Chapter 577: Lazy Dream

Ye Haolong was impossible to wake up, and Li Banfeng was about to fall asleep himself.

The Old Teapot struggled to stay awake. "Brother, why don't you leave the city for a bit and recover?"

Leaving Pillow City would indeed shake off the drowsiness, but it wouldn't solve the real problem. The next time they returned, it would be the same situation, and Li Banfeng still wouldn't be able to wake Ye Haolong.

"Or, going home to recover might work too..." The Old Teapot drifted off to sleep.

Returning to the Portable Abode was no different; it still didn't solve the problem, but Li Banfeng genuinely couldn't hold on any longer.

After sitting in the Portable Abode for a while, Li Banfeng felt a little more awake, and the magic tools around him also roused.

Li Banfeng rubbed his forehead and asked the Record Player, "Darling, is there a way to wake someone up in Pillow City?"

The Record Player put down her clay figurine and pondered for a moment. "It's extremely difficult to wake someone who's asleep. However, making them wake up on their own is possible. One way is through Mind Cultivation techniques, forcing them to generate the thought of waking up."

The Wine Gourd said, "Sister, I tried that, but it didn't work. The people in Pillow City sleep too soundly; they can't even form a thought."

The Gourd always acted without others noticing, but unfortunately, it didn't work this time.

The Pendulum, also a Mind Cultivator, added, "Madam, I tried it too. It truly doesn't work."

The Record Player was somewhat annoyed. "I've fed you so many good things, making you all plump and well-fed, but when it's time to exert yourselves, you're all useless! If Mind Cultivation isn't enough, we'll have to rely on Dream Cultivation. Dream Weaver, you go try!"

Dream Weaver stepped down from the wall, transforming from a calendar page into a pocket watch. She said to Li Banfeng, "Master, once we're in front of him, I will enter his dream and persuade him to wake up from it."

Li Banfeng took Dream Weaver out of the Portable Abode and approached Ye Haolong.

Dream Weaver yawned. "This place truly makes one sleepy..."

Before she could finish, Dream Weaver had already entered a dream; she had entered Ye Haolong's dream.

Dream Cultivators weren't afraid of falling asleep here; they remained conscious even when entering a dream. Li Banfeng forced himself to stay awake, waiting for Dream Weaver's response. After ten minutes, Dream Weaver hadn't emerged, and Li Banfeng sat beside Ye Haolong and fell asleep.

He dreamed he was holding his darling, dancing in the grand ballroom of Xiaoyao-wu. A band played on stage, and a singer performed among them.

After dancing song after song, Li Banfeng gently wiped sweat from the Record Player's mouth. "Darling, are you tired?"

"If my husband isn't tired, then your humble servant isn't tired."

"Darling, let's dance another cha-cha-cha!"

"Not that one. My bones ache after dancing it."

"Does it really hurt? I'll give my darling a good massage..."

As Li Banfeng was massaging the Record Player's hip, the singer on stage suddenly shouted, "Master, you can't dance anymore. It's time to wake up."

"Stop bothering me, can't you see I'm busy?" Li Banfeng gently rubbed his darling's hip.

"You truly can't dance anymore. If you do, you'll fall into a deeper sleep and it'll be harder to wake up!"

"Let it be deep then. Let me just have a good sleep with my darling!"

"Master!" Dream Weaver cried out sweetly, pulling Li Banfeng out of the dream.

Li Banfeng was annoyed awake by Dream Weaver. "Couldn't you have waited a little longer? I was giving my darling such a comfortable massage..."

"Master, don't forget the main task."

Li Banfeng stretched and looked at Ye Haolong on the bed.

He was still lying in his original position, barely having moved.

"You didn't wake him?" Li Banfeng frowned, looking at Dream Weaver. "If he's not awake, why did you wake me?"

"Master, I entered his dream, but I couldn't get close to him. He was constantly fighting others. If I approached rashly, I would surely be severely injured, or even lose my life."

"In a dream, he could hurt you too?" Li Banfeng wasn't very familiar with Dream Cultivation techniques.

