Chapter 72 Once Upon a Time She smiled, a touch of childlike shyness in her eyes…

Nothing could be worse than this.

Nothing could be better than this.

Zhe Qing didn't dare turn around or respond. He was intelligent and quick-witted, and had never made a mistake in his life, but only at this moment did he become confused and unable to judge the situation. He feared that any random action would lead to utter ruin.

Did Mengmeng recognize him? No, she couldn't. If she recognized him, why would she still call him "brother"?

Is it due to the influence of the monster-transforming energy?

Did she forget for a moment, or is her memory confused?

Zhe Qing's mind was in chaos, a jumble of thoughts swirling together. Before she could sort them out, she heard Mu Meng call out again, "Brother? Brother?"

Finally, she gave up calling him, and very patiently sat up from the ground, walked around to face him, and said, "Brother, you..."

Mu Meng, who had been speaking in a relaxed and lively manner, suddenly stopped the moment she walked around to face him and saw his face clearly.

Zhe Qing's pupils trembled slightly. He unconsciously tightened his grip on the hem of his clothes, slowly raising his head and looking at the crowd with a panicked and vulnerable expression.

"Brother, what happened to your face?" Mu Meng's eyes widened in an instant. She squatted down in a panic, her hands trembling as she reached out and cupped Mu Qingheng's cheeks.

The skin beneath my palm felt rough and uneven, as if it had been cut. This skin, which was once smooth and delicate like cold porcelain, was now covered with many dark red scratches.

Mu Meng held Mu Qingheng's face in disbelief. Her brother's eyebrows and facial features were extremely beautiful. His face was peerless and handsome. He had long, dark eyebrows, a straight nose bridge, and thin, beautiful lips. Although there were scars on his face, they did not affect his handsome and otherworldly appearance. They only made people feel that the flaws in the jade were minor and they could not help but feel sorry for him.

But Mu Meng had no time for sentimentality. Her delicate little hand gently stroked Mu Qingheng's face, and tears gradually welled up in her clear eyes. "Brother, what happened? How did your face get so badly injured?"

Her delicate eyebrows furrowed tightly, and suddenly her eyes flashed with anger: "Who did this? Who bullied you? I'm going to kill him!"

She suddenly raised her voice, and Mu Qingheng seemed to belatedly realize what was happening.

He stared blankly at the little girl in front of him, her eyes filled with pity and her anger.

She blinked very slowly, and before she could say anything, a single tear suddenly rolled down her cheek, tracing a path across her scarred face.

elder brother?

Is she calling for her brother?

Tears streamed down his face in large drops, like pearls falling from a broken string. Some even fell straight to the ground before they even had a chance to run down his cheeks.

"Brother, don't cry..." Mu Meng was a little flustered. She had never seen her brother cry before. His eyes were like stars, radiating a faint light. They were even more dazzling and beautiful when they were filled with tears, but she had no heart to appreciate this beauty. She felt extremely sad.

Mu Qingheng moved his lips slightly, his voice very low, as if afraid of disturbing someone: "Mengmeng, you..."

There's no need to ask anymore; it must be due to the influence of the strange energy that caused some confusion in his memories.

Brother, he never imagined that he would hear Mengmeng call him brother before he died.

Mu Qingheng's long eyelashes trembled slightly. He hurriedly raised his hand to wipe away his tears, almost raising the wrong hand in his haste. He immediately realized his mistake, clenched his left hand into a fist, and unconsciously pressed it against his body, while casually wiping away the moisture on his face with his right hand.

He was flustered and impatient, and had never been patient with himself, only rubbing against her haphazardly a couple of times. Mu Meng frowned deeply upon seeing this and gently pulled Mu Qingheng's wrist.

With her other hand, she gently stroked his face, carefully wiping away each of his tear stains.

"Brother, don't cry, don't cry, I'm here, I'm here with you." Her voice was so soft, as if she were coaxing a child.

