Chapter 25 Reunion: The Heart of a Demon's Human Being is Too Fragile
Mu Meng was restless and barely slept all night.
When Mu Luo got up in the morning, she was afraid that her complexion was not good and that there were dark circles under her eyes, which would make her sister worry. So she covered her face halfway with the quilt and pretended to be fast asleep.
Fortunately, her older sister didn't look closely. She gently pinched her cheek and then quietly got out of bed to do her makeup.
Mu Meng then got up and sat in front of the dressing table to examine herself—her complexion was indeed extremely poor, her face was pale and thin, and even her lips were a pale pink, making her look lifeless.
Fortunately, I prepared in advance yesterday, which gave me a buffer before I actually faced Mu Qingheng, so that I wouldn't lose my composure when we met today and let him see any clues.
After a night, she felt much calmer, and she figured that if she stood before him again today, she could pull herself together and face him as usual.
Mu Meng casually dabbed some rouge on her cheeks and lips to brighten her complexion; since it was still early, she picked up a comb and began to comb her glossy black hair.
Mu Qingheng once said that the reason he hadn't considered taking the Crimson Heart Pill before was because he didn't have the ability to absorb its power immediately after the pill was extracted. However, in his previous life, after his coming-of-age ceremony, he set up the Cloud Marsh Realm, which shows that he now possessed spiritual power matching the Crimson Heart Pill.
Unfortunately, his spiritual power was not as strong as his at the moment. Although he could use the power of the Crimson Heart Pill, it would deplete his energy after each use and he would need to rest for several days to recover. It was not a long-term solution, and he still needed to refine it to remain invincible.
However, refining the Crimson Heart Pill is not something that can be done overnight, but the upheaval in Yunze Realm from the previous life is imminent. The situation is difficult, and a solution must be devised immediately.
There is no doubt that Mu Qingheng is a member of the Demon Clan. In his previous life, when his bloodline was exposed, the Celestial Clan's attitude was quite clear. However, at that time, he was a righteous and upright Crown Prince who never let any mistakes go unpunished. Therefore, his father only banished him to the desolate border tombs and did not kill him as other clansmen believed.
Mu Meng's hand, which was combing his hair, gradually slowed down: he had to expose his demonic identity, and at the same time, seize upon his mistakes. Otherwise, like in his previous life, simply letting him return to the desolate tomb would play right into his hands, allowing him to regain control of the demonic lair as easily as a fish in water.
Moreover, he is very vigilant and needs to strike decisively. Otherwise, even if his mistakes are seized and his identity is exposed, he will rise up in resistance, plunging the Celestial Clan into war.
But doing all three at the same time is no easy task. In his previous life, Mu Qingheng's exposure of his identity as a demon was his plan. If he hadn't wanted it, how could it have been discovered so easily? Finding fault is even more difficult. From the son of the Heavenly Clan to the noble position of Crown Prince, has he ever made even the slightest mistake?
Mu Meng was racking her brains, coming up with several solutions only to reject them one by one. Her heart was filled with worries. She gently placed the comb on the dressing table and was about to get up to get her clothes when Ling Wei knocked on the door and came in.
"Your Highness is up so early? The Princess just said you were sleeping soundly and told us to come and wake you up later."
She walked over and said with a smile, "Now that Your Highness is awake, why didn't you call me in to serve you? You've been tidying yourself up all by yourself. Please sit down, let me do your hair."
Mu Meng smiled slightly at her, said nothing, sat back down, and quietly looked at Lingwei's nimble hands in the mirror: "Lingwei, ever since I can remember, you have been by my side serving me. Your hair-tying skills are the best."
Lingwei's gaze softened, and as Mu Meng spoke, she seemed to remember something, her smile growing even gentler: "Yes, many years have passed in the blink of an eye, and now you are celebrating your coming of age. Time really flies."
She smiled and looked in the mirror, then said gently, "Your Highness's hair is beautiful, jet black and smooth. You are a lively and active person, and overly complicated hairstyles tend to become loose after a day. But today is your coming-of-age ceremony, so you can't run and jump around. Why not tie it up in a more delicate way?"
Mu Meng smiled and said, "Okay."
Lingwei spent more time styling her hair than usual today. While carefully combing it, she chatted casually: "Your Highness went to bed early yesterday, so you probably don't know that His Highness the Crown Prince came to visit you, right?"
Mu Meng raised her hand and gently touched her temple, her heart completely unmoved by Ling Wei's actions. She simply feigned surprise: "Is that so? My brother has been fighting for a long time and is exhausted. I had already told him not to come and see me, so why did he still come?"
