Chapter 42 Pleading. His knees bent little by little.

Let him be; she was too lazy to waste her time with him.

Mu Meng's anger grew stronger, and she didn't want to say a word. Mu Qingheng blocked her way, and going past him would require wasting spiritual energy. In short, the few she wanted to kill herself were already dead, and she didn't recognize the others; they were all demons, so it didn't matter which one she killed.

Since the demon soldiers are all in the Hanging Forest, she should deal with them first, rather than wasting time confronting Mu Qingheng here.

Without saying goodbye, Mu Meng turned and ran west.

This time, Mu Qingheng didn't stop her. It's probably because the other demons are different from the elites in the underground palace; they can be dealt with without exhausting their spiritual power.

The situation was indeed similar to what was expected. It was the dead of night, and the demons were caught completely off guard when a powerful enemy suddenly appeared from the sky. Without anyone to command them, they naturally lost their composure.

An hour later, Mu Meng wiped the blood off his face expressionlessly.

She paused for a moment, then slowly loosened her clenched fist.

The wind blew through the withered branches and fallen leaves of the forest, carrying with it a thick, bloody smell.

After a moment, Mu Meng waved her hand and used her spiritual power to scan the area. Confirming that no one was alive, she took two deep breaths, turned around, and walked out.

"Where did this arrogant little girl come from? She barged in without a second thought, killed so many demons, and left without even saying hello." Suddenly, a hoarse voice rang out from behind.

Mu Meng turned around expressionlessly, his voice cold: "So you were the one I forgot."

As she spoke, she raised her palm, gathering spiritual energy within it, and unleashed a powerful strike.

To everyone's surprise, the powerful palm strike hit the attacker as if it were just a wisp of air, leaving him completely unharmed.

"Don't be so temperamental. Although I am a demon, I have been standing by and watching without helping my fellow demons, which is enough to help you."

He chuckled lightly and clapped his hands gently. "Besides, I think you did a good job killing them. If Heaven has the virtue of cherishing life, it should not have allowed this branch of the demon race to live in the world, only adding to the tragedy... It would have been better if they had all died out."

The person slowly approached. Under the moonlight, he had long, light silver hair and a handsome face. His deep features were made even more otherworldly by the moonlight, but his face was pale and haggard, revealing a sickly appearance.

He didn't hide his strength, and Mu Meng could sense that his spiritual power was much higher than his own—although his spiritual power had been somewhat diminished due to the long battle, even at his peak, he probably wouldn't be his match.

Mu Meng stared at the man warily, though she was secretly on guard, she wasn't nervous at all.

This person is so powerful that if he had attacked her just now, she would have no chance of survival. Now that she is standing in front of him, whether he takes her life or not is entirely up to him. But he has not made a move yet, so she must be relatively safe.

Moreover, judging from his words, he seemed to loathe his clan.

"You don't need to be nervous. I noticed you back in the underground palace. I only came out to ask you a few questions. I mean you no harm." The man's voice was hoarse and deep, but his tone was gentle and sincere.

Mu Meng loosened his clenched fist: "What do you want to say?"

The man parted his lips slightly, first coughing softly with his hand covering his mouth, then turned to look at her with a complicated gaze: "You are Mu Qingheng's beloved. Since you already believe in his sincerity, if you don't love him, just politely refuse him. Why say such hurtful and cruel things?"

Mu Meng never expected that this person was Mu Qingheng's lobbyist. In an instant, all the patience that had just surged up disappeared: "What's it to you? Do you demons have any normal brains? If you want to kill me, don't waste your breath. I won't let you slaughter me. If you don't want to kill me, get lost. I'm too lazy to waste my energy hitting you."

The man noticed her impatience and stepped forward to stand beside her: "Why would I kill you? If you die, Mu Qingheng will suffer the most extreme heart-wrenching pain. If he cannot find a way to revive you, he will only have one path left: to die for love."

This person is sick in the head!

Mu Meng could tell that he didn't want to kill her, but every word he uttered was more painful than killing her. If she had enough spiritual power, she would have killed him with a single palm strike long ago.

Now, she could only ignore this person and turn away.

"Don't go, explain yourself." The man flew over instantly, blocking Mu Meng's path, his face even more gloomy than before.

Mu Meng was incredibly annoyed: "What do you want me to say? Why don't you love Mu Qingheng? Do you know what he's done to me? Just because he loves me doesn't mean I should love him back. Why should I?! Is his love so precious?"

She angrily launched into her tirade, and the man before her paused for a moment, then chuckled softly, muttering somewhat nervously, "Same... same... they really are all the same..."

He finished laughing, raised his head, and his deep, handsome eyes were filled with desolation and despair. He said, "His love is not precious, his love is cheap."

"That's how the demon race is. Heaven bestows upon them a heart of stone, devoid of emotion and love, yet it also grants them the right to transform into a fleshy heart. Isn't that ridiculous?"

