Chapter 82: Mo Yi’s Attack

                    

The visions of the past dissolved the moment Madam Lin collapsed to the ground.

Mo Yi waved her hand, dispersing the mist that had painted those memories. Because the courtyard of the past mirrored the present so perfectly, Meng Ruji felt disoriented, trapped between eras—until Madam Lin’s weathered, hoarse voice pulled her back:

“I remember all of this. Every word, every incident—I remember them all.”

Mo Yi frowned, confusion flickering in her eyes.
“If that’s the case… why did you change?”

“Because… my child never cried. Yet on the day she killed me, I saw tears in her eyes.”

Mo Yi froze. The answer was beyond her imagination. She hadn’t even realized her own eyes had wept.

“You were obedient, flawless. Never cowardly, never retreating. I convinced myself this was simply who you were—my most perfect creation.” Madam Lin’s voice trembled. “But I was wrong. Terribly wrong. Only in that final moment did I see you had the most sensitive heart. You worked so hard only to avoid disappointing me.”

Mo Yi listened silently, bewildered, her expression like a lost child.

“I came to the Land of No Departure because of you. You killed me, but your obsession bound me here. Neither leaving nor returning, I remain because you still waver.”

Meng Ruji’s gaze shifted to Mu Sui. He was different from Mo Yi, yet so alike—hatred from his divine past, hesitation from his human heart. Humanity had seeped into him, bringing weakness, attachment, and reluctance.

She tightened her grip on his hand, hoping to anchor him to the human side.

Mo Yi’s cold voice cut through:
“You were kept here by mistake. Now, I can let you leave.”

Light gathered at her fingertip, then dimmed.
“It’s just… one question. You say you were wrong. So when you sought someone to replace you in the mortal world, it wasn’t revenge? You didn’t send someone to kill me?”

Madam Lin smiled bitterly.
“Do you think I would hate you?”

“I killed you. Shouldn’t you?”

Madam Lin’s silence was heavy. Then she glanced at Meng Ruji:
“Recently, I often thought of you. Perhaps if given another chance, I would teach you to be like Miss Meng—not needing to be perfect.”

Meng Ruji swallowed her gratitude, unwilling to interrupt.

“All these years, I sought someone to carry the thousand gold back to the mortal world, only to deliver a message: Mother was wrong.”

“Only that?” Mo Yi’s gaze sharpened. “Then why make things difficult? What kind of person were you selecting?”

“Someone who dares oppose me. Someone with courage to oppose fate.”

Meng Ruji’s heart jolted. Coercion, enticement—weren’t these the very tools fate used to force submission? Madam Lin’s true message was clear: Don’t give up. Don’t listen to fate.

Mo Yi’s eyes flickered, then hardened.
“Madam Lin, you surprise me. But I only listen to my own arrangements now.”

Light condensed at her fingertip, sharp as a blade, and shot toward Madam Lin.

Meng Ruji cried out, “Mu Sui!”

Malicious energy surged, but another arrow of light struck from behind. Mu Sui blocked it, leaving Madam Lin exposed.

The spell was about to end her—until a massive gray water curtain descended, dissolving Mo Yi’s attack.

Meng Ruji looked up. A figure in black robes hovered above—the nightmare demon, Mo Li. Pale, struggling, he had reversed the Nai River itself to save Madam Lin.

But Mo Yi’s divine malice surged. She lashed out, dragging Mo Li down from the sky. The Nai River water returned to its horizon.

Mo Li crashed beside Meng Ruji. He glanced at her, then at Mu Sui.
“Little Meng… I’ve troubled you.”

Before she could respond, he swept his hand. A gust lifted Meng Ruji into the air, carrying her toward the Nai River.

Her hand tore from Mu Sui’s grasp. His chest hollowed instantly.

“You old bastard!” she shouted, before her voice was swallowed by the river’s current.

Swept upward into the poisonous waters, she cursed silently—until she saw Mu Sui rushing toward her, determined, unhesitating.

Only then did she understand Mo Li’s gambit. To lure Mu Sui away from Mo Yi, he had thrown Meng Ruji into peril.

Her emotions twisted—resentment, gratitude, disbelief.
This old bastard… his way of breaking the deadlock was unique indeed.

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