"Hmm? *Yawn*"
A built man climbed out of his bed, the corner of his eyes crusted with sleep as another languid moan echoed due to his movement.
'Wait. Not my bedroom…' He looked around before finding the mother-daughter pair hugging each other and staying asleep. Their disheveled hair covered their features, and the thick blanket hid the slender curves and a pair of hips that didn't want to quit until the end. 'Jenna really took after her mother.'
Williams scratched his chin before exhaling and feeling his stomach rebel with an embarrassing sound. He was truly tapped, and only his modestly tested stamina allowed the serial fucker to endure the test of time, thrusts, pumps, and whatever Jenna's mom did with her tongue. His gaze slightly shifted, hazy with lust, as he recalled those sweet movements. No wonder he had a thing for older women.
'Ah, I miss you, Laurette,' Williams mourned his first Golden Achievement's untimely passing. Still, he was glad she went out doing what she loved the most—him.
He quickly waved away his trait's notifications. Williams Logic was still a man on the run, with enemies having a thing for attacking him on sight. Still, he didn't blame them. Williams would want to kill anyone else like him, too. The streets were never safe when men like him prowled them.
'Hmm?'
Williams sidestepped and watched a white sedan pulling up, revealing a hurried man whose expression betrayed unholy fury and panic.
'That's the State Senator…' Logic worked his jaw before glancing at the pair in the man's bed. Well, he always loved leaving with a gentle kiss and a farewell. Not that he would have the time today.
Shrugging, Logic opened the window and jumped down—
"Oof!" He fell onto a seat near an indifferent-looking youth. The noise of the Pub's activity fell on deaf ears.
The duo met each other's gaze before Williams sighed.
"Still nothing?" He asked. Though having met each other a little while ago, Williams quickly took to the entirely indifferent youth, a victim of his trait. Not everyone was as fortunate as Williams to maximize their Trait's potential. Sure, there were the Trait Trainers. However, even a massive fee couldn't guarantee their service. And there were the rare few who were imprisoned by their traits itself.
Kaye… he was like that.
His emotions were bound by the so-called gamer's mind. The man was a thief as terrifying as an indifferent killer who committed atrocities perhaps only short of the few bottom lines Williams had left remaining. That's why they could remain friends.
Well, Williams knew he considered Kaye a friend, but the latter may simply not have the emotional capacity to reciprocate the emotion.
"No," Kaye replied in a monotone, sipping his beer. "I knew it would happen. I still don't understand how anyone would like another's spit."
"Hah?!" The bartender served a mug to Williams, laughing. "What? Did you send him to some S&M Club, eh, Logic?"
"You know it," Williams snickered. "I thought it was worth a try."
But his smile soon faded as he sipped the beer. "Say, Kaye. Did someone pull a prank on you guys? Why are your faces… pixelated?"
"Hmm?" The bartender and Kaye glanced at each other before Kaye informed. "I heard vision is subjected to deficiency due to constant coitus. Your eyes are fucked, Williams."
Williams's frown deepened before Kaye's face suddenly grew clear.
"Ah, my bad."
Kaye had coffee-colored hair and thin lips. He actually looked decent, and Williams knew the duo could have had so much fun wing-manning each other. But Kaye lost interest the second he heard it. Curse his Gamer's Mind.
The duo soon left the bar as Kaye inquired without missing a beat.
"What Achievement did you get?"
"Eh? Let's see." Williams swept his gaze over the trait's panel. "Sigh. Nothing new. I wonder if there is even anything above Golden Achievements."
"Maybe you need to fuck every woman at once," Kaye shrugged. "Or men."
Williams shuddered. "Fuck off!"
"Do you think even pulling this was easy?" He grumbled. "It takes time to set conditions like this. The Senator has a defensive trait and is a prideful idiot who never allowed a security detail on him. Of course, that's the cover story. The asshole's got a private harem and several mistresses and feared any intel leak."
A nearby bicycle suddenly caught Williams' attention momentarily before moving ahead.
"As for the mother-daughter pair? Do you think our culture supports such relationships? Heck, no! But those two were perfect because of their trait. It was a weird one that made them attracted to each other. Some traits are just so stupid."
"How about her?" Kaye suddenly stopped and gazed at one of the televisions displaying a News Channel through the massive glass cover.
Williams stopped and stared at the dark-skinned, golden-eyed woman who claimed to be the next Sun Priestess.
"I'm planning to commit suicide. There's enough verification from my trait that the Reincarnation Technique Cowl released into the wind before his disappearance is the real deal. Maybe I'll get a chance to do things over."
Williams heard the man but couldn't process it at all, his eyes unwilling to move away from her.
She wasn't a world-class beauty or the hottest model in existence. Yet, Williams slowly got closer to the glass cover. His throat dried as he remained mesmerized by those eyes. A gentle laughter kissed his ears.
