The White Moonlight Disdained by the Male Protagonist of Redemption - Chapter 27.2

Ning Yao walked back to the River of Passage (Shichuan Du), stunned, and stepped onto Cui Baogui’s boat.

Cui Baogui had already changed into a moon-white robe and was curling his hair in front of a mirror.

His hair was long and black, tied on the right side, while the left side hung loose in front of him. He picked up a strand and wrapped it around a fire-heated iron stick. After holding it for a moment, he released it, forming a curl.

He had also drawn lines around his eyes, lifting the corners upward. Ning Yao had never seen this style before. It actually looked good—so he wasn’t just uneven-eyed after all.

“Oh hey, sis, you’re back! ” Cui Baogui turned around at the sound and waved for Ning Yao to sit. “What took you so long? Got along well with the mountain god?”

“Pretty well.”

“What did you guys talk about? He was probably polite, right?”

“Yeah, very polite.”

“I knew it,” Cui Baogui said knowingly, fixing a curl he wasn’t happy with. “He’s the same with everyone. He seems gentle and respectful, but really he’s distant and closed off. Do you know what it feels like to be emotionally closed off?”

Ning Yao was trying to think, but Cui Baogui wouldn’t stop talking. She said impatiently, “Nope. I don’t get it.”

Cui Baogui nodded like he understood everything. “Don’t be frustrated. That’s normal. He’s locked his heart away. No one can see it. No one knows what he’s thinking. No one can convince him to give up. But in this situation, I’ve already come up with some plans. Once I finish curling my hair, we’ll discuss them.”

Ning Yao said, “The mountain god said he won’t open the Reversal Array anymore.”

Cui Baogui responded casually, “Well, that’s normal—”

Then he suddenly froze.

He stopped curling his hair and turned around to stare at Ning Yao. “Are you dreaming right now? ”

“I’m not. I’m wide awake.”

Cui Baogui blinked. “Yao, don’t joke with me. I don’t handle jokes well. I’ll take it seriously.”

“I’m not joking.”

Now Cui Baogui was totally unsettled. “No, no way. Impossible! He sacrificed so much—so much—for that array. Honestly, you came late; you don’t know. In the last ten thousand years… Well, at least seven thousand—after he came out of the Scorched Sea of Divine Flame, he’s been preparing all his life.”
He began counting on his fingers.
“He went to the Endless Prison himself, walked the Path of Suffering, and crossed the River of the Underworld—do you know what kind of places those are? He did things worse than death! He even got the Soul-Bending Spike and nailed it into his own heart! ”

Ning Yao looked up at the ceiling of the cabin. It was inlaid with luminous pearls of all sizes, arranged with delicate care.

“I’m serious. I’m confused too. I’ve been thinking the whole way back and still don’t get it.”

She walked over and sat beside Cui Baogui, watching his jaw hang open in shock. “Really. We just chatted a bit. Then, when I was about to leave, he suddenly told me he wouldn’t use the Reversal Array anymore. He even asked me to pass the message to you and to thank you.”

“Thank me for what? ” Cui Baogui was baffled. He wiped his face. “Wait—he really said that? Out loud? That he wouldn’t use the Reversal Array?”

Ning Yao nodded.

Cui Baogui blinked in disbelief. “How’s that possible…”

After a moment, he looked at her eagerly. “Tell me everything in detail. Step by step. What exactly did you two talk about? This doesn’t feel right at all. He’s not someone who gives up.”

Ning Yao thought back. “When I first saw him, he seemed really out of it. Then… he cried.”

“Stop!”

Cui Baogui cut in, clearly shocked. “The Mountain God—cried?? ”

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

Ning Yao guessed, “I think the reason lies there. He wasn’t alone—there were two demons with him. The three of them came up the mountain together—not like friends, more like temporary allies.”

She continued, “Those two demons talked to me first. Total nonsense stuff like ‘Are you guarding the gate or just sightseeing?  ’ and ‘you should forget him’—I didn’t pay attention. Then suddenly, the mountain god started crying. He didn’t even fight. The two demons saw him crying and panicked. They shut up immediately and ran off in a hurry. Really weird demons.”

