Chapter 36: Beneath the Moonlit Pit, Hearts Entwined in Shadows

                                 

The moment she crashed against the bottom of the cave, Meng Ruji heard the sound of bones shattering.

But the sound didn’t come from her.

She was held tightly in Mu Sui’s arms—he had shielded her from the impact, taking the brunt of the fall himself.

As the shock faded, Meng Ruji immediately pushed herself off him, brushing away dirt and crushed leaves from her clothes before turning to look down at him.

Moonlight streamed faintly into the pit, scattering over the damp soil. Apart from the rustle of falling stones and vegetation, the air was eerily silent. Mu Sui lay motionless on the ground. Meng Ruji knew that if he hadn’t been holding her, someone of his skill would never have broken a bone from such a fall.

“I could have handled this myself,” Meng Ruji said flatly. “You didn’t need to hold me.”

“Without cultivation techniques, your legs would’ve shattered,” Mu Sui replied, sitting up with a face as calm as still water. If not for the unmistakable crack of breaking bones that had echoed by her ear, she wouldn’t have known he was hurt at all.

Meng Ruji frowned. “And you? Which bone did you break?”

Mu Sui only glanced up at her before standing, his expression unchanged. “I’m fine.”

Meng Ruji raised an eyebrow. “If it’s broken, it’s broken. What’s there to hide?”

Before she could finish, Mu Sui placed one arm against the wall, bracing himself. With his other hand, he gripped his injured arm, twisted it sharply, and—crack!—reset the bone in one swift motion. His lips tightened, a flicker of pain passing across his face before his expression settled again.

“I wasn’t hiding anything,” he said evenly. “I told you, I’m fine.”

Meng Ruji stared for a beat, then sighed. “Tough guy.”

He ignored the remark, scanning the surroundings in silence.

Under the dim moonlight, Meng Ruji found two straight branches among the fallen debris. She tore a strip from her tattered dress hem and said, “Even if you’re tough, you still need it bandaged. Come here.”

Mu Sui glanced at the cloth in her hands. “It’ll heal on its own.”

“I’ve already ruined my dress,” she countered. “You’d better not make that go to waste.”

After a moment’s pause, Mu Sui silently extended his arm.

As Meng Ruji began wrapping the makeshift splint, she murmured, “You seem used to getting hurt.”

Mu Sui said nothing, simply watching her work under the pale glow.

She stood a head shorter than him, her face illuminated by the soft light filtering through the cave opening. Her forehead and the tip of her nose shone with a gentle radiance. For a fleeting instant, even the eerie blue-green moonlight of the Realm of No Return appeared tender in her eyes.

Something inside Mu Sui stirred. His uninjured fingers twitched slightly, and he suppressed the sudden urge to pull her close.

Unaware of his thoughts, Meng Ruji continued binding his arm, her tone casual. “Back on Hengxu Mountain, we took in many stray children. Some were just like you—stubborn, silent, letting wounds heal crooked because they refused help.”

“I’m not a child anymore,” Mu Sui replied.

“They can still heal wrong,” Meng Ruji said with a faint smile. A trace of nostalgia softened her face. “My Five Guardians were especially stubborn—just like you.”

Mu Sui’s lips thinned. “Were you this kind to every child?”

“Hmm?” She looked up, surprised by the sudden question.

Mu Sui’s voice grew low, questioning in rhythm. “Did you bandage them like this? Get this close under moonlight like this?”

He took a step closer.

They were already near, and now the space between them all but disappeared. Meng Ruji froze mid-motion, her hands and his arm pressed together between them.

Instinctively, she tried to step back—but Mu Sui followed.

Her back met the cold, damp wall. Trapped.

A tense, breathless silence filled the pit. Mu Sui gazed at her like a predator cornering its prey.

“Are you this good to everyone?” he demanded.

Meng Ruji blinked, caught off guard. Disliking the closeness, she lifted her hand, pressing two fingers lightly against his forehead. “Stop right there.”

