Chapter 82 Arguing A one-sided... scolding of Zheqing. ...
The light in Mu Meng's room remained on until late at night.
She wasn't sleepy at all. The result Brother Sheng told her today was too unexpected. Her heart, which had been filled with pity and anger, and a desire to avenge Yu Sheng, suddenly became blank.
The person who cast the curse is from a branch of the imperial lineage; how many people are there?
She didn't know about the people from the past, but based on the information she currently had, the late emperor should have had three adopted sons: her father, Mu Qingheng's father, and that third uncle. However, looking further down the line, the imperial line only consisted of her, her sister, and Mu Qingheng.
Those who are still alive today are truly few and far between.
Mu Meng sighed deeply, rubbing her temples in frustration. She had initially thought it was just a simple murder case, but now that it had escalated to this point, she couldn't help but wonder if it was a cover-up.
Back then, Sheng Sheng was just a little flower fairy. Even with the greatest fortune, a clan of plant and tree fairies like her could never break through to the realm of a great demon. No matter how high their spiritual power, they would never threaten the Heavenly Clan's imperial lineage. But she was cruelly harmed to this extent. Was it because she saw something, knew something, that she ended up in such a state?
Although thinking this way was somewhat unfilial, Mu Meng couldn't stop the image of her father's face from appearing in her mind.
"Knock knock knock".
Mu Meng looked up at the figure cast by the moonlight outside the door, a thought flashed through his mind, and he called out, "Zhe Qing?"
Then he immediately said, "Come in."
The door opened, and sure enough, Zhe Qing stood outside. He seemed hesitant, wondering whether he should come in.
Even in such a troubled moment, seeing his awkward yet adorable appearance, Mu Meng couldn't help but smile slightly, looking at him helplessly: "Hey, you're already standing at my door, what are you dawdling for? Hurry up and come in, close the door, it's so windy, you're not afraid of being blown by the wind but I am."
Her deliberately fierce tone worked; as soon as she said that, Zhe Qing immediately stepped in and carefully closed the door.
Watching his composed and elegant movements, Mu Meng couldn't help but sigh softly, "Zhe Qing, your sect must have put a lot of effort into training you."
His arrogance was almost ingrained in his bones. Even with his physical disability and lack of background, the moment he stood there, he exuded an air of refined elegance. His composure was so profound that it probably surpassed even the most powerful beings in the Celestial Clan, perhaps even exceeding them.
Zhe Qing was taken aback, then rubbed his fingers awkwardly and smiled, "No, I'm just not very talented, I'm barely passable."
He seemed embarrassed to discuss the topic further, so he changed the subject and asked with concern, "Mengmeng, it's so late, and I was a little worried to see your light still on. What's troubling you? Could you tell me so we can discuss a solution together?"
Mu Meng pondered for a moment: Originally, she wanted to wait two days until Yue Liutian arrived and restore Sheng Sheng's demon identity. At that time, she could find a way to trace the scene of her being hurt and see the face of the murderer.
However, since Zhe Qing had asked the question, there was no point in hiding it from him, so Mu Meng relayed to Zhe Qing what Sheng Yuanting had said to her during the day.
“Brother Sheng is a cautious and prudent person. He didn’t believe the result when he first discovered it, so he checked it again carefully, but the result was still the same.”
Mu Meng leaned back in his chair, looking tired, and tapped his fingers on the table. “I don’t know how many people are actually in the imperial lineage, because Father never talks to me about the past. I don’t know how many adopted sons the late Emperor had or how many brothers he had. All I know is that the only remaining members of the imperial lineage are me, him, and my sister.”
Oh, and there's also that third uncle from the Seventh Realm.
But if it really was her third uncle, whom she had never met, who did this, she wouldn't be so conflicted and torn right now.
Thinking of this, Mu Meng became somewhat curious: "Zhe Qing, I have a question for you. I don't know if you know... um... Mu Guicheng?"
She only knew her third uncle's given name, not his surname, but since they were both adopted sons of the late emperor, they probably shared the same surname.
