Chapter 7

“Bang!”

The iron door of the prison clanged shut behind them.

Meng Ruji and the young man were thrown into the prison. Meng Ruji leaned against the wall, sitting cross-legged with a serious and calm expression. The young man also sat quietly in the corner next to her. Both wore black iron shackles on their wrists, worn smooth and polished from prolonged use.

Meng Ruji observed the Prison Guard wandering outside until he finished his inspection and left. Once he was gone, Meng Ruji’s straight back bent slightly.

Though she appeared calm and composed, this was her first time in prison. Meng Ruji pinched her eyebrows and rubbed them hard.

Before Meng Ruji acquired the inner elixir with the power of creation, she had been an ordinary person from a humble village. Her family lived by the river in the village. Before the world fell into chaos, she obeyed the law, lived honestly, and had never been to jail. After the world descended into turmoil, her family was scattered, she became homeless, and struggled to survive, but she had never been to jail. Later, by chance, she obtained the inner elixir and became a half-demon. Despite facing many setbacks and near-death experiences on her path to cultivation, she had never been imprisoned.

Now, on the verge of ascending to the throne of the demon king, having reached the pinnacle of her world, she was facing the indignity of going to prison.

Meng Ruji almost crushed her eyebrows in frustration. Shouldn’t she have sealed herself away eight hundred years ago? It would have been better to die than to suffer such a punishment at her age.

With a deep sigh, her mind still unsettled, she suddenly felt a touch on her shoulder. Meng Ruji turned her head and saw a tight arm. She looked up to find that the young man had moved next to her without her noticing. He was facing away, but his arm was faintly touching her shoulder.

Meng Ruji quietly shifted to the side, causing the iron shackles to jingle. After a moment, she heard the same sound beside her. The young man also moved closer, his arm still resting lightly against Meng Ruji, while his head continued to look in the opposite direction, as if he hadn’t just shifted closer.

“You…” Meng Ruji began, and the young man’s body flinched slightly. He slowly turned around and glanced at her. Meng Ruji continued, “This prison is quite large; there’s no need for you to crowd me, right?”

The young man lowered his head and remained silent, as if he had done something wrong. After a long pause, he finally said, “I… want to sit with you.”

His straightforwardness took Meng Ruji by surprise. “You weren’t like this before,” she said with a sigh, and she decided not to refuse him. After all, this wasn’t her dungeon. She relaxed and leaned back against the wall, her shoulder resting on the young man’s arm.

Meng Ruji didn’t feel much, but the young man’s eyes softened, and the corners of his lips curved up slightly, as if hiding a secret joy. He stayed leaning against her, motionless, as though afraid that if he moved any closer, she would get up and leave again.

Meng Ruji couldn’t understand his thoughts at all. She idly looked up at the top of the cell and remarked, “When I first saw you, you were like a startled big cat scratching at me. Now you want to sit with me?”

The young man recalled her words. His memory was chaotic and blurry. He only remembered waking up by the river and seeing Meng Ruji’s face. Then she chased him into the woods and…

“You gave me food.”

Meng Ruji was momentarily taken aback. “Okay…” She muttered, “Trust really is built on being fed.”

“More than just food,” the young man said, looking at Meng Ruji. “Sitting with you makes me feel at ease.”

“Against the odds?” Meng Ruji raised her eyebrows in surprise. Her glance met the young man’s clear eyes. They truly resembled those of a small animal.

Meng Ruji thought to herself, people are truly remarkable. Someone who could dig up the elixir could be so innocent when their memory is unclear. Her inner elixir had fallen into the body of such a person. She wasn’t sure whether this was a good thing.

Meng Ruji’s eyes narrowed as she considered the situation. This was, of course, a good thing!

Clearing her throat, Meng Ruji sat up, moving her shoulder away from the young man’s arm. His eyes dropped at the sudden change. However, Meng Ruji maintained a warm smile as she faced him.

She smiled and brought her face closer to his. The closer she came, the more disappointed he appeared. He looked at her smiling face, and his lips relaxed into a slight, barely perceptible curve.

“We’ll be here for a few days. Why don’t we get to know each other better?”

The young man nodded.

Meng Ruji continued to smile gently. “You must have known me before, but you may not remember me now. My last name is Meng. When I was a child, my family was poor and didn’t give me a proper name. Later, when I grew up, I chose the courtesy name Ruji for myself, where 'Ru' conveys the sense of 'like' or 'as,' and 'Ji' represents 'offering' or 'tribute.'

Meng Ruji spoke carefully and clearly, aiming to build trust.

