Long's sleep was mercifully deep and free of nightmares, though it was not entirely dreamless. In the depths of the night, he found himself drifting through a haze of colors and whispers. He vaguely recalled standing in an endless lotus pond under a violet sky, the water still as glass. Silver fish swam beneath the surface, each leaving trails of light. On the far horizon, a pale sun tried to rise but never quite broke above the waterline. There were voices, too, gentle and indistinct, as if a hundred people were murmuring lullabies at the edge of hearing.
When morning came, those images faded like dew. Long awoke to the soft glow of dawn filtering through the window slats and the tickle of a wet nose on his cheek. The wolf cub was perched right beside his head on the cot, poking him insistently with its snout. Its tail thumped against the bedding with relief now that he was awake.
"Alright, I'm up," Long chuckled, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. His body felt surprisingly refreshed—a testament to the comfort of a real bed after weeks on the road. He sat up and stretched, joints popping. The cub hopped down, then looked back at him expectantly.
Long's stomach rumbled. It seemed his companion was hungry too. "Let's see about breakfast," he murmured.
Outside, the storm had passed. The courtyard of the Temple of Serene Dream glistened with morning dew and last night's rain. Early sunlight painted the paving stones gold and chased long shadows behind the trimmed hedges and dream lily beds. A handful of disciples moved about, sweeping away leaves brought down by the wind.
As Long stepped off the guest house porch with the cub trotting at his heels, a young woman in pale blue robes came by with a broom. She paused, eyeing the wolf cub with curiosity and a hint of wariness. "Good morning, traveler," she greeted politely. "I trust you slept well?"
Long inclined his head. "Very well, thank you. The hospitality of your sect is a blessing."
The woman smiled, brushing back a few stray hairs that had escaped her neat bun. "We aim to make all dreams pleasant ones here," she said lightly. "I am Liu Mei, a disciple of the temple. If you're looking for breakfast, the refectory is just over there." She pointed to a modest hall on the eastern side of the compound.
"Much appreciated," Long replied. The wolf cub sniffed in Liu Mei's direction, deciding she was friendly enough, and gave a small wag of its tail.
Liu Mei let out a soft laugh. "What an adorable creature. Though pets are rare around here. Most of our sect beasts prefer to sleep in." She gestured offhandedly toward a large tree where, upon squinting, Long noticed a fat white cat curled on a high branch, sunning itself and clearly snoozing.
Long arched an eyebrow. He had expected perhaps a fierce guardian beast, but a slumbering cat seemed perfectly in theme. The cub, noticing the cat, gave a short bark. The cat's ears twitched but it remained blissfully asleep. Liu Mei grinned. "That's Elder Catnip. He's technically our watch-beast, but I'm afraid he's rather... indolent."
Long covered his mouth to hide a smile. The absurdity was oddly charming. "Every sect has its own customs," he said diplomatically.
He parted ways with Liu Mei and headed to the refectory. Inside, he found a few disciples sitting around low tables, eating simple rice porridge and steamed buns. The atmosphere was subdued and quiet; people spoke in murmurs if at all, as if reluctant to break the morning peace.
Zhou Wei, the disciple who had welcomed him last night, spotted him and eagerly waved him over to his table. "Senior Long, over here!" he called in a hushed but excited tone.
Long fetched a bowl of the porridge from a serving table and joined Zhou Wei, taking a seat on a floor cushion. The wolf cub settled by Long's feet, eyeing the bowl hopefully. Long blew on a spoonful and then discreetly lowered it for the cub to lap up.
Zhou Wei watched this with amusement. "You're quite close with your companion. Does he have a name?"
"I've simply been calling him 'Cub' for now," Long replied, shrugging. "Haven't found a name that suits him yet."
At the word Cub, the little wolf made a short snort, as if saying how unimaginative. Long hid a grin. "He's young and has plenty of time to grow into a name."
Zhou Wei nodded, though he seemed only half-focused. There were dark rings under his eyes still. He ate his bun slowly, gaze occasionally drifting. Long remembered the boy had been on watch deep into the night.
"Did you manage to get some sleep?" Long asked, stirring his rice porridge.
"Ah, a little, before dawn," Zhou Wei sighed. "I was assigned to morning cleaning duty as well, unfortunately." He rubbed his eyes. "We rotate chores, but I got double shifts this time."
Long gave him a sympathetic look. "It must be challenging to balance cultivation and so little rest."
Zhou Wei offered a wry smile. "Ironically, we're always talking about sleep here, but between meditations and duties, one can end up quite exhausted. At least physically." He took a sip of warm tea. "Our actual cultivation, though, revitalizes the mind even if the body tires."
Long was curious to learn more. "I've heard only snippets of what your sect practices. Something about cultivating through dreams? How is such a thing achieved, if I may ask?"
Zhou Wei's face lit up slightly at the chance to explain. He straightened in his seat. "The Temple of Serene Dream was founded on the principle that the line between reality and dream is thin, and enlightenment can be found by walking in both worlds. We practice deep meditation that leads into lucid dreaming—what we call Dream Journeys. In our dreams, we confront our innermost selves, explore memories, and even study Dao principles revealed in symbolic form."
Another disciple at the table, an older man with a grizzled beard, interjected quietly, "The Patriarch teaches that the world itself may be nothing more than the dream of a higher existence. By understanding dreams, we edge closer to understanding reality, and thus the Dao."
Long turned toward the man and bowed his head politely. "A profound philosophy."
The older disciple gave a vague smile, his eyes a bit glazed as if he were quoting by rote. "Profound indeed. I'm still grasping its depths." With that, he stood with his empty bowl and shuffled away, moving rather like a sleepwalker.