He wanted her…
"As for her… isn't she the new Sun Priestess? The Church of the Glorious Sun has been around for thousands of years," Kaye informed. "The priestess is their next spiritual leader. She would represent centuries of history, wealth, and fame, even if in name. If someone could get me a greater achievement than the Golden Ones… I'd go for her."
Again, Williams could hear all of it. But his body was unwilling to move.
"Of course, it would be a struggle to get inside the church—"
Logic's eyes widened. His entire body shuddered, and a sense of clarity returned to him. The world around him momentarily turned blurry.
Rank 4 Shatter Dream!
<<<>>>
"Hah!" Bai Shou woke in her cold sweat, her mind still reeling from shock as she looked around. Even now, she was seated cross-legged in a meditative stance!
'A Dream… when did I enter a Dream?'
A chill spread through her spine.
She believed she possessed enough experience with Self and other forms of Dreams. However, she barely registered one when push came to a shove, almost caught by it if not for…
'Kaye and Nina…'
Bai Shou grew quiet, for once acknowledging the deeply sated weariness long rotting in her gut. Why did she have to dream about the Sun Priestess, of all people?
'I might not have emerged from the Dream Realm if I continued…' Bai Shou bit her bottom lip. 'And that bicycle. It was a Dream Gu refinement material. I need to be careful.'
She began inspecting her surroundings. Of course, she would have been dead long ago if it had been an enemy attack.
'But to think people can enter Dream without their own decision… it also matches how the Dream Beasts consumed any living being in their paths and tossed them in the Dream Realms.'
Bai Shou began observing her soul and sighed in relief.
'Barely any damage.'
At least her experience amounted to something.
'This never happened before,' Bai Shou cleaned herself and swallowed the worried lump in her throat.
—'What if I asked you to kill me?'—
She ignored the resounding, almost clear question the Sun Priestess asked once.
—'If I say no, would you force me?'—
Bai Shou shook her head.
'Just my fucking head,' The Chained Wanderer grunted. The title was by no means her reality. Never will her past or anything chain her. Just decorations—
—'I love you. Truly! So, sorry to make you see something so terrible… But I'm sure you will move on. Remember? You said it… you always adapt… Please, move on again…'—
Bai Shou stared in a daze at the empty space ahead of her. Her expression was as lost as the day that figure blocked everything, filling Bai Shou's vision with her deceptively strong and slender back. Yet, the dark and gold of her back flickers, morphing into a tall white figure.
—'Bitch. I live and die for myself.'—
A dazzling figure with long, snow-white hair tossed a smug grin over his shoulder and walked away, exploding into an icy mist. His words shared little similarity with the pitiful dark-skinned woman, yet his back seemed to fill the entirety of Bai Shou's vision.
'Paragon of kindness and virtue…' Bai Shou chuckled bitterly. 'All of them.'
Her laugh was sarcastic and filled with self-loathing.
What was the point of guilt and regret?
How many times did she need to reassure herself?
She had moved on.
There was nothing behind.
No pain, no desire, and no attachment.
It couldn't exist because she'd adapted to it all—in mind and body.
'I need to refine more Shatter Dream Gu Worms,' Bai Shou reorganized her thoughts, unwilling to spend more time stewing in her filth. Calling the sudden entrance into the Dream Realm alarming would be an understatement.
<<<>>>
True Yang Mountain Range housed as many treasures as it did monsters and other dangers. The best way to earn from the mountain range was to kill the Beasts and sell their corpses. As Bai Shou had already revealed, everything was worthwhile, even a mortal's stomach, in the right hands. She left the city while using the Invisibility Gu. There were several ways to enter the mountain, but the city maintained the safer path through their northern entrances. The red sand released an odd gem-like shimmer when observed from a certain angle. The entire mountain was like a house of twinkling red stars during full moon nights.
'I found several intriguing Gu Worms from the gambling den,' Bai Shou mused. She could steal them, but every Gambling Rock was accounted for by the owner. Bai Shou also knew the Gambling Dens and a few other lucrative businesses must have Yang Pao's eye on them. Stealing the Gu Worms implied she had an urgent need for any of her discoveries, which was false.
Even now, she was waiting to refine the Qualitative Dream Gu Worm to efficiently use her resources.
'I wonder if there is a way to select the types of materials we can conjure in our dreams,' Bai Shou shrugged. She didn't even have hopes for forming a singular Killer Move. No, that task was left to the Dreamer Gu Worms when they weren't refining Dream Gu.
'Maybe a Killer Move involving Qualitative Dream and Multiply Gu Worms? That would multiply the effects of the True Meaning even more… but I believe it would also increase the toll on the soul. I'd be lucky to keep the targeted Dreamer Gu alive. Hmm, that's an issue with the clones. Their souls cannot be enhanced and solidified, not like a Gu Master can achieve.'
