Chapter 136 If you don't eat the pastries from last time, there won't be any more.

Ji Mingran's gaze fell on the place where the body had died.

In the past, every night she would light candles in the house, and the dim candlelight would shine through the windows. If Yu Tianxing rushed back from outside, he could tell whether she was in the house by the candlelight.

Now, under the starry night sky, the wooden house is silent and still, without a single ray of light.

On the grass in front of the simple hut stood a grave with a tombstone. The grave was bare of grass, clearly a new grave.

Ji Mingran raised an eyebrow, flew over the grave, and his transparent body passed straight through the wooden wall into the house.

Starlight filtered through the window screen into the cabin, the dim light enough for her to survey the interior of the wooden house.

The narrow bed was spotless, and the wooden floor and walls were immaculate.

Even though her body was hacked to pieces and blood was splattered everywhere before she left, the interior of the cabin is now neat and clean.

Her death was so gruesome that some people, despite their horror and disgust, came to collect her body, build her grave, and prepare a clean and tidy resting place for her soul.

Who is it?

Mo Jingshuang, the image of a girl with double-looped buns flashed through Ji Mingran's mind. The last time he saw Mo Jingshuang was when she discovered that Jiang Chaoxing had killed her, and she was so frightened that she hid in the bushes, trembling.

The last time the latter saw herself alive was on the day the disciples of the Nameless Sect returned from their examinations. She made a promise to herself that they would study astrology together the following night.

She ended up with her own corpse.

Ji Mingran silently gazed at the inscription, thinking that all of this combined might be quite a shock to her. But why did she add "benefactor" to her self-defined identity?

With trembling fingertips, Ji Mingran touched the inscription on the monument and turned his head.

Silently, Yu Tianxing arrived at the gravesite at some unknown time. The boy's face was pale, and his dark eyes were lifeless. He seemed shrouded in darkness, and no amount of starlight could reach him.

When Ji Mingran first saw Yu Tianxing like this, he was trembling all over, even though he was healthy and conscious. The trembling was more severe than when he was later infected with the corpse poison.

Having just broken through to the Mahayana stage, a person who could traverse several continents in one step and reached peak condition, suddenly felt his legs go weak and couldn't stand up. His tall body staggered and he knelt down in front of the grave, his head buried deep in his hands.

Tears streamed down his face, soaking the soil of the grave. He knelt before the grave, unable to contain his sobs.

Ji Mingran stared at him blankly.

This was the third time she had seen Yu Tianxing in such a disheveled state.

The first time was when they first met in the small world. He was poisoned and extremely weak, convulsing and trembling all night long.

The second time was not long ago when he was besieged by his fellow disciples and, on the verge of death in despair, cast a sorrowful glance at himself.

The third time, which is now, he is kneeling in front of her grave, sobbing and weeping like a bewildered and helpless little animal.

Ji Mingran silently gazed at him, then at her grave, a surge of indescribable emotions welling up within her—a mixture of subtlety, bitterness, and a lingering sweetness...

Yu Tianxing was so concerned about her life and death.

It turns out that after she died in the new world, people would grieve for her.

If she died in the apocalypse in her past life, would anyone grieve for her? No one would.

Ji Mingran approached Yu Tianxing, slowly squatted down, reached out and stroked his silky black hair, gently patting the back of his head: "Don't be sad, everything will be alright after we get out."

She thought for a moment, then looked at the kneeling boy and said with a heavy heart, "To be precise, we will meet again in more than two hundred years."

The Yu Tianxing before her was a projection of her memories from over two hundred years ago. For the original Yu Tianxing, breaking the array would allow them to meet, but for the memory projection before her, he would indeed not reunite with her until over two hundred years later.

Having been in this realm for some time, she was certain that everything here originated from Yu Tianxing's memories and will.

The trapped formation brought back his memories, allowing her to see his true past experiences.

Yu Tianxing is trapped here, repeatedly reliving his past, experiencing his past pain and suffering in his memories. And this time, she is also part of the experience.

Because of her intrusion, the trapped formation was set up as a minor disciple in her memories. If it weren't for her, this minor disciple would have just been an ordinary passerby in her memories, and would not have had any impact on him.

