“Zhan Ye wants to destroy the world and has contact with that human deity. It’s clear that the human deity Mo Yi you spoke of has ultimately walked the path of her destined fate.”

Hearing Mu Sui speak of this matter, both Meng Ruji and Mo Li’s expressions grew more grave.

Only Mu Sui remained indifferent, crossing his arms as he continued his deduction:

“He’s been in Zhuliu City for so long, using any means necessary to amass gold and silver. He should have had a thousand gold by now, but he’s never made any moves. This shows he must have learned some method from the human deity and plans to test it first in the Wuliu realm before returning to the mortal world.”

Meng Ruji glanced at Mu Sui. No wonder Mo Li had praised his cleverness – she hadn’t even had time to share the information she’d learned from Zhan Ye, yet he’d already deduced half of it himself.

“Yes, I was just about to say…”

Meng Ruji sighed with some weariness: “I got Zhan Ye to talk. He plans to gather two thousand gold in three days, then take me away. At the same time, he has another scheme – he intends to draw the waters of the Nai River into the clouds and use rainfall to destroy the Wuliu realm.”

Hearing this, Mu Sui was stunned, then fell into complex silence.

He lowered his head without speaking. Meng Ruji assumed he was thinking of countermeasures and continued: “However, we’re not without ways to break his plan. The Golden Staff from Zhuliu City that you mentioned before – I suspect he must have placed it in that cloud-gathering, rain-summoning formation.”

Mo Li understood: “Right. Malevolent energy isn’t bound by the rules of the Wuliu realm, but for cloud-gathering and rain-summoning techniques, malevolent energy alone won’t suffice. He still needs gold and silver to accomplish such techniques that manipulate natural forces.”

Meng Ruji nodded: “He said Zhuliu City is the highest place in all of the Wuliu realm. The technique he wants to perform must utilize the highest terrain. Wherever the highest point in your Zhuliu City is, that’s definitely where the formation will be!”

Receiving Meng Ruji’s expectant gaze, Mu Sui’s first response wasn’t equally excited.

He remained silent.

Until both Meng Ruji and Mo Li noticed something seemed off about his mood.

“Qianshan Jun.” Mo Li studied him. “Do you have other thoughts?”

Meng Ruji was also puzzled: “Your Zhuliu City – don’t you want to save it? You don’t want Tuzi anymore? Your loyal subordinates, either?”

Even when pushed to this extent, Mu Sui didn’t respond impulsively.

He was contemplating, hesitating. The expression in his eyes was truly like what Mo Li had called him before – a “lost one.”

Meng Ruji also waited for a long time. Growing impatient, she grabbed his collar with one hand and shook him.

Even in the dream, Mu Sui was startled by Meng Ruji’s action. The dream buzzed again, and everything around them swayed… as if the Mu Sui outside was about to be shaken awake by this action.

“Listen up. Whatever scheme you’re plotting in your heart, I’m making this decision for you today.” Meng Ruji stared straight at him, almost able to see her angry reflection in Mu Sui’s pupils:

“Come save me!”

She spoke decisively, like a hammer striking his head, causing ripples in his eyes.

“Besides, Zhan Ye has deceived you several times!” Meng Ruji continued persuading Mu Sui. “Whatever scheme you have, must you execute it together with him? Don’t steam buns just to save face – execute your schemes yourself. Listen to me, come with me, and deal with him! This matter is settled!”

After she finished speaking, the mist in the dream flowed quietly.

Mo Li’s eyes darted left and right, wondering if he should say something to mediate.

Suddenly, they heard Mu Sui chuckle softly. While grasping Meng Ruji’s hand and removing it from his collar, he spoke in response:

“The highest point of Zhuliu City is right where you’re staying.”

Mo Li glanced sideways at Mu Sui, seeing that he held Meng Ruji’s hand without releasing it, his gaze remaining on Meng Ruji.

Hearing Mu Sui’s words, Meng Ruji quickly accepted his change, only focusing on contemplation without noticing whether he was holding her hand.

Mo Li, seeing through everything, smiled without saying anything.

After thinking, Meng Ruji said seriously: “In my room, I didn’t see anything resembling a Golden Staff, nor any formation.”

“Above your head is another level – a sky terrace called Jiētian Pavilion. That’s the most suitable place for setting up a cloud-gathering formation.”

