Seizing Dreams

Zhou Sheng firmly raised the shield to defend against the violent gale and roared, “Defeat him!! I have to go and save Yu Hao!”

Chen Yekai said, “I......I don’t know how to defeat him! I already shot him!”

Zhou Sheng shouted, “Didn’t you say you weren’t afraid of him?! You’re still afraid of him in your subconscious! Strike him with lightning! Direct all your anger at him!”

“I can’t help it!”

“Overcome your fear of him!”

Chen Yekai peered at Lin Xun from behind the shield. After he took a deep breath, he rushed out from the shield’s cover and took a direct shot at him!

“Wait!” Zhou Sheng said, “Take it easy......come back! Kaikai!”

Another shot was fired, but the Feathered Serpent god flew past and blocked the bullet for Lin Xun. Zhou Sheng carried the shield and rushed forward as he shouted at Chen Yekai, “Get back!!”

Lin Xun was adorned in a black robe and resembled a wizard from some fantasy genre; he raised his hand and countless flaming black meteors burst forth from it, then launched a vicious onslaught on Chen Yekai and Zhou Sheng!

“Where’s Yu Hao?!” Chen Yekai wheezed, “Where the hell did Yu Hao go?”

“In the well!” Zhou Sheng shouted, “He fell down! I didn’t get a chance to get in!”

Chen Yekai, “Lin Xun’s offence is too strong! We won’t last!”

The Feathered Serpent god roared past, leaving a blustering gale in its wake that battered the shield. Then it suddenly soared upwards and the meteors ablaze with black flames endlessly rained down upon the shield. Zhou Sheng shouted fiercely, “Nothing......can beat me down! Come with me!”

Before anyone could react, Zhou Sheng raised his shield and swiftly rushed forward, forcibly defending against the flaming black meteors that rained down on them with the might of a torrential deluge. Then, he rushed onto the railings of the well.

“Cooperate with me!” Zhou Sheng shouted before moving quickly away from Chen Yekai. Zhou Sheng crouched down, and as flaming black meteors swept past, Chen Yekai stepped onto the shield, turned in mid air and rapidly shot several bullets at Lin Xun who was sitting on the throne!

Gunfire roared and the Feathered Serpent god rushed over to once again shield Lin Xun from the bullets. With a sweep of its tail, it ruthlessly knocked Chen Yekai onto the ground!

Zhou Sheng transformed his shield into his jingubang, but the Feathered Serpent flew past him and rammed into Zhou Sheng’s shield. With a “buzz”, the deafening sound waves produced were like sonic booms, and Zhou Sheng was hurled into the air.

“Go!” Zhou Sheng whistled as he was thrown back, and his jindouyun finally appeared! He braced his feet against the jindouyun, rushed to the top of the cenote as he lured the flying Feathered Serpent god away, and back-flipped in mid-air before sharply plummeting downwards, racing towards the well’s entrance!

Chen Yekai almost vomited blood. He struggled on the platform and was momentarily unable to get up. Lin Xun stood up from the throne, reached out and clenched his hand into a fist; a gun flew over and landed in his hand.

He advanced on Chen Yekai. Chen Yekai was laboriously crawling on the ground towards the edge of the platform.

Flames raged furiously under the lofty platform; masses of black smoke billowed up from the sea of fire and coalesced into the dark clouds that raced overhead.

Lin Xun spoke in a low voice, “In your heart, you’ve always been waiting for this shot ba.”

Chen Yekai gasped for breath, “No......it’s not......over, until I......get the truth......”

Zhou Sheng shouted, “Kaikai!”

The Feathered Serpent god was hot on Zhou Sheng’s heels as he rushed towards the entrance of the well. It looked like he would fly straight into it any moment now — but Lin Xun was already pointing his gun at Chen Yekai’s forehead. In the next moment, right at the last second before Zhou Sheng arrived at the entrance of the well, he shouted, “Go!”

He hurled his jingubang towards the entrance of the well, then rapidly pulled back, turned around, and with a swish, he raced back to Chen Yekai. At about the same time, a gunshot sounded and Zhou Sheng let out a pained yelp; he had blocked the shot for Chen Yekai with his shoulder and blood was gushing from his wound, but he had managed to swoop past and save Chen Yekai right at the last moment.

Chen Yekai couldn’t stop coughing. Blood dripped from Zhou Sheng’s shoulder as he flew past the platform with Chen Yekai.

“What do we do?!” Chen Yekai shouted.

Zhou Sheng turned around and looked at the entrance of the well.