"His Highness the Crown Prince is most concerned about the young prince. He dotes on you to the bone. After not seeing you for so long, of course he couldn't wait to see how you are doing as soon as he returned."
She paused for a moment, then said, "This servant noticed that His Highness the Crown Prince came in such a hurry that he didn't even change his clothes, and his numerous battle wounds haven't been treated yet. Isn't it because he misses you terribly?"
Is it that you miss her as a person, or that you cherish the pure heart within her?
The demons were masters of acting. He had once visited her, wounded and battered, and coaxed her into shedding so many tears. Now, he was using the same trick again, but she was no longer the naive and foolish woman she once was, and would no longer feel a shred of pity.
Mu Meng frowned slightly, then relaxed her brows, not wanting Ling Wei to see the weariness in her heart: "So it's my fault, making him come all this way for nothing while he was injured."
Lingwei immediately shook her head and chuckled: "Your Highness is mistaken. This servant thinks His Highness did not come for nothing. Although he did not see you, just standing in front of you for a moment was enough to put his mind at ease and comfort him."
As soon as she finished speaking, Lingwei herself was slightly taken aback.
Most of her lines were prepared in advance; the rest she was just waiting to improvise. After Mu Meng finished speaking, she immediately followed up with the next line, only realizing afterward that something was amiss.
It's not for any other reason than that most of what I said before was half true and half false, but the sentence I just blurted out now, upon reflection, is completely true.
—The master was turned away. Although it was not intentional on Mu Meng's part, he remained calm and showed no disgust. In fact, there was a genuine sense of relief and comfort in his eyes and brows.
A fleeting look of worry crossed Lingwei's eyes, but she quickly stopped thinking about it. In short, she had done what needed to be said, so she didn't say anything more and focused on combing Mumeng's hair.
...
The coming-of-age ceremony for young men and women of the Celestial Clan requires a respected elder of the same age to act as the guide, personally leading them by hand to the banquet hall.
Normally, Celestial children would choose the children of the Realm Lord as their guides, but since Mu Meng is a princess, her guides must naturally be her own older brothers and sisters.
However, since the eldest princess had long since relinquished her title and had been imprisoned for many years, everyone naturally assumed that the youngest princess's usher would be His Highness the Crown Prince.
Indeed, that was the case. In his previous life, Mu Qingheng personally led Mu Meng to the imperial court. This time, Mu Qingheng went to find Mu Meng half an hour earlier than in his previous life.
Today he wore a black long robe with auspicious cloud and dragon patterns outlined in gold thread. His black hair was tied up high with a jade-inlaid and gilded crown, which made his face look even more like jade and his appearance even more outstanding.
His posture as he walked was like that of a jade bamboo, elegant and handsome, exuding an innate nobility.
He appeared elegant and composed, but only Mu Qingheng knew that his palms were already damp with a thin layer of sweat.
On this day in his past life, he was Mengmeng's guide, holding her hand, but his mind was preoccupied with planning their upcoming trip to Yunze Realm. Now, looking back, he couldn't recall whether Mengmeng's clothes were particularly beautiful or not, nor did he notice what kind of hairstyle she wore.
Putting the cart before the horse, that's all there is to it.
Fortunately, from today onwards, he will never miss any scenery he shouldn't miss.
Mu Qingheng arrived early and ran into Mu Luo, who was coming from the opposite direction, when he reached the outside of Mu Meng Palace.
Today, she was also dressed in an extremely formal black robe with gold thread, not much different from Mu Qingheng's attire. This was the highest level of etiquette in the Heavenly Clan's clothing, and almost no one would dress like this unless it was a once-in-a-millennium event.
"Why are you here so early?" Mu Luo looked him up and down. "Are you... here to greet Mengmeng?"
Mu Qingheng didn't want to say more, so he just hummed in agreement.
Mu Luo was absolutely furious.
She and Mu Qingheng had a distant relationship since childhood, and as they grew up, they gradually developed a mutual loathing for each other, and they never had anything nice to say to each other when they met.
It's not that Mu Luo is cold-hearted; Mu Qingheng has shown no affection for his younger sister since her birth, and has barely even seen her. He can be described as extremely indifferent.
Everyone originally thought that His Highness the Crown Prince did not like his younger sister, but after the little princess was born, he doted on her extremely.
While others found this strange, Mu Luo didn't think much of it. Her Mengmeng was so adorable that anyone who saw her would surely adore her.
But this older brother was really annoying to her. "Didn't anyone tell you that Mengmeng wanted me to be her matchmaker?"
Mu Qingheng said in a calm tone, "Yes, I was in a hurry to get back last night and really didn't know about this."
