Chapter 81

All doubts were answered in that moment.

The reason the giant puppet, which had never been heard of in the past life, appeared in this life was because the evil demon of this era had fused with Mo Lin’s soul, granting it an entirely different and immense power.

It could not only serve as the “key” to unlock the Heavenly Gate seal, but under the refining of the Zhongli family, it had turned into a powerful weapon.

She had witnessed how the demonized Mo Lin was dragged back to the depths of the Cliff Mountain by the power of the Celestial Array.

She had also seen how the people of the Jiufang family forcibly awakened him from his slumber, and how the old woman of the Zhongli family hammered the Kunwu Iron into his skull, into every joint of his body.

Fortunately, he had already lost his consciousness.

Fortunately, he only felt the pain of the physical body, no longer enduring mental torment.

But even so, the shredded heart still pulsed with a sticky, dull pain. Liuyu felt an unprecedented brutality constricting her breath from within.

Something seemed to be pulling at her throat, threatening to tear out a sharp, angry scream.

Why did they treat him like this?

Why did these people’s ugly ambitions fall upon him?

Why—why, after everything, when we meet again, do you still throw yourself at me without regard for anything?

Liuyu unconsciously took half a step toward the figure.

But in the next moment, everything faded into darkness.

Liuyu paused for a moment, then realized that after everything, she had indeed reached the end of her journey.

She turned around, seeing the vast black swamp behind her.

It was the tumultuous and stubborn life he had led.

“…Miss.”

After moving away from the black swamp—or rather, the demonic aura from the outer evil demons—Moon Daughter’s consciousness finally reacted.

Dazed, she glanced at the device in her spiritual sea and pointed to the other side.

“That should be the exit. If we leave from there, we can get out.”

Liuyu stood silently for a long while.

“Let’s go.”

At the third quarter of the Dog hour, to the people of the Zhongli family waiting outside, Liuyu had only been inside for a short while.

After pacing for a long time, Zhongli Yi, who had been waiting anxiously outside, finally saw a response from the puppet’s still body. The spiritual consciousness returned to its original form. Liuyu, holding Moon Daughter in her arms, opened her eyes.

“How is it?” Zhongli Yi stepped forward to ask. “Have you found a way to repair this puppet?”

Zhongli Yi eagerly awaited their answer, but Moon Daughter’s gaze was unfocused, and Liuyu didn’t even glance at him. Her gaze passed over his shoulder and fell on the massive puppet, now bathed in moonlight.

The Kunwu Iron was still embedded in its body.

As long as the Kunwu Iron remained within him, he would forever be a prisoner of the Zhongli family.

Liuyu steadied Moon Daughter’s shoulder, and receiving a hint, Moon Daughter dazedly spoke.

“It can be repaired, it definitely can. The damaged circuits inside… I’ve noted them down. It’s just not something that can be fixed immediately, but it can definitely be repaired…”

The demonic aura had tainted Moon Daughter’s consciousness, and her cultivation wasn’t enough. She had been inside for too long, and just as she spoke the words Liuyu had taught her, she suddenly vomited at Zhongli Yi’s feet.

The crowd stirred in alarm, stepping back.

Zhongli Yi stepped back in embarrassment but was still splashed by the vomit. He was about to lash out but then recalled Moon Daughter’s words, suppressing his anger.

“…That’s good.”

He was about to wave his sleeve and leave to clean himself when he heard the girl’s calm voice from behind.

“Master, is there something you’ve forgotten?”

Zhongli Yi stopped.

For the promises he had made, he never intended to go back on them. He summoned a servant to bring a map of the Zhongli family’s fish-scale city plans. He circled a mid-sized city on the map and had it shown to Liuyu.

“The Zhongli family keeps its word, never going back on promises. After Miss Yue repairs this puppet, we will gift this city to the Jimo family.”

Liuyu lowered her eyes, silently looking at the city circled on the map.

It was indeed a generous offer.

But unfortunately, Moon Daughter would never be able to repair it for them.

Before leaving her spiritual sea, Liuyu had already briefed Moon Daughter on the origin of this puppet.

Regardless of its identity, considering only its power, Liuyu absolutely could not allow it to fall into the hands of the Zhongli family.

A demon body fused with the soul of a grandmaster, still possessing terrifying destructive power even when restricted by the Kunwu Iron. If fully utilized by these two families, the Great Dynasty would face a catastrophe.

It was said that the old lady of the Zhongli family was gravely ill, so she had no time to repair the puppet at the moment.

