Chapter 4 Protecting Him "It hurts so much..."

The Demon Realm was emptied a thousand years ago. Mu Meng had heard from her elders that the last batch of demons waged a great war in the Six Realms, causing widespread suffering and death. In the end, her father, the Emperor, personally led his troops to slaughter them all in the Demon Realm's lair, a place called the Wasteland.

So much so that over the past thousand years, a new name has emerged there: the desolate tomb.

The wind howled, burying the bones of the demons.

Every ten years, the Emperor would send people to inspect the area, and there had never been any reports of a demon being born again.

Mu Meng slowed her breathing, staring warily at the two people in front of her—regardless of where these two demons came from, right now, she would never let these two people pass by her and harm her brother.

From the moment these two demons appeared until now, less than the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea has passed, and the barrier around them has become much weaker.

Mu Meng was anxious and worried about Mu Qingheng's condition. Finally, unable to bear staring at the two of them any longer, she decisively attacked them.

She gathered the power of the Crimson Heart Pill in her palm and struck with all her might. The two men's faces were completely covered, making it impossible to see their expressions, but they reacted extremely quickly, dodging to the left and right.

They dare not take my challenge.

Although a sweet taste rose in his throat and his internal organs ached slightly from forcibly controlling such immense power, Mu Meng felt somewhat at ease.

With the Red Heart Pill, she need not fear these two demons with exceptional spiritual power.

The two men before them seemed to know this as well; having not made a move earlier, they now stood motionless. After a moment, the man in red seemed to chuckle softly, and said in a low, husky voice:

"May I ask Your Highness, Princess of the Celestial Clan, are we demons so insignificant that we are brought to our deaths simply for standing before you without doing anything?"

Mu Meng said, "Of course not. If you turn around and leave now, I will not make things difficult for you."

She had never killed anyone, regardless of their race. Why would she kill someone for no reason? It's just that the timing of these two people appearing here now was far too subtle.

She wanted to add another sentence, but before she could speak, the barrier around her suddenly broke.

Mu Meng was greatly shocked. He didn't know how Mu Qingheng was injured and wished he could run into the Peach Blossom Formation immediately. However, the two people in front of him were watching him closely, looking like they were waiting for an opportunity to strike... Just as he hesitated, there was movement behind him.

The peach branches swayed gently, and countless pale pink petals fell softly to the ground.

The gate to the formation has opened.

Delicate and soft petals swirled and floated before her eyes. Mu Meng turned around and saw Mu Qingheng slowly walking out of the peach blossom array.

The two masked men paused, then slowly turned their heads to look at each other.

Mu Meng didn't notice, her gaze was completely fixed on the person she was thinking about.

Mu Qingheng's white robes were stained with blood, and his face was so pale that it was almost transparent. A thin line of blood meandered down from the corner of his lips.

He was as fragile as a withered leaf, as if he would break and fall at any moment.

With a cold and fierce gaze, even a powerful enemy would have to think twice before making a move.

"Brother—" Mu Meng felt her heart clench, and rushed towards Mu Qingheng.

At the same time, the two masked men attacked simultaneously, rushing towards them at an extremely fast speed!

Mu Meng gritted his teeth and stood completely in front of Mu Qingheng, his hands flashing out with a bright light, directly facing the two people who rushed in front of him.

At the critical moment, the man in blue suddenly shoved his companion, sending him straight into Mu Meng's palms, while he slipped past from the side, his momentum undiminished as he attacked Mu Qingheng.

Mu Meng never expected that these two were clearly in cahoots, yet this person could be so cunning as to push his companion up to his death.

She had already fully mobilized the power of the Crimson Heart Pill for a powerful attack, so it was absolutely impossible for her to launch a second attack in such a short time.

Seeing that he couldn't stop the man in blue, Mu Meng instinctively turned around, opened his arms, and hugged Mu Qingheng tightly.

The next moment, a sharp pain shot through his back, and Mu Meng coughed up a mouthful of blood.

"misty!"

