C114 — Cooperation with the Moon

 

 

Outside, He Fei pounded the door with his gun, shouting while knocking, “Xiao Mu, what’s going on? I think I just saw the moon. Xiao Mu, are you okay? Moon, open the door. You have the guts to bully Xiao Mu, but you don’t have the guts to open the door!”

Inside, the room was filled with shattered glass, and a body lay on the floor. Shen Jiyue, with both hands stained in blood, sat calmly on the bed, looking at Mu Sichen, who was deep in thought. Shen Jiyue didn’t seem at all anxious, nor did he think Mu Sichen would refuse his proposal.

Outside the window, a full moon had risen at some point, and the moonlight cast on Shen Jiyue, making him appear even more elegant and graceful.

The word “elegant” seemed to be etched into Shen Jiyue’s very bones. Compared to other god-level monsters that had become grotesque, Shen Jiyue was far too beautiful. Even in his true form, Shen Jiyue remained a pure and radiant moon.

The knocking on the door continued. Mu Sichen, feeling a headache coming on, decided to send a divine message to He Fei: “Go back to your room and wait for me. I have important matters to discuss, and you cannot overhear.”

The knocking stopped, and He Fei sent a message in the group chat.

Your Brother Fei: “Then I’ll go back and wait for you. Remember, don’t get contaminated!”

Your Brother Fei: “But if you do get contaminated, I won’t be able to save you. So let’s make a deal—if you do get contaminated, make sure you contaminate me too. My mind is fragile, and I don’t want to live alone while everyone else is lost.”

Mu Sichen couldn’t help but smile when he saw He Fei’s message.

The tense atmosphere in the room lightened slightly because of Mu Sichen’s smile.

Mu Sichen began to seriously think about Shen Jiyue’s words. With Qin Zu’s guarantee, there was no need to worry that Shen Jiyue’s words were false, but Mu Sichen still felt something strange about the situation.

“I can’t trust you. I feel like with your power, you could definitely retrieve your own things. Why do you need to ask me for help?” Mu Sichen asked.

While Mu Sichen was thinking, Shen Jiyue walked out of the bathroom with a towel, leisurely drying his hands. After hearing Mu Sichen’s words, he set the towel down, pondered for a moment, and then asked, “From now on, I won’t bring up the ‘Human Guardian god’ name. Do you want the real answer or the fake one?”

“Your fake answer must have some truth in it, and your real answer must have some falsehood in it. Just say both, and I’ll judge for myself,” Mu Sichen replied.

Shen Jiyue smiled faintly, “I really enjoy talking to you. You’re smart, and you always surprise me. I’m happy you keep me on my toes. Since you’re so clever, I won’t waste words on you. I’ll tell you everything—I don’t need to hide anything from you, because you can figure it out anyway.”

“The truth is, I can’t enter the butterfly’s domain. That’s real. To be precise, I can enter, but I can’t use my power in the dream.”

“You understand me, don’t you? My followers are different from the people of Xiangping Town. Each of my followers is like my avatar. I need to use the power of light reflection to project my power and form onto my followers. I can’t do that in the dream,” Shen Jiyue explained.

“I don’t understand. No one can truly understand a god-level monster. Who knows what’s on the other side of the moon?” Mu Sichen retorted warily. “Besides, you’re already in a dream.”

Shen Jiyue sighed, “I was hoping you would understand me better, but it seems you don’t trust me at all, which makes me a bit sad. I’ve already explained. The reason I’m in this dream now is because you’ve taken control of a pillar, creating a gap in Mengdie Town’s power. That’s how I can use ‘spiritual control’ to enter here and search for the power I’ve lost.”

“But right now, the power I can use is very limited. I can’t even use the power of light reflection, and the little bit of spiritual control I have only keeps me awake in the dream. It can’t stop others from going insane.”

“If I continue to just watch, you’ll eventually occupy Mengdie Town. By then, my power will be in your hands—will you return it to me?”

Mu Sichen admitted that Shen Jiyue wasn’t wrong. Every word Shen Jiyue said seemed to hit the mark, confirming Mu Sichen’s suspicions.

