Martial Arts, the Fairy's Cultivation

"Um..."

Mu Zi's consciousness returned in a hazy state, her eyes trembled slightly, and the light that came into view made her eyes look blank for a moment.

Where is this?

Mu Zi only remembered that when she was in seclusion trying to break through a bottleneck, she seemed to have touched an indescribable power, but she didn't know what happened after that.

"Miss Mu, are you alright?"

Upon seeing the beauty awaken, Lin Dong observed Mu Zi's condition discreetly. Seeing the familiar expression in her eyes, Lin Dong finally felt relieved.

Mu Zizhu's lips moved slightly as she was about to speak, but the warm touch on her hand made her pause in surprise, and her gaze subconsciously fell on their hands, which were tightly clasped together.

"This is?"

Mu Zi, who had just woken up from her deep sleep, was still a little dazed. She sat there staring at Lin Dong's large hand that was enveloping her. After a while, the girl belatedly realized her current situation.

What on earth is that bastard Lin Dong doing? How dare he...?

"I had no intention of offending Miss Mu. You had encountered a problem during your cultivation at the time, and in desperation, I had no choice but to resort to this tactic. I hope you will forgive me."

Seeing that Mu Zi's eyes were a little strange, Lin Dong quickly spoke up and briefly explained the cause and effect, but Mu Zi remained silent, as if her attention was not on Lin Dong's explanation.

No one saw that, beneath the thin veil, the beauty's pearly teeth were lightly biting her red lips. Her usually aloof face now revealed a hint of coquettishness, and her slightly trembling purple eyes subtly showed the unease in her heart. Unfortunately, Lin Dong, who was focused on clarifying the misunderstanding, did not notice the girl's slight abnormality.

"How long are we going to keep this up?"

Mu Zi's sudden words caught Lin Dong off guard, and his gaze instinctively fell on the girl's soft hand held in his palm. The tightly clenched fingers loosened slightly, revealing a gap.

Sensing that Lin Dong's grip on her palm had loosened, Mu Zi subtly withdrew her hand.

The feeling of emptiness in his hands inexplicably gave Lin Dong a sense of regret.

"Why keep holding onto this?"

Looking at the red finger marks on her fair skin, Mu Zi's eyes flashed with a hint of emotion. It was one thing for that idiot to hold her hand, but to grip it so tightly. He was a brute who didn't know how to cherish a woman!

Facing Mu Zi's slightly scrutinizing gaze, Lin Dong shrugged and said innocently, "Miss Mu, you're wronging me. It was you who held my hand the whole time..."

"What?" Lin Dong's answer made Mu Zi's eyes widen, and then she said decisively, "That's impossible, how could I..."

Why would she take a man's hand on her own initiative?

Although Mu Zi believed she would never do anything so "overstepping" her bounds, Lin Dong's confident demeanor still made her somewhat hesitant.

She had no recollection of anything that happened after she fell into a deep sleep; in short, she had a blackout, and even if she had done something, she wouldn't remember.

"Hmph! You lecherous scoundrel."

Mu Zi gave Lin Dong a reproachful look, which made the latter smile awkwardly. Regardless of whether there was a reason or not, he had taken advantage of the girl after all. After all, he had touched her hand, so being scolded a couple of times wouldn't hurt him.

"You didn't take advantage of me and do something else, did you?"

Mu Ziqing's eyes seemed to reveal a hint of resentment, which made Lin Dong feel uneasy. Faced with the girl's pitiful appearance, even though Lin Dong had not actually done anything to her, he couldn't help but feel a little guilty.

Quickly shaking his head to dispel the distracting thoughts, Lin Dong looked at Mu Zi and protested, "I'm innocent, Miss Mu! Do I look like that kind of lewd person?"

"Doesn't it look like it?"

Seeing Mu Zi raise her eyebrows and give him a look that said, "You're just that kind of person," Lin Dong hesitated for a moment, wondering when he had become like this in Mu Zi's eyes.

"If you don't believe me, Little Mink can be my witness!"

Lin Dong thought of something and looked at the purplish-black shadow in the cave next to him, only to find that Little Marten had somehow crawled back into the stone talisman and did not respond no matter how Lin Dong called out to it, looking as if it was none of his business.

"You ungrateful bastard! I treated you like a brother!" Lin Dong cursed inwardly.

"Fine, I'll trust you this once since you helped me."

"This will not be repeated."

Mu Zi glanced at Lin Dong, figuring he wouldn't dare to plot against her!

After she finished speaking, a silence fell between them. Mu Zi's pretty face seemed to show a hint of unease. After a while, she whispered something.

"Um, thanks a lot this time."

The girl's voice was so soft that Lin Dong would have thought it was his imagination if he hadn't listened carefully. However, when he saw Mu Zi slightly avert his gaze, a faint look of surprise appeared on Lin Dong's face.

Miss Mu, are you thanking him?

A feeling of relief flashed through Lin Dong's mind, but he understood the unspoken meaning in Mu Zi's words.

"What exactly was wrong with you just now?"

Mu Zi seemed unwilling to discuss the topic further and casually brushed it off: "It's just that I encountered some setbacks in my cultivation; it's not something you should be concerned about."

Mu Zi coldly rejected Lin Dong's concern, but her heart was not as indifferent as she appeared.

A lingering chill remained between her brows, as if an extremely terrifying power was sealed deep within that mark. Mu Zi had briefly touched the seal when she forcefully broke through the bottleneck earlier, and that vast, endless, and ancient aura seemed to possess a great terror.

Mu Zi only touched a tiny fraction of the power within the seal, yet it was already too much for her soul to bear, causing her to almost completely lose consciousness.

If Lin Dong hadn't pulled her back from the brink of losing consciousness by relying on the connection between their life contracts, Mu Zi might have fallen into a long slumber, and it's unknown when she would wake up.

In a sense, she did owe Lin Dong a favor this time.

Mu Zi looked at the man in front of her, her feelings complicated. Originally, she thought that she would pay off the karma between her and Lin Dong as soon as possible, and then break the fate contract. From then on, the two of them would be separated by the ends of the earth and never cross paths again. She could then truly be free from karma and travel the mortal world freely.

But now, after this incident, Mu Zi has unknowingly incurred even more karmic debts, making the day when she can break free of her fate contract seem far off. For a long time to come, she will have to face this man.

The warm touch of Lin Dong's hand when he held her just now, and the masculine aura he exuded, stirred a slight ripple in Mu Zi's long-dormant heart.

Now, Mu Zi could no longer ignore the relationship between the two, especially after that somewhat inappropriate behavior. She had mixed feelings and didn't know how to face Lin Dong for a moment.

So Mu Zi chose to put the issue aside and simply saw the guest out.

"Go back first today. Don't slack off during this time. Gather the essence and blood needed for the baptism as soon as possible."

After Lin Dong left with mixed emotions, Mu Zi's mind gradually calmed down. She gently raised her hand, her slender fingertips brushing against the ancient mark on her forehead, and fell into deep thought.

She couldn't withstand that power yet. Before finding a solution, forcibly breaking through the bottleneck would be an extremely dangerous move. She would never attempt to break through the seal unless absolutely necessary.

It seems that if we want to restore our strength, we still need to start by collecting the source. This matter must be put on the agenda as soon as possible!