After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Mu Bingling ran back, clutching a two-inch Jade Box. Panting, she asked, "Mother, Father, I've brought back the Blood Ginseng. How is my little brother?"
Bi Wan gently wiped the sweat from Mu Bingling's forehead, her eyes filled with affection. Mu Bingling was an orphan she had found long ago. Mu Bingling herself knew this, as she was already two years old when Bi Wan found her. After nearly ten years together, Bi Wan had long since come to see Mu Bingling as her own flesh and blood. Seeing Mu Bingling so anxious about Mu Chen's condition made Bi Wan's heart ache for her even more.
Hearing Mu Bingling's question, Bi Wan said softly, "Chen'Er is fine now. He just lost too much blood and is still unconscious. He'll probably wake up tomorrow, so don't worry."
Hearing Bi Wan say that Mu Chen was out of danger, the weight in Mu Bingling's heart finally lifted. She patted her chest in relief and handed the Jade Box to Mufeng, who was standing nearby. Mufeng took the box and told Bi Wan to personally brew it into a soup, then turned to Mu Bingling. "Bing'Er," he said, "tell Father exactly what happened to Chen'Er."
Things had been too urgent just now for him to ask questions. But now that Mu Chen was no longer in mortal danger, Mufeng recalled how he had just confidently promised Bi Wan that no harm would come to Mu Chen. Yet now, his son's life had been hanging by a thread. The thought made him burn with rage, and his expression darkened.
Mu Bingling, of course, held nothing back and told him everything she had seen and heard.
"...and that's what happened. When I found him on the back mountain, he had already lost too much blood and passed out." As Mu Bingling spoke, she felt a sudden pang of guilt. 'If only I had stopped Mu Chen back then… if only I had stayed closer to him, maybe this wouldn't have happened.'
Mufeng naturally saw what was on Mu Bingling's mind and comforted her softly, "Bing'Er, this isn't your fault. You don't need to blame yourself. Father will take care of it."
Although Mu Rongxuan hadn't directly caused Mu Chen's injuries, he was the spark that ignited the incident. If not for his provocations and insults, Mu Chen would never have ended up in this state.
The Mu Family was one of the four great families of Luofeng City. Mufeng was the youngest son of the Mu Family Patriarch, Mu Gu Tian. He had two older brothers: the eldest, Mu Yun, and the second, Mu Yufan. Mufeng was usually the most carefree and detached, with no desire to get involved in family affairs. As a result, family matters were basically handled by Mu Yun and Mu Yufan, who were also secretly fighting for the position of the next Patriarch. And Mu Rongxuan was Mu Yufan's only son.
'Looks like I've been too low-key.' Mufeng's figure flickered. With a whisper like the wind, he vanished from the room in an instant.
Just then, Bi Wan came in carrying a bowl of medicinal soup. Seeing only Mu Bingling sitting by the bed watching over Mu Chen, she asked, "Bing'Er, where's your father?"
Mu Bingling shook her head. "Father just went out. I don't know where he went."
Bi Wan didn't press the matter. After slowly feeding the soup to Mu Chen, she led Mu Bingling to a side room.
'Where am I?' Mu Chen's consciousness had returned. But when he opened his eyes, he suddenly found himself in a strange, multicolored space. There was nothing in this space but luminous gases of various colors.
'Could this be hell?' Realizing he wasn't on the Extreme Martial Continent, Mu Chen subconsciously assumed he was dead.
"Hell isn't as scary as I imagined," Mu Chen murmured.
"Haha… Kid, are you joking?"
Quite abruptly, a deep voice echoed from within the space. A Barbaric Aura immediately washed over him, and the sound startled Mu Chen.
"Who are you?" Mu Chen asked in a low voice.
"Hehe, kid, you're not bad. To be able to stay calm in an unknown environment." The voice didn't answer Mu Chen's question, merely offering a word of praise.
"Who in the world are you?" Cold sweat trickled down Mu Chen's back. He was only pretending to be calm. The sudden voice itself wasn't the main problem; it was the violent, Barbaric Aura that accompanied it each time it spoke. For a twelve-year-old like him, the aura was enough to make his blood run cold.
"Me? I've been dormant for too long, I can't quite remember. Let me think. Ah, that's right. A long, long time ago, they all called me… the Profound Old Ghost."
'Profound Old Ghost? Is that some kind of Ghost Monster from hell?' Mu Chen shook his head. The name was completely foreign; he had never heard of it.
