Lan Chanzhun could only watch as his younger sister darted out of the room like she was being chased by fire. He let out a long sigh, gently shook his head, and murmured quietly to himself:
"She's acting… unusually strange."
He followed her out at a leisurely pace, his footsteps on the ship's wooden floor calm and steady completely unlike Ye Juan, who now resembled a miniature whirlwind, dashing aimlessly through the corridors.
And then…
The sound of frantic footsteps thud, thud, thud and the sight of a girl whose face was still flushed red from her dream, suddenly came into clear view of the three others who had just turned the corner of the ship's hallway.
"Ye Juan?"
Xin Tingting exclaimed in mild surprise, blinking rapidly in confusion. She, Liang Yi, and Bai Wangyan had been on their way to find her at that very moment.
Liang Yi watched as their friend approached, her forehead glistening with sweat. His eyes narrowed slightly in puzzlement.
"Were you running from something?"
Bai Wangyan, as usual, stood silently behind them. His expression was as calm and unreadable as ever.
Ye Juan barely managed to brake in time, her slim body coming to an abrupt halt right as the three stopped in front of her. She gave a dry, awkward smile she couldn't suppress, then hurriedly tried to compose herself, adjusting her posture to appear prim and proper, as if nothing unusual had happened. However, the recent embarrassment still shimmered faintly in her eyes.
"Ah... you guys! Uh… perfect timing! I was just about to come find you!"
She let out a stiff laugh, her hands nervously fidgeting with each other.
Lan Chanzhun, who had just caught up, gave a soft, gentle smile. He turned to look at the three of them with a calm gaze and asked in a composed voice though there was a slight undertone of reprimand:
"Where have you all been?
When I woke up, none of you were around."
Liang Yi met his eyes with a calm demeanor, his expression still and composed, as if nothing at all was out of the ordinary. He replied in a flat voice:
"It's a long story.
Better to explain later."
"Xin Tingting! Xin Tingting!
I-I have something to tell you!"
Ye Juan shouted excitedly and rushed toward her with urgency. The moment she reached her, she grabbed Xin Tingting's wrist tightly and tugged her away to a corner.
Once she was sure no one could overhear, Ye Juan raised one hand to shield her mouth, leaned in, and whispered the contents of the dream she had just experienced. Her voice was barely more than a breath, but it carried a thrilling and excited undertone.
"I… I dreamed I saw a bunch of muscular men bathing in a hot spring!
And I was spying on them!
And not only that they were calling me their wife!"
Xin Tingting froze for a moment, her round eyes widening slightly in shock. But soon, her full lips began to tremble this time from holding back laughter. In the end, she couldn't stop herself, and a bright, uncontrollable burst of laughter erupted from her.
"Hahaha! That's the kind of dream you had?!"
She covered her mouth, shaking her head in disbelief.
"Why didn't you invite me into that dream too!?"
Ye Juan, standing right in front of her, had a mischievous sparkle in her eyes. She giggled with a crystal-clear laugh, then leaned in to whisper like it was some kind of illicit secret.
"Haha! I'm telling you, every single one of them was dreamboat material!"
She laughed harder, clutching her stomach, almost unable to keep her balance from how hilarious it all felt.
The two of them doubled over with laughter Ye Juan and Xin Tingting seemed completely absorbed in their own little world. The bright laughter of two girls echoed through the ship's corridor. They clutched each other's arms, swaying as they shared the juiciest of secret stories that were just too funny to keep inside.
Ye Juan had to cover her mouth and lower her head until her wavy hair clung to her cheeks. But she kept laughing, tears forming in her eyes.
"Haha! I… I can't take it anymore…
My cheeks are going to burst!"
"Hahaha! And your face while you were telling it gods, now I really want to see what that dream looked like!"
Xin Tingting said as she wiped tears from the corners of her eyes, still hunched over in laughter.
Meanwhile, not far away, around another corner of the ship's corridor, Bai Wangyan, Liang Yi, and Lan Chanzhun stood watching the scene unfold before them all wearing identical expressions of total confusion.
Liang Yi raised an eyebrow. One hand on his hip, he pointed hesitantly toward the two girls.
"What exactly are they laughing about?"
"No idea…"
Lan Chanzhun replied briefly.
Bai Wangyan didn't say a word. He merely furrowed his brows slightly, his cold eyes fixed on Xin Tingting, who by now had laughed so hard she'd sunk down to sit against the ship's wall looking more exhausted from laughing than from anything else that had happened so far.
The three of them stood together in silence for a while, seemingly trying to process the bizarre scene before them but no one said anything else. Each face showed the same confusion, like they were facing something beyond logical explanation.
Soon after, Xin Tingting and Ye Juan returned to where the others were still waiting. Their faces still held faint smiles, as if they had just emerged from a private moment of sheer joy.
As they reached the group, Xin Tingting gently raised her arm. A pinkish-purple butterfly, which had been perched quietly on her pale wrist, slowly fluttered into the air. Its translucent wings shimmered in the sunlight like crystal, scattering soft pink hues as it flew.
It danced elegantly above their heads, and in the blink of an eye, a radiant light burst forth from the center of its wings transforming into a large butterfly-winged portal suspended in midair. The outline shimmered faintly, like a curtain of magical mist quivering with enchantment.
Xin Tingting stepped forward, her sharp gaze scanning everyone seriously.
"Everyone…
It's time for us to leave this place."
Her voice was calm, but there was urgency beneath it.
"I meant to explain some things to the two of you earlier…"
She glanced between Lan Chanzhun and Ye Juan.
"…but let's save that for later. Not now."
She gave a small nod to signal the group.
"Let's go. Don't waste time."
They all exchanged looks of mutual understanding before stepping into the portal. As they passed through the veil of light, the humid warmth of the magic ship was instantly replaced by a blast of searing heat.
Before them stretched a vast golden desert, rolling endlessly into the horizon. The sand shifted in waves, and the sky above blazed with scorching sunlight so intense that the moisture in the air seemed to evaporate into the whistling wind.
They had returned once more… to the desert realm.