Chapter 85 is not stagnant water.
Meng Chiwan closed her eyes briefly, and when she opened them again, the panic in her eyes had completely disappeared, leaving only an almost abnormal calm.
At this moment, she didn't look at anyone outside the barrier. Instead, she turned around and looked at Mu Qi's intrigued young face, saying slowly and deliberately, "Father, I helped you revive, so why won't you give me even the slightest reward?"
Mu Qi paused for a moment as he tapped the railing with his fingertips. He raised an eyebrow, his impatience fading slightly, replaced by a hint of inquiry: "You guessed it. That's right, after all, you're my bloodline. Do you want to bargain with me?"
Meng Chiwan's brows relaxed completely, and she spread her sleeves to cover her slightly trembling hands: "It's not about bargaining, it's about asking for a reward."
She looked at Mu Qi, fearless and undaunted.
Mu Qi chuckled softly, his dark eyes reflecting Meng Chiwan's figure. Her stubborn yet clever appearance clearly overlapped with a figure from his memory, and he was momentarily lost in thought.
"You took my blood and brought me to the altar to participate in the ceremony, to become a sacrifice. It was all part of your resurrection. But I can't figure out why you spared my life. I always feel that someone like you wouldn't spare my life just because of that shallow blood relationship." Meng Chiwan paused deliberately, her tone calm.
Mu Qi remained silent, listening to her speak slowly. The absolute suppression of his cultivation gave him ample time to listen to her. In the end, he couldn't escape the role of a plaything no matter what.
“But now I understand. You do not care about our blood ties, but you do care about my mother.” Meng Chiwan smiled slightly, a smile that was light yet precisely struck Mu Qi’s heart. “You kept me around not because I was useful, but because you were afraid that my mother would not see me when she came back, because you believed from the bottom of your heart that my mother was still alive and would come back one day.”
A fleeting, almost imperceptible ripple crossed Mu Qi's dark eyes. But he quickly regained his nonchalant demeanor, his tone laced with sarcasm: "Little girl, you sure know how to make up stories."
Looking at Mu Qi's nonchalant and indifferent demeanor, as if nothing mattered to him, Meng Chiwan suddenly laughed out loud. Her clear voice stood out in the night: "Father, you really know how to act like you 'don't care about anything'."
Mu Qi tapped the railing casually with her fingertips, not even lifting her eyelids: "Oh? What was I pretending to be?"
Meng Chiwan took two steps forward, her gaze meeting his seemingly calm eyes. "If you truly cared about nothing, you should have taken my life back then in the Immortal Demon Secret Realm to help you revive. Why did you keep me alive? If you truly cared about nothing, you should have taken action long ago, instead of patiently waiting for me to choose, since you're using my friend's life to force me to act."
Mu Qi stared at her intently, his smile completely gone.
Finally, she paused deliberately, her tone carrying a hint of confident sarcasm: "Father, are you afraid? Afraid that my mother will turn around and leave, never to look at you again."
As soon as Meng Chiwan finished speaking, Mu Qi abruptly stopped tapping the railing with his fingertips. He looked up, and the nonchalant look on his youthful face vanished. His dark eyes were deep and dark, as if they contained surging demonic energy. The pressure emanating from him instantly solidified, making it almost impossible to breathe.
But Meng Chiwan didn't back down. Instead, she faced the oppressive aura with an even more frank smile: "Did I hit the nail on the head?"
To everyone's surprise, Mu Qi suddenly chuckled, a laugh devoid of warmth, instead carrying a chilling coldness. He finally looked up, his dark eyes no longer showing any trace of distraction, his nonchalant expression returning to his face, as if her words had been nothing more than a clumsy joke.
“Afraid?” He tapped his fingertips on the railing again, the rhythm light and quick, as if he were teasing some interesting toy. “I, Mu Qi, have lived for so long, and all I know is how to make others fear me, but I don’t know how to write the word ‘fear’.”
He leaned forward slightly, his face looking particularly eerie in the night, and his tone was undisguisedly sarcastic: "Whether your mother comes back or not is none of my business. Even if she does come back, seeing your sharp tongue, she'll probably be the first one to scold you. Who do I need to worry about her?"
Meng Chiwan wasn't intimidated by his words. Instead, she followed up, "Since it has nothing to do with you, why didn't you just kill my friend? Why waste your breath on me?"
