“This won’t work.”

For the first time since arriving at this Rui Wei Cao Yin house, Meng Ruji sat face-to-face with Mu Sui.

To prevent him from running away, Meng Ruji was tightly gripping his hand, with their fingers interlaced. Mu Sui had struggled, but couldn’t break free, so he gave up.

He let Meng Ruji hold him, sitting across from her with a serious expression as she discussed serious matters:

“Today, Madam Lin had us kill sheep and wanted you to stab me. What if tomorrow, on a whim, she wants us to kill each other? Even worse, what if she wants us to commit suicide? My little cleverness might work once, but I can’t fool my way through every time.”

Mu Sui gave a cold laugh: “Has Madam finally come to her senses today? On the day you drank the poisoned tea, weren’t you confident and heroic?” His tone carried his usual cold sarcasm.

Meng Ruji pouted: “Husband, recall and get your facts straight. I clearly warned you, but you drank that tea regardless of the danger. I drank the tea to accompany you.” Meng Ruji pulled his hand and gripped their interlaced fingers tightly, feigning deep emotion: “This is called sharing life and death.”

Mu Sui frowned and couldn’t help struggling again: “I don’t need your company.”

Of course, his struggle failed.

So Mu Sui could only say patiently: “I have malevolent energy protecting me, I have a way out. You’ve forced yourself into a dead end. You should give up early…”

“If your husband wants to destroy the world, you should be decisive and ruthless with everyone. Why are you still leaving me a way out?” Meng Ruji propped her head on the table, studying Mu Sui. “Anyway, I can’t stop you, and this world will be gone later. I might as well kick my legs now and die beside you. I won’t live anymore.”

Hearing this, Mu Sui’s expression turned cold: “Meng Ruji…”

“Are you reluctant to let me go?” Meng Ruji interrupted him, still propping her head, asking as if casually.

Mu Sui’s lips moved, but he didn’t answer.

The room fell silent, until…

“Thud”—a stone fell.

A familiar stone that instantly transformed into a familiar person.

Mo Li sat cross-legged on the table like a New Year painting. He looked at Meng Ruji, then at Mu Sui, finally focusing on their tightly clasped hands on the table: “Did I come at a bad time?”

Meng Ruji immediately glanced toward the door, then pressed Mo Li’s head, turning him back into stone form: “Talk in dreams.” Meng Ruji glanced at Mu Sui, who was just starting to look unhappy. She sincerely invited him: “Come together.”

Then, without allowing any argument, she pulled Mu Sui to the bed, hand in hand, sitting cross-legged with eyes closed, entering dreams.

Mu Sui sat beside her, looking at their clasped hands. After a moment of silence, he finally sighed and closed his eyes to enter meditation.

They arrived at Meng Ruji’s dreamscape again, chaos floating with countless mist orbs.

Meng Ruji walked through the mist and found Mu Sui and Mo Li, who had already met in the dreamscape.

“In my dreams again.” Meng Ruji glanced at Mu Sui. “This isn’t fair. Don’t you ever dream?”

Mu Sui crossed his arms, turning to look at one of Meng Ruji’s mist orbs, not answering her question.

“He’s very guarded. I’ve tried many times to enter his dreams, but I can’t get in. Qianshan Jun…” Mo Li wanted to pat Mu Sui’s shoulder, but was subtly avoided. Mo Li looked at his empty hand, not angry, and smiled: “You’re the first person I’ve encountered like this. I’ve even been to the Human God’s dreams before—her burdens weren’t as heavy as yours.”

“If you have business, speak.” Mu Sui responded coldly.

“No wonder you two make a married couple.” Mo Li pouted. “You said exactly what Little Meng said when she saw me this afternoon.”

“So what did you find out about Ye Big River? You took action this afternoon?” Meng Ruji returned to the main topic. “Madam Lin said there were mice in the backyard, which seemed to be hinting at me. That’s why I didn’t dare let you speak in the room.”

“Ye Chuan was indeed controlled in spirit before.” Speaking of this matter, Mo Li’s expression also grew serious.

“This afternoon, not long after I took him out of Rui Wei Cao Yin, he woke up, but couldn’t remember why he came here at all. He said he only remembered that after Zhan Ye was defeated, he and Tuzi separately led away some pursuers, then he didn’t know what happened.”

“There was possession?” Meng Ruji was very confused. “Who was it? That person didn’t harm his life either. Once you acted, that person ran?”

