Chapter Thirty-Seven: Truly the Bearing of a Hero

Upon awakening, the leopard’s first instinct was to ask for the time.

“How long have I slept?”

Three maids were playing cards, and they turned to look at it.

“Not long—three days and nights.”

The leopard couldn’t help but burst into tears. “What is this… Turning into a leopard is one thing, but sleeping beside a boy for three days and nights for no reason—does this mean I can only marry him now?”

“Quiet!”

With a bang, the leopard fell over, dazed.

The maids watched the scene in a stupor and then resumed their card game—this bodyguard duty was utterly boring, and since those beautiful girls hadn’t come to challenge the place yet, they had no idea how to pass the time without cards.

Three months into the game, the maids had seen the leopard wake up again and again.

“Let me go!”—Punch.

“That’s enough, I don’t want to sleep anymore!”—Punch.

…

“I want to leave, boo hoo…”—Punch.

…

“Boo hoo… Two months now, I can’t marry anyone else!”—Punch.

…

“Don’t hit anymore, just do whatever you want!”—Punch.

…

This leopard was simply too amusing!

The maids thought so, finding rare entertainment in hearing what it would say upon waking, though it pleaded with them countless times for help. Yet the three maids were seasoned veterans; they wouldn’t dare approach Lin Lei, whose sleeping posture was so abysmal.

They had found new ways to pass the time, studying for future career changes.

After three months, the leopard no longer cried for help. Occasionally, when it woke, it simply looked at them calmly and asked, “What season is it?”

“Autumn.”

“Have the beautiful girls arrived?”

“They have, but they haven’t reached here yet.”

“I see… Then I’ll keep sleeping.”

Later, before Lin Lei’s punch could land, the leopard would obediently close its eyes and go back to sleep.

Half a year later, Lin Wen arrived at the castle.

“Your Highness!”

The maids hurriedly stashed away their paintbrushes, novels, and music scores, then looked at him with nervous anticipation—though Lin Wen had come here 150 times in the past half year, today his expression was different; his eyes were red, and he seemed terribly frightening.

“Give me that shard,” Lin Wen suddenly said.

The maids were startled. The shard of the Moon Goddess Scythe was in their care; every day many people entered Lin Lei’s dream through it, mostly the royal magicians studying cultivation, and tutors imparting knowledge to Lin Lei.

Yet Lin Wen had never entered even once, so his request shocked them.

They handed him the shard. Lin Wen gripped it and looked at the leopard beside Lin Lei. “You haven’t let this leopard into Lin Lei’s dream, have you?”

“No!” The maids shook their heads in unison. Lin Wen had ordered from the start that the leopard must not enter Lin Lei’s dream, so it slept separately—its ability to sleep so long without eating was impressive.

“How many times has it woken lately?” Lin Wen asked.

“Not once. The last time was a month ago.”

“Why are you so wary of it, Your Highness? It’s resigned to its fate.”

“I don’t think it would harm the young lord,” the maids said. In their view, the leopard had been thoroughly subdued by Lin Lei’s fists—it seemed utterly devoted now.

But Lin Wen’s eyes turned cold. “Absurd. Don’t sympathize with the enemy—if the Guardian hadn’t ordered me not to kill it, it would be hanging outside the door, dried by now.”

He glanced at the leopard. This was a dangerous druid, and its power was recovering.

Druids walked between dreams and reality; it slept on the mana web node and seemed recently to have found a way to gain strength through constant slumber.

“Guardian, it’s about to break the seal,” Lin Wen said into Lin Lei’s earring. He’d tried to kill the leopard several times, but each time the earring stopped him—the reason being the leopard’s body was undergoing a strange transformation, apparently from sleeping beside Lin Lei and absorbing his leaking power.

The earring spoke. “It’s about time, Lin Wen. You’re preparing to enter Lin Lei’s dream, aren’t you?”

“Yes,” Lin Wen nodded. He had avoided entering Lin Lei’s dream not out of unwillingness, but necessity—it would easily expose his true identity.

But after half a year, his worries grew. He wanted, no matter what, to see Lin Lei’s condition for himself.

“When you enter the dream, I can help shield your identity,” said the earring, which had infiltrated Lin Lei’s dream long ago and knew what was happening inside. “But you must bring the leopard in as well.”

Lin Wen frowned. “Why?”

“You’ll know when you get there,” the earring replied, offering no further explanation—after a moment’s consideration, Lin Wen stabbed the shard into the leopard, then immediately into his own palm.

A wave of intense drowsiness swept over Lin Wen. He found a chair and fell into sleep.

In the blink of an eye, he was surrounded by white mist. A white creature rushed at him.

“It’s you!” Lin Wen dodged in time. The white creature revealed its form—it was the leopard, whose body slowly elongated and stood upright, becoming alluring and graceful.

It was a dazzling elf with fair skin, long legs, a devilishly slender waist, and enormous, indescribable attributes.

“I never thought you’d willingly step into my dream.”

The female elf crossed her arms. Dreams were where druids wielded their greatest power, while Windwalkers had little advantage here.

Lin Wen ignored her words, instead gazing at the turbulent expanse created by her crossed arms. “What a vulgar figure. How many beasts have you served with it?”

“What nonsense!” The elf hurriedly lowered her arms. “Weren’t forest elves always proud? Why are even your words crude today?”

“No need for etiquette when speaking to beasts.”

Lin Wen looked into her glowing eyes, a little lost in thought.

The appearance of primal elves and forest elves was nearly identical. The decisive difference was the eyes—those of the primal elves glowed.

Glowing eyes were the mark of an immortal race, blessed by the gods and the World Tree, whose bodies remained eternally young and healthy.

“Oh, are you envious of my eyes?” The elf noticed Lin Wen’s gaze and laughed. “Beautiful, aren’t they? If you hadn’t betrayed us back then, you’d have such lovely eyes too.”

Five hundred years ago, forest elves also possessed eternal life.

Yet a flash of disgust crossed Lin Wen’s eyes. “Don’t get it wrong. I was just thinking our ancestors made the right choice—those eyes are truly repulsive.”

Primal elves’ eyes were indeed beautiful, but too beautiful, unnaturally so, glowing in a way no creature born of nature should.

Lin Wen preferred life with flesh and blood.

“And there’s something else you’re mistaken about…” He had no intention of lingering with the elf, turning toward the other side of the white mist. “This isn’t your dream; you have no advantage here—this is Lin Lei’s dream.”

The elf’s body froze.

“You—you’re joking?”

She shivered, glancing around. Surely not—this was that little one’s dream? No wonder it felt so unfamiliar—this was particularly dangerous!

With a whoosh, she reverted to the leopard’s form, seeking safety lest Lin Lei not recognize her and kill her.

Besides, she wasn’t mentally prepared to meet him in her true form just yet.

“Well… I’d better wait until he’s a little older…” the leopard muttered inwardly, wondering if Lin Lei, being a forest elf himself, would consider her figure vulgar.

While pondering, she followed Lin Wen out of the white mist.