The moment the moonlight broke, everyone froze.
Yun Ming stood before the window of the Sea God Pavilion, watching that thin silver thread vanish as the moonlight scattered across the entire Sea God Lake.
His hand tightened slightly as he was about to step forward—
A figure had already rushed out.
Zhuo Shi.
He was faster than anyone, so fast that not even an afterimage remained.
Eleven months of guilt, eleven months of waiting, eleven months of wondering, What if that thing wasn't a Solid Essence Fruit? exploded in his mind. He only wanted to rush to that door, push it open, and see whether the child was still there.
He arrived.
The door was closed.
He reached out and pushed it open.
That thin layer of silver light had vanished.
Zhuo Shi rushed inside and immediately saw the small figure on the bed.
His mouth opened as he wanted to call out, "Jing Heng," but something seemed to clog his throat.
His eyes burned, his nose stung, and something was about to spill forth—
Then he smelled it.
Sour, foul, fishy—it was like something had been rotting in the room for eleven whole months.
The stench shot straight into his nostrils. Before Zhuo Shi's tears could fall, they were forcibly smoked back in.
His expression changed from grief to shock, from shock to distortion. Then he abruptly staggered back two steps, covered his nose, and let out a muffled groan.
"What is that smell—?!"
Yun Ming was the second to enter.
He stood at the doorway, looked at the child on the bed, fell silent for a second, then covered his nose as well.
Long Yeyue followed behind. The instant one foot crossed the threshold, she retreated.
Feng Wuyu poked his head in, then immediately pulled it back.
Cai Yue'er did not enter at all. She merely glanced inside from beyond the doorframe, and her expression changed.
Ya Li was the last to arrive.
She stood at the door, looking at the figure on the bed. She did not cover her nose, nor did she retreat.
She only stared, her eyes reddening.
A pitch-black thing lay on the bed.
Humanoid.
Its face could not be seen. Neither could its limbs. All that could be made out was the outline of a person.
That pitch-black substance covered his entire body in a thick layer, like asphalt, like sludge, like something that should not have existed within a human body.
Impurities.
Over eleven months, the Extreme Path Nirvana Fruit had expelled every impurity, every buildup, every trace of filth from his body.
A thick layer wrapped around him like a shell.
And around that shell, three Soul Rings slowly revolved.
The first ring was light purple.
It was not the deep purple from before, but a faint, translucent purple, like the first ray of dawn.
The second ring was deep purple.
It was so rich it was nearly black, and a faint pulling force accompanied its rotation.
The third ring was dark black.
It was not pure black, but the black that had only just crossed the threshold from deep purple, carrying a trace of violet within it.
Like the sky before dawn, in its darkest instant.
Three Soul Rings.
He was a Soul Elder now.
Zhuo Shi covered his nose and stared at the three Soul Rings. His eyes were still red, but the stench had dried up his tears.
He stood there with an extremely complicated expression.
Yun Ming walked over and stopped beside the bed.
He lowered his head to look at the child wrapped in impurities, remained silent for a while, then stretched out his hand.
Soul Power surged from his palm, gently lifting that small body as though he were holding something fragile.
That body was incredibly light, as light as a feather.
Yun Ming's hand paused slightly. Then he carefully lifted him and headed for the bathroom.
Ya Li followed. "Let me do it."
Yun Ming shook his head. "I'll do it."
He placed the child in the bathtub. His Soul Power transformed into warm water, slowly washing away the layer of impurities.
The black filth was carried away by the water, revealing the skin beneath.
It was far whiter than before, more than just a shade whiter—white as moonlight.
Wherever the water passed, his skin was as delicate as jade and faintly glimmered.
Yun Ming said nothing. He simply continued washing him in silence.
Ya Li stood at the door, watching his back without saying anything either.
Zhuo Shi stood in the hallway, leaning against the wall and breathing heavily.
Long Yeyue leaned against the opposite wall, watching him.
"What kind of expression is that?" she asked.
Zhuo Shi said nothing.
He remembered handing that fruit to Yun Jingheng. The child had looked up at him, called him "Grandpa Zhuo," and then put the fruit into his mouth.
He remembered that layer of silver light, that door that would not open, and those eleven months of moonlight.
"I gave it to him," he said softly.
Long Yeyue looked at him. Zhuo Shi lowered his head. "No matter what it was, I gave it to him."
Long Yeyue was silent for a while. "He's fine."
Zhuo Shi looked up. Long Yeyue looked toward the bathroom. "He has three rings now. He's alive and well."
Zhuo Shi said nothing.
He stood there, listening to the sound of water from the bathroom, without moving for a long time.
Feng Wuyu patted his shoulder, unusually refraining from mocking him.
When Yun Jingheng woke up, it was already three days later.
He opened his eyes and looked at the ceiling.
It was not the ceiling of his room, but another room—larger and brighter.
Sunlight streamed through the gap in the curtains, casting a thin beam across the floor.
He stared at that beam for a long time, then tried to move a finger.
His finger did not move.
He tried again.
Still nothing.
His finger felt as if something heavy were pressing it down. It was too heavy to obey him at all.
He tried to turn his head, but his neck would not move either.
He wanted to speak, but his lips would not open.
His entire body lay stiffly on the bed like a stone. Only his eyes could move, and only his mind was awake.
After lying there for a while, he felt something on the back of his left hand.
Cool and thin—a tube.
The other end of the tube connected to a transparent bag hanging from a rack beside the bed. Liquid dripped down from the bag, one drop at a time, slow and steady.
