Chapter 33 Heart Disease Why does his heart hurt?
The Heavenly Scripture Pavilion is a rare quiet place for the Celestial Clan.
The Celestial Clan has a strict hierarchy, and only relatives of the Celestial Emperor's lineage are allowed to enter this place. However, the current Celestial Emperor is deeply devoted to his family, and apart from his late Empress, he has had no servants for many years, resulting in him having only three children. Therefore, only a select few are permitted to enter this Heavenly Scripture Pavilion.
Mu Meng's memory of the Heavenly Scripture Pavilion was quite profound. Previously, when Mu Qingheng was afraid of thunderstorms, his father, the Emperor, in order to correct his bad habit, imprisoned him in the Heavenly Prison with the open ceiling to resist his fear of thunderstorms. It was in the Heavenly Prison of the Heavenly Scripture Pavilion.
Besides these, there were many other things. Father was extremely strict with Mu Qingheng's upbringing, only gradually relaxing and letting go completely after he came of age.
However, she was different. Perhaps because girls are always a bit spoiled, if she made a mistake, she would be punished here, but it would mostly be copying books.
Only that one time was different.
Mu Meng's thoughts flashed by, and she didn't pay much attention at first. However, in the blink of an eye, it was as if something was too fast to grasp. She frowned slightly and gradually fell into deep thought.
The only time she was punished at the Heavenly Spirit Pavilion, Mu Qingheng's behavior was somewhat off.
At that time, her sister was injured by the King of the East Sea. Her meridians were broken and she was on the verge of death. She was brought back to Tianyushi. She only had to look at her once and her heart ached terribly. She couldn't care about anything else. All she wanted to do was tear that swindler who had caused her sister such pain to pieces.
She went to the East Sea three times, but each time she was brought back by Mu Qingheng before she even saw the King of the East Sea.
The third time she was brought home, her father was not as lenient and indulgent as the previous two times. He scolded her a few times and then let her go. Instead, he flew into a rage and was so angry that he really wanted to teach her a lesson.
She felt so sorry for her sister and couldn't understand her father's actions at all. For the first time, she talked back: "Why can't I go to the East Sea? My sister was hurt so badly, covered in injuries, and Father didn't care. Doesn't he allow me to stand up for her?"
"Nonsense! If this matter were truly so simple, would I have stood idly by?" Father had never been so angry before, his eyes reddening. "If the East Sea could be dealt with so easily, would you even need to step in? Even if you possess a Crimson Heart Pill, you cannot use it until you have fully mastered it! How can you guarantee your safe escape? Luo Luo has already abandoned me; do you want your father to lose you as well?!"
After a long reprimand, the Heavenly Emperor turned to criticize Mu Qingheng for his poor discipline. She was heartbroken and before she could even speak up to protect her brother, her father waved his hand, "Go! Take Mengmeng to the Heavenly Scripture Pavilion! Punish her with twenty strokes of the cane!"
Because the Heavenly Emperor was truly enraged and personally ordered the punishment, the executioner dared not delay and gave her a solid slap on the palm.
She had been pampered by everyone since she was a child, and had never even been injured or sick. The executive officer showed no mercy, and her palm became hot and swollen after the first blow.
After only the third strike, her palms were already showing signs of blood. Mu Qingheng, who was standing nearby, finally couldn't bear to watch any longer. He grabbed the executor's hand and shooed him away. Without saying a word, he took her back to her bedchamber, even though there were still seventeen strikes left.
Her palm was struck three times with the ruler, leaving it red and swollen, with the skin slightly cracked and oozing tiny blood streaks, a rather shocking sight.
When the medicine was applied to her, Mu Qingheng's expression was a little off, and she kept pressing her hand to her heart, as if she was in great discomfort.
Her brother was always very patient and would never show any sign of distress in front of others unless he was truly at his wit's end. She was extremely worried at the time: "Brother, is your heart hurting? I've seen you clutching your chest all the time. How long have you been like this? Why didn't you tell me sooner? I'll call the physician to come and take a look."
She remembered clearly that although Mu Qingheng had fought on all sides in those years, he hadn't just returned from the battlefield. Even if he was injured, he should have recovered by now. Seeing his heart pain, she thought he was ill.
Mu Qingheng casually put his hand down, but his expression was still somewhat unnatural. "It's nothing, just a minor problem. There's no need to worry about it."