Seemingly finding it laughable, he threw his head back and burst into laughter.

He had been gentle and composed just moments before, and his behavior was quite polite, but after only a few words he turned into a madman, as if he were possessed.

Mu Meng's gaze became wary and defensive again, and he secretly mobilized his spiritual power.

The man slowly stopped laughing, his expression forcing a serious look as he approached her step by step: "If we were born knowing how to love, how could we have become so pathetic? You are just like everyone else loved by demons; your reactions are exactly the same. Do you know why?"

Before Mu Meng could answer, he continued, "Because when demons first fall in love, they don't understand what the word 'love' means. Their stone hearts are initially covered in fleshy growths, filled only with twisted possessiveness and insane jealousy. They only want to imprison and hoard, to satisfy their own desires. Therefore, in the early stages of their fleshy hearts, they will inevitably deeply hurt the ones they love."

His voice lowered, "But as I gradually learned to be gentle, compassionate, and tolerant... and understood that the deepest love is wishing the other person peace and happiness, it was already too late. The demon's beloved will absolutely, absolutely, absolutely not give any response."

He said "absolutely" three times in a row, and by the end, a thin layer of tears welled up in his eyes.

Mu Meng could see it, and behind those faint tears lay an almost tangible sorrow and grief, so she remained silent for a moment before speaking:

“I regret that you demons are born this way,” she said, turning her eyes away, “but that’s no reason to forgive the harm done to you.”

"Why not?!" The man suddenly went berserk, grabbing Mu Meng's wrist and slamming her against the tree trunk behind her. "Why can't you forgive me?! If I had been born with a heart as normal as yours, how could I bear to hurt you even a little? I really didn't mean to... I know I was wrong, I was wrong, please don't leave me... don't abandon me... please forgive me, please..."

She started off with some momentum, but her voice grew weaker and weaker until it became tinged with a sob of grievance.

His movements looked intimidating, but he didn't actually use any strength. Mu Meng was speechless for a moment. Just as she was about to kick him away, her hand suddenly loosened, and the man was thrown out, staggering a few steps before barely regaining his footing.

Mu Qingheng's gaze was so dark it was almost dripping with water. He quickly checked Mu Meng and, seeing that she was unharmed, turned around and shouted, "Feng Xixue! You're really insane! If I had known you would touch Mengmeng, I shouldn't have kept you around in the first place."

Feng Xixue parted her lips slightly, her hair trembling, as if she couldn't hear Mu Qingheng's words. Her expression had completely descended into madness: "Sheng Sheng... I want to find Sheng Sheng's reincarnation, yes, I want to find her..."

He lowered his head, speaking to her as if someone were standing in front of him, his expression sorrowful yet his lips curved into a careful smile: "I was wrong... I'll never do it again... Please forgive me, please love me again..."

He went on a rampage all by himself. Mu Qingheng's expression darkened, and he slowly raised his hand. Mu Meng saw this and stopped him, asking, "What are you doing?"

Mu Qingheng lowered his eyes and caught sight of a faint bruise on Mu Meng's wrist. In an instant, his gaze shifted to one of pity as he stared at the spot.

When he turned to look at Feng Xixue again, his expression became even colder.

Mu Meng followed his gaze and asked in a low voice, "Did he go to the battlefield in his past life?"

Mu Qingheng paused for a moment, then said frankly, "No. He is sometimes lucid and sometimes insane. When he is insane, he will lock himself up. When he is lucid, he would never dare to, and would never, commit any killing."

The demons with the stone heart will never understand Feng Xixue, but now that he stands in front of him, he is quite certain of his thoughts.

Mu Meng pondered for a moment and nodded.

She usually had to weigh the credibility of Mu Qingheng's words, but considering his behavior since her encounter with Feng Xixue, she felt that Mu Qingheng was not lying.

Mu Meng glanced again at the man who was trapped in a demonic state, tossing and turning and muttering to himself in supplication, then turned to Mu Qingheng and said directly, "Don't kill him."

Mu Qingheng was stunned for a moment, staring into Mu Meng's eyes, his lips gradually turning pale.

He clearly saw reluctance in Mengmeng's eyes.

Mu Qingheng slowly took a step back and leaned against the tree trunk behind him. He had just been seriously injured and had gone through a fierce battle. The pain in his heart was unreasonable—a word, a glance, or a gesture from the other party could cause a tidal wave of emotions.

He felt ice cold all over his body, and the pain was so intense that his limbs were spasming. His paper-white face showed a hint of despair, and he could only grit his teeth and endure the increasingly intense pain in his heart.

"Mengmeng, since you pity Feng Xixue... then could you... also pity me?" After a long while, Mu Qingheng finally managed to utter a sound from the immense pain.

His pleading expression was almost identical to that of the man from before.

Mu Meng scoffed, "You want me to pity you? Mu Qingheng, perhaps Heaven has been unfair to your demon race. Your plight and your heart will be pitied by anyone who has never met you. But what is it about you that makes you worthy of my pity?"

