A Woman Can Marry Anyone

Layers of black skin rapidly accumulated over Lin Dong's body, sending chills through the onlookers' hearts.

This cleansing continued for a full quarter of an hour. Then Mu Zi's thoughts stirred, and the black dragon circled back before plunging into the abyss behind the Death Qi waterfall.

As the black dragon broke apart and the Death Qi merged into it, the black waterfall immediately became even deeper in color, while the deathly fluctuations within it grew purer still.

"The expenditure of the Death Flame Spirit Pool has been made up for," Mu Zi said as she looked at Mo Luo.

Tang Xinlian raised her head and gazed at the ink-black Death Qi waterfall. A strange thought suddenly flashed through her mind.

That Death Qi had washed over Lin Dong's body countless times before flowing back into the Death Flame Spirit Pool. Didn't that mean that the experts who came here to cultivate in the future would all be using Lin Dong's "bathwater"?

Crack!

Within the pool, the surface of that charred, blackened mass suddenly split open with cracks. The cracks spread, and with a soft sound, a slender arm extended from within.

Then the black substance fell away piece by piece, revealing a completely renewed Lin Dong before them.

Tap!

Mu Zi slowly descended from the sky. Her feet landed lightly, sending ripples across the stagnant pool.

Standing silently in the water, Mu Zi stared wordlessly at Lin Dong some distance away. Her snow-white shoes stood out starkly against the pitch-black water.

"Uh..."

Sensing the strange atmosphere, Tang Xinlian and the others exchanged glances before leaving the Death Flame Spirit Pool, leaving the two of them alone.

Lin Dong looked at the figure before him. By now, she had long shed that brilliant purple, dressed in white as pure as snow, just as she had been back then.

"You finally agreed to see me."

After a long while, Lin Dong spoke with a complicated gaze, breaking the silence.

Seeing the loneliness and longing in the young man's eyes, a ripple passed through Mu Zi's gaze. Perhaps she had been too heartless.

There was nothing wrong with Lin Dong liking her. She simply could not accept the change in their relationship.

Moreover, from the very beginning, whether intentionally or not, she had been the one to enter his life, quietly leaving her mark until she occupied the most important place in it.

Now, perhaps it was time to reveal certain things.

"Lin Dong, I know how you feel about me. Perhaps in your eyes, I have done a great deal for you, but I am not as good as you imagine."

Lin Dong was somewhat surprised. Mu Zi's strange words left him unable to understand.

After gazing at Lin Dong for a while, Mu Zi tugged at the corner of her lips, her voice growing distant.

"Let me tell you a story."

Then, under Lin Dong's gaze, Mu Zi began to speak softly. Her pleasant voice flowed like water as she told the tale.

The protagonist of the story was a youth from Qingyang Town. He obtained a stone talisman, cultivated, rose to prominence, and steadily grew stronger, leaving his mark upon this world.

Only, this time, no girl named "Mu Zi" appeared in that youth's life, and his story followed a different path.

Within an ancient tomb, he encountered the Divine Maiden. From then on, he desperately strove to catch up to her, and in the end, he shattered countless obstacles and made her see him anew as a true powerhouse.

Within the Dao Sect, he and the girl who played the zither became kindred spirits and came together.

In Otherworldly Demon City, when facing the Yuan Gate Sect Leader, she did not hesitate to stake her life just to ensure that he survived.

In that story, although Lin Dong had also shed blood and tears, he ultimately had two women by his side, spending the rest of their lives together.

"That is how it was. Without me, you would have been far happier than you are now."

"They were meant to share a bond with you, but because of me, it was forcibly scattered. Heh, I really am such a hateful woman."

Mu Zi mocked herself, pain filling her heart. Though she had not intended it, she had ultimately caused Lin Dong to miss out on happiness.

"So I truly am not worth your affection..."

Mu Zi stared fixedly at Lin Dong, her eyes trembling slightly.

Someone like me... you shouldn't be able to like me anymore, right?

Yet, unexpectedly, Mu Zi did not see the emotion she had anticipated in Lin Dong's eyes. His gaze remained calm, as though her earlier words had not stirred even the slightest ripple in his heart.

"Do you think I would care about such things?"

A smile appeared at the corner of Lin Dong's lips. As he looked at the girl before him, his gaze softened.

"Perhaps it is true. If I had never met you, everything might have unfolded that way."

"But so what?"

Lin Dong's expression turned solemn. Looking directly into Mu Zi's eyes, he spoke with utmost seriousness:

"To me, that is merely a story. But how could the experiences between you and me possibly be portrayed by a story, by some novel?"

No matter how well Martial Universe was written, it only recorded a few scattered fragments. It might not even have been a real world. How could it compare to the experiences of this life?

Lin Dong smiled as memories welled up in his eyes, scenes from the past flashing before him.

"All I know is that the one who has always been by my side was you."

"Every day, every moment I spent with you—every one of your smiles, every time you got angry—has been the best memory of my life."

"I am truly grateful that you appeared in my life."

"You said that if it weren't for you, I'd be happier than I am now. Heh."

"Do you know what happiness truly means to me?"

Watching Mu Zi sink into silence, Lin Dong smiled gently, his gaze clearer than ever before.

"In this life, meeting you is my greatest happiness!"

Meeting Lin Dong's gaze, Mu Zi's eyes trembled slightly. After a long silence, she let out a soft sigh. The way she looked at him had changed, as though she were getting to know him all over again.

"Since when did you become so smooth-talking?"

"I only spoke what was in my heart."

Lin Dong smiled and shook his head. During the days he had spent apart from Mu Zi, these words had echoed through his mind countless times amid sleepless nights. Now, he had merely finally spoken them aloud.

With complicated feelings in her heart, Mu Zi sighed softly. Then she looked at Lin Dong, her gaze deeply conflicted.

"Let me tell you another story."

"Once upon a time, a woman's husband and father came into conflict. The conflict reached a point where it could no longer be resolved, and one of them was bound to die at the other's hands."

"Caught between them, the woman found herself in a dilemma. One was her husband, the other her father—two of the most important men in her life. She had to choose one."

"Do you know whom she chose?"

Without waiting for Lin Dong's reply, Mu Zi continued:

"She chose her father. Because in this world, many people could become her husband, but she only had one biological father."

This allusion was "A woman can marry anyone." At first, it had been a positive appraisal, but as later generations kept interpreting it literally, the phrase gradually took on a different meaning.

"So, do you understand now?" Mu Zi patted Lin Dong on the shoulder and spoke earnestly.

Lin Dong:?

Seeing Lin Dong's utterly bewildered expression, Mu Zi could not help shaking her head. The comprehension of this blockhead was truly rather worrying.

"What I mean is, there are many people in this world whom you can marry. But a relationship like ours only comes once."

So hurry up and give up that ridiculous idea, my dear friend!

After leaving those words behind, Mu Zi turned and walked away, soon vanishing from Lin Dong's sight.

Lin Dong remained where he was, deep in thought.

He understood the reasoning, but why did Mu Zi's words seem somewhat strange?