The young man repeated her name slowly, “Meng Ruji,” with sincerity.

“Yes. Although I don’t know your age yet, I think I should be older than you. You can call me sister or senior. So, how should I address you?”

The young man thought for a while and replied, “Mu Sui.”

Meng Ruji was a bit surprised. “Do you remember your name?”

“I can’t remember many things, but when you asked me, these two words came to mind. This should be… my name.”

“Alright, Xiao Sui. Besides that, do you remember that you… borrowed my inner elixir before?” Meng Ruji got to the point.

“Inner elixir?”

Meng Ruji looked at him eagerly, her eyes filled with anticipation. “Yes, the inner elixir.”

When Mu Sui had just woken up, Meng Ruji had mentioned the inner elixir, but what she should have said was “stolen inner elixir.” Mu Sui couldn’t remember anything from before he woke up, but he remembered the events after waking up here very clearly.

He looked at Meng Ruji’s gentle smile and didn’t correct her. However, he felt a pang of sadness. He used to be a thief, and he had stolen from her. Yet she remained kind, finding food for him, protecting him, and even bringing him to prison.

The more Mu Sui thought about it, the sadder he became, feeling that Meng Ruji must despise him and be reluctant for him to get close.

“It’s like this,” Meng Ruji continued, not noticing Mu Sui’s change of mood. “This inner elixir seems to be of no use in your body now. Why don’t you return it to me? I could use its power for many things. For instance, with the inner elixir, I wouldn’t fear those soldiers. We might even avoid staying in this prison. I could even fly you across the Naihe River straight back to the human world!”

“Where is the inner elixir?” Mu Sui asked.

Meng Ruji gestured immediately. “Here!” She pointed to a spot on his abdomen. “Can you feel it? Warm? Sometimes it feels a little burning.”

Mu Sui couldn’t feel the inner elixir, but he sensed the warmth and slight burning where her fingertip touched, which alleviated the cold pain in his body.

Mu Sui shook his head. “I can’t feel the inner elixir you mentioned.” He felt extremely guilty. “I don’t think I can return it to you.” He looked at Meng Ruji with apology. “Can you take it back yourself?”

Meng Ruji was embarrassed by his response. “I…” she said tactfully, “I’m afraid I might hurt you.”

She seemed to have forgotten that when she had hit Mu Sui’s stomach with a stone, she had been so forceful that she’d broken her own knuckles…

Mu Sui felt even more distressed hearing her words. She was so kind that she was afraid of harming him.

“I’m fine,” Mu Sui said earnestly. “If you want it, take it back.” He leaned against the wall, lifted his clothes, revealing his abdomen, the lines of his muscles clearly defined.

Meng Ruji glanced at his abdomen and then at his clear eyes. She opened her mouth but closed it again. She was deeply conflicted, unable to express her feelings.

If it weren’t for his innocent eyes and apparent lack of memory, Meng Ruji might have suspected that Mu Sui was deliberately provoking her. If she could retrieve the inner elixir herself, why should she now try to convince him with kind words? 

Meng Ruji took a deep breath, suppressing her emotions. They couldn’t afford to fall out just yet. She reminded herself that there was still a chance—she could trick him slowly, bit by bit. As long as he recovered his memory, there was hope.

“It’s okay,” Meng Ruji said tenderly, gently pulling down the clothes he had lifted and patting his abdomen as if he were a fragile child. “There’s no rush. I’ll teach you how to use your spiritual power. Once you learn, you’ll be able to sense your dantian and inner el

ixir.”

Mu Sui nodded. “Okay.”

“During this time, I have no spiritual power and my physical strength is limited. You must stay close to me. Don’t run around like you did last night, or I won’t be able to keep up.”

“Okay.”

“Mu Sui, can you protect me here?”

Mu Sui didn’t hesitate. “I can.”

Meng Ruji smiled gently, raising her hand to help him tidy his messy hair. “I’m lucky to have you by my side in this situation.”

Mu Sui didn’t speak or move, allowing Meng Ruji to straighten his hair. Even when she occasionally hurt him, he remained silent. He lowered his head, his eyes gentle, and for some reason, his cheeks had the warm, burning sensation Meng Ruji had described, as if the inner elixir she mentioned had grown on his face…

“Meng Ruji,” he whispered awkwardly.

“Hmm?”

“I will definitely return the inner elixir to you as soon as possible,” he promised softly.

The sincerity in his words stunned Meng Ruji. She smiled slightly and replied softly, “You are so kind.”

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