Dream Weaver explained, "Entering an ordinary person's dream might not result in injury. However, entering another Dream Cultivator's dream is like entering their territory. Every move and technique could become real."

The explanation was a bit convoluted, so Li Banfeng asked, "Are you saying Ye Haolong is a Dream Cultivator?"

Dream Weaver hesitated. "Cultivation levels aren't visible, but he seemed very lucid in his dream. He should be a Dream Cultivator."

Ye Haolong possessed a Cloud-level cultivation. It was indeed a bit much to ask Dream Weaver to face a Cloud-level cultivator alone.

Li Banfeng couldn't think of a countermeasure at the moment and felt drowsy again.

Seeing him yawn, Dream Weaver came up with an idea. "Master, would you be willing to enter his dream?"

Li Banfeng was surprised. "You have such a method?"

Dream Weaver replied, "With my limited cultivation, I certainly wouldn't have such a method. But among the foreigners I previously consumed, one was a master of dream control. After eating his flesh and blood, I learned a bit of the Dream Bridge technique. Perhaps we can try it."

Before Dream Weaver could explain what a Dream Bridge was, Li Banfeng's eyelids grew heavy, and he quickly drifted off to sleep.

In his dream, Li Banfeng was quietly listening while lying on his darling's stomach.

His darling cautiously asked, "Husband, can you tell if it's a boy or a girl?"

Dream Weaver snorted from the side, "As if she could really give birth."

Li Banfeng and his darling lingered for a moment before Dream Weaver led him to a suspension bridge.

Although Dream Weaver had reminded him that he was in a dream, the suspension bridge before him still struck Li Banfeng as peculiar. He didn't know where the bridge was suspended from; he only saw dozens of ropes descending from the sky, holding up the swaying bridge deck, but he couldn't see the origin of these ropes.

Li Banfeng looked at Dream Weaver and asked, "If I go on this bridge and fall off, will I really die?"

There was no Record Player or Hong Ying here. Dream Weaver clung tightly to Li Banfeng's arm and softly said, "Don't be afraid. With me here, Master won't suffer any harm."

Li Banfeng followed Dream Weaver onto the bridge. The suspension bridge swayed with every step, and beneath it, mist rose, bottomless.

After taking a couple of steps, Li Banfeng occasionally flexed his ankles. He was constantly ready to use his Cloud-Riding skill, thinking he could fly even if he fell.

No, his legs couldn't exert any force; it seemed he couldn't fly.

Dream Weaver reminded him, "Master, in a dream, only Dream Cultivators can use their full power. Practitioners of other paths are restricted. When you meet Ye Haolong later, you can't be aggressive. You might not be able to defeat him in his own dream."

Halfway across the suspension bridge, Li Banfeng faintly heard shouts and the clashing of weapons. These sounds came from within Ye Haolong's dream.

After crossing the bridge, Li Banfeng first arrived at a bamboo forest. The bamboo was dense, bearing many knife marks and bloodstains. Some bamboos were even cut in half, creating a scene of desolation mixed with a hint of tragedy.

The further he walked, the more intense the shouts became. Upon reaching the edge of the bamboo forest, Li Banfeng finally saw Ye Haolong.

Ye Haolong was wielding a long sword, fighting a group of masked figures. Behind him was a parked cart, and next to the cart lay the dying peddler.

Was this the situation when the peddler fought the Celestial Being? This situation was actually replayed in a dream?

Ye Haolong was surrounded by a dozen masked figures. Which one of them was the Celestial Being? They all looked similar. Were they all clones of the Celestial Being?

Judging from the dream, after the peddler was defeated by the Celestial Being, Ye Haolong helped him resist for a while. This indicated that Ye Haolong's cultivation and combat prowess were quite high, making him a top figure in Puro Province.

Was this truly the case?

Dream Weaver tightly gripped Li Banfeng's hand and gently reminded him, "Master, this is a dream. Don't take it seriously."

The scenes in the dream differed greatly from reality, and there were indeed significant differences.