Cui Baogui fell into thought.

“I tried comforting him a bit, but I’m better at yelling than comforting, so it didn’t help much. He calmed himself down eventually. Then we sat and chatted,” she recalled, “nothing deep. Just about Luoxiang Mountain, and my family. Oh—right—I asked about the Soul-Bending Spike, but he didn’t want to talk about it. He doesn’t like being helped. Even told me not to be too kind.”

She concluded, “I think this whole thing has to do with those two demons. Something must’ve happened when he saw them that made him decide to give up on the Reversal Array.”

It must’ve been that—he cried before talking to her. So it wasn’t about her. He had already made up his mind.

She had just happened to witness his emotional collapse.

Cui Baogui nodded slowly. “Makes sense… That the mountain god’s eyes could cry at all—he must’ve been pushed to the edge.”

But who could push him there? Surely not Ning Yao and a bit of small talk. It had to be those demons.

He had survived so many hardships without shedding a single tear. What could those two possibly have done to bring him to that point?

Ning Yao asked, curious, “Why can’t he cry? Is it because something’s wrong with his eyes?”

“—What did you say?”

“I mean, because he’s blind. His eyes are injured—so maybe that’s why he can’t cry?”

Cui Baogui looked shocked. “He’s blind?!”

Ning Yao frowned. “You didn’t know? Then that means…”

She suddenly stood up. “He wasn’t blind when he came to see you?! So it happened after he met those two demons? Damn it—they’re the ones who hurt him! Those bastards!”

Why?! That kind of person—the mountain god—how could he be ruined by two scumbags like them? Who did they think they were? Did they ambush him? Why didn’t he fight back?

“Let’s focus,” Cui Baogui flipped his curled hair back seriously. “From what I know about the mountain god—even if it’s limited—this is bad. He’s gone blind, and he’s still so calm. Even says he’s giving up? That makes no sense.”

It didn’t.

When does someone give up on something they’ve fought for their whole life?

Ning Yao frowned. “Either… they’ve already accomplished what they wanted, so they no longer need to continue. Or—they’ve lost all hope. No matter what they do, it’s impossible now.”

Cui Baogui nodded, impressed. “You’re sharp, sis. Now, based on what you saw, do those two demons seem like the kind who’d kindly help him achieve his goal?”

Ning Yao snorted, “They’d more likely ruin it.”

“Exactly. That means it’s the second one—he’s lost hope. It’s impossible now, no matter how hard he tries.” Cui Baogui motioned for her to follow. “If that’s the case, we need to find the mountain god right now. He’s always been a quiet person—he might be thinking of doing something drastic.”

After Ning Yao left, Feng Jingzhuo sat in silence for a long time.

Late at night, the dew grew heavy. The corners of his robes slowly became damp. A yellow-green withered leaf spun down, brushed against the tip of his nose, and landed on his sleeve.

It wasn’t even the Double Ninth Festival yet, and the leaves were already falling.

Feng Jingzhuo gently lifted the lonely fallen leaf, crouched down by feel, brushed aside a patch of earth, and placed the half-withered, half-tender leaf into it before slowly covering it with soil.

His hand rested on the fresh little grave of the leaf for a long time before he pulled away.

His palm was covered in dirt, and when he rubbed them together, bits of it crumbled and fell. Feng Jingzhuo didn’t wipe it off—still crouching in place,he continued rubbing his hands lightly, until all the soil was gone and only a faint layer of dust remained. Still, he didn’t stop.

It wasn’t until his palms flushed red from the friction that he suddenly froze, then stood abruptly and turned toward the path behind him.

No one was there—it was just an illusion, an echo in his ears.

An echo of her voice, crossing ten thousand years to finally speak to him again:

“What about you? Were you looking for me too? ”

Feng Jingzhuo felt a searing ache in his chest and finally whispered back, “Yao… I’ve been looking for you for so long.”

You had a miracle. You came back to life. You became a god. And Grandmaster and the others are all doing well. Do you know how happy that made me?

