Chapter 79 Crisis The monster didn't die.
A desolate tomb.
Mu Qingheng huddled alone in a corner of the room, his back hunched, his right fist clenched tightly against his heart, cold sweat dripping down his forehead.
This is the fourth time the Shattered Soul Dream has occurred since Mengmeng left.
There were two instances of the Nine Poisons Devouring Bone Poison flaring up in between, but the pain was negligible compared to the excruciating agony.
Just as he had expected, as his life drew to a close, the frequency of his Soul Shattering Dream attacks increased. He appeared healthy on the surface, but inside he was already rotten to the core.
If things continue like this, before that red line reaches his heart, he may end up like his kin, helplessly dying from the repeated torment of excruciating pain.
Mu Qingheng slowly loosened his teeth from biting his lower lip, revealing a row of bloody teeth marks on his pale lips. He slowly shook his head, his gaze hazy and blank.
The woman before me was still dressed in that pure white dress, as beautiful as a forest sprite, immaculate, elegant and noble.
Strangely, this time she didn't immediately hurl sharp and sarcastic insults at him. Instead, she stood at a distance, tilting her head and watching him for a long time.
Mu Qingheng's eyes were glazed over as he gently called her name, "Mengmeng..."
Mengmeng, who usually had a haughty expression, seemed somewhat dejected. She stood there indifferently, her tone flat: "Mu Qingheng, why do you keep thinking about my confession that day? Are you very proud of it?"
“No, I wasn’t being silly,” Mu Qingheng immediately shook his head and patiently explained to the girl in front of him, “I didn’t mean to, I just couldn’t help it. If you don’t like it, I’ll try my best not to think about it anymore…”
After he finished speaking, Mu Qingheng cautiously looked up at her. This time, after he finished speaking, Mengmeng neither immediately sneered and said, as she usually did, that he was not worthy of thinking about it, nor did she contemptuously tell him that he should die.
She just stood there, looking somewhat troubled: "Maybe I won't come looking for you again."
Mu Qingheng was stunned, his face turning somewhat pale: "...Why?"
"Perhaps you're not as disheartened as you used to be."
She was standing far away, but her voice seemed to be right next to his ear, or even rising from the depths of his heart: "Or perhaps, you are about to die, and since you are dead, you will naturally never see me again."
After saying that, Mengmeng didn't utter another word. This was the first time in the illusion that Mengmeng didn't spit out countless venomous knives that pierced his heart.
She just stood there, quietly looking at herself, her eyes showing neither joy nor resentment, and she didn't make a sound until she disappeared.
He asked her, "Mengmeng, do you still hate me?"
Mengmeng didn't answer, but looked away.
He asked her again, "Mengmeng, please don't like me, okay? Don't make me feel bad for you again."
Mengmeng remained silent, her eyes lowered, like a god or Buddha devoid of joy or sorrow.
Everything was quiet, except for the excruciating pain, which burned like an endless raging fire, tearing him to pieces.
He didn't know how much time had passed, but Mu Qingheng's clothes were soaked through, and he looked pale and weak, as if he had been pulled out of the water. His eyes cleared a little, and he looked around. Before him was a simple and plain room, and the beautiful figure was no longer there.
The illusion vanished, the buzzing in his ears disappeared, and Mengmeng was gone. In the world, only her words, "I like you," which he had been thinking about day and night, still echoed in his ears.
Mu Qingheng silently wiped the bright red blood from the corner of his mouth.
He liked her. The thought of Mengmeng's affection for him made his heart feel as if it were being rolled over by countless upright steel needles, causing him excruciating pain.
If Mengmeng cannot take back her love for him, then the sins on his body will probably never be washed away.
He clenched his fist so tightly that his fingernails scratched his palm, and blood flowed down the seam.
Mu Qingheng pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling defeated and exhausted.
After resting for a while, he slowly stood up, propped himself up with a bamboo stick that had fallen to the side, and walked to the desk. He then casually picked up the wooden plaque that was placed in the center of the desk to look at it.