Even so, Li Banfeng dared not be careless. He and Dream Weaver hid in the bamboo forest, silently watching the battle.

Ye Haolong's swordsmanship was exceptionally graceful. Surrounded by over a dozen opponents, he moved freely in attack and defense, advancing and retreating with ease, showing no obvious weaknesses. After more than thirty exchanges, Ye Haolong's long sword flashed, creating a dozen streaks of light that knocked the swords from the hands of the black-clad figures.

The dozen black-clad figures all bore wounds, and Ye Haolong also seemed somewhat unsteady, as if exhausted from the effort. But why did every black-clad figure use a sword, and why were their sword techniques so similar? These sword techniques seemed familiar, almost as if they had appeared in some films made in Proper Village. Indeed, they were choreographed sword moves from movies.

How much truth was there in Ye Haolong's dream?

The concept of time in dreams was blurry, but fortunately, Dream Weaver had precise timing capabilities. Half an hour later, this tedious battle finally ended. From start to finish, neither side used any techniques; it was just a sword fight.

Ye Haolong, with a slight advantage, repelled the group of black-clad figures, then stumbled towards the peddler.

"Senior, how are you?" Ye Haolong picked up the peddler.

The peddler looked at Ye Haolong and gasped with difficulty, "Brother Ye, you did well."

Ye Haolong said with tears in his eyes, "I came too late."

"Puro Province, I entrust it to you from now on!"

"Please don't say that, Senior. Rest a bit longer. I have medicine for injuries here; if you take it, you'll surely recover."

The peddler shook his head. "To guard Puro Province, to not suffer humiliation from the Inner Provinces and Outer Provinces—this heavy responsibility is entrusted to you." After speaking, the peddler tilted his head, closed his eyes, and fell silent.

Ye Haolong sat beside the peddler and cried for a long time.

The ground slowly sank, revealing a pit, and the peddler's body automatically descended into it. The peddler was buried just like that. Clearly, this process was not very important to Ye Haolong, as unimportant as a villain's appearance.

After burying the peddler, Ye Haolong pushed his cart, ready to embark on a new journey. Li Banfeng walked up to him and, smiling, asked, "Are you the Lord of Puro?"

Ye Haolong puffed out his chest and said calmly, "Don't call me that. I simply wish to do my utmost to protect Puro Province. This is my senior's dying wish, and it is my mission."

"The senior you mentioned, was that the peddler?"

Ye Haolong nodded.

Li Banfeng asked, "What exactly happened to the peddler?"

"He dueled with a Celestial Being and died from severe injuries." As he spoke, tears welled up in Ye Haolong's eyes.

Li Banfeng asked, "What does the Celestial Being look like? I want to avenge the peddler."

Ye Haolong looked at Li Banfeng, shook his head, and sighed. "Young man, your resolve is commendable, but the Celestial Being's combat prowess is far beyond your reach."

"Just tell me what he looks like! Even if I can't kill him today, when I return after further training, I will avenge the peddler!"

Ye Haolong shook his head and sighed. "You are still young. This deep-seated vendetta is not yours to bear. You must cultivate diligently and contribute your strength to the great cause of Puro Province!"

Li Banfeng looked at Ye Haolong and said, "Have you actually never seen the Celestial Being?"

Ye Haolong became displeased. "Young man, how can you speak like that? I witnessed the Celestial Being's duel with the peddler with my own eyes."

"Then why can't you describe the Celestial Being's appearance?"

"It's not that I can't describe him; it's that I shouldn't tell you. This is for your own good!"

"If you've seen the Celestial Being, you should be able to describe him. If you can't, then naturally you haven't seen him. What's there to argue about such a simple truth?" Li Banfeng stared intensely at Ye Haolong. He wasn't sure if his Foolish Cultivation technique would work in a dream.

"I... I have seen him—" Ye Haolong stammered, his thoughts becoming somewhat confused.

"If you've seen him, then speak!"

He looked at Li Banfeng, raising his long sword. "Who are you? Why are you so persistent?"

Dream Weaver reminded him, "Master, he is a Cloud-level Dream Cultivator. Do not fight him in his dream."