She pushed. His head tilted back slightly, and she kept pressing until he was forced a few steps away.

Once he retreated, she lowered her hand and exhaled. “What kind of senseless jealousy is this?”

Her calm rebuke broke through his haze. Mu Sui touched his forehead, realizing how absurd his behavior had been.

What did it matter how kind she was to others? What did it matter whom she stood under the moonlight with?

He lowered his gaze, clenching his fist. It was the life-binding connection—the Inner Core—pulling his emotions off balance.

Meng Ruji finished tying the final knot of his bandage and said, “If you hadn’t cushioned my fall, your arm wouldn’t have broken. I’m just returning a favor.”

She looped the bandage around his neck and tied it off neatly.

“I’m not kind to everyone,” she added, glancing toward him with a teasing smirk. “For example, that rabbit of yours—I’m tempted to roast it.”

Just as she spoke, a sudden gust swept through the pit. Meng Ruji’s hair lifted with the wind. She noticed the direction instantly—beneath the far wall, a small tunnel barely big enough for a dog lay half-hidden in shadow.

Her eyes flicked toward it.

Mu Sui noticed too but pretended ignorance. “What do you mean, my rabbit?”

Meng Ruji smiled faintly, waiting to see how long he’d keep up the act.

Then—

A blur of white burst from the dark hole!

A fluffy shape shot upward, leaping into the air.

The rabbit!

Meng Ruji turned, ready this time—

But a thunderous voice boomed through the pit.

“Evil woman! Face your death!”

The white fluff twisted midair, transforming into a towering man before her eyes. Meng Ruji froze, stunned.

The burly figure roared and swung a fist the size of her head straight at her.

She dodged and rolled aside just as his punch smashed into the wall, sending dirt cascading over her head.

Still sitting on the ground, Meng Ruji pointed at him, then at Mu Sui. “You… are you… Tuzi?”

The burly man shook his massive beard and shouted, “You! Don’t even think about harming my City Lord Brother!”

City Lord Brother?!

Mu Sui’s expression darkened.

So the rabbit… was male.

Then all those affectionate attendants in Zhuliu City…

Had they been charmed by him?

What madness had overtaken that city?

The rabbit spirit stepped protectively in front of Mu Sui. “City Lord Brother! Don’t be afraid! Tuzi will take you away!”

Mu Sui’s throat went tight.

Meng Ruji stared for a second—then burst into uncontrollable laughter.

“Hahaha! ‘City Lord Brother!’ Tuzi will take you away! Hahaha! Your rabbit digs holes, bites people, and now—he rescues you! Hahahaha!”

Her laughter echoed wildly through the cave, sharp enough to cut through the night.

Mu Sui’s face turned to stone.

The rabbit spirit puffed his chest. “So noisy, evil woman! I—”

Before he could finish, Mu Sui struck. One swift kick to the knee, and the rabbit dropped to the ground. Mu Sui’s uninjured hand clamped around his throat. With a slight squeeze, the rabbit would die.

Meng Ruji’s laughter cut off instantly. She lunged forward, grabbing Mu Sui’s hand. “What are you doing? You planning to serve me roasted rabbit meat now?”

Mu Sui’s eyes were cold. “Didn’t you just say you wanted some?”

Meng Ruji stared. “You really are ruthless.”

The rabbit whimpered, voice trembling. “City Lord Brother… I came to save you…”

“I don’t know you,” Mu Sui said. “And I don’t need saving.”

The poor creature began sobbing like a child. “City Lord Brother! You’ve been bewitched by the evil woman!”

Meng Ruji rolled her eyes and knocked him unconscious with a swift chop.

The rabbit dropped, reverting to a fluffy white heap on the ground.

“See?” she said to Mu Sui, still holding his hand. “Now he’s quiet. You don’t need to kill him.”

Mu Sui glanced at her fingers gripping his. “So… you’re this good to everyone, then?”

