Shen Yu jumped out of the window, but before he could take more than a few steps, he was spotted by the guards. The guards' shouts of "Your Highness!" reminded him that he was still in solitary confinement. But now that he had already run away, it would be too much of a loss if he were caught and taken back without seeing anyone!
So he pretended not to hear the guards shouting and ran even faster.
Although he could see Qin Moyu's profile from the window, Shen Yu knew that Qin Moyu was not as close to him as he had imagined. In addition, he had to dodge the guards' capture, so he darted left and right, wishing he could become invisible.
Having evaded another search, Shen Yu watched from his hiding place in a tree as the search party grew larger and larger, seemingly ready to plow through the entire Imperial Garden if they couldn't find him. He felt ashamed.
Surely not...
Shen Yu swallowed hard, and thinking of his elder brother's expression when he found out he had run away again, he couldn't help but shrink back in fear.
No way! Since I'm destined to be punished, I'm determined to leave the palace and have some fun!
Without hesitation, Shen Yu ran quickly toward Qin Moyu.
As the saying goes, how can you run away without bringing your friends along?
…………
The atmosphere froze after Shen Mo finished introducing himself.
Shen Mo remained silent, and Qin Moyu didn't know what to say.
In the end, it was Shen Yebai who broke the stalemate.
After resting for a while, Shen Yebai finally had the strength to sit up. His face was haggard, but his eyes were as sharp as ever, and his aura was in no way inferior to Shen Mo's.
"You've achieved your goal; I have indeed returned." [South Wind]
Shen Yebai looked at Shen Mo and said in a slightly hoarse voice, "But what I don't understand is, are you so confident that I will definitely agree to the fusion?"
Indeed, only by merging can there be a glimmer of hope, but if Shen Yebai would rather give up this glimmer of hope than merge, then Shen Mo can't do anything about it.
"I know you don't want to."
Shen Mo chuckled, but his gaze shifted from Shen Yebai to Qin Moyu beside him, and he said with certainty, "But I believe you will definitely be able to integrate."
Shen Yebai twitched the corners of his mouth, wanting to laugh but unable to.
Indeed, one should say that he understands himself best. If Shen Yebai were still the same Shen Yebai, he would rather die than merge with Qin Moyu. But he also knows that if he doesn't agree to merge, then Qin Moyu is Shen Mo's best bargaining chip.
Even if Shen Mo doesn't harm Qin Moyu, Shen Yebai can't bear the thought of Qin Moyu being alone in the future, with the possibility of dying at any moment.
Only by merging with Shen Mo can Qin Moyu be made to willingly protect Shen Mo.
This is an unsolvable trap, a well-laid scheme by Shen Mo that made Shen Yebai willingly jump into it.
Their conversation was too cryptic for Qin Moyu to understand, but she could sense the silent power struggle between them and could only look at Shen Yebai with concern.
"if……"
Qin Moyu bit her lip and whispered in Shen Yebai's ear, "If you don't want to merge, then let's run away."
He didn't want Shen Yebai to die, so he followed Zuo Shu back to seek a chance for Shen Yebai's survival. But if Shen Yebai really didn't want to merge, and the merged Shen Yebai would no longer be Shen Yebai, then Qin Moyu was willing to escape with Shen Yebai until the moment Shen Yebai died in his arms.
Shen Yebai was unable to utter a single word.
If the two of them really do manage to escape by sheer luck, then after Shen Yebai dies, Qin Moyu will face the wrath of a powerful cultivator at the Tribulation Transcending stage. Everyone knows what the outcome will be, but Qin Moyu still spoke out without hesitation.
—What merits did he possess to meet someone like Qin Moyu?
Shen Mo stood still, his eyes slightly moving.
Qin Moyu underestimated the divine sense of a Tribulation Transcending stage cultivator. He thought Shen Mo heard a very soft sentence clearly.
For some reason, Shen Mo felt very uncomfortable.
He had always believed in the existence of deep love between two people—just like his parents—but he never believed it would happen to him. Now, the soul he was about to merge with was whispering sweet nothings to another person right in front of him, and he felt inexplicably heartbroken.
Shen Yebai took a deep breath, trying to calm the surging emotions in his heart, and poured all his affection into a kiss on Qin Moyu's forehead.
It was a kiss that ended in an instant, and in a daze, Qin Moyu recalled the kiss at Guanlan Sect.
Shen Yebai said softly, "No need, Momo, I'm willing to merge."
As he spoke, he intertwined his fingers with Qin Moyu's and smiled, "After all, I said I would stay with you for the rest of my life."
Qin Moyu felt a lump in her throat and silently tightened her grip on his hand.
Shen Mo, the villain who breaks up lovers in every sense of the word: ...
He absolutely did not feel sour.
"Qin Moyu—"
Just as the sweet smell of romance filled the air, a loud shout shattered the tranquility.
Qin Moyu heard someone call her name and instinctively turned around, only to be startled.
A person dressed as a servant, with a veiled face, charged straight at him, his eyes shining brightly.
Who is this person?
All of Qin Moyu's sadness and emotion vanished at this moment, and she made a decisive move to run away with Shen Yebai.
"Hey! Wait! Don't go—it's me, Shen Yu—"
Shen Yu ripped off her mask, her eyes fixed solely on Qin Moyu. She slammed on the brakes and stopped abruptly in front of Qin Moyu, excitedly saying, "There's no time to explain! Let's go! We'll be caught if we don't leave soon!"