“Mu Guicheng…” Zhe Qing murmured, repeating the three words over and over, her hands clasped together on the table, unconsciously rubbing the base of her severed finger. “Mengmeng, how do you know this person?”
“Oh, I only heard my father mention this a few days ago. This person is my third uncle. I wonder if you remember the painting in the Lou family hall in Tiancang County? The painting was signed ‘Returning Journey’ and it was painted by my third uncle.”
Zhe Qing nodded, slowly released his hand, and naturally placed it on the edge of the table: "There is indeed such a person in the Seventh Realm."
Mu Meng leaned forward, her eyes wide: "Then are you his son or disciple?" After all, this was something she and her father had made up on the spot that day, and now she was genuinely curious.
Seeing that Zhe Qing was slightly taken aback, Mu Meng belatedly realized that his words seemed to have caused some misunderstanding, and quickly waved his hand and said, "No, I didn't suspect that you inherited his imperial lineage. I was just asking casually. Maybe we were originally siblings."
Upon hearing the words "brother and sister," Zhe Qing seemed to be stimulated by something, and his body suddenly stiffened. He seemed to want to say something, and moved his lips slightly, but his lips were trembling slightly.
Mu Meng raised an eyebrow, puzzled: "Hmm? What's wrong with you?"
"It's alright, I'm fine..." Zhe Qing slowly calmed down and shook her head. "My biological father died early, and he wasn't my master either."
Oh... Mu Meng nestled back into her chair, crossed her arms, and looked slightly at the ceiling, starting to ponder again.
In fact, among the people she suspected, her third uncle, who had been living in seclusion for a long time and whom she had never met, was not even on the list, and of course it could not be her or her sister.
Mu Meng thought with some frustration, after all, her father had once undergone a heart transplant and become a demon. He had been a demon lord and even started a war. From any perspective, he was more suspicious.
Zhe Qing stayed silent with Mu Meng for a while. Looking at her somewhat lonely eyes, he felt as if an invisible hand was gripping his heart, and his brows were full of tenderness: "Mengmeng, forgive my impertinence, but do you suspect that the person who committed this heinous act... was His Majesty the Heavenly Emperor?"
Facing Zhe Qing, Mu Meng naturally didn't hide anything: "Yes, you figured it out? I was thinking, since the person who cast the curse is from an imperial lineage, the most likely person is of course my father."
"You heard it back in Tiancang Realm. My father once sacrificed his own flesh and heart, replacing it with the Heart of the Demon to become a demon. He was different then than he is now. Back then, he had no feelings or pity in his heart. He would actively provoke wars and even kill his own second brother. It's not impossible that he would do cruel things to a little flower fairy he had no connection with..."
Indeed, it was the case. No matter how you looked at it, the current emperor was the most suspicious person. Zhe Qing looked at Mu Meng's sad face and felt a pang in her heart. She couldn't help but whisper to comfort her, "Mengmeng, at that time, your father had just entered the demonic realm after his heart transplant. Many of the things he did were not of his own free will. Now he has a family and two beloved daughters. His heart has long since become kind and gentle. If it really was him, you should try to be more open-minded and not be too sad."
Mu Meng didn't speak immediately. She understood what Zhe Qing meant. He wanted her to see her father separately. The Demon Lord who had led the demon race to commit evil and her loving Heavenly Emperor father were two different people—the evil he had done in the past could not erase his goodness now.
But things shouldn't be thought that way. Mu Meng shook his head firmly: "If he really did it, we can't just end it with a simple 'he has reformed'. Sheng Sheng has suffered so much in the cycle of reincarnation in the human world for so many years, how can we..."
She didn't finish speaking, but Zhe Qing already understood.
This matter was far too difficult for Mu Meng—she was upright and kind, and naturally wanted to give Yu Sheng an explanation, but if the person on the other side was her father, how could she bear to see him suffer? Even if she truly abandoned her conscience and protected her father, how could Feng Xixue possibly let it go? She would surely tear the murderer to pieces, no matter where she was. This was the greater contradiction: the two had long been tacit friends, were they really going to end up fighting each other?
