Chapter 18 Slapping - Learning the Truth.
Yun Jiuyan...
Mu Meng was in excruciating pain, feeling as if his head was about to explode.
Yunze's martial arts are unparalleled in the world. She saw it clearly just now. This person's moves cannot be faked, but... the demonic energy on his body is enough to prove that he is a member of the demon race!
This person must be a scammer!
Mu Meng swung away the tip of her sword and swung her other hand at Yun Jiuyan—however, her heart was severely damaged, and the power of the Crimson Heart Pill was greatly reduced. The attack lacked strength and he dodged it.
"Fine... Mu Meng, I used to think you were innocent and kind, and I doted on you so much. You've really opened my eyes," Yun Jiuyan's expression was extremely sinister, every word filled with boiling hatred, "You and Mu Qingheng slaughtered my Yunze. Even if you were torn to pieces, it wouldn't be enough to atone for your sins. I originally thought that when you saw me, you would feel even the slightest bit of remorse..."
He sneered, "That's right, I forgot. You're nothing more than a dog raised by Mu Qingheng. For him, you were so shameless and wanton that you shared your Red Heart Pill with him every night, which allowed him to obtain such world-destroying power and lead countless demons to trample on your people! Even when your sister, who loved and indulged you so much, was beheaded and separated from her body, you were happy and showed no sadness whatsoever... Mu Qingheng may have a heart of stone among demons, but you're no less so!"
Mu Meng felt as if he had been slapped hard across the face, and he became completely dazed.
No...
No...
Nonsense! Nonsense! Nonsense!
Mu Meng rushed forward in a disheveled state, grabbing Yun Jiuyan's sleeve, completely forgetting that he was still holding a long sword meant to kill her: "You're lying! You're lying! My sister isn't dead! Tell me, my sister isn't dead!"
He is not Yun Jiuyan... He said these things only because... only because...
Tears streamed down Mu Meng's face as her eyes widened: "You're a demon! You're not Yun Jiuyan! You're just trying to deceive me... I don't believe you..."
Yun Jiuyan's eyes almost bled with hatred. He threw down his longsword, grabbed Mu Meng's slender neck, and gripped it so tightly that his knuckles turned white: "I am not Yun Jiuyan?"
"When you were little, you accidentally fell into the Valley of a Thousand Snakes. My eldest brother rescued you, but he lost an eye in the process. He was afraid that the Heavenly Emperor would feel guilty, so he didn't even tell Father! That year, you celebrated your birthday in the Cloud Marsh Realm. Because your body was too weak, you couldn't withstand the power of the Crimson Heart Pill and fainted. My father and seven uncles protected you day and night for three whole months!"
He closed his eyes, his voice growing lower and hoarse: "You planted two crabapple trees in my yard, one named Xiaoyun and the other Xiaomu... That year when we went to the human world to travel and play, you learned from their customs and jokingly wrote me a marriage certificate. It's ridiculous that I've been studying it day and night for so many years. Now do you want me to recite it to you word by word?"
Mu Meng was being choked so hard she could barely breathe, but she listened blankly without struggling. Her lips moved violently, and tears were already soaking her face, falling in streams from Yun Jiuyan's wrist.
Her tears were scalding hot, and Yun Jiuyan's brows furrowed, his strength involuntarily loosening slightly.
He had been holding out for a long time, but his courage waned and eventually gave out. He had endured hardship and bided his time for so long before finally having the chance to kill her... However, he failed twice, proving that his heart was not hard enough after all.
She was despicable, but he was even more despicable. Seeing these tears, he actually felt a pang of sympathy.
Mu Meng knew undeniably that he was Yun Jiuyan, but what he had said before was too shocking. She couldn't believe it, she murmured softly, "You lied to me... you're still lying to me even now..."
Yun Jiuyan scoffed coldly: "I'd lie to you?"
As if confirming something to himself, Mu Meng said, "I won't believe you. It was you Yunze Realm who injured me first, trying to take what was mine..."
Before Mu Meng could finish speaking, Yun Jiuyan slapped her hard across the face.
She was slammed to the ground with tremendous force, and Yun Jiuyan looked at her with disgust: "You are truly beyond saving."
A loud buzzing sound filled Mu Meng's ears, and her head was spinning. Only the sharp pain in her chest kept her conscious.
She lay there stunned on the ground for a long time, then suddenly choked out, "My sister...is my sister really dead...?"
“He’s dead,” Yun Jiuyan said indifferently. “His head is hanging on Yingtian Gate, so you won’t be able to see it for a while. But his limbs are in the Hanging Forest to the west of the wasteland, so they’re easy to find.”
Mu Meng murmured repeatedly, "Suspended Forest..."
Hearing her confused tone, Yun Jiuyan scoffed: "You've been here for so long, don't tell me you don't know where Xuanlin is."
Mu Meng ignored Yun Jiuyan's sarcasm and looked up at him: "Brother... is he really the Demon Lord?"
She seemed to have forgotten that she had just stabbed her and slapped her. Her eyes held no hatred or resentment, but were clear and unambiguous, just as they had always been.
In her desolate bewilderment and confusion, she looked as if she had been shattered from the inside out.
Yun Jiuyan frowned, finally realizing that something was amiss.
He crouched down, meeting Mu Meng's gaze at him: "You don't know?"
Mu Meng shook his head blankly and mechanically: "I don't know."
She stood there blankly, then softly stated her facts: "There is no one else here, no demons, only my brother and me. There is no place called Hanging Forest. This place is desolate and there is nothing here."
“My brother is not the Demon Lord. He has lost all his spiritual power and is now cultivating again. He is in seclusion.”
Yes, he's in seclusion; she can now expose Yun Jiuyan's lies.