He glanced at her, his dark eyes devoid of any emotion, even his mockery carried a hint of laziness: "I'm keeping you alive because your bloodline is still somewhat useful. The matter at the altar hasn't been completely resolved, and killing you would be troublesome; I'm keeping your friend alive just to see you fight so desperately for your friend, it'll be novel."
Meng Chiwan said, "Then we must return to my original topic. Father, I want to ask you for a reward."
Mu Qi scoffed, "You're really stupid to waste so much breath on a few ants."
"I want them all to live, to leave the Liu family unharmed." Meng Chiwan ignored his harsh words.
The copper bells on the eaves jingled, making the silence above the pavilion all the more pronounced.
A smile spread across his face as he said, "Sure. Perfect timing, I also have something special I'd like to show you."
The matter was taken up so high and then put down so easily. Even Meng Chiwan herself found it somewhat unbelievable.
But Muqi is a person who does everything very reasonably.
Upon hearing this, Meng Chiwan's heart skipped a beat, and she asked warily, "What is it?"
Mu Qi glanced at her slowly, then adopted a completely relaxed demeanor: "Before I change my mind, you'd better get rid of these so-called friends of yours."
Although Meng Chiwan remained vigilant, she knew this was the only chance she could give her friends to leave safely. Without asking any further questions, she immediately turned and told the others, "You go first, I'll be back soon. If you're worried, you can wait for me outside the Liu family's house."
Wei Jiyu, who was still anxiously looking around outside the barrier, immediately understood upon hearing this. He grabbed Wen Liansong, who was about to speak, took a deep look in the direction of the pavilion, and then quickly led the other three people to retreat outside the main house.
He didn't ask Meng Chiwan why; he had always trusted her.
Since Meng Chiwan said that, there must be a reason for it.
Only after the group's presence had completely disappeared outside the Liu family mansion did Mu Qi slowly straighten up, her tone devoid of emotion: "Alright, now no one's in the way."
Meng Chiwan turned around, her hand still gripping the Jinglan Sword, her gaze fixed on him: "What do you want to show me?"
"My dear daughter, weren't you looking for someone?" Mu Qi smiled slightly, but there was a hint of gloom in that smile, like a patch of shade under the warm winter sun.
When Meng Chiwan heard that someone was being sought, her first thought was Liu Yuan, but Liu Yuan was clearly already dead.
Who could it be?
She suppressed her doubts and looked at Mu Qi, waiting for his answer.
"Has anyone said that?" Mu Qi suddenly asked.
Meng Chiwan: "What did you say?"
Mu Qi smiled, and for a moment her whole demeanor really did resemble those fresh and lively young men. Her voice was clear like a mountain stream: "I said you're becoming more and more like a stagnant pool. It's not even winter yet, and you're already like ice."
Meng Chiwan suppressed her speechlessness and spoke in a calmer tone, as if she couldn't understand the sarcasm in his voice: "Sorry, no one has said that."
Mu Qi wasn't annoyed. He glanced at her lightly and continued, "You should really learn from your father. My life has been full of hardships, but I have never changed my personality because of it."
Meng Chiwan's lips twitched; it was the first time she'd ever heard someone praise themselves like that...
“My mother doesn’t like narcissistic people,” Meng Chiwan said quietly.
Mu Qi only listened to what he wanted to hear, ignoring anything unpleasant, and continued, "In the end, it's still your cowardly fake father who influenced you. But it's okay, I can teach you slowly."
Meng Chiwan: "Thank you, but it's okay."
Mu Qi argued with her for a few moments before getting back to the main point: "The person you're looking for has the surname Lin. Didn't you say that the person you saw before wasn't him?"
Meng Chiwan stiffened and asked, "Do you know where he is?"
"Of course I know," Mu Qi said, enunciating each word clearly.
Meng Chiwan stared at him intently, awaiting the outcome.
Despite all that has happened, there is still one thing she can't let go of: finding Lin Shuchun is something she promised Lin Yudong, and she will do her best to fulfill it no matter what.
Mu Qi chuckled lightly, her tone cruel: "You've become one with the Demonic Monk. If you want to see him, why don't you become a part of the Demonic Monk yourself?"
Meng Chiwan felt as if her blood had frozen instantly. Her clenched fists turned white from the force, and a sharp pain shot through her. She stared intently at Mu Qi, her voice trembling with suppressed emotion: "What did you say?"
