When dawn broke, Meng Ruji awakened… from Mu Sui’s lap.

As she opened her eyes in the somewhat dazzling mottled sunlight, she saw Mu Sui’s Adam’s apple and jawline, perfectly sculpted lines as if carved.

After a brief moment of stunned confusion, Meng Ruji suddenly flipped over and sat up.

“I… I fell asleep yesterday… How did I end up lying on your lap…”

Mu Sui finished his meditation before slowly opening his eyes to look at Meng Ruji. He saw her with her back to him, running her hands through her hair as if trying to smooth away the embarrassment in her heart.

Mu Sui’s eyebrows moved slightly.

In his view, Meng Ruji rarely showed such an expression. Most of the time, she was composed and somewhat aloof. Even if she had slept on his lap, she should have simply yawned and said sorry.

Mu Sui lowered his gaze, thinking that ever since she had that conversation with the Master of No Refuge in that dream realm he couldn’t probe yesterday, her behavior had become somewhat strange. However, now that she knew his identity and mission, she must have discussed some means to stop him with Mo Li. It was normal for her to become strange.

He would just wait and see what they wanted to do. In any case, his purpose would not waver for anyone.

“We should prepare to depart.” Mu Sui stood up and dusted off his clothes.

Meng Ruji also adjusted her emotions and stood up: “Not waiting for Tuzi?”

“He’s back.”

As soon as he finished speaking, rustling sounds came from the forest. Soon, a fluffy ball emerged from the grass, exploded in the air with a “bang,” and transformed back into the tall, bearded, burly man.

“City Lord, big brother!” he shouted, “We need to leave quickly!”

Meng Ruji looked behind him: “Where’s Ye Chuan?”

“Following behind, he’ll be here soon!”

“What happened to Zhuliu City?” Mu Sui asked, “Did something occur?”

“Not exactly. After you left yesterday, Ye Chuan and I each led away a group of people. When dawn broke today, I transformed into a rabbit and circled back to the city.

“Right at the Yinyuan Tree, I saw Luo Yingfeng and several other city leaders gathered together. That Luo Yingfeng was leading them, insisting they must find City Lord big brother and… and kill City Lord big brother. It’s too much! Although the hostile aura is indeed… well, that, but City Lord big brother saved them with that hostile aura! How can they not distinguish right from wrong!”

Mu Sui listened with an unchanged expression, his emotions showing no fluctuation whatsoever.

Meng Ruji also felt this was within expectations: “With the crisis in the No Refuge Land resolved, it’s not surprising he’d turn his spear against your City Lord big brother. The personal grudge remains.”

“They said they would turn Zhuliu City upside down to find you!”

“Then let them search Zhuliu City.”

Mo Li jumped out from Meng Ruji’s sleeve, curling his lip: “Since you’re not in Zhuliu City now anyway, what’s the rush?”

Tuzi was startled by Mo Li’s sudden appearance, taking three steps back. After seeing who it was, he cursed loudly: “Evil woman, you’re carrying a man on you again!”

Meng Ruji looked at him coldly: “Watch your words.”

Mu Sui also gave Tuzi a cold stare: “Speak of serious matters.”

Tuzi pouted: “If they stayed in the city to search, I wouldn’t be worried either, but the problem is they didn’t stay in the city!”

This statement surprised all three of them.

“Many people from Zhuliu City came out—elderly, children, and soldiers—they wouldn’t let the outsiders continue searching in the city. City Lord big brother… they seem to think you’re still in the city, so they won’t allow outsiders to search.” Tuzi said, “The situation was quite dangerous at the time, almost leading to conflict, but those people didn’t back down.”

After Tuzi finished speaking, the forest fell quiet for a moment.

Meng Ruji glanced at Mu Sui, seeing him lower his eyes slightly. After a moment, he turned his head: “They all withdrew from Zhuliu City?”

“Luo Yingfeng was quite arrogant, but the other city leaders didn’t want to conflict with Zhuliu City’s people, so they all withdrew and began searching outside.”

