I am Master Maoshan

Chapter 1999 Dreamland
The night grew darker, like a thick piece of black silk, silently covering the entire sea surface. The waves gently hit the side of the boat, making a low and rhythmic sound, like a lullaby of nature, which made people feel peaceful.

As the night progressed, the wind on the sea seemed to become cooler, and everyone was a little sleepy. Their faces were filled with tired but satisfied smiles, as if they were still reminiscing about the happy time of the barbecue party tonight. The sailors in particular had been busy all day, and now they had started to rest early, lying on the narrow beds, their breathing gradually becoming steady and deep.

As more and more people went to rest, only a few people were left on the deck, still packing up the barbecue tools and leftover food. The barbecue party on the ship was over. In Liu Jun's opinion, it was a success and worthwhile, at least it boosted morale.

The wooden boat was moving at a relatively slow speed at night, as if it was also enjoying this rare quiet time. In the cockpit of the wooden boat, only the lonely figure of the helmsman was standing guard, staring intently at the sea ahead, holding the steering wheel steadily with both hands to ensure that the boat could sail safely. Others, including the captain, had already entered the cabin to rest and recharge their energy for tomorrow's new journey.

Liu Jun was no exception. Even though he stayed up for days and nights, his body was not affected by lack of sleep. But he still developed the habit of going to bed late and getting up early. Whenever night fell, he wanted to find a bed to lie down, have a good sleep, and relax himself.

At this moment, the surroundings were almost quiet, with only the slight sound of waves and the slight sound of the ship shaking, echoing in the ears.

However, no one knew that a mist had slowly risen around them. Under the cover of darkness, the mist spread silently and surrounded the ship. They were like ghosts from another world, mysterious and strange, giving people a chill. But in this quiet night, no one noticed this change, and the ship continued to move slowly forward in the mist, heading towards an unknown distance.

There was a crisp "pop" sound, like a stone suddenly thrown into a calm lake, breaking the silence around.

Liu Jun was suddenly awakened from his sleep by the sudden noise. He looked at the ghost doll in front of him in confusion, and the doll's eyes seemed to be filled with innocence and anxiety.

"Damn, you're so bold that you even dare to hit me?" Liu Jun gritted his teeth and grabbed the ghost doll.

However, the ghost doll did not struggle. It just stretched out its slender fingers and pointed at the cabin window. Its eyes seemed to be telling some important information.

Liu Jun was puzzled, but he still looked in the direction the ghost doll pointed. His face changed drastically, and a trace of uneasiness flashed in his eyes. He then let go of the ghost doll and ran to the deck in two steps, praying in his heart that it was just a false alarm.

After running to the deck, Liu Jun's face became even uglier. The scene in front of him frightened him. Although it was pitch black around him, he could still vaguely see the general outline of a few hundred meters away.

But now, the wooden boat was surrounded by gray fog, so thick that it seemed to swallow the boat. In the fog, there were faint bursts of strange sounds, which made people shudder.

Liu Jun suppressed his uneasiness, walked a few steps to the cockpit, and pushed open the door. He saw that the helmsman in the cockpit had fallen asleep and could not be woken up no matter how he called.

The helmsman had a strange smile on his face, as if he had encountered something terrible yet exciting in his dream.

Liu Jun's heart tightened and he immediately turned around and ran back to the cabin. His footsteps echoed in the narrow space, carrying a bit of urgency and uneasiness.

The first person he wanted to wake up was the sleeping Yao Guangxiao. However, this powerful and resourceful boss seemed to be in a deep dream at this moment, unaware of anything in the outside world. Moreover, there was a strange smile on Yao Guangxiao's face.

Then, Liu Jun turned to the side. The fat man's body took up a lot of space. The snoring should have been deafening, but at this moment it was unusually quiet, with only slight snoring sounds occasionally.

The fat man's face also showed an indescribable weird expression, his eyes were empty, and the corners of his mouth were slightly raised, as if he was experiencing some puzzling scene.

"It's over, what's going on?" Liu Jun muttered to himself, the confusion and anxiety in his heart surging like a tide.

He looked around, trying to find clues from the subtle changes in the environment, but everything seemed normal, nothing unusual. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down, and analyzed the situation.

As someone who was extremely sensitive to drugs, Liu Jun quickly ruled out the possibility that someone had drugged him. There was no unusual smell in the air, and his body did not have any discomfort. At the same time, he was also sure that there was no formation set up here, and there was no familiar energy fluctuation around, and it was not within the reach of illusion. This extraordinary phenomenon made him feel unprecedentedly difficult.

Just when Liu Jun was at a loss, a subtle voice interrupted his thoughts. He looked down and saw that it was the ghost doll that had quietly come to his feet. Its pair of black and shiny eyes stared at him, and its small finger pointed at a curtain not far away - that was the entrance to the inner cabin.

Liu Jun suddenly realized that there were several girls living in the inner cabin. Were they also in the same deep sleep? Thinking of this, his heart suddenly sank, and he didn't care about much else. He opened the curtain without hesitation and stepped into the inner cabin.

