"superior……"
They all instinctively wanted to kneel and pay their respects—although Shen Mo had long ago told them they didn't need to—but now they were in a daze as if they had returned to the first time they met Shen Mo, when a single glance from him was enough to make them willingly bow down and submit.
"Forget about the formalities." Shen Mo interrupted their bowing, put down the book in his hand, and said, "You two go and find out about Nan Xun for me. It's time to go and find Xiang Mei's legacy."
"yes!"
The two responded in unison, and only after confirming that Shen Mo had no further instructions did they carefully retreat.
It wasn't until Zuo Shu had walked quite a distance from Shen Mo's residence that she finally snapped out of her nervous state. Turning around, she saw that Chen Yi also looked disheveled.
"Did you feel it too?" Zuo Shu patted her chest and said with lingering fear, "I have never felt so insignificant before, like an ant that I could crush with a flick of my wrist."
Chen Yi twitched the corner of his mouth and said with a wry smile, "I'm about the same. The Emperor has probably broken through again."
His tone revealed undisguised reverence.
"And... I don't know if it's just my imagination." Zuo Shu steadied herself, recalling the few glances she had just caught from Shen Mo, and said hesitantly, "I feel like the Emperor is different from before... no, not different, but like..."
Zuo Shu racked her brains trying to figure out who the familiar figure on Shen Mo was, when Chen Yi, who was completely confused, suddenly realized.
"I understand now! It's like the Emperor's divided soul!" Zuo Shu said decisively, but before Chen Yi could refute her, she herself fell into confusion again, "Wait a minute... weren't the divided souls supposed to merge..."
And shouldn't the divided soul resemble the original body? How come it's become the original body resembling the divided soul now?
"Could you be mistaken?" Chen Yi asked. Unlike Zuo Shu, who insisted on cooperating with Shen Yebai to complete the plan, he had only met Shen Yebai a few times. Even though he knew that he was a fragment of Shen Mo's soul, he could not connect him with Shen Mo at all.
Shen Mo wouldn't be as impulsive as Shen Yebai, nor would he fall in love with someone like that.
"Maybe," Zuo Shu murmured to herself, but she could never forget the strong sense of déjà vu.
"Don't think about it so much, let's go and complete the mission first." Chen Yi comforted Zuo Shu, and Zuo Shu stopped worrying and went out of the palace with him to investigate.
This night was just the beginning.
Chapter Sixty-Seven: Familiarity... Unless I die, there is no...
After giving instructions to Zuo Shu and the other two, Shen Mo thought for a moment and then sent another order to Shen Sheng.
"Two sets? And more..." Shen Sheng frowned as he took Shen Mo's order from the servant. Although he was confused, he still did his best to give the instructions.
He thought of Qin Moyu, whom he had only caught a glimpse of that day, and called Shen Yu over to ask, "Speaking of which... Xiao Yu, do you know Qin Moyu?"
“Yes! He’s such a good person. Not only did he save me, but he also helped me bring back Aunt Yan’s remains.” Shen Yu answered without hesitation. Recalling her love that ended before it even began, she felt heartbroken. “It’s a pity he already has a partner. Royal brother, you can forget about it.”
"What are you thinking about?" Shen Sheng rolled his eyes at Shen Yu, exasperated. "I think you're the one with ulterior motives."
Shen Yu pursed her lips but did not deny it.
Shen Sheng had watched Shen Yu grow up since she was a child, so he knew that Shen Yu was just saying she liked him, but in reality she was still a naive kid. So he stopped dwelling on that and asked his question directly: "I've noticed that you've been getting along very well with Qin Moyu lately. Don't you think something's off?"
Something's not right?
"It's like... I often see the ancestor."
"..."
Oh no! How could I have forgotten about that!
Shen Yu suddenly remembered a certain ancestor who had tried to steal Mo Yu's girlfriend, and carefully chose his words before saying, "Ahem, the ancestor did indeed treat Mo Yu rather... uh, differently."
"knew."
Shen Sheng suddenly understood when he thought of Shen Mo's order and Shen Yebai's feelings for Qin Moyu.
"Huh? You know? You know what?"
Shen Yu was completely bewildered.
But Shen Sheng had no intention of explaining, and just muttered to himself, "Who should we invite to the joint registration ceremony... The Marquis's residence can be invited..."
Shen Yu: ...Wait, Your Majesty, aren't you even a little shocked?! Why are you starting to think about a grand ceremony for unifying household registrations?!
No, I must save my benefactor from this dire situation!
Shen Yu made up her mind and ran out while Shen Sheng wasn't paying attention.
…………
The next morning, Qin Moyu saw Shen Mo as soon as she opened the door.
Shen Mo didn't know how long he had been waiting outside the door, but he seemed to be in a good mood. He smiled and said to Qin Moyu, "Good morning, Moyu."
It was the same face as yesterday, but the smile made Qin Moyu think that Shen Yebai was greeting her.
"...Good morning." Qin Moyu opened her mouth, telling herself it was all an illusion, and suppressed the panic in her heart.
After a brief greeting, Shen Mo said he was there to help them move to Qin Moyu's residence. Because Qin Moyu turned around to call Xuanjing Zhenren, he didn't see the fleeting look of nostalgia in Shen Mo's eyes.
Mo Yu......
Shen Mo called out softly in his heart. Only after last night's integration did he realize how ridiculous his previous struggles had been.
He always thought that not merging with Shen Yebai was sticking to his own identity, but he forgot that Shen Yebai was also a part of him. They were originally one, and only after they merged could he be considered a complete person.
The biggest drawback of the Soul Splitting Technique is that it easily leads to losing oneself and falling into endless self-doubt. This is true for those who write ancient books, and even more so for Shen Mo in the past.