Chapter 67 Heartbeat "Have you suffered a lot before?" "...
After speaking with Feng Xixue, Mu Meng returned to the house to explain the matters in Tiancang Realm, and Feng Xixue immediately set off for the Ghost Realm.
They reclaimed the Si'an flower and immediately sought out Lu Zhaoxin to care for it and prolong its life.
Judging by the time, he should have already arrived in the Ghost Realm. Mu Meng trusted Lu Zhaoxin quite a bit, and even without her, Lu Zhaoxin would definitely not make things difficult for Feng Xixue.
With that in mind, she went to the cave where the black mist had lived and took a look.
I had heard Zhe Qing say that the place was desolate and remote before. I wonder if that's why she hesitated when she suggested going there: "Actually... it's nothing much, just an ordinary cave. The only information we can get is the broken magic array on the ground."
Mu Meng glanced at Zhe Qing with some curiosity and blinked: "Now that I'm here, of course I should go and investigate. Although this is the villain you're determined to get rid of, he's also a direct opponent of mine. It won't hurt to see for myself."
What she said made a lot of sense, and there was no way to refute it. After hesitating for a moment, Zhe Qing had no choice but to nod: "Okay, I'll take you there."
Zheqing was already familiar with the terrain here, so he led Mumeng eastward, passing through several mountain valleys to the cave.
Just as I approached, a small black shadow flashed across the withered grass, gently lifting the hem of my skirt with a "whoosh".
Although the thing flashed by, Mu Meng could see it clearly; it was huge and black, with a pointed head and a long tail.
!!
Over the years, Mu Meng has developed the ability to keep her emotions hidden. She pretended to be calm and composed, but quickly switched from the left side of Zhai Qing to the right side.
"It's a rat, are you scared?" Zhe Qing glanced back, and although he asked a question, his expression was clearly very certain.
As if he was about to say something more, Mu Meng immediately raised an eyebrow with a smile and said, "Afraid?"
"What's there to be afraid of? I'm not even afraid of snake venom, why would I be afraid of something that doesn't even have spiritual power...?" The first part of her sentence was quite assertive, but her tone gradually weakened towards the end, though she still managed a forced cold laugh. "I'm just afraid it'll get my skirt dirty..."
Zhe Qing sighed silently, turning her head slightly to conceal the deep pity rising in her eyes.
The little sister who once had clear, dependent eyes and could say "Brother, I'm scared" has disappeared; in her place is the girl in front of me who pretends to be indifferent, even disdainful, to hide her natural fear.
Although she had become very strong, he only felt more affection for her.
Zhe Qing coughed lightly, making a loose fist with one hand and pressing it to his lips. "Um... when I was investigating in the cave earlier, there were even more rats there. Mengmeng, why don't you wait here while I go and clean it up?"
Mu Meng did not answer immediately, biting her lower lip as she pondered.
Just agree, or you'll be contradicting yourself. You said you weren't afraid just a moment ago; if you let Zheqing go like this, wouldn't that be turning things upside down? What would he think of you then?
If she didn't agree, Mu Meng glanced upwards, her mind filled with the image of swarms of rats running happily around her in the cave. Just thinking about it made her feel a little apprehensive.
She took a while to think. Zhe Qing pursed her lips, then couldn't help but smile, her tone extremely gentle: "Mengmeng, you don't need to think about it anymore. Anyway, you're not scared, so why are you being polite with me? There are so many things over there; they might really get your clothes dirty. I don't care about that. I'll go over now?"
He was so understanding and gentle to the extreme that Mu Meng didn't care anymore. She smiled at him with her eyes crinkled and stretched out an arm: "Hey, thank you for your hard work, Young Master Zhe Qing."
Zhe Qing's smile deepened. His eyes were already incredibly beautiful, and with this smile, they seemed to reflect a galaxy. She wondered if it was just her imagination, but she felt there was a hint of doting affection in them.
But before Mu Meng could react, Zhe Qing had already stepped into the cave.
*
The cave was simply and cleanly furnished, and even largely retained its natural appearance. Zhe Qing quickly walked over the remaining magic array on the ground, carefully avoiding damaging the edges of the array so that Mu Meng could see its original state when he came in.
Some rats were running around happily on the ground, but Zheqing didn't clean them up immediately. Instead, she walked through the center and stopped at the opposite wall.
