dream

I am a swordsman, my swordsmanship unparalleled. I constantly duel with masters of all kinds, and have never lost a single battle. Therefore, I enjoy a high reputation in the martial arts world. Yet, I've always had a real but strange feeling—I feel like I don't belong to this world!

This feeling seems to have accompanied me since I can remember. Although my martial arts are superb, I find it difficult to integrate into this world. Every day I search for my own world, but I don't know where it is.

To escape the crowds, I live in a sparsely populated area. Fortunately, I am not lonely, because my wife, Sun Xiaoling, has always been with me. She is a famous courtesan who performs but doesn't sell her body. We met at first sight a year ago and became husband and wife.

We built a thatched hut in the sparsely populated suburbs, surrounded by a fence. Every now and then, a vegetable vendor passes by and supplies us with food. Sun Xiaoling was only responsible for cooking and managing the household, while I was responsible for providing for our livelihood. I was one of the martial arts masters who could make a living through martial arts. Because of my great reputation, almost everyone in the martial arts world wanted to defeat me and gain fame. So, every time I challenged someone, I would make them pay a satisfactory sum before I would fight. If I lost, my life was theirs; if I won, the sum was mine.

The fact that I'm still alive means I've won every time. I've also acquired a great deal of money and become a wealthy recluse. However, I never kill; I only make sure the fight is over.

Although I've gained both fame and fortune, the feeling of 'not belonging to this world' has grown stronger and stronger. This makes me increasingly depressed, like a child lost in a foreign land.

Until one day, a master appeared, and my heart stirred.

Her name was Wu Yue, a master of hidden weapons—nothing particularly special about her. What excited me was her weapon. The weapon she used to launch hidden projectiles was small and compact, easily held in one hand. Each launch was accompanied by a loud "pop" like a firecracker. The projectiles were fast, accurate, and deadly. Even the Tang Clan masters, skilled in using hidden weapons, had never seen anything like it. This was unique to Wu Yue, who declared to the entire martial arts world that it was called a "gun."

In my mind, a gun was a long weapon held in both hands. It was unlikely that such a long weapon could be combined with hidden projectiles. But learning about Wu Yue's "gun" that could launch hidden projectiles gave me a long-lost sense of familiarity. I felt that if I could see this "gun" with my own eyes, perhaps I could remember something. So I decided to go find Wu Yue.

To my surprise, before I even went to see her, she sent me a challenge with a very generous wager. She challenged me to a duel the next day in the small bamboo grove near my house, which I couldn't have resisted. Actually, for me, winning or losing wasn't important; what mattered was seeing her weapon.

At this moment, my wife, Sun Xiaoling, sat beside me in a light-colored gauze dress. Her expression was filled with worry, and it was clear she lacked confidence in my upcoming match. She had never worried about my previous matches; perhaps this was a kind of unknown fear.

The next day, the sun shone brightly, everything bursting with life, but the bamboo grove outside my house was filled with a murderous aura. I knew Wu Yue had arrived.

I entered the bamboo grove with my scabbard. A woman in a long purple dress smiled at me, her smile cold and stern.

Undeniably, she was as beautiful as my wife; no wonder her life was like a legend. I felt a similar sensation towards her, as if she didn't belong to our world.

She smiled and said, "I knew you wanted to see my weapon, so I came to find you." I hadn't expected her to know my thoughts. I readily agreed, "That's right. If you don't mind, show me your weapon." I eagerly awaited this moment.

Then she laughed, a laugh that was utterly unrestrained: "Don't light it. If I do, you'll be dead. This weapon is something you know all too well, yet you've forgotten it. How laughable! Since you like this dream so much, I can let you live a little longer in it."

She actually said I was familiar with this weapon. It seems my previous feeling wasn't a mistake! But her words left me bewildered. Why would she say something like "you like this dream so much"? What did she mean?

I asked, "What are you talking about?"

She suddenly stopped laughing and looked at me seriously: "Sigh, you've been lost in the dream for too long. It seems you don't remember anything. Let me send you back!"

With that, she took out her legendary weapon. It was entirely black, indeed very small, fitting perfectly in her hand. Although I had that familiar feeling, I still had no clue what it was; it was all hazy and indistinct.

