Chapter 225: Chapter 220: The Coming Storm

What Mu Chen didn’t realize was that this change was born from his experience creating a world within the Extreme Spirit Pearl by manipulating the clouds of Attributes. Those seven-colored clouds were the purest and most refined manifestation of the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi. Since he could control the very source of that energy, what difficulty could there be in manipulating the impure Primordial Qi of the Outer Realm?

That was one reason. The second was that as Mu Chen’s control over his Spiritual Power became more refined and his creation of the Bead Inner Realm grew more proficient, his ability to manipulate the Primordial Qi of the Outer Realm would become increasingly powerful, and the effects he could produce would grow increasingly strange.

Mu Chen had wanted to talk with the two of them, but Mu Bingling and Mo Qing insisted that he get some rest. So, he had no choice but to go back to sleep. In truth, creating the Bead Inner Realm had consumed a great deal of his Spiritual Power. Coupled with his injuries, he was already exhausted, and it didn’t take long for him to fall soundly asleep.

Mo Qing glanced at Mu Bingling and said, lowering her head, "Sister Bingling, am I not being obvious enough? Is that why Mu Chen can’t sense my feelings for him?"

Mu Bingling shook her head. "It’s not that. He’s just oblivious when it comes to matters of the heart. Since we have some time, let me tell you about his childhood. Now that I’ve accepted you, I feel I should share his past with you."

"Mu Chen’s past?" Mo Qing asked, full of doubt. "Am I allowed to know?"

Mu Bingling gave a small smile. "Of course. We can find a quiet place to talk."

Mo Qing readily agreed. What could be more exciting than learning about the person she cared for most? At her suggestion, the two of them simply leaped out the window, landing by the small lake behind the High Level dormitories.

Mu Bingling gazed at the calm surface of the lake and said to Mo Qing, "You might not believe this, but three years ago, Mu Chen was someone who couldn’t practice Cultivation. His Dantian has been damaged since he was a child, making him completely unable to sense the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi. Moreover, he’s only ever had one arm. In the eyes of others, he was a true, out-and-out cripple."

Mo Qing’s mouth fell open in disbelief. "Three years ago, he couldn’t cultivate at all, yet now he’s surpassed every Martial Artist his age in the entire Xuanling Empire? Is... is that really possible?"

Mu Bingling sighed helplessly. "When I first learned of it, I was every bit as shocked as you are. But that’s not the main point here. We’re supposed to be talking about Mu Chen’s emotional issues, remember?"

"I was only two when his parents found me, and Mu Chen was just a year old. To be honest, I already understood a lot back then. I don’t know why, but I seemed to grasp things far beyond my years. I just felt that something in their home was calling to me... or perhaps, needed me." At this, Mu Bingling smiled at Mo Qing and continued, "It sounds absurd, doesn’t it? But it’s true. The moment I saw that small, frail figure standing in a corner, watching the other children play with such envy, my ever-calm heart stirred. For no reason at all, I just wanted to give him the best protection possible. It was as if some unseen force had guided me to Luofeng City, bringing me to this little family to become one of them."

"So that’s your past, Sister Bingling..." Mo Qing finally understood how Mu Chen and Mu Bingling, despite being brother and sister, could be together. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

"Hee hee... You don’t know what he was like the first time he saw me. He looked both scared and curious. And the very first thing he ever said to me was, ’Sister, you’re so pretty.’ In reality, I was hardly pretty back then. After wandering for half a month, my face was too grimy to even see clearly, and besides, I really wasn’t a cute child. That alone should tell you how poor Mu Chen’s judgment is when it comes to women." Mu Bingling’s expression softened as she sank into her memories, a warm smile gracing her lips. "He was the first boy to ever compliment me. It was because of those simple, childish words that he left an indelible mark on my prematurely mature heart."

"Mu Chen was a very sweet-natured boy. He’s always been pure and simple. Even when others mocked him for being a cripple, scorned him, and played cruel tricks on him behind his back, he never held a grudge or grew resentful. That’s why he always has such a calm and carefree demeanor. In all the time I’ve known him, I’ve never seen him truly lose his temper even once."

"But for a child so utterly pure, fate seemed intent on tormenting him relentlessly. A damaged Dantian, unable to sense the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi, meant he could never become a Martial Artist. On top of that, his body was naturally frail. Whenever the weather turned cold, his arm and his Dantian would throb with excruciating pain. That kind of agony might be nothing to a grown man, but every time I saw little Mu Chen in bed, gritting his teeth to endure it, I would hate myself for being powerless to change his reality..."

...