He smiled, lips curving upward, lifting his face to the celestial river above, smiling for a long time.

Then, little by little, that smile faded.

He had no strength left.

He couldn’t hold on anymore. It hurt so much.

His body gave out, slowly collapsing to the ground. The tear tracks on his face had long since dried. His final thread of warmth faded, dissolving into the air. Then, he grabbed the Soul-Bending Spike embedded in his chest.

A sharp sound—shlkk—the spike began to pull free, tearing flesh as it came loose.

Bl00d gushed from his chest. Feng Jingzhuo showed no reaction, continuing to pull the spike from where it had long been driven into his heart.

With each inch, his face paled further. Already colorless, his complexion turned nearly transparent and ghostly, like a soul on the verge of departing.

When most of the spike had been pulled free, his hand suddenly stopped.

Feng Jingzhuo’s brows drew faintly together. His sightless eyes moved slightly.

A man who’s accomplished nothing doesn’t deserve a glorious death. But he couldn’t die like this so uselessly.

He had spent his entire life receiving kindness from others. He had never done anything for them in return.

Feng Jingzhuo hesitated. Slowly, his fingers reversed direction and—inch by inch—pushed the Soul-Piercing Spike back into his body.

When he had been drawing it out, though pale, his expression had been eerily calm, a man ready to die. But now, as he pushed it back in, his entire body trembled violently from the pain, and sweat poured down like rain.

Finally, the spike was returned to its place. Feng Jingzhuo closed his eyes, brought his hands together, fingers turning in sequence, focusing his spiritual consciousness to its peak. He spread his mind across the mountains, searching for the escaped pair—Wan Dongze and his companion.

***

When Ning Yao and Cui Baogui arrived, this was the scene they saw.

The Soul-Bending Spike in Feng Jingzhuo’s chest was drenched in bl00d, and the dark red liquid was dripping steadily. His robe was soaked through; the scent of bl00d was heavy and overwhelming.

He stood with his eyes closed, his pale face beneath silver hair like white porcelain, devoid of any trace of life. Quiet, still—like a corpse standing upright.

Cui Baogui stopped in his tracks, full of regret. “We’re too late. The mountain god… he’s already gone…”

Ning Yao didn’t even glance at him as she approached Feng Jingzhuo. “Cut that funeral tone out—he’s not dead yet.”

“Really? ” Cui Baogui hurried over. “But he’s not responding. He doesn’t hear us.”

He pointed at the bloody wound on Feng Jingzhuo’s chest, looking absolutely certain. “Look at that. He obviously activated the Soul-Bending Spike. He’s trying to internalize it—to melt himself down! ”

Ning Yao placed her fingers just below Feng Jingzhuo’s nose. “He’s breathing.”

There was a breath. Cui Baogui tilted his head, peering closely. “I get it. He’s using an immense amount of spiritual focus—he’s sunk into his consciousness. If there’s no danger nearby, he won’t wake up.”

Ning Yao said, “So our presence… he recognized it as safe?”

“Seems like it.”

“But him not waking up is bad,” Ning Yao examined his wounds. He was gravely injured, and time was against them. “Even if this isn’t a suicide attempt, using this much refined spiritual force can still cause irreversible damage. It’s no different from burning his life away. If he won’t wake up on his own, we need to find a way to revive him.”

Cui Baogui suggested, “How about we just slap him real hard?”

Ning Yao: “Makes me want to slap you real hard too. Got any normal ideas?”

Cui Baogui said, “Hey—it’s quick, and it doesn’t hurt anyone. It’s actually the best plan.”

“Then you do it.”

Cui Baogui shook his head. “Not me. I’m a cultured man.”

What a pain. He really was all talk. Ning Yao’s expression darkened as she turned toward Feng Jingzhuo and raised her hand.

—As the saying goes, don’t slap someone’s face; that’s how friendships break.
Not to mention, the mountain god had just given her a gift. She hadn’t even repaid the favor yet, and here she was, about to slap him across the face?

Ning Yao lowered her hand and instead pinched the side of Jing Fengzhou’s face, twisting it hard.