"Xia... Xia Xia? How are you here?"

Junjie stared at her in surprise.

Lu Xia Xia slowly turned toward him. Under the blood-red moon, her pale face looked unusually sad. Her eyes, once filled with warmth, now seemed distant and troubled.

Junjie frowned.

"What's wrong? You don't look well. Did something happen?"

For a moment, Lu Xia Xia remained silent. The cold mountain wind blew through her long hair as she lowered her head.

Then she slowly stepped closer.

"Junjie..." Her voice trembled. "Am I a terrible person?"

Junjie looked at her in confusion.

"What are you talking about?" he asked gently. "Did someone say something to you?"

She shook her head.

Before he could ask another question, Lu Xia Xia suddenly wrapped her arms around him.

Junjie froze.

A faint smile appeared on his face.

"What happened, Xia Xia?"

The next second, a sharp pain shot through his body.

His smile disappeared.

His eyes widened.

Slowly, he looked down.

A dagger was buried deep in his abdomen.

Blood stained his clothes.

Junjie's breathing became uneven.

He pushed Lu Xia Xia away and stared at her in disbelief.

"Xia Xia..." His voice shook. "Why... why did you do this?"

Tears streamed down her face.

She bit her lip and whispered,

"I'm sorry..."

At that moment, dozens of demon hunters emerged from the darkness behind her.

Junjie instantly understood everything.

The woman he trusted had led them straight to him.

"You betrayed me..." he said.

Pain flashed across Lu Xia Xia's face.

"I'm sorry..."

She quickly turned toward the demon hunters.

"I did exactly what you asked! Please let him go!"

But nobody listened.

The demon hunters raised their weapons.

Their killing intent filled the air.

Despite his injuries, Junjie slowly stood up.

His eyes never left Lu Xia Xia.

The disappointment in his gaze hurt more than any wound.

"You humans..." he said coldly. "You are not worthy of trust, friendship, or love."

After a long pause, he added,

"Especially you, Lu Xia Xia."

The mountain trembled as battle erupted.

The sound of clashing weapons echoed through the night.

Then everything faded into darkness.

"I'm sorry..."

"I'm sorry..."

The voice repeated again and again.

Suddenly, Ying Yue sat upright in bed.

Her heart pounded violently against her chest.

She was breathing heavily.

Tears covered her cheeks.

For several seconds, she simply stared into the darkness of her room.

The dream.

It was the same dream again.

The same mountain.

The same blood-red moon.

The same man.

And the same unbearable feeling of loss.

Ying Yue pressed a hand against her chest.

She didn't know who Lu Xia Xia was.

She didn't know who Junjie was.

Yet every time she saw them in her dreams, her heart ached as if she had personally lived through their tragedy.

She glanced at the clock beside her bed.

3:17 AM.

Another sleepless night.

Closing her eyes was no longer comforting.

Because every time she slept, the nightmare would find her again.

No matter how hard she tried, Ying Yue couldn't fall asleep again.

The nightmare had completely driven away her drowsiness.

With a tired sigh, she sat up and got out of bed. The room was silent except for the ticking of the clock on the wall.

She rubbed her temples and glanced at the time.

3:17 AM.

Another sleepless night.

For the past month, she had been seeing the same dream over and over again.

The blood-red moon.

The mountain.

The woman named Lu Xia Xia.

And the mysterious man called Junjie.

Every time she woke up, her heart ached as if she had personally experienced their tragedy.

Ying Yue pushed the blanket aside and walked into the bathroom.

She splashed cold water onto her face several times.

Droplets slid down her cheeks as she slowly raised her head and looked at herself in the mirror.

Dark circles had started forming beneath her eyes.

Her usually bright eyes now looked tired and lifeless.

"What is wrong with me?" she muttered.

Maybe I should see a doctor.

After drying her face, she left the bathroom and headed toward the kitchen.

She opened the refrigerator, took out a bottle of water, and drank a few large gulps.

The cold water eased her dry throat, but it couldn't calm the uneasiness in her heart.

Just then, the kitchen light suddenly turned on.

Ying Yue nearly jumped in surprise.

"Grandma?"

Her grandmother stood near the doorway, looking at her with concern.

"Yue? You're still awake?"

Ying Yue let out a relieved sigh.

"Yes, Grandma."

Her grandmother slowly walked closer.

"The same dream again?"

Ying Yue nodded.

"The same dream."

Her grandmother sighed.

"I told you before, you should visit a doctor. You haven't been sleeping properly for weeks."

Ying Yue forced a smile.

"Okay, okay. I'll go tomorrow."

She glanced toward the window.

A faint glow was already appearing in the distance.