At that moment, she pointed her weapon at me. I felt as if she were holding a crossbow, constantly threatening me.

I was preparing to deal with it when my wife, Sun Xiaoling, ran out of the house, yelling, "Watch out for her hidden weapon!"

I waved to Sun Xiaoling, "Go back inside, it's dangerous here."

After I said that, something strange happened!

Wu Yue, who was opposite us, heard our conversation and seemed very angry. She angrily said, "Wang Xuan, you care so much about someone from a dream, but you don't remember me at all? What am I then? Let me send her on her way first!"

Wang Xuan is my name, and Wu Yue's words sounded like a jealous woman lashing out at me. This was absurd; I didn't even know Wu Yue. Why would she say such a thing?

Wu Yue's movements were incredibly fast. Suddenly, the object in her hand made a firecracker-like sound, and before I could see anything, blood gushed from Sun Xiaoling's chest. Then Sun Xiaoling collapsed to the ground; she had clearly been hit by Wu Yue's hidden weapon.

I was stunned. Wu Yue's hidden weapon was indeed incredibly fast. This surprised me, and at the same time, enraged me.

It was supposed to be a duel between her and me, yet she attacked my wife. This disregard for the rules of the martial world enraged me. I drew my sword instantly, using it as a hidden weapon, channeling my inner force to strike Wu Yue. With a burst of sword energy, the flying sword moved with incredible speed. I was certain that anyone with weaker skills would have died instantly beneath my flying sword. However, no flying sword could outrun Wu Yue's hidden weapon.

She used her weapon to create two loud firecracker-like sounds at me, apparently launching two hidden weapons. My sword was intercepted in mid-air by her first weapon, while her second struck me in the chest.

I knew I had lost. The instant she killed Sun Xiaoling, I knew I was doomed, because I had never seen such a fast hidden weapon!

At this moment, I barely managed to sustain my life, but I knew I was about to die. I murmured, "Fast, too fast. I've never seen such a fast hidden weapon."

Wu Yue sneered, "Of course it's fast. This is a weapon manufactured in the future, beyond the comprehension of your era. And you don't even know you're trapped in a dream. Killing you and your wife was actually saving you."

I muttered to myself again, "Dream...dream..." Just as my consciousness was about to fade, I suddenly understood everything as if in a final burst of energy...

Yes, I'm not from this era at all. I suddenly remembered that I was in a dream. It seems I was trapped in a dream from which I couldn't escape. In fact, the era I truly live in is the 22nd century, and all of this is the result of my own actions.

I was an inventor from that era, who invented a dream-making machine. I collaborated with a well-known game company, planning to mass-produce it. Before production, I needed to test its effects. Only I was familiar with the operation of the dream-making machine, so I decided to test it myself. Interestingly, my invention allowed two people to enter the same dream, so I tested it with my wife, Sun Xiaoling!

Sun Xiaoling was indeed my real wife in the 22nd century. Strangely, I didn't know Wu Yue, nor could I have brought her into the dream. Where did she come from, and why did she come to save us?

The most tragic thing is that even if I were shot by Wu Yue and died in this dream, I probably wouldn't truly wake up, because the swordsman's dream was just a dream within a dream…

2. After death, I returned to the previous dream layer. I gradually regained consciousness, opened my eyes, and found myself tied to a pillar in a dark room!

At this moment, my entire body was covered in wounds, and an excruciating pain spread throughout my body. The dark room wasn't large; besides me, there were four burly men, who were responsible for torturing me.

As soon as I woke up, they discovered me. They exclaimed excitedly, "This guy's been unconscious for almost a day, and now he's finally awake!" Then the four of them laughed maniacally, and one of them, wearing a baseball cap and a plaid shirt, started whipping me again: "Tell me, where did you hide Miss Sun?" Old wounds hadn't healed, and new ones were inflicted. I endured the pain, deeply regretting my decision to test the dream machine.

The whole thing went like this.