But as long as the puppet was sent back to the Zhongli family, there was always the possibility of it being repaired. Liuyu had to steal it before that happened.

Such a massive object could not be stolen without leaving traces.

Moon Daughter’s plan to infiltrate the Zhongli family could fall apart, the Jimo family would inevitably sever ties with the Zhongli family, and the Shentu family hadn’t fully decided whether to break with the Zhongli family yet…

“Then it’s settled.”

Liuyu lifted her head, and the stern expression on her face seemed to be just Zhongli Yi’s illusion. Her eyes held a light smile as she looked at Moon Daughter and said:

“Both I and the Master are waiting for your good news.”

Yue Niang nodded blankly.

Suppressing the myriad of thoughts in her mind, Liuyu followed the maid and left the Zhongli family’s residence.

No matter how difficult it is.

She absolutely cannot let the former life of Mo Lin, who had fallen to such a state to save her, be used as a weapon by these two families against her.

Liuyu was not afraid of facing strong enemies, but she knew that if the blade in his hand swung towards her, he would feel the pain before her.

What should she do?

She had to think of a way quickly.

How could she prevent Mo Lin from being used by them? How could she rescue him from the Zhongli family without affecting the larger picture?

Think quickly.

Aren’t you supposed to be clever, the youngest leader of Lingyong?

Even after being reborn, why are you still at a loss? Why can you only leave him there, watching him be controlled and unable to rest even after death?

Liuyu, walking alone, had already distanced herself far enough from the Zhongli family’s residence.

Bathed in the moonlight filtering through the bamboo forest, she saw a flicker of orange light beyond the bamboo hut.

The dark green figure stood silently by the door, as if, for a long time, he had stood just a step away from her, waiting for her patiently.

“Liuyu? Why are you walking alone…”

Before he could finish speaking, Mo Lin saw her suddenly run towards him.

He didn’t expect this action, but his arms instinctively opened, catching her steadily.

The lamp tilted and fell to the ground, rolling a few times.

She tightly wrapped her arms around his neck, and Mo Lin had to wrap one hand around her waist while the other gently caressed her back to respond to her warm and forceful embrace.

Mo Lin’s eyes showed a look of surprise, and then he felt flattered.

She rarely hugged him with such force, this was different from their usual affectionate and tender embraces.

…It was as if she was hugging a treasure that she held in the highest regard.

Mo Lin’s heart slightly sank.

His palm gently stroked her neck and back as his shoulder and arms tightly enfolded her in his embrace.

“Is… it hard to part with Yue Niang?”

Mo Lin, confused, was trying to guess, when suddenly, his whole body stiffened.

There was a warm, moist sensation on his shoulder.

His deep, dark green eyes darkened slightly, and he slowly helped Liuyu sit up, gently cupping her delicate, wet face.

The delicate and beautiful girl’s eyes were misted with tears, the corners of her eyes and the tip of her nose were red.

She looked at him, and tears fell from her eyes, one drop after another.

Mo Lin had only seen her like this once, during the time of her parents’ death. Since then, although her life had been difficult, and she occasionally cried in private, her tears always contained a strong, life-filled determination, and the way she wiped them away was ruthless and fierce.

He didn’t know what made her cry like this again.

But he knew that if she kept looking at him and crying like this, his heart would break along with hers.

“…What’s wrong?”

Mo Lin squeezed out a few words from his dry throat and carefully wiped her tears with his sleeve.

“What happened? Liuyu, can you tell me?”

It seemed as if thousands of words were stuck in her chest, unable to find an accurate outlet. She closed her eyes, crying as she spoke:

“Mo Lin… please don’t like me anymore, okay?”

If liking her brought him so much pain.

Then she would rather he had never met her, never liked her.

The evening wind blew through the few glass lamps hanging on the door, casting reflections in her teary apricot eyes. Mo Lin’s fingers, which held her shoulder, tightened slightly in that moment.

It had been a long time since he had heard her say such cruel words, yet he couldn’t feel the slightest anger.

Because the look in her eyes when she said those words seemed like broken black porcelain, with sharp cracks that hurt her first and made her tears fall.

“No,”

He stubbornly denied, his words firm.

“Not at all. Unless I die, you will never be able to get rid of me.”

If it were usual, Liuyu would have been happy to hear him express his feelings so frankly.

But now, hearing him say that, all that rose in her heart was an endless sourness.

“What if you can’t even die?”

Mo Lin’s eyes froze for a moment.