Mu Meng lowered her eyes and remained silent for a long time. Suddenly, Zhe Qing smiled and said softly, "Mengmeng, I have a way."
Is there a way to cover up the green patches?
Mu Meng's eyes lit up instantly. As expected, Zhe Qing was the most reliable. No wonder he was the person she liked; he could come up with solutions to any problem. Mu Meng quickly moved closer to him, her eyes sparkling: "What's the solution?"
Zhe Qing pondered, "In the end, it was the work of a branch of the imperial lineage. So let's put forward someone from the imperial lineage. If we find out that the real culprit is indeed His Majesty the Heavenly Emperor, we can cover up the matter and pin it on Mu Qingheng—after all, he is also a member of the imperial lineage, and he has committed many evils and is already dead, so this crime is nothing."
Mu Meng was slightly taken aback, and the smile in her eyes gradually faded.
Unaware of what was happening, Zhe Qing continued, "This way, we can appease both sides—"
"Zheqing," he hadn't finished speaking when Mu Meng suddenly called his name, interrupting him.
With a slight smile, she asked, "Do you know what you're saying? You want to pin this blame on Mu Qingheng? Let me remind you, this is a bit far-fetched. First of all, the ages don't match up—Feng Xixue searched for Yu Sheng for over two thousand years, and that's counting from the lifetime they met. Before that, Yu Sheng had reincarnated countless times in the human realm, but Mu Qingheng was less than three thousand years old when he died."
A smile played on her lips, and her voice was calm and gentle. Zhe Qing, unaware of anything amiss, smiled slightly and said, "That's easy to handle. We just need to..."
"Alright. Stop talking."
Mu Meng suddenly stood up, turned his gaze elsewhere, and remained silent.
Zhe Qing finally realized belatedly that Mu Meng didn't seem happy; his slender fingers curled up somewhat helplessly.
The next moment, Mu Meng turned his head, his eyes staring straight into Zhe Qing's eyes, a deep disappointment in them: "Zhe Qing, are you really this kind of person? I am grateful for your favoritism towards me, and I have always hoped that the person I like could openly favor me, but how could you completely disregard right and wrong?"
She exhaled, slammed her hands on the table with a "bang," and stared at Zhe Qing: "I know that someone like you wouldn't take Mu Qingheng seriously, let alone approve of his actions. But he hasn't wronged you. Can what you're doing be considered a righteous and chivalrous act?"
“That’s right, Mu Qingheng did make many mistakes, but he also paid a heavy price. He even carries untold grievances, which you heard in Tiancang Realm that day. These injustices have not yet been cleared, and you’re suggesting to me that we pin another fabricated charge on him? Anyway, he’s guilty of heinous crimes, and he’s dead and can’t grow a mouth to defend himself, so it doesn’t matter if he has one more charge or one less charge, right?”
Zhe Qing panicked a little, and he tried to stand up awkwardly: "Mengmeng, I..."
Mu Meng's face was cold as she placed a hand on his shoulder and pressed him back into the chair. "Zhe Qing, do you really think this is for my own good? Do you think that by pinning this crime on Mu Qingheng, I can face my father with peace of mind and continue to do so as before? Do you think I can be completely at ease and be friends with Feng Xixue and Yu Sheng every time I see them? Do you think I would pretend to be deaf and dumb—using the false happiness gained by stepping on Mu Qingheng's ashes?"
Finally, Mu Meng opened her mouth slightly, but had nothing to say. She released Zha Qing's shoulder, turned around, as if she never wanted to see him again.
Her appearance terrified Zhe Qing. He hurriedly stood up, reaching out to grab her wrists, but hesitated, and after a moment of panic, stammered, "Mengmeng, I didn't mean to make you angry, I just..."
His voice trailed off: "Don't hate this too..."
