Looking back at his past self, Shen Mo, who was just one step away from ascension, couldn't help but marvel at how lucky he was.
If he truly remains in his original state, even if he manages to ascend by chance, the drawbacks of a split soul will persist until one day it transforms into a demon within him, causing him to engage in a bitter struggle like the writers of ancient texts, ultimately resulting in mutual destruction.
To completely eliminate the drawbacks of the Soul Splitting Technique, the split soul and the original body need to truly and without any conflict.
This integration requires a prerequisite—they need to have the same desire.
Shen Yebai, who had no memories of his original body, fell in love with Qin Moyu. Shen Mo, who had no memories of his split soul, also fell in love with Qin Moyu. Whether they were his original body or his split soul, they both longed for Qin Moyu. It was this obsession and longing that allowed them to completely merge.
The fusion is a wonderful feeling. In the past, there would be a distinction between "yours" and "mine" in the memories, but after fusion, there will be no distinction between "yours" and "mine". For Shen Mo, Shen Yebai's memories are his own past experiences, and for Shen Yebai, Shen Mo's memories are the completion of his "childhood".
The past struggles and calculations I had with myself were like a person standing in front of a mirror playing rock-paper-scissors with themselves—completely meaningless.
During the fusion process, Shen Mo reviewed his entire life from the deepest part of his memory. The feelings in his soul stretched out time. A second in reality might have been decades in his memory. So what Qin Moyu saw as a short night apart, Shen Mo saw as a hundred years having passed without seeing each other.
After Shen Mo had arranged everything, he longed to see Qin Moyu, but he patiently waited from nightfall until dawn.
While waiting, Shen Mo kept recalling the moments he had spent with Qin Moyu. He was really happy to continue to keep his promise to Qin Moyu and to continue to stand by his side.
Because of the storage bag, and because Xuanjing Zhenren didn't have much on him when he was teleported here unconscious, there was almost no need to pack anything; he could be moved away immediately.
Because Master Xuanjing's injuries had not yet healed and he was not fit to fly on his sword, and since it wasn't actually that far, the three of them chose to walk there.
Ever since Xuanjing Zhenren learned that Shen Mo was actually Shen Yebai, any awe he had for a Tribulation Transcending stage expert vanished without a trace. He now looked at Shen Mo with such hatred that he wanted to devour him whole. He followed Qin Moyu with the same wariness as before, fearing that his little white cabbage would be kidnapped.
Shen Mo didn't mind. Taking advantage of Xuan Jing Zhenren's injury and greatly reduced strength, he smiled and mouthed to Qin Moyu from a place where Xuan Jing Zhenren couldn't see him.
"Want to go out?" Shen Mo asked silently, his smile reaching his eyes.
—It's all too familiar.
Qin Moyu noticed that Shen Mo was unusually "lively" today, or rather, he had many more little gestures that he hadn't shown before.
This childish, silent dialogue was something Qin Moyu had taught Shen Yebai before. Back then, to prevent his master from nagging incessantly, he would mouth to Shen Yebai how to arrange a time to go play in the back mountain.
Yebai...
Qin Moyu shook his head violently, shaking off the unrealistic thoughts that were surfacing in his mind, but this made Shen Mo think that he didn't want to go out and play.
Do you still mind?
Shen Mo was a little frustrated, but he quickly rallied and unleashed his trump card.
"Mo Yu, are you still curious about Senior Xiang Mei's legacy?"
One sentence caught their attention.
"Is there any news?" As a fellow townsman, Qin Moyu was certainly concerned.
"Let's skip using such intimate terms like 'Shen,' 'Senior,' and 'Moyu,' it might be misunderstood that we have some kind of relationship," Master Xuanjing said with a forced smile, pulling Qin Moyu behind him through gritted teeth.
"There's no need for such formalities, sir. You became famous much earlier than me; I should be the one calling you 'senior,' and besides..."
Shen Mo tilted his head slightly and smiled at Qin Moyu, "What's wrong with getting involved with me? It'll just serve as a deterrent to some petty scoundrels."
This clearly indicates that he intends to bring Qin Moyu under his protection.
Master Xuanjing choked up, finding Shen Mo's words infuriating no matter how he heard them.
He was clearly more famous than Shen Mo first, but he was the one who broke through to the Tribulation Transcending stage first and was even close to ascending. In terms of strength, he couldn't compare. In terms of family background, the Southern Kingdom's royal family was worth more than three Guanlan Sects. In terms of status, he was at most an elder of a sect, while the other party could be said to be a king of a country in name only. The difference between them was simply heartbreaking.
Master Xuanjing calling Shen Mo "Senior" was a clear dig at him, telling him not to try to have an older man date a younger woman, as twilight romances (?) never end well!
At this moment, Master Xuanjing completely forgot that he was several times older than Shen Mo.
"But Master, I called him 'Senior' before. If you call him 'Senior' too, does that mean we're on the same level?" Qin Moyu poked Xuanjing Zhenren's arm and blinked. "Master, you're not allowed to call me 'brat' anymore!"
"What nonsense are you spouting, brat?" Xuanjing Zhenren was amused by what he heard. He turned around and flicked Qin Moyu on the head, saying irritably, "You've been sold out and you're still counting the money for them. How can you be so stupid?"
Just like before, Qin Moyu foolishly saved Shen Yebai, who knew nothing about his background, and was even convinced by Shen Yebai's fabricated backstory. When Qin Moyu tried to kick him out, Shen Yebai even argued with him.
Qin Moyu pursed his lips. He wasn't stupid. The tension between Shen Mo and Xuanjing Zhenren was just like when his master was with Shen Yebai. The two were naturally incompatible and would feel uncomfortable if they didn't fight. But he was really annoyed that his master called Shen Mo "senior".
The feeling was comparable to a good brother suddenly jumping two generations to become his grandfather. It wasn't just bizarre, it was downright outrageous.
Well, Shen Mo isn't exactly my best friend either.
However, it must be said that because of Shen Mo's special treatment all along, Qin Moyu never felt that Shen Mo was a powerful cultivator in the Tribulation Transcending stage. Sometimes, he even felt that the other party was so peaceful and gentle that he did not seem like someone who had once been a king.
As for why there is such special treatment...
Qin Moyu glanced at Shen Mo, but had no answer in her heart.
Since he couldn't figure it out, he decided to stop thinking about it for now. This was Qin Moyu's consistent approach to life. To prevent his master from continuing to torment his ears, he quickly steered the conversation back to the beginning: "Did you find Senior Xiang Mei's inheritance?"
"It's almost done, we just need to find Nanxun."
Shen Mo nodded and said, "I remember you said you wanted to go to different places to see different scenery. You've already been to the secret realm, but you haven't seen a place of inheritance like this, so I wanted to take you there."
Go see different scenery.
Qin Moyu fell silent.
But the person who said they would stay with him is no longer here. Does he really still want to see those sights?
"No, what if there's danger?" Although Master Xuanjing was also tempted by Xiangmei's inheritance, he was more worried about Qin Moyu's safety.
Having been unconscious for so long, he naturally had no idea of Qin Moyu's heroic feat of traversing the Abyss to seek revenge on Fen Gong. In his eyes, Qin Moyu was still that naive and easily fooled little kid who would get lost even if he went out for a short training trip, let alone try to break into the inheritance.