ABFC | Chapter 29: His Heartbeat Seems a Little Chaotic

Mu Zhe’s gaze suddenly shifted toward her.

“Others hate him for their own reasons; I have no say in it.”

Her tone was soft but very serious. “But you can’t say he deserves it. You said even the heavens have abandoned him, so what?”

“In my opinion, all beings are equal, whether they are human or demon, and they have the right to love and be loved.”

“And he lost his mother; he must be very sad inside. Don’t blame him, it’s not his fault.”

……

The girl’s voice was not loud, but very earnest, as if each word was a small stone.

Every word she spoke fell heavily on the young man’s heart like a stone.

When the last word fell, the heavy stones in his heart suddenly transformed into soft, fluffy feathers.

They gently brushed against his heart, stirring a tingling, numb sensation.

A few strange emotions rippled in his dark eyes, like still water stirred into waves, creating one ripple after another.

This woman seemed to be different from those righteous cultivators.

Mu Zhe stared at her eyes intently, attempting to find any trace of cowardice or lies within them.

But the girl’s eyes were clear, as if it contained a pool of autumn water; pure and shallow, with only him reflected in it.

As their eyes met, his usually steady heartbeat suddenly skipped a beat.

Wen Ruan noticed he remained silent, making it even harder to gauge his thoughts. She could only tentatively speak up:

“Could you not tell the Lord about us knowing each other?”

Fearing he might overthink it, she quickly added: “I just want to stay by his side like usual. If he finds out about my identity, I’m afraid…”

She smiled bitterly, “I won’t force you. If you don’t want to, then forget it.”

“….Mm.”

Wen Ruan’s eyes brightened as she looked at the young man, whose ears were faintly red. She tightly grasped his arm: “You promised me, right?”

“…..”

Mu Zhe turned his eyes away, focusing on a red plum blossom on the branch. His tone was light and casual: “I don’t want to say it a second time.”

The young man was quite arrogant.

Wen Ruan let go of his arm with satisfaction, and the big stone in her heart finally fell to the ground. She felt much lighter and more at ease.

“By the way, I still don’t know your name.” She pointed to herself and extended her right hand.

“I’m Wen Ruan—’Wen’ as in warm, and ‘Ruan’ as in soft.”

Mu Zhe glanced at his own arm, a little distracted. “Hei Shi.”

Look at that unique naming style, no doubt, he’s one of Mu Zhe’s underlings.

[T/N: ‘Heishi’ (黑石) literally translates to “Black Stone” or “Dark Stone.”]

Wen Ruan secretly mocked and laughed at him for two seconds in her heart.

She smiled brightly, grasped his left hand, and shook it vigorously, “Since we know each other’s names, we’re friends now.”

The girl’s palm was soft and warm, and as it touched his cold hand, a gentle warmth slowly spread.

Mu Zhe stared at their clasped hands. His Adam’s apple moved slightly, and his fingertips curled up just a little.

“By the way, before I left last time, I promised to treat you to a meal.”

She released his hand, bent down to pick up the lunchbox, and said, “But given the current situation, it’s really not suitable. So have this plate of snacks to make up for it now.”

“Also, you should pay attention to your injuries. Don’t keep putting it off.” She patted his shoulder, her tone light and cheerful.

“I have something else to do, so I’ll be going now. Goodbye.”

Mu Zhe watched her walk farther and farther away, and the hand hanging in his sleeve moved unconsciously.

Without the warmth of another person to block it, the coldness rushed to cover his palm.

The wind howled, and snowflakes, along with plum petals, swirled in the air. A few of them accidentally landed on the pastry in his hand.

He gently brushed them off, then raised his hand to shield the date paste cake, patiently waiting for the wind to stop. Once it did, he picked up a piece of the pastry and placed it in his mouth.

The expected sweetness blossomed on the tip of his tongue.

After hesitating for a moment, he carefully placed the remaining date paste cakes into his storage pouch. He then took out the spiritual herb he had found this time, studied it for a while, and turned to leave.

Just as the young man in black turned around, the old plum tree trembled slightly.

“Crack—”

The branch that had unintentionally shaken off the accumulated snow onto the girl’s figure snapped with a sound before falling toward the pure white snow below.

The wind howled, stirring up snowflakes everywhere. Before long, only the rough outline of the flower branch could be seen.

After a while, faint footsteps could be heard on the snow-covered ground.

A hand with delicate fingers gently picked it up, turning the brown branch. As she moved, the snow on the petals fell in soft whispers, revealing a breathtaking splash of red.

Ping Xian lowered her head and sniffed, letting out a soft laugh. “This little junior sister from Shangyang Sect is quite interesting.”

“But if she betrays the cultivation world—”

Her eyes were cold, and with a slight press of her fingertips, the flower branch let out a painful, crisp snap and broke into two pieces.

“My quick thinking is getting better and better.” Wen Ruan raised her hand, scattering a handful of fish food. She watched as the large fish tumbled in the sea of clouds, letting out a long sigh of relief.

“I’ve passed this test.”

996 looked at the steadily rising favorability in the system, pinched herself in disbelief, and muttered:

“You really are amazing, Host.”

“But he seems to know Mu Zhe very well; he even knows Mu Zhe’s background.” She didn’t notice 996’s small movements as she placed the white porcelain jar back on the small table and gracefully leaped onto the fish’s back.

“I don’t know why, but after listening to him, I can’t help but feel like the Mu Zhe I know is a bit different from what I imagined.”

To be more precise, he seemed to be different from how he was described in the book as well.

But where is the difference?

She pondered carefully amidst the chaotic sound of the wind, but for a long time, she couldn’t sort out her thoughts.

996 said seriously, “Maybe you just thought too poorly of him at the beginning, but he’s definitely not a good person either.”

Wen Ruan gathered her hair, her gaze piercing through the rising mist as she looked at the bustling snow lilies in the valley. Her voice, broken by the sea of clouds, sounded somewhat ethereal.

“Actually, sometimes those who are hated by the world aren’t necessarily bad people.”

“My Lord, you’re back.”

In the Wuxiu Pavilion, Zhu Sha bowed and cupped his fists toward the young man in black: “You’ve returned so quickly from your trip this time. Did something happen?”

Mu Zhe took off his mask and calmly walked toward the study, “Everything went smoothly. I’m going to retreat in the Spring Valley. No one is allowed to disturb me.”

“Understood.” Zhu Sha responded respectfully, then hesitated for a moment before saying, “After My Lord left, Madam Wen came looking for you several times.”

Mu Zhe’s hand paused as he was about to push open the door. The corner of his mouth curled up, but it lasted only for a moment, so brief that Zhu Sha almost thought it was a mere illusion.

When he looked again, Mu Zhe’s face was still as cold and indifferent as ever.

“Mm, I’m already aware.”

Creek—

The door closed.

Zhu Sha casted a slightly doubtful glance at the withered tree in the courtyard, as if trying to stare a hole through it.

The Lord of the Demon Realm doesn’t like to smile at all.

Over the many years in the Demon Realm, he had only seen the Lord smile a handful of times.

Whether it was the cold sneer when breaking someone’s spine, or the mad laughter when his eyes turned blood-red as he tore open his own chest.

He never gave a smile like this; light and carefree, devoid of any bloodlust.

It was ordinary, almost plain, and at first glance, he seemed no different from an ordinary young man.

Zhu Sha looked up at the gloomy sky, and in that moment, he suddenly realized that the snow in the Demon Realm seemed to have gotten lesser.