Saline? Or nutrient solution?
He suddenly understood. He had probably entered deep meditation. He must have gone without food for quite a long time, and his body had long since been depleted.
Right now, he did not even have the strength to move a finger.
Light footsteps sounded at the door.
Ya Li pushed the door open, carrying a bowl in her hands.
When she saw Yun Jingheng's eyes open, she froze. Then the bowl nearly slipped from her hands.
She hurried over, set the bowl on the bedside table, and lowered her head to look at him.
"You're awake?"
Her voice was very soft, as though she feared disturbing something.
Yun Jingheng wanted to answer, but his lips would not move and no sound came from his throat.
He only looked at her and blinked.
Ya Li's eyes reddened.
She reached out and gently touched his forehead, then his face.
Her fingers were warm and trembling faintly.
"Don't move," she said. "You slept for too long. Your body hasn't recovered yet."
She sat down beside the bed and picked up the bowl from the bedside table.
There was rice soup in the bowl, very thin and almost entirely water.
She scooped up a little with a spoon and brought it to his lips.
"Drink slowly. Don't rush."
The moment the spoon touched his lips, Yun Jingheng realized just how thirsty he was.
The rice soup flowed into his mouth. It was bland and nearly tasteless, yet he felt it was the best thing he had ever drunk in his life.
He swallowed, and his throat hurt terribly, as though it had been scraped by sandpaper.
Ya Li scooped up another spoonful, and he slowly drank it.
One spoonful, then another, then another.
After he had drunk nearly half the bowl, Ya Li stopped.
"That's enough. You can drink more tomorrow. Your stomach can't handle it."
Yun Jingheng blinked.
Ya Li set the bowl down, wiped the corner of his mouth with a handkerchief, then sat beside the bed and looked at him.
"You slept for a year," she said.
How long?!
A year?! I didn't die from that?!
Holy crap, that's freaking awesome!
Yun Jingheng looked at her.
Ya Li's gaze was calm, but the hand resting on her knee had been trembling the whole time.
"That fruit your Grandpa Zhuo gave you wasn't a Solid Essence Fruit. None of us knew what it was. After you ate it, you entered deep meditation."
She paused. "The moon changed. It remained full, remained bright, and kept shining all its light onto you for an entire year."
Yun Jingheng listened. He wanted to say something, but his lips still would not move.
Ya Li looked at him and suddenly smiled.
"It's all right now," she said. "As long as you're awake."
She reached out to tuck in his blanket, then drew the curtains tighter to block out the sunlight.
"Sleep a little longer. I'll be here."
Yun Jingheng wanted to say that he had just woken up and did not want to sleep again.
But his eyelids were already drooping against his will.
The last thing he saw was Ya Li sitting beside the bed, one hand holding his. It was very warm.
He fell asleep again.
When he woke up once more, it was already dark.
No lights were on in the room. Moonlight shone through a gap in the curtains, falling across the floor in a thin line.
Yun Jingheng tried to move a finger.
It moved.
Very slowly, but it truly moved.
He tried turning his head. His neck was stiff as a rusted bearing, but it turned.
Damn... this feels awful...
Beside the bed, Ya Li was asleep in her chair.
Her hand was still holding his and had not let go.
Yun Jingheng looked at her, at her profile beneath the moonlight.
A few strands of her hair seemed to have turned white. There were several more fine lines at the corners of her eyes. Her sleeping posture looked uncomfortable, and her brows were faintly furrowed.
He watched her for a while, then slowly turned his head toward the window.
The moonlight was thin, only a tiny strand, but it was very bright.
Just like before, just like the moonlight that had shone into his room every night while he slept.
It fell upon him, light and gentle, flowing into him like water.
It needed no guidance, no circulation. It flowed on its own.
When Ya Li woke the next morning, she saw Yun Jingheng lying there with his eyes open, watching her.
She froze for a moment.
"You're awake?"
Yun Jingheng moved his lips.
This time, he made a sound, very soft and hoarse, like strings that had not been played in a long time.
"Mom... Mom..."
Ya Li's tears finally fell.
She made no sound, only held Yun Jingheng's hand as tears dropped onto the bedsheet one by one.
Yun Jingheng looked at her, wanting to say something, but his throat was too dry.
He only looked at her and slowly curved his lips into a smile.
Ya Li wiped away her tears and stood up. "I'll get you something to eat."
She walked to the door, then turned back. "Your father went to deal with things outside. Those factions have been asking around for a year. Now that the moonlight has been cut off, they all want answers. He's holding them back."
Yun Jingheng blinked. Ya Li smiled and left.
Yun Jingheng lay on the bed, looking at the ceiling.
Sunlight streamed through the gap in the curtains and fell over him, warm and gentle.
He slowly raised a hand before his eyes.
That hand was very pale and much thinner than before, its joints distinct, its fingers trembling slightly.
But he could move. He clenched his fist, his strength weak, but it was indeed returning.
He lowered his hand and sank into the Sea of Spirit.
The Sea of Spirit had grown larger, much larger than before.
Moon hung in the very center, several times larger than before and several times brighter, steadily and slowly releasing moonlight.
Xiao Jiu lay there, its nine tails wrapped around itself into a ball as it slept deeply.
Its fur was much brighter than before, every strand gleaming silver.
Yun Jingheng looked at it without waking it.
He withdrew from the Sea of Spirit, then slowly closed his eyes.
This feels awful...
But... did something change?
Before you continue