Chapter 95: The Camellia Blooms, the Person Disappears (Fourteen) — Never Forget...

Ever since I could remember, the "person" conjured by the sinister energy of the Boundless Mysterious Realm has brought Wen Gu nothing but endless hypocrisy.

That place is eerie, as if it encompasses all the ugliness of the world.

Every day, the Boundless Mysterious Realm carefully selects events from the human world, transforming them into something resentful, and allowing Wen Gu to experience it firsthand.

The first person he encountered through the illusion was a cultivator from a sect. This cultivator possessed exceptional aptitude, was gifted, diligent, and thoughtful, able to draw inferences from one instance to another and to help his fellow disciples. Wen Gu practiced with him in the illusion, and as he explained his techniques to others, he gained insights of his own.

Wen Gu, like the person in the illusion, called him "Master." He believed this person would have a happy ending, but later discovered that he was a hypocrite, driven by greed to the devil's way, slaughtering his fellow disciples and severing their own bones.

Wen Gu considered him his Master, but his Master killed him.

At that time, Wen Gu wanted to ask him why he did this? Was everything he had revealed so far all a lie?

Later, Wujiang Guiyu told Wen Gu another story: a wealthy girl went out to enjoy herself, disguised as a man, but was stopped by robbers. The servants and attendants were all beaten, and the rich girl's life was in danger. Suddenly, a weak scholar appeared and bravely stepped forward to protect her. Later, passing soldiers on patrol rescued the group. Afterwards, the rich girl revealed her true identity and offered money, but the scholar refused, staying at the family's residence as a guest, waiting for the imperial examination. As they spent time together, the girl noticed his handsome appearance and observed his demeanor. She felt that the scholar had a kind character, profound knowledge, and a refined temperament. The girl was attracted. His parents loved their daughter dearly and had never considered marrying into a wealthy family, nor did they force a match between them. The father asked the scholar for his daughter's opinion. The scholar was flattered and confessed his love for the young lady at first sight, a sentiment that grew over time. The two married, their love blossoming like wings.

While this was the beautiful part of the story in the eyes of the wealthy young lady,

the story was seen quite differently by Wen Gu. The scholar, addicted to gambling, lost all his wealth and harbored evil intentions. He initially sought the favor of a beautiful and kind young lady in the county magistrate's household, pretending to be a beggar and asking for money. However, upon discovering that the young lady often disguised herself as a young man, he devised a different plan. He used his remaining funds to bribe a local thug, having him pose as a bandit and bluff the crowd. He then waited for an opportunity, calculated the arrival time of patrol officers, and presented himself as a frail scholar, posing as a hero to rescue the victims. He then feigned affection, refusing the money, but instead, claiming his travel expenses for the imperial examination had been stolen, allowing him to stay at the mansion and earn money. He then used sweet talk to win the young lady's heart, learning what kind of lover she envisioned, and then moving closer to her ideal. The scholar's calculations were precise, each move accurate. Pretending to be flawless, his true nature gradually became apparent after marriage.

At the end of the story, the scholar resumed his relentless gambling, and before he was discovered, he swindled the wealthy young lady's entire fortune, ruining the entire family and imprisoning her.

At the time, Wen Gu couldn't understand why the Boundless Mystery Realm had shown him these stories. The scholar in each story was so evil he deserved to be chopped into pieces. And the young lady, foolish, fell into the scholar's trap, ultimately meeting such a tragic end.

Through these stories, Wen Gu became increasingly confused about what was real for a mortal.

What should he believe?

The Boundless Mystery Realm conjured a new illusion for Wen Gu almost daily, and the stories he encountered were still filled with bloodshed, scheming, and cruelty... Many of the people in these stories seemed to wear a mask of hypocrisy, and the moment it was removed, they would reveal their true form, even more terrifying.

Over and over again, these stories, and the countless days they lived, Wen Gu's heart grew increasingly numb, emanating a gloomy, deathly aura. Until he saw two children with very different fates.

In a dream, Wen Gu witnessed the birth and abandonment of one child. It was a time of widespread famine, with starving people everywhere and people scrambling for food. Many children were boiled and eaten. Wen Gu saw a child his own age thrown into a pot by his uncle, becoming a meal for the elders. Meanwhile, another child his own age was fed with his own flesh and blood by his parents. Before their deaths, they placed him in a wooden basin at night and floated him down a remote river. They knelt on the bank for a long time, praying that the child would survive this chaotic world. He was indeed found by a monk and raised in a temple. He later became the abbot and saved countless children.

The different fates of these two children piqued Wen Gu's curiosity - why did his parents abandon him? Is he dead or alive in this boundless and strange realm?

He longed to find his parents, yet he also wondered why so many hypocrites existed among the pesky mortals. Would anyone truly treat him with sincerity?

So many questions swirled within him, and Wen Gu resolved to leave the boundless and strange realm.

Desiring to find the truth, he forged a pact with the pervasive Yin and Yang forces. They would aid him in his escape, and he would serve as their crucible.