'If I refine a Refinement Path clone, the same limitations might carry over.'
Bai Shou took a deep breath and calmed her tense nerves.
Despite her experiences, Bai Shou couldn't help but experience a sense of loss.
Events might suggest she was recalling a few bitter memories. However, what shook Bai Shou wasn't her past but a sudden bout of confusion.
'What was that just now?' She frowned. Although rightfully aimless, Bai Shou already had her objectives listed. Why did she suddenly experience a loss of direction? The Chained Wanderer wouldn't have considered it a serious issue if not for the mysterious events piling around her.
'That's right. What was that weird feeling? I need to revert the transformation, revive Hu Mei Er, learn more about the Human Path, refine several Gu Worms, deal with the Oath Gu Worm's binding effects in my soul, find a way to heal Chen Jiu, and create a dual cultivation method—or learn it from the devious Doctor.'
She aimlessly entered the region of Yang Gourd Trees. Her expression remained unreadable until one of the high-hanging gourds fell from its branch.
*Tuc*
The gourd landed directly on Bai Shou's head before falling—
—right into her reflexive hand, catching it with ease.
Bai Shou quietly looked at the tree before observing the gourd.
It was pure white, boasting a material deceptively closer to warm jade. A brush of Bai Shou's finger on its surface revealed silk-like hair hair growing from its surface.
She continued staring at the gourd for a good while before clutching it gently and moving ahead. There was little the local beast groups could do to Bai Shou, her invisible figure cutting through the dense yet warm tropical forest before approaching the nearby cliff. Sitting on its edge, the glowing Yuan Yang City and the full moon warmed her eyes.
Tranquility Bai Shou believed she'd lost for good since escaping from the Southern Border flowed in her veins again but for a moment. Quiet as the deadliest night and the consequences of her actions, Bai Shou fished out a small strip of sand cloth, a Rank 3 material. Yet, in her hands, it worked better as a sanding paper, which she used to scrape off the gourd's surface.
Then her right hand lit with ominous-looking blue flames—the Rank 2 Dry Blue Flames.
The Yang Gourd rapidly dried as if cured for months. Satisfied, Bai Shou bisected the gourd vertically, revealing its dried insides.
*Khcch*
*Khcch*
A small chisel scraped it all out and tossed it into the gentle wind.
Then Bai Shou sanded the interior, making it as smooth as possible, followed by sealing the surface using a marmalade lacquer dripping from a brush. Soon, the split surface appeared clean and ready to be joined together again.
A fitting cork soon sealed the gourd's entrance, leaving Bai Shou to observe her handiwork. She didn't touch the exterior. Once dried, the Yang Gourds appeared indistinguishable from a snow-white jade. However, it was still pleasant to touch and didn't lose its natural grip.
Again, Bai Shou felt something was missing.
The sight of an incomplete gourd gnawed at her heart.
What was missing?
Bai Shou's expression momentarily darkened until she exhaled and smiled.
'I know…'
A calligraphy brush appeared in her hand. She expertly drew a golden circle on the gourd's upper half. Then she retrieved another brush to pain with white—a snow-white lotus in the golden sun.
"Hmm~!" Bai Shou looked more than pleased as she exhaled and finally stood from her spot.
'Spring water, was it?' The Chained Wanderer moved through the woods before locating a natural spring. Soon, with her gourd filled, Bai Shou returned to her previous spot.
*Gulp*
And she downed the contents with one gulp; thin streams of spring water snuck past the corner of her lips. Yet, it somehow also dampened the spots on her cheeks near her eyes.
"Maybe you were onto something," Bai Shou exhaled, burping loudly. Nobody knew who Bai Shou was talking with or about.
"For all the wisdom and plans, I fucked up so bad. Just drinking wine… heh, this spring water would have been fine."
Then Bai Shou stretched her arms, carefully stored the gourd, and walked away.
A few hours was only what Bai Shou was willing to afford herself to clear her mind. As it has been stated since time immemorial—no rest for the wicked.
<<<>>>
"Listen! I have an idea."
Bai Shou instructed the Dreamer Gu. These Clones did not take much initiative aside from their essential functions unless she asked for it, so it was on Bai Shou to think of different ways if she wanted to progress.
"Is there a way to enter one dream at once?" She inquired, keeping an assessing gaze on the Gu Worms. "What if the materials found in Dreams have nothing to do with the kind of self dreams we enter, but how many of us enter it at once. The dreams use our souls as a foundation to create these materials alongside other mysteries I'm not yet aware of. However, the bit about our soul foundation being a partial source of the resources is true—it's one of the ways for the Dreams to eat away at our Soul Foundations."
