Chapter 33: Moon Mark

Chapter 33: Chapter 33: Moon Mark

After several hours of crying and coaxing, Sui Sui finally managed to calm the little fluff ball enough to learn more about it—and about this strange place.

Although Mu Mu’s memories had become blurry after spending so long inside the pocket dimension, it still told Sui Sui everything it could remember.

According to Mu Mu, it had lived here for so long that it could no longer remember exactly how much time had passed.

In the beginning, its mother had stayed with it. However, one day, she told Mu Mu that she and the others had to leave. Before departing, she instructed Mu Mu to remain inside the pocket dimension and wait until they returned.

So, Mu Mu waited.

It waited for so long that even its memories of its mother gradually began to fade. By now, it could no longer remember what she looked like.

Hearing this, Sui Sui could not help but feel a little pity for the child.

Mu Mu had been left alone in this place for an unknown amount of time. Yet even after waiting for so long that its memories had become unclear, it still believed that its mother would eventually return for it.

Of course, Sui Sui might have felt even more sympathetic if the little creature had been better behaved.

"You human, give Mu Mu more of those tasty things."

Mu Mu lay comfortably on Sui Sui’s lap, one tiny paw rubbing its round belly while the other was held out toward him.

Sui Sui looked down at the outstretched paw.

"Didn’t you just eat?"

"That was a long time ago."

Sui Sui was silent.

Mu Mu had finished the previous pastry less than the time it took to drink a cup of tea.

Seeing its tyrannical attitude, Sui Sui suddenly felt that the little creature reminded him of someone he knew. However, no matter how hard he thought about it, he could not remember who.

"So, you’ve been living here for a long time?" Sui Sui asked.

Mu Mu nodded and proudly puffed out its tiny chest.

"Of course. Look around! Everything here is Mu Mu’s masterpiece. It looks good, doesn’t it?"

Sui Sui followed the direction of its paw.

The field was covered in tangled weeds, while the surrounding grass had grown unevenly in every direction. Several bushes had spread so wildly that they nearly blocked the narrow paths between them. Aside from a few patches of flattened grass, the entire area appeared completely neglected.

Sui Sui was silent for a moment.

Then he slowly lowered his gaze and looked back at Mu Mu.

"Did you do all of this?"

"That’s right!"

Mu Mu lifted its chin, looking exceptionally proud.

Sui Sui looked around once more.

He could not help but question Mu Mu’s sense of beauty.

After chatting with Mu Mu for a while longer, Sui Sui suddenly remembered that he should probably return soon.

He had no idea how much time had passed outside. If Yizhou went looking for him and discovered that he had mysteriously disappeared, it would be difficult to explain.

For the time being, Sui Sui also intended to keep the existence of this place a secret. A pocket dimension directly connected to his soul was far too valuable to reveal carelessly, especially when he still did not fully understand what it was capable of.

With that thought in mind, Sui Sui stood up.

"I should be going now."

Mu Mu, who had been sitting on the grass and happily eating the almond cakes Sui Sui had given it, immediately raised its head.

"Where are you going?" it asked. Then, as though it had only just understood what Sui Sui meant, its round eyes widened. "Why are you leaving so soon?"

"I’m going back to the outside world," Sui Sui explained. "I don’t know how much time has passed since I entered this place. Someone is still waiting for me outside, and if I stay here for too long, they may begin to worry."

"The outside world?"

Mu Mu tilted its head.

Then its tiny wings spread, and its eyes immediately brightened.

"Then Mu Mu will go with you!"

Sui Sui paused.

He had promised to help Mu Mu find its mother, and taking the little creature outside might allow him to learn more about where it had come from. However, after thinking about it carefully, he shook his head.

"Not this time."

"Why not?"

"There is someone outside," Sui Sui explained patiently. "If I suddenly return with a spirit beast I’ve never mentioned before, they will definitely wonder where you came from."

Mu Mu puffed out its cheeks.

"Then tell them Mu Mu came with you."

"That would be even more suspicious."

Mu Mu fell silent, its tiny wings slowly drooped as it stared at Sui Sui.

"Then... Mu Mu has to stay here alone again?"

Sui Sui hesitated.

Seeing the disappointment in its eyes, he quickly added, "I’ll take you outside another time." Sui Sui said, thinking he will take Mu Mu out when he is back at the sect and not being watched by Yizhou 24/7

Mu Mu’s eyes brightened for only a moment before narrowing again.

"You’re not lying just to appease Mu Mu are you?."

"I’m not."

"You said you wouldn’t leave Mu Mu behind!" Mu Mu immediately began flapping its tiny wings. "But now you’re leaving Mu Mu here! You promised!"

Sui Sui watched the little creature throw a small tantrum.

"I’m not leaving you behind," he explained patiently. "I’m only returning to the outside world for a while. I’ll come back."