However, since his escape, Wen Gu has been hunted far more than he has received genuine love. It might even be said that the sincerity he sought from mortals was nearly nonexistent.

The Yin and Yang forces within him could hear the voices of mortals. And amidst the endless resentment he endured day after day, he became a keen observer of their hearts.

Many, especially the cultivators, looked at him with envy.

Like his "master," they coveted boundless power, even if it was uncontrollable and threatened to destroy the world. As they hunted him, they plotted how to obtain his power.

He had had enough of being hunted from every corner of the world. For moments, Wen Gu wished to destroy this meaningless world, turning it into a melting pot of evil, refining everyone into soulless puppets, never quarreling.

Until, thanks to a foolish dragon, Wen Gu met Ye Qingzhan.

She was scented with camellia, devoid of any evil thoughts, her heart overflowing with love, her sole obsession being to find her parents. Even when faced with his unconcealed murderous intent, she focused solely on escaping it, never once coveting his power.

Perhaps she couldn't see it, or perhaps she didn't understand.

Perhaps it was the evil, or perhaps it was because Wen Gu had been accustomed to all sorts of hypocritical facades since childhood. So, when Ye Qingzhan bluntly told him she hoped he could help her, Wen Gu felt a secret surprise greater than his desire to embrace her—that there were people in this world who needed him, and not just those who sought his power to kill.

Listening to Ye Qingzhan's sincere yet cautious heartbeat, Wen Gu understood her unease and her distrust of him. This made him very uncomfortable, with a ridiculous sense of frustration.

However, this discomfort disappeared without a trace after he saw her dream.

The harmonious and loving family in her dream was a blessing in the world that he had never experienced in the boundless and strange domain.

He was curious. Could such a family really exist?

Such a family would not abandon their children.

With this curiosity, Wen Gu continued to observe Ye Qingzhan's words and deeds.

She was sincere to the villagers and she repaid the care of the nuns of Si Ning Temple with gratitude. Her obsession with family affection had long surpassed her desire to live. Her long-cherished wish to find her parents did not fade because of her illness and the passage of time. Instead, it grew stronger day by day, and she chased them with tears in her dreams thousands of times.

Is there such true love in the world?

The growing doubts in his heart made Wen Gu ignore all her little thoughts about him. Those little thoughts that she thought were well hidden seemed so straightforward and cute to him.

So -

Wen Gu lowered his eyes and looked at the sleeping woman in his arms.

Her eyes were lightly closed, her eyebrows were filled with spring breeze, and her lips were tinged with spring color.

It seemed that she was having a very beautiful dream.

Wen Gu thought of what happened just now.

After teaching him how to write, the young teacher sat on a chair beside him and watched him write. But after just a few glances, he fell asleep on the desk. He was still muttering, "Don't tell anyone that I taught you when you go out. Remember, you are not allowed to tell anyone!" Suddenly, her lips curved up again, and her faint smile was brighter than the stars. She said in her sleep, "Dad, Mom, I finally found you... I thought I would never see you again..."

After the words fell, Wen Gu frowned, put down the pen, and looked at Ye Qingzhan with a guilty look. He didn't dare to tell her that he had sealed her memory without her permission.

He was afraid that Ye Qingzhan would continue to feel sad and blame herself for the failure to save her parents this time, so that she scolded herself in her dreams.

She scolded herself, which made Wen Gu very uncomfortable, more uncomfortable than asking him to die, and more uncomfortable than lying to him.

The girl, immersed in her dreams, smiled brightly. Wen Gu looked at her eyes, and became more focused.

If I get angry later, I can beat him or blame him, as long as she can smile more sincerely when she is with me. The rest of the things will be discussed later.

The cold fingertips stroked the girl's face, gently and lingeringly. Ye Qingzhan frowned on a smiling face, and then quickly relaxed, pretending to scold: "Huang Qiuqiu, stop it!"

The fingers that were lightly tapping the girl's eyebrows paused. Wen Gu picked up the person horizontally, his expression gloomy.

The Yin Sha in his body waited for an opportunity to move with his footsteps, and the black mist in his heart turned into a deep voice: "Why don't you let us eat her, she is so delicious and tempting, as long as you eat her, you can live a few more years with us. In this way, you can continue to look for your parents in the world. Be obedient, child, let us eat her, devour her--"

Before the harsh sound was finished, Wen Gu gathered all his true strength in his heart meridian and shattered the Yin Sha.

With blood on the corner of his lips, Wen Gu bent down, put Ye Qingzhan on the couch, sat on the edge of the couch, and continued to look at her with his eyes down.

The filth in his body was becoming more and more out of control, and he wanted to force him like crazy to kill Ye Qingzhan, sacrifice himself, and take his soul and heart.

But...

he couldn't do it.

Wen Gu leaned down, held the girl's face, and kissed her gently.

This time, I won't disturb your sweet dream.

He stood up, tilted his head slightly, buried his face in her neck, and took a bite.

- Don't forget me.

For the first time in his life, tears fell from the young man's eyes, hot, fiery, and resolute.