Mu Hongyuan took a deep breath, looking at Wang Mu with disbelief etched on her face.

"How is this possible?"

"You know about this too?"

"After I left Leisure Cloud Valley, I had a fortuitous encounter," Wang Mu said with a slight smile. "I learned about Xin Wang's Tomb, and as it happens... I also know that to open it, a special Yin Yang Force is required."

"So, I thought of the Four Seasons Yin Yang Palm. It occurred to me, Sister, that by teaching me this, you intended to use me to open Xin Wang's Tomb from the very beginning. Is that right?"

"But I reasoned that Xin Wang's Tomb... might contain ancient corpses and be rife with corpse poison, which is difficult to cure once infected. So, when I met Bi You, I took the opportunity to learn the Heavenly Poison Scripture. I hoped it would later help you, Sister, unlock Xin Wang's Tomb and ensure our safety."

Mu Hongyuan instinctively stepped back a few paces.

She couldn't imagine that Dongfang Mu, back then, had schemed to such an extent...

She, the Palace Master of Shura Palace, had always believed she had this youngster completely under her control...

Who would have known... he was aware of everything all along?

Mu Hongyuan's cheeks burned.

That feeling... It was as if buried memories were suddenly assaulting her, making it difficult for her to maintain the composure expected of an Ascension Expert...

"You... you..." Mu Hongyuan pointed at Wang Mu, livid and exasperated. "You lecher!"

Wang Mu shook his head.

"I told you, from the first moment you saved me, Sister, it was a connection that felt like an eternity in a single glance. I wanted to hold you in my hands, right then..."

"However, even though I thought Xin Wang's Tomb was extremely dangerous, I still underestimated it."

"When I pushed you out at that time, Sister, I was fortunately prepared. My cultivation of the Heavenly Poison Scripture allowed me to successfully neutralize the corpse poison..."

"Later... during the Flower Viewing Festival... Sister, you wanted that Red Rose..."

Wang Mu hesitated. "That is my only regret concerning you, Sister. At that time, I couldn't give you that flower because I already had some suspicions about your identity. Had I given it to you, the righteous experts present would have died. Afterward, it would surely have provoked many other righteous sects to attack Shura Palace."

(This was, in fact, a consequence of a choice in the game. Giving the flower to Mu Hongyuan would allow her storyline to be successfully completed, but Yan Qingwu's would be severed. Moreover, if the flower were given to Mu Hongyuan, once her identity was exposed, it would also incite the righteous factions to attack, as the flower was the antidote to a poison they were afflicted with at the time.)

"However..." Wang Mu continued softly, "so, I didn't give it to you. Later, in Heavenly Fragrance Valley... I made it up to you."

Mu Hongyuan was speechless.

"Don't say anymore!" she exclaimed, taking a deep breath.

The more he spoke, the more ashamed she felt of her actions back then...

She had thought she was the one manipulating him from behind the scenes...

Unexpectedly...

She had fallen into his counter-scheme without even realizing it...

"So..." Wang Mu sighed lightly. "I've never been a pure, naive, or rule-abiding person. It just depends on who I'm dealing with."

"Then why have you already lost your Primordial Yang?" Mu Hongyuan sneered.

"Sister Mu, you know," Wang Mu said. "I'm just a mere Nascent Soul Stage cultivator, incapable of much."

Mu Hongyuan was speechless.

"Telling you all this..." Wang Mu said, "is so you can see clearly what kind of person I truly am. At least, to you, I'm not what you imagined... For a long, long time..."

Wang Mu paused, glancing at Mu Hongyuan.

"I've coveted your body, Sister."

And not just yours... Wang Mu thought to himself. In the game, he coveted the bodies of the other heroines too.

Who wouldn't covet their 2D waifus?

The moment each female lead's artwork appeared, he was smitten.

"I must say, you've really opened my eyes..." Mu Hongyuan murmured. "Then why, after you saw through my identity, did you constantly reject me, especially during that year?"

"Of course, it was out of guilt towards you, Sister," Wang Mu said. "I had incurred other emotional debts, so how could I not feel guilty towards you? Besides, you're an Ascension Expert, so far above me. I felt ashamed, no longer the person I once was. How could I possibly be worthy of you?"

"Wasn't it right for me to reject you then?"