Having come this far, Li Banfeng couldn't back down. His legs were powerless, his Journey Cultivation techniques were restricted, the Portable Abode couldn't enter the dream, and his Home Cultivation techniques were also limited. Li Banfeng touched the weapons and magic tools on his person; it seemed only Dream Weaver could be brought into the dream.

"I'll try my best to buy time; you force him to tell the truth."

After instructing Dream Weaver, Li Banfeng angrily looked at Ye Haolong. "You fraud, you never witnessed that duel! Why are you lying?"

Ye Haolong's hand trembled slightly. "I saw it! I witnessed it with my own eyes!"

Dream Weaver whispered, "I didn't detect a lie."

Just because he wasn't lying, did that make it true?

Li Banfeng said, "Then tell me about the battle in detail. What techniques and methods did both sides use? Don't you dare tell me the peddler and the Celestial Being were both demanding a sword from you!"

Ye Haolong stammered, "I saw all their techniques!"

"If you saw them, then tell me!"

"Why, why should I tell you—" Ye Haolong raised the long sword in his hand, trembling all over.

Dream Weaver found it strange why this person was so angry. Seeing Ye Haolong's rage, a fierce battle was unavoidable. Dream Weaver quickly prepared a retreat route for Li Banfeng.

Li Banfeng also knew a fight was inevitable. He forced strength into his feet, preparing to use *Breaking Ten Thousand Rivers* to catch his opponent off guard first. If he could injure his opponent, he'd seize the opportunity to continue questioning. If he couldn't injure him, he'd find another way to contend.

Ye Haolong stood rooted, his body still trembling, seemingly ready to face Li Banfeng head-on. Li Banfeng charged forward first. Just as he was about to unleash a technique, his foot caught on something, and he nearly stumbled to the ground.

Was this Ye Haolong's doing? Did he change the terrain to make me fall?

Li Banfeng glanced at the ground but saw no change in the terrain. The overgrown ground suddenly felt loose, scaring Li Banfeng back two steps. Ye Haolong also seemed a bit nervous.

A hand emerged from the ground. What was this? A clone of Ye Haolong?

Dream Weaver didn't know the origin of this hand. She watched as the earth continuously cracked, and the arm stretched longer and longer, its fingers scrabbling across the ground, pulling a whole body out of the soil. The man who crawled out was covered in hair and beard, making it impossible to tell his age. He wore a long gray cloth gown, neither thick nor thin, suitable for any season. His clothes were covered in mud, but with a single pat, they became clean as new. It was hard to tell what fabric they were made of.

He raised his head, looked at Li Banfeng, then turned to look at Ye Haolong.

Ye Haolong, holding his long sword, pointed at Li Banfeng and said, "Are you an accomplice of the Celestial Being? Have you come to find this old man to silence me? Do you intend to wipe out the very roots of Puro Province?"

The man who had emerged from the earth looked at Ye Haolong, remained silent for over a minute, and then uttered a single word: "Scram!"

Ye Haolong was enraged by this. He lowered his long sword, trembling with anger, and then left.

He just left like that? This was his dream, and he didn't dare utter another word?

The man looked at Li Banfeng, and after another minute, asked, "Want to kill someone?"

What did that mean? Was he implying Li Banfeng wanted to kill Ye Haolong? When facing an enemy in a life-or-death situation, one certainly wouldn't hold back.

Wait, he couldn't answer like that. Li Banfeng remembered the Old Teapot's warning: when sleeping in Pillow City, one must not enter the city to kill, or they would face punishment from the local Earth God.

Was this man the Earth God?

Li Banfeng replied, "I didn't intend to kill him."

This was true; Li Banfeng genuinely hadn't intended to kill Ye Haolong.

The man looked at Li Banfeng's feet. "Killing technique!" He meant that Li Banfeng had used a killing technique. This pretty much confirmed it: this was indeed the Earth God. The Old Teapot had said that Pillow City's Earth God was a Lazy Cultivator. His reluctance to speak more than a single word was almost identical to the Judge's Brush.

