Hearing Mu Sui’s words, Meng Ruji paused in her movements, then realized he was referring to the wound on her forehead.

This injury was merely a broken skin wound—compared to the many injuries Meng Ruji had suffered before, it was nothing worth mentioning.

She hadn’t expected Mu Sui to keep bringing it up repeatedly. Even though he had just crawled out of the Nai River and was starving, the first thing he expressed concern about was still her minor scrape.

Meng Ruji felt somewhat moved.

Thinking back to earlier at the ferry dock, when she had grabbed him, this little wild man had been so decisive in pulling away her hand to avoid implicating her, truly as resolute as could be, never even considering whether he might die.

Meng Ruji couldn’t help but think of her Five Guardians back at Hengxu Mountain.

Those children had all grown up under her watch, each with different personalities, but they were all genuinely good to her, exactly like Mu Sui now…

Focus on eating properly. I’m fine,” Meng Ruji said softly while feeding fruit into Mu Sui’s mouth. “No matter what happened before, from now on, I’ll treat you like my own little brother.”

Mu Sui almost wanted to spit out the fruit pulp in his mouth.

He didn’t want to establish this “familial relationship” with Meng Ruji, but after thinking it over, Mu Sui still swallowed the fruit.

After the fruit filled some of the emptiness in his stomach, Mu Sui regained a bit of strength. He moved his arms to prop himself up, then called out:

“Sister.”

Meng Ruji’s hand paused while peeling a fruit. Her gaze had been focused on the fruit in her hands, and she heard this address somewhat unclearly. She frowned strangely, feeling something was off.

Sister?

Why did this form of address sound somewhat unfamiliar?

Moreover, this address seemed… as if… vaguely… carried some mocking undertone?

Meng Ruji looked up at Mu Sui and saw him half-propped up, gazing at her intently. His clear black pupils reflected the scattered points of light from the Nai River, showing no trace of gloom.

Would Mu Sui know how to mock people with sarcasm?

He probably hadn’t learned that skill yet…

Meng Ruji suppressed her doubts and responded: “What? Is there something wrong with this fruit?”

“No.”

Mu Sui thought about how he had spoken to Meng Ruji when he had no memories, planning to use that same tone to extract information about how to use the Inner Core. So he said:

“Just now in the air, you were too close to the Nai River…” As soon as these syllables left his mouth, Mu Sui froze, hearing his mouth say completely beyond his control, “There’s wind over Nai River, be careful it doesn’t drag you into the river…”

After speaking, Mu Sui tightly shut his mouth, lowered his head slightly, and rubbed his brow.

What was he doing?

Was he some kind of hopeless romantic?!

Why was he uncontrollably caring about Meng Ruji?

Hearing this, Meng Ruji also froze for a moment, then glanced at the Nai River beside them.

The waters of the Nai River were silent. From the side, one could neither see the swift current nor feel the wind over the river surface that Mu Sui mentioned.

“So you’re saying I can’t use spiritual power techniques to control wind and cross the Nai River? I can only use the boats of the Place of No Refuge?” Meng Ruji pondered for a moment and took out a silver ingot. “Should we try?”

Mu Sui immediately pressed down on Meng Ruji’s eager hand: “Don’t try.”

Meng Ruji met Mu Sui’s warning gaze, blinked, and somewhat absent-mindedly thought again of that Mu Sui on Xuejing Cliff before she lost consciousness.

Seeing Meng Ruji fall silent and stare at his eyes with some contemplation, Mu Sui immediately changed his tone and opened his mouth: “I don’t want anything to happen to you, sister…”

Meng Ruji let down her guard and patted Mu Sui: “Don’t worry, little Sui. I’m not that easy to hurt, but you’re right—the rules here in the Place of No Refuge are much stranger than in the mortal world. We shouldn’t try things lightly.”

Meng Ruji put away the silver ingot and took out another copper coin from her chest. “If a person falls in, they can still climb out, but if money falls in, it can’t be retrieved. Let’s test with a copper coin.”

Meng Ruji used the copper coin to control a stone by the riverbank, attempting to ferry the stone across the river with the copper coin.

Mu Sui glanced at this but didn’t stop her. His heart was currently filled only with self-loathing—he couldn’t speak up about important matters he needed to ask, but disgusting words kept pouring out, slipping past his lips and teeth the moment they loosened…

The fate of a Life-Sustaining Object…

How revolting!