“Mm, then let’s depart.”

Mu Sui turned and walked away, with Tuzi hurrying to follow.

Meng Ruji watched Mu Sui’s retreating figure and sighed.

Zhuliu City… wasn’t it also using emotion to try to keep him?

Yet he still wanted to complete his “destiny.”

Zhuliu City was built by his own hands over hundreds of years—surely his feelings for it ran deeper than hers… Her current last-minute effort… could it succeed?

Meng Ruji glanced at Mo Li beside her, only to see Mo Li frantically making eye signals at her.

Meng Ruji silently expressed her confusion: What?

Mo Li stretched out both his hands, clasping them tightly together in the air, frantically hinting to Meng Ruji—hold his hand!

Meng Ruji: “…”

Under Mo Li’s gaze, Meng Ruji had no choice but to grit her teeth and steel herself to catch up.

Tuzi was very sensitive to Meng Ruji’s approach. He turned around, staring at Meng Ruji warily: “What are you doing?”

“Traveling,” Meng Ruji said while looking for an opportunity, trying to squeeze past Tuzi to walk beside Mu Sui.

Tuzi frowned tightly, watching Meng Ruji squeeze in. He immediately followed, brazenly inserting himself between Meng Ruji and Mu Sui, pushing her away again. His movements were large, and his build even larger. Meng Ruji was unprepared and was directly pushed into jumping up, stumbling to the side.

“Don’t get close to my City Lord, big brother!” Tuzi scolded angrily, “An Evil woman is always up to no good! It’s all because you deliberately seduced him before! My City Lord, big brother fell for you!”

Meng Ruji was almost pushed to the ground. Just as she steadied herself and heard Tuzi shout this sentence loudly, her expression changed completely.

“Don’t talk nonsense, I didn’t!” She was like a real rabbit whose sore spot had been stepped on, getting anxious, “Who seduced him before?”

“Well, you are now!”

“I…”

Meng Ruji choked.

She had been tricked into revealing herself like this…

Meng Ruji stood frozen in place, looking toward Mu Sui.

Mu Sui was staring fixedly at her, his composure making her appear even more flustered.

The four words “guilty conscience” seemed to be carved on her face by herself…

It’s over…

She knew she didn’t know how to seduce people at all…

Meng Ruji looked at Mo Li.

She saw Mo Li behind them, holding his forehead, sighing in disappointment that iron couldn’t become steel.

Meanwhile, Tuzi turned to tattle: “City Lord big brother, look at her! She’s plotting against you! Don’t let love take deep root in your heart! She wants to bewitch you with romance!”

Round and round, Meng Ruji’s gaze fell on Mu Sui again.

Mu Sui’s expression was indifferent, as if he weren’t the one whose feelings had been seen through by everyone. Or rather, ever since he saw his name glowing on the Yinyuan Tree, he no longer cared whether others knew his feelings.

Everyone in the No Refuge Land understood what two blazing names on the Yinyuan Tree meant.

“Do you think this can influence my decision?” Mu Sui spoke indifferently, more directly exposing Meng Ruji.

After a brief moment of defeat and embarrassment, Meng Ruji simply closed her eyes, gritted her teeth, and broke the jar completely, straightening her body: “I’ll speak plainly—I am indeed trying to seduce you, to make you fall deeply in love with me and thus abandon your thoughts of destroying the world.”

Tuzi pointed at Meng Ruji: “You see! You really…” Halfway through, he stopped and turned to look at Mu Sui again, “Destroying the world… City Lord big brother… I thought you only hated those who harmed you…”

Mu Sui remained silent.

Meng Ruji picked up the conversation: “Although your rabbit is quite annoying, he’s right about this. You should hate those who harmed you. I can promise you that if we return to the mortal realm and you want to take revenge on the heavenly gods, I will help you. Even if the path ahead is as difficult as ascending to heaven.”

