Huai Shi didn't say anything.
"What's up?" Yuan Zhao asked.
"No, nothing."
Huai Shi shook his head.
Based on this alone, nothing could be concluded, but an inevitable shadow began to creep into his heart.
If Yuan Zhao and his group's arrival was connected to what was about to happen... what should he do then?
The sense of urgency grew ever stronger.
"Take care of yourself."
Huai Shi looked back one last time, seriously warning, "Stay where your phone has a signal. Don't try to tough it out if you encounter any problems. Call Older Cousin immediately for help in case of an emergency, understand?"
"Huh?" Yuan Zhao didn't understand.
But Huai Shi had already walked away quickly.
Time waits for no one.
By the time Yuan Zhao returned to the hotel that evening, it was already past ten o'clock.
There was no helping it; Group Star was too much fun. How could a fourteen-year-old boy, who had been grounded for two months, resist its allure?
He had just participated in an offline competition hosted by a Border entertainment association and, before he knew it, it was ten-forty.
Carrying a pile of prizes and several Source Substance action models he had always wanted but couldn't afford, Yuan Zhao hummed a tune and danced into his room. He placed his things down and turned on the light.
Then he gasped.
He saw the slender figure sitting in the living room, sipping tea.
Yuan Yuan.
"Sis..."
Yuan Zhao's legs trembled, and he forced a sheepish smile. "You haven't gone to bed yet?"
Yuan Yuan glanced at her wristwatch, then lifted her gaze to her younger cousin and suddenly asked, "Why are you so late? You didn't forget about the curfew, did you?"
"Ahaha, it's all Huai Shi's fault for being too hospitable!" Yuan Zhao scratched his head, looking around. "He insisted on treating me to food and drinks all the way. I couldn't shake him off."
"Really?"
The silent teenage girl nodded in understanding and asked, "Did you have fun?"
"Mm-hmm!" Yuan Zhao nodded frantically, with a sycophantic smile. "I promise it's just this once. Please don't tell Mom, Sis. I guarantee it won't happen again..."
"So, did he say anything special to you?"
Yuan Yuan cut him off and suddenly asked, "Did he ask you any questions?"
In the stillness, the teenage girl sitting in the shadows raised her head. Her delicate face showed a hint of caution and seriousness as she asked, "Especially, the part about me—"
"Nope! Nothing!" Yuan Zhao instinctively shook his head. "That guy was just gorging on food and drinks all the way; his mouth wasn't idle for a moment. He didn't ask anything."
"Is that so?"
A flicker of doubt crossed Yuan Yuan's eyes. After a long pause, she shook her head. "Did you finish all the tasks I gave you?"
"Err..."
It was only now that Yuan Zhao saw the unread messages from Yuan Yuan on his phone—six in a row, none of which he had noticed. As he opened the messages, his eyes widened in disbelief as he looked at his cousin before him.
In the silence, there was only a crisp sound.
Behind Yuan Zhao, the expressionless old servant quietly shut the room door without a sound.
What followed was an unsettling, deathly silence.
Meanwhile, in the concert hall's lounge, Huai Shi was tallying his afternoon's haul.
"One stick of Innocent Bone Wood, half an ounce of Ghost Spider Silk, two ounces of the Green Malayan Tapir's tail hairs, and the tail feathers of a Vermilion Wild Goose..."
All these items were spread out on the table in front of him.
After discarding the boxes, everything weighed less than a pound.
Apart from the spider silk, these were all relatively common Alchemy Materials, yet due to the time crunch, Huai Shi had been severely overcharged several times. The mere recollection made his heart twinge.
Though it pained him financially, his hands did not stop moving.
Following Raven's instructions, he first took a shower and put on gloves. Then, he used Alchemy Fire to evenly heat the Innocent Bone Wood. He manipulated its inner structure, causing it to transform under the Alchemy Fire and bend into a ring shape.
The most crucial aspect was ensuring its inner structure connected end to end, forming a perfect closed loop.
The advantage of Innocent Bone Wood was its uniform, lattice-like internal structure; as long as the cross-section was cut properly, it was easy to work with.
Then the spider silk was woven into thread.
About ten meters of thread could be twisted out of two ounces of four-stranded spider silk; the thread itself was transparent and virtually weightless in hand.
This part was a bit labor-intensive but not difficult; he just needed to concentrate to get it done.
Next, he had to string some of the materials together with the spider silk, wrap them around the wooden ring, and weave complex patterns inside. Finally, he dangled the pale tail feathers as ornaments from the bottom of the ring.
Huai Shi, holding the thread's upper end, lifted it to examine it closely.
"This is a... Dreamcatcher?"
"Correct," Raven nodded. "Precisely speaking, it's an entrance to a Dreamland. Usually, it's used to infiltrate someone else's dreams."
"You want me to infiltrate someone's dream?"
"No, to be exact, it's not about 'someone's' dream." Raven emphasized the word 'someone' pointedly. "You are to infiltrate the Dreamland of 'Group Star' itself."