“Clang!”

The iron door of the prison was locked.

Meng Ruji and the young man were thrown into jail.

Meng Ruji leaned against the prison wall, sitting cross-legged with a serious and calm expression. The young man also sat quietly in a corner nearby. Both wore black iron shackles on their hands—these shackles had been used for who knows how long, their edges worn smooth as if they had developed a patina…

Meng Ruji watched the jailers swaying back and forth outside until they completed this round of patrol and left. Only then did her straight back curve slightly.

Though she appeared very composed and calm,!

This was her first time…

Going to jail…

Meng Ruji pinched the bridge of her nose and rubbed it vigorously.

Before Meng Ruji obtained that Inner Core with Creation Power, she was human—an ordinary person. Her hometown was the most common little village, and her family lived on the small path closest to the river in the village.

Before the world fell into chaos, she was law-abiding, living her life honestly, and had never been to jail.

After the world became chaotic, her family was destroyed, and she became homeless, struggling to survive in the world, but she had never been to jail.

Later, through chance encounters, she obtained the Inner Core, became a half-demon, and on her cultivation path, faced many hardships, nearly dying several times.

But she had still! Never! Been to jail!

Now, she was someone who had almost reached the pinnacle as Demon Lord, someone who had already stood at the peak of this world, manipulating wind and clouds!

Yet!

Now she was!

Starting to go to jail!

Thinking of this, Meng Ruji nearly crushed her forehead with her fingers.

Should she not have sealed herself eight hundred years ago? She might as well have died instead, saving herself from suffering such humiliation at her age.

Meng Ruji let out a long sigh. Her emotions had not yet settled when she suddenly felt her shoulder being touched.

Meng Ruji turned her head and saw a firm, muscular arm. Looking up, she discovered that somehow the young man had scooted over to sit beside her.

The young man’s head turned in another direction, not looking at Meng Ruji, but his arm was barely touching her shoulder.

Meng Ruji inconspicuously moved aside a bit, the iron shackles clinking. Soon after, the same clinking sound of shackles echoed beside her…

The young man had also quietly scooted over, still the same way—his arm quietly leaning against Meng Ruji while his head looked in another direction, as if he wasn’t the one who had just moved over.

“You…” Meng Ruji began. The young man’s body trembled slightly, and he slowly turned back to glance at Meng Ruji. She continued, “This jail is quite spacious. You don’t need to come squeeze next to me, do you?”

Being criticized, the young man lowered his head in silence like someone who had done something wrong. After a long while, he finally managed to say: “I… want to sit together with you.”

Such directness left Meng Ruji at a loss.

“You weren’t like this before.” Meng Ruji sighed and stopped refusing. After all, this wasn’t her family’s jail. She relaxed her body, and when she leaned against the wall, her shoulder also pressed against the young man’s arm.

Meng Ruji felt nothing, but the young man’s gaze deepened. The corners of his lips pressed together slightly, as if hiding an inexplicable secret joy.

He sat leaning against Meng Ruji, motionless, as if afraid that if he leaned any closer, Meng Ruji would get up and leave again.

How could Meng Ruji understand these thoughts of his? Having nothing else to do, she looked up at the ceiling of the prison cell and chatted idly: “When I first woke up and saw you, you were like a big cat, startling at everything and even scratching me. Now you want to sit together with me?”

The young man listened to Meng Ruji’s words and recalled for a moment.

His memories were chaotic and blurry. He only remembered waking up by the river here, then seeing Meng Ruji’s face, then she chased him all the way running into the forest, and then…

“You gave me food.”

Meng Ruji was speechless for a while: “Alright…” She muttered, “Really is trust that was fed into existence.”

“Not just food.” The young man looked at Meng Ruji and continued, “Sitting together with you makes my heart feel at peace.”

“At peace?” Meng Ruji raised an eyebrow, glancing at the young man with some surprise. This glance directly met the young man’s clear gaze.

Those eyes really were like a small animal’s.

Meng Ruji thought how truly mysterious people were. Someone who could rob graves and steal cores, when his mind didn’t remember things, could become so pure in appearance.

Her Inner Core had fallen into the body of such a person. Meng Ruji didn’t know if this was good or…

Meng Ruji’s eyes suddenly narrowed as her mind became active.

This was a good thing!

Meng Ruji cleared her throat and sat up straight again.

Her shoulder left the young man’s arm, and his gaze immediately became dejected.

But after considering her words, Meng Ruji looked at the young man with a beaming smile.

She smiled and brought her face close to the young man’s. With the closeness, the young man’s earlier disappointment completely vanished. Looking at her smiling face, the corners of his mouth involuntarily relaxed and curved into an arc he couldn’t even detect.

“Since we’ll be staying here for several days, why don’t we get to know each other again?”

The young man nodded.

Meng Ruji continued smiling gently: “You must have known me before, but you probably don’t remember now. My surname is Meng. When I was small, my family was humble and didn’t give me a proper given name. Later, when I grew up, I gave myself a courtesy name—Ruji. Ru as in ‘as if,’ ji as in ‘entrust.'”

Meng Ruji spoke carefully and eloquently, wanting to gain more trust.

After listening, the young man repeated her name word by word: “Meng Ruji.” Earnest and sincere.