He looked up at the stone wall.
There are some carvings on the stone wall, clearly analyzing the magic array on the ground. They were obviously carved recently, and there are even some light dust on the ground.
Zhe Qing bit her lip, but instead of using her spiritual power to erase it, she casually picked up a stone and modified the writing on it according to the strokes.
This was a casual analysis he jotted down when he entered the territory alone and saw this broken formation—no matter how much he thought about it at the time, he couldn't have predicted that he would encounter Mengmeng by chance in Tiancang Realm.
If he could have foreseen this, why would he have been so careless as to leave his own words on the wall?
Zhe Qing dared not use his spiritual power to smear the characters, fearing it would leave traces and worsen the situation; nor did he dare to scramble them, as that would make explanation impossible. He could only intentionally alter the characters along their edges—
After all, no matter how he explained it, it was impossible to make sense; how could there be someone in this world whose handwriting was exactly the same as Mu Qingheng's?
After all the repairs were completed, Zhe Qing finally felt relieved. He quickly cleaned the rats out of the hole, turned around, and called Mu Meng in.
Mu Meng entered the cave and saw that the ground was clean and there was nothing there.
A warm feeling welled up in her heart. Zhe Qing was a gentle and meticulous person who was considerate in every way. Moreover, he saw through things but didn't say anything. She really didn't know how to thank him enough.
Suppressing his emotions, Mu Meng continued walking and noticed the huge magic array left on the ground.
The direction of these magic arrays revealed a hint of eeriness and gloom. She squatted down and examined them carefully twice.
She didn't know much about the Monster Transformation Formation, but she had dabbled in many things over the years, and after a few glances, she vaguely understood the power of the formation.
After studying it for a while, Mu Meng stood up and walked around the small hole again until he saw the writing on the wall and stopped.
"Zheqing, is this what you just analyzed?" Mu Meng reached out and carefully touched the words on the stone wall. They were fresh, just carved.
Zhe Qing took two steps forward and softly admitted, "Yes."
He explained, "I never expected such a powerful monster to appear in this world, so I don't really understand this formation very well, and I'm not quite at the level of being able to use it with ease. So, fearing that I might have overlooked something during the analysis, I just casually carved it on the stone wall."
Mu Meng nodded, his gaze drawn to the words on the wall. As he read through them, he felt he had learned a lot. Although Zhe Qing said he didn't understand the Monster Transformation Array, the analysis on the stone wall was already quite remarkable.
However… Mu Meng turned his head and said with a mischievous smile, “Zhe Qing, your handwriting isn’t very good. It seems you’re good at everything except calligraphy.”
Zhe Qing smiled slightly, seemingly unaware of her teasing. She gently rubbed her exposed cheek with the back of her hand and whispered, "How could I possibly be worthy of being perfect in every way? Mengmeng, please stop teasing me."
Mu Meng didn't argue with him, but just smiled and looked back at the writing on the stone wall. This time, she didn't analyze the content, but simply looked at the style of his characters. "Actually, your writing style is not bad. You can vaguely see the strokes of silver hooks and iron strokes. It's just that every time you finish a stroke, it's always... too elegant? That makes the whole structure look messy."
She couldn't quite put her finger on it; she felt these characters should be pleasing to the eye, but somehow every stroke had a strange quality to them.
However, it's not a big deal; the calligraphy is just not good, and it doesn't diminish the beauty of Zheqing at all.
After reading Zhe Qing's analysis and examining the array again, Mu Meng gradually came to a conclusion. As Zhe Qing had said, there was no valuable information here. Therefore, there was no need to waste any more time here.
Thinking this, Mu Meng bid farewell to Zhe Qing: "Zhe Qing, I still have some things to take care of, so let's say goodbye here. Um, but..."
Mu Meng blinked and smiled, "My birthday is on the third day of next month. Now that you've considered me a friend, will you be there?"
Zhe Qing subconsciously opened her mouth, but didn't make a sound immediately. She seemed to pause for a moment before whispering, "If I have time, I will definitely come to see you."
Mu Meng raised her eyebrows slightly, looking at him thoughtfully. For some reason, she felt that Zhe Qing was about to agree immediately, but then he seemed to remember something and changed his mind, giving her an ambiguous and perfunctory answer.
Not wanting to let him off the hook, Mu Meng pressed on, "Why don't you have time?"
