Chapter 20 Torture She slumped back onto the bed, her hair sticking messily to the floor…

"Brother Jiu Yan!! Brother Jiu Yan!!" Mu Meng cried out, tears streaming down her face.

Overwhelmed by immense and intense grief, she coughed violently and suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood.

Before she fell into darkness, she seemed to hear someone calling her name in a hoarse voice.

Mist, mist, mist...

The sound was very far away, beyond the horizon, as if separated by many years, impossible to catch up with no matter how hard you tried.

As the sound disappeared, so did the light. The whole world seemed to be gradually stripped away, leaving only a thick fog of darkness. A sharp pain in my heart spread to every part of my body, as if my bones were being broken inch by inch. Every inch of my skin was cold, as if I had fallen into an ice cave.

In my hazy consciousness, someone called out in my ear, "Mengmeng, Mengmeng." The voice was both familiar to my very bones and utterly unfamiliar.

In the peach blossom forest of Yunze Realm, his embrace was warm and comforting: "I will never let you suffer like this again."

The lights flickered in the Changjin Palace. He had suffered a great injustice, but he gently and tenderly embraced her, wiping away her tears little by little: "Alright, my darling, don't cry."

Blood spread, staining his white robes. He leaned weakly against her, his voice as soft as a sigh: "Mengmeng, I'm no longer your brother..."

Under the moonlight, his fair ears were slightly flushed, and his gaze into her eyes was serious and earnest: "I've long since stopped wanting to be just your brother."

Memories of the past came flooding back, all the beauty like raindrops chasing flowers, a fierce wind howling, finally converging into his indifferent and sinister face on the desolate edge of a cliff.

His large hand gripped her tightly: "Mengmeng, you followed me here on your own. If you're going to look, then look carefully."

...

Mu Meng suddenly opened his eyes, his vision filled with a deep, dark darkness, as if he were still in the bottomless abyss of an endless cliff.

"Don't move," she was gently pressed back onto the bed by a pair of large hands as soon as she sat up. "You're badly injured, lie down properly."

Mu Meng turned her head to look at Mu Qingheng. He was as gentle and composed as ever, his brows filled with unyielding doting affection. This scene almost made her mistakenly believe that everything that had happened before was just a nightmare.

Mu Qingheng scooped up a spoonful of medicine and held it to Mu Meng's lips, but Mu Meng tilted her head slightly and didn't drink it: "Where is this place?"

The place was large and spacious, yet full of spiritual energy. It was clearly an untouched natural palace with a wild and rugged style. Mu Meng already had a vague answer in his heart.

"This is the underground palace of the Desolate Tomb, the residence of successive Demon Lords." Mu Qingheng put down the medicine bowl and tucked the blanket around Mu Meng.

Mu Meng closed her eyes, feeling the hand pressing the blanket down on her neck. The slight touch stirred a strong feeling of nausea within her.

Now that things have come to this, how can he introduce this place to her in such a relaxed and indifferent tone? Does he not have a shred of conscience or humanity in his heart?

Mu Meng frowned and dodged his hand.

Her resistance was obvious, but Mu Qingheng was not angry. He simply withdrew his hand and said, "Mengmeng, I admit that I acted too hastily in dealing with Yun Jiuyan. I shouldn't have done such a cruel thing in front of you."

He smiled and gently advised, "I was wrong in this matter. Don't be angry with me. We can still be the same as before."

His tone was serious, not sarcastic or joking. Mu Meng widened his eyes slightly and asked, "The same as before?"

"Originally, there was no need for you to know this, but it doesn't hurt to tell you now. Although I destroyed the Celestial Clan, I know you must not be used to it, so I ordered my subordinates to create a Celestial Clan for you. Rest assured, they have undergone rigorous training, are highly capable, and will not make any mistakes in their actions. The Celestial Clan is still the same Celestial Clan as before."

"This way, it's a satisfactory explanation for both of us."

Mu Meng could hardly believe what he was hearing, and after a long pause, he almost sneered: "Confess?"

"You've achieved your wish of the true Celestial Clan's destruction, while I've obtained a substitute and am completely unharmed. Is this your so-called explanation?" Mu Meng repeatedly told herself not to cry, but the immense disappointment and heartache still made her nose sting. "Are the hearts of the Demon Clan truly so fragile and sensitive?"

Mu Qingheng scrutinized her closely and said meaningfully, "You've already seen the books in my study."

In a flash, Mu Meng's mind went blank for a moment: "That book...you tampered with it? The contents are fake?"

Mu Qingheng shook his head: "I don't know which book you read; all the books contain the same content."

So this was also a tool he used to deceive her. If the heart of a demon is not fragile and easily broken, then what is it? Deliberate misleading must be in the opposite direction. Judging from his current appearance, he must be as hard as iron and cold-blooded.

In her despair, she heard him seem to sigh: "Mengmeng, I did deceive you before, it was my fault, but I will never do it again. I will never lie to you again. You treat me with gentleness and care, and I will also pamper and indulge you, and I will not let you suffer any harm."

Bitterness, mixed with cold, seeped into her bones, and Mu Meng shivered: "You won't lie to me anymore, because there's no need anymore. Mu Qingheng, you trampled on my people, and you even... used such cruel methods to kill my sister. Do you think I would still treat you with gentleness and care?"

Speaking of her sister, Mu Meng's tears, which she had been holding back for a long time, finally welled up in her eyes. She stubbornly held them back, refusing to let them fall.

"I didn't expect what happened to Mu Luo either. I've already had her limbs sent back to the Celestial Clan for safekeeping," Mu Qingheng said, his tone softening as he looked at Mu Meng's pale face.

