Chapter 41
Chapter 41
The instant Mo Chen appeared, Si Wuming’s expression inexplicably turned ice-cold.
He was usually expressionless enough to inspire instinctive fear. Now, with his face darkened, the pressure emanating from him was almost suffocating.
“Si Wuming, mind your own business.” Black mist swirled in Mo Chen’s eyes. Perhaps because his gouged-out eyes had only just regrown, they had yet to fully take on the appearance of human eyeballs.
By now, the wind and sand were gradually dying down.
Yun Jianyue looked between the two men, a trace of suspicion rising in her heart.
What was going on? Mo Chen seemed to know Si Wuming.
Si Wuming stared back at Mo Chen. Their gazes met, both men’s eyes brimming with unprecedented killing intent.
“Let go.”
“What the hell is wrong with you? Go eat some prunes and chill out!” Yun Jianyue strode over and shoved Mo Chen hard, forcefully separating the two men.
She continued berating him. “Who was it that didn’t want a ghost marriage with me in the first place? You looked at the Red Thread of Fate like it was your mortal enemy and even insisted on killing me! Now you don’t want to sever it? You change your tune faster than I can turn a page!”
Mo Chen ground his back teeth. This woman could always ignite his fury with astonishing ease.
Seizing the opening, Si Wuming grabbed Yun Jianyue’s hand and chopped down at the thread with lightning speed.
Mo Chen scoffed, as though he had expected this all along.
The Red Thread of Fate did not break.
Not only did it remain intact, but it even began to wriggle, gradually bending itself into the shape of a heart.
It made a finger heart at Si Wuming.
The situation was supposed to be serious, but Yun Jianyue simply couldn’t hold it in. She burst out laughing.
Afterward, she explained to Si Wuming with a perfectly solemn expression, “I wasn’t making fun of you. I just genuinely couldn’t help myself.”
Si Wuming shot Yun Jianyue a faintly aggrieved look. He appeared no different from usual.
But anyone paying close attention would have noticed how tightly his jaw was clenched. The Red Thread of Fate had clearly infuriated him.
“Do you think I would’ve kept this damned thing until now if it were that easy to undo?” Mo Chen folded his arms, looking entirely at ease.
Si Wuming acted as if he hadn’t heard a word. He did not even acknowledge Mo Chen.
“So you couldn’t undo it? Then what were you acting so smug for just now? I thought you didn’t want it undone!” Yun Jianyue immediately fired back.
Lu Changxue had the vague sense that something about this scene wasn’t quite right.
Out of everyone present, who showed off the most?
Si Wuming, of course!
So why was it that when Si Wuming showed off, her Darling called him the Ultimate Show-Off, but when this Great Evil God did it, her Darling responded with nothing but barbed remarks?
Was she just a hypocrite?
Or were these two… archenemies?
But archenemies in novels always ended up getting married!
Right! They were already married!
In a flash of inspiration, Lu Changxue felt as though she had uncovered the truth.
Mo Chen regarded Yun Jianyue with an ambiguous smile. “Why can’t I?”
A chill crawled down Yun Jianyue’s spine. “You really don’t want to undo it? What the hell is wrong with you? Go eat a few more prunes and chill out!”
“…”
In all honesty, this was the first time in Mo Chen’s three thousand years of existence that anyone had ever treated him with such disdain.
Si Wuming’s eyes curved as if he had smiled, but an instant later, he resumed his cool and aloof Ultimate Show-Off demeanor.
“I’m leaving.” Apparently unable to win an argument against Yun Jianyue, Mo Chen simply swept a hand through the air and summoned a spatial rift.
With one foot already inside, he suddenly seemed to remember something. He glanced back at Si Wuming. “Stop associating with humans, or you’ll come to a bad end.”
Si Wuming replied coldly, “I won’t die.”
Mo Chen sneered and stepped fully into the spatial rift. It quickly closed behind him, and everything returned to how it had been before his arrival.
“My legs are giving out. Give me a hand,” Daoist Chu said, reaching toward his disciple with lingering fear written all over his face.
The young Daoist burst into tears. “Master, my legs are giving out too.”
By the time the whole farce was over, it was almost six in the evening. If they didn’t head down now, they would have no choice but to spend another night at Chongguang Mountain Daoist Temple.
After Yun Jianyue and the others said goodbye to Daoist Chu, the group set off down the mountain together.
The sun sank in the west, its fading rays spilling over the summit of Chongguang Mountain like holy light bathing the earth.
The four of them cast long shadows, like the closing shot of a movie.
“Junior Martial Uncle, why didn’t you reply to any of my messages?” Fang Lin’an suddenly remembered this grievance and immediately began interrogating Si Wuming like a resentful wife.
Si Wuming’s tone remained as calm as ever. “I came as soon as I saw them.”
Fang Lin’an instantly took that the wrong way. “So I’m that important to you, Junior Martial Uncle! You flew straight back from the Arctic just to save my sorry ass!”
Just then, Yun Jianyue’s phone rang. She checked the screen, saw that Cai Zeyu was calling, and answered.
“Hey, are you all right? Did Si Wuming find you? The moment that guy heard you’d run into the Evil God on Chongguang Mountain, he beat this five-hundred-year-old bear demon back into its true form and tore off in a hurry to find you.”
Yun Jianyue said nothing. She had him on speakerphone.
Fang Lin’an snatched the phone away and roared furiously at Cai Zeyu, “My Junior Martial Uncle came to save me! I’m the one who sent him the distress message!”
Cai Zeyu scratched his head. “You were there too?”
“???”
Fang Lin’an grew even more aggrieved, only for Cai Zeyu to twist the knife again.
“Oh, right, now I remember. We did get your message. I saw it too. Then I happened to mention that Yun Jianyue had gone to Chongguang Mountain with you, and your Junior Martial Uncle took off.”
Fang Lin’an: Damn it. He shouldn’t have remembered.
“Since you’re all together, I can stop worrying. We’ll meet up after you get back.” With that, Cai Zeyu hung up.
Fang Lin’an lunged at Yun Jianyue like a madman and shook her violently by the shoulders. “What kind of love potion did you feed my Junior Martial Uncle? Tell me! Tell me!”
Dizzy from being shaken, Yun Jianyue silently unzipped her backpack.
Before she could pull out her chainsaw, Fang Lin’an released her and said solemnly, “We’re all friends, and friends shouldn’t pry too deeply into each other’s secrets. I understand.”
Zhou Benxin asked in confusion, “Are you sure you’re not just afraid of Yun Jianyue’s chainsaw? This is what they call chickening out, right?”
“You shamelessly called someone Brother-in-law so the Evil God wouldn’t kill you. Wasn’t that you chickening out too?” Fang Lin’an shot back without mercy.
Come on, then! Let’s destroy each other!
Their bickering made Yun Jianyue’s head ache. She grabbed Si Wuming and hurried a dozen or so paces ahead, leaving the other two behind.
“You know Mo Chen?” Yun Jianyue asked.
Si Wuming gave an affirmative hum but offered no further explanation.
“What did he mean when he told you not to play with humans? Aren’t you human?” Yun Jianyue had always been good at zeroing in on the important part.
“I am.”
As he spoke, Si Wuming even pulled out his ID card, his expression utterly sincere.
Speechless, Yun Jianyue stuffed the ID card back into his pants pocket. “One more question. Why are you so nice to me?”
Si Wuming’s face instantly turned crimson, and he shoved Yun Jianyue two whole meters away.
To be fair, Yun Jianyue was pretty embarrassed herself. She awkwardly clasped her hands behind her back, her gaze drifting anywhere but toward him. “Um… That’s pretty big, huh?”