He pointed to her palm: "Place it flat, don't press on the wound." He silently applied the medicine for a while, and then asked again, "Does it hurt?"
She was afraid that her brother would be in pain, so she said it didn't hurt.
But Mu Qingheng still seemed very uncomfortable. After applying the medicine and carefully bandaging her, he curled up slightly, closed his eyes, and remained silent.
She was worried. "Brother, heart pain is no small matter. You sit here quietly, and I'll go and ask the legendary healer to come and take a look at you."
“No need,” Mu Qingheng immediately stopped her. His expression changed several times before finally settling into a slight helplessness. He gestured with his chin toward her hand, “I’m really fine. Don’t move around. My hand was just bandaged.”
That day, Mu Qingheng did not send the physician over. That night, she was still worried and planned to go to her brother's palace to see him one last time. As a result, she ran into him bandaging his wounds.
On the table in front of him lay a sharp dagger, its blade stained with crimson blood. The gauze beside him was soaked through, and there seemed to be some bits of flesh and blood on it.
How could she not worry after seeing this scene? With tears in her eyes, she checked for a long time and only found some bloodstains on her brother's chest, but the bleeding was not much, and it looked like the flesh wound he had described.
Mu Qingheng repeatedly assured him that everything was alright, then casually pointed to the gauze and said lightly, "Some wounds were not treated properly before, and some rotten flesh has grown. It's nothing serious, just scrape it off and it will be fine."
...
Mu Meng slowly came back to her senses.
My heart hurts, my heart hurts. Actually, this wasn't a recent thing for Mu Qingheng; he had experienced heart pain for no apparent reason before.
However, he was constantly wounded in battle, and his excuses were so appropriate that no one would suspect him.
Thinking about it carefully, he had experienced inexplicable heart pain several times, both months after his triumphant return and when the war was not ongoing. There must be some reason she hadn't yet discovered for his pain.
She has a new understanding of the neutral position, so she's not in a hurry now. What she should do now is figure out the reason for Mu Qingheng's unexplained heart ailment.
Having made up his mind, Mu Meng turned his head to watch Mu Qingheng write.
While she was lost in thought, Mu Qingheng was diligently memorizing the text. His father had punished them by making them copy the book twice each; he had already finished the first copy and was now halfway through the second.
"Why are you suddenly staring at me? You've been playing around all day, are you planning to cheat and take away what I've written?" Mu Meng teased Mu Qingheng with a smile after staring at him for a while without looking up.
His voice was clear and pleasant to listen to, with a hint of childlike innocence at the end.
Mu Meng's gaze remained unchanged, but her eyes shifted slightly. Since she wanted to know the reason for his heart pain, she had to probe from various angles without leaving a trace.
Mu Meng thought for a moment, staring at the draft Mu Qingheng had silently prepared. "Brother, how come you wrote so fast? You were just seriously injured and haven't even had a proper rest since you woke up. Now you're being punished here. Aren't you... feeling alright anywhere?"
After asking the question, she emphasized again, "You have to tell me the truth."
Mu Qingheng's hand holding the pen trembled slightly, and a small blot of ink fell onto the clean white paper. Almost at the same time, his eyes lit up as he looked over.
“I’m fine,” he said softly, his voice gentle and indulgent. “Mengmeng, you’ve asked me so many times already, don’t worry.”
As he spoke, he reached out as if to pinch her cheek. Mu Meng didn't want him to touch her, so she quickly pretended to distrust him and tapped the back of his hand with her pen. "Really? Let me check?"
Mu Qingheng naturally agreed, smiling as she examined him.
After carefully investigating, Mu Meng could only conclude that Mu Qingheng had not lied to her. She had struck him with all her might, and he had only been unconscious for three days. From the moment he woke up until now, he seemed completely unharmed, with no trace of injury whatsoever.
Although we don't know what kind of demonic art Mu Qingheng is practicing, we can at least conclude that his heart pain is unrelated to his injury.
Mu Meng silently lowered her hand and met Mu Qingheng's bright, smiling eyes.
It seems that it has nothing to do with being in a good mood.
What if you're in a bad mood?
Mu Meng thought for a while and felt that this matter was not easy to handle: the person in front of her was different from Mu Qingheng in her previous life. She didn't even know how to anger him—she slapped him, and he not only wasn't angry, but was also happy that he cured her of the poison; now, he was being punished with her, and not only wasn't angry, but even seemed to be in a very good mood.
Are we supposed to snatch those papers he wrote on and tear them up?