In the reality of the 22nd century, my wife and I decided to test the dream machine together, entering a dream world set in old Shanghai. We were both very interested in this era and wanted to experience it. I created the identity of a wealthy young man, while Sun Xiaoling created herself as a famous Shanghai dancer. Once inside the dream world, the experience was so real that we were overwhelmed with excitement and completely immersed in our roles.

Fortunately, in the 22nd century, Sun Xiaoling was also a star, possessing superb singing and dancing skills. Therefore, on this dream stage, she performed exceptionally well, winning countless cheers. Every day, I brought my men to the Grand Shanghai Ballroom to watch Sun Xiaoling's performances. In this dream of old Shanghai, my identity wasn't her husband, but simply a young man admiring her.

However, during the testing, I discovered a problem: I couldn't control the other characters in the dream. They had their own consciousness and actions; Sun Xiaoling and I were merely two characters within the dream.

Since this was the case, it was inevitable that some disputes would arise, just like in the real world, and sure enough, trouble ensued!

Because of my frequent contact with Sun Xiaoling in the dream, this angered a gang leader who had taken a liking to her.

At first, I found it laughable and didn't pay much attention, but later, the gang leader sent people to constantly threaten me, demanding I leave Sun Xiaoling, and I realized the seriousness of the situation. In this dream, to return to reality, we must die within the dream. I worried that if I were controlled by these gangsters and couldn't die, it would be troublesome.

A few days later, to avoid such trouble, I decided to help Sun Xiaoling escape the dream.

That day, Sun Xiaoling finished dancing as usual. I picked her up in my car and drove to a suburb. After parking, I planned to shoot her in the car to escape the dream, and then shoot myself to escape. But unexpectedly, when I pointed the gun at her, she screamed, "Ah, what are you doing?"

Her terrified expression made it seem as if I really was going to kill her. Had she forgotten that I was there to help her escape the dream? I quickly asked, "Are you getting too caught up in the game? We're testing the dream machine right now. I'm shooting you to pull you out of the dream. What are you afraid of?"

She waved her hands, "No, no, I don't understand what you're saying! Don't kill me! Don't kill me!" She flung open the car door, turned, and ran. I froze. By the time I was about to shoot, she was gone.

I hadn't expected the dream to have such a profound impact on her. She seemed trapped in the dream, forgetting who she was…

According to the settings of my dream machine, time in reality and in dreams are different. One day in reality is a year in the first layer of the dream, and we've only been living in the dream for a few months, yet she's already trapped.

It seems this dream machine isn't just a game; its realism has a huge impact on people. At this point, I had the idea of ​​destroying the dream machine to prevent it from harming more people.

Of course, I had to find Sun Xiaoling immediately to pull her out of the dream. Now that she's gone, I'll have to go find her the next day.

But the next day, Sun Xiaoling disappeared, and I frantically searched for her. Suddenly, on the street, I was struck on the back of the head with a blunt object, and then I passed out…

Afterwards, I was kidnapped by these gangsters, and my worst fears came true!

They suspected I was hiding Sun Xiaoling, so they tied me to a pillar in a dark room and tortured me relentlessly, demanding to know her whereabouts. How could I possibly know?

The pain of the beatings felt so real; I couldn't endure the torture any longer and had to activate another emergency setting on the dream machine, intending to enter a deeper dream to temporarily escape.

Due to technological limitations, this dream machine can only exit a dream through death, which is a drawback. Forcibly disconnecting the connection between the dream machine and us might trap us in the dream forever. I repeatedly warned people in reality never to do this, hence the emergency setting.

This emergency setting was a last resort; if I encountered such a helpless situation in a dream, I could use my consciousness to continuously prompt the dream machine to send out a distress signal. The staff in reality, seeing the distress signal, could help us by operating the dream machine to enter a deeper dream.

Fortunately, I had taught those 22nd-century merchants how to operate this machine. It was the only way to avoid further suffering. Now, I deeply regret having my wife and I tested this flawed dream machine…

After my distress call was successful, the emergency settings activated, and my wife and I both entered a deeper ancient dream—the dream where I was a swordsman and my wife was a courtesan. As for our identities in the second layer of the ancient dream, I had already programmed them into the machine before testing it.

Upon entering the second layer, the flaws became even more apparent. Because the time in the dream didn't match reality, even I became lost.