Mo Li nodded. He glanced at Mu Sui beside him, and after much consideration, finally spoke: “Qianshan Jun, regarding the identity of that possessing person, do you have any thoughts?”

Only then did Mu Sui shift his gaze from Meng Ruji’s dream mist orbs. He looked at Mo Li as if he could see right through him:

“Who is that person—don’t you already know in your heart?”

Like speaking in riddles, Mu Sui simply threw the question back. Mo Li’s expression changed slightly.

“I…”

Mo Li lowered his eyes, the emotions hidden in his expression showing a struggle Meng Ruji had never seen before.

“I just don’t dare believe… she came.”

Now it was Meng Ruji’s turn to look back and forth between Mu Sui and Mo Li. She thought for a while, as if sorting out some clues from various hints: “The person you’re talking about who possessed Ye Big River’s body—it wouldn’t be the Human God… Mo Yi, would it?”

Mu Sui didn’t confirm, but didn’t deny either.

Mo Li smiled bitterly, his fingertips trembling slightly as he covered his face: “I’m guessing—besides her, who else could possess others in No-Return Land without me noticing? I… all these days, she was already here…”

Mo Li’s words were somewhat confused, showing his disturbed state of mind.

But Meng Ruji gradually organized her thoughts from these words:

“Wait.” She held out her hand, sorting things out. “The Human God Mo Yi has made the mortal world a living hell, so many people died that even more cultivators came to No-Return Land. At this time, she came to No-Return Land, possessed Ye Big River, and then…”

Meng Ruji looked up, glancing at Mo Li, then at Mu Sui, saying incredulously:

“She’s here feeding chickens and sheep?” Meng Ruji’s eyes were full of shock. “She’s being a bit ridiculous!”

“Aren’t you also here feeding chickens and sheep?” Mu Sui glanced at Meng Ruji.

“How is that the same?” Meng Ruji was speechless. “I’m forced into this, needing a thousand gold to buy life—isn’t this the fastest way? She…” At this point, Meng Ruji turned to look at Mu Sui: “She didn’t possess Ye Chuan initially to come feed chickens and sheep…”

Meng Ruji pondered, stepping forward two paces, approaching Mu Sui.

“She met with you alone?”

Mu Sui still stood in place with arms crossed, neither humble nor arrogant: “When she met me, you were there.”

“She never said anything to you privately?”

“No.”

Meng Ruji studied Mu Sui with an interrogating gaze: “When did you know Ye Big River was possessed?”

“Ye Big River was wrong when he came back. I asked him who he was, then—you heard it.”

“Then, when did you know she was the Human God?”

“Just now.”

“Just now?”

“No-Return Land has many strange things, but I’ve never heard of possession. Even with my techniques, it would be very difficult to do in No-Return Land. Moreover, this person’s soul-capturing technique could escape even the No-Return Master’s notice. Guessing, naturally, it would be the person who created this place together with him who could most likely do it. And he said before…” Mu Sui nodded toward Mo Li with his chin, “No-Return Land was created by him and the Human God together.”

That… made sense.

“Then it’s strange.” Meng Ruji was puzzled. “She went to the trouble of coming to No-Return Land, took such a big detour, didn’t contact you alone, didn’t conspire with you to return to the mortal world to accomplish your common purpose, but stayed beside us to secretly observe, feeding chickens and sheep. What’s her purpose?”

Mu Sui also lowered his eyes in thought, seeming to find this matter strange too.

Mo Li said: “No matter what she wants to do… I should go find her.”

“How to find her?”

“She stayed here as Ye Chuan all this time, proving that what she wants to do must be related to you two.” Mo Li said, “After I leave today, I’ll hide my aura completely, lurking in the shadows. When she appears again, I’ll trap her in No-Return Land.”

Rarely seeing the always-joking Mo Li show such a serious expression, Meng Ruji thought: “Didn’t you say before that you were injured in the mortal world and couldn’t use techniques?”

Mo Li lowered his eyes slightly: “To keep her here, even if it means fighting for my life.”

“How many lives do you have?” Meng Ruji glanced at Mo Li. “It’s not the end yet—don’t speak lightly of risking your life. If we can get the thousand gold early, perhaps we can contend with her in No-Return Land… After all, she also had to possess Ye Chuan to approach us, which shows that in No-Return Land, she’s also restricted somehow, unable to fully display her power as the Human God…”

Speaking of this, Meng Ruji glanced at Mu Sui: “You said before that you wanted to keep No-Return Land, right?”