Outside the well.

“It’s here again!” Zhou Sheng had thrown his jingubang into the well, so he lost the protection of his shield. His shoulder bled continuously, and the Feathered Serpent god was relentlessly pursuing them. He tried to steer the jindouyun to escape the platform with Chen Yekai, but was forced back to the platform by the extreme temperature of the burning rainforest. They coughed incessantly, thick smoke billowed until they could no longer discern where the sky and earth was. Within the thick smoke, countless black fire meteors whistled towards them.

“Isn’t this a dream?” Chen Yekai said.

“Your anger has already set this entire world on fire!” Zhou Sheng answered.

Chen Yekai, “What would happen if one dies here?”

“You’re only asking that now?!” Zhou Sheng steered the jindouyun to drift to one side, avoiding the black fire meteor that had shot towards them from within the smoke, “We’ll be banished to the subconscious! And we’ll never be able to wake up again!”

“Get me close to Lin Xun!” Chen Yekai said, “And I’ll fire a shot at him! I just don’t believe he won’t die from that!”

Zhou Sheng said, “Okay then......”

Like the transience of lightning and sparks, they vanished; Zhou Sheng exerted some force and the two of them rapidly flew towards the center of the platform, closing in on the throne. However, in the next moment, the Feathered Serpent god rushed out of the dense mass of smoke with a whoosh; a light flashed, and the two of them were knocked off the jindouyun!

Zhou Sheng and Chen Yekai both cried out loudly . The impact sent Zhou Sheng flying straight up while Chen Yekai slid all the way to the edge of the platform, but he clung onto the edge tightly before falling.

The Feathered Serpent god turned in mid-air, its gaping maw exposing sharp teeth as it flew towards Zhou Sheng with a deafening roar. Its wings obscured the sky, and it was about to bite into Zhou Sheng who was suspended in mid air. Zhou Sheng inhaled deeply; he seemed to have sensed something, then he whistled.

As Zhou Sheng was flung into the air, he coincidentally passed the vicinity of entrance of the well. The Feathered Serpent god with a mouth brimming with sharp snake teeth had already reached right in front of him.

“You’re finished.” Zhou Sheng turned in the air; he moved his chest back to give way as he mocked the Feathered Serpent god.

Suddenly, the jingubang shone with boundless radiance, and like lightning, it sped out of the well with Yu Hao on it! The rapid extension of the jingubang was so incredibly precise that it squarely struck the Feathered Serpent god’s chin!

The Feathered Serpent god suffered an unexpected blow and suddenly closed its snake maw. Its head jerked up when it was sent flying by this blow, then wheeled uncontrollably in the air as it was propelled away!

Yu Hao, “Finally got out!”

“Are you alright?!” Zhou Sheng shouted and whistled again in mid air; his jindouyun flew over and caught the two of them. Zhou Sheng grabbed his jingubang, withdrew it, then released it again.

“Get......the hell away!” Zhou Sheng swung out with his jingubang at the same time the Feathered Serpent god surged up. The rod violently smashed down on the head of the Feathered Serpent god with a loud blunt thud, and the earth trembled as the Feathered Serpent god fell!

Yu Hao’s eyes welled up with tears as soon as he escaped — white smoke filled his surroundings, and he could barely breathe. He shouted, “Where’s Chen Laoshi?”

Zhou Sheng didn’t ask any more questions. He turned and flew towards Chen Yekai.

“Why is there smoke everywhere?”

“Everywhere below us is burning!”

“Then why isn’t your face black from the soot?”

Zhou Sheng, “......”

Yu Hao, “Why???”

Zhou Sheng, “This is a dream! If you’re not aware that your face will turn black from the soot then of course it will not, turn, black! Yu Hao why the hell is your attention always fixated on the strangest things?!”

Yu Hao and Zhou Sheng passed through the thick smoke, dragging out a trail of light in the smog as they passed through. Zhou Sheng realised something.

“Totem?”

Chen Yekai climbed onto the platform, coughing while stooped over, then raised his head.

Zhou Sheng released Yu Hao, who began flying in the air. After a short pause, he flew away with a whoosh. The white shirt he wore remained in the air above Chen Yekai like an afterimage, then the shirt began to shine and transformed into a glowing Ryuusei.

“Ryuusei?” Chen Yekai’s voice trembled.

“Longsheng.” Nakagawa Ryuusei said calmly.