Actually, no, he should have remembered this, but he was so focused on seeing Mengmeng that he couldn't think of anyone else and forgot about it for a moment.
In his previous life, when he arrived calmly, he truly didn't know. Only upon arrival did he discover that Mu Luo was already waiting there. He knew that it wasn't easy for her to be released from the Heavenly Prison, so it wasn't surprising that Mengmeng would ask her to be the one to guide him through the ceremony.
At the time, he didn't care at all. Since he was already there, he should naturally be the one to greet her. So he dismissed Mu Luo with a few words, citing his lowly status. Although Mengmeng later personally went to invite him, Mu Luo was afraid of bringing shame to her sister and refused to be her greeter again.
Mu Qingheng lowered his eyes, his long eyelashes concealing the emotions in them: When Mengmeng came back, although she didn't say a word, he could tell that she felt very sorry for her sister.
Mu Luo's expression was not good. She had a bad relationship with Mu Qingheng, and because of her sister, she also felt a kind of inexplicable jealousy towards him: "Mengmeng has already chosen me to be her matchmaker. Now that you know, you can go back."
Mu Qingheng stood still.
He glanced at them coldly, his thin lips parted slightly, paused, but didn't say a word.
“Mengmeng has always liked you the most and has always been afraid that you will suffer the slightest grievance,” Mu Qingheng remained silent, but Mu Luo couldn’t help but say, “But she has already promised the person who will guide the ceremony to me, so she certainly won’t have the heart to change it and make me sad. If we stand here dressed like this, and she sees us when we go in, wouldn’t that make things difficult for her?”
Mu Luo suppressed her temper and advised, "Why don't you go back now? Mengmeng won't know you've been here, and she'll feel less burdened."
It was already unusual for Mu Qingheng to remain silent before, but now he didn't want to pay any attention to Mu Luo at all and strode forward.
"Stop!" Mu Luo shouted, stepping forward to block him. "Mu Qingheng, don't push your luck."
Mu Qingheng sneered, his tone indifferent: "No one knew beforehand that the Emperor would release you, and I should have been the one to greet Mengmeng. Since you knew she would be in a difficult position, you should have just claimed illness and not come."
Upon hearing this, Mu Luo became furious: "Claim illness? Mu Qingheng, do you really think that just because you are His Highness the Crown Prince, I have to bow down to you and obey your every command? If I were to claim illness and go back now, and decline Mengmeng's position as the hostess, then I would truly be seriously ill!"
Mu Qingheng's patience was almost exhausted. He held back and didn't say the same thing as in his previous life. He patiently reminded her, "If you don't want to go back on the pretext of illness, then I have other ways to make you obediently give up your position."
A hint of fierceness flickered in his eyes. If he weren't afraid of upsetting Mengmeng, would he be standing here talking nonsense to her? Just like in his past life, he would have made her back down with just a few words.
“I know you have many tricks up your sleeve,” Mu Luo knew she couldn’t compete with Mu Qingheng. She took a deep breath and suppressed her anger, saying, “Mu Qingheng, if you want to see Mengmeng, if you want to pamper her, you can do it anytime. You’re already so much better than me. I only have this one chance, so please be reasonable. Mengmeng is also my sister. She personally promised me the role of the matchmaker. You’re asking me to resign at the last minute? What will she think of me? I can only see her once a year, just this once. Do you really want to make her angry with me?”
Mu Qingheng paused for a moment, then asked, "Would Mengmeng be angry with you?" He looked Mu Luo up and down, then said indifferently, "Even if she is angry with you, it has nothing to do with me."
Normally, he could tolerate Mu Luo for Mengmeng's sake, but now, he also wanted to see Mengmeng.
It's driving me crazy.
Everyone knows that he fought for several months and that they were apart for a short time, but no one knows what he actually went through.
Mu Qingheng took two steps closer, his expression sinister, but before he could speak, Mu Luo frowned first: "Why do you smell of blood?"
Previously, Mu Qingheng was standing far away, so she hadn't noticed and hadn't smelled it. But now, the faint smell of blood kept wafting into her nose. Mu Luo turned her head to examine Mu Qingheng carefully and finally noticed a slightly festering wound on his wrist under his sleeve.
"Today is Mengmeng's coming-of-age ceremony, why didn't you even treat her injury? It's so unlucky, and what if the smell bothers Mengmeng?"
Mu Qingheng casually straightened his sleeves, completely disregarding Mu Luo's attitude, and smiled slightly: "I'll take care of it later."