Zhe Qing was indeed stumped by the question: "I..."
Even though so much had happened that night, and her mood was still hovering on the edge of heaviness, she couldn't help but chuckle at Zhe Qing's adorable reaction. It wasn't that she was too wicked, but rather that she had almost never seen anyone as shy and timid as him, taking her words as gospel and carefully considering every word.
Even when it's a joke, he can't bring himself to laugh it off calmly and casually.
People like that... I just can't help but want to bully them a little.
Mu Meng waited a while, and seeing that Zhe Qing still hadn't found an excuse, she relentlessly teased him: "Tell me, why don't you have time? What do you do every day? Can't you spare half a day, or even two hours, to see me?"
Zhe Qing was completely stumped by her question and smiled helplessly: "It's not that I'm unwilling, it's just... it's better if we see each other less often."
"Why?" Mu Meng asked, puzzled.
Zhe Qing explained gently, "As I mentioned before, I am unlucky and can bring misfortune to others. If we meet more often, you will gradually discover my true nature... It would be fine if you dislike me, but I don't want to make you unhappy as well."
He spoke clearly and calmly, and Mu Meng, listening intently, vaguely sensed that Zhe Qing seemed to be implying something. As he spoke, it was as if he had already seen a scene from the future, and his voice could hardly conceal the deep sadness within it.
Mu Meng originally wanted to tease him, asking what his true colors were like, but when she thought of his serious demeanor, she felt a little reluctant.
After thinking for a moment, she asked softly, "Zheqing, have you suffered a lot in the past?"
Zhe Qing shook her head: "I haven't suffered. I've made many mistakes."
"Is it serious?"
"Unforgivable sin."
His words were stubborn and resolute.
Mu Meng blinked gently, her gaze sweeping down his scarred face, past his mangled fingers, across the severed limbs covered by his clothes, before finally turning her face away to look into the distance.
She didn't know the Zheqing of the past and couldn't judge his past.
However, she felt that, based on their meetings since they first met—his actions, his character—if he had indeed committed serious sins in the past, he must have already repented, made amends, and even paid a heavy price.
"Alright, I won't force you," Mu Meng said with a slight smile, not continuing Zhe Qing's previous statement.
“But I still really hope to see you again. I don’t know why you think you are unlucky. Is it because someone told you or you went through something? But ever since I first met you in the Northern Frontier, I have felt very lucky every time. Without you, I might have lost someone very important in my life, so at least for me, you are not unlucky. It is my blessing to know you.”
Zhe Qing's expression didn't soften because of Mu Meng's words; instead, it turned even paler. He took a small step back and subconsciously reached out and shook his hand, saying, "No...it's not like that, Mengmeng, don't say things like that..."
Mu Meng knew in her heart that Zhe Qing might not be able to bear these words. He didn't approve of her, and even hated her. But these words were indeed the truth, and they were also her true thoughts. She had always been honest and generous, and there was nothing she couldn't express.
Seeing him take a half step back, Mu Meng took a step towards him to make up the distance. "Zhe Qing, you just advised me that people live for themselves, not for others. This applies to you as well."
“Just like you said, if I have time, I’ll be waiting for you in Kunlun Realm on the third day of next month,” Mu Meng said with a generous smile, her eyes and brows curved into soft curves. “Last time you ignored me without saying goodbye and secretly ran away from Yunze Realm. I was thinking of settling scores with you next time we met, but I didn’t expect you to save Brother Sheng as soon as we met, so I felt embarrassed to criticize you. So this time, it’s my turn to go first.”
Her smile deepened as she finished speaking, she waved to him, turned and walked away, but after only two steps, she heard Zhe Qing call her from behind: "Mengmeng—"
Mu Meng turned around: "What's wrong?"
"What...are you going to do? Is there anything I can do to help?" Zhe Qing seemed a little hesitant, but her gaze and tone were very sincere.
Mu Meng shook his head and smiled, "You probably can't help. You know, my friend Feng Xixue and I came here to retrieve the Si'an Flower that we placed in the Ghost Realm. Now I want to see how things are going over there."
Whether Si'an Flower can be saved and whether Yu Sheng can be found depends on their efforts, and also determines how long Feng Xixue's life can be saved.
If the year is up and Yu Sheng is still missing, then no one in this world can stop Feng Xixue from committing suicide for love. Before that happens, she must do everything in her power.
