In the end, Snow White still politely declined Yu Sheng's suggestion to use a straw or paper cup and chose to drink directly.

"Honestly, this scene looks a bit off," Erin commented while watching, "it's like three parts curious, seven parts creepy, and the remaining ninety parts look like some kind of unspeakable evil ritual—Snow White, if you kneel on one knee and light a few candles around, I can take a photo and report you to the Special Service Bureau..."

"Keep quiet, no one will take you for a mute," Yu Sheng glanced at the Beeper and hesitated for a few seconds, finally couldn't help but remind Snow White who was still slurping intensely, "um... just a little bit is enough, no need to drink until full, my arm is getting a bit cold..."

Snow White finally realized, quickly released Yu Sheng's arm, wiped the 'dragon fruit juice' from the corner of her mouth, and said awkwardly: "Sorry, you didn't tell me how much was needed, I was worried the ritual wouldn't work."

Yu Sheng raised his hand and blew on the wound, thinking that this girl looked small but was really strong—then Hu Li extended her hand and started treating his little wound.

The demon fox girl seemed quite happy; she finally seized the chance to use her Healing Technique on her Savior.

"And then?" Snow White smacked her lips, slowly getting used to the residual taste of blood in her mouth, and curiously asked, "What else do I need to do?"

"It's done, now just wait—go do whatever you need to," Yu Sheng waved his hand, "This 'ritual' is that simple."

Snow White listened with some skepticism, her brows slightly furrowed: "So, if I fall into trouble in a nightmare tonight, I'll enter that 'wilderness' you mentioned?"

"Theoretically, yes."

"Oh."

The thin girl then asked some detailed questions about the "wilderness," confirmed the process several times with Little Red Riding Hood, and finally seemed to relax, turned, and left the room.

After she left, Little Red Riding Hood turned her gaze back to Yu Sheng and his group: "What's next? Do you have any plans?"

"What time do the lights go out at your orphanage?" Yu Sheng asked casually.

"In about an hour and a half," Little Red Riding Hood answered, "Tonight, neither Snow White nor I need to stay on night duty, so we will go to sleep with the other children after lights out."

"An hour and a half…" Yu Sheng thought for a moment, then quickly made a decision, "Alright, I'll just go home and sleep, let's see what happens tonight."

As he spoke, he took out his phone to report to the Special Service Bureau, then casually opened the door to No. 66 Wutong Road: "Goodnight in advance, have sweet dreams."

...

The flickering illusionary curtains quickly faded, a grounded feeling followed, Yu Sheng opened his eyes in the Dream Realm, seeing the endless gray wilderness stretching out before him, the foggy and overcast sky always enveloping this place, the whole world serene and calm.

After stabilizing himself a bit, he turned to look beside him.

Hu Li's figure also emerged, followed by Erin, hovering in the air in the form of an oil painting.

"Honestly, your 'dream guiding' ability is really useful," Yu Sheng sincerely complimented the puppet lady floating in the air, "It even brought Hu Li into this place."

Erin, floating in the air, puffed out her chest proudly, but pretended to be modest, "Not a big deal, it's just dream entering, it's simple."

Hu Li curiously reached out and poked the oil painting form of the puppet.

"Sealing someone in a painting, interesting technique—Erin, can't you really come out in this state?"

"Stop poking, stop poking! Why are your hands so naughty," Erin grumbled, spinning in the air from Hu Li's poking, "I've already told you that when I'm in the dream state, I'm a painting, why do you keep mentioning it!"

"It's just us here," Yu Sheng didn't mind the friendly interaction between Hu Li and the puppet, but instead looked into the distance, "It seems Little Red Riding Hood and Snow White haven't fallen into a nightmare yet."

Erin rested a hand on her chin: "Or maybe they're lucky tonight and can sleep well for a change."

Yu Sheng lightly nodded: "Hopefully."

His gaze remained fixed on the distance, surveying the scenery of the wilderness.

"Savior, what are you looking at?" Hu Li asked curiously from the side.

"I've always been very interested in this place," Yu Sheng casually said, "I'm very curious about what this place is, the nature of its existence, what kind of relationship it has with me—seriously, I know very little about this place, so much so that I feel it's a bit reckless to just use it as a refuge for the Fairy Tales kids, but it's not like we have other options, otherwise, I should really spend more time investigating it thoroughly."

Saying this, his gaze couldn't help but fall on the small hill in the distance again.