Mu Sui raised an eyebrow slightly.

“So if the Human God is unwilling to keep No-Return Land, what do you plan to do?”

Meng Ruji’s calculation was almost hitting Mu Sui in the face.

“What are you trying to say?”

“I mean, we still don’t know what the Human God’s purpose in coming to No-Return Land is—whether she came for you or to destroy No-Return Land. If she wants to destroy No-Return Land, then we’re still comrades, right?”

In the chaotic dreamscape, following Meng Ruji’s words, some mist orbs slowly drifted over from around them. Not intentionally, but when she began thinking about her and Mu Sui’s past, these memories they had walked through together subconsciously began gravitating toward them.

The mist orbs contained images of them imprisoned together, fighting the crazed Ye Chuan together, and confronting Zhan Ye together.

Mu Sui didn’t look toward those mist orbs, but just from the faint light emanating from the mist, he could find those scenes from his memories.

Then Mu Sui turned around. His figure gradually disappeared into the dreamscape’s mist, leaving only his promise in the chaos.

“What I said hasn’t changed.”

Meng Ruji watched Mu Sui’s back disappear, raising her eyebrows: “So we are comrades—he won’t even admit this, such a stubborn mouth.”

“Little Meng.” Mo Li called her. “What does Madam Lin require you to do to get the thousand gold?”

Meng Ruji sighed: “One month of complete obedience.”

Mo Li frowned: “One month?” He thought seriously for a while, then gave a serious suggestion: “Why not just rob her?”

Meng Ruji: “…”

Mo Li tried to convince her: “I know how difficult Madam Lin is to deal with. Even without Mo Yi having arrived, for you to safely get the thousand gold after this month is impossible.”

“I know. I’ve already felt it.” Meng Ruji sighed. “But the method you’re suggesting isn’t necessarily easier than dealing with Mo Yi.

“Think about it—how long has Madam Lin been at Rui Wei Cao Yin? You know better than I what kind of place No-Return Land is. Before, Mu Sui and I killed a bandit leader—kill him, and his money was ours. Does No-Return Land lack vicious criminals? Madam Lin has been safe all these years—it can’t be because of good luck, right? Before giving out the thousand gold, she’s the one who possesses it.”

Mo Li fell silent.

“But… whether getting the thousand gold from Madam Lin requires a month of complete obedience…” Meng Ruji cupped her chin, looking at a mist orb that had drifted before her.

In the Mist Orb was tonight’s incident of Madam Lin told Mu Sui to stab her.

Mo Li, beside her, also saw it. Seeing Meng Ruji take the cleaver and have Mu Sui stab her hair, Mo Li couldn’t help nodding approvingly.

But Meng Ruji kept observing Madam Lin’s expression in the scene.

“What do you think her purpose in doing this was?”

Mo Li looked sideways at the thinking Meng Ruji.

“Did Madam Lin make ridiculous demands of you before, too?”

Mo Li’s expression froze slightly, then he coughed somewhat embarrassedly: “Just… wore women’s clothing…”

“You wore it?”

“I looked quite good. But I didn’t meet her requirements—first she wanted red, then green. So I ran away.”

Meng Ruji chuckled, then continued studying the mist orb: “Look, she gives different requirements to each person. From your time, so long ago, until now, she seems to have always been making things difficult for others. Making those seeking the thousand gold do things they don’t want to do. Why?”

Mo Li thought: “Just to make others uncomfortable?”

“But she’s looking for someone to take the thousand gold and return to the mortal world in her place. Making this person’s life difficult—what good does that do her? She’s not crazy…”

As Meng Ruji spoke, her expression gradually grew serious. In her heart, she vaguely seemed to glimpse an answer, but because she lacked concrete evidence, this answer appeared elusive, making it difficult for her to grasp it firmly.

“Forget it, let’s not think about it now.”

Meng Ruji told Mo Li, “From now on, as you said, after you go out, hide in the shadows. I’ll try my best to get the thousand gold from this end. Unless necessary, don’t risk your life.”

Mo Li chuckled softly: “Little Meng, when dealing with Zhan Ye before, you weren’t like this.”

Meng Ruji paused, then nodded: “When there’s no other way, then we’ll risk our lives.” She smiled and patted Mo Li’s shoulder. “A life should naturally be risked on something one considers worthwhile.”