Zhe Qing nodded thoughtfully: "Oh...Is that so? Mengmeng, how about I travel with you? I was planning to head south after leaving Tiancang Realm, and we'll be going the same way."
This was certainly a good idea, and Mu Meng was happy to travel with Zhe Qing. However, she was eager to know the situation in the Ghost Realm, so she naturally couldn't waste too much time on the road. Zhe Qing was even willing to expend his spiritual energy to accompany her, and before long, the two of them arrived at the Ghost Realm.
Upon reaching the entrance to the Ghost Realm, Mu Meng intended to bid farewell to Zhe Qing, but unexpectedly, he spoke first, saying, "Meng Meng, since we're already here, why don't I go in and pay my respects to the Ghost King?"
Mu Meng glanced at him with a smile.
Something seems off... Zhe Qing, who is usually so eager to avoid people, is willing to travel with her, which could be interpreted as him having just made friends with her and not having much resistance towards her. But now that they've arrived here, he actually wants to go in and pay respects to the Ghost King. This doesn't seem like something Zhe Qing would do.
Mu Meng glanced at the gate to the Ghost Realm, then turned to look at Zhe Qing: "Zhe Qing, do you have something to discuss with Lu Zhaoxin?"
She rolled her eyes, slightly puzzled, and frowned slightly before asking directly, "You actually want to go in and pay him a visit? Could it be... that this wasn't just a coincidence, but that you specifically came with me?"
Zhe Qing's expression stiffened, then she gave a helpless smile: "No, it's not that, I..."
Clearing his throat, Zhe Qing slowly said, "Mengmeng, after talking with you, I realized that I had indeed acted too arbitrarily in the past. I have never had any friends. I had some acquaintance with Lord Ghost King in the Northern Frontier, but I left without saying goodbye. Looking back now, it was indeed impolite. I originally thought that since I was here, I would go in and pay a visit to make some good connections. It seems that I was overthinking it."
His tone was so low and pitiful that Mu Meng found it both funny and heartbreaking: "Alright, alright, I asked the wrong question. I shouldn't always think of you with the same old perspective. It's a good thing that you're willing to make friends."
As she spoke, she winked with a smile, "You're good at making friends. With friends like me and the Ghost King, you'll have people protecting you in both the Heavenly Realm and the Ghost Realm. If anyone bullies you while you're traveling through the Six Realms, just come to us!"
Although it sounded like he was bragging, Zhe Qing understood that Mu Meng meant to tell him that he didn't need to feel inferior, as there would always be someone to support him.
Zhe Qing turned slightly to the side, casually raised his hand to straighten his clothes, and pretended to press it on his heart unintentionally. He lowered his head, and the corners of his lips quietly curved up.
Even though he hid it well, Mu Meng had been watching him the whole time, so how could she not notice his movements? While looking at him, she poked his shoulder with amusement: "Hey Zhe Qing, what are you doing? If you want to laugh, just laugh openly. Why are you hiding and laughing secretly?"
Zhe Qing cleared her throat, her expression instantly returning to normal, and actually denied it: "I didn't laugh."
Then he immediately added, "Well... let's not delay any longer, let's go in quickly."
This person changes quite quickly.
Mu Meng shook her head and chuckled as she watched his retreating figure, then quickly followed after him.
She suddenly longed to see Zhe Qing one day be able to laugh freely and joyfully, without having to hide it secretly, or have to immediately suppress her laughter when someone discovers it.
If he could do that, I wonder what a scene it would be like.
As Mu Meng thought about it, she raised her eyebrows and smiled – she felt that one day she would see it.
...
When Mu Meng and Zhe Qing arrived, Lu Zhaoxin had already taken good care of the Si'an Flower. His usually radiant face looked somewhat tired, which must have taken a lot of spiritual energy.
Feng Xixue, who was standing to the side, nodded to Mu Meng when she entered. Her gaze swept over Zhe Qing, who was standing to the side. He paused slightly and also gave a slight bow.
"Mengmeng, you've come back just in time. I've already extended the lifespan of this Si'an flower." Lu Zhaoxin said as he waved his hand to stop. He gently picked up the flower from the stone platform in front of him. He originally wanted to hand it to Mu Meng, but after a slight change in his eyes, he handed it directly to Feng Xixue.