Li Banfeng patiently explained, "This is Ye Haolong's dream. I am restricted everywhere, while Ye Haolong has the advantage. A single move of *Breaking Ten Thousand Rivers* couldn't possibly kill Ye Haolong."

The man shook his head. "Not necessarily."

Li Banfeng gave a helpless smile. "I truly didn't mean to kill him. A Cloud-level Dream Cultivator wouldn't be that easy to kill anyway. I just wanted to ask him a few questions."

"Ask!" The man meant Li Banfeng could ask him, and he would answer.

Li Banfeng said, "I want to ask whether Ye Haolong has actually seen the peddler or not."

"Yes!" The man thought about how to describe it, but he was too lazy to think, and even lazier to speak. He came up with a good idea.

In front, an open space transformed into a small alley. A boy of about ten stood at the alley's mouth, wearing a long gown and a skullcap. He approached the peddler, looked up, and earnestly said, "I want the martial cultivation powder."

"Martial Cultivation?" The peddler chuckled. "Your physique isn't suited for martial cultivation."

The boy then said, "Then I'll choose literary cultivation."

"Do you like to read?"

The boy honestly shook his head. "Then what do you say I should choose?"

The peddler squatted down and looked at the boy. "Since you live in Pillow City, choose Dream Cultivation. You sleep three seasons a year, and all three seasons are good for cultivation."

The boy agreed. The peddler gave him a handful of powder and carefully helped him apply it to his belly. The boy cried from the pain for a long time.

Li Banfeng said, "This is the scene when he entered the Daoist sect?"

The man nodded. "He saw the peddler!"

Yes, he must have seen the peddler when he entered the Daoist sect. This lazy Earth God used the dream to present Ye Haolong's memories, making the scene very intuitive without the need for words or explanation. He could use Dream Cultivation techniques, which proved he likely possessed Dream Cultivation abilities.

Li Banfeng sighed. "I estimate he's only seen the peddler once in his life."

"No!" The Lazy Cultivator Earth God waved his hand, presenting another dream scene.

Ye Haolong, with a head full of white hair, stood at the alley's mouth and saw the peddler again. The peddler's appearance hadn't changed. He looked at Ye Haolong and smiled, "Eighty years old?"

"Yes!" Ye Haolong nodded.

The peddler sighed, "Seventy years of cultivation, and finally reaching the ninth level. That counts as a complete achievement."

Under normal cultivation circumstances, one gains a level every ten years. Ye Haolong entered the Daoist path at ten, cultivated for seventy years, rising from the first to the ninth level, achieving eight promotions. Gaining one extra promotion in seventy years was the achievement of his entire life.

The peddler asked him, "Do you still wish to be promoted?"

Ye Haolong nodded repeatedly.

"Do you want to be a servant in the Inner Province?"

Ye Haolong shook his head.

"Let me show you a path. I have a friend named Zhao Lanmeng. I'll have him give you a piece of land, allowing you to forcefully ascend to the Cloud-level. You can do some odd jobs for him and gain some popularity from him. What do you think?"

Ye Haolong profusely thanked him. So, his Cloud-level cultivation was acquired with the peddler's help.

"Who is Zhao Lanmeng?"

The man forcefully lifted his head. "Me!"

Given that name, did he even find dreaming too much effort? Ye Haolong was able to rise from the ninth level of the Ground to the first level of the Cloud, thanks to the peddler's recommendation and Zhao Lanmeng's assistance.

Li Banfeng nodded. "Given Ye Haolong's strength, it seems impossible that he could have witnessed the peddler's duel with the Celestial Being."

"You mean that?" Zhao Lanmeng squatted down. He was sifting through Ye Haolong's memories within the layers of dreams. After more than ten minutes, he seemed to have found something.

It was the same empty space, and the scene changed again. A person woke up from sleep and rushed onto the street. The street looked familiar; it was Pillow City's main thoroughfare.