"The literal meaning." Mu Qi remained nonchalant, his fingertips casually tracing the carvings on the railing, his tone as cruel as ice. "Do you think Liu Yuan was killed by the demonic monk?"
Meng Chiwan stared intently at him, almost burning a hole in his cheek.
"When you arrived, Liu Yuan was already dead. Lin Shuchun killed her with his own hands. Guess why he was able to kill Liu Yuan?" Mu Qi spoke slowly, as if he were slowly pronouncing a verdict.
Meng Chiwan murmured softly, "He made a deal with the demonic monk..."
Mu Qi chuckled and nodded: "That's right. Lin Shuchun's soul has long since dissipated, leaving only his body which was taken over by the demonic monk. Now, he is merely a vessel used by the demonic monk to absorb demonic energy. The other day you said he wasn't Lin Shuchun, which was both right and wrong. At the very least, that body was Lin Shuchun's."
She was silent for a moment, then looked up and asked, "What is it that you said you wanted to show me?"
"Would you like to see what the Demon Monk looks like now?" Mu Qi asked leisurely.
Meng Chiwan: "I don't want to."
“Alright, then we can take a look at something else.” Mu Qi nodded, but didn’t say what it was directly, deliberately keeping it a secret.
Meng Chiwan glanced at him indifferently, neither asking further nor saying much. She simply gripped the Jinglan Sword tightly, adopting a "lead the way" posture. She knew Mu Qi's temperament well; the more she pressed him for answers, the more he would whet her appetite. It was better to save her breath and find out once she saw the thing.
Seeing this, Mu Qi raised an eyebrow and turned to walk towards the inner side of the pavilion.
Inside the pavilion, beneath one's feet was a huge array, the nature of which was unclear, but with each step, a ripple would rise beneath one's feet.
Mu Qi didn't turn to look at her again. He simply raised his hand, and demonic energy flowed from his fingertips. He stood in the center of the pavilion and released that demonic energy towards Tian Yuan. In an instant, the magic array started to operate, and a long ladder extended from top to bottom to his feet.
Mu Qi stepped forward, then looked back at her and said, "The formation has been activated. If you fall in carelessly, you will be plunged into an abyss."
Meng Chiwan gazed at the long ladder suspended in the center of the magic array, emanating demonic energy, her fingertips gripping the hilt of the Jinglan Sword tightly, the blade humming as if issuing a warning.
She ignored Mu Qi's reminder. This man was never kind for no reason. Rather than a reminder, he was watching the show to see if she would really fall into that so-called abyss.
She stepped onto the stairs, and with each step, the magic array beneath her feet rippled with a dark purple light. The demonic energy coiled upwards along the stairs, but when it touched her sleeve, it was gently repelled by the spiritual power emanating from the Jinglan Sword.
She followed behind Mu Qi, her eyes scanning the surroundings warily, but fortunately she didn't find anything unusual.
After climbing about a hundred steps, a platform suddenly appeared ahead. In the center of the platform stood a dark stone pillar with golden chains wrapped around it. At the other end of the chains, a familiar figure was bound.
The spiritual energy around him was extremely chaotic, currently raging wildly in the air, but looking into his eyes, only emptiness and blankness could accurately describe them.
He didn't seem like a real person, more like a puppet. He didn't react at all when he saw someone coming.
"Do you recognize them?" Mu Qi leaned against the stone pillar, his fingertips casually tracing the runes on the chains, his tone slightly playful.
Meng Chiwan stared blankly at the person, her once clear mind suddenly becoming a jumbled mess.
Is this Yun Xianqing? She wasn't sure.
But Yun Xianqing is dead, isn't she?
"Don't be afraid, this isn't the real him, that monster..." Mu Qi smiled reassuringly, but couldn't help frowning when she mentioned the monster, as if she was somewhat troubled.
Meng Chiwan had no patience to listen to his stories that had nothing to do with her, so she interrupted him and said calmly, "Why did you bring me to see this?"
She gazed at Yun Xianqing, her eyes calm and still, but she was never a stagnant pool, never.
The reason for the calm can be summed up in three words: irrelevant.
“It’s nothing. Since you call me Father, I can be considered your Father.” He remained calm and took two steps toward the man. “I’ve been thinking all these years and I haven’t given you any gifts, especially since you helped me come back to life… I just think you’d probably like to greet him in person.”
After saying that, he chuckled and pointed at the chain. The golden chain suddenly loosened, but still kept his clone trapped next to the stone pillar.