“Jiētian Pavilion… the name you chose…” Meng Ruji couldn’t help commenting, “You’re planning to overturn the heavens…”

Mu Sui ignored her.

Meng Ruji could only touch her nose and return to the topic: “If the Golden Staff is upstairs from me…” She looked at Mo Li. “I know you’re injured, but at a time like this, can you overcome it? Let me use some techniques – I don’t need to overturn the heavens, just lift a roof.”

Mo Li sighed mournfully: “Your old ancestor here was severely bullied when I went to the mortal realm earlier. Now I want to help you, but I truly have the will but lack the strength.”

“Who bullied you in the mortal realm?”

“Malevolent energy. Didn’t my second son-in-law mention before that malevolent energy runs rampant in the mortal realm? I thought I’d go take a look, but as soon as I went, I was injured by black monsters formed from condensed malevolent energy.”

“Black monsters?” Meng Ruji turned to look at Mu Sui. “Didn’t you say before that when you came looking for me at Xuejing Cliff, black monsters were planning to extract my Inner Core?”

Mu Sui nodded.

“I heard people in the mortal realm call those things ‘Netherfiends.'”

Meng Ruji thought for a moment and sighed: “If those Netherfiends are also born from malevolent energy, I’m afraid they’re also connected to your former human deity friend. But we can’t worry about all that now. Let’s solve the immediate problem first…”

The more Meng Ruji spoke, the more her brow furrowed.

This immediate problem…

No money…

How could this be solved?

She had a fate of toil and hardship!

Asking her to earn money out of thin air at this critical moment? By demolishing walls or moving bricks?

Suddenly, her palm felt a gentle pressure. Meng Ruji looked down and saw that Mu Sui was still holding her hand. He had just squeezed it, as if reminding her to look up at him.

“If you want to go up to Jiētian Pavilion, you don’t need techniques.” Mu Sui said.

Meng Ruji’s eyes immediately lit up: “Right, you’re the City Lord. You built the city – did you leave some secret doors?”

“The west-facing window, center position, in the crevice of the fifth stone wall block below, feel carefully – there’s a protruding stone particle. Press it down…”

“Then I can go up?”

“You can go down.”

Meng Ruji was stunned: “Go where?”

“To an uninhabited residential area in Zhuliu City.”

Meng Ruji was stunned again: “Then why would I want to go there?”

“Because many places in Zhuliu City’s City Lord’s hall have hidden mechanisms that can transport people away from the main hall’s range, for escaping during crises. This was set up before.”

“Then…” Meng Ruji harbored hope again, guessing: “There’s money in the residential area? I can use this silver to soar skyward! Straight up to Jiētian Pavilion! Boldly seize the Golden Staff!”

“Yes.”

Getting an affirmative answer, Meng Ruji was so happy she wanted to jump up: “A cunning rabbit has three burrows! Worthy of you! No wonder when you came to the Wuliu realm last time, you hung a rabbit as your life-suspending object.”

Facing Meng Ruji’s praise, Mu Sui remained calm: “In the residential area, under the loose brick wall in the southwest corner, there’s backup silver – not much, only two or three silver pieces, but enough for you to reach Jiētian Pavilion.”

Due to Mu Sui’s calmness, Meng Ruji also quickly calmed down and continued analyzing rationally:

“Zhan Ye told me earlier that in three days, when he gathers two thousand gold, he wants to take me away from the Wuliu realm. But he also said he’d help me retrieve my Inner Core. He’ll come looking for you again.”

“Let him come. I’ll hold him back while you go to the residential area for money, then up to Jiētian Pavilion. Cloud-gathering techniques aren’t easy to perform. Since Zhuliu City is always shrouded in dark clouds, I imagine the Golden Staff won’t leave that formation. When you find it, you can use its power to destroy his formation.”

“Good! We’ll coordinate from inside and outside!”

“Activating the Golden Staff requires drawing a spell. I’ll teach you.”

Mu Sui opened Meng Ruji’s palm and gently traced with his fingertip as a brush in her palm.

His fingertip seemed to carry some warmth, making Meng Ruji’s palm itch slightly. She glanced at Mu Sui’s profile and noticed that this young face had unknowingly become more angular and defined.

Perhaps…

This was how he was supposed to look.

Hadn’t Mo Li said before that Mu Sui looked much younger than before?

He might have experienced something after buying his life back to the mortal realm with a thousand gold, which caused him to revert to his youthful appearance…

“Do you remember?” Mu Sui asked her.