The billowing smoke retreated slightly. A wide platform appeared in front of Chen Yekai, and Yu Hao and Zhou Sheng landed on one side. Yu Hao’s hands glowed, then he pressed them against Zhou Sheng’s shoulder. The pain was unbearable for Zhou Sheng and his other hand gripped Yu Hao’s shoulder tightly.

The blood disappeared and the gunshot wound completely healed. Yu Hao asked nervously, “How is it?”

“It’s still a bit numb.” Zhou Sheng pressed his shoulder and moved his arm around, “Did you fall asleep while using my arm as a pillow? It’s affecting my combat abilities.”

“I didn’t......ba!” Yu Hao said, then turned his head and looked at Lin Xun, who was standing in front of the throne in the middle of the platform. He murmured, “It really is him.”

The Feathered Serpent god spiraled in the air in front of him, “Don’t even think about regaining your reign over your inner world. Everything here was doomed to vanish a long time ago, no matter how much effort......”

“Guard Kaikai.” Zhou Sheng brandished his jingubang, “Let’s fight ba. Support him until he takes his totem back!”

“Die!” Under the protection of the Feathered Serpent god, Lin Xun raised his hand and roared angrily; a seemingly infinite number of black fire meteors shot forth!

“The one who should die is you!” Yu Hao and Zhou Sheng shouted in unison, then rushed forward at the same time!

At the edge of the platform, Chen Yekai was staring vacantly at the glowing Ryuusei.

Chen Yekai, “Zhongchuan Longsheng.”

“Zhong, chuan, long, sheng.” Nakagawa Ryuusei whispered.

“Yekai.” Chen Yekai said.

“Yekai.” Ryuusei closed his eyes, as if reminiscing one of their shared memories.

Chen Yekai, “Chen Yekai.”

“Chen, ye, kai.” Ryuusei slowly descended and landed on the platform; his body glowed with a warm, golden light.

Tears welled up in Chen Yekai’s eyes as he watched Ryuusei in a daze. On a certain afternoon six years ago, after Ryuusei finished his classes, he passed by a lectern and noticed the Chinese name on a form written by Chen Yekai.

Ryuusei stared at it blankly for awhile, then looked at Chen Yekai before pointing at his own name. Chen Yekai nodded and said, “Longsheng.”

“Longsheng.” Nakagawa Ryuusei learnt from Chen Yekai’s pronunciation, so it sounded extremely accurate.

Chen Yekai taught him how to say “Zhongchuan Longsheng”, as well as his own name, then finally, Ryuusei told him in English that he liked Chinese and left.

That was the first conversation Chen Yekai had with Ryuusei.

“kimi ga suki da.” Chen Yekai said, “That’s the one and only Japanese sentence you taught me.”

Ryuusei’s calm expression did not change. Finally, he bowed slightly towards Chen Yekai.

Chen Yekai could no longer restrain his sadness. He took a step forward and choked back a sob as he wanted to hold Ryuusei’s hand, yet Ryuusei smiled and just looked at Chen Yekai’s hand.

Chen Yekai’s entire body had sustained injuries.. Blood was still trickling down the side of his face, and his hands were trembling. He opened up his palm and light particles condensed onto his palm, revealing two very small rings.

They were their wedding rings.

Ryuusei gently nodded. He reached out with a hand that gripped a glowing letter. He placed it on Chen Yekai’s palm and covered those two rings.

Then, everything disappeared. The world seemed to plunge into darkness, and within this darkness, only the glowing Ryuusei and the Chen Yekai he illuminated remained. Ryuusei took his hand, leaned forward, and gently kissed Chen Yekai’s lips.

Chen Yekai’s face was covered with tears as he shouted, “Ryuusei!”

The moment they embraced each other, Ryuusei suddenly transformed, disintegrating into particles of light that covered the sky before swirling around Chen Yekai.

The totem appeared!

Meanwhile, Lin Xun steadily advanced on the other two as he roared, “You will never be able to seize this dream back!”

The power of the flaming black meteors intensified, and they swarmed to densely cover the small area of the platform where they stood. Zhou Sheng raised his shield to arduously resist against Lin Xun’s attack. His teeth were grit so tightly that he could barely even speak.

“This guy is too strong!” Yu Hao was barely able to hold on against the rampaging bombardment of Lin Xun’s magic, “Didn’t Kaikai say that he wasn’t afraid of him anymore?!”

“I’ve already dissed him about it!” Zhou Sheng used the shield to protect Yu Hao. The two of them were helpless once Lin Xun had summoned the Feathered Serpent god back. The body of the Feathered Serpent god was impenetrable; every time Zhou Sheng smashed down upon it with his jingubang, a loud blare would resonate, and the recoil from the impact nearly crippled his arm.