Mu Luo vaguely understood Mu Qingheng's meaning and felt extremely annoyed: "Mu Qingheng, you..."
"Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince, greetings, Your Highness the Eldest Princess," she said, but before she could finish, Lingwei rushed over, bowed respectfully, and whispered, "The young princess saw you two at the palace gate from afar and wants to invite you over."
Mu Qingheng relaxed and strode into the hall without looking back.
*
After combing her hair and changing her clothes, Mu Meng intended to greet her sister at the door. However, as soon as she reached the door, she saw Mu Qingheng and her sister standing there at the palace entrance, seemingly talking about something.
From as far back as she could remember, she knew that the two had a terrible relationship and never gave each other a friendly look. Mu Meng knew without a doubt that the two of them would never have anything nice to say to each other when they met—it was one thing for her sister to say something about Mu Qingheng, but Mu Qingheng absolutely could not tolerate saying anything that would offend her.
Thinking of this, Mu Meng asked Ling Wei to invite the two of them in.
She stood silently behind the window frame, watching them walk over almost simultaneously, one after the other.
This was the first time she had faced Mu Qingheng since her rebirth.
The clothes he wore today were different from those in his previous life. In his previous life, he only wore ordinary princely court robes for her coming-of-age ceremony, not the highest-ranking black and gold formal attire. However, she didn't care about these fleeting formalities.
She focused her gaze on the face that was almost identical to her memory, clenched her fists tightly, and took a deep breath—
Don't be afraid of him, and don't be angry. He won't humiliate or beat her or kill her right now.
Although he was strategizing and confident, she had also returned from the dead and gained the upper hand.
She will definitely be able to protect herself and the people she cares about.
She can defeat this devil.
Mu Meng composed herself and slowly walked to the door. Fortunately, her sister and Mu Qingheng came together today, otherwise she was not sure if she could still smile as brightly as before when facing Mu Qingheng.
At this moment, she could only look at her sister and couldn't help but curl the corners of her lips into a smile.
Today, my sister is dressed to the nines, looking dashing and beautiful, with a joyful expression, completely different from the gloomy and self-pitying look she had in her past life when she worried about bringing shame upon her.
Mu Meng couldn't help but smile, her eyes crinkling with joy.
Unnoticed, Mu Qingheng also curled his lips into a smile.
The heart in the chest beat steadily, one beat after another, with a joyful leap in its rhythm—it sensed the happiness of its beloved and felt an indescribable joy and sweetness.
Mu Luo was a step ahead of Mu Qingheng, stepping forward to grab Mu Meng's hand: "It's windy at the door, what are you doing standing here?"
She pulled Mu Meng into the house, and as they walked, she couldn't help but look her up and down, sincerely praising, "My little Mengbao is truly beautiful."
Today, Mu Meng wore a gold-threaded, floor-length phoenix-tail dress in a bright red that accentuated her fair and delicate skin, making her look like cold porcelain. Her waist was slender and delicate, and her flowing black hair cascaded down to her waist, making her look charming and ethereal, captivating all who looked at her.
Mu Meng's cheeks flushed slightly. Her older sister, who was usually aloof, rarely complimented people so directly: "It's because you picked out such beautiful clothes for me, sister."
"Why are you being so obedient? You're praising me instead," Mu Luo said with a smile, gently flicking Mu Meng's nose. "My Mengmeng is so beautiful, she looks good in anything."
She was so happy and proud that she forgot all her annoyance with Mu Qingheng for a moment, and turned to ask him, "Don't you think so?"
Caught off guard by being called out, Mu Qingheng snapped out of his daze and said in a low voice, "Yes..."
He stood to the side, watching Mu Meng intently. In an instant, his eyes stung with tears, and he had to desperately suppress them to prevent them from welling up.
It had been so long, so incredibly long. He finally saw her again.
His dazedness, his dazedness...
So beautiful, so good, and so peaceful, Mengmeng.
His gaze gently caressed Mu Meng's face inch by inch, and the smile on his lips widened—she was still alright, and had not been hurt or tormented to the point of mental confusion by him.
That's wonderful.
Very good.
"You're back."
In a daze, he saw Mengmeng looking at him, smiling slightly as she spoke to him. Perhaps his heart was beating too fast, or perhaps he was too excited, because he seemed to have missed or not heard her call him "brother".
Mu Qingheng smiled and nodded, whispering, "Mengmeng, I'm back..."
Mu Meng suppressed her discomfort, first looked at Mu Qingheng's clothes, then looked troubled, glancing between Mu Qingheng and Mu Luo twice.