Meng Chiwan's gaze fell on the man's face, and he seemed to sense it as well, turning his head to look over. Indeed, he looked remarkably like Yun Xianqing. But in those empty eyes, there was no love, no hate, only a hazy mist.
This person certainly cannot be considered a person, nor can he be considered Yun Xianqing at all.
She couldn't understand why these people, one after another, liked to do such childish things.
An impatience flashed across her face, but when she looked up again, her expression was calm. In a measured tone, she asked, puzzled, "What does this mean?"
She seemed genuinely puzzled, and after speaking, she looked at Mu Qi.
Mu Qi twirled a wisp of demonic energy between his fingertips, and chuckled softly upon hearing this. The laughter echoed through the empty space, carrying a hint of nonchalance: "Boring?"
He walked over to the clone and gently patted the body's cheek with his fingertips. The body just shook its head blankly, even its blinking motion seemed stiff.
He continued, "Don't you hate him?"
Meng Chiwan replied almost without hesitation, "I don't hate you."
They're just irrelevant people.
Mu Qi looked at her in surprise upon hearing this, his youthful face unable to contain his laughter. His voice was tentative as he asked, "You really don't hate me?"
Meng Chiwan remained remarkably calm, showing no sign of anything amiss in her actions, demeanor, or words: "I don't hate."
Mu Qi looked at her quietly for a few seconds, seemingly analyzing the truth or falsehood in her words, and finally he laughed and said, "You really are a stagnant pool."
At this moment, Meng Chiwan said, "Does it have to be hysterical to be considered living water?"
Mu Qi paused for a moment, as if he hadn't reacted yet, then quickly laughed and said, "It's frozen well water, deep and cold."
Meng Chiwan ignored her and said, "I won't do anything to him. Do whatever you want. What's the point of bringing me here? If you're not going to kill me, let me go back. My friend is waiting for me outside."
Her expression remained cold, only softening slightly when the word "friend" was mentioned.
“Meng Chiwan, you can pretend too.” Mu Qi walked to the side and sat down, then said slowly.
Meng Chiwan didn't react much, and said, "Pretending?"
"I don't know either." Mu Qi's smile was so bright it was almost blinding. He said it deliberately, word by word.
He knew perfectly well, but he deliberately said it that way.
"Can you let me go back now? Are there any other activities?" Meng Chiwan asked, her tone almost mechanical, as if she hadn't heard him.
She didn't look at that person again.
“There are no other activities. I can let you go back, but you can’t go back alone.” Mu Qi smiled like a fox with many hidden thoughts.
Meng Chiwan's brows furrowed with genuine impatience: "What do you mean?"
Mu Qi smiled, then raised his hand and pointed towards the stone pillar. The chains binding that person suddenly loosened, and the wooden body seemed to be pulled by an invisible force, slowly following behind Meng Chiwan. Its steps were stiff but precise, like an inescapable shadow.
“Take him with you,” Mu Qi said.
Meng Chiwan: "...I want to return to the Immortal Alliance, not to a lawless land."
Mu Qi said, "This thing is just taking up space anyway. Since you don't hate it, you might as well take it back. If Yun Xianqing himself comes looking for it and sees this puppet, he might even give you a surprise."
Meng Chiwan: "Didn't you understand what I meant?"
She couldn't hide him away, but if she kept him by her side, who wouldn't see that he was a puppet? How could she stay in the Immortal Alliance like that?
Mu Qi: "I understand, but that's not my concern. I only need to consider whether your friends can survive safely."
Meng Chiwan: "..."
A threat, huh? This is a threat.
Meng Chiwan's calm mask was finally torn off completely. She stared at Mu Qi as if she were looking at a dead person.
She was finally forced to look at that figure again, let out a long breath, and then turned and walked away.
Mu Qi added from behind, "Take good care of him. He'll die if he's away from you for even a day, and if he dies, I can't guarantee that your friends won't be alive."
As Meng Chiwan's pace quickened, the puppet following behind her also sped up.
Hearing Mu Qi's deliberate coercion, Meng Chiwan couldn't hold back any longer. She stopped and kicked Yun Xianqing hard.
Yun Xianqing's eyes were glazed over. Even after being kicked, he didn't know what had happened. He faced Meng Chiwan and quickly stood up straight again, like a tall pine tree.
Meng Chiwan kicked him several more times in an instant, staining his blood-stained robe even more filth.
She was indeed not stagnant water.
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