Chapter 60 The Runaway [First Update] Mu - Gradually Becoming a Spoiled Wife (?)...
Yun Qing lowered his voice: "Mengmeng, the monsters that came to challenge this realm this time are probably after you." He spoke solemnly, looking at Mu Meng with a hint of worry in his expression.
Seeing Uncle Yun's certainty, clearly indicating he had evidence, Mu Meng pursed her lips slightly: "Uncle Yun, have you discovered something?"
"Yes. Actually, he didn't make such a big commotion at first. He came quietly and didn't let any rumors out. It was only when I discovered that someone had broken into the Peach Blossom Formation—you know, I can immediately sense if an outsider enters the Peach Blossom Formation without permission, that's why I summoned the entire region to defend against the enemy."
Yun Qing frowned, a layer of worry appearing in his eyes. He shook his head, "My Yunze Realm's Peach Blossom Formation is the number one killing formation in the Six Realms. Originally, I wasn't worried about outsiders trespassing. I thought that even if he didn't die, he would definitely be injured. Could it be that the combined power of the entire Yunze Realm couldn't capture a seriously injured villain? But I didn't expect that he would escape from the Peach Blossom Formation unscathed..."
At this point, he pursed his lips and corrected himself, "That's not right either. He was completely shrouded in black energy, so it was impossible to tell whether he was injured or not. But if this is his strength after being injured, then it's even more terrifying."
Although Uncle Yun spoke for a while but didn't get to the point, it didn't prevent Mu Meng from understanding: "This person didn't start killing at first, but instead broke into the Peach Blossom Formation first. With such a strong purpose, he must have wanted to take the Azure Phoenix Feather from the Peach Blossom Formation. But he didn't know that the Azure Phoenix Feather was no longer in the Peach Blossom Formation."
Back when she came to Yunze Realm after her coming-of-age ceremony, Uncle Yun had already handed over the Azure Phoenix Feather to Mu Qingheng. At that time, Uncle Yun was seeing them off, and it was he who personally mentioned it.
“Yes…” Yun Qing glanced at Mu Meng slowly, nodded in understanding and said in a low voice, “That’s right. Since he was willing to break into the number one killing formation in the Six Realms, he must have his purpose. If it wasn’t for the Azure Phoenix Feather, I really can’t think of any other reason that would make him do this.”
“But although the Azure Phoenix Feather is a supreme treasure of the Six Realms, in reality it is just a powerful spiritual artifact. With that monster’s spiritual power, why would he need the Azure Phoenix Feather to protect himself? He came specifically to seize it… I thought about it, and then there is only one value left.”
Indeed, with the Red Heart Pill protecting the body, ordinary swords and daggers cannot cut it out of the heart.
Only the Azure Phoenix Feather can yield the Crimson Heart Elixir.
This thing was definitely aimed at her.
"Mengmeng, it's just..." Suddenly, Yun Qing hesitated, seemingly struggling with how to continue. Mu Meng looked at him and said gently:
"Uncle Yun, please just say what you have to say. Is there something you've thought of that's inappropriate?"
Yun Qing gritted his teeth and said worriedly, "Mengmeng, you know that the Azure Phoenix Feather has been... taken away by Mu Qingheng. He must have destroyed it by some method. Since the Azure Phoenix Feather no longer exists in this world, I'm worried that if that monster finds out about this, he might come up with some other way to deal with you. You must be careful and not be careless."
Mu Meng smiled slightly and nodded.
She wasn't afraid of that; she probably couldn't avoid it anyway. If the enemy really wanted to deal with her, she would just face them head-on.
However, she was more curious about another question than that: "Uncle Yun, why did you want to destroy the Azure Phoenix Feather that day? And why did you specifically ask Mu Qingheng to do it?"
"This...sigh, it wasn't my request, it was Mu Qingheng who insisted..." Yun Qing subconsciously said half of it, then suddenly stopped, glanced at Mu Meng with a rather embarrassed expression, and swallowed the rest of his words.
Mu Meng paused for a moment, then said softly, "It's alright, Uncle Yun, please finish."
Yun Qing hadn't expected her to ask such a question, so he hadn't stopped talking for a moment. Since he had already said half of it, he forced a smile and said, "Mengmeng, so much time has passed since this matter, and Mu Qingheng has already been brought to justice. You might not believe it now, but the Azure Phoenix Feather was indeed something Mu Qingheng insisted on destroying."