Finally, she looked at Mu Qingheng with a slightly apologetic expression: "Perhaps you returned late yesterday and the servants didn't have time to announce your arrival. I have already asked my sister to be my guide."
Mu Qingheng smiled slightly: "It's alright, Mengmeng has the final say."
He knew Mengmeng would say that, after all, in her previous life she had first tried to coax Mu Luo, but Mu Luo refused no matter what, so she asked him to be her matchmaker.
He had long understood that he would never be able to be Mengmeng's guide in this life.
However, this way, she should be more affectionate towards him.
Mu Qingheng slowly took two steps forward, his clothes fluttering, and a very faint smell of blood wafted out.
A faint glint appeared in his dark eyes as he gazed quietly at Mengmeng.
Mu Meng smiled slightly at him, then looked at Mu Luo: "Sister, you will be my guide in a while."
Mu Luo was initially uneasy, but she was surprised that Mu Qingheng agreed so quickly: "You really dote on Mengmeng. If I had known you would be so docile in front of Mengmeng, I wouldn't have wasted my breath talking to you just now."
Mu Meng asked, "What do you mean by wasting words?"
Mu Qingheng interrupted, "It's nothing, it's just that... my brother also wanted to be your matchmaker, so we exchanged a few words."
He raised his arm and touched the tip of his nose, his sleeve slipped down a little, and then he put it down again without making a sound.
Seeing his nonchalant way of covering it up, Mu Luo initially wanted to complain, but after thinking about it, she decided against it. Although Mu Qingheng hadn't been very polite to her earlier, he hadn't ultimately contested the position of the usher.
Since he didn't argue, let's just let it go.
"It's almost time, Mengmeng, let's go," Mu Luo gently held Mengmeng's hand and was pulling her away when she suddenly remembered something. "By the way, Mu Qingheng, you should treat your injuries at this time. This is Mengmeng's coming-of-age ceremony, not some random court assembly. What kind of behavior is it to be covered in blood?"
Mu Meng pursed her lips and looked at Mu Qingheng.
She frowned slightly, her expression concerned: "Are there still any injuries that haven't been treated? How can you be so careless about your health? Lingwei, quickly go and get the best medicine to bandage His Highness the Crown Prince."
Mu Qingheng stood there, stunned.
He didn't come to his senses until Mengmeng was pulled away by Muluo.
His face showed an almost childlike bewilderment, as if something that should have happened had not occurred as he had imagined.
Lingwei had already left. Of course, she had to obey Mu Meng's orders. When she returned with the medicine, Mu Qingheng was sitting at the table, his figure exuding a cold and lonely aura.
His eyes were half-closed, his face expressionless, his complexion pale, and he inexplicably exuded a gloomy and cold aura.
Lingwei slowly stepped forward, carefully examining Mu Qingheng's expression. Her brows furrowed with worry, but she said nothing more: "Your Highness, let me bandage your wound." There were too many people around during the day, so she dared not change her form of address.
Mu Qingheng dodged the hand: "Get lost."
This was a moment of extreme displeasure, but the underlying reason was even more unsettling. Lingwei lowered her voice to the lowest possible level and tentatively advised, "Master, are you angry with the little princess? Actually, the little princess is just a child at heart. She hasn't seen Mu Luo for so long, so naturally she's a bit clingy."
She was surprised to see her master dressed so formally, let alone his current mood.
Seeing that Mu Qingheng remained silent, Lingwei thought for a moment and continued, "Today is also the young prince's coming-of-age ceremony. There are too many things to do, so it's inevitable that something might be overlooked. This is the only time in all these years, so please don't blame her, okay?"
Mu Qingheng closed his eyes.
He wasn't angry at all.
Why would he be angry with Mengmeng?
"Put the medicine here and go downstairs." Mu Qingheng's tone softened a bit, but his voice was deep and unreadable.
Lingwei dared not say anything more, and obediently put down the medicine and gauze, then walked out with a solemn expression.
Almost as soon as she stepped out the door, Mu Qingheng placed his hand on his heart, frowned, and bent down slightly.
Of course he knew Mengmeng didn't do it on purpose; how could Mengmeng intentionally ignore him? It's just that the hearts of demons are too fragile, and such a small thing caused them excruciating pain.
Mu Qingheng took several deep breaths, waiting for the heart-wrenching pain to gradually subside.
It's alright. He's different from those demon ancestors who developed flesh and blood over the centuries. They couldn't avoid the heart-wrenching pain from time to time, and some even suffered extremely tragic and miserable ends because of love.
But he was different; the person he loved was the kindest and most adorable girl in the world.
She loved him so much.
This was just an unintentional incident, and it will only happen once.
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