Mu Sui looked at her, seeing sunlight filtering through the leaves, casting mottled shadows across her cheek. He still said, “No need.” He turned to continue forward, “I do have feelings for you, but you can’t influence me either. Don’t waste your effort.”

Meng Ruji watched Mu Sui walk forward, her fists clenching at her sides.

Mo Li walked to her side and sighed. Meng Ruji suddenly said, “If there’s no other way, we can only meet him with weapons, right?” Meng Ruji looked at Mo Li.

After a brief silence, Mo Li said solemnly: “Don’t—we can’t beat him.”

This time, it was Meng Ruji’s turn to be silent.

“How do we know without trying?” She still decided to struggle a bit.

“He has a divine hostile aura and is already very strong. Previously, he deliberately concealed it to hide his identity and avoid everyone ganging up against him. Now he’s also given up and not hiding anymore. If we fight him to mutual destruction, I’m afraid this No Refuge Land truly won’t be able to remain. Moreover, he now has that Inner Core…”

Meng Ruji lowered her head in thought, murmuring: “If only we could get the Inner Core back…”

“Then you’d have to beat him first.”

But they couldn’t beat him…

Like hitting a ghost wall, a dead loop…

Meng Ruji gnashed her teeth hatefully, staring at Mu Sui’s back, but saw a small object bouncing at his waist—the grass cricket she had given him to play with last night.

He didn’t throw it away and even attached it to his waist.

“This person… speaks so resolutely with his mouth…”

But his body is quite honest in keeping the little toy…

“Let’s still play the emotional card.” Meng Ruji’s eyes showed determination, as if victory was assured: “Starting today, I’ll play my cards openly with him!”

Mo Li was somewhat worried: “Little Meng, although I was the one who suggested it, observing your performance last night and today, I feel that in matters of emotion, you might mess up a good hand.”

“I’m not good at it, but don’t I have to steel myself anyway?” Meng Ruji stepped forward, “Treating a dead horse as if it were alive… How hard can courtship be? Even if I haven’t eaten pork, haven’t I seen pigs run?”

Mo Li wanted to say something but held back, finally only encouraging: “Little Meng, I believe in you!”

Meng Ruji quickened her pace to catch up, once again reaching Mu Sui’s side.

This time, Tuzi silently followed behind Mu Sui with his head down, not knowing what he was contemplating. His expression was somewhat dejected. He didn’t stop Meng Ruji again, instead quietly making some room for her.

Meng Ruji understood and nodded at Tuzi. She rolled up her sleeves and reached directly for Mu Sui’s hand.

However, just as she was about to grab Mu Sui’s hand, suddenly a figure fell from the sky, landing with a “splat” in front of them.

Both Meng Ruji and Mu Sui stepped back, initially on guard, but after seeing who it was, they felt confused.

“Ye Chuan?” Meng Ruji wanted to step forward but was stopped by a hand.

Mu Sui silently glanced at Meng Ruji. Meng Ruji wasn’t about to be polite with him—she directly raised her hand and grabbed Mu Sui’s hand.

Mu Sui: “…”

He wanted to pull his hand away, but Meng Ruji’s five fingers were locked tightly with his ten fingers. It wasn’t like lovers holding hands, but more like grasping a life-saving straw—if he dared to shake her off, she dared to perish together with him.

After trying three times, Mu Sui gave up and let Meng Ruji hold his hand.

Meng Ruji was very satisfied. She felt she was already halfway to success.

“Who injured you?” Mu Sui asked Ye Chuan with a cold expression.

Ye Chuan got up from the ground himself. There was some dust on his face. He shook his head, seeming to want to regain his senses: “It’s nothing…” Ye Chuan looked up and saw Mu Sui. His eyes brightened slightly, then his gaze shifted to fall on their clasped hands.

Ye Chuan’s eyebrows furrowed slightly.

“Were you chased here?” Meng Ruji asked immediately.