“What if, until your death, you still remember me, protect me, but have to be controlled and used as a weapon to harm me and my family? Mo Lin, what should I do?”

She choked, tightly gripping his collar, each word falling with tears:

“You said I never saved you, and you’re right. In both past and present lives, I’ve saved so many people, but I’ve never saved you. Until tonight, I can only leave you there, tied with iron chains, unable to do anything.”

The shadow of doubt that had flickered in her heart earlier now turned into a clear truth in her sobs.

Mo Lin was silent for a long time, gently brushing away her wet eyelashes. In a hoarse voice, he asked:

“What did you see there?”

Liuyu gazed at him through the trembling light of her tears.

“Everything.”

“All your suffering and love, I saw it all clearly.”

A clear, majestic cry echoed from a distant direction.

Liuyu and Mo Lin both turned their heads at the same time, seeing a surge of spiritual energy suddenly illuminate a part of the sky.

That was—

“Isn’t that the direction of the Zhongli family’s estate?”

The mountain goblins and others inside the bamboo hut heard the sound and came out, looking surprised at the distant scene.

“That’s the Zhongli family’s residence,” Fang Fuchang, standing at the highest point of the bamboo forest, said, gazing into the distance. “A strong wave of spiritual energy, the Zhongli family’s estate must be under attack. But I don’t know who’s behind it…”

“I know.”

Liuyu spoke calmly, her gaze deep.

“That cry just now was the language technique of the Third Miss of the Jiufang family, Jiufang Miaoyi—Dragon’s Roar and Tiger’s Howl. The attackers on the Zhongli family’s estate are probably from the Jiufang family.”

Lan Zhu: “How could the people of the Jiufang family… Is the Empress crying?”

The ghost woman threw a thumb-sized stone at Lan Zhu.

“What’s so strange about it? It must be internal strife,” the ghost woman blinked and said, “In their eyes, the Yinshan family lost half of its market and also lost Nan Gongyao. Without enough of a threat, their only remaining rival is the other side, right?”

Liuyu’s first reaction was similar.

She looked at the direction where the battle was raging fiercely, and her tangled thoughts finally found a clear direction.

Of course, the Jiufang family would act tonight.

They didn’t know her thoughts, but what they saw was that the Yimo family was about to join forces with the Zhongli family. Not only had they sent a talented craftsman, but they had also brought the resources of the Xiangli family, which had originally been affiliated with them, into the Zhongli family.

Adding to that was a powerful puppet general with black anomalous fire.

If they didn’t act, the balance between the Zhongli and Jiufang families would tip entirely, and what would the Jiufang family use to resist the Zhongli family?

So, not only would they act, but they would send Miaoyi.

Before Liuyu left Lingyong Academy, the person who ranked third year after year and occasionally second in the Lingyong Four Trials was the sixteen-year-old Jiufang Miaoyi.

“Shan Xiao, Ghost Woman,” Mo Lin turned to them and said, “Go check the situation, confirm Yue Niang’s safety, and contact us with a jade slip if assistance is needed.”

Shan Xiao and the Ghost Woman responded.

Yin Lan Ruo put on her clothes and lit a lamp, glancing at the Fang Fucang on the bamboo leaves.

“Once a teacher, always a father. Yue Niang, though so young, is willing to risk her life. At a time like this, you, as her teacher, are just standing by?”

Fang Fucang had also wanted to volunteer, but Yin Lan Ruo beat him to it, so he had to emphasize:

“I wasn’t planning to stand by. And, today, I’m actually on leave…”

“Leave?”

Yin Lan Ruo gave a cold laugh and seemed to pull out a small abacus the size of a palm from somewhere.

“Now, the monthly salary of eighth-level practitioners in various families ranges from twenty to fifty gold. Miss Liuyu is offering you a seventy-gold salary with a three-day rest every month. She also covers your clothing, food, housing, and travel. The clothes you’re wearing are worth a hundred spirit bamboo, and the daily meal standard is two meat dishes, one vegetarian dish, and a bowl of rice. Three meals a day adds up to at least three hundred spirit bamboo per month, not to mention your field allowance and overtime pay…”

“I see.”

Fang Fucang stepped back two steps after landing and said reassuringly:

“Don’t add overtime pay, I’ll go right away.”

A woman with a lamp approached, handing Liuyu a handkerchief to wipe away her tears, speaking gently:

“Miss Liuyu entrusted the important task of managing the accounts to Lan Ruo and even offered such a high salary. It’s only right for Lan Ruo to be frugal with expenses.”

