Chapter 237: Chapter 232: The Army at the Gates

That night was the most peaceful Mu Chen and Mu Bingling had known. Coincidentally, no one came to disturb them. The night was still and silent, but in the basement of the Imperial Academy’s Library Pavilion, Elder Mu was looking drowsy.

He sneezed and muttered to himself, "This is so boring. Why isn’t this little girl awake yet? Her bodily functions have clearly recovered. Oh, right... I’m not concealing myself at all right now. If she wakes up, won’t my identity be completely exposed? Ugh... It’ll be exposed sooner or later anyway. Forget it. I’ll just wait."

Ten minutes later, Elder Mu picked up a nearby book, glanced at it, and muttered, "Half a month has passed, and those people from the Celestial Eagle Empire are taking their sweet time. I remember there was one of them outside when I cast the barrier. He should have relayed the message by now. Or could it be that those fellows are still caught up dealing with other powers?"

Another ten minutes passed. "And that kid, Mu Chen. After using Explosive Ring, he must not have a single shred of Primordial Power right now. Unbelievable... I never imagined his power after Demonization would be so immense that even three Martial Emperors couldn’t stop him. He’s a promising talent. The Xuanling Empire will be able to grow stronger rapidly by relying on him in the future."

After half an hour, "I’m bored to death!!!"

A pathetic cry suddenly burst from Elder Mu in the basement of the Imperial Academy’s Library Pavilion. But a moment later, Elder Mu froze. He stared blankly at Mo Qing, who had gotten up and was now looking at him. "Eh? You’re awake? Did I wake you up?" 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Mo Qing’s first words were, "Where is this? Are you King Yama? Why do you look exactly like the old man from the counter of our academy’s Library Pavilion?"

Elder Mu’s face darkened, and the corner of his mouth twitched. "I *am* the old man from the counter of your academy’s Library Pavilion. Since when did I get such a long title? Never mind. I’ll tell you straight: you’re not dead. You’re alive and well. No need to stare, I’m the one who saved you. And no need to thank me. If I hadn’t, I figure that kid would have been scarred for life. I did it for him!"

Mo Qing faltered. "That kid? You mean Mu Chen? How is he? Is he all right? I vaguely remember someone trying to kill him."

Elder Mu pursed his lips. "The kid’s fine. He killed everyone who was trying to kill him. You have no idea what happened that day..."

Finally, after being cooped up for over ten days, Elder Mu’s talkativeness burst forth. He was, in truth, just a playful old man and a chatterbox, and he began to recount the story of the attack to Mo Qing without pause...

Early the next morning, the sun was bright, but there was a chill in the air that seemed to linger between people. Mu Chen was the first to open his eyes, only to be met by a pair of large blue eyes staring at him with a smile. It was an expression he couldn’t have been more familiar with. In the past, every time he opened his eyes, he would see this very same pair of large, smiling blue eyes.

As if remembering something, Mu Chen’s face instantly flushed. He seemed to have fallen asleep in Bing’Er’s arms again last night. His eyes traveled down Mu Bingling’s body, and two round orbs immediately came into view. Though covered by her clothes, their perfect shape was enough to make his blood boil.

Mu Bingling, of course, saw where Mu Chen was looking, and her own face instantly turned red. Before he could say anything, she hurriedly got up, threw on an outer robe, and rushed into the bathroom to get ready. While washing up, she didn’t forget to call out, "Chen’Er, you need to get up and move around today."

Mu Chen answered from the bed, his face still feeling hot. He noticed that the black rings around his irises didn’t appear when he opened his eyes this time. Aside from their purple color, there were no signs of the Snake Pupils or blue Ice Crystals. ’It’s probably because I have no Primordial Power to support them,’ he thought.

It was only then that Mu Chen realized the Purple Sky Demon Pupils also required Primordial Power to be maintained; the amount was just so minuscule that the consumption was almost zero. At this thought, Mu Chen suddenly lay on his side and frantically circulated the Extreme Spirit Chaos Technique. The surrounding Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi seemed to have found a long-lost relative, rushing toward Mu Chen and rapidly seeping into his body. However, Mu Chen could clearly feel that as soon as the Primordial Qi entered him, it simply vanished without a trace.

’Looks like it really is a side effect.’ Shaking his head, Mu Chen got up. He mentally willed the Profound Jade Box to reduce its weight to 20,000 jin. Even without Primordial Power, his physical strength still exceeded 100,000 jin, so carrying the Profound Jade Box was no problem.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK... KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK...

Two successive sets of knocks came from the door. Mu Chen opened it reflexively and saw none other than an excited Little Tiger, Ye Shuangshuang, and Qing Lei.

"Brother Mu Chen! You’re awake!"

Little Tiger was the first to shout. The other two also greeted him as "Brother Mu Chen" but then fell silent, unsure of what to say. To ease the awkwardness, Mu Chen offered a small smile. "Long time no see..."

Ye Shuangshuang snorted. "What do you mean, ’long time no see’? We’ve seen you every single day. You just weren’t aware of it."

Qing Lei tapped Ye Shuangshuang on the head. "You’re a real chatterbox. Didn’t even comb your hair this morning. Do you even look like a girl?"