The space inside the cabin was relatively spacious and the layout was more cozy. On several soft beds, several girls were lying quietly, with the same weird smile on their faces, as if they were being pulled by some mysterious force and immersed in an unknown world together. Just when Liu Jun was about to turn around and leave the room, a subtle and trembling whisper, like a meteor across the night sky, instantly attracted his attention. The voice was full of despair and unwillingness, as if it was a weak cry struggling on the edge of life and death.

"No, no, I don't want to die, I still want to live..."

This sentence was like a spell, making Liu Jun's heart tighten suddenly. He then turned around abruptly, scanning the surroundings with sharp eyes, trying to find the source of the sound.

At this moment, a strange and mysterious power suddenly rose quietly from Chen Manni's body. It flickered with a faint light, but disappeared in a flash, as if it had never existed and disappeared without a trace.

Liu Jun frowned, his eyes full of confusion and surprise, and walked quickly to Chen Manni's side. She had her eyes closed, her face was as pale as paper, her forehead was covered with fine beads of sweat, and her expression was filled with a trace of fear and helplessness that was difficult to conceal. This was completely different from the other people sleeping in the room, who only had strange smiles on their faces.

"Is this a nightmare?" Liu Jun muttered to himself, "But what is the key point? Why did it emanate from Chen Manni?"

Liu Jun's heart was full of doubts and curiosity. He had a feeling that everyone's deep sleep must be related to Chen Manni.

"Chen Manni, wake up, can you hear me?" Liu Jun gently pushed Chen Manni's body, trying to wake her up from her dream.

Seeing that Chen Manni didn't react, Liu Jun didn't give up. He increased his strength and shook Chen Manni's shoulders, but she was still asleep.

This was exactly the same situation as when he tried to wake up Fatty and the others. No matter how hard he tried, no matter how he called, Chen Manni seemed to have fallen into a deep sleep and was unable to extricate herself.

"Do you think pouring some ice water on them can wake them up?" After a moment of silence, Liu Jun turned his head to look at the ghost doll beside him, as if looking for an absurd but possible solution.

The ghost doll's empty eyes flashed with a green light, and it was silent for a few seconds, as if thinking about the feasibility of this proposal. However, in the end, it just rolled its eyes lightly, and its expression seemed to say, "Are you sure you are not joking?" Then, it no longer paid attention to Liu Jun, but just sat there quietly, watching the increasingly thick fog around it.

At this moment, the originally calm mist suddenly began to change. Strange and illusory pictures, like slides controlled by some mysterious force, slowly floated past their wooden boat. These pictures were colorful, but with an indescribable sense of weirdness. They plunged into the depths of the mist and soon disappeared without a trace, as if they had never existed.

At first, Liu Jun just looked at these pictures with curiosity. However, as the pictures continued to increase, he gradually discovered some clues. The first few pictures seemed to be in an old manor, where a little girl was sitting in front of a canvas, waving her brush attentively. Her expression was focused and serious, and every stroke revealed her love and persistence for painting.

As the pictures flowed, Liu Jun was surprised to find that the little girl was Chen Manni, whom he knew! Those pictures recorded her growth from childhood to adulthood, from her carefree childhood to her rebelliousness and struggle in adolescence, to her joys and sorrows in adulthood, and the pain after knowing that she would soon die. Every picture was so real and vivid that it seemed to be within reach.

An inexplicable shock surged in Liu Jun's heart. He had never thought that he would be able to see Chen Manni's past and present in this way. These pictures are not only Chen Manni's memories, but also the trajectory and imprint of her life.

"Oh, it hurts so much..." Chen Manni's voice was thin and her eyes were still tightly closed. Her long eyelashes trembled slightly, as if she was in great pain. Her brows were furrowed, and beads of sweat oozed from her forehead. Her low murmurs echoed in the silent air, with a hint of helplessness and despair.

Hearing the voice, Liu Jun took a few steps forward with a serious expression. He quickly and decisively placed his hand on Chen Manni's slightly bulging belly. He seemed to feel an unusual pulse between his fingers, which made him feel a chill in his heart.

"This thing is growing faster..." Liu Jun muttered to himself, his brows furrowed even deeper.

He originally estimated that after Chen Manni took the elixir he carefully refined, the growth of the thing in her body would be temporarily suppressed, giving them more time to find a way to save her. However, the development of the situation far exceeded his expectations.

After just a few days, the thing actually grew larger at an alarming speed, as if an irresistible force was driving it to grow wildly. At this rate, Chen Manni might not be able to hold on for even ten days, let alone a year.

Just as he was immersed in deep worry, a subtle sound broke the silence around him. Liu Jun looked up suddenly and saw that the expressions of the other sleeping people began to change subtly. Their brows gradually knitted together, and painful expressions appeared on their faces, as if they were entangled in an invisible nightmare.

The people closest to Liu Jun, besides Chen Manni, were the maid who had been silently waiting beside her, and the demigod priest Nia. Both of them had the same painful expressions, their brows were furrowed, their lips were slightly open, as if they were suffering the same torment as Chen Manni.

Liu Jun's heart sank. He knew that this was no accident. The thing's accelerated growth probably meant that it was affecting the people around it in some way. He had to act quickly, otherwise the consequences would be disastrous.