Meng Ruji frowned. “Are you insane? At a time like this?”

Her tone cooled. “Stop pretending, Qianshan Jun. You’ve recovered your memories, haven’t you? To keep up your act, you were even willing to kill a loyal follower. What is it you want from me?”

Their eyes met—sharp and dangerous, like the first time they’d faced each other on Xuejing Cliff.

“Fine,” Mu Sui said.

The gentle façade vanished. His calm eyes now carried the chilling authority of a man long accustomed to command.

Meng Ruji studied him for a moment, then smiled. “I was planning to play along a bit longer, see how deep your act ran. But since I already have the marriage certificate, there’s no point pretending.” She nodded toward the unconscious rabbit. “Besides, killing someone over this? Hardly worth it.”

Mu Sui inclined his head slightly. “The Demon Lord of Hengxu Mountain truly has a merciful heart. You treat all lives equally.”

“I have my own sense of right and wrong,” Meng Ruji said. “I deal with matters my own way.”

He said nothing, but a shadow flickered across his expression.

She continued, voice steady. “Since we’ve both dropped the pretense, let’s be honest. I’m after your city’s gold—a thousand pieces to buy back my life. What do you want from me? Maybe we can trade.”

“Fair enough,” Mu Sui replied. “Zhuliu City thrives on trade. I want the method to use your Inner Core.”

Meng Ruji smirked. “Just as I thought.”

“If you’re willing to teach, I’ll give you the gold.”

She tilted her head, smiling sweetly. “Unfortunately, that’s the one thing I won’t trade. But I’ll still take your gold.”

His jaw clenched. “You’re confident the price won’t drop? Earlier, you taught me incantations in the prison. I only need time to master them. Then your method won’t be worth anything.”

Meng Ruji leaned closer, her voice light but sharp. “If comprehension were that simple, why bother pretending to be a fool? Hasn’t this little act been exhausting, Qianshan Jun?”

Her face hovered close to his, her breath brushing his skin. Mu Sui looked away, but she followed his gaze deliberately.

“And lately,” she added, her tone teasing, “it seems you’ve developed feelings for me you can’t quite suppress, haven’t you?”

His eyes flicked to hers.

Meng Ruji smiled, lips curving. “You’re not stupid, and neither am I. The real Mu Sui—merchant of gold, master of calculation—would never fall in love so easily. I know what this is.”

She reached out, her fingertip brushing his lips. “Half-dead souls can’t leave their life anchors—and yours happens to be me. My body can’t leave you; your heart can’t leave me. Isn’t that right… little Sui?”

Mu Sui said nothing.

Then suddenly, he caught her wrist and pushed it back against the wall, his shadow falling over her.

“That’s right,” he said quietly. “We can’t leave each other. So if it’s a battle you want…” His mouth curved in a cold smile. “I’ll play along.”

Dust drifted down between them, but neither moved.

Meng Ruji looked up calmly. “Fine, little Sui. We’re husband and wife now. When we climb out of this pit, let’s head to Zhuliu City. I’ll claim my rightful place as lady of the house.”

Mu Sui smiled faintly. “Let’s see which comes first—you prying open my heart, or me prying open your secrets.”

“Good,” she replied, her smile sharp. “I’d also like to see how Zhuliu City greets its ‘City Lord’s wife.’”

The humor vanished from her face when he said quietly, “Exactly. How do you think that rabbit got here?”

Meng Ruji froze. “You… contacted your subordinates? The marriage certificate—”

Mu Sui’s smile deepened, cold and cutting. “The Marriage Tree is in Zhuliu City. Breaking this bond will be easy.”

Meng Ruji’s eyes widened.

Mu Sui looked down at her, voice smooth as ice. “Mountain Lord Meng, your surname is Meng… is that ‘Meng’ as in daydream?”

Meng Ruji scowled. Your surname’s Mu—is that ‘Mu’ as in mutt, you dog!

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