It must be said that Shen Yebai has excellent taste.
Shen Mo thought silently.
Qin Moyu sat next to Shen Yebai. Shen Yebai was breathing steadily, and apart from his pale face, he did not look like he was about to die.
Although he came to the South to find the truth, Qin Moyu was at a loss after arriving.
He lost his parents at a young age and was raised by his master. He has very few friends, and before this trip, he only had Shen Yebai.
Qin Moyu looked at Shen Yebai's face—or rather, Mo Yuan's face—with a complicated expression. But Qin Moyu knew that this was Shen Yebai's true appearance; the Shen Yebai he knew before was just a disguise.
Perhaps it was the desolation on Qin Moyu's face that softened people's hearts, or perhaps it was out of guilt that the Southern Kingdom's royal family had left Qin Moyu to wander outside, but Shen Mo quietly awakened Shen Yebai's soul.
—I only wanted Shen Yebai to understand the current situation so that he would voluntarily agree to merge with me.
Shen Mo explained it this way in his heart, but perhaps only he knew the real reason behind it.
Just as Qin Moyu was lost in thought, his finger was gently tugged, and a familiar voice rang out: "Momo..."
He lowered his head and met Shen Yebai's gaze.
After a long while, Qin Moyu finally hummed in agreement.
There was no joy, no hatred, only endless silence.
Surrounded by the familiar scenery of the Southern Kingdom's royal palace, Shen Yebai understood everything. He had simply made a wrong move and lost to Shen Mo.
"You knew all along...?"
Extreme vanity prevented Shen Yebai from even sitting up; he could only ask softly.
"yes."
Qin Moyu turned her head away, paused for a moment, and then said, "You're badly injured, don't get up."
"sorry."
Shen Yebai used all his strength, but he could only make Qin Moyu feel his fingers being gripped even tighter.
"...You don't need to apologize. I'm the one who should be saying sorry."
Qin Moyu lowered his eyes and said with a mocking smile, "If I hadn't walked into the trap step by step... how could this have happened..."
“It’s not your fault.” Shen Yebai said firmly, his eyes fixed on Qin Moyu, his gaze gentle yet filled with self-reproach. “If it weren’t for me… you wouldn’t have been tricked… Actually, I’ve wanted to tell you this for a long time, but I was afraid…”
Shen Yebai's voice seemed to drift from the horizon.
“I’m afraid… I’m afraid that once you know I’m Mo Yuan, you’ll leave me… I’m afraid that once my identity is exposed, you won’t be able to accept that I’m a split soul… I…”
"Stop talking!"
Qin Moyu's sharp shout interrupted Shen Yebai's endless fear. He gripped Shen Yebai's hand tightly with a look of exasperation, staring intently at him: "But you are Shen Yebai, the one and only Shen Yebai I know!"
He never knew Shen Mo; from beginning to end, the only person who stayed with him was Shen Yebai.
Qin Moyu's confusion lies in the fact that if he wants to save Shen Yebai, he can only merge with Shen Mo. But will the Shen Yebai he becomes then still the Shen Yebai he knows?
Despite Zuo Shu's emphasis that Shen Yebai and Shen Mo were the same person and the same soul, Qin Moyu simply couldn't see them as one person.
Shen Yebai opened his mouth slightly. He had a lot to say, but in the end, he couldn't say anything.
Everyone regarded him as a fragment of Shen Mo's soul, denying the significance of his existence. Only Qin Moyu firmly believed from beginning to end that Shen Yebai was Shen Yebai, and no one could replace him.
Finally, Shen Yebai smiled with relief, pursing his lips.
That's enough. Even if merging is inevitable, his life has been worthwhile.
Shen Yebai gazed at the azure sky above, clear as a mirror, just like Qin Moyu's eyes.
He closed his eyes and whispered, "Do you want to continue watching?"
Just as Shen Mo could sense Shen Yebai, Shen Yebai could also sense Shen Mo's presence.
It has nothing to do with cultivation level; it's simply a resonance from the soul.
Shen Mo slowly walked out from behind the tree.
His expression remained indifferent as always, but he had lost some of his arrogance.
Qin Moyu was taken aback by the striking resemblance between the man and Shen Yebai before realizing that it was Shen Mo.
"Nice to meet you, my name is Shen Mo."
Shen Mo said.
This was the first time Qin Moyu and Shen Mo met.
Unlike the various encounters amidst falling leaves and breathtaking flower fields that are rumored in later generations, their meeting this time was devoid of any romance. In fact, Shen Yu's accidental intrusion almost caused a laughing stock, but this did not stop people from speculating.
Speculating on when this legendary emperor of the four continents met his Daoist partner.
—Until death do us part.
Chapter 56. Merging with the Heartbroken Single Man Shen Mo…