Chapter 50
Chapter 50
Inside Li Que’s office, Qin Shiyu jolted awake and opened her eyes. The room was brightly lit, and every desk stood neatly in place.
Meng Mo held the black Dreamcatcher in his hand. Like a mischievous child whose prank had finally succeeded, he wore a wicked grin.
Qin Shiyu stared at him in utter shock.
She knew how powerful Nightmare was.
He had reached SS-class and possessed the ability to become a god long ago. Even the Hall Master of the Hall of Anomalies treated him with courtesy, and the two sides cooperated as equals.
Yet an existence like that had been dragged into a dream by Meng Mo?!
“The Dream Demon… is only S-plus-class!”
She murmured in disbelief.
The Dream Demon had been born from one of Nightmare’s dreams, so his strength should have been inferior to Nightmare’s.
But now it seemed that was not true at all!
How had the Dream Demon done it?
Meng Mo, meanwhile, appeared to have grown bored with his game.
“That old bastard adapts fast. He stopped moving already. I even had maggots crawl into his nose and eyes, but he still didn’t budge. He can really endure!”
Inside Meng Mo’s dream, Nightmare had been completely submerged in every variety of excrement. He struggled at first, then simply gave up, leaving Meng Mo deeply disappointed.
“All right, old bastard. Come out!”
Shadow flowed from within the Dreamcatcher. It swayed several times before slowly condensing into human form.
Nightmare had emerged.
The instant he appeared, he nearly jumped with rage.
“You little bastard! How dare you treat me like that?!”
The Dream Demon had been born from his dream. By human ethical standards, that made Nightmare his father in some sense. Yet Meng Mo had dragged him into a dream and thrown him into a toilet!
Nightmare wanted nothing more than to seize the boy and thrash him.
“Think carefully, old bastard! Act fierce again, and I’ll lock you inside forever!” Meng Mo warned hurriedly.
Nightmare stopped at once. He glanced around instinctively to confirm that he was no longer dreaming.
Even then, he did not dare move. He fully believed that a little demon king like Meng Mo was capable of such an unfilial atrocity.
If he were dragged into that kind of dream again, he would rather die.
Nightmare forcibly suppressed his fury and looked at Meng Mo.
“How did you do it? Why did even my Dreamwraith Feather Robe fail to detect your attack?!”
He was genuinely baffled.
Nightmare was clearly SS-class and possessed the Dreamwraith Feather Robe, an object that represented divine authority over dreams.
By all reason, he should have detected the instant another dream power approached. He should even have been able to counter it through the robe!
“I told you already. That robe is nothing but garbage!”
Meng Mo waved the black Dreamcatcher in his hand.
“Never seen anything good before, old bastard?”
Nightmare focused on the object. The next instant, his pupils contracted sharply and disbelief flooded his eyes.
“That thing… Where did you get it?!”
“Have you been to that place?!”
His voice brimmed with disbelief, as though he were looking at something that did not belong in this world.
Qin Shiyu was equally startled.
She could sense that the aura of the Dreamcatcher in Meng Mo’s hand was every bit as powerful as the red cord Lin Xiaoyu had possessed.
Could this also be an anomalous entity embodying divine authority?!
Meng Mo was deeply satisfied by Nightmare’s astonishment.
“Sir gave it to me as a reward for studying hard and memorizing classical poems!” he boasted.
Nightmare stared blankly.
A reward for memorizing poems?
Someone used an object like this as a reward?
He quickly recovered and spoke darkly.
“You dare deceive me? That thing clearly contains the divine authority of that place, and the feathers woven into it can only be found there!”
The most precious part of his Dreamwraith Feather Robe was a damaged feather that had drifted out from that place.
That one broken feather had caused him to dream, and Meng Mo had been born from it!
Because he had experienced the feather’s power through that dream, he felt both terror and yearning toward that place.
He knew he could never enter through his own strength. That was why he had cooperated with the Hall of Anomalies all these years, hoping to use Hall Master Zhou Wenshen’s Divine Seal Fragment.
But the Dreamcatcher in Meng Mo’s hand had been woven entirely from those feathers. Every one was whole and pitch-black, incomparable to the damaged feather in his robe!