The dream machine was set so that one day in the 22nd century was equivalent to one year in the first layer of the dream, and one day in the first layer was equivalent to one hundred years in the second layer. If there were a chance to enter the third layer, the time would follow the same pattern.

Upon entering the second layer, the surrounding environment and the people around me caused me to forget I was dreaming and become lost within the dream. If Wu Yue hadn't come to my rescue, I probably would still be dreaming in ancient times with my wife!

...Now, I'm back in the first layer of my Shanghai dream, suffering once more. I finally escaped the second layer, the ancient dream, and I absolutely cannot fall back in. So, no matter how these four burly men torture me, I endure it all, no longer sending out any distress signals, only searching for a chance to escape!

At this moment, a man with a sinister expression said to me, "You're really persistent, willing to risk your life for a woman."

I said weakly, "I really don't know where Sun Xiaoling is. Even I'm looking for her, how could I possibly know where she is?"

"Hmph, who would believe that?" With that, the man in the baseball cap lashed me with his whip again.

Actually, I could have easily bitten my tongue and committed suicide, but I dared not use that method. First, I wasn't confident I could die that way; second, I still needed to find Sun Xiaoling.

Therefore, I could only endure the torture; it was a nightmare.

Of course, miracles can still happen!

Just as I was enduring the pain, suddenly, the door to the dark room was kicked open, and my dream-like butler, accompanied by several thugs armed with guns, stormed in.

They quickly subdued the four burly men. I was incredibly grateful that I had imagined myself as a wealthy young master; at least someone had come to my rescue. Then, my butler untied my ropes and helped me out of the dark room. To my even greater surprise, once I stepped out of the room and onto the street, I saw Sun Xiaoling standing beside my car.

I could guess that the butler had driven my car with them. Sun Xiaoling was wearing a blue cheongsam, looking exceptionally alluring.

Overjoyed, I quickly sent the butler to cover our retreat, and then, dragging my battered body, I drove away in my car with Sun Xiaoling.

Inside the car, Sun Xiaoling looked at my wounded body and wept bitterly, "Wang Xuan, it's all my fault, I've made you suffer. I knew they kidnapped you, so I rushed to inform your housekeeper. If I hadn't inexplicably been unconscious for almost a day, we would have arrived much sooner."

I knew Sun Xiaoling was still trapped in a dream, unaware that she was dreaming. She had been unconscious for almost a day, just like me, trapped in that ancient dream.

I didn't dare shoot her directly, afraid of frightening her again and letting her escape. I had to wait for the right moment to act. At this moment, I cooperated with her, saying, "It's not your fault. Those people will probably catch up soon. We need to leave Shanghai as soon as possible."

Sun Xiaoling nodded, then suddenly asked, "Why did you point a gun at me that day?"

She wouldn't understand this question in her current state, so I could only vaguely tell her that I was a little disoriented that day.

I quickly drove out of the city and into the secluded suburbs. I felt that this was the best place to make my move. So I stopped the car. Sun Xiaoling looked at me suspiciously, while I secretly reached for a small pistol I usually hid under the seat!

But just then, someone suddenly appeared in front of my car, and I instantly broke out in a cold sweat.

4. This person was Wu Yue. I never expected her to appear in my dream again. She looked the same as in ancient times, only her clothes were different.

She was wearing a white shirt, a striped vest over it, and brown trousers, exuding a slightly bourgeois, artistic vibe. But she was holding a gun and pointing it at us!

I stared at her and said, "I didn't expect you to come again."

She sneered, "You still remember me? That's rare. I thought you'd forgotten you were dreaming!"

Sun Xiaoling asked me nervously, "Who is she?"

Before I could answer, Wu Yue fired a shot at Sun Xiaoling. The bullet pierced the windshield and struck Sun Xiaoling directly, killing her instantly. If I had forgotten I was in a dream, I probably would have gotten excited again in this situation. But right now, I want to thank Wu Yue for helping me get Sun Xiaoling out of the dream.

I breathed a sigh of relief, wondering how Wu Yue knew we were dreaming. This dream machine I invented can only accommodate two people entering the dream. I already had Sun Xiaoling with me; there was no way I could bring Wu Yue into the dream. Who exactly is she?