After sensing the “spiritual control” ability in the Repentance Complex, Mu Sichen had guessed that the butterfly might possess an item similar to golden silk glasses. Later, when he heard Shen Jiyue’s voice on the phone, Mu Sichen abandoned that thought, shifting to the belief that Shen Jiyue had entered Mengdie Town, though he still couldn’t figure out Shen Jiyue’s real goal.

“Anything else?” Mu Sichen asked. “I don’t believe your goal is that simple.”

Shen Jiyue said, “There’s just a little bit more to it.”

He extended his hand, forming a gap of about one centimeter between his thumb and index finger, and flashed a sly smile. “Just a little bit, and I think you’ve already guessed it. During our cooperation, if the opportunity arises, I won’t hesitate to try to contaminate you, because I really like you, and I want you to become my follower.”

Facing Shen Jiyue’s shameless “honesty,” Mu Sichen realized he was almost losing his temper. He could only respond, somewhat exasperated, “You mean go insane? Become possessed by you?”

“Of course not!” Shen Jiyue widened his eyes in surprise. “Followers like that are a dime a dozen. They’re not worth my effort. I really cherish you. I want you to stay just as you are now—admiring me, trusting me, helping me destroy the domains of other towns, so I can become the one above all…”

“Then just devour me, right? Use me up and toss me aside,” Mu Sichen replied. “Wait, becoming the one above all requires my power, doesn’t it? The reason the Deep Sea was divided by you all wasn’t just because of the butterfly’s betrayal—it was because it couldn’t control different kinds of powers at the same time, right? It swallowed a lot of power, but it became weaker than when it first became the one above all, didn’t it?”

This was what Mu Sichen had thought about during his conversation with Shen Jiyue.

The Deep Sea clearly had the ability to devour other god-level monsters, to stand alone against the entire world’s god-level creatures. So how could it be divided up by other god-level monsters?

It was because the Deep Sea had grown weaker.

And the butterfly had so many god-level monsters helping it—why not take all that power for itself? Why return some, discard some, or turn some into items?

The answer was because, after becoming a Hidden Star, it would become weaker if it kept all those powers.

Qin Zu clearly had the conditions to become the one above all, yet he remained “half-step above all.” It was because the other powers weighed him down.

The fourth type of power, which allowed these god-level monsters to perfectly integrate other powers, was the self-power.

From the moment Shen Jiyue took the first “pillar” from Mu Sichen, he had been coveting Mu Sichen’s self-power.

The whole “becoming a follower” was just a guise to steal his power!

Mu Sichen couldn’t help but feel like he had turned into a piece of Tang Seng meat—any god-level monster with strength probably wanted his power.

Shen Jiyue was caught off guard by how accurately Mu Sichen had figured him out but still nodded, acknowledging it with sincerity. “I will let you live until I become the one above all. Even when I become the one above all, your spirit will remain forever in my divine kingdom. I will take good care of you.”

Mu Sichen: “……”

Why did Shen Jiyue speak so calmly about such terrifying matters?

“Do god-level monsters have a problem with their thought processes?” Mu Sichen asked.

Shen Jiyue smiled slightly. “Sichen, everyone has to die. Even if I am a god, I can’t promise you immortality. But I can make your spirit eternal and your soul indestructible. That is the power of my Town.”

“I’ve invited you to my town before. Do you have time to take a look? Just one glance, and you’ll fall in love with the place.”

“Stop!” Mu Sichen interrupted Shen Jiyue. “I don’t want to hear you preach on your own behalf anymore. Don’t you think it’s embarrassing to praise yourself? Let’s focus on discussing the cooperation. Why do you think I would agree to your terms?”

“Why won’t you agree when I’ve been so sincere?” Shen Jiyue retorted.

Mu Sichen: “Do you look down on me? I’ve more or less figured out the operational rules of this ‘pillar’. From now on, it’s just a matter of finding its location. That’s not a difficult task. Why do I need to cooperate with you?”

He could easily get rid of Shen Jiyue’s avatar in this room, take the “pillar,” find the item that contained Shen Jiyue’s power, and claim it for himself. Plus, he’d get a powerful item capable of amplifying emotions.

Shen Jiyue sighed softly. “Sichen, are you trying to show off in front of me? Don’t you care about the lives of the people inside the ‘pillar’? I came to help you.”