What started as a casual glance suddenly sharpened when the bright ray of light in the middle caught the eye.
Mu Qingheng's heart was racing uncontrollably.
A chilling glint flashed in his eyes, and he suddenly turned and ran out of the courtyard, heading straight towards the Endless Cliff.
The wind howled at the edge of the endless cliff. Mu Qingheng slowly squatted down, gazing at the patch of withered grass with a faint footprint, lost in thought for a long time.
Gui Chengzi said that there are three paths to climb up from the Seventh Realm, but he was not sure if there were other realms below the Seventh Realm, nor was he sure how many paths there were to reach the top of the Endless Cliff.
But he knew at least three paths. He had once chosen one of them and slowly climbed up, so to monitor the monster, he could only mark these three locations.
More than a month has passed, and all has been calm. Mu Qingheng originally thought that the monster was most likely dead. But today, just as he recovered from the intense, heart-wrenching pain, he saw traces of spiritual energy fluctuations in the places he had marked.
The desolate tomb has long been regarded as an ominous place in the Six Realms, and no one would ever set foot there. Since no one went down there, then someone must have come up from here—and this happens to be one of the three paths he knows, an extremely steep and dangerous one.
Mu Qingheng's eyes were pitch black, with a hint of cold light in his pupils. That monster was indeed cunning and treacherous. He had experienced three excruciating pains before, and the monster had remained calm and made no move. Only this time did it crouch down and run up steadily and quickly.
He gripped the wooden plaque tightly in his hand—since he hadn't died and had returned with a vengeance, he might be even stronger now. He dared to go straight up to him, not only because of his inherent arrogance, but also because he probably had a better chance of winning.
He couldn't worry about anything else now; with another crisis looming, he had to set off immediately to find Mengmeng.
...
The human realm, Danzhou.
Yu Sheng?
Mu Meng quickly turned around and exchanged a glance with Lu Zhaoxin, who was also staring at her with wide eyes.
Their eyes met briefly in mid-air, and they both saw the shock in each other's eyes.
Yu Sheng?
The Yu Sheng they had been searching for all along?
Mu Meng was right next to Yu Sheng, making it difficult for her to move around. She subtly gave Lu Zhaoxin a wink, and Lu Zhaoxin, understanding perfectly, took out a porcelain bottle from his sleeve, opened it casually, and looked down to see that the aura inside emitted an extremely faint, shimmering white light.
That's it.
Lu Zhaoxin coughed twice, covering his mouth, and nodded slightly to Mu Meng without leaving a trace.
Mu Meng's heart sank – this was the Yu Sheng they were looking for. Before this, she had thought that Yu Sheng might have had a hard time or suffered some injustice, but she never expected it to be like this.
Even a single glance at it makes my heart ache.
Mu Meng dared not show anything, only sighing silently in her heart: Before finding Yu Sheng, she was worried that she would risk her life to follow Feng Xixue if she couldn't find her. After finding Yu Sheng, she was even more worried: How could she tell Feng Xixue this?
Although he didn't know exactly what Yu Sheng had gone through, he knew from just a few words that she must have endured unimaginable inhuman torture. Mu Meng bit his lip with a grim expression and looked down at Yu Sheng's exposed wrists.
Those wrists were originally slender and snow-white, but they had several shocking and terrible bruises on them.
Well, who knows how many injuries she has? No matter how difficult it is, I have to take her back and treat her wounds first. Thinking this, Mu Meng took Yu Sheng's hand and said softly, "Then I'll call you Sheng Sheng. Don't be afraid, I will protect you. You will never be hurt again. You don't have to worry about causing me any trouble. Just follow your sister and I'll take care of everything else."
A faint hint of joy unconsciously appeared in Yu Sheng's eyes and brows, but it quickly disappeared.
She was clearly still worried. She glanced again at the corpses lying scattered on the ground, her small face filled with deep concern. "Sister, the leader's father is the prefect of Danzhou. He keeps a group of private soldiers in his residence. He is narrow-minded and vindictive. If you are targeted and retaliated against because you protected me, I will never forgive myself..."
