Walking a short distance, she heard the people behind her rise and leave, followed by a gradually rising murmur of whispers. The God of Dreams paused and looked back.
A small figure was carried on the shoulders of the leader, laughing amidst the throng of people. Noticing the God's gaze, the child curved his pretty, large eyes and waved cheerfully at her with a grin.
Baimeng smiled and waved back gently.
She remembered this. It was something that had actually happened. In the original reality, the God of Dreams had simply stood there quietly for a moment before turning away.
But things were different now. This was a dream—an ephemeral dream of Xiao, as well as her own domain and the source of her sustenance.
Though it felt somewhat improper to peer into Xiao's memories and dreams, if this physical vessel did not feed soon, serious trouble would likely follow.
She had no desire to wake up only to find herself indiscriminately harming people, just to be pierced through the heart by a spear from the Geo Archon.
Recalling the bad ending from playing the game back then, the words *“God of Dreams: Deceased.”* flashed before her eyes. Baimeng saw pitch black.
Absolutely not!
Patting her still-beating heart, the White-Haired Demon God let out a long sigh. She simply pulled a chair out of the void and sat down.
After all, her personal philosophy was simple: if she could sit, she would never stand.
If she weren't worried about losing her dignified image, she might even have wanted to lie down, preferably accompanied by some snacks and bubble tea. Back in the game, she had been restricted by the system, but now that she was free, she certainly wasn't going to mistreat herself.
Time in the dream passed swiftly. The little one who had just needed to be carried by others was now running all over the place. Baimeng rested her cheek on one hand, watching him dart through the crowd, drawing a cascade of joyous laughter.
Seeing the little fellow—not even as tall as an adult's waist—weaving through long adult legs without any fear of falling as he searched for something, Baimeng rubbed her fingertips. In an instant, clusters of flowers blossomed all around the little boy.
The tiny figure let out a cry of surprise, squatted down, and gently poked the petals with somewhat chubby fingers. A brilliant smile bloomed on that tender young face.
Before she knew it, a smile had also found its way onto the face of the God of Dreams. She curved her brows and eyes, gazing intently at that small figure.
It was as if the roaring and weeping behind her did not exist at all.
The chair beneath Baimeng served as a dividing line, cutting apart warmth and bitter cold. Before her lay a profusion of flowers, where carefree children smiled; behind her stretched the endless Abyss, where countless wronged spirits shrieked.
Yet the culprit behind it all remained completely oblivious.
All around the God of Dreams, fluttering emerald butterflies materialized. These seemingly harmless flying insects possessed the color and texture of jade; they clung to the pitch-black mist behind her, opened terrifying maws, and tore away wisps of Karmic Debt to swallow into their bellies.
The cries of the wronged spirits grew even more piercing, yet they could not pierce the invisible barrier. They struggled fiercely, but failed to shake off the tiny butterflies.
"Tastes terrible." There was not the slightest expression on the face of the God of Dreams, making her look more like a statue than a living person.
Her ten fingers manipulated the butterflies. As her energy drained away and the emptiness in her stomach was gradually filled, Baimeng's mouth was left full of bitterness. If she were to put the hatred and pain of the wronged spirits directly into her mouth, she would likely vomit on the spot.
These inferior nightmares were truly impossible to swallow.
Though she had known it since playing the game, experiencing it in raw reality was still agonizing.
At least back then, the system allowed her to adjust the difficulty; those nightmares full of resentment tasted like bitter melon candy at worst, barely tolerable. But now, Baimeng was almost driven to tears by the bitterness.
This stuff was a hundred times more bitter than traditional Chinese medicine brewed with coptis root!
She already hated bitter tastes; she even had to add three sugar cubes and plenty of milk to her coffee. Who would have thought that being forced to transmigrate would still require eating such misery!
She desperately wanted to eat something sweet! She wanted candy, cake, and an extra-large bubble tea!
"Here you go!" The child's soft, milky voice rang out abruptly.
The God of Dreams lowered her head and realized that the small figure had reached her side at some point. He held up a bunch of Qingxin Flower, standing on tiptoe to offer the flowers to her lips.
The fluttering butterflies seemed to have been hit by a pause button, emerald stars dotting the air, blinking on and off. The Demon God's brows and eyes instantly softened. With a hint of a smile, she asked, "Are you giving these to me?"
"Mhm!" The child nodded vigorously, his clear, bright pupils resembling sunlight.
"Thank you." Her numb arm refused to rise, so Baimeng tilted her head with effort and bit off a few petals, swallowing them. The slightly bitter, soft petals carried a lingering trace of sweetness, soothing the discomfort in her stomach.
"So sweet," she chuckled.
It felt as though a void had been filled; the empty bottle in her heart was stuffed with blooming flowers and viscous honey. A sense of fullness and satisfaction occupied her inner being.
As the hunger finally receded, the Demon God reached out, scooped the little boy onto her lap, and rubbed her own cheek against the child's soft cheek, drawing a series of giggles from him.
"It tickles, big sister!" Though complaining with his words, Little Jinpeng still wrapped his arms around her neck and rubbed his face against Baimeng's.
Baimeng took a deep breath and screamed inwardly: *Ah, how can he be so adorable! So cute! Such a soft, squishy rice dumpling! Can I just take one bite, just one bite, I'm begging you please please! Help, SOS, how can such a cute existence exist in this world! Whose baby is this—oh, wait, he's mine! So! Cute! Let me kiss kiss kiss kiss—*
Perhaps noticing that she had remained still for a long time, Little Jinpeng stretched out his arm with effort to touch Baimeng's forehead.
"Big sister?" The boy tilted his little head, his golden eyes filled with worry.
"Ugh!" *(Critical hit, fatal damage HP -1,000,000)* Familiar system prompt sounds seemed to ring in her ears, and Baimeng clutched her chest.
It took her a long time to successfully revive. Wiping away the non-existent blood from the corner of her mouth, Baimeng couldn't control the upward curve of her lips as she carefully looped Little Jinpeng into her embrace. Feeling the boy's elevated body temperature, she felt her own icy self gradually warming up.
How truly wondrous—how could such an existence come to be? Just seeing him made her heart feel warm; seeing him smile made her unconsciously break into a smile herself. No matter how painful or distressing things she had experienced, the mere sight of him filled her with strength once more. She wanted to work hard, wanted to become a better person, wanted to become someone worthy of his affection, and wanted to watch him smile happily forever and ever.
*"Chu."*
Planting a light kiss on the forehead of the boy in her arms, the God of Dreams murmured softly.
"I really, really like you."
"Um, big sister?" Tickled on the cheek by her cascading, delicate white hair, Little Jinpeng shifted restlessly and raised his head in confusion.