Sometimes it's better not to comfort him, because once you do, the grievances just burst forth like a dam breaking. Mu Qingheng felt another heavy sting in his nose and tilted his head slightly upward—he wasn't a person who liked to cry, but at this moment he really couldn't hold back.

Mengmeng was wiping away his tears.

Even if I die at this moment, there will be no regrets.

"Alright, Mengmeng, alright." Mu Qingheng took a deep breath, his voice so soft it was almost a whisper. He carefully pulled Mu Meng's wrist, glancing down at the wet tear stains on her slender white fingers.

With a pang of guilt, Mu Qingheng reached into his robes and pulled out a clean handkerchief, gently wiping her face—even though Mengmeng's memory was now hazy and she had forgotten some of the past, he didn't want to bully her at this time.

Such clean hands shouldn't get dirty.

"Brother, you don't need to wipe anymore. What's wrong?" Mu Meng saw that Mu Qingheng was not saying a word, but carefully and tenderly wiping her hands with a strange expression. She couldn't help but pull her hand back, grasp his large hand in return, and asked with concern.

Mu Qingheng smiled at her and whispered, "I'm fine."

Nothing's wrong? How can you call that nothing's wrong?

She parted her lips slightly, her gaze sweeping over Mu Qingheng from head to toe, each glance causing her heart to ache more: "Brother, I was only delayed for a few days, how did you become like this? What happened? Who treated you like this?"

This was no ordinary situation. She couldn't even imagine her brother's miserable state. He had once possessed an unparalleled beauty that could rival the six realms, but now it had been so cruelly destroyed. And the clothes he was wearing were just the most ordinary fabric. He was always dressed in magnificent robes and wearing a golden crown, never showing a speck of dust. Mu Meng felt she couldn't bear to look at him, and the more she looked, the more her heart ached.

Mu Qingheng gently rubbed his cheek with the back of his right hand, smiled slightly, and said casually, "Ah, this... it's nothing, I just accidentally scratched myself, it'll be fine later, don't worry. Mengmeng, it's getting late, I... I'll take you home."

Mu Meng's eyes widened. "Go back?"

"Okay, I'll send you back to the Celestial Clan. You should rest well. In a few days..." Mu Qingheng paused, pursed his lips tightly, and then smiled softly, "You'll be fine in a few days."

Mu Meng didn't quite understand Mu Qingheng's words, and whispered a reminder: "Brother, what... what are you saying? You were just banished to the desolate tomb by Father, and you have no spiritual power. You can't get out now."

She glanced around, then lowered her voice and said, "I came out without Father's knowledge. Lingwei will cover for me, so I can stay here a little longer. Don't worry."

Mu Qingheng paused for a moment, then slowly blinked. It turned out that his hazy memories stopped here.

Then, as if he had thought of something, he lowered his head slightly and said softly, "I'm sorry, Mengmeng."

“I…I lied to you before. The story about me crippling my spiritual power was fake. In reality…I still preserved my demonic powers.”

He would never lie to her again, neither in the future nor in the past. Given the chance, he was willing to set aside all the lies he had told and tell her the whole truth.

Mu Qingheng's tone was apologetic and ashamed, and Mu Meng nodded somewhat blankly: "Oh..."

Her eyes darted around a couple of times, then she suddenly smiled sweetly and said, "That's great too, brother. How did you do that? Even Father didn't notice."

"Besides, there's nothing to apologize for. With your spiritual power protecting you, I can finally feel at ease..."

As she spoke, she naturally reached for Mu Qingheng's hand—she suddenly reached out, and Mu Qingheng trembled, immediately putting his left hand behind his back and extending his right hand to grasp her fingertips, "Mengmeng..."

"What's wrong with you?" Mu Meng keenly sensed Mu Qingheng's avoidance; his movements were even somewhat panicked. "Why are you avoiding me? Brother, take your hand out and let me see it."

Without saying a word, she stretched out her small, white hand in front of him, her face very serious.

