"You… you don't actually like that brat, do you?" Mu Heng sat up straight, his expression shocked, immediately stopping what he was doing.
"So what if I do?" Ye Ziling met his wide, staring eyes, then calmly looked out the window, her expression returning to normal, and sighed softly.
She only dared to say it to others, but not to him. When one was confident about everything, the more cautious one became about something one cared about, the less one would get.
Ye Ziling mused, looked at Mu Heng, her gaze paused slightly, "What did you say last time… 'What you can't get is always what you want,' it's quite reasonable."
She used to find that saying hard to understand, but now she grasped a little of it.
Mu Heng shifted his gaze, hesitated for a moment, clenched his fist, and broke the silence: "...No, that brat. What do you like about him?"
Ye Ziling didn't reply. A storm brewed in her eyes, the mist covering them gradually dissipated, and her gaze brightened: "You still haven't answered my question."
She was still waiting for an answer.
Mu Heng pouted, pursed his lips, and turned his head to look out the window, "He already has a new love… getting angry at you is just making a fuss over nothing?"
"There's something called self-delusion… Don't forget, he also has a junior sister. Ling Xi is always flirting around. Perhaps you're just one of his flowers. Men are often like that; when they say they like you, it doesn't mean they only like you."
Hearing this, Ye Ziling's delicate brows furrowed tightly, and she suddenly looked at Mu Heng, "Self-delusion?"
Had she really reached that point of self-delusion? Then what about before? Was that also her self-delusion?
Ye Ziling lowered her eyes, feeling a sense of loss.
"He directly said he doesn't like you anymore, and besides, I don't think what you've been doing these past few days has impressed him."
Mu Heng knew that Ye Ziling could do anything except how to be good to others. In any case, what he saw most was her killing, without batting an eye.
Ye Ziling also knew that Ling Xi seemed to be a bit resistant to her these past few days, and she didn't know if it was impatience.
Mu Heng nodded slightly, smiled rebelliously, and stroked his chin, "Unlike me, who is devoted and loyal, so loyal that I've been single since birth for over twenty years and haven't even held a woman's hand… alas, as expected, bad boys attract women…"
Ye Ziling's eyes flickered. She could more or less understand Mu Heng's meaning and suddenly said to him, "Mu Heng, we set off tomorrow. Let's seal the Divine Spring as soon as possible… and return to the valley early."
She came back to her senses, her previously listless expression regaining color as if a fish had returned to water.
Mu Heng stood up, dusted off his sleeves, and smiled, "That's more like it. You don't want to stay in the Heavenly Realm anyway. We'll stay in Jiuling Palace from now on. As long as you can manage it, I can follow you forever…"
In any case, he was now a divine beast by Ye Ziling's side and could look after her. It didn't matter if he was a bad guy, as long as he got paid, it was fine to hang around here.
Ye Ziling decided to take a shortcut to save time. Since Ling Xi would be on the way, with his skills, those demons and monsters would be no match for him. After sealing the Divine Spring, she could also focus on the matters of the valley.
So she had Mu Heng prepare a flying boat, and they set off early in the morning.
The wind blowing towards her lifted her long hair and the hem of her skirt. Her fair face glowed faintly under the sun. She closed her eyes to rest, looking into the distance, a deep confusion flashing in her eyes.
She looked down at the scenery below the boat and her gaze fell on a small town. She saw that the center of the town was shrouded in demonic energy.
Based on her years of demon-extermination experience, this should be the lair of a powerful demon. Although the martial arts examination was over, she didn't mind having more demon cores; they were great tonics, and she might as well take them.
Ye Ziling looked up, turned her head sideways, and said to Mu Heng, who was steering the boat, "Commander Mu, there's a big fish here. Interested?"
The wind blew, and Mu Heng said indistinctly, "Your subordinate naturally obeys the Palace Lord."
An arc was drawn in the sky, and they soon disappeared into the endless expanse.
As soon as they disembarked, the bustling street was crowded with people, all with terrified expressions and varied demeanors, discussing animatedly by the roadside.
"This is the third bride already, and the monster still hasn't stopped. What a pity for this newlywed couple, to have a funeral on the second day of their wedding!"
"I heard that the monster specifically targets brides. The young lady who just married into the Guo Mansion yesterday was dug out of her liver and eaten by the monster before she even entered the bridal chamber. The groom went mad the next day…"
Ye Ziling parted the crowd and stepped forward.
The people around them made way, looking curiously at the two people in extraordinary attire, their eyes lighting up with interest.
In the center of the crowd, the groom, dressed in a bright red wedding robe, had his hair disheveled like a bird's nest. Seeing the elegant figure approaching, he scrambled forward and grabbed her skirt, "Wife… is that you? It's your husband's fault for not protecting you well…"
Ye Ziling's delicate brows furrowed slightly. She squatted down and asked, "Sir, could you tell me the specific appearance of the monster in detail?"
The man had decent features, but his mind was already unclear. His lips still trembled, his eyes widened, and he stared at her quietly. The hand gripping her skirt suddenly loosened.
"Monster… monster?"
Ye Ziling gazed at him expectantly. To her surprise, the groom suddenly fell backward and fainted, falling to the ground unconscious.
This terrified the onlookers. They quickly stepped forward to help him up and replied, "Miss, are you here to exterminate the demon?"
Ye Ziling hesitated for a moment, then nodded gently, "Indeed."
An old man beside them had a flicker of surprise in his eyes. He quickly said, "In our town, the government doesn't intervene. Now the monsters and the divine beasts of the Heavenly Realm are in league, colluding with each other, and we dare not speak. If you can help us, that would be wonderful!"
After hearing everyone's words, Ye Ziling made a deduction.
Since the unsealing of the Divine Spring, these demons had dispersed into different areas, and this town was one of them.
It wasn't just the demonic beasts and divine beasts colluding, but even the human government had joined forces with them, oppressing the common people.
This matter not only concerned the mortal world but also the Heavenly Realm, making it somewhat tricky to handle.
"What does the monster look like specifically?" Ye Ziling slightly narrowed her eyes and slowly raised her gaze to ask.
"Only the bride and the groom have seen it. This monster only appears at night and specifically targets brides!"
The bride? Appears at night, could it be…
"I know this one, a Ghost of the Sifang Bureau!" Mu Heng pushed through the crowd and raised his hand to answer.
Ye Ziling paused slightly, her gaze fell on the groom's pale face, and she reached out to feel his pulse. "He's just fainted from shock. He'll be fine after a few days of rest."
Hearing this, everyone looked at each other and smiled, "This time we've truly met a living bodhisattva…"
Ye Ziling walked out of the crowd and said to Mu Heng, "Go and find out if anyone has held a wedding recently."
"They're so scared like this, how dare they hold a wedding? Aren't they looking for death?" Mu Heng followed her steps, somewhat confused.
"If they don't, they'll find someone to hold one." Ye Ziling smiled slightly and looked back, only to find that Mu Heng had already disappeared.
?
Where did he go?