Only then did Ye Chuan’s gaze fall on Meng Ruji’s face. He tilted his head, studying Meng Ruji for a while.

It was this moment of hesitation that made Mu Sui immediately step in front of Meng Ruji, staring at Ye Chuan with wariness.

“Who are you?”

Ye Chuan also looked at Mu Sui, frowning slightly as if very puzzled: “What’s wrong? I just shook off the pursuers to rendezvous with you.”

“I’m asking who you are?”

Mu Sui’s wariness also made Meng Ruji’s expression also become serious. They both stared at Ye Chuan in front of them.

Ye Chuan said formally: “I am Ye Chuan.”

“What’s your courtesy name?” Meng Ruji asked.

“Buxi.” Ye Chuan answered methodically, “Miss Meng, endless vitality. Now that you’ve formed a good match with Brother Mu, why must you bring up our past?”

“The No Refuge Land has many strange people and extraordinary beings. I’m just verifying your identity, don’t take offense.” After Meng Ruji answered, she glanced at Mu Sui and tightened her grip on his hand, “Don’t be jealous either. I’m now single-mindedly focused on seducing you.”

Mu Sui: “…”

“There were indeed people chasing. Ye Chuan and I split up to travel.” Tuzi corroborated, then asked Ye Chuan, “Did you fight them? Are you sure you shook them off?”

“Mm.” Ye Chuan nodded, “I didn’t sense them catching up, but we can’t stay here long. Let’s discuss where to go.”

Mu Sui said, “If you want to come, just follow me.”

“Where to?” Ye Chuan asked.

“The tail end of the Nai River, under the shade of Ruwei grass.”

As soon as these eight words were spoken, there was suddenly a “thud” from behind—Mo Li had slipped and fallen headfirst to the ground.

He scrambled to get up in a fluster, then stared at Mu Sui in disbelief: “How do you know about this place?”

Mu Sui appeared very calm: “People who come to the No Refuge Land with nowhere else to turn all know about this place. Master of No Refuge, it seems you know it too.”

Mo Li dusted off his clothes, showing difficulty: “Must you go?”

“To seek a thousand gold pieces, this is the only way.” Mu Sui said, “In the battle with Zhan Ye, to maintain the Heaven-Falling Formation, how many people exhausted their savings, their gold and silver scattered. Now in the No Refuge Land, can any other place gather a thousand gold pieces?”

Mo Li fell silent, seemingly struck by his words.

Only then did Meng Ruji learn that the magnificent golden “fireworks” she had witnessed had nearly left the No Refuge Land unable to gather even a thousand gold pieces…

“What kind of place is that?” Meng Ruji asked Mo Li, “You’re so reluctant to go.”

Mo Li smiled bitterly, finding it extremely difficult to speak: “A place where a strange person lives. I… am indeed somewhat afraid to see her.”

Meng Ruji wanted to ask Mo Li more questions, but Mu Sui turned and continued walking. Now that Meng Ruji was tightly holding Mu Sui’s hand, when he turned, Meng Ruji followed, walking forward step by step.

When the two of them moved, Tuzi also followed forward. Mo Li could only sigh and follow as well. When passing Ye Chuan, Mo Li noticed that Ye Chuan hadn’t moved. He looked back at Ye Chuan.

Ye Chuan had dust on his face and body. He was staring straight at Mo Li.

Mo Li felt something strange: “Young Brother Ye?” He asked him, “Are you severely injured and unable to travel?”

“No.” Ye Chuan lowered his head slightly. He gently patted his knee, “I just fell, and it hurt a bit from the impact. I’ll be fine after resting a moment.”

“Shall I help you?”

“I didn’t expect the Master of No Refuge to be so gentle.”

Mo Li was also somewhat surprised: “I didn’t expect Brother Ye to joke around too.”

Ye Chuan looked up with a serious expression toward the direction where Meng Ruji and the others had left, as if there was nothing abnormal: “Let’s go, they’re getting far ahead.”