There was only one possibility. Meng Mo had truly entered that place and received some kind of reward or gift!
Nightmare was not the only one stunned. Qin Shiyu was even more deeply shaken.
Li Que had already given Lin Xiaoyu one anomalous entity embodying divine authority. Now he had given Meng Mo a second?!
How many did he possess?
The appearance of any single object like this would draw the attention of all Jiangdong Province. Factions like the Hall of Anomalies would fight bloodily over it.
Yet in Li Que’s hands, they seemed as cheap and common as cabbages!
They had become rewards a student could earn by memorizing a few classical poems?
That was absurdly cheap!
“I told you. You’re an uncultured country bumpkin,” Meng Mo said with a curl of his lip and a disgusted look.
“Something priceless in your eyes… is no different from roadside trash to Sir.”
Nightmare nearly exploded in fury again.
He was a mighty SS-class anomaly whom even the Hall Master treated with courtesy. Yet today he had been mocked again and again!
“Where is this teacher of yours? Have him come see me,” he demanded irritably.
“You think you’re worthy?”
Meng Mo’s disdain deepened. Nightmare’s attitude had clearly angered him.
“I’m warning you. If you cause trouble at school or disrespect Sir again, I’ll lock you up. This time I only put you in a toilet. Next time, I’ll turn you into the toilet!”
Nightmare fell silent.
For the first time, he experienced what humans called helplessness.
He wanted desperately to seize Meng Mo and beat him. Yet the Dreamcatcher in the boy’s hand genuinely frightened him.
“Then I’ll go see him,” Nightmare amended, his tone softening.
“If I’m right… your teacher is extremely familiar with that place and may even have entered it. He might be of great help to us.”
“If he’s strong enough… perhaps I can cooperate with him.”
Nightmare was genuinely tempted.
He had worked for the Hall of Anomalies all these years for one purpose: divine investiture and entry into that place.
But now Li Que also possessed a Divine Seal Fragment and could even produce other anomalous entities embodying divine authority.
Perhaps cooperating with him would be the better choice.
Meng Mo grew angry instead.
“Who said anything about ‘us’?”
“And I already told you. An uncultured brute like you isn’t worthy of discussing cooperation with Sir.”
Nightmare could bear no more.
“Fine, fine! Your teacher is incredible! Happy now? Tell me what I have to do to meet him!”
He felt horribly aggrieved.
But the question stumped Meng Mo. He scratched his head. For all his power, his temperament was ultimately that of a teenage boy. He knew nothing about social conventions and had no idea how to handle the relationship between his father and Sir.
The worst part was that his father had come to school and started causing trouble!
Should he simply beat his father to death and take the corpse to meet Sir?
That did not seem quite right either.
Suddenly, he pointed at Qin Shiyu.
“She’s our school dean. Sir reports to her. Ask her! Why are you asking me?”
Qin Shiyu stared blankly. How had this burden suddenly landed in her hands?
Nightmare turned toward her in surprise.
“You… truly betrayed the Hall of Anomalies?”
Qin Shiyu had been a genuine member of the Hall’s inner circle.
At the same time, a thought stirred in Nightmare’s mind. Without sufficient benefit, Qin Shiyu would never have made such a choice.
Did that mean Meng Mo’s teacher truly offered better prospects than the Hall of Anomalies?
“What’s with ‘you’ this and ‘you’ that? Don’t you know how to address people? Have you never learned manners? Call her Dean!”
Meng Mo was losing his temper. Nightmare was truly embarrassing him.
After being pushed around endlessly by Meng Mo, Nightmare felt close to breaking. He could only grit his teeth.
“Dean… Qin, may I meet that teacher?”
Qin Shiyu’s head buzzed.
This was Nightmare-an SS-class anomaly, an honored guest of the Hall of Anomalies, and the greatest source of confidence behind her senior brother Sun Xingsheng.
Yet Nightmare had not even met Li Que, and Li Que’s student had already disciplined him into complete submission?!
Absurd. This was utterly absurd!
The sight of this “loving son and filial father” was truly bizarre.
