There is a beast in the bright morning.

Chapter 324 Dreams of the Past

Huajiao watched the injured scholar under the osmanthus tree from afar, a surge of anger rising in his heart. This was the memory he least wanted to recall.

He once trusted the other party so much, believing they could be friends, and even revealed the secret of riding the Yellow Cavalry to extend one's lifespan by a thousand years without reservation.

But to his surprise, the other party imprisoned him in order to achieve immortality, ostensibly to support him, but in reality, they only used him from time to time to extend the lifespan of some people.

Even after Huajiao escaped from the cage, this memory lingered and slowly became a knot in her heart.

However, Huajiao knew very well that everything in front of her was just a dream, and she quickly suppressed the anger in her heart.

However, he could neither control nor escape the content of this dream, and could only watch as everything from the past played out once again.

Just as Huajiao was thinking about how to get out of there as soon as possible, Haochen's voice suddenly rang out behind him: "Is he the heartless man you can't forget?"

Huajiao froze, then turned around and saw Haochen standing behind her.

Huajiao tilted her head in confusion, feeling that Haochen looked familiar, as if she had seen him somewhere before: "You are..."

Seeing Huajiao's reaction, Haochen assumed that Huajiao did not recognize him and was about to introduce him.

Unexpectedly, Huajiao suddenly exclaimed, "I remember now, you're the guard dog at the Deer Man's shop!"

"A guard dog?! ╰_╯" Hao Chen's forehead went black, and he immediately retorted loudly: "I'm not the guard dog of the Deer Man Shop, no, I'm not a dog, I'm a Pixiu, a Pixiu! You ignorant Cheng Huang."

However, as soon as Hao Chen finished speaking, he saw a sly glint in Hua Jiao's one intact eye. He instantly realized that he had been tricked by Hua Jiao, and immediately snorted coldly and turned his head away.

Seeing that Hao Chen seemed angry, Hua Jiao quickly lowered her head and apologetically touched Hao Chen's head: "Okay, I recognize you. Fourth Boss introduced you to me. Your name is Hao Chen, right?"

Seeing that Haochen didn't reply, Huajiao continued, "I was just joking with you, don't be angry. You were the one who suddenly appeared behind me and startled me."

"I'm not angry." Hao Chen finished calling out and then turned to look at Hua Jiao with a smile.

Huajiao then realized he had been tricked. Haochen wasn't angry at all; his angry expression just now was clearly an act.

However, Huajiao didn't care too much and considered it even. Then he asked Haochen why he appeared in his dream.

Hao Chen explained that he happened to be passing by and noticed that Hua Jiao looked a bit pale, so he thought he would come in and see what had happened. He never expected to see Hua Jiao's past memories.

"I'm so sorry to have worried you, but I'm fine." After saying that, Huajiao turned her head and continued to look in the direction of the osmanthus tree.

Beside the injured scholar, there was now a yellow fox. Hao Chen recognized it as the old peppercorn.

"Are you sure you're really alright?" Hao Chen looked at Hua Jiao's trembling body, which was trembling with anger, and said after thinking for a moment, "Do you need my help? Although the past cannot be changed, I can make sure you have a good dream."

"Sweet dreams?!" Huajiao looked at Haochen in confusion, not knowing what Haochen meant by that.

Hao Chen didn't answer directly. Instead, he sat down on the spot and waved his paw, conjuring up some snacks such as cookies and cola: "Hua Jiao, you should sit down and rest for a while. Try these snacks and see how they taste. Even though it's a dream, it can still satisfy your cravings."

Huajiao was puzzled, but felt inexplicably at ease, so she sat down as Haochen suggested, licked the delicious-tasting snack, and then tried the cucumber-flavored potato chips next to her, finding them quite tasty: "Is this what modern cuisine is like?"

During his century of imprisonment, Huajiao had not eaten any good food. After escaping, he relied on the mountains and rivers for sustenance. Therefore, the snacks that Haochen conjured up immediately whetted Huajiao's appetite.

Hao Chen watched Hua Jiao constantly snacking and drinking cola, and was secretly alarmed, wondering if Hua Jiao would turn into a fat otaku because of him.

"I can't take it anymore, I'm seeing images in my mind." Hao Chen shook his head, trying to shake off the image of the plump peppercorn in his mind.

While Huajiao was eating snacks, Huajiao, unable to bear seeing the scholar die, found him food and herbs and even pointed him in the right direction.

At this moment, Hao Chen discovered that time in the dream seemed to have been accelerated, and several days passed quickly.

While resting on the hillside, Huajiao encountered the scholar from that day again.

The scholar seemed to have come specifically to repay a debt of gratitude, bringing delicious osmanthus cake for Huajiao.

"Last time you treated me to osmanthus honey, this time it's my turn to treat you to osmanthus cake, have a taste."

Perhaps it was the aroma of the osmanthus cake that attracted him, or perhaps it was the scholar's kindness that made him eat the osmanthus cake without any suspicion.

"Soft and delicious! Oh no, it's sticky!"

"I'm glad you like it. I should thank you for saving my life last time."