He relived the historical facts that had already occurred, his memories cycling and repeating, repeatedly tormented by the betrayal of his fellow disciples and grieving over the upheavals in his sect. Now, with her added to the mix, this period of memory seemed to bring him new suffering.

Ji Mingran gazed silently at the boy who was sobbing in pain, a trace of confusion appearing in his clear eyes.

Did her arrival make his already painful memories even more unbearable?

Even knowing he couldn't hear her, Ji Mingran gently stroked his hair, leaned close to his ear, and softly comforted him, "It will be alright."

She encouraged him again and again, just as she had done to him as he was reshaping his body in front of the cave.

In the quiet of the starry night, Ji Mingran lost count of how many times he said "I'm here," when suddenly, Yu Tianxing's mournful cries gradually ceased.

He stood up and turned to face away.

Ji Mingran was confused and followed his movements, looking behind him.

A moment later, a rustling sound came from the bushes.

Someone walked in.

A short, stout figure stopped in front of the house, his round face still bearing a smile.

The person he had personally skinned, dismembered, and thrown into the underwater cage was now standing perfectly fine in front of him. Mao Qingyun seemed completely unsurprised and even greeted him gently, "Junior brother, you're back."

His gaze was calm, as if he hadn't been the one to commit the cruel act against Yu Tianxing. He even appeared happy about his junior brother's return, raising his hands in a welcoming gesture: "Junior brother! You've already reached the Great Ascension stage! That's wonderful."

Yu Tianxing's jade-like face was cold and aloof, his dark lips icy and his voice hoarse from crying just now: "Too good? Why does Senior Brother feel too good?"

"Junior brother has broken through, how could I, as his senior brother, feel bad?" Mao Qingyun seemed oblivious, his expression slightly surprised. His eyes shifted from Yu Tianxing to the grave beside him, and he suddenly realized, "Ah, junior brother, you're talking about junior sister?"

Instead, he blamed Yu Tianxing for deceiving him: "Didn't you say you had nothing going on with her? You haven't spoken to her much over the years. I thought you had lost interest in her."

"However, it's rather unusual that she went to see you after you came back from the Spiritual Cultivation Competition," Mao Qingyun teased, as if catching a child secretly eating candy. "I found out, didn't I!"

“But don’t be too sad, it’s her fate.” Mao Qingyun looked up at the starry night sky and sighed, “It’s all fate.”

Yu Tianxing's voice was low and deep: "All the disciples of the sect died at your hands. Is this fate?"

Mao Qingyun's smile remained unchanged: "Junior brother, this is all fate, yours, mine, and theirs. When our predetermined fate arrives, all we can do is choose how to face death. No one can escape fate."

He shook his head and clicked his tongue in dismay, saying, "Junior Sister died a tragic death! Her scalp was completely shaved off, and her arms and legs were salvaged from the bed. Her body was cleanly severed in two. If the execution hadn't been swift enough, she probably would have died in excruciating pain... Ah!"

The final "Ah" was a soft sigh, yet also a sound of surprise. It was a sigh for the junior sister's death, and also for the black sword piercing her heart.

Mao Qingyun's gaze followed the hilt of the sword to the person who had attacked him, a half-smile playing on his lips.

Yu Tianxing stared intently at him, his eyes filled with hatred, so red they looked like they were about to bleed. Before Mao Qingyun could speak, the sword had already flown from his hand, carrying boundless resentment as it pierced straight into Mao Qingyun's chest.

Ji Mingran frowned, his gaze fixed on the short, stout cultivator who had been stabbed.

Mao Qingyun remained calm. He was not surprised, never had been. He was not surprised that Yu Tianxing had come back from the dead, that Yu Tianxing had advanced to the Mahayana stage, or that Yu Tianxing had launched an attack on him.

He rushed over, greeted Yu Tianxing, and then vividly described her death, his actions clearly intended to provoke Yu Tianxing into making a move.

"Junior brother, why are you angry with me? I didn't kill her. I'm not the kind of person who kills innocent people indiscriminately." Mao Qingyun showed surprise again. As if he was eager to defend himself, he hurriedly said, "Don't misunderstand, I only killed Senior Sister and Miaowan."