Mu Meng thought that it probably wouldn't work either. Putting everything else aside, Mu Qingheng was indeed a man of good manners. During his years as the Crown Prince of the Heavenly Clan, he had encountered many rude things, but he was not easily angered, and he would not take minor incidents to heart.
After a moment of contemplation, Mu Meng rested her chin on her hand, looking curious, and said, "Brother, I'd like to ask you a question."
She tried to talk to him several times today, being unusually clingy. Mu Qingheng's smile deepened: "What's the problem?"
Mu Meng opened the book, speaking while observing Mu Qingheng's expression. "This book talks about the beings of the Six Realms, which reminds me of the historical records I read a couple of days ago. The account of the battle between the Heavenly Clan and the Demon Clan wasn't detailed enough. I want to know, did our Heavenly Clan really destroy the Demon Clan?"
“Since it’s recorded, it must be true,” Mu Qingheng replied with a smile.
So calm, not even a trace of emotion stirred within you? Mu Meng held his breath: "Then what grudge do we have against the Demon Clan? Why did they commit the act of annihilation?"
Mu Qingheng's expression remained calm and gentle. "The deceased are gone. The Celestial Clan only briefly mentioned this matter to save face for the departed. The Six Realms were once in balance, but seven hundred years ago, the Demon Clan produced an unprecedented leader. Although exceptionally talented, he was cold-hearted and ruthless, desiring to become the overlord of the Six Realms for all eternity. The Demon Clan originally ruled their own territories, but under his leadership, they gradually expanded their lands, slaughtering those in all directions, causing immense suffering to all living beings in the Six Realms. The Celestial Clan has always believed in the supreme Dao, and since the Demon Clan acted unjustly first, we will surely take action to eradicate this perverse act."
As he spoke, Mu Meng pretended to listen attentively, carefully observing his expression, not missing even the slightest detail. But strangely, when Mu Qingheng recounted this history, apart from patiently telling the story, he showed not a single emotional fluctuation.
That's strange.
Logically speaking, this experience should have been humiliating and filled with hatred for Mu Qingheng. Even if he didn't show any change on the surface, didn't his honest heart feel any discomfort?
Is his expression one of genuine indifference, or is it a sign that his heart condition has relapsed but he is pretending to be unaffected?
Mu Meng had no choice but to continue probing: "But according to the records, the Mo people were slaughtered, and their homeland was left as a ghost town, with not even a single infant left. Isn't that too cruel? Even if the Demon Lord at the time was ruthless and merciless, there were still innocent subjects under his rule."
Although it was an investigation, Mu Mengzuo genuinely felt that the Celestial Clan's actions were immoral. She hadn't participated in that period of history, but looking back as a descendant, the massacre of the city was simply too bloody.
It's hard to even imagine that the person who issued this order was her beloved and familiar father.
Mu Qingheng put down his pen and gently tapped the tip of her nose. "That happened so long ago, you weren't even born then, why are you thinking about it so much?"
He still had a smile on his face, and his voice was clear and gentle. "Actually, it wasn't really bloody. Every demon is a soldier, and no one is innocent. Moreover, their methods back then were insane, and they deserved to die. If we don't nip it in the bud, they will surely come back one day. Why should we be soft-hearted and feel sorry for them?"
Mu Meng bit her lower lip and nodded as if she understood, but her mind was completely blank.
Mu Qingheng was truly indifferent to these matters. He remained calm and objective, recounting this history with extreme rationality as an observer. If she hadn't known beforehand, it would have been hard to imagine that those slaughtered were his own people.
What does he care about? What exactly happened to tug at his heartstrings and break his calm composure?
A ridiculous thought flashed through Mu Meng's mind, but she immediately dismissed it: Impossible, she was overthinking it. Even if Mu Qingheng in this life had some lapse in judgment and inexplicably fallen for her, the Mu Qingheng of her past life wasn't without his moments of heartache. When he loathed her deeply, hitting her, cursing her, and even trying to kill her, he showed no sign of remorse whatsoever.
Let's take it slow and think about where to start.
Mu Meng was concentrating on her calculations, reaching for a pen to copy from the book while thinking. But she was so distracted that she didn't even look at the pen when she picked it up, and absentmindedly raised her hand, only to bump it hard against the corner of the table.
With a loud thud, the old table had cracked edges, and Mu Meng's impact caused the crack to cut his wrist, drawing blood immediately.
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