Mu Hongyuan was speechless.

"Now that you've seen my true character, Sister..." Wang Mu said, "kill me or cut me down, I'll accept my fate."

"So, I'm asking you..." Mu Hongyuan said calmly. "Little Gu... did you see through her from the very beginning too?"

"Truly, I did not!" Wang Mu raised his hand, swearing an oath.

He really hadn't seen through Gu Yuqing.

Damn it, at that time, I was completely immersed in the game world! I wasn't a player with a god's-eye view, so how could I possibly have noticed? 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

You'd have to be a ghost to have noticed!

It's like the protagonist in the game, who normally only discovers much later that Mu Hongyuan is a woman disguised as a man.

How could I possibly have figured it out?

Even if I had some vague suspicions later, I just treated her as a tool... erm... to raise affection levels. Her beauty was indeed heaven-defying, but the pressure from the other Ascension Realm heroines was too immense... I felt like I was constantly treading the line between life and death, so I didn't dare entertain any other thoughts.

"I told you," Wang Mu said. "With you, it was a connection that felt like an eternity in a single glance, something I sensed by feeling, not by sight. Your disciple... Sister, with a peerless jade like you already before me, how could I possibly experience that same profound connection a second time?"

Mu Hongyuan was speechless.

"So, this excuse... is it flawless?" Mu Hongyuan said faintly. "'Kill me or cut me down, I'll accept my fate'... Brother Mu, you're so calculating, playing so many emotional cards, so many cards of sincerity... Are you so certain I won't kill you? Or do you think I'll just get angry and leave?"

"Either outcome... would allow me to leave this place, wouldn't it?"

"Yes," Wang Mu said. "But what I said was also true."

After saying all that, given Mu Hongyuan's strong and proud personality, she would surely find it somewhat unacceptable.

Leaving would be the best outcome for him.

CLAP. CLAP. CLAP.

Mu Hongyuan clapped gently. "Brother Mu, you truly are amazing... It's a pity, though... After you finished speaking, as for me, Sister..."

At this, Mu Hongyuan paused, her eyes shining.

"I like you even more."

Wang Mu was speechless.

With her face slightly flushed, Mu Hongyuan said with a smile, "Sister here likes men who are more capable than I am. That pure and innocent act? I never really cared for it... You were so formidable back then..."

"Just now, my heart was truly pounding with affection for you..."

With that, she stepped up to Wang Mu, her eyes looking as if they could overflow with moisture.

"A moment ago, didn't you ask if we should engage in external Dual Cultivation here?"

"Sister agrees."

Wang Mu froze. Watching Mu Hongyuan's impassioned expression, he instinctively stepped backward.

This... Engaging in external Dual Cultivation here wouldn't be so bad...

But is she serious?

As he continued to back away, he unconsciously bumped against the edge of the wooden bed.

With a THUD, Wang Mu fell into a sitting position, his hands bracing on the bed.

It was still warm from where Mu Hongyuan had been sitting.

Hmm?

Wang Mu started as his fingertips suddenly brushed against a patch of moisture...

Mu Hongyuan... she was actually aroused?

Wang Mu was speechless.

To be honest, he had hoped Mu Hongyuan would get angry and storm off...

But that didn't happen...

It seems I still don't understand them, Wang Mu thought with an inward sigh.

Seeing this, Wang Mu reached out, wrapped an arm around her slender waist, and in a swift move, pressed Mu Hongyuan down beneath him. He leaned close and whispered in her ear,

"Sister Mu, look at this..."

Wang Mu brought his damp fingertips to Mu Hongyuan's lips, lightly brushing them.

Mu Hongyuan's cheeks turned crimson. Yet, unlike Heroine Yan might have, she boldly met Wang Mu's gaze and said in a sultry voice,

"There's something even wetter where that came from..."

Wang Mu was speechless.

She truly is a demoness.

Wang Mu narrowed his eyes, taking a deep breath...

Just then, within Wang Mu's Primordial Spirit, the Green Blood Sword began to tremble.

The next second.

BOOM!

A loud CRASHING sound erupted!

The door had been blasted into two pieces.

A serene figure stood outside. Her calm voice, like the gentle murmur of a stream, flowed out:

"It seems I've arrived at an inopportune time?"