“Just kill them…” Yu Tianxing’s voice was hoarse, and he let out a sarcastic laugh.

The black sword hummed, and Mao Qingyun smiled as he raised his hand and gently pressed it on the hilt. The black sword, which was about to fly back, was firmly restrained by him.

"As for Senior Sister, our positions are different, so it's destined to be this way. And Miaowan," he said, spreading his other hand as if in helplessness, "..."

"Miaowan is talented, intelligent, and has a calm temperament. It's a pity she can't see through things. But then again, we risked our lives to survive back then, but who could have imagined that death awaited us ahead? It's indeed hard for her to accept."

Ji Mingran became more and more confused. What was he talking about? What did he mean by death still awaiting them?

Despite being stabbed by a sword, Mao Qingyun continued speaking as if he were completely unaffected: "She thought that killing Heyi, Wuqi, Mianyue, and you would change everything, but the astrological results were still the same. I had no choice but to tell her the truth, but I never expected that she couldn't accept it and went mad, directly wanting to perish together with the sect, resulting in everyone dying and the sect being in ruins."

He then changed the subject: "To spare her from continued suffering, I had no choice but to give her a quick end and finish her off directly."

Mao Qingyun confessed to killing Miao Miaowan. Miao Miaowan, in turn, killed a large number of people.

Ji Mingran was completely confused.

She simply couldn't understand what the people from the Nameless Sect were doing. How could everyone look so respectable, yet they all seem to have gone mad and acted like they were possessed?

“Oh, but Junior Sister wasn’t killed by Miaowan. I need to clarify this for her,” Mao Qingyun said. “Haven’t you realized yet? The one who killed Junior Sister was Jiang Chaoxing. If you don’t believe me, go and retrieve the spell that’s set up in the room and you’ll know.”

Ji Mingran felt a chill in his heart and looked at Yu Tianxing with concern.

It's true that Jiang Chaoxing killed her, but it was also Jiang Chaoxing who rescued Yu Tianxing.

Just as she expected, Mao Qingyun smiled kindly, but then uttered words as sharp as knives: "When I last saw Chao Xing, he wasn't in good shape. It must have been quite a struggle for him to bring you back from the abyss."

Mao Qingyun said, "Every senior sister and brother you respected and loved tried to kill you, which made you disheartened and feel hopeless about the whole world, right? And Chao Xing did everything he could to save you, which gave you a little hope again, right?"

"But this loyal brother who was so devoted to you, who risked his life for you, actually killed the girl you loved." Mao Qingyun's tone was cruel. "Are you going to do the same to me and kill him too?"

Yu Tianxing seemed to be completely enveloped in deathly silence.

After a long silence, he whispered, "What exactly do you want to do to me?"

"Junior brother, do you know?" Mao Qingyun's smile deepened.

"I don't know!" This question ignited suppressed emotions, and Yu Tianxing's voice trembled slightly, revealing confusion and grievance: "You've never told me anything before, so why do you all keep asking me if I know or don't know?"

“So they’re the same.” Mao Qingyun said softly, her calm and smiling face only changing at this moment. “At this moment, we all feel the same way.”

"What do I need to know this time?" Yu Tianxing's voice was tired and hoarse.

"Junior brother, do you know?" Mao Qingyun asked again, then continued what he had been interrupted about: "Why does Master and Mistress always entrust me with the important task of managing the disciples when they go into seclusion?"

His smiling eyes revealed a faint sadness: "Because from beginning to end, I was the most obedient disciple. Master knows that I will unconditionally carry out his will."

Yu Tianxing's eyelashes trembled, and he slowly, very slowly, raised them. His dark eyes were lifeless, his face was pale, and his entire body was frozen as if filled with frost.

“Junior brother, none of them are willing to accept their fate.” Mao Qingyun’s gaze met the dark eyes, his fingers gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, and the blade penetrated deeply. “You see, I’m different. I submit. This is the way I’ve chosen to die. Less trouble, more decisive. The timing is just right. I’ve said what I had to say.”

"Go, junior brother, your master and mistress are waiting for you."

"Junior brother, this is where I'll stop. If you didn't eat the pastries last time, there won't be any more."