The scholar saw that Huajiao liked the food he brought, and a smile appeared on his lips. Then he waved to Huajiao and said, "I'm leaving now. I'll come to see you another day."

Sichuan peppercorns replied with a smile, "Oh! Don't forget to bring some delicious food next time!"

"it is good!"

Hao Chen, watching from afar, curiously examined the peppercorns, never expecting that beneath their mature exterior lay the heart of a foodie.

Sichuan peppercorns, as if their secret had been discovered, awkwardly lowered their heads and drank their cola.

Seeing Huajiao's shy expression, Haochen's fondness for furry creatures rekindled, realizing that he hadn't looked after the furry creatures at the Deer Man Shop for a while.

Thinking of this, Hao Chen said to Hua Jiao, "Hua Jiao, if you want anything to eat, you can come to me. I guarantee you'll be satisfied with the food."

"Really? Isn't it too much trouble?" Huajiao was pleasantly surprised. Although people say that you should live off the land and water, after trying these snacks, Huajiao didn't want to go back to the hard life of eating wild fruits and drinking cold water.

Meanwhile, during the time Haochen and Huajiao were talking, the scholar in the dream met Huajiao from the past more and more frequently, to the point that they met every day.

Each time they met, the scholar would bring different delicacies, and under the onslaught of these dishes, Huajiao became more affectionate towards the scholar.

One day, after eating the snacks the scholar brought, Huajiao suddenly exclaimed, "You're such a nice person, always bringing me delicious food. I hope you can keep doing this."

After hearing what Huajiao said, the scholar's eyes darkened, and he sighed, "I'm afraid that's impossible! I'm just a mortal, and I'll be dying soon. I can't stay with you forever."

Hearing the scholar's words from afar, the peppercorn in the distance stood up excitedly and shouted at its past self in the dream, "Don't believe his nonsense! Don't tell him the secret of Chenghuang, or you'll regret it for the rest of your life!"

"Sigh!" Hao Chen felt inexplicably irritated when he saw this scene.

Hao Chen stood up and wanted to pat Hua Jiao on the shoulder, but after looking up at Hua Jiao, he instead tugged at the hair on Hua Jiao's knee: "Don't shout, he can't hear you. This is just your dream, something that has already happened."

“I know, but…” Huajiao pursed her lips and whispered, “I just… can’t accept his betrayal.”

As if responding to Huajiao's words, in the dream, the past self unsuspectingly revealed to the scholar her identity as Chenghuang, and also told him the secret that she could extend the lifespan of others.

"Come on, come on, try it!" Huajiao lay on the ground, urging the scholar to sit on his back.

"Huh? Is that so?" The scholar carefully climbed onto the back of the pepper plant.

Then, Huajiao drove the scholar around for a while, saying, "Now you don't have to worry anymore, we can be friends forever!"

"Yes, we'll be together forever," the scholar said with a meaningful smile.

Meanwhile, Hao Chen, who was in the distance, noticed the scholar's indescribable excitement and carefully stroked the hairs on the back of the peppercorn tree as if it were a precious treasure.

The next day, the scholar brought a pot of osmanthus wine to Huajiao: "Thank you for helping me live longer. I brought wine to celebrate. Let's drink until we drop today."

"You won't come home until you're drunk."

Huajiao picked up his wine glass and took a big gulp: "Today's osmanthus wine is even sweeter than usual, it's delicious!"

"Drink as much as you like, if you like it." The scholar watched as Huajiao drank the osmanthus wine he had brought, and a greedy look instantly appeared in his eyes.

After drinking the osmanthus wine, Huajiao was about to take a bite of the roasted chicken when he felt dizzy and the sky seemed to be spinning.

The next moment, Huajiao fell to the ground with a thud. After seeing this, the scholar, as if he had done something wrong, carefully came to Huajiao's side and kicked Huajiao's body.

"Success."

Seeing that Huajiao was truly captivated by him, the scholar excitedly pounced on her, his hands stroking her back incessantly: "You're mine now, and no one can separate us. We'll be together forever."

From afar, Sichuan pepper saw itself in a dream being deceived by the scholar, drinking wine laced with a sleeping potion and passing out. Its eyes held anger, but even more so, helplessness.

He knew that what awaited him next was being locked up in the scholar's house, and then, like a pet, bound and unable to move in a dark and sunless dungeon, becoming a tool for the scholar to prolong his life.

"It's finally over." Huajiao sighed, then got up to leave the dream.

Seeing that Haochen was still sitting on the ground, Huajiao reminded him, "This dream ends here, and I can leave now."

"No rush, we haven't finished reading it yet." Hao Chen indicated that the Pepper Dream was not over yet.

"Clap!"

As Hao Chen snapped his fingers, Hua Jiao noticed that her previously unchanging dream had changed, and the surroundings had become dark.

"This is..." Huajiao looked at himself in front of her, his neck chained, and his calm heart was once again stirred. His eyes gradually turned red. He had recognized where he was.

But before he could lose his mind, Hao Chen's voice rang in his mind, bringing him back to reality: "Huajiao, calm down. This is just a dream. You are safe now. I'm here."