Courtyard House: My Long and Hard Body Makes Me Play with All the Women in the Courtyard

The man shook his head slightly: "It's not an arrangement, it's guidance. Nightmare or key, they are merely trials reflected in your own heart. Your ability to overcome them means your will is strong enough to withstand the deepest power of the dream."

Chapter 1195 The End of the Dream

He looked at Su Ting: "And you, now, are standing at the finish line."

Su Ting took a deep breath and asked the most fundamental question on his mind.

"If I were a key... then what... would I open?"

The man's eyes dimmed for a moment, as if he had touched upon something he didn't want to remember.

“At the end of the dream, there is a door,” he said slowly. “Behind that door lies your true memories—the fundamental reason why you entered the dream.”

"That's... the truth for everyone."

Su Ting suddenly spoke, his voice firm: "Then let's open the door."

The man looked at him with a hint of approval in his eyes.

"But once the door is opened, the dream will shatter."

Lin Yin gasped sharply: "Then what will happen to us?"

"Wake up." The man nodded slowly. "Or, sleep forever."

The air suddenly solidified.

As Su Ting gazed at the man's face, a vague feeling arose in his heart—this man's appearance seemed somewhat familiar.

"Lin Yin..." he tentatively called out the name, "...don't we...know each other before?"

The man remained silent for a moment, then a bitter smile slowly appeared on his lips.

“I know him.” He nodded slowly. “You may not remember, but I… have never forgotten.”

Because **you are my true brother.**

Lin Yin and Su Ting exchanged a glance, their eyes widening almost simultaneously.

Su Ting froze, her voice so soft it was almost swallowed by the wind: "...What did you say?"

The man turned around, his cloak billowing in the wind, his back to them, leaving behind only a meaningful sentence.

"Once you open the door, you will see the answer. But remember, once you've made your choice... there's no going back."

He walked slowly into the distance, his figure gradually becoming blurred.

"And I... will wait for you to make your final decision."

Su Ting gazed in the direction he had left, gripping the golden key tightly in her hand.

Su Ting's deep and firm voice reached my ears.

"Whatever you choose, we will be with you."

Lin Yin gently took Su Ting's hand, her voice trembling slightly: "Su Ting... do you want to open the door?"

Su Ting looked down at the golden key in his hand, remained silent for a moment, and finally looked up.

His voice was gentle yet firm, as if he had finally found his direction.

“I want to go home,” he said softly.

"But I also need to know... who the real me is."

He looked into the distance, towards that door, and slowly raised the golden key.

Just as the key was aimed at the lock—

Suddenly, a soft whisper rang in their ears.

“Su Ting…” It was Lin Yin’s voice, but it carried a different quality.

He turned his head abruptly and saw that Lin Yin's eyes had changed slightly.

She gazed at him, a strange light flickering deep within her eyes.

“If you really want to go home… then could you… answer one question for me first?” she said softly.

A faint smile suddenly appeared on her lips.

That smile... was exactly the same as the smile in my nightmare.

Su Ting's pupils suddenly contracted—

Su Ting exclaimed in surprise:

"Lin Yin...how could you..."

Lin Yin's smile slowly widened, her voice soft:

You said...we should go home together.

"But have you ever considered that I... am the real gatekeeper?"

Su Ting's steps froze for a moment.

The golden key hovered in mid-air, as if invisible threads were slicing time into fragments. Lin Yin's face still held that gentle smile, but that smile was devoid of emotion, like a scene from a painting, breathtakingly beautiful.

Chapter 1196 Strikes the Heart

"Lin Yin?" Su Ting called softly, his tone gentle but with a hint of hesitation.

She tilted her head slightly, as if she were sizing him up, or perhaps she was pondering something.

Her voice was soft, yet it seemed to possess a certain magic, striking straight to the heart:

"Su Ting, why do you think... why did you come back? Why do you keep traversing the dream world? Is it a coincidence, a matter of will, or is someone... guiding you step by step to this point?"

Su Ting suddenly took a step back, the short blade in his hand already unsheathed, its light trembling slightly in the air.

"Are you Nightmare?" he asked in a low voice, his eyes wary.

Lin Yin—or rather, the voice attached to her—chuckled softly.

"Nightmare is just a name, just like you call him Lin Yin, or the Key... but the name is never the truth."

She walked slowly to Su Ting and gently stroked his cheek.

Su Ting did not dodge, but his eyes were unusually calm.

"Who exactly are you?" he asked, his voice firm.

Lin Yin smiled slightly: "I am the very core of this dream..."

The air seemed to freeze at that moment, and even the wind in the distance stopped.

“You are the key, and I…” she slowly took a step back, “ am the door itself.”

Su Ting narrowed his eyes slightly: "Why are you helping us? Why did you lead me here?"

“Because you are also a key.” She smiled faintly, “only… a key that has not yet awakened.”

Su Ting frowned: "You mean, the reason Su Ting hasn't opened that door yet is because he... isn't ready?"

Lin Yin nodded gently, a complex emotion flickering in her eyes:

"Yes."

She turned to look at the illusory yet real golden door:

"Behind the door lies the true beginning. But the one who opens the door must know who they truly are."

"And now... Su Ting, do you really know who you are?"

Su Ting remained silent, his gaze gradually calming down.

Countless images flashed through his mind—from the first time he dreamed of Lin Yin's shadow, to the bewilderment he felt when he first crossed into a dream, to every battle in the nightmares, every time he fought alongside Su Ting, and every time he walked hand in hand with Lin Yin...

But do all those memories really belong to him?

He looked into Lin Yin's eyes and spoke softly:

"If... you are the core of my dream, then tell me—who am I?"

Lin Yin gazed at him for a long time, and then slowly closed her eyes.

When she opened her eyes again, a golden light shone from them.

Her voice was no longer her own, but rather like... countless overlapping voices.

"Su Ting, you are not from this world."

She slowly reached out her hand, and a beam of light condensed into a mirror, appearing before Su Ting's eyes.

"You think you're an ordinary person in the real world... but in reality—you're a forgotten fragment of consciousness."

"It is the 'reality' of your world that has banished you into the dream world."

Su Ting's pupils contracted sharply: "...What?"

“Dreams are the space where you truly exist,” she continued, “while that world has long since abandoned you.”

“No…” Su Ting’s voice trembled slightly, “That’s not how it is.”