On their way here, it was often windy and snowy, but on their way back, every day was sunny.
After traveling for a day, they rested at a roadside inn for the night, planning to leave the next day.
There were not many people in the inn, but they were all discussing the major event of the past few days: the war between Zhenyue Mountain City and Chiyan Peak.
"Chiyan Peak is just putting up a desperate struggle now. Even Hongfu is injured; they won't last much longer."
"Hey, tell me, if Chiyan Peak really loses, will Hongfu be reduced to a cultivation vessel?"
A few men exchanged knowing, vulgar smiles.
Cangshu Bai did not want these foul words to pollute Mu Ran's ears. Holding her hand, he went straight upstairs and entered their guest room without stopping.
Mu Ran sat on the bed, watching Cangshu Bai busy himself around the room. She couldn't help but ask, "Jinzhi, if Chiyan Peak is defeated like they said, will a cultivator like Hongfu really be captured by the people of Zhenyue Mountain City and turned into a cultivation vessel?"
Cangshu Bai put down what he was holding, walked over to Mu Ran, and crouched down before her. Holding her hands, he asked softly, "Why are you suddenly worrying about others?"
Mu Ran looked down at him. "I just thought about how Fairy Hongfu and I have crossed paths once. Although she does give off a very arrogant impression, she never had any conflict with me. With her noble status and such a proud nature, she shouldn't be reduced to someone else's vessel."
Cangshu Bai knew she was thinking about herself.
When he forcibly searched the soul of that Biyun Mountain disciple, he had also seen the greed those people harbored toward Mu Ran.
On the day Mu Ran was expelled from the mountain, quite a few people wanted to capture her and imprison her as a vessel. But Mu Ran was smart; she hid her tracks ahead of time and protected herself, which eventually led her to meet him.
Cangshu Bai would absolutely never pry into Mu Ran's soul, but even without looking, he could guess how anxious and terrified she must have been at that time.
He stood up, pulled his wife into his arms, and gently patted her back. He whispered, "Ranran, others have their own karma. We only need to ensure we have a clear conscience. We cannot interfere with the destinies that others are bound to face."
But as for her...
He would definitely protect her well at any cost.
Mu Ran also felt she was overthinking things. After all, she was just an ordinary mortal now. How could she possibly get involved in the grievances and feuds between those cultivators?
Lifting her spirits, she raised her face and smiled, "Mhm, I know. As long as we can both be safe and sound, that's enough."
Cangshu Bai leaned down and kissed the corner of her lips. "What do you want to eat? I'll go ask the innkeeper to make it."
Mu Ran's favorite foods were always just those few things. "Four Joy Meatballs!"
Cangshu Bai chuckled lightly. "Wait for me, I'll be right back."
Mu Ran nodded.
Cangshu Bai left the room, and Mu Ran cheered herself up. She stood up, wanting to make the bed first, when a gust of wind blew the window open, bringing a chill with it.
Mu Ran turned around and saw an unexpected person.
Mu Feilin had a powerful aura. Lofty and arrogant, he looked completely out of place standing in a small guest room of an inn.
He didn't waste any words, getting straight to the point: "That husband of yours is just an ordinary mortal, isn't he? If you call him over, how long could he possibly last?"
Just this one sentence rendered Mu Ran speechless.
Cangshu Bai had borrowed the inn's kitchen to personally make a bowl of Four Joy Meatballs. When he returned to the room, the empty space felt unusually cold and desolate.
The warmth in Cangshu Bai's eyes from just moments ago instantly froze into an icy pool.
The Cold Fish darted out and swam a lap around the room. After confirming that its frail and silly mistress was indeed gone, it returned to its master's side, wagging its tail anxiously.
Cangshu Bai said, "The magical artifact on Ranran's body did not trigger. She left willingly."
However, she would never leave without saying a word.
Unless someone familiar to Mu Ran had appeared, and she had a reason that left her no choice but to leave.
Dark tides surged in the depths of Cangshu Bai's eyes. "Biyun Mountain."
Returning to Biyun Mountain once again, Mu Ran did not feel as though a lifetime had passed; she only felt disgust.
Mu Feilin sat in a chair, his expression appearing amiable, though the poor lighting in the room cast a gloomy shadow over his face.
"My good niece, it really has been a long time. I thought you had died out there long ago, but to my surprise, you are living quite well." Mu Feilin chuckled. "Should I praise your adaptability? Becoming a mortal, you really settled down to live a mortal's life."
Mu Ran did not want to exchange false pleasantries with him. "What exactly do you want to do?"
Mu Feilin scrutinized Mu Ran from head to toe. "You certainly had quite the courage back then. You preferred to be struck from the family genealogy rather than listen to my arrangements as your uncle and marry into a family of equal standing. I was furious with you at the time, but look at you now, rosy-cheeked and well-nourished, as if you haven't suffered at all."
Mu Ran frowned slightly, disliking Mu Feilin's gaze, which looked at her as if she were a piece of merchandise.
Mu Feilin, however, now acted like an elder who genuinely cared for his junior, speaking slowly: "Although you willingly degraded yourself to marry an ordinary mortal, I am your biological uncle after all. We share the surname Mu, and I cannot watch you jump into a fire pit."
Mu Ran wanted to say that her life now was happy and fulfilling, not a fire pit, but she didn't want to draw Mu Feilin's attention to Cangshu Bai, so she kept her mouth shut.
Mu Feilin stood up. Releasing just a fraction of his cultivation base, the oppressive force immediately made Mu Ran feel unwell.
Mu Feilin said, "Back then, in a fit of anger, I shattered your spiritual roots and drove you out of Biyun Mountain. But thinking about it later, I admit I went too far. Now that I have finally found you again, I must find a way to make up for my past mistakes."
With a wave of his large hand, a scroll materialized in front of Mu Ran and slowly unrolled.
Mu Feilin explained, "Since ancient times, Zhenyue Mountain City has used medicine testers. They feed their flesh to pills and risk their lives to test prescriptions. They never live past thirty, and they never die a good death. Every legendary miraculous medicine and life-extending formula in the city was refined by trampling over the bones and blood of these medicine testers."
Mu Ran looked at him without saying a word.
Mu Feilin gave another benevolent smile. "The cultivation method our Mu family practices is the gentlest. Zhenyue Mountain City has asked me several times to provide a member of the Mu family for their medicine refining, but I rejected them all because there was no suitable candidate."
Mu Ran had a bad premonition.
Sure enough, Mu Feilin said, "Back then, you refused to marry into Tianyu Palace for the sake of Biyun Mountain. Now that the young master of Tianyu Palace has awakened, you are probably already regretting it. Now, you have another opportunity to make a contribution to Biyun Mountain. Mu Ran, Biyun Mountain raised you, and it is time for you to repay Biyun Mountain."
As soon as he finished speaking, the scroll tore open. Mu Ran was enveloped in a burst of light. The bell on her body fell to the ground, and in an instant, she disappeared without a trace.