Mu Meng felt as if her heart was being torn apart. She turned her gaze slightly and swept it around the hall: "You knew long ago that you were the son of the demon race, didn't you?"

Mu Qingheng followed her gaze and looked around. Not knowing why she changed the subject, he remained silent and waited quietly.

"Back then in the peach blossom forest of Yunze, you injured me from behind and framed the uncles and elders of Yunze. That's when your plan began. Until you used some means to wrongfully kill Brother Sheng, you returned here openly and naturally."

Mu Qingheng's gaze suddenly turned cold: "You think Sheng Yuanting was wrongfully killed?"

She truly didn't know what methods he used, but he had been scheming since the beginning, so how could he be innocent? "Isn't that right? You'll stop at nothing to achieve your goals, smearing others while claiming innocence yourself. Yun Zejing is like that, and so is Brother Sheng."

Mu Meng's gaze returned to Mu Qingheng: "I'm not saying this to remind you how many more illusions you need to create for me; I'm just helping you count how many lives are between us."

Mu Qingheng understood.

He gazed into Mu Meng's clear, pure eyes, eyes that always held a joyful smile, bright as stars—he had never seen her with such an expression in all those years.

A chill crept into his eyes and brows: "So these lives are the line you drew—Mengmeng, do you no longer want to acknowledge me as your brother?"

"Brother? You?" Mu Meng asked blankly, then a sad smile appeared on her lips. "I thought my brother was dead. You killed him."

The underground palace seemed to be filled with an intense, impenetrable chill. The candlelight flickered dimly, dimming and then suddenly flaring up again.

The atmosphere gradually froze, and the last trace of warmth vanished without a trace.

Mu Qingheng's profile was cold and stern, appearing obscure in the light: "I don't care about those people you mentioned. It's not that I don't want to, but that I can't. Demons are born with hearts of stone, devoid of emotion, love, righteousness, and pity. My heart was only ever soft for you."

Are other people that important? He wasn't wrong; she was the one who was wrong. He only ever cared about her, but she didn't.

Even if she wanted to kill all the demons, he would never blame her for a single word. But he only killed some insignificant people, and she wanted to sever ties with him.

Mu Qingheng gave a nonchalant sneer, his voice low and devoid of warmth: "I offered my heart to the bright moon, but the bright moon shines on the gutter. Since you are unwilling to acknowledge me as your brother because of these people, why should I bother to pity you?"

Mu Meng bit her lower lip so hard it almost bled, her heart feeling as if it were being torn apart by a thousand knives. She had to desperately endure it to utter each word: "You call everything you've done for me pity? Mu Qingheng, please... don't pity me or disgust me anymore."

She emphasized the word "pity" very heavily.

Mu Qingheng seemed surprised by her strong words, and smiled coldly, his eyes growing increasingly gloomy: "Indeed, there's no need."

Having said that, the two of them had nothing more to say.

Mu Meng stopped looking at Mu Qingheng, turned his eyes away and said in a low voice, "I want to leave here. Since the Heavenly Demons are at war, as a member of the Heavenly Clan, I should do my part for my people."

At this moment, she was still naive, thinking that since she was now completely despondent, she might as well go to the battlefield and use her life to protect her people—she had been loved by them for many years, and she couldn't end up as a sinner.

Mu Qingheng stood up, all traces of tenderness vanishing from his face, his pupils turning dark and cold.

He scoffed, "Don't be stupid."

“Since you don’t need my pity, then you should know your place and be a useful tool,” Mu Qingheng bent down and used his long, strong fingers to turn Mu Meng’s chin. “I’ve cherished you for so many years, and you still don’t understand why?”

Her chin ached from his grip, even more so than the wound on her chest. Mu Qingheng's hand had never been so heavy before, and the pent-up grievances in her heart were about to burst forth: "What did you do for... for..."

She paused abruptly, and when she spoke again, her voice was almost blank with disbelief: "For the Crimson Heart Pill?"

Mu Qingheng said, "That's right."

Red Heart Pill... Red Heart Pill?

Tears streamed down Mu Meng's face, her suppressed, bitter laugh a mixture of sorrow and sobbing. Suddenly, she broke free from Mu Qingheng's grasp, lunging forward and grabbing his collar with both hands: "Why? Why did you have to do this? Why didn't you kill me when I was born? Why did you pamper me? Why did you wait so many years, letting me become so ridiculous?!"

Ironically, the first person she could call was her brother.

It's laughable that she was so close to and dependent on him her whole life.

It's ridiculous that she felt so sorry for him and traveled thousands of miles to stay by his side.

It's laughable that she was so blind, tossing and turning all night over his carefully planned stolen kiss, disregarding taboos and letting her initial feelings flutter.

How ridiculous! How ridiculous! How ridiculous!

Mu Qingheng ruthlessly shook off Mu Meng's hand and fell heavily back onto the bed, a few strands of hair sticking messily to her pale face.

Mu Qingheng leaned closer, no more than half an inch from her. His once handsome face now resembled a devil's, and his voice was extremely soft: "You want to know why? I can tell you. The Crimson Heart Pill requires sufficient spiritual power to refine, so it would be useless for me to extract it early. Moreover, the Crimson Heart Pill recognizes its master; whoever you have in your heart, the Crimson Heart Pill will serve that person better. Otherwise, do you really think I'm so bored that I'd be willing to waste these years?"

She still cried, her scalding tears falling onto his hand like tiny, poisoned needles piercing his skin.

A strange feeling welled up in Mu Qingheng's heart. It wasn't painful, but he felt very uncomfortable.

He didn't understand where this feeling came from, he only knew that it was unpleasant, and this unpleasantness was brought to him by Mu Meng.

He scrutinized her coldly.

It's alright, he'll just pay back double.