He already knew who the flower's true owner was. Mu Meng understood as she watched Lu Zhaoxin's actions. However, she wasn't quite sure how much Lu Zhaoxin, with his intelligence and insight, had guessed, or whether he had figured out Feng Xixue's identity. But seeing that he hadn't asked any more questions, Mu Meng was very grateful.
When Xi Xue saw Lu Zhaoxin handing her the flowers, she accepted them with both hands without saying anything else, saying, "Thank you for your hard work."
"Oh, it's nothing," Lu Zhaoxin waved his hand dismissively. He now knew that this person was probably not as lowly as the rumors suggested. At least Mengmeng valued this friend very much. "It was originally my fault for not keeping a close watch on him. The fact that you didn't blame me makes me feel ashamed."
Mu Meng walked over and laughed, "What are you talking about? Every wrong has its perpetrator, and every debt has its debtor. If anyone is to blame, it's that petty thief with dirty hands. How can you be blamed?"
"That's good. But speaking of which, you guys acted really quickly. Have you dealt with that thief? She's tried to infiltrate my Ghost Realm. It's just a pity I couldn't kill her myself." Lu Zhaoxin's brows still held a hint of resentment when he mentioned this.
Mu Meng nodded. Who knew that catching this thief would lead to a whole bunch of troubles? There was no need to mention these things to Lu Zhaoxin. "After all, he is a member of my Celestial Clan. I have already dealt with him. You don't need to be angry or bothered by this anymore."
"Okay, I trust Mengmeng to handle things."
Lu Zhaoxin put his hands on his hips, let out a long breath, and glanced around. He saw Zhe Qing standing there with little presence and raised an eyebrow in surprise, asking, "Did Young Master Zhe Qing come with Mengmeng?"
Mu Meng explained with a smile, "We met by chance while catching the thief, and Zhe Qing helped us a lot."
They greeted each other. Mu Meng thought Zhe Qing would say something, so he waited quietly for a moment. But after the luggage was handed over, he remained silent.
Well, it's already not easy to take this step. We can't expect him to talk fluently right away. Mu Meng ignored him and looked at Lu Zhaoxin, asking, "Zhaoxin, have you made any new discoveries while searching through the Book of Reincarnation based on the previous clues?"
Mentioning this, Lu Zhaoxin scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly, "Still haven't found it. I did search according to the line of thought we analyzed before, but... the human realm is very different from other realms. There aren't many cultivators in the human realm; most are just ordinary people. It's almost a fantasy that such people could offend some powerful figure and be cursed with such a cruel and vicious curse. If there really was one, I wouldn't even need to search; I would definitely remember it."
He didn't pay much attention to his words, and Mu Meng secretly thought to himself that something was wrong.
Sure enough, Feng Xixue stepped forward, his brows furrowed tightly, a chilling glint in his eyes: "A cruel and ruthless curse?"
His tone had already become somewhat off, so Mu Meng quickly said, "Feng Xixue, don't be anxious, this..." After thinking for a moment, she decided to be direct, since Feng Xixue was the one who should know the most about this matter. "This is what we deduced before, and now it's time to tell you. Just be prepared and take care of yourself."
The demon race's heart-wrenching pain can strike at any moment. Just hearing those words made Feng Xixue's face turn pale. Mu Meng could tell at a glance that he was already in deep agony, and it might even get worse. But there was nothing he could do but hope that he could pull through.
Feng Xixue closed his eyes, seemingly trying to calm the emotions in his gaze, but his lips had already turned a faint purplish-black. After a while, he opened his eyes and said in a calm voice, "I understand. You can speak now."
Lu Zhaoxin nodded and said in a deep voice, "I have heard that Miss Yu Sheng has a tragic fate. She never lived past the age of twenty in any of her lives. She must have been poisoned by someone. The reason we cannot find her soul and reincarnation is because of the curse on her. In the current situation, looking through the Book of Reincarnation is useless. We need to know more information."
Mu Meng glanced at Feng Xixue with some worry, seeing that he was trying to remain calm, but his hands were trembling uncontrollably. However, the next moment, Zhe Qing suddenly stepped forward:
"Excuse me, if I may be so bold as to ask, have you encountered any difficulties?"
His voice was gentle. "I overheard a couple of things just now. Are you having trouble finding someone? I may not be very capable, but I might have some ideas. If you trust me, could you tell me the gist of the problem?"
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