"Back then, he came to me, using both soft and hard tactics, insisting that he had to destroy this treasure. My uncle is, after all, the Lord of Yunze Realm, and the Azure Phoenix Feather is a treasure passed down for thousands of years, so naturally he couldn't agree to it right away. No matter how I pleaded, he wouldn't listen. He didn't believe that the Peach Blossom Formation would be foolproof, and he was also afraid that something might go wrong during your refining of the Crimson Heart Pill. In short, in the end, he still took the Azure Phoenix Feather."
At this point, Yun Qing sighed deeply, his gaze becoming somber: "Actually, looking back now, Heng'er's decision at the time was quite wise. Wasn't that monster today trying to force his way into the Peach Blossom Formation? It's fortunate that Qing Fengling wasn't inside, otherwise, it would have been as easy as taking candy from a baby for him to steal treasures and kill people."
His voice was cold and distant, sounding somewhat remote in the empty hall.
Mu Meng listened silently, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. After thinking for a while, he smiled and said, "Alright, Uncle Yun, I understand the implications. Since the Azure Phoenix Feather has been destroyed, at least the greatest threat is no longer there. No matter what method that monster tries to use, I can handle it."
"Don't worry about it anymore. Take good care of yourself. Yunze Realm still needs you to oversee things. I'm going to check on Zhe Qing now."
...
Mu Meng returned to her guest room. On the way, she seemed to be thinking about many things, or perhaps her mind was completely blank.
In her confused state, only Yun Qing's last few words kept recurring in her mind.
In fact, Uncle Yun was right. That monster was someone who could escape unscathed from the Peach Blossom Formation. If Mu Qingheng hadn't insisted on taking the Azure Phoenix Feather out of the Peach Blossom Formation and destroying it, then that person would definitely have succeeded by now.
Even though he felt a faint sense of threat, he still had a chance to catch his breath. Without the Azure Phoenix Feather, that person would have to think things through more carefully.
But if he had obtained this treasure just now, he might already be dead.
Having thought about it all the way without finding a solution, Mu Meng composed himself and, standing outside Zhe Qing's room, mustered his strength to knock on the door:
"Covering up the blue?"
No one answered.
He...he didn't run away, did he?
Thinking this through, Mu Meng knocked on the door twice more, but there was still no response. Now Mu Meng was eighty percent sure that he had probably run away, so she reached out and pushed the door open.
To their surprise, the door didn't open when they pushed it; it had been locked from the inside.
Zhe Qing had seen this type of lock before, so he naturally knew how to lock it from the inside. If that's the case, he shouldn't have left, so why didn't he make a sound?
Mu Meng put his hands on his hips and slowly paced a couple of steps outside the door.
As she walked, she accidentally kicked something over. Looking down, she realized that she hadn't been paying attention to her footing while walking over, and only now did she notice several medicine bottles, some gauze, and some elixirs placed by the door.
After a moment of thought, Mu Meng understood: it was probably people from Yunze Realm who came to treat Zhe Qing's injuries, but for some reason he didn't let them in, only instructing them to leave the medicine at the door.
He was both a distinguished guest and a benefactor, so the servants of Yunze Realm naturally dared not disobey his wishes.
Mu Meng's gaze fell on those few items—it had been a while since she came and went, and Zhe Qing's injuries were so severe that she hadn't taken any medicine yet.
Feeling a little worried, Mu Meng reached out and knocked on the door again: "Zhe Qing, can you hear me? Are you alright?"
After asking twice, she finally heard a low reply from inside the room: "Mmm."
Seeing that he was still there, Mu Meng hurriedly asked, "What's wrong? Does your wound hurt? Open the door, I'll come in and treat your wound."
This time, the other party did not respond.
Inside the door, Zhe Qing hugged herself tightly, curled up on the cold ground, looking as if she had been pulled out of the water.
He raised his head slightly, squinted his eyes gently, and gazed at the slender and graceful figure outside the door in the moonlight.
Is it a dream or an illusion?
He heard Mengmeng's voice. Mengmeng was concerned about him; she asked if he was in pain and offered to heal his wounds...
It hurts, it hurts.
Zhe Qing stared for a long time, his pupils gradually becoming unfocused. Finally, as if he had come to his senses, he closed his eyes and slammed the back of his head back to the ground.