“Right. Though I don’t yet know your age, I imagine I’m probably older than you by a few years. In the future, you can call me sister or senior. So, how should I address you?”

The young man thought seriously for a while: “Mu Sui.”

Meng Ruji was somewhat surprised: “You remember your name?”

“I can’t remember many things clearly, but when you asked me, these two characters appeared. This should… be my name.”

“Alright, little Sui. Besides this, do you remember that you… Previously borrowed my Inner Core?” Meng Ruji got to the point.

“Inner Core?”

Meng Ruji looked at him eagerly, her eyes full of little stars: “Mm-hmm, Inner Core.”

When Mu Sui had just awakened, Meng Ruji had also mentioned the Inner Core, but what she said then should have been—”stolen Inner Core.”

Mu Sui couldn’t remember anything from before, so he remembered especially clearly the things that happened after awakening here.

But looking at Meng Ruji’s gentle smile, he didn’t correct her words. However, his heart began to feel sad.

He had been a thief before.

He had stolen her things.

But she was still so good to him now, finding him food, standing in front of him to protect him, afraid he’d be beaten by those black-armored soldiers, and even bringing him along to jail.

The more Mu Sui thought about it, the sadder he became. He felt that Meng Ruji must dislike him in her heart, especially not wanting him to get close to her…

“It’s like this.” Meng Ruji didn’t notice Mu Sui’s suddenly plummeting emotions. She was still choosing her words carefully:

“This Inner Core is now placed in your body, and it doesn’t seem to be of much use. Why don’t you return it to me first? I can use the Inner Core’s power to do many things. For example, with those soldiers we encountered earlier—if I had the Inner Core with me, I definitely wouldn’t be afraid of them. We wouldn’t need to stay in this jail. Who knows, maybe we wouldn’t even need a boat for the Nai River—I could directly fly you across! We’d go straight back to the mortal world!”

“Inner Core, where is it?”

Meng Ruji immediately gestured: “Right here!” She pointed to a spot on his abdomen. “Can you feel it? Warm and cozy? Sometimes even a bit hot.”

Mu Sui couldn’t feel the Inner Core, but at the spot her fingertip touched, he felt the sensation she described—warm and cozy, and somewhat hot, able to dispel the cold, stinging pain in his body.

Mu Sui shook his head: “I can’t feel the Inner Core you mentioned.” He felt extremely guilty. “It seems like I can’t return it to you.” He looked at Meng Ruji with deep apology. “Can you take it back yourself?”

Hearing this, Meng Ruji stood there awkwardly.

“I…” she said tactfully, “am afraid that if I act, I might hurt you.”

She seemed to have completely forgotten how, when she had previously thrown stones at Mu Sui’s stomach, she had used so much force that her palm had split open…

Hearing her words, Mu Sui felt even sadder.

She was so kind, still afraid of hurting him.

“I’m fine.” Mu Sui immediately said seriously, “If you want it, just take it back.” Mu Sui leaned against the wall, lifted his clothes, and exposed his abdomen. The muscle lines traced distinct shapes across his stomach.

Meng Ruji glanced at his abdomen, then at his innocent eyes.

Meng Ruji opened her mouth, then closed it.

She was…

Had bitterness in her heart but couldn’t express it.

If it weren’t for his eyes looking so innocent, truly appearing to know nothing about anything, Meng Ruji would suspect that Mu Sui was deliberately trying to frustrate her!

If she could do it herself, would it be his turn to lift his clothes now? Why would she need to humble herself and sweet-talk him with kind words?

She would have acted long ago!

Meng Ruji slowly took a deep breath, suppressing the emotions in her heart.

She couldn’t fall out with him yet.

Meng Ruji told herself there was still a chance. She could slowly coax him, bit by bit, and deceive him. As long as it was before he recovered his memory, there was still an opportunity.

“It’s fine.” Meng Ruji looked at Mu Sui gently, her fingertips tender as she slowly pulled his lifted clothes back down, covering his abdomen properly. Like treating a fragile baby, she gently patted him. “There’s no rush. Let me teach you how to use spiritual power. Once you learn to use spiritual power, you’ll be able to sense the existence of your dantian and Inner Core.”

Mu Sui immediately nodded: “Alright.”

“During this period, I don’t have spiritual power, and my physical strength isn’t great either. You absolutely can’t stray too far from me. Like last night, running around everywhere won’t do—I can’t catch up.”

“Alright.”

“Mu Sui, can you protect me here?”

Mu Sui didn’t hesitate: “I can.”

Meng Ruji smiled warmly and raised her hand to tidy his somewhat messy hair:

“Falling into this place but still having you by my side—it’s truly fortunate.”

Mu Sui didn’t speak or move, letting Meng Ruji help him smooth his hair bit by bit. Even when she sometimes pulled painfully, he didn’t make a sound.

He kept his head lowered, his gaze gentle. For some reason, his cheeks also had that warm, somewhat hot feeling that Meng Ruji had mentioned earlier. As if the Inner Core she spoke of had grown onto his face…

“Meng Ruji.” He murmured her name in a low voice, somewhat unfamiliar.

“Mm?”

“The Inner Core—I will return it to you as soon as possible.” He spoke in a low voice, as if making a vow.

The sincerity in these words left even Meng Ruji stunned for a moment. Then she smiled slightly and answered with a gentle voice: “You’re so good.”