"Yes, it wasn't just a dream."

Prefect Ma's eyes were empty as he muttered to himself, "During the day, I gnawed on tree bark and ate wild vegetables on the mountain, becoming so hungry that I felt dizzy. But at night, I dreamt of being the legitimate young son of a noble and wealthy family, enjoying all the splendors and riches, without a worry of hunger or cold.

"The dream was so vivid and perfect that I couldn't tell what was sleep and what was reality."

Ma Bonde pursed his lips. "Regardless, the dream of being the legitimate son of a noble family really gave me the courage and motivation to keep living. I struggled on the mountain for a few days, waiting until the refugees at the foot of the mountain finally left before sneaking off to follow the team's pace to another city.

"In that city, I couldn't find any relatives for a while, so I had to beg for a living, even competing with vicious dogs for food. All the while, I was extremely careful and cautious to avoid both the beggars who monopolized certain areas for begging in the city and the arrogant, vile government officials.

"Only to live a life of luxury, indulgence, wealth, and glamour in my dreams once again."

Li Ang frowned slightly. "The you in the dreams, is that yourself, or..."

"It's myself."

Ma Bonde said solemnly, "I looked at my face in a bronze mirror while in the dream. It was undoubtedly me.

"At the same time, I followed clues, confirming that the administrative system and folk customs of the dream world were different from reality. There's no Lvzhou or Qizhou, nor is there a persona like mine."

Li Ang nodded. "So it seems that you're not switching bodies with someone else during the day and night."

"If only it were a body exchange."

Ma Bonde said with a wry smile, "I wandered in the city for a long time before I finally found my uncle, presented the family letter and mementos, and sought refuge with him. Even though times were tough, my uncle treated me well, providing food and clothing, treating me no differently than his own two sons, and even scrimped and saved money to send me to an academy to study the sages' books."

"Hmm..."

Li Ang pondered. "That old Daoist seemed to say that the more miserable you are during the day, the happier you'll be in your dreams..."

"Yes."

Ma Bonde sighed deeply. "And vice versa. When I'm well-fed and clothed during the day, able to afford school, able to read, I encounter a series of misfortunes in my dream world.

"I'd fall off a horse and break my limbs, become a victim of secret plots and poisonings, or be plagued by all sorts of diseases; nothing ever went right. Even when I stayed home to recuperate, misfortune still followed closely.

"By the time I had completed my studies at the academy and was preparing to take the exams for officialdom, my family's influential patron in the court was caught for corruption and imprisoned. This led government officials to order a strict search and confiscation of my family's property. The entire family, young and old, was driven out of our ancestral home.

"Our fortunes suddenly plummeted from prosperity to decline, teetering on the brink of collapse, never to recover. Within a few years, the family had withered away, its members scattered, leaving only desolation and overgrown paths behind."

Ma Bonde pointed to himself. "Now, the people of Goose City think I'm a high-ranking official, but little do they know that even in my dreams, I'm without wife or children, without support, afflicted with poverty and illness, living a forlorn and desolate life, worthless as grass."

"So that's how it is."

Li Ang nodded and said, "I've heard that when you first took office, Prefect Ma, you were diligent and selfless. Then you suddenly stopped concerning yourself with politics and turned to studying Daoist arts. I suppose that's also because of this."

Ma Bonde gave a bitter smile. "I don't dare to get promoted and become wealthy anymore. Merely being a prefect, I live in poverty within my dreams, drinking thin gruel all day. If I were to climb one rank higher, I might fall ill and die of starvation in my dreams.

"Over the years, I could only barely maintain the balance between day and night, mentally drained and utterly exhausted. I placed my hopes on finding salvation through mystical Daoist techniques, but I have always ended up empty-handed, wasting my years for nothing."

Having said that, Ma Bonde stood up and bowed solemnly towards Li Ang, pleading earnestly, "I see that you, Daoist Priest, glow with hidden radiance and embody a serene and tranquil spirit; you are truly a lofty hermit of this world. I beg you to take pity on me and save me from this peril. I will surely build a temple for you outside the city and worship you there."

"..."

Li Ang picked up the teacup, his brow tightly furrowed. He remained silent for a long while before sighing, "Have you ever considered, Prefect Ma, that maybe that dream on the barren hill is a great opportunity that ordinary people can only wish for? When the old Daoist gave you the pill, perhaps he wanted you to clearly see the warmth and cold of the human world, the vicissitudes of society. Maybe he hoped that one day you might suddenly attain enlightenment and ascend to immortality."

"Ascend to immortality?"

Ma Bonde gave a wry smile and shook his head. "When I buried my parents and wandered with the displaced, I had already seen through the so-called joys and sorrows of separation and reunion. If I can only protect the citizens of Goose City from suffering the famine that I once did, I will be content, asking for nothing more."

"Good!"

Li Ang set the teacup on the saucer, speaking sternly, "Since you, Prefect Ma, have reached such enlightenment, I will not obstruct you further."

"Has the Daoist Priest agreed?"

Ma Bonde was overjoyed and stood up straight. "Is there anything you require? I will arrange for my men to prepare it immediately."

"There is no need."

Li Ang shook his head, stretched out his left hand, and suddenly slapped the table, causing the teacup and saucer to jump up. "Supreme Heavenly Master, hasten like the law, stabilize!"

Li Ang shouted, his right hand forming a sword technique. He appeared to be using some kind of immobilization spell, but in fact, he simply poked Ma Bonde's forehead with his finger, using Ripple Energy to knock him out cold.

THUD.

Ma Bonde's eyes rolled back as he fell backward to the ground, unconscious.

Miss Chai, still wearing the Soul Locking Warden mask, emerged from Li Ang's chest, asking with some concern, "You didn't poke him to death, did you?"

"What are you saying? I know my own strength."

Li Ang shook his head, walked over, and smoothed down Ma Bonde's rolled-back eyelids.

Miss Chai asked curiously, "Can his 'illness' be cured?"

"I don't know."

Li Ang rubbed his palms together, seemingly eager to try. "We'll know once we try."

Li Ang had never ceased his research and exploration of the Origin of Life. During intervals between missions, he continued various experiments, seeking to discern the limits of its capacity to transform living beings.

Based on previous experiences, Li Ang was confident in his ability to perform a certain degree of alteration on the human brain, an extremely complex and delicate organ.

Like right now.

Li Ang held the Origin of Life in one hand while pressing Ma Bonde's face with the other. Countless strands and wisps of fungal hyphae burst forth from the skin on his fingertips. Slowly but swiftly, they burrowed into Ma Bonde's mouth and ears—horrific, bizarre, and shockingly grotesque.

These fungal hyphae were cultivated by Li Ang using Swamp God Power. Normally hidden beneath his skin, they acted as a final layer of defensive armor, reinforcing his muscle fibers. They could also be used as surgical tools, releasing Swamp God Power to help the Origin of Life more precisely alter life forms.

The green fungal hyphae burrowed into Ma Bonde's mouth and ears, carefully adhering to the inside of his skull. Like a CT scan, they transmitted a clear image of Ma Bonde's brain to Li Ang through the feedback of Divine Power.

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