Chapter 44 A liar only needs to see that Mingjian is willing to deceive him.

As dawn broke, a pale blue mist rose on the horizon.

When Xiao Bumian opened her eyes, she could faintly hear rustling voices outside the room. The room was so quiet that she could hear her own breathing.

He gazed at the top of the plain white canopy, his long eyelashes casting faint shadows beneath his eyes.

The other side of the bed was empty, still retaining a little warmth.

Xiao Bumian casually draped a moon-white robe over his shoulders, stood up, and walked on the wooden planks with his shoes on, the wooden floor making a slight "creaking" sound.

The moment I pushed open the door, the morning light flowed in like honey.

The three people looked up at the stone table in the courtyard upon hearing the sound.

Xiao Bumian only saw Mingjian.

Mingjian was bathed in the morning light, his thick, long eyelashes casting small shadows under his eyelids, his lips like pearls, but the blank expression on his face didn't quite match his bright appearance, and the small mole at the corner of his eye seemed particularly vivid with his stunned expression.

Xiao Bumian stood quietly, feeling the unusual throbbing in his chest.

Things have been getting stranger and stranger lately.

His emotions are always out of control.

For example, right now, he feels very happy.

"You're awake?" Mingjian asked.

He was still holding a piece of pastry in his hand, looking up at Xiao Bumian.

Xiao Bumian was silent for a moment, then hummed in agreement, a slight smile playing on her lips, and asked softly, "What are you all doing?"

Ming looked at him strangely and said, "We're talking about Rong Yunzhi."

"Oh." Xiao Bumian sat down absentmindedly, his eyes downcast. He picked up a piece of pastry and took a bite. The sweet taste melted on his tongue.

Sweet.

Ming ignored him and turned to continue talking to Song Heyu and the others. “Although I was unconscious last night, I was still conscious. I heard Rong Yunzhi and Bai Zhang talking about how there seemed to be another person inside Rong Yunzhi’s body. It seems that the person deliberately created the identity of the Wedding Dress Demon so that we would kill them.”

Song Heyu frowned. "No wonder we woke up in the Princess's Mansion after we entered the secret realm."

After waking up this morning, Mingjian made up a story with Song Heyu and the others, which finally made them half-believe and half-doubt that Bai Zhang's death was because of them, but that they had lost their memories after waking up.

Gu Zhi even confidently believed that it was his exquisite swordsmanship that enabled him to successfully kill Bai Zhang.

“Yes.” Mingjian tapped the stone table lightly with his fingertips. “So now we can only wait for the other Rong Yunzhi to show up on his own.”

"Song Heyu and I are going to find her." Gu Zhi stood up, holding her sword, and gave them a disdainful look. "You two aren't strong enough, so don't be so eager to die."

Seeing that Ming was very adaptable, she obediently nodded, "Okay."

Gu Zhi's expression twisted, and after a long while she said, "Don't imitate Xie Hanwei's way of speaking, I feel like hitting you."

Mingjian: "..."

Xiao Bumian chuckled softly.

—

At the courtyard gate, Gu Zhi and Song Heyu had just stepped out of the threshold when they bumped into Lou Jing and his group.

"Song Heyu?" Lou Jing frowned, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the hilt of his sword. "What are you doing here?"

Before Song Heyu could speak, Gu Zhi scoffed, "I was about to ask you the same thing. Isn't your Senior Brother Lou always the most arrogant? What's he doing here?"

Lou Jing's face turned pale and then ashen. "You!"

Did he think he wanted to come? If they hadn't fallen asleep before they had a chance to ask Mingjian and Xie Hanwei if they had heard anything useful last night, they wouldn't have come so early in the morning.

However, on the other hand, Xie Hanwei's exhaustion and fainting did alleviate some of Lou Jing's doubts. After all, he had always suspected the identities of Xie Hanwei and Ming Jian.

Shi Lian, worried that they would start arguing again, shook her head slightly at Lou Jing, her eyes filled with concern, "Senior Brother..."

Lou Jing took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, before looking at Song Heyu and saying, "We've come to ask Mingjian and Xie Hanwei about what happened last night."

Seeing that he was ignoring her, Gu Zhi was about to say something, but she shut up when she met Song Heyu's cool glance.