But Qin Shiyu was intelligent. She recovered almost immediately.
She keenly realized that this was an opportunity!
If she could make Nightmare break with the Hall of Anomalies and join Li Que’s side, the Hall would have no choice but to reconsider Li’s value!
Thoughts raced through Qin Shiyu’s mind. She drew a deep breath and let a trace of coldness enter her expression.
“Meeting Teacher Li isn’t impossible.”
“Remain at the school for now. When Teacher Li has time and feels like seeing you, he naturally will.”
She wanted Nightmare to stay, but first she had to suppress his arrogance.
Only then could she negotiate effectively afterward.
That was the art of bargaining.
Meng Mo had already given her an excellent opening. All she needed to do was press the advantage.
Nightmare nearly exploded.
He had already lowered himself so far, yet meeting one person remained this difficult? He had to wait until the man had time and happened to be in the mood?
When had Nightmare ever humbled himself like this?!
The shadows beneath his feet began to churn.
“Old bastard, she’s our school dean. If you want to die, go ahead and try something.”
Meng Mo raised the Dreamcatcher and threatened him irritably.
Nightmare swallowed his anger again. The grievance nearly suffocated him.
“Fine… I’ll wait for him! I’ll wait, all right?”
He agreed through gritted teeth.
Qin Shiyu was ecstatic, but maintained a calm exterior.
“There is one more matter. Teacher Li dislikes people learning his identity. Everyone at the school-anomaly wielders and anomalies alike-has an ordinary role.”
“I am the dean. Meng Mo is a student. The Wraith-Mother is a cleaner. Qin Zhenye is… responsible for the public restroom. You need a role too.”
She continued digging the pit.
Once Nightmare agreed to take a job here, his defection would become undeniable. Qin Shiyu could use that to shatter his cooperation with the Hall of Anomalies completely!
Nightmare replied impatiently, “Anything is fine as long as I’m near Meng Mo. Arrange whatever you like.”
He needed to watch the boy so Meng Mo would not vanish from his sight again.
“Then… how about supervisor of the boys’ dormitory?”
Qin Shiyu had already thought of the perfect job.
“Fine.”
Nightmare was irritated, but he had already bowed his head. He no longer cared what the position was.
“Good. Give me a token. I’ll take it to Teacher Li and make my report,” Qin Shiyu said.
Nightmare immediately plucked a feather from the Dreamwraith Feather Robe and handed it to her.
Qin Shiyu let out a long breath inwardly. The matter was settled!
“All right. Meng Mo, take your father to the dormitory and help him familiarize himself with the work environment…”
She intended to stabilize Nightmare first.
“Okay.”
Meng Mo nodded. “Come on, old bastard!”
Nightmare’s mouth twitched several times, but he followed Meng Mo out of the office.
“Oh, Dean Qin! I finished writing everything from memory. Remember to tell Sir later! I didn’t slack off!”
Meng Mo suddenly turned back. The matter clearly meant a great deal to him.
Qin Shiyu froze.
At that moment, Meng Mo seemed nothing like an S-plus-class anomaly. He truly appeared to be nothing more than a student who deeply cared about his teacher’s opinion.
“All right. I’ll tell him.”
Only then did Meng Mo leave happily.
Watching their departing backs, Qin Shiyu murmured,
“Li Que has insisted on playing the role of an ordinary teacher all this time… Could it truly be working?”
She did not know, and this was not the time to investigate. She drew a deep breath and picked up the feather Nightmare had given her.
She had intended to take it directly to Li Que. Now, however, she suddenly felt that she should play her own role properly as well.
That might be more important than anything else.
She turned on the nearby computer. After a moment’s thought, she quickly drafted a resume.
Name: Meng Yan
Skills: Strong management ability; excellent communication skills.
Position Sought: Boys’ Dormitory Supervisor.
…
She finished and printed the resume in no time. The paper was still warm when she gently attached the feather to it.
Qin Shiyu actually found herself looking forward to Li Que’s reaction when he saw it.
“So this is what it feels like to set aside the identity of an anomaly wielder and live as an ordinary person?”
She smiled. For the first time, she felt a genuine sense of identification with her role as school dean.
…