Dark Moon

When Yun Jingheng woke up, all he saw was a white ceiling.

He lay on a very soft bed, with a needle in the back of his hand and a transparent tube connected to the stand beside the bed. Drops of liquid fell one by one.

He stared at the ceiling for a long time. His mind felt like it was soaked in paste, and he could not remember anything.

But this scene felt so familiar...

What a disaster-prone life~

"Creak~"

The door opened.

Ye Xinglan walked in, carrying a bowl in her hands.

When she saw Yun Jingheng's eyes open, she froze for a moment, then hurried over and set the bowl on the bedside table before lowering her head to look at him.

"You're finally awake. How do you feel?" Her voice was soft, and her eyes were red-rimmed.

Yun Jingheng wanted to speak, but his throat felt as though it had been scraped raw with sandpaper. No sound came out.

He shook his head.

Ye Xinglan sat down by the bed and fell silent for a while.

"You've been asleep for two days," she said.

Yun Jingheng looked at her, waiting for her to continue.

Ye Xinglan lowered her head and looked at her hands.

"That day, when you fell from the sky, your mother caught you."

"You were badly injured. One of your ribs was broken, the wound on your back was deep, and a lot of metal fragments had lodged inside. Not a drop of Soul Power was left."

She paused. "Your Martial Soul... turned red. You killed an Evil Soul Master. You didn't just injure him—you killed him."

"Your mark drained all his life force. He looked just like a dried corpse."

Yun Jingheng lay in bed, staring at the ceiling.

He did not remember.

He only remembered falling from the sky, his Martial Soul emerging on its own, the Moonlight Sword turning red, and his shadow smiling.

He could not remember anything after that.

Ye Xinglan continued.

"After you fell unconscious, everyone in Skysea City was terrified. The higher-ups of Skysea City and the people from the Spirit Pagoda branch all mobilized."

"Qiangu Dongfeng personally gave the order for the Spirit Pagoda to cooperate in the search. He was afraid your father would pin another accusation on him, saying he was colluding with Evil Soul Masters or something."

"They turned all of Skysea City upside down, even searching the surrounding cities. They dragged out every Evil Soul Master who had been hiding."

"There were eight in total. They all died."

Yun Jingheng turned to look at her.

Ye Xinglan's expression was calm, but her hands were trembling.

"Of the eight Evil Soul Masters, you killed one. The other seven... were killed by your father."

"He rushed to Skysea City that very day. No one could stop him."

Yun Jingheng closed his eyes. He could imagine the scene.

He did not need to think to know the outcome.

"The higher-ups in Skysea City were all groveling."

Ye Xinglan's voice was soft. "They were afraid your father would take his anger out on them. Afraid Shrek would do the same. Your mother ignored them and carried you back to Shrek. Your father ignored them too. He left after killing them."

Yun Jingheng opened his eyes and looked at the ceiling.

He suddenly remembered something Yun Ming had once said—"I'll protect you."

Ye Xinglan stood up. "Get some rest. I'll go call your mother."

She walked to the door, then looked back. "Yun Jingheng."

"Mm?"

"When your Martial Soul turned red, your shadow was smiling."

She paused. "I saw it."

Yun Jingheng said nothing.

Ye Xinglan left.

The door closed.

He stared at the ceiling and raised a hand before his eyes.

That hand was very pale and thin. His fingers trembled slightly.

The door opened again.

Ya Li walked in and sat beside his bed. She said nothing, merely reaching out to touch his forehead, then his face.

Her fingers were warm, and they trembled faintly.

Yun Jingheng looked at her. It seemed that a few more strands of her hair had turned white, and several fine lines had appeared at the corners of her eyes.

"Mom," he said, his voice hoarse.

Ya Li looked at him. Her eyes reddened, but she did not cry.

She lowered her head and buried her face in his palm.

Yun Jingheng felt tears in his hand. They were scorching hot.

He lay still, only curling his fingers slightly.