Her tone was calm and reasonable, but she showed no mercy and offered no hope whatsoever.

Mu Qingheng suppressed the rising blood in his throat, clenching his teeth, but still managed to make a faint, trembling sound.

He couldn't feel the pain in his heart while fighting, but as soon as he stood in front of Mengmeng, looking at her distant eyes and feeling her indifferent tone, he felt as if he had died a thousand times.

This kind of suffering is truly worse than the relief of death.

Mu Qingheng closed his eyes briefly, then opened them again, his eyes shining with renewed light: But he didn't want to die. Demons, born with flesh and blood, were also somewhat different; they were born with—undying love and unyielding dreams.

"Mengmeng, I..."

Mu Meng raised his hand to stop Mu Qingheng.

She looked at him; there were some bloodstains on his clothes, his hair was disheveled and scattered on his forehead, his face was still pale, and the despair and hope in his eyes were waxing and waning.

After observing for a long time, she said seriously, "Do you know why I haven't made a move against you yet?"

Mu Qingheng's pale lips trembled, and she whispered, "I don't know... why..."

Mu Meng didn't answer him immediately. She listened for a moment, then asked, "Did you hear anything?"

"I heard it, the Celestial Clan has arrived." Mu Qingheng glanced outside, his voice low and gentle, his eyes fixed on the girl before him. "I know you had Mu Luo and Zhong Liwei pretend to search for evidence outside, while you were actually waiting for the right opportunity to tell them the truth. In fact, there's no need to produce any real evidence. As long as the Eldest Princess personally identifies the Crown Prince, and the Young Prince testifies from the side, even if the Celestial Clan doesn't believe me, they will definitely demand that I prove my innocence."

“But I am the son of the demon race, how can I be innocent? Once it comes to this, my identity will be exposed and I will be brought to justice.”

He spoke slowly, without any resentment or bitterness, but rather with exceptional gentleness.

Although he didn't know how Mengmeng learned the truth about Mu Luo, now that she did, he was truly at his wit's end.

But I didn't want to resist her either.

“Indeed,” Mu Meng pursed her lips. “Father has always praised you; you truly deserve to be called exceptionally intelligent.”

"misty……"

Mu Meng spoke up again, but circled back to the previous question: "I do pity Feng Xixue. It's no different from pitying a flower or a blade of grass. In my eyes, he's just a stranger who has never harmed me or my family. If he were to die in front of me the next moment, why couldn't I pity him?"

“But you are different from Feng Xixue. Too much has happened between us. Your heart and your suffering are not enough to justify your hurting me or my pity for you.”

Mengmeng explained it very clearly, leaving no room for argument.

Mu Qingheng slowly bent over, his breathing gradually becoming rapid. He gasped for breath, cold sweat sliding down his forehead, and finally, some muffled groans gradually escaped his throat.

Whether from pain or something else, his knees bent little by little until he slowly knelt on the ground. "Mengmeng, I know I've done many wrong things. Can you please give me a chance to make amends... I beg you, give me just a glimmer of hope..."

Just a little is enough; he won't ask for too much, nor does he dare to ask for too much.

Mu Meng lowered her eyes and looked at the man kneeling in front of her. "Many things you have done have made me hate you to the core, but now, I can give you a chance to resolve one of my many inner conflicts."

Mu Qingheng suddenly looked up, as if he had seen a glimmer of light while groping painfully in the dark, or as if he had found the only piece of driftwood to save his life while he was on the verge of death.

The light in his eyes was so bright that Mu Meng was silent for a moment, then stared at him intently. "My sister has just learned who her enemy is, and she must be filled with resentment and pain. So I will not kill you now, because you cannot die like this and leave her unable to relieve her resentment for the rest of her life."

"You must atone for the sins you committed against her. This is the greatest mercy I can give you. If you die at your sister's hands, she will be able to let go of her resentment and be happier in the future, and I can hate you a little less."

Although she was only thinking of her sister, she wasn't lying to Mu Qingheng. If her sister could let go of the hatred from the past and move forward without this heavy burden, she would indeed feel at ease.

Mu Qingheng gently closed his eyes. Mengmeng treated her sister very well, but originally, he was the same person Mengmeng treated.

But none of that matters anymore; at least he still has some value.

Mu Qingheng opened his eyes, his gaze filled with tenderness.

He moved his lips: "Mengmeng, I understand... Thank you."

As long as there's one method, as long as there's even the slightest chance, that's enough.

She could hate him less—that sounded enough to make him ecstatic.

The chaotic footsteps grew closer, as if many people were rushing towards them.

As darkness gradually faded, a few bright spots appeared in the night sky, and a dim, faint light swept across the earth. The mountains and yellow earth were shrouded in a gray haze, but the sun was bound to rise eventually, dispelling all the darkness.

This long night is finally coming to an end.