Mu Qingheng pretended not to understand, smiled and gently tapped her fingertip with his right hand, gently changing the subject: "Mengmeng, are you tired? Shall I take you to your place to rest?"

"I want to see your hands," Mu Meng insisted.

Mu Qingheng lowered his head, his face extremely troubled. His beautiful, full lips were slightly pursed, gradually pressing into a straight line. His right hand was wrapped around his left hand, and he did not let go for a long time.

Seeing this, Mu Meng felt increasingly uneasy. She placed her hand on Mu Qingheng's large palm and pulled away his tightly clenched hand without saying a word. Mu Qingheng had initially used a little force to prevent her from succeeding, but he couldn't resist Mu Meng's stubborn and forceful prying. In the end, he sighed softly and released his hand.

"elder brother……"

After separating his two hands, all that could be seen was a long, slender left hand, but unlike the other hand, it was missing two fingers.

The base of the severed finger was ugly, the cross-section was rough, and a dark bluish color was faintly visible. It was no longer associated with beauty and elegance, and could even be described as a completely incomplete hand.

"How could this happen... how could this happen..." Mu Meng's voice trembled as she cradled Mu Qingheng's mutilated hand as if it were a delicate tofu, tears streaming down her face. "Your hand, your fingers..."

As she was speaking, a cold wind suddenly rose beside her, causing her clothes to flutter. In an instant, the outline of the severed limb beneath her thin clothes became visible—no matter how well it was concealed, the veil of shame was mercilessly torn away by fate, leaving it completely exposed.

Mu Meng was still able to speak just now, but when he saw what was covered by his clothes, he suddenly fell silent.

She stood frozen for what seemed like an eternity, so long that Mu Qingheng couldn't help but softly call her name in worry. Mu Meng slowly raised her eyes, then suddenly opened her arms wide, pulling Mu Qingheng into her embrace and bursting into heart-wrenching sobs.

"Brother—Brother..." She cried so hard she couldn't breathe, and kept calling his name over and over again.

Mu Qingheng's eyes were filled with heartache. Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly bit his lower lip hard, his hand involuntarily pressing against his heart, and his face turned pale.

Mu Meng was startled, forgetting to shed tears. Without a word, she immediately turned Mu Qingheng's hand over and probed his wrist with a wisp of spiritual energy. However, just as she was about to begin the transfer, Mu Qingheng grabbed her hand and broke it off, saying, "No need, Mengmeng..."

He whispered, "Don't cry, it breaks my heart to see you cry..."

He coughed twice, then suddenly curled his lips slightly, his eyes stinging. He quickly closed his eyes to suppress the soreness.

This should be the sweetest heartbreak he's ever experienced. Although it hurts terribly, he could die in peace after experiencing this pain once.

Seeing that Mu Qingheng's complexion had softened and regained some color, Mu Meng stubbornly gritted her teeth and wiped away her tears. "Who treated you like this? Who?! I'll kill him! I'll tear him to pieces!" More free articles at [WeChat/QQ: xnttaaa]

The last sentence was filled with overwhelming anger. Mu Meng's eyes blazed with fury, and he slammed his fist into the ground.

With a loud bang, huge cracks appeared in the ground, which was filled with tremendous force. The trees within a radius of several miles swayed, and even the entire ground trembled.

For a moment, Mu Meng was stunned. She hadn't expected that her casual punch would have such power. She looked at her hand blankly: "I seem to have gained the power of the Crimson Heart Pill..."

Ignoring what was going on, Mu Meng immediately looked up and said, "Brother, tell me, who bullied you?! I'll go avenge you right now!"

"Mengmeng, Mengmeng, don't worry," Mu Qingheng smiled and gently patted her shoulder. His gaze was extremely gentle, even more hazy and soft than the moonlight in the sky. "Listen to me, Mengmeng, this happened a long time ago. Look at my hand, it's not a new injury, right? Actually, we... we were fighting the enemy here just now, and your memory was affected by the enemy's aura, so some of your memories are confused, including the matter of my hand injury."