"I'm not afraid of him. Come on, let me help you up first." Mu Meng's voice was extremely gentle. She didn't know where Yu Sheng was injured and was afraid that if she touched her, she would hold back her words. So she could only gently help her up.
However, Yu Sheng was extremely weak. Her face was already as pale as paper, and there was only a little bit of color on her soft lips. As soon as she stood up, her legs suddenly went weak, and she fainted straight into Mu Meng's arms.
Lu Zhaoxin looked reluctant but his expression was serious: "I'll carry her on my back."
"No, let me do it. She might be scared if she wakes up later." Mu Meng disagreed.
Lu Zhaoxin thought about it and felt that Mu Meng's words made sense. He looked at them and then at the people on the ground, and said in a low voice, "Mengmeng, you guys go first and find a place to settle down. I'll clean up this place and then come find you."
After all, someone has died; we can't just leave it like this. Besides, Yu Sheng just said that these people aren't ordinary young masters; if we don't handle this properly, there might be other troubles.
“Okay,” Mu Meng understood everything and nodded, looking somewhat apologetic. “This should have been my responsibility, but I’ve troubled you again.”
Lu Zhaoxin scoffed, her eyes sparkling with amusement, and gave her a light glare. "Why are you being so formal with me? What's with all this 'trouble' stuff? Hey, don't feel guilty. Luckily you got involved, otherwise we would have missed out on Yu Sheng. And let me tell you, even if you hadn't intervened, I wouldn't have been able to hold back. Who wouldn't want to chop these bastards up? In the end, they're lucky to die at your hands."
Lu Zhaoxin glanced disdainfully at the corpses lying on the ground, then looked away as if afraid of offending his eyes. After considering for a moment, he said, "I think we should do this: since we've already interfered with their lifespans, we don't care what happens to these souls. I'll detain them for now and hand them over to Feng Xixue later. He's not here right now, and he'll be furious when he sees Yu Sheng like this. It'll be a good way for him to vent his anger."
Mu Meng was surprised by his loyalty and was a little worried: "Will he be able to do it?"
"What's wrong with that? I am the Ghost King, a king, not a slave. I have upheld the rules of both the human and ghost realms for so many years without ever making a mistake. Who can say anything about me this time? Sigh, just consider it as me being drunk."
Lu Zhaoxin was clearly enraged, waving his hand dismissively. After a moment's thought, his expression turned serious again. "But...shouldn't we tell Feng Xixue now and have him come over?"
This was what troubled Mu Meng the most. After weighing it in his mind for a moment, he realized that there was a difference between seeing things firsthand and hearing them aloud. Yu Sheng was covered in wounds and barely clothed. Calling Feng Xixue over like this was no different from stabbing him in the heart.
His heart-wrenching pain is so severe that he might feel like he's living a life worse than death.
She slowly shook her head: "Let's wait a bit. Feng Xixue can use a teleportation technique and get here in less than half an incense stick's time. But I'm afraid Yu Sheng won't be able to handle seeing her like this. Let me take her back first and treat her injuries."
Lu Zhaoxin understood and nodded: "I know, then go quickly."
...
With Lu Zhaoxin as her friend, Mu Meng had a very clear understanding of the rules of the human world. With the silver notes given to her by Lu Zhaoxin, she bought a courtyard and settled in within half an hour.
Mu Meng didn't know Yu Sheng's constitution, after all, she was still a human, and her meridians were different from theirs, so she dared not rashly use her spiritual power to heal her. After thinking it over, she had no choice but to ask a doctor to come over.
The doctor was a kind-looking woman surnamed Qin, around fifty years old. After bowing gently, she went to the bedside, took a look, and exclaimed, "...Is it Miss Yu?"
She seemed to know something, and cautiously glanced back at Mu Meng, then looked around the place. She was clearly puzzled, but wisely didn't ask anything.