She heard her brother call her name, his voice frantic. His large hands were holding her, carefully avoiding her wounds.

Mu Meng moved her lips slightly: "Brother..."

Mu Meng felt a little more at ease knowing that her brother's arm was still as strong as ever, but she was still frightened by the way he looked when he came out of the formation. Ignoring the pain that was radiating from her body, she reached out to touch him, but Mu Qingheng grabbed her hand.

Mu Qingheng watched Cang Bi's figure gradually disappear into the distance. Cang Bi was always quick-witted. Seeing his appearance, he knew that he could not absorb the Crimson Heart Pill immediately. This was not the best time to take the pill. Without any instructions, he made a tacit response.

He should have been pleased, but his other empty hand clenched weakly.

Just moments ago, the instant Mu Meng rushed up and hugged him, he handed over the Azure Phoenix Feather with this hand.

In a daze, she heard Mu Meng call her name weakly.

Mu Qingheng held her tightly and gently stroked her hair: "Brother is here."

"Brother...are you alright? Did that person hurt you...?"

Because of the excruciating pain, Mu Meng spoke intermittently, each word requiring a forced breath.

Mu Qingheng held her in one arm, frowning, and pressed his other hand to his chest.

"No, I'm fine. He's already run away," Mu Qingheng said in a low voice. "Mengmeng, does it hurt a lot? Don't be afraid, brother will heal you."

His voice was incredibly warm, gently whispering in my ear, as if the pain that had spread to every part of my body had dissipated somewhat.

It's good that he ran away, and it's good that my brother is alright.

Mu Meng snuggled closer to him, and whispered with a hint of grievance, "Brother, it hurts so much..."

Mu Qingheng parted his lips slightly and subconsciously replied, "I will never let you be in so much pain again."

After he finished speaking, he paused for a long time, then gently touched Mu Meng's cheek with his rough hand, his voice extremely gentle: "Sleep, Meng Meng, it won't hurt when you're asleep."

...

When Mu Meng opened his eyes, he didn't know where he was; he only saw that the sky outside the window was as black as ink.

"You're awake? Take your medicine first."

Mu Qingheng stayed by her side. When he saw her open her eyes, he immediately took the medicine bowl that was placed by the bed and said, "Brother will feed you."

Mu Meng moved her body. Her back still hurt, but it was much better than before. She didn't know how much spiritual energy her brother had transferred to her.

Thinking of Mu Qingheng's appearance when she came out of the Peach Blossom Formation, Mu Meng felt worried and was about to ask a question when the person in front of her scooped up a spoonful of medicine and put it to her lips.

It was pitch black and had a bitter and sour smell.

Mu Meng originally wanted to act coquettishly, but after thinking about it again, she said nothing and obediently opened her mouth and drank it down.

As soon as she drank it, her little face scrunched up – this was too bitter. She had been taken care of meticulously since she was a child and had never even been sick. This was the first time she had ever drunk medicine, and she didn't know it was this bitter.

But Mu Meng still didn't say anything. Instead, he took the medicine bowl from Mu Qingheng's hand, tilted his head back, and gulped it all down.

Mu Qingheng looked at her quietly.

He knew this little girl was both delicate and sensible; she hadn't complained a single word about how bitter the medicine tasted.

"Brother, where are you hurt?" Mu Meng swallowed the last mouthful of medicine, and as the bitterness subsided a little, she immediately asked with concern.

Mu Qingheng was slightly taken aback: "What?"

"Where are you hurt? Does it hurt a lot?" Her eyes, just like the expression on her face when she rushed towards him, were filled with her own reflection, nothing else.

The quiet of the house at night made her voice sound even sweeter, like a warm current flowing through my heart.

Mu Qingheng looked at Mu Meng, about to speak, when suddenly he raised his hand to his chest, bent over with a pale face, and put his other hand on the edge of the bed, pressing so hard that his knuckles turned white.

"Brother! What's wrong?"