Ye Shuangshuang froze, and so did Qing Lei. Since when had they been so familiar with each other? Qing Lei’s face turned a little red, and he grew flustered for a moment. Ye Shuangshuang’s face was also red, but her words didn’t betray any weakness. She snapped, "None of your business! I rushed here to see Brother Mu Chen, that’s all! You’re so annoying!"

With that, Ye Shuangshuang turned and ran back to her room, presumably to wash up. Qing Lei gave an awkward laugh, but Mu Chen’s heart warmed. ’It seems they haven’t changed at all.’ Just then, Mu Bingling, now ready, walked out of her room. Her attire was fresh and elegant, her white dress as pure as snow, with her long, raven hair cascading smoothly down her back. As if to celebrate Mu Chen’s recovery, she had even put on a hair ornament today. It added a touch of splendor to her fresh face, making her look all the more breathtakingly beautiful.

Little Tiger’s jaw dropped. "Wow! Sister Bingling, you’re so beautiful!" he exclaimed.

Qing Lei was also lost in a daze for a moment. Shaking his head, he agreed, "She really is beautiful."

Mu Bingling smiled sweetly, instinctively linking her arm with Mu Chen’s. Her face beamed with happiness; there was no need to hide it from Little Tiger and Qing Lei.

Just then, Ye Shuangshuang also returned, having finished getting ready. Qing Lei glanced back. Dressed in a green skirt, Shuangshuang was blushing as she looked at him. "Do I look like a girl *now*?" she said. "You’re so nosy."

Qing Lei just grunted without replying. By now, even the emotionally oblivious Mu Chen could sense the romantic tension. He shot Qing Lei a peculiar look before saying, "I haven’t been out in a while. I’d like to go for a walk. You guys want to come?"

Little Tiger started to respond, but Qing Lei quickly clamped a hand over his mouth. Qing Lei then smiled, "You two go ahead. We’re a little hungry, so we’re going to grab a bite."

Ye Shuangshuang nodded in agreement. "You two go ahead. Little Tiger and I will get something to eat first, and then we’ll check out the Library Pavilion. The instructors haven’t held any classes for the past few days, leaving us to self-study. But everyone’s been working really hard. In the past half-month, thanks to the Gathering Essence Pills you gave us, Brother Mu Chen, another five students from the Demon Castle have broken through to the Grand Martial Master Realm."

Mu Chen smiled. "Oh, really? That’s wonderful news. I’m sure it won’t be long before the Demon Castle surpasses the Holy Hall... assuming the Xuanling Empire is still here."

Everyone understood the implication of Mu Chen’s words, yet no one looked sad. For some reason, they all firmly believed the Xuanling Empire would weather this crisis and come out of it safely.

After they left the dorm, Mu Bingling was silent for a long time before she finally spoke what was on her mind. "Chen’Er, Mo Qing is still alive. How will you face her when she returns?"

"’How will I face her?’ Mu Chen lowered his head, lost in thought. Mo Qing’s words—’I like you’—kept echoing in his mind. ’It’s true that I’m vague about feelings between men and women, but I’m not completely ignorant. When I really think about it, my feelings for Mo Qing are hazy. I’m not really sure what they are. Besides, my heart is already completely full of Bingling. How could there be room for anyone else?’"

Mu Bingling considered this for a moment. "Chen’Er, you grew up in a world that contained only you and me, so your understanding of the emotions between men and women might be a little vague. But think about it. When a woman is willing to give her life for a man, it must be with tremendous resolve and an unshakeable love. That is what feelings are."

Mu Chen looked conflicted. "Bing’Er, why are you asking me this?" he asked, puzzled.

Mu Bingling shook her head with a smile. "Of course I have to ask. Mo Qing is a good girl. I’ve been around her long enough to have a complete grasp of her personality. She’s beautiful, innocent, gentle, virtuous, and kind. A woman like her... I for one would not give her up to anyone."

Mu Chen was taken aback. As dense as he was, he understood what Mu Bingling was trying to say. "But, I already have you, Bing’Er. How could I be with another woman?"

Mu Bingling shook her head again. She reached out to smooth Mu Chen’s wind-mussed hair and said softly, "Chen’Er, you are destined to be a dragon soaring through the Azure Sky. How could an exceptional man like you have only a single woman by his side? You will become even more charming in the future and attract many more women. But I will still be your one and only, because a man has... only one wife. Therefore, I won’t mind how many female companions you have, but I will screen every single one of them for you. Any woman who accompanies my Chen’Er must be worthy of him. Otherwise, I will not give my consent. And Mo Qing is the first woman I approve of. She has the right to be by your side. So, the next time you see Mo Qing, take a careful look at your own heart. I’m sure you will act according to your truest feelings then."

Mu Bingling fell silent after she finished, leaving Mu Chen lost in a brief moment of confusion. But just then, a massive curtain of light suddenly materialized, completely encircling the entire Xuanling Empire. A clamorous roaring of Magical Beasts echoed from afar.

At almost the same moment—inside the Xuanling Dynasty, in the Imperial Academy’s office, in the basement of the Imperial Academy’s Library Pavilion, and in the cafeteria—Xuan Yin, Wu Changqing, Qin Garden, Lingyun, Elder Mu, Qing Lei, and others said in unison with solemn voices, "They’re finally here!"