“…”

The heavy atmosphere was dispelled by the sudden changes that came one after another tonight.

This battle wouldn’t end quickly. Yin Lan Ruo went to the kitchen to prepare some late-night snacks for the others who were returning late.

The surroundings fell silent again, leaving only Mo Lin and Liuyu in the courtyard, staring in the direction where the Qi flow was surging, both deep in thought.

Liuyu continued what she hadn’t finished saying earlier.

“…So, you entered my consciousness from my past life and watched my memories from start to finish?”

Under Mo Lin’s slightly complex gaze, Liuyu nodded slowly.

No one would feel comfortable having their memories probed, even if the one doing it was the most intimate and trusted person.

Mo Lin licked his lips and asked with difficulty:

“So, when I first met you, you also…”

Liuyu nodded. After washing her face, her cheeks were free of tear stains, but her eyes were still tinged with red.

“It was you who had kidnapped a little girl…”

“I know, no need to go into details.”

Liuyu saw his indifferent reaction to the matter of the “Heavenly Realm” and instead noticed how much he cared about these small details. She tilted her head and asked:

“Don’t you feel wronged?”

He gently squeezed Liuyu’s fingers, his dark green eyes softening with tenderness.

“Wronged about what?”

Liuyu’s eyes welled up again.

“I couldn’t bring the you from my past life directly back. And I suspect that the Jiufang family will launch a surprise attack on the Zhongli family tonight. If they succeed, they will take the you from my past life.”

Mo Lin thought for a moment and said:

“That would actually be a good thing. The Jiufang family doesn’t know how to control the puppet general, nor can they repair it. The Zhongli family is being backstabbed by their allies and is at odds with them. To constrain the other party, they will not repair the puppet general so easily. This is good for us.”

“As for the rest,” he gazed at Liuyu, “You’ve already lost your consciousness. If it were me, I would never want you to gamble away the hard-earned situation just to let me sleep peacefully.”

Liuyu bit her slightly pale lips and then looked up at him:

“Aside from this, you’ve done so much for me, but I’ve never known.”

He took her hand and pulled her into his arms, comforting her:

“That was my choice.”

Liuyu stubbornly asked:

“If I hadn’t seen those things by chance, the events in Wuse City, would you have told me?”

Mo Lin slightly raised his head and looked at her for a long while before answering:

“If you’re willing to love me, one day, I will tell you.”

But if, in the end, she refused to love him, he would be like in his past life, and she would never know his feelings.

His youthful admiration for Ai meant a lot only to him.

For the Yinshan family’s young lady, who was adored by everyone, it didn’t seem special.

Liuyu’s long lashes fluttered, and she tightly grasped his hand.

“I know what you’re afraid of.”

The fingers in his hand slightly twitched, but Liuyu tightened her grip.

“I never understood why you wouldn’t directly express your feelings before. It was my arrogance. I’ve received too much love that I took for granted since I was young, so I didn’t know that people could live in an emotionally barren environment, not knowing how to express affection, and being afraid that their true feelings would not be reciprocated, with even their remaining pride trampled upon.”

How could someone who has rarely received even a trace of love firmly believe they will be loved?

Of course, they would repeatedly confirm, and repeatedly doubt.

Of course, they would strive to give everything in exchange for the other’s affection, and also feel ashamed to express their efforts, seeking sympathy they didn’t truly want.

Those imperfect, indirect expressions were all his struggles for help.

They were his desperate desire to get a definite answer.

Mo Lin felt as though he was being peeled away, inch by inch, in her gaze and words.

She looked at him, seeing both his deepest desire and his fear, but she wouldn’t allow him to escape or deny it. She held his trembling heart in her hands and openly gave him her own heart—

“I would pay attention to someone out of pity and guilt, but I would never like them for those reasons. I’m not that kind.”

“I like you because you led your clan to open up the Nine Hells and create the world with your own strength. I knew that even if you liked me, you would still be wary of me and wouldn’t sacrifice the interests of the Nine Hells for me.”

“You have forgiven my third uncle and offered help. You gave me the Mountain Spirit Dragon Bell, allowing me to hold true power in my hands. You are willing to accompany me, risking your life to protect my family and my people—”

“Mo Lin, you are already a thousand times better than the husband I once imagined. How could I not love you?”

She pressed her forehead against his, her sweet voice whispering in his ear:

“Not only me, but many others will love you… but I will definitely be the one who loves you the most.”