Forget it, he didn't want to be silenced by Song Heyu again because of Lou Jing.

“Perfect,” Song Heyu said. “I also wanted to ask what you plan to do with the remaining merfolk.”

Upon hearing this, Lou Jing and Shi Lian exchanged a glance.

Shi Lian said in a deep voice, "We came to find you this time to talk to you about this matter."

Song Heyu sensed the seriousness in their tone and stepped aside, saying, "Come in and talk."

Inside the courtyard, Mingjian was completely bewildered to see that the two people who had originally agreed to leave had not only not left, but had also brought in several more disciples from Jianming Immortal Mountain.

“Now everyone in the courtyard is one of our own,” Song Heyu said with a wave of her wide sleeve, and the barrier fell silently. “Speak freely.”

Shi Lian: "Last night, we wiped out all the merfolk who had lost their minds, but there are still over a hundred conscious merfolk alive. Now that the secret realm has been trapped for so long, the cultivators of various sects..." He paused, "...and some have suggested that only by slaughtering all the merfolk can we break the deadlock."

"How many sects have considered this?" Song Heyu frowned.

Shi Lian was silent for a while, then smiled bitterly and said, "There are many, including many disciples in our own sect who are restless and feel that this is the only way to get out."

"What about the other sects?" Mingjian asked. "Do the Cloud Guardian Sect and the Thousand Machine Sect think the same way?"

These two sects and Jianming Immortal Mountain are all affiliated with the five major sects in the Northern Continent. Many smaller sects are dependent on the major sects, and the decisions made by the five major sects will greatly influence the attitudes of smaller sects and even independent cultivators.

“With Lu Lingyue in charge of Yun Shou Sect, their attitude is unclear,” Lou Jing continued. “But the Thousand Machines Sect was the one that first believed all cultivators possessed by merfolk should be killed before leaving the secret realm.”

Mingjian nodded and said nothing more.

Suddenly, the silence was broken by a sudden banging on the door.

"Senior Brother! Something terrible has happened—"

Everyone suddenly stood up.

Lou Jingjian frowned: "Come in and speak!"

The disciple rushed in, his face ashen, panting, "Senior brother... those cultivators knocked out all the disciples of us guarding the merfolk, saying they were going to kill the merfolk. They even said that anyone who dared to stop them would be killed along with us."

Lou Jing slammed his hand on the table and stood up abruptly, shattering the teacup with a crash: "This is outrageous!"

“Under normal circumstances, we would have killed them without a trace, but unfortunately we are now completely devoid of spiritual power, and they outnumber us…” The disciple clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white, “They also said that Xie Linzhao is a merman and that they want to kill him.”

Xiao Bumian was watching the show, propping his head up and lazily watching Mingjian eat.

Mingjian's cheeks puff up when she eats, which is very cute.

When the disciple mentioned Xie Linzhao, Mingjian paused for a moment while happily munching on the pastry, but only for a second before resuming his normal behavior as if nothing had happened.

But the smile on Xiao Bumian's face gradually faded.

The sudden, sharp pain in his chest belonged to Mingjian, not him.

Mingjian knew Xie Linzhao.

Why did he know Xie Linzhao?

When did you meet?

So annoying.

Xiao Bumian suddenly felt irritated.

Mingjian is his cat, and he can't like anyone else, let alone Xie Linzhao.

"Xie Linzhao?" Shi Lian frowned. "What does this have to do with him?"

The disciple shook his head, cold sweat trickling down his forehead. "This disciple...doesn't know."

"Heh," Gu Zhi said with a hint of mockery, "They're just using this as an excuse. I'm afraid those people are using the killing of the mermaid as a pretext to get rid of Xie Linzhao. After all, he is Xie Wuwang's son. Although his spiritual roots are destroyed, who can say for sure? Maybe one day he'll be able to cultivate again."

Ming lowered his eyes, his long eyelashes concealing the turmoil in them, his mood was very complicated.

Yes, he proved that Xie Linzhao later not only cultivated but also became the Demon Lord, almost destroying Jianming Immortal Mountain.

"Interesting." Gu Zhi suddenly raised an eyebrow. "But Xie Linzhao is about to die, and Xue Ci is supposed to be head over heels in love with him, why would he allow the Thousand Machines Sect to take action?"