Mu Meng was skeptical: "...Is that so?"

Mu Qingheng smiled and said, "Yes."

"Alright, whatever my brother says, I'll believe." Mu Meng nodded thoughtfully. Indeed, her brother looked older than he was, and she inexplicably possessed the power of the Crimson Heart Pill. It must be as he said, that her memories were a bit jumbled.

Thinking of this, she looked over, her expression slightly tense. "We're going to fight the enemy together? We've killed all the bad guys, are we safe now?"

Mu Qingheng said gently, "It's still relatively safe here."

Mu Meng looked around and slowly nodded. "Then... will I recover?" Her brother had said that they fought together here, but now, no matter how hard she looked, she couldn't remember anything.

Mu Qingheng smiled, "Yes, you will. You haven't lost your memories; they're just stuck at a certain point in the past. They'll return in three to five days, and the memories from those chaotic times won't exist either. Our lives will be back to normal..."

He paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Let's continue living the same way as before."

Mu Meng was slightly relieved. So that's how it is. She also felt that there must have been a large gap in her knowledge. Otherwise, how could her brother Fang, who was demoted from the Heavenly Clan to this place, have injured his cheek and fingers? Moreover, these wounds had scabbed over and scarred, and looked like they had been there for a long time.

She didn't remember anything from before, but she was curious and had so many questions to ask. She opened her mouth but asked first, "Brother, did I catch the person who disfigured you and injured your fingers to avenge you and vent your anger?"

Mu Qingheng coughed softly as if to cover up his embarrassment, his tone ambiguous: "Um... you won't see him again."

So it seems they've already taken their revenge. Mu Meng felt relieved, but she still muttered to herself, "That's still not enough. I still need to find the Immortal Physician to take a good look at how to heal your face and hands..."

He spoke earnestly, but he didn't notice that Mu Qingheng was beside her, and his gaze softened little by little.

His eyes seemed to sparkle, conveying his love and longing in every little detail.

"Mengmeng," Mu Qingheng said softly, "It's late, and you must be tired. Let me take you home."

Mu Meng was about to agree when she suddenly paused, feeling a little hesitant: her brother had said "I'll take you home," not "Let's go home," which proved that they were no longer living together like before.

Damn it, she's lost too much of her memory; she can't remember anything, and she doesn't know whether she should ask or not.

If she is indeed sent back to the Celestial Clan, where will her brother go? As the son of the Demon Clan, will it be convenient for him to move around outside?

After thinking it over, Mu Meng made a decision and said in a low voice, "Brother, it's getting late. How about we find a place to rest here for the night?"

Mu Qingheng hesitated for a moment, then nodded in agreement: "That's fine, but I'm sorry to have to trouble you."

Given Mengmeng's current condition, he was indeed somewhat uneasy about sending her back to the Celestial Clan rashly.

Mu Meng very considerately reached out and supported Mu Qingheng's arm, carefully helping him up. When she saw Mu Qingheng reach for a bamboo stick, she thoughtfully picked it up for him and placed it in his hand.

She didn't ask anything, silently helping him hold the bamboo stick steady, her hand never letting go of his arm, gently and considerately supporting him.

Mu Qingheng instinctively tried to pull his hand away, "Mengmeng, you don't need to..."

Mu Meng grabbed him: "Brother, why do you keep avoiding me?" She felt a little strange. This wasn't the first time he had resisted. They should be very close. Her brother was injured and had difficulty moving around, so of course she should support and protect him. Why did her brother always want to avoid her?

“No, Mengmeng,” Mu Qingheng licked his lips, his voice low, “Don’t be upset, I didn’t mean to.”

That's enough, just this once.

Although the real Mengmeng must despise him and never want to touch him, how could he avoid her and hurt her feelings at this moment?

