Chapter 192 [Alien] Deception
"You've been lying to me from the beginning to the end."
The snow suddenly began to fall again, not silently as before, but with a fierce, almost vindictive force, pounding between the two of them. Mu Chi's voice was ripped to pieces by the wind and snow, but it still felt like nails, hammering into Hua Jin's bones one by one.
Hua Jin leaned his back against the bamboo, the ice chips on the bamboo joints hurting him. But he just raised his eyes, letting the snowflakes fall on his eyelashes, then melted into water by his body heat, sliding down the corners of his eyes, like tears but not really.
"I don't want to see you!"
"Master, what have I done to make you become like this?"
The disparity was too great. Before, he could go to Xishan without restrictions. Mu Chi beamed with joy when he saw him, personally taught him his inner skills, and took him to town to buy snacks. But now? Not only did he no longer know any of those things, but even the way he looked at him wasn't as pure anymore. There was fear in his master's eyes, and many other things he couldn't understand, but the initial favor he'd once possessed was gone.
Mu Chi pursed his lips and tried his best to suppress the lens. He was about to leave but Hua Jin grabbed his sleeve.
"Let go."
Mu Chi's voice was like the wind squeezed out of a crack in the ice, trembling with a crack. Hua Jin clenched his fists even tighter, his knuckles turning white, and the snow soaked through his cuffs, which fell heavily downward.
If Hua Jin was just Hua Jin, without that memory, and really didn't know what he had done, then he would get along well with him, teach him well, and let him practice to save the people.
But he just remembered that he had been deceiving himself all along, whether it was life or death, emotions, or the lives of those innocent people who died in vain, he was deceiving himself.
"Master," his throat tightened, "I just want to know—" Mu Chi pulled his hand away abruptly, and his wide sleeves ripped with a sharp sound. The tattered cloth remained between Hua Jin's fingers, like a severed piece of the past.
"I told you, I don't want to see you!" He turned, his steps light but resolute. Snowflakes rolled into a white barrier behind him, separating the two of them into two worlds. Hua Jin wanted to chase him, but heard a very soft, almost collapsing sob.
The sound was too low, shredded by the wind and snow, yet it was like a blunt knife, gouging through his chest—Mu Chi was crying. It wasn't a hysterical howl, but rather the faintest whispers that still escaped from his throat, his teeth clenched tightly to hold the sobs.
Like a beast forced to the edge of a cliff, even its wailing is afraid of disturbing the abyss.
Hua Jin froze in place, not daring to take another step forward.
A past that the Mirror of the Past has never revealed must not exist, but Mu Chi's various behaviors really made him panic and scared. He was afraid that they would be like this in the future, separated and alienated.
Or it could be said that everyone else could get close to Mu Chi, but he couldn't, because Mu Chi didn't want to and would hide from him.
He didn't want things to turn out like this. He had to find out what had happened to Mu Chi and what he had experienced.
He went to find Zhu Yingyan.
"We are leaving for Linghong Mountain tomorrow. Why aren't you resting yet?" Zhu Yingyan looked at him.
"Uncle Master Zhu, could you tell me what it was like when you met Master two years ago, or recount what happened in Yandu?"
Zhu Yingyan frowned.
"What did your master say to you?"
Hua Jin shook his head. In the past two years, no one had ever told him that anything that could not be reflected by the mirror of the past was nothingness.
"It's not that I don't want to tell you, but your master told me before he went into seclusion that I can't tell you anything."
"But you still told me that the mirror of the past didn't reflect it."
Zhu Yingyan did reveal it on purpose. He also wanted to know what happened to Mu Chi, but Mu Chi was unwilling to say. He could only start with Hua Jin, who entered the Mirror of the Heart with Mu Chi.
"In the past two years, you've come to see me no more than a hundred times. I've told you everything I can. I don't know anything else," Zhu Yingyan said, changing the subject. "But I do remember that when he brought you out of the Heart Mirror, the mirror shattered and pierced his chest, but the lens disappeared. I didn't think much of it at the time, but now I think about it..."
In fact, he had thought of it a long time ago, but he checked it himself. In the past two years, he had read all the books in the library and borrowed books from other sects, but he did not find any content about the Mirror of the Heart.
"A mirror for the heart?"
"Yes, if it weren't for Yandu and his group, no one would have known about the existence of such a magical instrument. I've read countless books, but I've never seen any record of this mirror." He sighed, "If you really don't know the truth of the matter, only your master knows. But your master's temper is also known. He will say what he wants to say. If he doesn't say it, no matter how much others ask, it will be useless. Well, you still have to leave for Linghong Mountain tomorrow, go back and rest early."
Zhu Yingyan offered Hua Jin an olive branch, then drove him away, hoping it would work.
Hua Jin looked towards the west mountain, not knowing what he was thinking.
The next day they met up and set off. In addition to the ten disciples, they also brought some other disciples. These disciples had never participated in the Linghong Competition. They went there to broaden their horizons and prepare for the next one.
It was already noon when they arrived at Linghong Mountain. After allocating the rooms and courtyards, Mu Chi returned to the courtyard to meditate and regulate his breathing.
The snow on Linghong Mountain is thinner than that on Xishan Mountain, but it is colder than before.
Mu Chi sat cross-legged on the couch, forming seals with his fingertips, but he couldn't find concentration. The fragment of the "heart mirror" in his heart rose and fell with his breathing, and each beat brought a sharp pain - pain mixed with images that did not belong to him: scorched earth, rivers of blood, the back of a young man holding a sword, and his own heartbreaking cries.
He opened his eyes suddenly, and the cold sweat on his forehead slid down his brow and into his collar. There was a charcoal fire burning in the room, but the warmth seemed to be blocked from his skin by something invisible.
“…We can’t delay any longer.”