Their eyes met. Meng Ruji coughed slightly with some awkwardness and averted her gaze: “Mm, how did the end part go? Demonstrate again – my throat was a bit itchy just now, so I didn’t catch it.”

Mu Sui said nothing and drew it again.

Meng Ruji closed her five fingers, made a fist, and withdrew her hand: “I remember now.”

“Within three days, I’ll find an opportunity to lure him out of the city. After he leaves, I’ll use fireworks as a signal – act accordingly when you see it.”

“Good.”

“After that, I might not have time to enter dreams…”

“Mm, be careful with everything. Zhan Ye isn’t easy to deal with.”

“Good.”

Having said this, there seemed to be nothing left to discuss. But neither of them turned to leave.

Their gazes lingered on each other’s faces for a while. Without anyone giving orders, they naturally averted their eyes. The two turned their heads in tacit understanding, only to see Mo Li already reclining on the ground, watching them with great satisfaction.

“Mutual affection between lovers – this matchmaking I did was excellent, excellent indeed.”

“We’re done talking, let’s go quickly.” Meng Ruji said. “Put away your supernatural ability.”

“I’m putting it away.” Mo Li said as his figure began to fade. “You don’t need to do anything. When the haze recedes, you’ll slowly wake up.”

As his words fell, his figure disappeared first.

Only two people remained in the gray space.

Meng Ruji waited to wake up, idly observing the clusters of mist in the sky. As she looked up, the mist seemed to respond to her summons, floating to her side one by one.

Meng Ruji didn’t look closely, just glanced roughly, then inadvertently looked at Mu Sui beside her.

But Mu Sui was gazing intently at those dream scenes.

The dreams gradually changed from deep gray to light gray. The scenes in the mist also seemed like ink entering water, gradually dissolving into clouds.

Meng Ruji knew they were about to wake up. Just as she was about to bid farewell to Mu Sui, she vaguely heard him ask: “Isn’t saving people difficult?”

She didn’t know which scene from her dreams he had seen.

Meng Ruji pursed her lips and asked back: “Isn’t watching someone die without helping difficult?”

Gray began transforming into white light. The hazy mist had all scattered into the white background.

Mu Sui’s figure also began to gradually blur. Meng Ruji thought that in Mu Sui’s eyes, she must appear the same way.

The space became vast and empty, their voices seeming to echo within it.

“Meng Ruji, hell will never be empty.”

Meng Ruji chuckled softly: “I never wanted to become a Buddha anyway.”

Mu Sui’s face had become hazy, but Meng Ruji still looked at him and said:

“I don’t care whether hell is empty or full. I’m just using all my strength to live. Isn’t that the same for you, Qianshan Jun? Between heaven and earth, among mountains and rivers, all living things are merely seeking survival.”

With Meng Ruji’s dreamlike voice, Mu Sui opened his eyes to see the familiar landscape of the Wuliu realm before him. Only Meng Ruji’s voice continued to penetrate from the dream into his reality.

“I’m waiting for you to come save me.”

Mu Sui sat up. He looked at his palm, and for some reason, his mind still retained the warmth of touching Meng Ruji.

Staring at his palm a moment longer, he saw his chaotic palm lines. Without needing others to tell him, he knew his fate was disordered, his destiny fraught with misfortune…

“I… never planned to save anyone.”

Mu Sui clenched his palm, his voice low and deep.

He stood up and gazed into the distance. Where clouds covered the view, he knew that was the direction of Zhuliu City’s main hall.

“City Lord Brother!” Tuzi saw him wake and immediately bounced over. “I’ve been keeping good watch! Are you well-rested? Don’t worry! There isn’t a trace of malevolent energy around – no matter what it is, nothing could discover where we are!”

“Find a way to lure Zhan Ye here.” Mu Sui ordered.

Tuzi, who was about to boast more about his achievements, unconsciously responded “Yes,” then looked at Mu Sui in disbelief: “Weren’t we supposed to hide from him? That Luo Yingfeng was stingy and only gave us three gold coins, City Lord Brother. What are we luring him here for?”

Mu Sui didn’t look back as he drew a formation on the ground:

“To save Zhuliu City.”

Mu Sui: Saving the city, not saving people.

Tuzi: Even a duck that’s been dead for three days doesn’t have such a hard mouth.