The White Moonlight Disdained by the Male Protagonist of Redemption - Chapter 23.2

Ning Yao paused.

Not really. She’d been far away, and he moved too fast. All she caught was a faint shadow, disappearing in a blink.

“I think I only saw his shadow and the lingering energy where he passed. But from my healing experience… he has serious internal injuries—very old ones.”

She finished her assessment and went back to the key point:
“Even like that, his power was still that high. If he were healed, there’d be no one in the Six Realms who could beat him.”

Cui Baogui asked, “But do people live just to become more powerful? ”

Ning Yao replied, “What else? To become weaker? ”

Good point.

Cui Baogui thought for a moment. “That’s true for most people. But him? He’s different.”

He counted on his fingers. “He threw himself into the Scorched Sea of Divine Flame, fell into the Endless Prison, walked the Path of Agony, crossed the River of Spirits… All of those grind down your power. He’s probably shed his skin and bones more than once.”

“Oh, and now he’s using the Soul-Cooking Spike. That’s an ancient artifact.”

Ning Yao didn’t know most of these, except the Scorched Sea of Divine Flame.
“So that man… he’s the Mountain God?”

“Yep. The Mountain God—Feng Jingzhuo.”

Ning Yao softly repeated, “Feng Jingzhuo…”

It was the first time she heard the name, but it felt strangely familiar when she said it.

Still, she was curious.
“How do you know his name? I thought you only had two friends—including me.”

Cui Baogui said, “I asked him back when he first became a god. Back then… he was great. Gentle, open-minded, never put on airs. He didn’t even mind me calling him by name. He used to call me ‘Brother Cui’…”

“Later on, I stayed mostly down here, so I didn’t hear much. Then I heard he went mad. Real shameful. Oh, right—”

Cui Baogui took out the Heaven-Earth Wheel and placed it on the table, sliding it toward Ning Yao.
“This is his gift for your godhood ceremony.”

He added quickly, “I’ll give you a gift too—but I’ll wait until your actual ceremony. It’s more proper that way.”

Ning Yao was surprised. “We get gifts for becoming gods?”

“Of course!” Cui Baogui grinned. “On the day of your ceremony, all the gods will send gifts. The Mountain God won’t go—can’t go—so he asked me to give this to you.”

Feng Jingzhuo had asked him not to say it was from him, but Cui Baogui had his own gift to give. No way he’d take credit for someone else’s gift—that would be shameless.

Whether she treasured it or threw it away, that would be up to her.

But Ning Yao looked overjoyed. She held the Heaven-Earth Wheel like a treasure.
“Wow… what a powerful artifact! ”

“I know. I’m jealous.”

She turned it over and over, finally fastening it to her belt. The crescent shape looked just like the moon—it really suited her.

She loved it. “Getting such a big gift… and now I might have to stop him from doing something in the future. Feels kind of awkward.”

Cui Baogui said, “Honestly? I don’t think there’s going to be chaos.”

Ning Yao looked at him, curious.

He said, “Because he used the Soul-Cooking Spike. That thing…”

Halfway through, he rubbed his face and didn’t finish.

Ning Yao touched the Heaven-Earth Wheel.
“Brother Baogui, I want to meet him. I don’t know if I can help, but I want to try and I should thank him in person. Do you know where he lives?”

Cui Baogui looked at her.

“…What?”

“You’re the first person I’ve ever seen who got a gift from the Mountain God and actually wants to thank him.”

“What’s so strange about that?” Ning Yao said. “It’s only right.”

“…Yeah.” Cui Baogui nodded. “He lives at Mount Luoxiang. I’ll take you there later.”

Mount Luoxiang?

Ning Yao stood up with a start, blinked, and slowly sat back down.
Right. Her people had turned to dust ten thousand years ago. Mount Luoxiang had long been an empty mountain. As the Mountain God, he could live anywhere he liked. That was just his choice.

Ning Yao said, “The Mountain God really isn’t picky. Pretty simple taste. I know that mountain well—I can go by myself.”

After thinking for a bit, she offered a gentle suggestion:
“Brother Baogui, when you rubbed your face just now, the black line over your eye got smudged. You might want to fix it later. I mean… no offense. Just a tip. I think it would look better if you did it with both eyes.”