In this vast open wilderness, that small hill always in sight was the only thing that could be called a 'scenery' here.

"I'm most curious about that 'mountain.'"

"That mountain?" Hu Li shaded her eyes as she looked into the distance, "What's on that mountain?"

"I don't know," Yu Sheng shook his head, "That's exactly why I'm so curious about it—I can't reach that mountain no matter what. For other places in this wilderness, I just need a thought to move there quickly, as if navigating a dream, but that mountain is an exception, it always stays in that position, walking over doesn't work, teleporting doesn't work either."

Hu Li listened thoughtfully, then suddenly said, "Then I'll try running over there."

"You?"

Hu Li looked serious: "Savior, you have a special presence here. Perhaps the restrictions of this place are affecting you, and that mountain doesn't allow you to get close. But I am an 'outsider', maybe I won't be affected?"

Yu Sheng glanced at her unexpectedly, suddenly feeling that what she said made some sense.

"Then go take a look, and be careful— if things don't seem right, come back immediately."

"Okay!"

Hu Li cheerfully agreed, and started running towards the small hill. After running a few tens of meters, she lowered her body and transformed into a giant Nine-Tailed Demon Fox, accelerating continuously— in the blink of an eye, her figure turned into a silver-white illusion propelled by nine streams of Fox Fire, rushing towards the distance with deafening sonic booms.

Yu Sheng stared closely at this scene and gradually furrowed his brows over time.

Hu Li's figure grew smaller and smaller, soon just a tiny flash in the distance, but that hill… it was still there, far away from her.

The distance between the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox and the mountain seemed locked somehow, defying the "closer bigger, farther smaller" law of physics.

Even Hu Li, who was running, seemed to notice something wrong. She abruptly started to slow down, several tails reversing the thrust, followed by a blinding flash from afar— then she quickly ran back.

As Hu Li slowed down and transformed back into human shape while slightly panting in front of Yu Sheng, he heard a sonic boom and continuous rumbling sounds from the distance.

"It's not working, Savior, I can't run over," Hu Li ran up quickly, "it always stays distant. When I looked back, we've almost disappeared from view!"

Yu Sheng furrowed his brows tightly, remaining silent for a long time.

"Then don't try anymore." After a while, he said seriously.

Hu Li nodded repeatedly: "Mm-hmm."

At this moment, Yu Sheng noticed a distorted ripple appearing above the nearby grassland.

The next second, before he could see what the ripple was, a figure in red and several wolves made of shadows fell down from mid-air — the wolves landed growling and biting as if they had been fiercely battling a formidable enemy just moments ago.

Yu Sheng and the others hurriedly went up and pulled the seemingly dazed Little Red Riding Hood from the ground.

Erin floated beside her: "Didn't expect you to come first… didn't win the fight?"

"Almost won!" Little Red Riding Hood realized she had entered the "wilderness," and angrily exclaimed, followed by a series of complaints, about "no martial virtue" and "sneak attack," looking very frustrated.

Yu Sheng casually suggested: "Should I open a door for you to go back and continue the fight?"

Little Red Riding Hood instantly quieted down and sat on the grass: "I'm tired, resting."

Then she noticed Erin floating in mid-air and looked surprised: "How come you..."

Erin immediately interrupted: "Don't ask!"

"... Alright, alright, no need to shout."

Yu Sheng just smiled and said nothing as he sat on the grass beside Little Red Riding Hood.

"Will Snow White come?" he asked.

"Highly likely," Little Red Riding Hood said softly, "Her situation has always been bad; her power has grown drastically these past two years, leading to severe distortion of the 'Bloodstained Court Subset' she faces, making it hard for her to have peaceful dreams..."

Yu Sheng nodded, saying nothing.

After a quiet moment, Little Red Riding Hood suddenly added: "By the way, she might also be in a battle when she appears— don't be surprised then."

"Surprised?" Yu Sheng was puzzled, "What's surprising— she..."

A sudden sound of spatial distortion interrupted him.

Yu Sheng paused, hurriedly got up from the grass, and looked toward the direction of the sound.

He saw giant figures appearing one after another in mid-air.

They were clad in armor made of gold, silver, copper, iron, rock, ice, and lightning, each landing with a heavy thud.

A small girl sat on the shoulder of one figure like a commander but looked somewhat lethargic.

The three of them were stunned.

They heard Little Red Riding Hood's voice nearby—

"Look, Snow White— and her seven Thunderbolt Titans."

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