With that, Gu Zhi, holding her sword, strode out.

"Where are you going?" asked the disciple beside Lou Jing.

Gu Zhi didn't even turn his head, waving his hand, "Let's go see the excitement."

Song Heyu followed.

Shi Lian: "Wait for me!"

In the blink of an eye, the once lively courtyard was now empty except for Mingjian and Xiao Bumian.

Mingjian stood up and stretched, "Then I..."

“We can’t go,” Xiao Bumian suddenly said.

Mingjian's words, which he hadn't yet had a chance to say, were stuck in his throat.

He instinctively asked, "Why?"

Xiao Bumian looked up, the pale golden light illuminating the shadows in his eyes: "You promised me yesterday, you said you would sleep with me." His voice trailed off slightly, revealing a hint of grievance.

Mingjian: "...?"

He was stunned: "But didn't we sleep together last night?"

Xiao Bumian suddenly wrapped his arms around his waist. He was sitting while Mingjian was standing. He rested his head on Mingjian's waist and softened his voice, "But I passed out last night, so it doesn't count."

The warm breath seeped through his thin shirt, sending a shiver down Mingjian's spine.

“You…” Mingjian paused, then asked, “Are you pretending to be pitiful?”

The arms wrapped around her waist tightened even more, and Xiao Bumian's voice was muffled: "Don't you think I'm pathetic?"

Mingjian didn't think so; he thought Xiao Bumian deserved a beating.

But he inexplicably recalled Xiao Bumian's appearance last night, his face was frighteningly pale, and he insisted on holding onto him tightly while sleeping.

After a long silence, he sighed and finally gave in, "Alright."

He can always wait until Xiao Bumian falls asleep before he goes.

System notification: [The initial encounter in the mission storyline is 60% complete. Please continue your efforts.]

Mingjian: Hehe.

They're quite good at choosing the right time to remind you.

System: [Hehe, you flatter me, host. 051 is just speculating based on the current plot development that if the host can save Xie Linzhao now, there's a 90% chance of completing the plot point.]

Mingjian twitched his lips.

Is it because he doesn't want to?

The real question is how he, a mere Qi Refining Level 6 cultivator, can save Xie Linzhao.

Not to mention that Xiao Bumian is still clinging to him.

Xiao Bumian was pleased by Mingjian's compromise, and he squinted his eyes with pleasure. Even though his heart was now filled with the anxious emotions Mingjian was experiencing, which were transmitted by the Love-Sickness Gu.

Xiao Bumian didn't care.

He can pretend he doesn't know.

As long as Mingjian is willing to lie to him, that's fine.

Inside the side room.

As soon as Mingjian lay down, Xiao Bumian pulled him into her arms.

He wrapped himself around her with his hands and feet, burying his furry head in Mingjian's neck. His warm breath brushed against Mingjian's skin, causing a slight itch, but fortunately, it was within Mingjian's tolerance.

Whether it was because his mind was racing with random thoughts, or because the light outside the curtains was too bright, Mingjian still couldn't fall asleep after lying there for a while.

After a long pause, Mingjian asked, "Xie Hanwei... don't you think the light is too bright?"

After a long while, there was still no response from Xiao Bumian.

Mingjian was taken aback. He looked down and saw that Xiao Bumian's long eyelashes cast a shadow under her eyes, and her pale face showed a rare sense of peace.

“…Xie Hanwei?” Mingjian called out softly again.

Xiao Bumian seemed to be fast asleep.

Mingjian felt relieved.

He held his breath and carefully tried to pry the arm around his waist. Xiao Bumian's arms were long and strong, but they obediently let him move them. Only when his feet touched the cold ground did Mingjian breathe a sigh of relief.

The bed curtains swayed gently, casting dappled light and shadow.

On the bed where they had once cuddled together, only Xiao Bumian remained curled up alone, the disheveled bedding still retaining warmth.

The footsteps in the distance gradually faded away.

After an unknown amount of time, the person who should have been fast asleep slowly opened their eyes, their gaze clear and bright.

He stared in the direction Mingjian had left, his fingertips gently stroking the still-warm sheets, a self-deprecating smile curving his lips.

"......fraud."

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Author's note: This dungeon will end tomorrow. [Three-colored cat emoji] Goodnight.