Mu Meng was anxious and wanted to get up to check, but Mu Qingheng pressed down on the back of her hand: "It's nothing, she just suffered some minor injuries in the formation."

Yunze's Peach Blossom Formation is the number one killing formation in the Six Realms. It is powerful in spiritual energy and has traps and hidden weapons. It is indeed powerful.

He fought swiftly that day, slaughtering everyone in the entire Yunze region, precisely to prevent any survivors from hiding in the Peach Blossom Formation.

Mu Qingheng closed his eyes. Even he himself today couldn't escape the Peach Blossom Formation unscathed. He had suffered many injuries when passing through the thirteenth level. The injuries looked shocking, but they didn't damage his core, so he didn't bother to examine the specifics of the injuries.

Mu Qingheng touched the two broken ribs on his left chest with his fingertips. Although it hurt a little, it was just these kinds of injuries. Mu Qingheng didn't care and lowered his hand to ignore it.

He didn't care, but Mu Meng couldn't help but worry: "Brother, let me heal your wounds."

Upon hearing this, Mu Qingheng curled his lips into a smile: "Don't talk nonsense. I just transferred spiritual energy to you, are you going to give it back to me? You're seriously injured, you can't use the Crimson Heart Pill anymore, you should rest well."

She added, "I only have some minor cuts and scrapes; they'll heal quickly."

The flickering candlelight illuminated his face, making his features even more exquisite, like a perfectly natural painting.

Mu Meng blinked slowly. In her eyes, even a single strand of her brother's hair was precious.

She secretly gathered her strength, but sure enough, the Crimson Heart Pill remained unmoved; it seemed she lacked the power to use it. Mu Meng felt a pang of sadness and softly asked, "Brother, your chest hurt just now, was it because you were hit by that demon?"

He paused, his voice filled with grievance and anger, yet also firm and solemn: "I will definitely fight back."

Mu Qingheng laughed: "I wasn't hurt by him. He came to steal the Azure Phoenix Feather."

He looked out the window, staring at the crescent moon: "I conjured a fake Azure Phoenix Feather, and he couldn't tell the difference. He took the item and ran away."

So that's how it is. Mu Meng was slightly relieved, and the corners of her mouth curved up again: "No wonder Father always praises you for your unparalleled wisdom. Brother, you are really amazing."

Mu Qingheng didn't say anything more and helped Mu Meng lie down slowly.

"Mengmeng, sleep a little longer. We'll stay in the human realm for a couple more days until you feel better before going home."

Seeing him like this, it seemed he wanted to stay by her side. Mu Meng couldn't bear to part with him, and was about to persuade him to rest when Mu Qingheng had already closed his eyes and entered a meditative state.

"From now on, don't stand in my way anymore."

He closed his eyes, said only this one sentence, and then fell silent.

Mu Meng dared not disturb his breathing, and after hesitating for a while, she reached out to touch his palm. Fortunately, it was not cold.

She lay down with a heart full of worry, but her gaze never left Mu Qingheng's aloof figure.

After gazing silently for a long time, drowsiness gradually crept in. Mu Meng closed his eyes, and in his hazy sleep, he suddenly remembered something.

When she first entered the peach blossom forest, the powerful spiritual expert she sensed seemed to have a different kind of spiritual power than the two demons she encountered later.

I'm not sure if I'm mistaken, since this person never actually appeared from beginning to end...

With her thoughts in turmoil and her body exhausted and aching, Mu Meng soon fell into a deep sleep again.

Her breathing gradually became shallow, and after a moment, Mu Qingheng opened her eyes.

He gazed at Mu Meng's sleeping face with a cold and indifferent look in his eyes.

After a moment, he murmured with a sigh: "The world treats me poorly, but you treat me kindly."

But I have no heart of flesh, so even if you treat me like this, when the executioner's blade falls one day, it will not feel heavy.

Mu Qingheng's large hand landed on Mu Meng's slightly disheveled hair, and he gently smoothed it for her, his voice very low.

"I won't let you be in pain for long. It'll just be a brief pain. Soon... it will all be over."