resulting in numerous deaths. The Heavenly Emperor was furious and imprisoned the mountain goddess at the bottom of the sea.