Yu Hao’s two daggers were even more useless against the Feathered Serpent god. As soon as they separated, Lin Xun’s black fire meteor missiles would track them, but Zhou Sheng would always rescue Yu Hao in the nick of time whenever he was in danger.

“He won!” Yu Hao turned around to look in the midst of the chaos, “He’s seizing his totem back!”

“Withdraw!” Zhou Sheng was utterly exhausted, “I really don’t want to fight anymore!”

Chen Yekai stood at the edge of the platform. The light particles of his totem whirled and eddied around him, embracing him like a warm and gentle breeze; within the glistening particles of light, countless memories from the past constantly flashed past: Ryuusei’s smile under the sunlight, Chen Yekai’s rebukes, Ryuusei and Chen Yekai looking up at the huge Tyrannosaurus Rex fossil in the New York Museum of Natural History, their house in Manhattan, the template models Ryuusei had put together for him......

The first time they held hands, their first kiss, the first time they entangled with one another under the scorching sunlight in the inn until they couldn’t bear to part.

“Nicky, what use is there to pine for another until you die? A joyous meeting during one’s life, will always be better than a vast expanse of gold.” Ryuusei’s voice whispered, “I’ve never regretted falling in love with you. You already know what I want to say to you, let’s meet in our next life ba. Continue living on bravely.”

Chen Yekai raised his head, and within an instant, all the light particles surged into his body; Chen Yekai’s whole body instantly began to shine!

“We succeeded!” Yu Hao shouted.

Lin Xun’s movements immediately stilled. Zhou Sheng pulled Yu Hao back and into his embrace, then turned around to dodge. Chen Yekai’s body emitted a strong light, and a gun revolved between his fingers.

“Get executed in reality!” Chen Yekai shone resplendently as he roared angrily, “You scum!”

Chen Yekai pulled the trigger.

Yu Hao almost shouted “handsome!”, but fortunately, he reined himself in the nick of time and didn’t do something that would so obviously court death in front of Zhou Sheng. In the next moment, a golden bullet shot out from the muzzle of Chen Yekai’s gun; it whistled through the air, a column of light spiralling behind it; it penetrated through the revolving body of the Feathered Serpent god, then pierced through Lin Xun’s chest!

Lin Xun uttered a howl of anguish and flew away from the platform with the Feathered Serpent god before falling into the sea of fire beneath the platform.

Yu Hao and Zhou Sheng breathed a sigh of relief in unison. Zhou Sheng placed the shield on his back and said, “We’re done. Let’s find a place to watch the sunrise ba.”

Yu Hao looked at Chen Yekai; Chen Yekai was standing quietly at the edge of the platform as he looked up at the horizon.

Dark clouds still raced through the sky. Chen Yekai looked down at the gun in his hand, then gently released his grip, and that gun dissolved into golden light particles before evanescing.

As he steadily approached the throne, thunderous claps resounded from the horizon.

Chen Yekai turned around and whispered, “Thank you.”

Yu Hao and Zhou Sheng walked towards Chen Yekai. However, right at the next moment, Yu Hao felt that something was amiss — he immediately turned around and shouted, “Zhou Sheng——!” Yu Hao could no longer be concerned with Chen Yekai; he turned around and rushed towards Zhou Sheng. Zhou Sheng’s smile instantly froze on his face.

A sharp snake tail suddenly flew up from below the platform and shot towards the back of Zhou Sheng’s head with the force of a lightning bolt. Yu Hao leapt up, unfolding his wings, and darted swiftly towards Zhou Sheng, hugging his waist with both hands before spinning obliquely to dodge the snake tail. Their bodies spun around in the air; Zhou Sheng had a faster reaction time as he wielded his shield at the same time to protect them both. But that snake tail changed direction, and slid through the gap exposed by the shield.

At that moment, the sharp snake tail was like an iron divination lot that penetrated Yu Hao below his ribs from the side and exited through the front of his chest; it opened up its inverted scales within Yu Hao’s body before it was wrenched out with a whoosh!

Chen Yekai, “Yu Hao!”

“Yu Hao——!” Zhou Sheng immediately roared madly.

Yu Hao hadn’t even felt pain when the snake tail pierced through him but the fatal moment was when it pulled out — Yu Hao immediately vomited a mouthful of blood, which spat onto Zhou Sheng’s body.

—