“Can you solve the causality chain?” Mu Sichen asked.

Shen Jiyue arrogantly replied, “Are you doubting a god’s ability?”

Mu Sichen remained unshaken, whether Shen Jiyue spoke gently or put on the airs of a god-level monster to pressure him. Mu Sichen’s attitude toward Shen Jiyue remained unchanged—cold and guarded, leaving all of Shen Jiyue’s tricks fruitless.

Shen Jiyue had no choice but to explain honestly: “The causality chain exists because for every cause, there must be an effect. It’s like how rain in the sky becomes rivers and eventually flows into the ocean. This means that within the ‘pillar’, there must be two types of powers to create it.”

“I’m sure you’ve already guessed it. The butterfly used my power within this ‘pillar’ by amplifying the emotion of repentance to achieve a stronger sense of relief. Repentance is the ’cause,’ and relief is the ‘effect.’ If the ’cause’ isn’t solved, the ‘effect’ will inevitably occur.”

“What you’re worried about is that after occupying the ‘pillar,’ the intense feeling of repentance will not be resolved, and those people will choose to take their own lives, right?”

“I promise you, as long as I reclaim my power, I will help you solve the ’cause.’ I’ll restore their sense of repentance to normal, help them break free from the causality chain’s control. How does that sound?”

“Is it really that easy to do?” Mu Sichen frowned, feeling like Shen Jiyue was holding something back.

“I can’t further reduce the feeling of repentance,” Shen Jiyue replied. “Unless you want them to turn into a bunch of unrepentant madmen.”

Mu Sichen didn’t respond or oppose it further. Instead, he asked, “What exactly did the butterfly take from you? And what did it turn into?”

Shen Jiyue replied, “I’m not sure what it turned into, that’s something you’ll have to find. But I can tell you, it took one of my dreams.”

“god-level monsters have dreams too?” Mu Sichen asked in confusion.

“Of course we do! It’s just that after losing this dream, I no longer remember its contents,” Shen Jiyue said, a faint trace of wistfulness crossing his face.

Seeing Shen Jiyue like this, Mu Sichen suddenly thought of Qin Zu.

The little octopus would sometimes move its tentacles while sleeping and get angry when it woke up—was it also dreaming?

Mu Sichen: “…”

What kind of dream could it be? Could it be the peace and happiness of Xiangping Town?

Seeing that Mu Sichen’s expression had gradually softened and was no longer as guarded as before, Shen Jiyue, who had been wearing a friendly expression, suddenly became cold. His voice grew sharp and chilling: “Mu Sichen, you think my care and affection for you are just about devouring your power. Why don’t you ever question the ‘Hand that Covers the Sky’s’ protection over you?”

“Is it because it’s absolutely rational? Because it refuses to devour the souls of the citizens of Xiangping Town? Because it’s always been protecting you while you occupy other towns?”

“It’s already ‘half-step into the Sky,’ look at the state of the Deep Sea. It cannot suppress the desire to devour. ‘Greed’ will continue to torment it, and all rationality will burn away.”

“Why don’t you doubt that it’s raising you, raising you to the point where you can be devoured in one bite? Once it swallows you, it will become the one to transcend the Sky.”

“It’s the same as me. At least with me, your spirit can still live on.”

Mu Sichen’s calm expression cracked for a moment. He glared at Shen Jiyue with a trace of anger in his eyes, his voice pressing down the fury: “He’s not the same as you. He has never hidden his intentions.”

“I haven’t hidden mine either,” Shen Jiyue shook his head. “Sichen, you’re being unfair.”

Mu Sichen took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.

He wouldn’t argue with Shen Jiyue about these things. The matters between him and Qin Zu, and between him and the little octopus, were not for others to meddle in.

“Let’s talk about the situation here,” Mu Sichen said, pointing to the body on the ground. “What exactly happened?”

Shen Jiyue glanced at the body. He showed no pity for death, only stating calmly: “I don’t know. When I came into this room, the door was slightly ajar. I pushed it open and found him like this.”

“You called him earlier, and I answered. You said you were going to Room 3016 to do something,” Mu Sichen said, pulling out his phone from a file folder.

“Yes, but I didn’t know what we were supposed to do. It was the task inside the room that required me to do it,” Shen Jiyue said.

