Devour: Can you also draw entries from clone projection worlds?

About the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, you open your eyes. Moonlight shines on the mountain stream, and the water ripples. Mu Wanqing is still squatting by the stream, hugging her knees, lost in thought.

You stood up, walked to her side, and squatted down as well.

"Miss Mu, I have a question for you," you said.

She turned her head to look at you, her eyes behind the black veil filled with questions.

"Is there a rule about this black veil on your face? Whoever sees your face first either has to kill him or marry him?"

Mu Wanqing's body stiffened abruptly, her eyes instantly turning sharp: "How did you know?"

You smiled, and instead of answering directly, you held out your hand: "Let me see your face."

"No!" She almost instinctively shrank back, her hand on the hilt of her sword at her waist, but her sword had already been knocked away by Murong Fu, and her waist was now empty.

"If you won't let me see, I can't marry you." You said it casually, as if it were something perfectly ordinary.

Mu Wanqing was stunned. She stared into your eyes, trying to find a hint of mockery or frivolity, but your gaze was calm, even serious.

"What...what did you say?" Her voice trembled slightly.

"I said, I want to marry you," you repeated, "of course, on the condition that I see what you look like first. If you're an ugly duckling, I'll be at a huge loss."

The last sentence was clearly sarcastic. Mu Wanqing was taken aback for a moment, then a flash of anger crossed her eyes, but it was quickly replaced by a complex emotion.

She bit her lip; even through the black veil, you could see the gesture.

"Aren't you afraid I'll kill you?" she asked in a low voice.

"You can't beat me," you said. "Besides, you won't kill me; I just saved you."

Mu Wanqing fell silent. Under the moonlight, her black veil fluttered slightly in the wind, revealing a hint of the curve of her chin.

After a long silence, she finally spoke, her voice so soft it was almost inaudible: "You...you turn around."

You raised an eyebrow, but still turned around as instructed, with your back to her.

There was a rustling sound behind me, followed by a very soft but very long sigh.

"Okay," she said.

You turned around.

The moonlight shone on her face, and you were completely stunned.

It was a face so pale it was almost transparent, devoid of any color, as if carved from the finest mutton-fat jade.

Her eyebrows were long and curved, and her eyes were dark and bright. She was looking at you with a hint of nervousness and shyness.

Her nose was straight and delicate, and her lips were thin and small, with a color as pale as the lightest touch of pink on a peach petal.

"Like the clear light of a new moon, like snow piled on flowering trees." You silently recited this line in your heart. This was how the original novel described Mu Wanqing's appearance, but seeing it with your own eyes now, you realized how pale words were.

"Have you seen enough?" Her voice returned to its icy tone, but her ears were already bright red.

"No," you answered honestly, "I could look at it for a lifetime and still not get enough."

Mu Wanqing's face flushed red. She lowered her head abruptly, trying to cover her face with the veil again, but you grabbed her wrist.

"Stop fooling me," you said. "You've already shown me. According to the rules, you now have two choices—kill me, or marry me."

"I..." Her voice trembled, "I can't beat you."

"So, you're choosing to marry me?"

"I didn't say that!" She tried to pull her hand away, but your hand was firmly in her grasp.

You suddenly released your grip, took a step back, and opened your arms: "Come on then, kill me, I promise I won't fight back."

Mu Wanqing was stunned. She looked into your eyes, and there was no fear in your eyes, only a sense of certainty.

She raised her hand, her fingers like knives, aimed at your chest, but her hand remained suspended in mid-air, hesitant to fall.

"You..." she bit her lip, "Why did you do this?"

"Because I love you," you said. "I loved you from the first time I saw you on the mountain path outside the Valley of Ten Thousand Calamities. You were riding on a black rose, dressed in black, covered in thorns, like a black rose with thorns. I thought to myself then, this flower is one that only I can pluck."

That's half true, half false. You did see her on the mountain path, but you were hiding behind a tree then. But now, saying it aloud, even you think it's true.

Mu Wanqing slowly lowered her hand, her head bowed, her shoulders trembling slightly.

"Are you serious?" Her voice was so soft it was almost inaudible.

"More real than real gold."

Another silence fell, the rushing sound of the mountain stream acting as background noise for the conversation.

"Then...what about Duan Yu?" she suddenly asked. "You said you'd take me to him after dawn."

"Duan Yu?" You chuckled. "Who is Duan Yu to you? You've only known him for a few days; he's never even seen your face. And do you know that Duan Yu already has someone else in his heart?"

Mu Wanqing raised her head, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes.

"He encountered a statue called 'Fairy Sister' at the foot of Wuliang Mountain and learned the Northern Darkness Divine Skill and the Lingbo Steps. Later, he met Zhong Ling and you, but the one who truly moved him was a woman named Wang Yuyan." You paused, "To him, you were nothing more than a companion on his escape."

That's a harsh statement, but you know, Mu Wanqing needs to be woken up.

She remained silent for a long time, then suddenly raised her head and stared into your eyes: "You swear."

"Swear what?"

"I swear everything you just said is true. I swear you won't be like... like other men, starting something and then abandoning it."

You raise your right hand: "I, Wei Wen, swear to heaven that every word I just said is true. If I ever abandon Mu Wanqing after seducing her, may I be struck by lightning and die a horrible death."

Mu Wanqing's eyes reddened, but she didn't cry. She just took a deep breath and said something that would make your heart skip a beat: "Then... you close your eyes."

You closed your eyes as instructed.

The next moment, you felt a pair of cool hands gently caress your cheeks.

Then, something warm and soft, trembling slightly, touched your lips.

Those were her lips.

It was cool and soft, like a petal that had just fallen from a tree.

You reached out and put your arm around her waist. She didn't struggle; instead, she slightly rose on her tiptoes.

It was a long time before you separated. Mu Wanqing's face was so red it looked like it was about to bleed. She buried her face in your chest and refused to look up.

"If... if you ever dare to betray me..." Her voice was muffled, with a hint of sob.

"No," you tightened your arms, "Never."

The mountain stream gurgled loudly, and the moonlight cast long shadows of the two people.

You lowered your head and whispered something in her ear.

Mu Wanqing's body stiffened abruptly, then she nodded slightly.

...]