"It's normal that you haven't heard of me. You must have many questions right now, but I won't tell you too much. You just need to know that you're not dead, and this isn't hell. Am I a Ghost Monster? I don't think so. Hmm? Your body is about to awaken. We'll talk later," the Profound Old Ghost said faintly.
After that, the multicolored space faded to complete darkness. Mu Chen was stunned for a moment before he felt a powerful suction force pull him out of the space. In the next instant, a strong wave of dizziness washed over him. At that moment, the transparent bead in Mu Chen's mind made another turn, and a cool sensation instantly dispelled the dizziness.
Mu Chen felt the dizziness last for only a moment before it was replaced by a refreshing coolness. He then subconsciously tried to open his eyes but found his eyelids felt as if they were sewn shut; he couldn't open them no matter how hard he tried.
'What's going on?' Mu Chen thought. He tried to force his eyes open again, but still couldn't. He gently moved his arm and found he could lift it with ease. Mu Chen paused. 'This means it isn't weakness that's keeping my eyes shut.'
"Kid, don't bother trying. For your own protection, it's better if you don't open your eyes for now." A devilishly charming voice suddenly appeared.
"And who are you?" Mu Chen was startled again. This was the second unfamiliar voice he had heard.
"Eh, why the 'and'? We were just talking a moment ago. Have you forgotten so quickly?" the devilishly charming voice spoke once more. This time, Mu Chen clearly felt the sound's origin. It wasn't coming from the Outer Realm; rather, it seemed to be appearing directly in his mind.
"You're the Profound Old Ghost?" Mu Chen exclaimed.
"Chen'Er, Chen'Er, what's wrong? Are you uncomfortable somewhere?" Bi Wan rushed to Mu Chen's side when she heard him cry out.
Mu Chen subconsciously turned his head, and Bi Wan's anxious face came into clear view. Mu Chen was utterly horrified. 'What is going on? My eyes are clearly closed. How can I see things in the Outer Realm so clearly—even more clearly than before?'
"You kid, why are you so jumpy? You don't have to speak out loud to talk to me. I know you have questions, but you should probably put your mother's mind at ease first."
The Profound Old Ghost's teasing voice echoed in his mind. Although Mu Chen's head was full of questions, he calmed himself down, gently pressed his temples, and said, "Mother, I'm fine. I was just a little dizzy a moment ago."
Hearing that Mu Chen was fine, Bi Wan finally relaxed. But then she thought of what had happened to him that day and started to lecture him endlessly. Breaking out in a sweat, Mu Chen quickly said, "Mother, I'm feeling a little dizzy again. I want to sleep for a bit."
Bi Wan paused, her heart aching for him. "Oh, Chen'Er, it's my fault. I forgot you're still very weak. How about this, Mother will go brew some more Blood Ginseng Soup for you. You rest for a while."
He watched Bi Wan lead Mu Bingling, who had been standing by the side all along, out of the room. She gently closed the door before turning and walking away.
Mu Chen took a deep breath and calmly asked in his mind, 'Who exactly are you? Where are you? What is your purpose in seeking me out? You…'
"Kid, you're asking so many questions at once. Which one should I answer first?" the Profound Old Ghost retorted irritably.
Mu Chen was speechless. The Profound Old Ghost chuckled. "I'm inside your body right now. As for why I'm in your body, we'll talk about that later. Of course, you can rest completely assured, I have no ulterior motives toward you, much less any intention to harm you. Even if I did have a purpose, it would be your good fortune. In short, meeting me is your greatest opportunity."
Mu Chen sneered. "Greatest opportunity? You're inside my body, so you should know my condition better than I do. In this world, what's the point of giving a 'greatest opportunity' to a complete and utter cripple?"
The Profound Old Ghost said nonchalantly, "So what if you're a cripple with a shattered Dantian?"
Mu Chen's expression darkened. But what the Profound Old Ghost said was indeed true; he really was a cripple. Thinking this, Mu Chen felt a sense of resignation and said with a bitter smile, "Since you already know all that, why are you still spouting this meaningless nonsense?"
The Profound Old Ghost didn't mind Mu Chen's tone. He said proudly, "How could it be nonsense? The very fact that I know you're a cripple, a good-for-nothing who can't achieve Cultivation, and yet I still tell you that meeting me is your great opportunity, proves that the problems you mentioned… are not problems at all."