Liu Wufeng said with a sigh, "I’m not certain, but there’s still a sliver of a chance. Shen Bai, your future path may not be confined to Fenglin State."

Shen Bai smiled. "The future is the future, and the present is the present. For now, at least, I’m still in Fenglin State."

The topic ended there.

Liu Wufeng didn’t want to discuss it any further.

He had already mentally prepared himself for this, with an inkling that Shen Bai’s journey would likely not end in Fenglin State.

But as Shen Bai said, that was something to consider later.

Although the Nightmare incident was resolved, there were still many troublesome loose ends.

Liu Wufeng clapped his hands. "Let’s start the cleanup."

The members of the Observatory who had recovered from the Dream Realm looked at Shen Bai with complicated expressions.

This included the members of the Jia and Yi Divisions.

They had woken up at the same time as Liu Wufeng and learned what had transpired, and a bitter feeling welled up inside them.

This was especially true for some of the middle-aged members of the Jia Division, who felt a sense of helplessness and bewilderment.

A young man had done something they would never have dared to do.

It was only natural for such a comparison to breed bewilderment.

Fortunately, the members of the Observatory were mentally resilient. They quickly composed themselves and began the final cleanup.

Just as the Observatory members were beginning the cleanup, the sound of something tearing through the air suddenly echoed.

Everyone looked toward the sound and saw Long Yan approaching, a person in her grasp.

Long Yan had already returned to normal, so no one showed any signs of alarm.

Once Long Yan was close, she threw the person she was carrying to the ground, then looked at Shen Bai and said, "Thank you, Shen Bai."

Long Yan showed none of her previous frivolity; her tone was completely formal.

Shen Bai shook his head. "Landlord Long, you already thanked me in the Dream Realm. There’s no need to do it again. Who is this?"

In truth, Shen Bai already had a guess.

He suspected this person was the foundation upon which Long Yan’s Dream Realm had been built.

As expected, as soon as Shen Bai asked, Long Yan replied with a cold smile.

"This is Tang Yun of the Peach Opera Garden. He’s the son of the man who forced me into marriage. This time, he sent his people to Fenglin State to perform, but aside from colluding with the Wild Taoist Sect, he must have other secrets. This is a perfect opportunity to have the Observatory interrogate him."

Tang Yun was unconscious. Considering Shen Bai had dealt him a grievous blow within the Dream Realm, he was lucky to be alive.

A flicker of delight showed in Liu Wufeng’s eyes. "Excellent! We’ve never been able to get any leverage on the Peach Opera Garden. It looks like we’ll have a lead this time."

This wasn’t the place to talk. After saying this, Liu Wufeng waved his hand, signaling the Observatory members to finish cleaning up, and then led the group toward the Observatory headquarters.

Liu State Governor didn’t linger. He still had urgent matters to attend to at the Government Office, so he took his leave of Shen Bai and the others then and there.

After a moment’s thought, Shen Bai decided to follow them back to the Observatory.

The Peach Opera Garden had piqued his interest.

...

The journey back to the Observatory was uneventful.

Upon his return, Liu Wufeng had a member of the Observatory take Tang Yun down to the dungeons.

There were specialists there to conduct the interrogation, so Liu Wufeng didn’t need to concern himself with it.

"I’ll let you know if there’s any news," Liu Wufeng said. "Shen Bai, if you have a moment, come to my office with me."

Shen Bai noticed Liu Wufeng give him a meaningful look. ’He must have something important to discuss,’ he thought.

After a moment of thought, he nodded in agreement.

Without another word, Liu Wufeng turned and walked toward the small, two-story building.

Qin Shuang looked all around the Observatory’s courtyard, her expression one of keen interest.

She had participated in the operation, but she hadn’t experienced the same life-or-death struggle as Shen Bai.

As one of the members who had fallen into the dream, she woke up only to find that Shen Bai had already speedrun the entire crisis.

To Qin Shuang, Shen Bai pulling off a speedrun like that was just business as usual.

After all, she had seen it happen many times before, back in Shengyun County.

Now, seeing her master lead Shen Bai into the two-story building, Qin Shuang’s eyes darted about mischievously. She began to follow them, tiptoeing quietly.

But she hadn’t taken more than two steps before Liu Wufeng shot her a glare. She immediately flinched, shrinking back and putting on an innocent "who, me?" expression as if she hadn’t been planning to eavesdrop at all.

Liu Wufeng warned, "I have something important to discuss with Shen Bai. No eavesdropping, you hear me?"

Although his words were a warning, his expression was one of pure exasperation.

Clearly, Liu Wufeng was at a loss for what to do with his unpredictable apprentice.

Qin Shuang mumbled an "Oh," but her eyes still held a mischievous, eager glint.

Still, Qin Shuang was a member of the Observatory and knew the importance of following orders. With a quick acknowledgement, she quietly departed.

Before leaving, she told Shen Bai to find her for a meal sometime when he was free.

Shen Bai watched her leave with a helpless shake of his head before following Liu Wufeng into the two-story building.

Since most of the Observatory’s members had just returned from their mission, the small, two-story building was nearly empty.

Shen Bai was quite curious himself, wondering what Liu Wufeng wanted to discuss.

Once he was inside, Liu Wufeng casually shut the door behind them.

Seeing Liu Wufeng’s solemn expression, Shen Bai asked, "Lord Liu, is there some delicate matter you wish to discuss?"

’He brought me all the way here,’ Shen Bai thought. ’There’s no way this isn’t about some secret.’

Liu Wufeng pondered for a moment before nodding. "Then I’ll be direct. Shen Bai, I have a mission for you. It will require you to travel far from here, but I haven’t yet decided on the exact departure time."

Shen Bai was taken aback. "Travel far, Lord Liu? Does that mean I’ll be leaving Fenglin State?"

Liu Wufeng nodded. "That’s right. As you guessed, you’ll be leaving Fenglin Continent. You’ll understand after you read this letter."