By the campfire, after hearing the story, everyone fell into silence.
After a long while, Ye Chuan finally asked: "From the clues, he should have come to the Land of No Return after you slayed him, but for some unknown reason, fell into slumber until recently awakening?"
Meng Ruji nodded. "Otherwise, with his abilities, plus malevolent qi not being affected by the Land of No Return's rules, he would have long ago earned gold and bought his way back to life."
Tuzi was confused: "Why did he fall asleep? Why did he awaken?"
No one knew. By calculation, he'd arrived even earlier than Mu Sui.
Meng Ruji sighed: "Today, he merely used malevolent qi to condense a puppet, yet it was difficult to deal with. If his true body moves, I'm afraid the four of us wouldn't be enough for him to beat."
"City Lord Brother fought him pretty well, though!" Tuzi chimed in. "Right, City Lord Brother!"
Following Tuzi's words, Meng Ruji cast a sidelong glance at Mu Sui, her gaze catching sight of his chest through his slightly open clothing.
Mu Sui poked at the firewood without responding.
"The risk is great," Meng Ruji said softly. "It's not worth risking one's life."
Hearing this, Mu Sui finally glanced at Meng Ruji. Seeing her calm expression, he only said: "Finding a way to make him fall back into slumber would be best."
Tuzi immediately changed her tune: "Right! To subdue the enemy without fighting is best! City Lord Brother is truly far-sighted!"
Meng Ruji rolled her eyes at Tuzi, then took out the gray stone from her embrace.
"This person is the strangest. After being injured by Luo Yingfeng, he's been sleeping. Even with today's commotion, I couldn't wake him. Logically, he died earliest and has been in the Land of No Return the longest, so he might know clues."
"Let me see," Mu Sui extended his hand.
"Promise you won't make a move—he's our only breakthrough," Meng Ruji instructed, handing the stone to him.
Mu Sui examined it carefully, frowning slightly: "You said he was a nightmare demon. Why is his true form a stone?"
Meng Ruji shook her head: "It shouldn't be. Perhaps this is his life-sustaining object."
"That's impossible," Tuzi interjected. "Life-sustaining objects exist independently. I've never heard of anyone hiding inside theirs for so long."
"We can only wait for him to wake and ask," Meng Ruji sighed.
Mu Sui pondered, then took out silver coins and drew a formation. He placed the stone on it and activated it. After light circulated, the stone showed no changes.
However, Ye Chuan looked up at Mu Sui with surprise: "This medical formation is extremely ancient and exquisitely refined. How did you learn it?"
"Saw it in a book," Mu Sui answered indifferently. After the formation faded, he picked up the stone again. "Is he truly unconscious from severe injuries?"
Meng Ruji thought about Mo Li's behavior and shook her head. "I can hardly distinguish truth from lie. We can only wait for him to wake on his own."
"Sigh..." Tuzi sighed. "No result, then."
"Forget it. Let's rest early and think tomorrow," Meng Ruji put away the stone, gave Mu Sui a meaningful look. "Everyone, go rest."
Night deepened. The campfire burned much dimmer.
When rustling sounds appeared by her ears, Meng Ruji immediately opened her eyes. She sat up and saw a figure with staggering steps walking into the distance.
Ye Chuan and Tuzi slept soundly. Meng Ruji didn't wake them and followed Mu Sui toward a secluded place.
After a while, he stopped. Meng Ruji walked slowly up to him.
"Qianshan Jun, where exactly did you develop this habit of neither crying out in pain nor asking for help?"
Mu Sui's body leaned slightly to one side as he slowly sat down against a tree, only then looking up at Meng Ruji.
She had guessed he was unwell, but seeing his face so deathly pale still startled her. She hurried forward, crouched beside him, and naturally grasped his hand.
"Does this feel better?"
Mu Sui glanced at her palm—warm, just as before. "You followed again."
His voice was hoarse but still strong enough to speak. Meng Ruji steadied herself and asked: "What exactly is wrong with your body?" She examined him. "Your old injuries were healed well—I've seen your ability. But these two times... coming out of Ye Chuan's illusion and today..."
Mu Sui lifted his eyes, staring into hers. Even weakened, his gaze was compelling.
Meng Ruji didn't back down. "Does using your Inner Core power cause backlash?"
The night was tranquil, a cool breeze gentle and soothing.
After a long silence, Mu Sui slightly lowered his eyes. "Indeed. Perhaps your Inner Core hasn't fully fused with my body."
Meng Ruji raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?"
"What else?" Mu Sui countered sharply.
"Oh." Meng Ruji seemed to nod in understanding, then after a while, asked seemingly casually: "I've always forgotten to ask—how do you know malevolent qi is a divine object?"
Their clasped hands maintained the same temperature, but the air between them became subtly tense.