Mu Meng appreciated her silence, smiled slightly, and said softly, "It seems that Doctor Qin knows Miss Yu Sheng. May I ask you about her background?"
Doctor Qin sighed deeply, his expression pained: "How could I not recognize her? Such a gentle and beautiful child, so captivating, one glance and you can never forget her. Alas... she is a girl with a tragic fate. Her mother was a concubine, and after a long time away, she was brought back and made a concubine. But good times don't last long. The court was in turmoil, and the Prime Minister's mansion collapsed overnight. The men were beheaded, and all the women were forced into prostitution. That's how this child ended up in Danzhou."
"Such a girl is the most unfortunate. She's fallen from grace and into the mud, unable even to die. Her life is intertwined with that of the other women in the clan. I heard that when Miss Yu first arrived, she attempted suicide several times, and in the end, the prefect himself had to come and persuade her. What a tragedy..."
Mu Meng frowned as he listened. No wonder Feng Xixue could sense the hardships Yu Sheng had been going through. Although Doctor Qin only said a few words, it was clear from listening that Yu Sheng's life had not been easy either. The bitterness she had endured could not be explained in just a few words.
Mu Meng rubbed his temples: "You sounded quite friendly just now, it seems you have some connection with Miss Yu Sheng?"
"Yes, it's not really a matter of fate. It's just that the old woman was fortunate enough to be saved by Miss Yu. A few years ago, the Left Prime Minister was on an inspection tour of the thirteen prefectures of Binzuo on behalf of the Emperor. He brought his concubine and daughter with him. It was the coldest time of year, and the old woman was cheated out of her money. She was starving and freezing, and was lying on the roadside, almost dying. It was Miss Yu who happened to pass by and took a helping hand, which saved her life. Miss Yu is like Guanyin Bodhisattva incarnate. She doesn't have the airs of a noble lady. She's kind and well-behaved. Many people in Danzhou know her, and there are even people who have proposed marriage to her. But I suppose her family has its own rules about marriage, and they've all refused. Alas... If it weren't for that, she wouldn't be in such a sorry state, and many of those who were rejected back then wouldn't have taken advantage of her misfortune. Those beasts in human form have humiliated her without any mercy... They deserve to be torn to pieces! And sent to hell!"
Mu Meng shivered slightly, unable to imagine what Yu Sheng had gone through. She looked at Yu Sheng's pale, bloodless face, with a few strands of soft, black hair clinging to her cheeks, making her look even more obedient and pitiful.
Mu Meng sighed silently. Even she felt a pang of heartache upon hearing this, but she couldn't imagine how heartbroken Feng Xixue would be when she found out.
After getting a general idea, she fell silent and helped Doctor Qin take care of Yu Sheng. Doctor Qin was already very gentle, but Yu Sheng still had a furrowed brow and couldn't shake off her panic while she was asleep.
Seeing her miserable state covered in wounds, Mu Meng frowned and couldn't help but feel her eyes redden. After Doctor Qin finished treating her external injuries and started decocting medicine, she went out to get some fresh air.
Just then, Lu Zhaoxin came looking for her, following the letter she left. Mu Meng went out and greeted him. The two stood outside the door, looked at each other, and remained silent for a moment.
Finally, Lu Zhaoxin spoke first: "How did it go?"
Mu Meng shook her head, as if asking him a question, or perhaps muttering to herself, "How am I going to explain this to Feng Xixue..."
The bitter smell of medicine wafted from the tightly closed door behind him. Lu Zhaoxin rubbed his nose. "I've always thought that God is too cruel, even more unreasonable than me. Since He gave the Demon Clan an indestructible heart of stone, why did He also give them the ability to grow flesh from stone, along with such an inescapable instinct?"
Lu Zhaoxin was quick-witted, and it was no surprise that he guessed Feng Xixue's identity and experiences. However, Mu Meng did not expect him to say it today, which must have been quite a shock.