Yun Ming came that evening.

He stood at the door without entering.

Yun Jingheng lay in bed, watching the tall figure in the doorway.

Yun Ming looked at him for a long time.

Then he walked in and sat beside the bed.

"Does it hurt?" he asked.

Yun Jingheng shook his head. "It doesn't hurt."

Yun Ming said nothing.

He reached out and gently pressed a hand against Yun Jingheng's chest, sending his Soul Power inside.

The rib had healed, the wound on his back was recovering, and some of his Soul Power had returned.

He withdrew his hand and looked at Yun Jingheng.

"You killed that Evil Soul Master," he said.

Yun Jingheng nodded. "I don't remember it."

Yun Ming was silent for a moment. "It's better if you don't."

Yun Jingheng looked at him and nodded.

Yun Ming left.

Yun Jingheng lay in bed, staring at the ceiling.

Moonlight filtered through a gap in the curtains, falling onto the floor in a thin streak.

He raised his hand and let the moonlight fall into his palm. It was cool and light.

Out in the corridor, Ye Xinglan stood with her back against the wall.

When she saw Yun Ming come out, she straightened up.

Yun Ming glanced at her. "He's awake. You should rest too."

Ye Xinglan shook her head. "I'll stay a little longer."

Yun Ming said nothing and left.

Ye Xinglan stood in the corridor, looking at the closed door.

She remembered Yun Jingheng falling from the sky, remembered his Martial Soul turning red, remembered his shadow smiling.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Then she opened them, pushed open the door, and walked in.

Yun Jingheng was still awake, staring at the ceiling.

"Why did you come back?"

Ye Xinglan sat by the bed. "I can't sleep."

Yun Jingheng said nothing.

The two sat in silence for a while.

Ye Xinglan suddenly spoke. "Your Flight Soul Tool shattered."

Yun Jingheng nodded. "I'll just make another one later."

Ye Xinglan looked at him. "Can you make everything yourself?"

Yun Jingheng thought for a moment. "Not necessarily. There are some things I can't make."

Around the round table in the Sea God Pavilion, seven figures took their seats.

The atmosphere was more solemn than at any previous meeting.

Yun Ming sat at the head of the table, with Ya Li at his side. Her face was pale, and the redness around her eyes had yet to fade.

Long Yeyue, Cai Yue'er, Feng Wuyu, and Zhuo Shi sat on either side.

There were two additional people at the lower end of the table—Lan Muzi and Tang Yinmeng.

Lan Muzi was the homeroom teacher of the Genius Class. He had not been in Skysea City when the incident happened, but when news reached Shrek, he had been training students at the training grounds.

According to Tang Yinmeng, after hearing the news, his face had turned deathly pale, and he had stood motionless on the training grounds for a full quarter of an hour.

Tang Yinmeng was an Inner Court elder in charge of intelligence. She had been the first to uncover the truth behind what happened in Skysea City.

Yun Ming spoke, his voice calm.

"Everyone knows?" No one answered.

Yun Ming looked at Tang Yinmeng. "Yinmeng, tell us."

Tang Yinmeng stood and pushed a file to the center of the table.

"The eight Evil Soul Masters belonged to an organization called Dark Moon. It was established less than three years ago. It isn't large, but its operations are extremely covert."

"This was the first time they had targeted a well-known figure on the continent."

She paused. "Their target was clear: Jing Heng."

Feng Wuyu slammed his fist onto the table. "A small organization that's existed for less than three years dared to touch the Sea God Pavilion Master's son?"

"If nobody is backing them, I won't believe it even if you beat me to death!"

Zhuo Shi glanced at him and, unusually, did not argue. "Did you find whoever is behind them?"

Tang Yinmeng shook her head. "The eight who died were all peripheral members. There are no leads on the core members."

"Their methods of communication, sources of funding, and hideouts have all been cut off."

Long Yeyue leaned back in her chair, lightly tapping the armrest with her fingers. "What did Skysea City say?"