Mu Sui looked up at Meng Ruji again.
Meng Ruji smiled without warmth. "I know because Zhan Ye told me. What about you? How do you know?"
"Books—"
"Books again?" Meng Ruji cut him off directly. "Husband is truly learned, having read so many. When we enter Zhuliu City, you must show me your study."
Faced with her sarcasm, Mu Sui smiled: "Alright..." Before finishing, he gritted his teeth, enduring a new wave of pain sweeping through his body.
"You have so many secrets," Meng Ruji complained, yet pulled Mu Sui toward herself, embracing him and placing his head on her lap. "Is this better? More comfortable?"
When she positioned him, he seemed dazed, as if he hadn't reacted.
He stared at Meng Ruji in bewilderment.
"What's wrong?" she asked, puzzled. "Didn't you say last time this would be better?"
Mu Sui remained silent. After a long while, he suddenly smiled.
"Meng Ruji..." he said hoarsely. "You know I'm hiding many things from you, yet you still help me. You... are truly strange."
"Knowing you're hiding and helping you are two separate matters," she said softly. "You won't harm me now. Our current goals are the same. Helping you is helping myself. Besides, having traveled this far together, I know that you, husband, are not a bad person."
"Is that so?" Mu Sui smiled self-mockingly. "Madam, should I praise you for being clear-headed or kind-hearted?"
"Either is fine."
Mu Sui chuckled. After a good while, he said something seemingly unrelated: "So that's why he became so extreme."
Meng Ruji immediately understood. "Zhan Ye?"
Mu Sui closed his eyes on her lap, as if resting: "You used blood sacrifice to save everyone, yet were stripped of reputation, placed in danger, struggling to obtain medicine. He should hate that. If it were me..."
Meng Ruji suddenly tapped his head: "You absolutely must not be like Zhan Ye! First, I haven't been that good to you—it's not worth it. Second, he was too extreme."
"So, how good were you to him?"
"Is that the point?"
Mu Sui's lips pressed together, corners downturned—not quite a happy expression.
"Zhan Ye's matter taught me a great lesson," Meng Ruji said, becoming somewhat proud. "All children who came to Hengxu Mountain had to attend school first before cultivation. Cultivate the heart first, then cultivate the Way. They complement each other. Later, the Five Guardians I trained all turned out very well."
"Having experienced that, you still dared to take in people?"
"What's there to fear? You can't stop saving people because you saved one bad person—that would be as extreme as him. The injustice Zhan Ye saw is unavoidable... but isn't there another side?"
"Which side?"
Mu Sui's words just spilled out, as if magically compelled.
He truly wanted to hear her continue.
He wanted to see that slight upward curve of her lips, hear her unhurried voice, be watched by her gaze. As if these things, like the warmth of her palm, could comfort him.
"Take the Mizong Mountain incident, for example. After I woke from three months of unconsciousness, Zhan Ye had become somewhat mad. He couldn't see much, but I saw quite a lot."
Meng Ruji's eyes brightened as she spoke earnestly:
"Among those thousand cultivators, someone wrote me a letter saying he knew what I had done and expressed his gratitude. He had little influence, so no one believed him. When setting up the formation, there were too many people—I couldn't even remember his appearance or name. But he remembered me."
"There were also people unrelated to the formation—people who, like Hengxu Mountain, would be affected by Mizong Mountain. They knew I'd initially contacted everyone, so they sent letters. Some even sent me pills. Although those pills couldn't heal my injuries, they could heal my heart."
"I told Zhan Ye many times we couldn't control disputes between other sects, nor sew shut other people's mouths. But by containing the mountain and protecting those worth protecting, my blood wasn't shed in vain."
"I'm not truly that kind—I don't want to save everyone. But saving those worth saving makes it worthwhile."
Mu Sui listened quietly from below. When she looked down at him, he asked without thinking: "Am I someone worth saving?"
Meng Ruji smiled gently. "You—"
She had started to speak when suddenly the wind changed.
Mu Sui became immediately alert. He gripped her hand forcefully, but it was too late. A strand of black malevolent qi wrapped around her shoulder.
Meng Ruji tried to reach for silver coins at her waist, but another strand of malevolent qi bound her hands. A third covered her mouth, preventing any sound.
Mu Sui formed hand seals to use his Inner Core power, but in the next instant, he was buried by malevolent qi surging from the ground like ocean waves.
His entire being was swept into darkness.
Even so, Meng Ruji still had one hand clasped with his.
The malevolent qi pulled them apart—from clasped palms to fingertips barely connected, until finally both hands were forcibly separated.
Meng Ruji was swept up by the malevolent qi, flying into the night sky.
Behind her, buried in darkness, Mu Sui's hand remained reaching upward—grasping only empty air where her warmth had been.
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