He murmured softly, his voice as hoarse as sandpapered tiles.
What is locked inside the lens is not only the past of the mirror, but also the inner demon that he cannot get rid of.
Suddenly, there were very light footsteps outside the door.
Three knocks on the door, a pause, and one more. That was Hua Jin's habit. Mu Chi's knuckles tightened, and spiritual power surged in his sleeves. In the end, he only uttered two words:
"Come in." The door was pushed open a little, and the wind and snow rushed in first, carrying with them the cold fragrance of the early plum blossoms in the yard.
Hua Jin didn't step over the threshold, but just stood in the shadows, as if afraid of disturbing something.
"Master." His voice was low, but with a hint of persistence. "I went to the town and found some plum candies that Master loves. I bought some to apologize to you."
In his hand he held a small jar of green grapefruit.
"No need, if you have nothing else, please leave."
Mu Chi's voice was as cold as icicles under the eaves, but it failed to pin Hua Jin to his spot. Instead, the young man took a half step forward, widening the crack in the door. Snowlight slanted in, illuminating the can of plum sugar like amber.
"I told you to get out."
"Are you hurt?"
The two spoke in unison.
"Or is the injury not healed at all?" Hua Jin's voice was like a needle tempered in the snow, light, but piercing straight into Mu Chi's heart.
Mu Chi averted his eyes suddenly, his knuckles curled up on his knees until they turned white. He said coldly, "It has nothing to do with you."
This made Hua Jin angry, but he didn't show it.
"How can it be unrelated? You are my master. I didn't even know you were injured for so long. You..." He didn't know what else to say, for fear that Mu Chi would be unhappy if he said too much.
Mu Chi raised his hand and slapped Hua Jin away. With a "creak", the door closed.
Hua Jin got up and looked at the closed door.
Snow flakes, mixed with the smell of blood, melted between his teeth. Hua Jin wiped the corners of his lips and stumbled to his feet, but he stopped knocking. He simply rested his forehead against the cold door, his voice so low it was almost shredded by the wind.
"If Master doesn't want to see me, I'll wait outside the door."
There was no response from the room, only the crackling of the charcoal fire, like someone snapping dead branches deep within his heart. Mu Chi leaned against the door with his back, spiritual energy flickering between his fingers. The shard of mirror in his chest rose and fell with the breath outside, causing him to black out in pain.
Mu Chi suddenly closed his eyes, his throat churning, but he couldn't suppress the sweet taste that surged to his lips. He raised his hand, and a burst of spiritual power sealed the door and windows. His voice finally broke through the cracks: "...Don't force me."
Outside, Hua Jin heard the trembling, suppressed voice, and his heart tightened. He slid slowly down into the snow, his back against the door, as if leaning against a cliff that could collapse at any moment. Snow quickly fell on his shoulders, but he didn't move, only clutching the can of plum candy tighter in his hand, as if it was the only thing he could hold on to.
"Master always says I forced you, but I don't even know what I did, and Master never told me. It's too unreasonable to define me as guilty just like that. Others don't know what kind of person I am, but doesn't Master know it either?"
"In my memory, besides my mother, Master is the person closest to me. I will never hurt you. You are so afraid of me." He didn't know what to do. Mu Chi didn't want to see him and even hurt him. "You didn't tell me what happened, so I didn't dare to ask. But I have already made my feelings clear, and I can feel that Master has me in his heart. If you choose to avoid me because of the secular world, then if I change this world, will you be with me?"
Mu Chi didn't say anything, and Hua Jin didn't know if he was listening, but he remained stubborn.
"For the past month, I've always wanted to see Master more often, but Master always avoids me. Actually, I can't blame you. After all, feelings can't be forced. But I still wanted to fight for it. I clearly got it, but you said you didn't."
Suddenly, footsteps approached, and Hua Jin immediately became alert. The person was wearing the disciple uniform of Yunlie Manor.
He stood outside the barrier, cupped his hands and said, "Master Mugu, Master Chen invites you to Lanyue Tower for a chat."
Under Hua Jinnanfeng's gaze, Mu Chi opened the door. He had already tidied himself up, looking as handsome as when he came.
"knew."
The disciple sent a token through the air, on which was written the eleventh room of Tianzi No.
"You step back first, I'll be right there."
"yes."
When Hua Jin saw Mu Chi coming out, he knelt down immediately. He grabbed Mu Chi's dress tightly, like an abandoned woman.
"Let go." Mu Chi looked in the direction where the disciples outside the courtyard were leaving.
"Master..." Hua Jin clenched his fist even tighter, his knuckles leaving wet marks on the green robe, as if he wanted to squeeze every last bit of connection into his palm. "You said that I could tell you directly whether I like something or not. Why is it that now that I've said it, Master is scolding me?"
"Let go." He said again, this time no longer cold, just tired, "Master Shen is waiting."
Hua Jin finally let go, but the wet mark was still on his fingertips. He stood up and followed Mu Chi.
"If you want to go, I'll go with you."
Mu Chi paused, looked back at him covered in snow, and the words got stuck in his throat, unable to utter a word of scolding.
"After two days of rest, the competition will begin. If you win first place," he couldn't bear to continue. It's not like he had never lied before, but Hua Jin looked at him like that, and he was different from that person. "Forget it..."
He was confused. He couldn't tell Hua Jin from that person anymore. Was he pretending, or did he really not remember? If he didn't remember, why did their words and actions after coming here be so similar?
He loves acting so much, is Hua Jin also acting like this?
Mu Chi couldn't tell the difference; he was bewitched. During the month of training, he'd secretly watched Hua Jin practice swordplay, sometimes blurring the lines between reality and illusion. Hua Jin's figure overlapped with Murong Lian's.
He said: Murong Lian is Hua Jin, and Hua Jin is also Murong Lian.
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