Mo Qing listened quietly from the side. Mu Bingling spoke slowly, her voice calm and even, as if she were recounting a long epic, making Mo Qing feel as if she were there herself. But Mo Qing knew this was no mere story; it was real.

As if recalling a painful memory of Mu Chen, Mu Bingling’s brow furrowed. "So that he wouldn’t feel lonely—so that he would feel someone his age cared for him and was there for him—I took care of him, rarely leaving his side. We lived like that for eleven whole years. In all that time, he was never far from me. Until three years ago... he left with only a letter, leaving his home, his parents... and me. By the time he returned, everything had changed. He... was no longer the frail boy who only knew how to stand behind me."

"And the reason he’s so clueless about relationships is that growing up, the only women he ever interacted with were his mother and me. So even if his heart were stirred by a woman, he wouldn’t understand that the feeling is called attraction, that the emotion is called love. It’s possible that Mu Chen already likes you in his heart, but he just doesn’t realize it yet."

"Is that so?"

Mu Bingling was the one who gave Mu Chen encouragement, warmth, faith, and love during his most painful and difficult times. ’And me?’ Mo Qing thought. ’I’ve been the Ninth Princess of the Empire since birth, never worrying about food or clothing. When tired, I had silk quilts to rest in; when hungry, I had exotic delicacies to eat; when bored, I had countless handmaidens to entertain me. You could say I’ve lived a life of pampered luxury.’ Yet here she was, wanting to insert herself between them and share Mu Bingling’s love. A deep sense of guilt suddenly washed over Mo Qing.

Mu Bingling’s large, blue eyes were full of mirth as she looked at Mo Qing’s troubled expression. "Come now, don’t think such things. Everyone has the chance to love someone. With one more person by Mu Chen’s side, he can receive that much more love. Although my love alone is already more than enough, but..."

Mu Bingling fell silent, then murmured, "But... I want someone to be able to stay with him for a lifetime..."

She didn’t know if it was just a feeling, but she always felt that one day she would leave Mu Chen, that she would disappear from this world. If she were the only person by his side, then after she vanished, Mu Chen would be all alone once more. That was absolutely not something she wanted to see.

Hearing Mu Bingling trail off, Mo Qing asked, "But what?"

But Mu Bingling just gave a small, calm smile. "But, I still hope he can be loved by more people. My way of thinking is a bit strange, isn’t it? Hee hee... Most people want the one they love to love only them for their entire life, but I want the one I love to be loved by many. I’m probably the only one who thinks like this..."

Mo Qing didn’t know how to answer that question. If it were her, she certainly wouldn’t want the person she loved to love someone else, because that would mean sharing the love she received. But now... she was the one sharing Mu Bingling’s love.

"Haha... I suppose that sounded a bit strange. Anyway, it’s not like we can sleep. Why don’t we change the subject and keep chatting, Mo Qing?" Mu Bingling said with a smile, looking toward the distant sky as it began to lighten.

In Mo Qing’s eyes, Mu Bingling seemed eternally gentle and kind. But beneath that gentleness and kindness, there was a hint of something otherworldly, a trace of mystery. These disparate traits fused together to create a woman who seemed like a Fairy from a tale, making Mo Qing burn with questions she was desperate to ask.

"Sister Bingling, do you know anything about your own origins?" Mo Qing asked carefully. Although she was afraid of stirring up painful memories, she also wanted to know more about Mu Bingling’s past.

Mu Bingling’s body stiffened for a moment. "My origins?" she murmured.

Shaking her head, Mu Bingling continued, "I don’t know. And yet, it feels like I *should* know. For some reason, my earliest memory is of wandering in the Demon Beast Forest for a year, and then arriving near Luofeng City of the Xuanling Empire. After that, all my memories are of Mu Chen."

Mo Qing pressed on, "So you have no memory of your own parents at all?"

Mu Bingling replied, "I’ve wondered about that for a long time myself, but I can never recall anything. So, I’m afraid I can’t answer you."

The two of them continued chatting on and off until the red sun began to rise on the horizon. Only then did they slowly walk back to the dormitory. It seemed that after their long talk through the night, the bond between Mu Bingling and Mo Qing had deepened considerably.

In the days that followed, Mu Bingling’s arrival at the Demon Castle sparked a new wave of enthusiasm for Cultivation among all the students. They could endure any training, no matter how bitter or exhausting. At this, Mu Chen could only rub his nose and give a helpless smile. Although he felt a bit strange about the situation, he couldn’t let it show.

A month passed peacefully at the academy. During that time, He Long never returned after his failed challenge, though no one paid his absence much mind. The days passed, one much like the next, but for some unknown reason, Mu Chen always felt a strange, oppressive weight in the air...