Bai Shou's gaze glowed.
"So?" She questioned. "Nod if I'm on the correct track, or shake your head if that isn't true."
Much to her joy, the Clones nodded at once.
"Hmm." Bai Shou pointed at two random unfortunate test subjects. "You two." She ordered. "Can you enter the same dreams?"
They then shook their heads.
'So, it's a possibility, but we don't have a method to achieve that,' Bai Shou effortlessly understood what the clones conveyed with a few gestures. Then she frowned and suddenly instructed.
"Clone A will enter a Dream first. Then I want Clone B to use the Invade Dream Gu to enter her dreams."
The clones moved aside, leaving the sleeping duo. Bai Shou also kept a close eye on the duo and was prepared to use the Healing Gu to heal their souls if they received any damage beyond their bottom lines.
Of course, Rank 5 Dreamer Gu were more resilient in their ranks.
Soon, the duo opened their eyes, and Bai Shou closed hers, recalling their experiences.
'Hmm, no increase in materials but a definite increase in speed of the Refinement. Sigh, it's a close second. The quicker we Refine the Gu, the better the chances of encountering enough materials to refine the Qualitative Dream Gu.'
'But adding more characters in the Dream… is surprisingly dangerous. We can increase the number to three Dreamer Gu at once… and the Invade Dream Gu consumption will also increase.'
Bai Shou began to calculate the feasibility of the idea. Everything would be worth it if she could refine more Qualitative Gu Worms. Her attainment would shoot through the ceiling!
"Shatter Dream Gu, Intense Dream Gu, Invade Dream Gu, and finally, the Qualitative Dream Gu. These are our priorities, understood?" She then thought about something and asked. "Can you guys refine a Gu Worm capable of increasing the materials in the Dreams?"
They shook their heads. Of course, Bai Shou knew the answer but needed to try it once.
These Dreamer Gu could invent more than their hard-wired knowledge, which increased slightly with their advancement. However, it rapidly consumed their souls and will, leading them to their demise. So, Bai Shou didn't forcefully use them in such an uncivilized manner.
"Well, three teams of three and one team of two. Get working!" She clapped her hands as if working in a sweatshop before getting on with her tasks.
Clearing her head did wonders for Bai Shou, leading her to believe it should be a yearly event.
'I finally had a breakthrough for the Hairy Man Gu Worm's recipe,' Bai Shou smiled gently. 'I always lacked another crucial material—a Refinement Path Gu Master with a Refinement Path lifebound vital Gu Worm.'
It was very easy to attempt to assassinate Yang Pao. However, Bai Shou had to think broadly and make more modifications.
The Human Path already excelled in making reusable resources, so she believed killing the mayor was a… butcher's attempt at jewelry-making. No. She is the one who would create the recipe, and Bai Shou refused to believe such an incomplete work would prove beneficial in the long run.
Since anything could be conceptualized in the Gu World with the right mindset, Bai Shou only needed to work slightly longer until tapping into that point of view, which could shift her understanding and finalize the recipe.
'Indeed. Why kill when you can farm?'
Bai Shou smirked.
***
Alternate Title: Guys, I Think Lo Jik Might Not Have Moved On; Freaky Williams; Cursed Gamer Mind; A Peek Into the Traitverse; Freaky Traits; The Oyakodon Trait… The Oyakodo Trait Exists! *Oh, Can We Get Much Higher~*; Lo Jik, The Enemy of Men; Kai In The Narutoverse is Freaky BECAUSE of Lo Jik; Williams Lo Jik: Did You Like The S&M Club? Kaye: No *Kai: YES*; The Sun Priestess; The Wingman That Never Was; The Most Supportive Friendship; Kaye: Imma Fall Off a Building *Lo Jik: Check Out This Hottie, Bro*; Cowl?!; The Multiverse of Trait Is Real!; Cowl Just Opening The Floodgates of Crazy Ass MC into Every Other Fiction: Banging Ah Yin AF; The Dangerous Dream Realm; The Unconsenting Dreams; A Momentary Break; Lo Jik: Hah! I Will Ruin Everyone And Have My Lovers Desperate For Me *Gets Ruined Instead*; Dangerous Love; Lo Jik Really Tried Moving Along The Shore Without Getting Splashes On His Face; Cursed Splash On Bai Shou From Bai Ning Bing; The Lone White Lotus Within The Golden Sun; A Spring Water's Delight; The Idea; The Proud Owner of a Dreamy Sweatshop; Kai: Why Be Edgy When You Can Edge *Lo Jik/Bai Shou: Why Kill Humans When You Can Farm*; Bai Shou: I Adapt *Gets Rekt By Wholesome Love*; Bai Shou As a Chained Wanderer is Unironically Fitting