So I asked, "Who are you?"

She didn't answer, but simply fired a shot at me. The moment the gunshot rang out, I died instantly…

I woke up, finally woke up. I'm now in a room in this game company. Some of the company's executives are standing around me. Although I've only lived in the 22nd century for less than a day, I've lived in the dream for a very long time. The memories are too complex; I feel like a weathered old man.

The executives seemed excited to see me awake. One asked, "Dr. Wang Xuan, how was the experiment?"

I quickly unplugged the wires connecting me and my wife. At that moment, all I wanted was to destroy the dream machine. Its influence on people was too great; it could immerse people in dreams, or cause them to suffer within them. However, I couldn't destroy the machine immediately. The company executives standing around me were a bunch of shrewd businessmen; if I did, they would definitely stop me.

So I coldly said, "Not good. This machine needs improvement. I'll take it back and upgrade it." I planned to destroy the machine after I got back.

At that moment, I called for my wife to come home, but unexpectedly, my wife, Sun Xiaoling, was still unconscious. I cried out, "Oh no!" and quickly checked her breathing. She was still breathing. Had she become too deeply immersed in the dream and couldn't come back?

Without thinking further, I quickly put the dream machine back into a small box, grabbed the box, and then carried my wife on my back, running rapidly out of the room.

I quickly took the elevator downstairs. My solar-powered flying car, a product of this era, was parked outside the company. I put my wife inside and drove to the nearest hospital.

I simply entered the destination into the car's computer, and it drove itself. Because this dream machine was so small, it was easy to destroy. On the way to the hospital, I casually smashed it in the car. I breathed a sigh of relief, thankful it could no longer harm anyone.

At the hospital, I took my wife to the emergency room. This era is filled with intelligent robots serving humanity, including guides and cleaners in the hospital, making the entire hospital very efficient.

Now my wife was in the emergency room, and I could only stand outside, watching these robots come and go. I sighed inwardly: high technology brings many conveniences, but it also fosters human laziness. Humans are becoming increasingly dependent on machines, gradually becoming their slaves. That dream machine also proved this fact; under its control, people only learn to escape and succumb. Although I destroyed that dream-making machine, who can guarantee that someone won't invent one like me? It seems people are getting smarter, but less wise…

As I sighed, I thought of Wu Yue. She's always been a mysterious figure. Who is she, and why did she appear in my dreams?

I paced anxiously outside the emergency room. The world is truly full of coincidences. Just as I was thinking about Wu Yue, she suddenly appeared before me. I looked up and almost fell to the ground in fright.

Her appearance hadn't changed; only her clothes had. She stood before me in clothes that fit the style of our era.

I forced myself to calm down and asked, "You've appeared again. Who are you? Why can you appear in my dreams twice?"

She didn't speak, but just like in the dream, she pulled out a gun and pointed it at me.

I broke out in a cold sweat. I was back in reality. If she shot me, I would die. What did she want? Did she want to kill me?

I yelled angrily, "Are you crazy? I'm not dreaming anymore! What do you want?" I tried to snatch her gun.

She quickly took two steps back, shouting, "Don't move!"

Afraid she might do something rash, I stopped moving.

She smiled strangely. "Since you're so eager to know who I am, I'll tell you. I'm actually your real wife, and you're still dreaming."

"What?" Her words struck me like a bolt from the blue. "How is this possible?"

I couldn't believe her. How could a world I remembered so clearly, a world that felt so real, still be a dream?

She said, “In our time, dream machines were as common as video game consoles. Sadly, you’re addicted to them. You’ve forgotten you’re dreaming, so in reality, you’re a ‘dream addict.’ We were husband and wife, and I didn’t want to see you so lost in your dreams, so I borrowed your dream machine to enter your dreams and save you. You’ve experienced so much in your dreams; I hope you’ll understand my good intentions when you wake up.” Before I could reply, she shot me in the chest.

I clutched my bleeding chest, looking at her with a complex expression, my consciousness fading. I prayed she wasn’t insane, that what she said was true, so I wouldn’t die. But I wondered, if I woke up again, would that world still be a dream?