...

The night was deep, the stars were few, and the moonlight was hazy.

The desolate tomb has been abandoned for a long time, but there are still many empty houses and courtyards. Mu Qingheng randomly found a clean and usable one. He did not go to the courtyard where the two of them lived in his previous life. Even though Mengmeng had no memory of it, he still had a deep shadow over it.

After all, Mengmeng's tragedy, his tragedy, all began there.

Mu Meng was indeed exhausted, though she herself didn't realize it. She had pushed the Crimson Heart Pill to its limit and her brain had been damaged by the black energy, so her body was overworked and she naturally collapsed and fell asleep.

Mu Qingheng, however, could not fall asleep no matter what.

He sat there for a long time before finally getting up and walking into the courtyard to look at the bright full moon in the sky.

After watching for a while, he turned and walked towards the main room, gently pushed open the door, and quietly walked to Mu Meng's bedside.

She was fast asleep, her eyes and brows peaceful, her petal-red lips slightly pouting, as if she were still unhappy in her dream.

Mu Qingheng slowly knelt down beside her bed.

"Mengmeng, I'm sorry," he said softly, carefully tucking the blanket around her. "Don't be sad for me, you shouldn't be sad for me. I'm sorry I didn't dare tell you earlier that everything I have is the price I have to pay."

He could hardly believe it, but he saw Mengmeng from that period again—the pitiful little girl who bravely and gently came to find him alone after he was banished to the desolate tomb because of his different bloodline.

Mu Qingheng gently raised his head, his dark eyes filled with clear, watery light, and his beautifully shaped Adam's apple bobbed up and down. Now that he had reached this point, he had never complained about fate. He knew very well that he had missed out on happiness by his own hand.

If he hadn't insisted on his own way and become possessed by a demon after having his heart transplanted;

If he hadn't followed the teachings of the Demon Ancestor and the Holy Ancestor and cut off all those stubble when he softened his heart time and time again;

If only he had been more alert and attentive back then, recognized his own restless heart sooner, and had slaughtered all the demons earlier;

Mengmeng wouldn't have suffered so much.

Mu Qingheng slowly extended his finger, stopping just inches from his beloved girl's cheek. His hand hovered in mid-air, slowly curling up before finally and carefully withdrawing.

He knelt beside her bed, completely protecting her. "Mengmeng, sleep peacefully. No matter where your memory stops next, don't be afraid. Your brother is here, so you can vent all your grievances and pain."

His voice was low and soft, every word filled with tenderness.

This time, Mengmeng's memory ends here. Next time, she probably won't feel heartache or shed so many tears because of him again.

And he could finally let Mengmeng, who had been so afraid, so pitiful, and suffered so much in her past life, vent all her hatred and bitterness on him freely and at will.

Mu Qingheng closed his eyes, and the corners of his lips subtly curved upwards.

...

Mu Qingheng didn't sleep a wink all night. He stood guard outside Mu Meng's room, watching the cold moonlight gradually fade and the sun slowly rise from the horizon.

His complexion was terrible. He had been pressing his heart all night, and now the torment in his chest was finally subsiding little by little. He slowly removed his hand from his chest, casually wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and let out a low breath.

Just as he was lost in thought, the door was suddenly pushed open. Mu Qingheng's brows furrowed, and he slowly clenched his hands.

They've arrived.

Mengmeng her...

He pursed his lips, already prepared, and was about to look up at her—

"Brother, what happened to you..."

However, Mengmeng's first words to him were still "brother," and even her tone was not what he had imagined.

"Why are you sitting outside my room? Look, your clothes are all wet. You...you didn't go back to sleep all night, did you?" Mu Meng's voice was soft, and as she spoke, for some reason, two blushes appeared on her fair face.

She looked away somewhat embarrassedly, her bright eyes darting around slightly, and she unconsciously raised her hand to touch her delicate lips.

She smiled, her eyes revealing a youthful shyness.