Mu Meng hadn't intended to speak, but suddenly a thought struck him, and his hands, which were resting on the carved wooden pole, slowly clasped together. "Yes, apart from the demons, other races in the Six Realms only need a single thought to confirm their feelings if they fall in love. But the demons have to go through so much trouble, and in the end, they can only end up with unrequited love."
She recalled that it had only been a fleeting moment since she realized her feelings for Zhe Qing.
Whether it was Feng Xixue or Mu Qingheng, it took them far too long to confirm their feelings for each other, and the subsequent desperate waiting seemed to have no end.
Fortunately, Feng Xixue should be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel now.
But Mu Qingheng... I'm afraid his remains on the endless cliffs are already covered with a layer of frost.
Lu Zhaoxin only sighed once and then said nothing more. After all, Feng Xixue and Mu Meng had kept their identities hidden for so many years, naturally not wanting to expose them. He simply pretended not to know. "Mengmeng, what are your plans next?"
Mu Meng remained silent for a while before saying, "I have to tell him eventually. I'll send a message to Feng Xixue later. Although the current situation will cause him unbearable pain, he has endured thousands of years and is a tough guy. He can't possibly give up now. I know him. The sooner he sees Sheng Sheng, the sooner he can find peace of mind."
Lu Zhaoxin also agreed, "Si'an Flower is still in his hands. Once he arrives, he can give it to Miss Yu Sheng as soon as possible."
As they were talking, Doctor Qin came out of the room. Mu Meng quickly turned around and asked, "Has Sheng Sheng finished her medicine? Is she still asleep?"
Doctor Qin gave a soft "hmm," and said, "I'll brew another bowl later. I've left the prescription on the table. Just follow the instructions to brew the medicine each day. Please take good care of her. If... if possible, please don't let her go back to that den of thieves. I know that a courtesan's body won't be easily pardoned, but since you've brought her home and are taking such good care of her, you must want what's best for her. Please keep in touch... Also, Miss Yu Sheng's mental state is extremely unstable. You need to be extra careful and patient with her. She can't bear any more torment now."
After seeing Doctor Qin off, Lu Zhaoxin's face grew increasingly grim as he thought about it: "Miss Yu Sheng is pure and kind by nature, and she doesn't seem like the kind of person who would actively make enemies. Who on earth would cast such a vicious curse on her, making her live a life of suffering and hardship for all eternity? They are truly utterly depraved."
Mu Meng silently opened the door a crack and peeked inside. Yu Sheng was still fast asleep, her petite and frail body curled up in the blankets, making her appear even more delicate. She glanced at her for a moment, then lowered her voice and asked Lu Zhaoxin, "Zhaoxin, with your abilities, can you discern the origin of the curse on Sheng Sheng?"
Lu Zhaoxin asked, "Didn't you check just now?"
"She is, after all, a human. I don't know much about the specifics of humans, and I was afraid of hurting her if I did something wrong, so I didn't dare to use my spiritual power recklessly."
"That's right," Lu Zhaoxin nodded repeatedly, stroking his chin and thinking for a while. "I should be able to find out the general outline. Although I can't figure out the exact origin, I should be able to find out which clan cast the curse."
Since that's the case, Mu Meng flicked her finger slightly, releasing a small amount of calming spiritual energy into the room. Then she gave Lu Zhaoxin a wink, and Lu Zhaoxin quietly went in to investigate.
He stood in the middle of the house, not getting close, his palm raised in mid-air for a while, the light in his palm gradually dimming before he slowly lowered it.
He seemed a little stunned, then walked out with his lips tightly pressed together.
"How did it go?" Mu Meng pulled him aside and asked impatiently about the result.
“It seems…” Lu Zhaoxin took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, looking as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.
He looked like he definitely knew something. Mu Meng nudged his shoulder: "Stop stammering, what did you find out?"
“Mengmeng, why don’t you ask General Xuantian to come over? Maybe he can know more about it,” Lu Zhaoxin finally spoke, his voice deep. “I think this curse probably comes from the Celestial Clan.”
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