He briefly explained his side of the story.

After Shen Jiyue led a power into Mengdie Town, relying on his sense of his own power, he came to the Repentance Complex. However, he was unable to enter.

Even as a god-level monster’s avatar, Shen Jiyue still had to follow the rules to enter the “pillar.”

Breaking rules like cutting in line, spitting on the ground, or robbing and fighting were not in line with Shen Jiyue’s aesthetics, so he chose to toy with emotions instead.

He attracted many people, formed numerous romantic relationships in a single day, and truthfully confessed to each of them that he was a “sea king.”

Mengdie Town’s rules recognized this as a serious crime, sending him to the Repentance Complex.

“It’s funny, actually,” Shen Jiyue continued, “the last lover, I didn’t even have the chance to tell her the truth, and she broke up with me on her own. I didn’t see her tears or hear her cry. It’s a bit of a regret, really. She was quite cute, and I’m sure she would’ve looked delightful while crying.”

Shen Jiyue then took out his phone and showed Mu Sichen a picture of this ex-girlfriend.

Mu Sichen, after hearing about Shen Jiyue’s actions, didn’t even know how to comment anymore. But after seeing the photo, he didn’t know what to say.

This ex-girlfriend who had broken up with Shen Jiyue on her own was actually the same young woman who had been investigating Mu Sichen, been charmed by his face, and broken up with her boyfriend.

Mu Sichen: “…”

In one day, she encountered two people with ulterior motives, one of whom was an evil god. This woman must have a lot in common with He Fei.

Though this matter left him speechless, it also allowed Mu Sichen to put down a burden on his heart.

Not only had he not harmed an innocent boyfriend, but he had also saved a lady who was about to be harmed by the moon, which could be considered a good deed.

Even if it was a dream, Mu Sichen hadn’t hurt anyone’s feelings.

“Why did you choose this method?” Mu Sichen asked with an exasperated expression.

“Because I symbolize love,” Shen Jiyue said with a light smile. “Humans often use me as an excuse when confessing their love. I really like this feeling of love. In my little town, there are many beautiful love stories. So, how about it? Does it pique your curiosity? Would you like to come?”

“Heh, I’ll visit when I have time,” Mu Sichen replied.

But that would be when he was conquering the Town, not when he became Shen Jiyue’s follower.

Shen Jiyue continued to tell his story, and the rest was quite simple.

Because Shen Jiyue had ruined many people’s relationships and desecrated beautiful love, he was sent to the Repentance Complex for punishment. Of course, Shen Jiyue was absolutely unaffected by his own power and tools. He had no repentance and could not be polluted.

However, he could feel the presence of the tool, but couldn’t find its specific location.

He arrived at the district and, following the task instructions, made a phone call. According to the task, he was to go to Room 7015 that night to find someone.

Mu Sichen answered the phone. Even though Mu Sichen didn’t speak, Shen Jiyue still recognized him from the sound of his breath.

He thought that his collaborator was Mu Sichen. The thought of going to Mu Sichen’s room tonight to find him made him feel slightly excited.

So, Shen Jiyue put on a baseball cap and took a mirror with him, planning to surprise Mu Sichen.

However, when he arrived at Room 7015, it wasn’t Mu Sichen. A man was sitting in a chair with his back to the door. Shen Jiyue gently tapped his shoulder, and his hand was immediately covered in fresh blood.

“I think,” Shen Jiyue said, “these tasks and the things we’ve encountered don’t matter. What matters is that ‘the Pillar’ needs our repentance and liberation.”

“Don’t worry about these messy cases anymore. Just focus on drawing ‘the Pillar’ out.”

Mu Sichen examined the body in Room 7015. It was a male, and the reason for the large amount of blood was because his limbs were missing.

Mu Sichen immediately recalled the leg that He Fei had fished out of the pool.

The events that had occurred with Chi Lian and Ji Xian’an in the Shouwang Complex, and the things they had encountered in the Repentance Complex, all flashed through Mu Sichen’s mind one by one.

“No, it does matter. These cases are all meaningful.” Mu Sichen suddenly said. “Shen Jiyue, I know why you insist on cooperating with me now. It’s not because you can’t get your own power. It’s because you can never get close to the lost power.”

 

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