Chapter 37: Possessed by the Past in the Realm of No Return

                                      

Meng Ruji’s fury burned so hot it nearly ignited the air between them. She tore herself free from Mu Sui’s grasp, seized his collar with both hands, and shoved him backward. The force drove him straight into the packed earthen wall behind him.

Their boots scraped over the fallen rabbit’s limp body. A dull thud echoed—Mu Sui’s back striking the wall, masking the faint groan that escaped the rabbit on the ground. Neither noticed.

Glaring up at him through clenched teeth, Meng Ruji let out a sharp, bitter laugh.
“Men truly change once they gain wealth. The folk tales never lie. Well done, Qianshan Jun—what fine scheming!”

Mu Sui didn’t resist her hold. His eyes, calm yet brimming with mockery, met hers.
“Mountain Lord Meng flatters me. When it comes to scheming, you’re hardly a novice yourself.”

Her molars ground audibly as her anger deepened.

The rabbit twitched again, letting out another pitiful grunt—once more ignored by the two humans locked in their quarrel.

Mu Sui’s smile faded. His tone turned cool and cutting.
“Exchange the cultivation method for a thousand gold. I always keep my word.”

“Little thief,” Meng Ruji snapped, “you stole from me and still dare to threaten me? There’s no world where you take everything and I walk away empty-handed.”

“I’m paying you a thousand gold,” Mu Sui countered flatly. “That’s not robbery—it’s a trade.”

Before she could retort, a strange guttural sound came from below.
“Uh… ahhh…”

Meng Ruji, already on edge, lost her patience. “I just saved your life, and now you dare interrupt me?” She turned her glare downward, but the anger froze on her face.

Seeing her expression shift, Mu Sui followed her gaze.

The rabbit—previously sprawled lifelessly—was now upright, its body stiff as a puppet pulled by invisible strings.

Meng Ruji blinked. “What’s wrong with your rabbit? Don’t tell me it’s got some kind of mad-rabbit disease?”

Mu Sui’s expression darkened. A faint black mist was seeping from the creature’s fur. He quickly tore Meng Ruji’s hands off his collar and pulled her behind him, stepping forward in instinctive defense.

Pressed against the narrow pit wall, Meng Ruji stared at his back, momentarily dazed.
They hadn’t even finished arguing, and he was already protecting her again.

Before she could process that thought, the rabbit lunged—its movements lightning-fast, its body emanating a killing aura. Its once-mild eyes now glowed crimson, dripping with malice.

Meng Ruji gasped. “Are there… malevolent spirits in the Realm of No Return?”

Mu Sui caught the rabbit by its ears with one hand and flung it against the wall. “Malevolent aura,” he replied curtly. “The kind that clings to the dead.”

The rabbit clung to the wall, twisted its head, and shrieked in a chilling human voice, “I want your life!”

Meng Ruji froze. “It wants my life? Your pet’s as unreasonable as you are—I’m the one who saved it!”

But the voice screamed again, this time distinctly:
“Mu Sui! I want you dead!”

Meng Ruji blinked. “Ah. So it’s you it wants. Well, that makes more sense.” She folded her arms, voice dry. “Looks like love turned to hate.”

Mu Sui ignored her sarcasm, his tone sharp. “Do you have any silver coins left?”

“None,” she replied, suddenly uneasy. “Why? Surely even a possessed rabbit can’t be that hard to handle?”

“It can,” Mu Sui said grimly. “The aura amplifies strength. No wonder it tracked us so fast—it must’ve been tainted back in Zhuliu City.”

Before he finished, the creature pounced again. Its claws, now long and razor-sharp, slashed the air. Its teeth had grown into dagger-like fangs, gleaming white in the dim pit light.

Meng Ruji could barely follow its movements, but Mu Sui was faster. He caught the rabbit by the neck and slammed it into the wall.

“Should we kill it?” she asked, watching his grip tighten.

Mu Sui didn’t answer immediately. Pressing the rabbit’s head harder against the wall, he said coldly, “Get out.”

The creature thrashed, its fur scraping away under his force. Still, he didn’t relent. “I’ll give you one chance. If you don’t leave its body now—I’ll kill her too.”

The warning wasn’t for the rabbit, but the thing inside it.

Meng Ruji raised an eyebrow. “If it’s that simple, why did you ask for silver coins?”

“Silver can contain malevolent energy,” he said without looking up.

The rabbit shrieked again—high, piercing. Then, the voice changed. It became human. Male. Refined, yet venomous.

“Mu Sui! Meng Ruji! You adulterous pair!”

Both froze.

Meng Ruji frowned. “Wait—did he just scold me?”

Mu Sui gave her a sidelong glance. “Yes. Quite colorfully, too. ‘Heartless and fickle,’ I believe.”

“Why?” she muttered, genuinely perplexed.

Mu Sui’s lips curled into a taunting smile. “Why ask me? You seem to have a long list of old lovers, Mountain Lord Meng.”

“Hold on.” She rubbed her temple. “Don’t jump to conclusions. Listen closely—doesn’t this voice sound familiar to you?”

“How could it?” Mu Sui scoffed. “It should be you who remembers it. Someone you’ve dreamed of—night after night, unable to forget.”

“Qianshan Jun,” Meng Ruji said dryly, “could you control your jealousy, considering you’re literally a life-sustaining object?”

The jab hit home. His face stiffened, and the retort died in his throat.

She sighed, exasperated. “We’re knee-deep in danger. Could you stop acting like some jealous husband? You’re making it sound as if you actually have feelings for me.”

Mu Sui’s jaw tightened. He almost said something sharp again—but swallowed it.

“Fine,” he said through clenched teeth. “Your problems, your mess. Handle it yourself.”

“Gladly.” Meng Ruji straightened her back, defiant. “I walk a clear path. I owe no one romantic debts.”

She reached out to take the rabbit from his hands—

—and in that instant, the black aura surged out of the rabbit’s body, roaring like smoke given life.

“If I can’t have you,” it shrieked, “then I’ll destroy you!”

The malevolent energy lunged for her face.

Mu Sui reacted before thought, tossing the rabbit aside and pulling Meng Ruji tightly into his arms. He turned, shielding her with his body—but the darkness enveloped them both, spiraling like a living storm.

“Destroy you… destroy you both…”

The voice coiled around them as their vision dimmed. Mu Sui’s eyes fluttered shut.

They sank to the ground together, her head resting on his shoulder. Her whisper trembled against his neck.
“I remember now… this voice…”

Her breath hitched.
“Ye Dahe…”

Her old lover’s name escaped her lips.

Mu Sui’s last conscious thought was of how much he hated that name—before the darkness swallowed them both.

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