Li Banfeng saw the peddler pushing his cart, charging from the street into the sky. Above the sky, a blinding light erupted, and a blurry figure within the intense light confronted the peddler. When the strong light dissipated, the blurry figure remained, but the peddler had vanished, and his cart lay scattered in pieces on the ground.

Was this the duel between the peddler and the Celestial Being? The strong light flared up again, and the scene swayed, likely from Ye Haolong's perspective as he fled.

So, this memory actually existed!

Li Banfeng was stunned. "He really saw it?"

"No," Zhao Lanmeng lay flat on the ground; he was tired of standing.

Li Banfeng, worried he might fall asleep, quickly asked, "If he didn't see it with his own eyes, then where did this memory come from?"

Zhao Lanmeng rested for a while and then uttered two words: "Compensation."

"What compensation?"

Zhao Lanmeng didn't explain. With a wave of his hand, he read Ye Haolong's memories again.

At fifteen, Ye Haolong was bullied by some young people. He was a first-level Dream Cultivator and tried to use a technique, but he trembled with anger, couldn't use the technique, and was severely beaten.

At twenty-two, Ye Haolong sparred with a Food Cultivator. According to the dream's depiction, Ye Haolong was a second-level Dream Cultivator at that time, while the Food Cultivator had just reached the first level. Ye Haolong tried to strike first by pulling his opponent into a dream. The opponent did enter the dream, but Ye Haolong couldn't control the dream, and the opponent woke up. After waking up, the Food Cultivator ate two pounds of dry rations and then gave Ye Haolong a thorough beating.

Dream Weaver whispered, "A second-level Dream Cultivator who can't control dreams—this person's talent is truly mediocre."

At thirty-seven, Ye Haolong encountered mountain bandits on the road and wanted to play the hero, but his movements were too flustered, and he was ganged up on by the bandits, barely escaping with his life.

At forty-six, Ye Haolong, at the fifth level, competed in a martial arts arena against a third-level Martial Cultivator. The Martial Cultivator was too fast, and Ye Haolong couldn't react in time, losing again.

After ascending to the Cloud-level, he chanced upon a sixth-level Ground-level Journey Cultivator. Provoked by the opponent's words, Ye Haolong's performance faltered, and he was severely wounded by a series of *Breaking Ten Thousand Rivers* attacks. Being severely wounded by a sixth-level Ground-level cultivator while at the Cloud-level would certainly become a laughingstock.

Zhao Lanmeng turned to look at Li Banfeng. "Just now, were you trying to kill him?"

Li Banfeng waved his hands repeatedly. "I truly didn't mean that."

Zhao Lanmeng's suspicion was well-founded. Judging by Ye Haolong's past combat record, even though they were in his dream just now, with his trembling, infuriated state, Li Banfeng's *Breaking Ten Thousand Rivers* attack could indeed have killed him. Li Banfeng continued to review Ye Haolong's combat history and gradually understood Zhao Lanmeng's meaning.

"Never won," Zhao Lanmeng sighed softly.

Cloud-level cultivators were like dragons and phoenixes among mortals, exceptional talents chosen from millions. But even among the exceptional, there were mediocre ones, and Ye Haolong was one of them. In his lifetime's combat records, he could barely find a single decent victory.

Li Banfeng asked, "How did someone like him ever ascend to the Cloud-level?"

Zhao Lanmeng spoke two words: "Diligence, longevity."

These were the secrets to Ye Haolong's success. He cultivated diligently his entire life, never slacking off. His physical constitution wasn't exceptional, but he was resilient. Even at eighty years old, he maintained good condition. Relying on these two valuable qualities, he finally persevered and reached the Cloud-level. He yearned for battles and conquests, to stand tall among his peers. As a Cloud-level cultivator, he desired the status and respect he felt he deserved. However, because he was not skilled in combat and his past battle records were dismal, it led to extreme psychological imbalance, thus resulting in this segment of memory for self-compensation.