She was going to find her brother and tell him that someone had slandered him, saying not only that her sister was dead, but that she had also been beaten.
However, she was very obedient and did not easily believe these divisive words.
Mu Meng, seemingly gaining strength from somewhere, struggled to her feet and staggered back. Yun Jiuyan watched her with suspicion and quickly followed.
He followed Mu Meng to a courtyard, a place he was familiar with; it was Mu Meng and Mu Qingheng's residence on the desolate edge of the tomb.
Mu Meng walked quickly, leaving bloodstains that looked like flowers blooming on the ground. Suddenly, an idea popped into Yun Jiuyan's mind, but before she could grasp it, she watched as Mu Meng opened the door to the stone chamber in the backyard.
She stood trembling at the entrance of the stone chamber, like a withered leaf in the wind—the chamber was not large, with walls on three sides and an empty space in the middle.
Suddenly, Mu Meng's legs gave way and she fell heavily to the ground. Yun Jiuyan's expression turned solemn, and he immediately stepped forward to catch her.
Mu Meng was trembling violently, his body as cold as ice.
A vague, absurd thought crept into Yun Jiuyan's mind, but it was too terrifying for him to bear: "Meng... Mengmeng, were you... were you deceived by Mu Qingheng?"
He stared blankly at Mu Meng—the sword wound to her heart had almost cost her half her life, her palms were cut and bleeding profusely, and her cheeks, where he had struck her, were swollen and red, with clear finger marks.
If she was deceived by Mu Qingheng...
Yun Jiuyan's hands trembled uncontrollably. He tried to suppress it and turned Mu Meng's slender shoulders: "Mengmeng, tell me, what exactly do you know about the day Yunze was destroyed?"
Before she could answer, he began channeling his spiritual energy into her, gently moving it through her meridians to reduce her pain.
Mu Meng's face was deathly pale, but she didn't answer immediately. Looking at him, she asked, "Brother Jiu Yan, what happened to you? How did you become like this... how did you become a demon?"
She had barely uttered a few words when tears streamed down her face.
Yun Jiuyan's eyes stung with tears. "There's only a way to become possessed by a demon. Mengmeng, you don't need to worry about me. Tell me, what exactly happened?"
"That day...that day I went to the peach blossom forest with him again, and I sensed a very strong spiritual energy. Was it you?"
Yun Jiuyan picked Mu Meng up and carried her out. She was too badly injured; there should be some medicinal herbs in the house. "It's me. I saw the two of you traveling together, and I thought... Mengmeng, tell me, how did Mu Qingheng deceive you?"
Mu Meng remained silent for a long time. Yun Jiuyan gently placed her on a chair in the room, and she seemed to remember: "That day I was playing alone in the peach blossom forest when someone attacked me from behind... I was seriously injured, and when I woke up... Yunze Realm no longer existed."
She was at a loss, her eyes filled with confusion: "But the scars on my back are clearly from a technique unique to the Cloud Swamp Realm..."
Yun Jiuyan was taken aback.
A moment later, his eyes gradually reddened, and his hands trembled as he cupped Mu Meng's face in his hands: "Mengmeng... I'm sorry... I'm so sorry, Mengmeng... It's Brother Jiuyan who's sorry..."
He bit his lip hard, drawing blood, but held Mu Meng tightly in his arms: "It's my fault...it's my fault...I was blind, it was me...I secretly taught the Yunze martial arts to that beast without telling Father and my elder brother!"
Mu Meng was held in his arms. He couldn't see her expression, but he could hear her muffled voice through the fabric: "So, the day I was seriously injured, it was him who hit me, right?"
"Brother Jiu Yan, you just said I gave him the power of the Crimson Heart Pill, but he clearly... he clearly only stole a kiss from me once..."
"I'm here, knowing nothing. The people of the Celestial Clan must hate me..."
Yun Jiuyan was almost speechless. He simply couldn't imagine what the little girl he had once vowed to cherish and protect for the rest of his life had gone through.
And what did he do? In what tragic and cruel way did he tear her world apart?
"...I'm sorry, Mengmeng. I was so foolish to have wronged you and hurt you like this," Yun Jiuyan pursed his lips, his eyes gradually hardening. "My life is no longer worth cherishing. Once I take you away from here, you can wait for me in a safe place. If I avenge my great enemy and don't die at Mu Qingheng's hands, you can cut my life into a thousand pieces without saying another word."
Today was supposed to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Having bided his time for so long, he had intended to kill Mu Meng to cripple Mu Qingheng's power, but he never expected to learn such a shocking truth. Much time has already been wasted; he doesn't know if he can still successfully get Mengmeng out of here.
Yun Jiuyan knew that time was of the essence and that not a moment could be wasted. He quickly found two spiritual pills and fed them to Mu Meng: "Mengmeng, are you in a lot of pain? Please bear with it. I'll take you away from the desolate tomb first..."
“No, no,” Mu Meng immediately shook her head, “Brother Jiu Yan, you go first. It’s almost time for him to come out of seclusion. I’ll hold him off here. You go first and don’t come back.”
Her eyes were terribly red, and she clenched her teeth tightly: "I... I have to go find that suspended forest you mentioned, and take my sister... take my sister with me..."
Yun Jiuyan's heart was breaking: "No, it's too dangerous. Luo Luo's body... I'll figure something out. You have to protect yourself..."
He was speaking very quickly when suddenly, Mu Meng opened her eyes wide in horror—she abruptly stood up from her chair, ignoring the excruciating pain of her wounds tearing open, and pulled Yun Jiuyan behind her.
Mu Qingheng stood at the doorway, his tall and imposing figure blocking out the light. His expression was obscure and indistinct in the shadows, but his gaze was cold and sinister, like that of a venomous snake.
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