"It's just wishful thinking," Mengmeng said more than once. When she asked him if he was in pain, her tone was gentle and tender. Whenever a glimmer of hope ignited in his heart, she would always softly tell him that he deserved it.
Zhe Qing bit her lip hard, enduring the intense pain, and rolled silently on the ground.
This time, he was really struggling to hold on. The black energy pierced through his chest, and such a serious injury was already difficult to endure. Just then, the Shattered Soul Dream took effect, and he was instantly tormented as if he had fallen into purgatory.
Zhe Qing held a dagger in his hand and stabbed it into his chest in a daze—his mind was already somewhat deranged, and in his dizziness, he even wanted to end this pain with death.
He stabbed himself repeatedly without realizing it, but it did nothing to stop the bleeding from flowing even more profusely.
Before him, Mengmeng was smiling at him, but though her lips were curved in a smile, her beautiful eyes were icy cold. He seemed to sense something; having experienced too many terrible things, he had developed a keen intuition.
Zhe Qing slowly shook her head, her gaze filled with deep pleading as she looked at the empty room before her.
But it was no use. The pure and beautiful girl before him still spoke softly, her words as venomous as knives:
"Mu Qingheng, you took a knife for Brother Jiu Yan today? Did it hurt a lot? You saved his life, and now you're his savior. You must think you're so great, right?"
No...no, he didn't...
"Of course you shouldn't be so complacent, because someone like you should die in place of Brother Jiu Yan. But why are you still alive despite being so badly injured? How can you still have the face to live?"
His long eyelashes trembled violently, and his jaw began to chatter. Yes… he didn’t deserve to live… he knew he didn’t deserve it, but…
"There are no buts. Stop making excuses for yourself. Why don't you understand that whatever you do will only make others disgusted? So what if you do good deeds and accumulate virtue? So what if you help others with chivalry? Even though you follow your heart, act righteously, and save the entire Yunze region and block a fatal blow for Brother Jiuyan... it's all useless. You still make people feel disgusted."
"Go ahead and stab me, stab me a few more times, maybe I'll die faster."
His hand tightened around the dagger, and mechanically, without feeling, he plunged it into his chest. Just die already... just die already...
"Zheqing?! What's wrong with you? Why haven't you said anything?"
A loud knocking sound.
"Hey! Hey hey hey! You didn't just randomly try to run away, did you? Are you even awake? If you don't respond, I'm going to barge in!"
"Zheqing! I really don't care anymore, I'm going in! I'm going to be rude!!"
Cover up the green... cover up the green...
Covering up the green?
This is the name Mengmeng gave him...
Zhe Qing jolted awake, his vision suddenly clearing. The phantom in front of him vanished like a bubble. He shook his head slightly and looked again—the room was empty, and there was no one in sight.
He gradually regained his senses, and as his mind became clearer, he finally survived the onset of this soul-shattering dream.
"I don't know if you're still awake. If I offend you by coming in, I'll apologize later. I'm coming in—"
Zhe Qing's thoughts were pulled back by the loud knocking on the door. Realizing what Mu Meng meant, he quickly sat up, supporting himself with his hands.
"No! Don't come in..." After realizing what was happening, Zhe Qing immediately responded, his voice hoarse and hoarse, each word sounding like he was spitting blood.
Just as Mu Meng was about to kick the door open, she heard his response and almost kicked nothing.
Finally hearing a coherent reply from inside, Mu Meng abandoned her plan to force her way in and hurriedly asked, "How are you now? Why weren't you saying anything earlier? Are you badly injured? Did you faint? If it's convenient, may I come in?"
After all, his first response was "Don't come in," and it wouldn't be right for me to just kick the door open and force my way in.
"No...no need..." Zhe Qing's excruciating pain gradually subsided. He looked down at himself—he was a mess, blood mixed with dust on the ground, filthy and disgusting. How could anyone see him?
He composed himself and said in a steady voice, "Your Highness, please do not come in."
Mu Meng was still worried. She knew Zhe Qing was introverted and insecure, and wondered if he was facing some difficulties that he didn't want to trouble others. So she patiently persuaded him from outside the door: "Zhe Qing, if you have any difficulties, please don't hold back. We've been working together to eradicate the snake worms in the Northern Frontier, we've known each other for a while, don't you trust me? I know you're badly injured, don't feel embarrassed, relax. If you can, can I come in now?"
Her voice was sweet and clear, and with all that gentleness and care, it gave the feeling of patiently coaxing her.