Mu Meng only vaguely heard "I hate you," and Zhe Qing's cautious demeanor softened her heart. She turned around and looked deeply into his eyes: "I don't hate you, I'm just a little disappointed. To be honest, I never believed that there was a perfect person in this world until I met you—I think every aspect of you is wonderful and I like you very much. But today I understand that no one in this world is perfect."
She took two steps forward, looking at Zhe Qing with the pitiful expression of a child who had done something wrong, and her tone softened: "But my disappointment is not because you are imperfect, but because the reason for your imperfection is your almost obsessive sense of justice, which can no longer be called justice. Zhe Qing, I knew before that you hated Mu Qingheng, but no matter how many mistakes he has made, he cannot be trampled on by others as a matter of course... Do you understand?"
For some reason, her words were clearly gentler than any of her previous ones, yet Zhe Qing's eyes quietly reddened as she finished speaking.
Mu Meng said, "Why are you crying?"
Zhe Qing quickly touched her eyelids as if to cover up her mistake, "I didn't."
He closed his eyes, waiting for the stinging sensation to subside before whispering the question he feared most: "Mengmeng, I was wrong. I shouldn't have said that. Don't be angry anymore. Do you...do you still hate me?"
Mu Meng snorted coldly: "How annoying."
Zhe Qing looked somewhat sad—he was genuinely sad, as if everything she said, whether earnest or spiteful, was taken to heart.
Mu Meng was both annoyed and amused: "If I don't dislike you, why should I like you more? You don't say anything and you don't like me, so why shouldn't I dislike you?"
"I don't dislike it..."
Zhe Qing subconsciously started to say something, then suddenly stopped, realizing what she had said. She pursed her lips in annoyance and lowered her head.
Mu Meng tried to hide the smile she couldn't suppress, but she couldn't quite hide it. She raised an eyebrow and smiled, "You like me?"
Zheqing pleaded, "Mengmeng..."
Okay, he's so thin-skinned, introverted, and insecure. It's fine if he blurts it out unconsciously. If you keep pursuing it, you'll only scare him.
Thinking of this, Mu Meng stopped pressuring him and smiled slightly, "Alright, it's getting late, you should go and rest. Don't think too much about it, there's no result yet, is there? Who says it has to be my father?"
Mu Meng thought optimistically: What if it's that third uncle? Anyway, she's never met him and has no feelings for him. If he really is the murderer, she will definitely be the first to turn against him for the greater good.
Zhe Qing looked at her, then suddenly parted her lips slightly: "Mengmeng, actually I'm just worried, if it really is..."
"If that's really the case, then it's nothing. I probably can't avoid it, and I will naturally face it seriously."
Mu Meng waved his hand dismissively, speaking with a carefree and natural air.
Zhe Qing shook her head, her beautiful eyes filled with worry. "Mengmeng, but if it really is His Majesty the Heavenly Emperor, I still want to consider other methods... I don't want to see you suffer in place of your father."
In an instant, Mu Meng was stunned.
Zhe Qing's tone was so gentle and tender, one could even hear the deep tenderness within it—it turned out that he had seen through her feelings from the very beginning.
That's why he proposed that solution. It wasn't out of personal resentment or a stubborn sense of justice, but rather because he knew it was a poor choice. However, he was willing to abandon his principles for her sake.
For a moment, Mu Meng couldn't describe the feelings in her heart—liking, pity, guilt… He understood her feelings so well, while she hadn't understood him at all. Before Zhe Qing could finish speaking, she launched into a tirade against him, unaware that he was doing it all for her sake.
Mu Meng looked into his clean and beautiful eyes and instantly caught the deep love he couldn't hide: tender as water, a glance that seemed to last a lifetime, even touching her soul and causing a faint tremor.
It's lamentable that she had been constantly asking Zhe Qing if he liked her, and even sulking because of his silence and avoidance, only to realize now how much he truly loved her.
Mu Meng sighed, then smiled slightly, and took a few steps forward to stand in front of Zhe Qing.
She looked up at him, their noses only inches apart—
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