She had just recovered from her fever last night, and having slept too deeply, she hadn't noticed when he had left.
Mu Heng's face stiffened upon hearing this. He took the empty bowl, his eyes slightly scattered, and lowered his gaze, saying, "It must be that something has happened in the Heavenly Realm again. He's gone to handle it, and will probably be back in a few days..."
A trace of suspicion flickered across Ye Ziling's face. She looked at him and confirmed, "A few days? What kind of matter requires such a long time to handle?"
Given the current tense defenses in the Heavenly Realm, how could Ling Xi bear such a heavy burden alone? She had to return to the Heavenly Realm to help.
"Ai—"
Mu Heng reached out and stopped her, his lips pressed together, frowning. "Don't... don't go."
"Why?" Ye Ziling stared intently at his expression, her eyes scrutinizing him.
"You shouldn't go out these past few days either."
"Not even out of the capital."
"In short... just listen to me, and you won't be wrong."
Mu Heng avoided her gaze, his heart churning, his heart beating like a drum.
"Are you hiding something from me?" Ye Ziling asked instead of answering, her gaze full of inquiry.
Mu Heng had followed her for so long; what embarrassing situation hadn't she seen him in? If she couldn't even tell when he was lying, she might as well just slit her own throat.
If he didn't want her to know, she was determined to find out.
Ye Ziling's expression was languid, and she yawned. "Alright, I won't go out. Get me something to eat, I'm hungry."
Mu Heng blinked his eyes twice. Seeing that she wasn't pressing further, a smile bloomed. After walking a few steps, he turned back and asked, "What do you want to eat?"
"Anything," she said indifferently. Then, as if remembering something, she added, "Make it a lot."
Mu Heng waved his hand as he walked away, "Got it."
Ye Ziling got out of bed, washed up simply, and then went out, heading towards the suburbs.
Ling Xi's intense concern over that letter meant he was definitely hiding something from her.
Along the way, Ye Ziling felt a growing unease. With every step she took, her heart fluttered involuntarily.
If she had no attachments like before, she wouldn't care about anything.
But now, having someone to protect and someone she wanted to spend her life with, she had to cherish this life.
These past few days, she had been having recurring nightmares. The dreams were a blur of chaos, with those she had killed by her sword calling her name, wanting her to descend to hell with them.
Every time she swung her sword to strike, those people would suddenly vanish.
Heh, hell.
The world did not know that there were eighteen layers of hell, with the underworld being the eighteenth layer, and the mortal realm being the seventeenth.
They were much of a muchness.
At Xu Shi, the sky had completely darkened. The already eerie forest became even more gloomy, adding a sense of oppression and殺意. Coupled with the occasional wails from afar, the surroundings appeared even more desolate.
Her footsteps were steady, gradually quickening. Her mind replayed the wordless letter on Ling Xi's body and the words he had spoken to her that night in the inn.
That night, just as she was about to fall asleep, she suddenly heard his few mushy murmurs.
Every word registered in her ears.
She thought they were just a few mushy love words spoken late at night, but it was more than that.
Her fever was also clearly deliberate on Ling Xi's part.
He had deliberately made her sick to keep her here, with a hidden agenda.
Unknowingly, she had already arrived at the suburban forest.
Around her, there were only trees, trees, and more trees. When the wind blew, the treetops swayed violently, and the leaves rustled, sounding like a group of demons moaning.
Suddenly, a cloud of crimson-black mist erupted around her, slowly condensing. It grew denser and denser, eventually forming a gaping maw in mid-air.
Within the maw were sharp fangs, a scarlet tongue, and dense teeth, all mixed together, pouncing ferociously towards her.
However, the mass of dark red mist did not attack her. It merely circled above her head, emitting eerie laughter.
It was like some kind of summon.
She stood rooted to the spot, trembling uncontrollably, sweat beading on her forehead. Her head throbbed severely.
As the red mist engulfed her, thousands of voices echoed around her, each one calling her name, their voices ethereal and eerie.
They were the souls of the dead who had perished by her sword.
"Tu Yao, you have come to this today too!"
"Is this not the world you desperately wished to destroy? Why don't you destroy it?"
"Ye Ziling, I will be waiting for you at the gates of hell..."
"The daughter of the revered Saint Physician, treating all living beings as grass, how can you face me and your mother!"
...
Ye Ziling's head ached violently, and her body weakened, collapsing onto the ground.
Those voices gnawed at her consciousness repeatedly. She felt as if her head was about to explode.
"They deserved it."
"They deserved to die!"
"..."
Her lips trembled. She cursed coldly, enduring the pain, then stood up, drawing her sword and wildly slashing her sword energy.
Wherever the sword energy passed, trees were cleaved in half.
"...You want to control my mind?"
"I don't mind killing you all again!" She steadied herself, gathered immortal energy in her palm, and pushed back the soul mist.
But this did not stop the vengeful spirits. Their forms became clearer, slowly advancing towards her.
The red mist finally transformed into numerous ferocious human faces, their mouths curved into sinister, terrifying smiles as they drew closer.
"Ye Ziling, do you truly believe you can protect this world?"
"Let me show you what the outside world is truly like!"
The eerie laughter resounded once more.
Ye Ziling's pupils contracted. She thrust her long sword violently towards one of the spirits, tearing its spiritual body apart.
A piercing howl echoed in all directions. The red mist dispersed, condensing into layers of images before her eyes.
Aside from the capital where she was, the world was rife with war, shrouded in smoke. Soldiers seized grain, and the common people suffered untold hardships.
Now, mythical beasts appeared, destroying all the grain. The populace fell into dire straits, while the soldiers took advantage of the situation to exploit and plunder wealth.
Divine beasts colluded with demonic beasts, working together to harm the populace...
In those images, she saw bodies of suffering people lying around every household. Emaciated and sallow, they leaned helplessly by their doors. Some clutched a crying infant, while others held the torso of their husbands...
She saw a couple struggling in a fire, unable to escape the raging flames, watching helplessly as their child was burned alive.
She saw bandits slaughtering a village, burning it to the ground. The village was swallowed by fire, turning into charcoal.
She suddenly recalled the gruesome sight of her parents being massacred, a scene that lingered in her mind, filling her with terror.
...
She suddenly felt that they were thousands upon thousands of suffering people, and also thousands upon thousands of herself.
At that moment, she empathized deeply and suddenly felt compassion for all beings.
Her heart gave a sudden pang, and her body swayed, almost falling.
Those images were like sharp knives, gouging open her old scars and sprinkling them with salt, causing her so much pain that she almost suffocated.
The images shattered and then reformed into a familiar figure.
She saw Ling Xi's primordial spirit condensing above the Heavenly Palace. He stood at the highest peak of the Nine Heavens, overlooking the entire Three Realms and Six Paths.
The celestial beings below knelt in submission.
"The Heavenly Realm can no longer hold on, and the mortal realm is in peril. The Sun Moon Divine Lamp must be repaired!"
"When the heavens collapsed over ten years ago, the Sun Moon Divine Lamp was used to stabilize it. As long as there is a sliver of hope to stabilize the Heavenly Realm, what's wrong with following Emperor Qingbai's previous actions?"
"Now that the goddess's soul is still present, as long as her soul is injected into the Sun Moon Divine Lamp, it can be repaired, and the Heavenly Realm can be revitalized!"