Chapter 46
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Chapter 46: Title
Dawn broke, and the cracks at the top of the Sparrow Prison Tower finally settled.
Ye Qingshang, utterly exhausted, released Mu Huaiyun’s hand and collapsed on the ground. Now, they only had to wait a short while until the tower calmed before leaving.
Qianyu and Moon’s Shadow had returned to their owners. The surroundings held only the monsters’ angry roars and the two collapsed figures, looking odd.
"Cough, cough…" Mu Huaiyun coughed a few times.
Ye Qingshang fought her fatigue from drained spiritual power, struggled up, and stepped closer. "Are you okay?"
"I’m fine…" His voice was weak and unconvincing.
Ye Qingshang bent down, meaning to check his spiritual power by touching his forehead as she did four years ago. But before her fingers reached him, they were knocked away.
"What are you doing?" Mu Huaiyun snapped, his face wary.
Ye Qingshang felt stung by his look and said, "I just wanted to see your injuries."
The concern in her gaze was clear, but Mu Huaiyun didn’t want to see it. He turned away. "Whether I live or die isn’t your concern. Don’t worry; I won’t die, so don’t bother."
"You…" Mu Huaiyun’s tone matched his past self, reminding Ye Qingshang of hateful memories. She held back, noticing his profile looked pained, sweat dripping down his temple.
Clearly suffering, he still acted tough; it was frustrating…
Ye Qingshang used her little remaining spiritual power to form a barrier, sealing them off. Then she moved closer and cast a binding spell before Mu Huaiyun saw her.
Mu Huaiyun gasped, "You—!"
His words cut off as Ye Qingshang’s spiritual power entered him. He glared angrily, but despite his sharp look, he seemed to hold back and stayed silent.
Moments later, Ye Qingshang withdrew her hand. "It was merely repairing the formation. At the final moment, I clearly connected your spiritual power. Why were you injured in the heart meridian?"
Moreover, Mu Huaiyun had undergone four years of meditation. Since he emerged, his injuries from four years ago should have… Wait, Qiao Zhu once mentioned Mu Huaiyun’s injuries were severe—meditation could last three years or even decades, perhaps his entire lifetime. Could it be his wounds hadn’t healed when he…
"Could it be… your old injuries remain unhealed? Did you force yourself out of meditation? Mu Huaiyun, have you gone mad? After sustaining such grave injuries four years ago—why exhaust yourself over this collapsed Sparrow Prison Tower?"
"It’s not…" Mu Huaiyun cut her off. "Unrelated to past injuries. This time, it’s likely due to my cultivation method."
After all, the Sparrow Prison Tower had stood intact for years without repairs. Everyone knew spiritual weapons with water and wood attributes were needed, but no one knew what cultivation method the weapon’s master must practice.
Had that voice in his mind not warned him, Mu Huaiyun wouldn’t have known: differing cultivation methods could make one susceptible to the bewitching spells of the tower’s demons.
"Your cultivation method…" Ye Qingshang recalled hearing eerie whispers during the repair—spells from the tower’s demons. Unaffected because she’d ignored them, she asked, "Could it be… the tower’s magic interfered with you?"
"Yes."
Mu Huaiyun practiced identical cultivation methods across both lifetimes. If affected now, did that mean during the previous tower repair…
Ye Qingshang remembered her past life: watching Mu Huaiyun withdraw his spiritual weapon despite her desperate pleas. The formation’s backlash surged like a tidal wave. She’d barely maintained their progress through sheer will.
Back then, they’d been at loggerheads, never sharing a peaceful moment. She’d assumed he withdrew the weapon to harm her, avoiding him like plague ever after.
Yet now she wondered—had he acted not from malice, but because the tower’s spells overwhelmed him while he battled unhealed wounds?
Her reminiscence shattered as the immobilized man spoke, uncharacteristically subdued: "Ye Qingshang, four years ago you declared you wished to become my bosom friend. I refused. Now we share no ties. Could you… cease approaching me?"
"Using spiritual power to probe a stranger—do you not care for your reputation?"
His gaze held melancholy. Remembering his pained expression at Yunshan Sect, her heart softened. Gently she reassured, "It wasn’t what you think. Everything I did was voluntary. My reputation remains untarnished."
Mu Huaiyun’s expression turned inscrutable. Unversed in love after years of emotional detachment, she stared blankly, unknowingly provoking the phoenix’s wrath.
He glared viciously. "Ye Qingshang! Must you always be this way? Four years ago and still now—you clutch me in your palm! When you’re pleased, you give me a sweet; when angered, nothing remains! Do you find this amusing?!"
"Did you deem every foolish mistake I made for you… justified from the start?!"
"I warned you four years ago: if you meant only to jest, don’t pledge sincerity. Did you think I, Yunshan Sect’s young master—"
"I’m in love with you."
Four words fell like spring breeze.
While Mu Huaiyun trembled, Ye Qingshang remained calm. Her soft utterance made the phoenix’s feathers droop instantly.
"You… what?" Mu Huaiyun breathed, disbelieving.
A smile warmed her eyes. "I said I’m in love with you. I should’ve told you four years ago, but I was too foolish to understand my own heart."
"Forgive me, Ah Yun. This is my fault. I came too late… made you wait so long."
Emotions warred in his eyes as he stared. Recognizing his inner struggle, she sighed softly.
Feigning doubt, she murmured, "Don’t believe me?"
As he began to protest, she leaned in—her cool aura enveloping them, warming with mortal tenderness.
Her warm lips met his, lingering before clumsily deepening the kiss. Awkward and unpracticed, yet poured with raw sincerity, its tenderness seeped into his soul… soothing every scar.