Ya Li spoke, her voice soft. "The Skysea City Lord knelt before me and said 'dereliction of duty' a hundred times."

"The people from the Spirit Pagoda branch came too. They said Qiangu Dongfeng personally ordered them to cooperate in the search."

She paused. "Qiangu Dongfeng was afraid Brother Ming would pin another accusation on him."

Feng Wuyu snorted coldly. "He's quick on the uptake."

Yun Ming said nothing. He stared at the file on the table for a long time.

"Why was Jing Heng their target?"

Tang Yinmeng turned to another page.

"Two possibilities. First, because he is the Pavilion Master's son. Killing Jing Heng would be a massive blow to Shrek, the Sea God Pavilion, and the balance of power across the entire continent."

She paused. "Second, because of his Martial Soul, Lunar Phase Flow. The transformations of the four phases, the power of the Blood Moon... may be more special than we imagined."

The room fell silent for a moment before Ya Li slowly spoke.

"The power of the Blood Moon is indeed special. That day in Skysea City, Jing Heng was gravely injured and on the verge of death. His Martial Soul automatically protected him and directly entered the Blood Moon state."

"Jing Heng is only at three rings, yet he relied on the Blood Moon to kill a five-ring Evil Soul Master. He killed him using rules."

Cai Yue'er's expression changed. "Rules?"

Zhuo Shi remained silent for a long time. "Isn't that ability a little too sinister?"

Feng Wuyu snapped without any courtesy, "Sinister my ass. It's rules—the rules of the moon."

He looked at Yun Ming. "Pavilion Master, what exactly is little Jing Heng's Martial Soul?"

Everyone's gaze fell on Yun Ming. He remained silent for a long time.

"I honestly don't know," he said.

"But I do know one thing: those Evil Soul Masters weren't targeting him for the first time."

Ya Li abruptly turned to look at him.

Yun Ming's expression remained calm. "During the Spirit Ascension Platform rampage, the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear had been tampered with."

"I investigated it but found nothing. Still, that bear's target was clear. It was Jing Heng."

Lan Muzi spoke, his voice a little dry. "That incident at the Spirit Ascension Platform... was just a coincidence, wasn't it?"

Yun Ming looked at him.

"The first time was a coincidence. The second time too. What about the third?"

He paused. "The explosion in Skysea City. Soul Guidance Bombs. Timed devices."

"This kind of method isn't something ordinary Soul Masters can pull off. They have an organization, resources, and a plan."

"And they know Jing Heng's movements extremely well."

Tang Yinmeng turned to another page. "The hotel surveillance was shut down in advance, and the elevator control system was hacked. On the afternoon of the competition day, every elevator in the building stopped."

"The bombs were placed in five different locations. One of them was on the load-bearing wall directly beneath Jing Heng's room. After the explosion, the flames surged upward. The target was his room."

Cai Yue'er's voice trembled slightly. "They knew which room he was in."

Tang Yinmeng nodded. "They knew. They knew his daily schedule, when he left, and when he returned."

"They even knew Ye Xinglan would go looking for him."

Feng Wuyu's expression changed. "An insider?!"

Tang Yinmeng shook her head. "We can't rule out that possibility. They may have simply been watching him—watching for a long time."

"Skysea City has been checked. There were at least three observation points around the hotel, all with a clear view of Jing Heng's room window."

"Those observation points had been set up three days before the competition began."

Long Yeyue closed her eyes. "They were waiting... waiting for him to be alone."

Ya Li clenched her hands, her knuckles turning white.

Yun Ming reached out and gripped her hand tightly.

Feng Wuyu looked at Yun Ming. "Pavilion Master, what do we do next?"

Yun Ming remained silent for a long time. "Increase security. Jing Heng cannot be left alone."

Zhuo Shi frowned. "What about little Jing Heng's freedom?"

Yun Ming looked at him. "His life is more important."