Zhe Qing listened blankly, blinking occasionally. When she finished speaking, his gaze softened, but then, as if remembering something, the color drained from his lips, and he shivered.
If she ever finds out later, to whom she gave all that gentleness and patience...
"Your Highness, you don't have to be so kind to me." Wearing a mask and concealing his identity before her was truly not his intention.
It was fate that brought them together time and time again.
Mu Meng sighed helplessly and retorted, "Is this what it means to treat you well? Zhe Qing, you were seriously injured while saving Yun Zejing. Shouldn't we care about you? Don't you deserve to be taken care of? This is the simplest truth in the world. If we ignore it, then we would truly be heartless and indifferent."
Zhe Qing spoke softly, almost inaudibly, like a whisper: "I'm afraid you'll regret it later..."
"What?" Mu Meng didn't hear clearly.
“Your Highness, you really don’t need to come in,” Zhe Qing said in a low voice. “I’m treating the wounds on my severed limbs. I really don’t want outsiders to see my mutilated body. Please understand.”
Mu Meng was slightly taken aback. He used such a reason, and she really couldn't force him. Given Zhe Qing's personality, he probably couldn't accept others seeing his disability.
"Okay, then I'll wait for you here until you've finished treating your wound before going in." Since she was fine, Zhe Qing couldn't possibly leave her wound wrapped up all night; it would only take a short while.
Zhe Qing blinked and slightly curled the corners of her lips: "No need, you should go back and rest early. I'm a little tired, and after I treat my wounds, I want to take a shower."
Just as Mu Meng was about to speak, Zhe Qing immediately added, "It's not that I don't accept it, but if Your Highness doesn't mind, why don't you come tomorrow morning?"
He spoke with absolute certainty, and he refused to see anyone tonight, no matter what.
Well... that's fine too, anyway, he agreed.
Mu Meng agreed, "Then it's settled. You get some rest today, and I'll come tomorrow morning." She glanced at the bottles and jars outside the door, "If you won't let me in, remember to come and get the medicine outside later. The medicine from Yunze Realm is quite effective; it will help you get a good night's sleep."
Zhe Qing said, "I understand."
"Also, please stop calling me 'Your Highness' all the time. Few people I know call me that. They all call me Mengmeng."
“Okay,” he said.
"Say it out and let me hear it."
The other side has stopped talking again.
Mu Meng couldn't help but find it amusing. He put away his teasing intentions and reminded her again to come first thing tomorrow morning. Seeing that she readily agreed, he felt relieved and turned to leave.
Unbeknownst to her, from inside the door, Zhe Qing slightly parted her lips, silently mouthing a request—
misty.
Just by silently uttering those two words, he seemed to have eaten a piece of candy, and a sweet tenderness appeared in the corners of his eyes and brows.
His eyes shone like stars, filled with love and deep affection that seemed almost tangible.
***
The next morning, Mu Meng stood in the empty guest room, looking at the note left on the table, and almost died of anger.
Thank you for the medicine. I am grateful for your kindness. Please do not seek it out.
—Blue pen.
They ran away again...
It ran away again.
Mu Meng remained expressionless, quickly crumpled the note into a ball, threw it on the table with a "thud," and sat down in his chair with his hands behind his back, sulking.
He certainly knew how to handle things, making his words sound convincing. He mentioned giving medicine as a gift and treating her well, leaving behind such evidence that Yun Zejing had no reason to feel embarrassed.
It was as if by taking away those bottles of medicine from yesterday, he could even out the debt of saving his life, and Yunze Realm would no longer owe him anything.
Wow, there really is someone in the world who is so good at accounting?
Mu Meng was so angry that her head throbbed, and she pressed two fingers against her throbbing temples: she should know what kind of person Zhe Qing was, he had done this kind of thing before without saying goodbye—oh no, this time he said goodbye to Yun Zejing, so that they would feel guilty.
I really believed his lies. I shouldn't have listened to him last night and rushed over early this morning. I should have just kicked the door open yesterday and seen if he would dare to stand me up again.
Mu Meng let out a long breath.
never mind.
Let him be, whatever. Anyway, he insisted that they weren't even friends.
Mu Meng stood up and started to walk outside, but stopped abruptly after taking only three steps.
He turned around and stared coldly at the pitiful little crumpled paper on the table.
She reached out and pointed at the crumpled paper: "You better pray we never meet again."
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