"The sun will be up soon. You should go back to sleep, Grandma."

Her grandmother hesitated before nodding.

"Don't push yourself too hard."

"I won't."

After her grandmother returned to her room, Ying Yue went back to her own bedroom.

She lay on her bed and stared at the ceiling.

No matter how hard she tried, sleep never came.

A few hours later, the first rays of sunlight entered her room.

As usual, Ying Yue changed into her workout clothes and went out for her morning run.

The cool morning air brushed against her face as she jogged through the park.

Normally, running helped clear her mind.

Today, however, Junjie's face kept appearing in her thoughts.

Who was he?

Why did he feel so familiar?

And why did seeing him suffer make her heart hurt?

Lost in thought, Ying Yue barely noticed someone approaching her.

"What's with that face?"

A familiar voice interrupted her thoughts.

Ying Yue turned around.

Her best friend, Yan Xing, was jogging toward her.

"You look exhausted," Yan Xing said.

Ying Yue laughed bitterly.

"What can I say? The same dream again."

Yan Xing groaned dramatically.

"Seriously? Why does that dream keep coming back?"

"I wish I knew."

The two friends continued jogging side by side.

For a while, neither of them spoke.

Then Yan Xing suddenly looked at her.

"Wait..."

"What?"

"Hasn't this been happening ever since you read that book?"

Ying Yue slowed her pace.

The smile on her face disappeared.

That book.

She remembered it clearly.

An old book she had purchased after visiting an art exhibition.

At first, it had seemed completely ordinary.

Yet somehow, ever since she brought it home, strange things had started happening.

The nightmares.

The mysterious faces.

The overwhelming feeling of sadness she couldn't explain.

"Yeah..." Ying Yue finally admitted.

Yan Xing frowned.

"That's too much of a coincidence."

Ying Yue didn't answer.

Deep down, she had begun wondering the same thing.

For some reason, ever since that day, everything had started to change.

And she had a feeling that this was only the beginning.

After visiting the doctor, Ying Yue finally returned home.

The doctor had blamed her condition on stress and lack of sleep. Although she wasn't fully convinced, she decided to follow his advice and get some rest.

After lunch, she spent the afternoon lying in bed.

When evening arrived, Ying Yue sat in front of her computer.

A notification from the National Art Competition suddenly caught her attention.

The competition was one of the most prestigious events for young artists across the country.

The winner would receive a scholarship and an opportunity to exhibit their work in a famous gallery.

Ying Yue stared at the screen thoughtfully.

"I still haven't decided on a theme..."

She opened several tabs and searched for inspiration.

However, none of the ideas interested her.

Then, without realizing it, her thoughts drifted back to the strange dreams.

The blood-red moon.

The mountain.

Junjie.

Lu Xia Xia.

And the mysterious book.

A sudden thought appeared in her mind.

"What if I use that as my theme?"

The more she thought about it, the more interested she became.

The mystery surrounding the book had been haunting her for weeks.

Perhaps turning it into an artwork would help her understand it better.

Excited by the idea, Ying Yue searched for information about the book online.

To her surprise, very little information existed.

Most websites only mentioned an ancient book called The Crimson Moon Record. According to several sources, one of the few remaining copies was rumored to be stored in a historical library on the other side of the city.

Ying Yue quickly wrote down the address.

The next morning, after breakfast, she packed her sketchbook into her bag.

"Where are you going?" her grandmother asked.

"To the library," Ying Yue replied.

"I need to do some research for the competition."

Her grandmother nodded.

"Don't forget to eat lunch."

"I won't."

After saying goodbye, Ying Yue left the house.

After nearly an hour of traveling, she finally arrived at the library.

The building looked ancient. Tall shelves filled with countless books stretched as far as the eye could see.

Ying Yue walked to the front desk and took out her phone.

"Excuse me," she said politely.

The librarian looked up.

"How may I help you?"

Ying Yue showed him a picture on her phone.

"I'm looking for a book called The Crimson Moon Record. I heard there might be a copy here."

The librarian adjusted his glasses and stared at the screen.

For a brief moment, a strange expression crossed his face.

"Yes," he finally said. "We do have that book."

Ying Yue's eyes lit up.

"Really?"

The librarian nodded.

"However, it's a very old book."

"Can I borrow it?"

"I'm afraid not."

Ying Yue frowned.

"Why?"

"Because you'll have to find it yourself."

She blinked in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

The librarian pointed toward a distant hallway lined with towering shelves.

"The book is somewhere in our archive section. Over the years, its exact location has been forgotten."

"So the library owns the book, but nobody knows where it is

Yes, miss....