With a “thud,” the stone supported by the copper coin’s technique was predictably dragged into the river water by the wind over the Nai River.

This was within Mu Sui’s expectations, and he didn’t even turn his head.

After all, the last time he came to the Place of No Refuge, he had tried every possible method to cross the river. What approach hadn’t he attempted…

Seeing this, Meng Ruji sighed somewhat disappointedly:

“Even finding methods to use techniques can’t forcibly cross the river… We still have to follow the rules of paying to cross here. Going in circles, we still need to earn money… Forget it, a thousand gold can’t be rushed.”

Mu Sui silently listened to Meng Ruji’s muttering while peeling and eating fruit, thinking about how to solve his problem of saying the opposite of what he meant. Suddenly, he heard Meng Ruji say in a slightly low voice:

“Let’s first resolve the matter of you falling into the Nai River today. Later, I’ll make another trip to Mo Neng Ferry.”

Her tone was calm and unruffled. Mu Sui looked up at her and saw that the various emotions on Meng Ruji’s face had faded. She gazed thoughtfully toward the upper reaches of the Nai River, precisely in the direction of Mo Neng Ferry.

Her eyes harbored some calculation that even Mu Sui found difficult to fathom.

At this moment, the silent Meng Ruji did indeed have some resemblance to the legendary Demon Lord.

Mu Sui continued eating fruit: “Don’t go.”

He should thank Xiao Hong for the collision that allowed him to recover his memories early. Although Da Lu and Xiao Hong were rather annoying…

Meng Ruji glanced at Mu Sui: “Didn’t you say before we went that if a fight broke out, you’d slaughter them?”

Mu Sui was silent for a moment. Memories of his time with Meng Ruji flashed chaotically through his mind, and he caught hold of one phrase, once again blurting out:

“Prison doesn’t have you.”

Meng Ruji paused: “True.” She pondered for a moment. “Fine, when we have money, we’ll find a way to deal with him that won’t get us arrested.”

Seeing that Mu Sui had finished eating the fruit, Meng Ruji helped him up: “Feeling better? I’ll use these silver ingots to carry you home on the wind—won’t be as tiring as walking.”

Mu Sui stood up cooperatively, watching Meng Ruji form hand seals, and finally spoke: “Can you teach me to control wind? I don’t want you to work so hard.”

“You control the wind? It’s not impossible, but it’s not cost-effective.” Meng Ruji grasped Mu Sui’s hand. “I’ll do it—I eat less.”

Mu Sui felt his palm grow warm, and an irrepressible tingling sensation in his blood instantly spread through every nerve.

The next moment, Mu Sui was brought onto a blue formation by Meng Ruji, floating in the air. Below the blue formation, at the very center, was that silver ingot.

Meng Ruji formed seals with her fingertips, wind passed by them, and the wind-controlling technique carried them flying above the forest.

Their speed gradually increased. Afraid that Mu Sui wouldn’t be able to stand steady, Meng Ruji pulled his hand and had him hold onto her waist and abdomen: “Hold on tight.”

There was no need for Meng Ruji’s instruction. Almost instinctively, the moment Mu Sui’s palm touched Meng Ruji’s waist and abdomen, he pressed her into his embrace.

Wind rushed past their ears. Meng Ruji stood in front of him, her scattered hair constantly swaying against his cheek and neck with the wind, carrying her scent and making both his mood and skin tingle.

Mu Sui’s other hand, still at his side, after repeated self-control, finally didn’t reach forward to embrace Meng Ruji’s waist. He commanded his hand to press against his chest.

Then, with near-cold severity, he ordered his heart to stop: Calm down, stop beating.

But his heart and mouth weren’t as obedient as his hands—they rejected his brain’s nagging.

One responded with uncontrollable palpitations, the other spoke unbearable words:

“I want to hold you.”

Meng Ruji was controlling the wind in front and heard his voice but not his emotion: “Hold on then, hold tight—I’m going to fly faster in a moment, don’t fall off.”

Then, with these words, Mu Sui’s other hand also refused to obey his brain’s commands.

He finally embraced her with both arms.

Mu Sui clenched his jaw, his gaze cold, but the fierce wind couldn’t cool his burning face and ears.

Each heartbeat made him curse himself once more in his mind:

Worthless, to be controlled by these rules…

Well, it’s a bit short…

But wasn’t the long part in the front?!