Zhao Lanmeng re-accessed Ye Haolong's memories and made some comparisons before Li Banfeng. Like just now, every one of Ye Haolong's battle records was very clear; even if buried deep in his memory, these memories would never disappear in this lifetime. However, scenes like the peddler being besieged, Ye Haolong repelling bandits, and being entrusted with a mission in a crisis—these were typical memory compensations, as the visuals were somewhat blurry and the dream's plot felt artificial. As for Ye Haolong witnessing the peddler and the Celestial Being's duel, this memory appeared slightly clearer, but still differed from true memories. It could only be said that Ye Haolong put significant effort into creating these memories.

Zhao Lanmeng, having accumulated energy for a long time, managed to utter a rare, relatively complete sentence: "They definitely didn't fight here."

This sentence provided the definitive conclusion. Zhao Lanmeng was the Earth God. If the fierce battle between the peddler and the Celestial Being truly happened in Pillow City, Zhao Lanmeng couldn't possibly have been unaware. This was tantamount to telling Li Banfeng that this so-called fierce battle did not exist. Thanks to Zhao Lanmeng's guidance, otherwise, no matter how Li Banfeng pressed him, Ye Haolong would have believed this self-fabricated memory was real.

Without this duel, it meant the peddler wasn't in life-threatening danger, and Li Banfeng's mood greatly improved.

"Let's go." Zhao Lanmeng led Li Banfeng out of the dream and back to Ye Haolong's bedroom.

Li Banfeng said, "Although the matter of the duel has been clarified, I still need to find the peddler as soon as possible."

Zhao Lanmeng didn't answer Li Banfeng's question. He looked at Li Banfeng and said, "Talented."

"You say I'm talented?" Li Banfeng paused. "Are you talking about Dream Cultivation?"

Zhao Lanmeng nodded.

Li Banfeng shook his head. "I have no talent in Dream Cultivation. It's all thanks to Dream Weaver's help."

Li Banfeng called Dream Weaver out from the pocket watch. Dream Weaver respectfully bowed to Zhao Lanmeng.

Zhao Lanmeng appraised Dream Weaver, then shook his head. "No talent. Just eats well."

After finally getting a complete assessment, she was disappointed that it was this. Dream Weaver was very disheartened, but dared not say anything more.

Zhao Lanmeng looked at Li Banfeng's pocket. He sensed the Projector and saw its dream. "Too rigid, not adaptable." This was his assessment of the Projector. It wasn't that the Projector truly lacked talent, but that it lacked talent in *his* two Daoist paths.

Zhao Lanmeng then sensed the Wine Gourd. "Too many thoughts, just wastes mental energy." This was not wrong. The Wine Gourd was meticulous in its actions. While appearing perpetually drunk and careless, its mind was actually quite sharp.

Zhao Lanmeng sensed the Teapot: "Ambitious, destined to suffer."

He then sensed the Earring: "Can't close eyes, a life of toil." The Earring was responsible for vigilance and barely rested most of the time.

"Deep resentment, hard to let go." This was about the Pendulum.

Zhao Lanmeng looked at the Tang Saber and gave a two-word assessment: "Warrior."

The various magic tools were all asleep, and no one refuted him. Zhao Lanmeng couldn't sense the Glove because it had hidden itself before falling asleep.

But he sensed an existence that surprised him, and he invaded the Judge's Brush's dream. In its sleep, the Judge's Brush was wrapped in newspaper, sleeping. Zhao Lanmeng's eyebrow twitched, and he entered the Judge's Brush's dream-within-a-dream. In the dream-within-a-dream, the Judge's Brush was wrapped in two newspapers, still sleeping.

"Immense talent—" Zhao Lanmeng exclaimed in admiration.

"Hmph!" The Judge's Brush, unsure if it was dreaming or awake, gave a response.

Li Banfeng said, "You've been observing for a while now. Shouldn't you point me in a direction? Where can I find the peddler?"

Zhao Lanmeng took out a slip of paper, slowly wrote two lines, and handed it to Li Banfeng. After pondering for half an hour, he finally squeezed out a long string of words: "Go to Jiaoxi River, find the peddler's sweetheart. Don't say I sent you. After you find the peddler, come back to me. I want to spar a couple of rounds with this person beside you."