"You’ll really come back?"

"I will." Mu Mu continued staring at him, clearly unconvinced.

Sui Sui thought for a moment before reaching into his storage pouch. Thinking that there’s only one way to convince this fluff ball. He took out several pieces of almond cake and placed them in Mu Mu’s tiny paws.

"Eat these while you wait."

Mu Mu looked down at the almond cakes, then it looked back at Sui Sui.

"You’re giving all of these to Mu Mu?"

"Yes."

The little creature immediately hugged the cakes against its round body.

"Then Mu Mu will forgive you this time," it declared. "But you have to come back quickly."

Sui Sui smiled faintly.

"I will." Sui Sui nodded.

After making sure Mu Mu had calmed down, he began searching for a way out.

However, after circling the entire field several times, he found no sign of an exit. The boundaries of the space appeared endless, and there was nothing that resembled a doorway or passage.

He even returned to the small lake and searched beneath the water, wondering if the way out might be hidden at the bottom.

There was nothing.

Just as Sui Sui was beginning to run out of ideas, he suddenly remembered the hand mirror. The reason he entered this place was because he touched the mirror, then it shouldn’t be too farfetched if it is also the way out is it?

He quickly took it out of his storage pouch. The moment his fingers touched its smooth surface, his surroundings blurred.

Before he could react, the vast field disappeared.

When Sui Sui opened his eyes again, he was back inside the cave chamber, sitting in the exact same position he had been in before entering the strange space.

He immediately looked down at his hand.

The mirror was gone.

Sui Sui searched through his body and even storage pouch several times, but no matter how carefully he looked, he could not find the mirror.

For a brief moment, he wondered whether everything that had happened inside the pocket dimension had merely been an illusion.

However, when he noticed that he was still wearing the clothes he had changed into inside the dimension, he quickly dismissed the thought.

Everything had been real.

The vast field, the small lake, and Mu Mu had all truly existed.

As he examined himself more closely, Sui Sui suddenly noticed something unusual.

A faint mark had appeared on his right arm.

It was shaped like a slender crescent moon and rested quietly against his skin. The mark was pale and almost translucent, making it easy to overlook unless one looked closely.

Sui Sui frowned, he was certain that it had not been there before.

Could it have appeared after he entered the pocket dimension?

Curious, Sui Sui raised his hand and lightly brushed his fingers over the crescent-shaped mark.

The moment his fingertips touched it, the mark gave off a faint glow.

Before Sui Sui could react, his surroundings blurred, the cave chamber disappeared. When his vision cleared again, he found himself standing inside the pocket dimension.

The familiar field stretched out before him, while Mu Mu remained where he had left it. The little creature was still sitting on the grass with several pieces of almond cake clutched tightly against its round body.

Sui Sui blinked.

Before Mu Mu could notice his return, Sui Sui lowered his gaze and touched the crescent-shaped mark again.

The scene before him was distorted again and in the next instant, he was back inside the cave chamber.

Sui Sui remained still for a moment as he looked around, after entering and leaving the space several more times, Sui Sui finally understood.

The crescent-shaped mark was the key to the pocket dimension, as long as he touched it, he could freely enter and leave the space.

After finishing his little experiment, Sui Sui carefully adjusted his appearance before leaving the chamber.

Just as he stepped outside, a faint sound came from the neighboring chamber.

Sui Sui turned his head and saw Yizhou emerge at nearly the same time. Judging from the faint spiritual energy still lingering around him, it seemed that he had also just finished his closed-door cultivation.

The two of them immediately noticed each other.

Yizhou’s gaze swept over Sui Sui before pausing briefly. He seemed to be carefully examining the changes in Sui Sui’s aura.

After a moment, the corners of his lips slowly curved into a faint smile.

"Not bad. You reached Qi Refining Level Three in one go."

Sui Sui nodded. "Yeah."

Although his response was calm, Yizhou did not look away.

Instead, he continued watching Sui Sui with the same faint smile on his face.

Sui Sui remained silent.

For some reason, a subtle sense of unease slowly rose within him.

Yizhou’s expression did not appear unusual. If anything, he seemed to be in a rather good mood. However, the longer Sui Sui looked at him, the more he felt that there was something hidden behind that smile.

It was as though Yizhou had been waiting for him to finish cultivating.

Before Sui Sui could figure out what the other was thinking, Yizhou finally spoke.

"Since you’ve already finished what you needed to do," he said leisurely, "I think it’s about time we discussed how you intend to compensate me, don’t you?"

Sui Sui’s expression immediately stiffened.

So that was why Yizhou had been smiling.

The uneasy feeling he had experienced moments earlier had come true almost immediately.

Sui Sui suddenly wanted nothing more than to turn around, return to the chamber, and pretend that he was still in the middle of cultivation.

Unfortunately, it was already too late as Yizhou had already locked in on him.