Jing Wuji sat quietly to the side, gazing at the gray sky without saying a word.
Ye Xinxia, a bit worried about Jing Wuji's state, held his hand and sat silently beside him.
The night passed quietly. At dawn, the rising sun finally pierced through the clouds that had long shrouded Bo City, casting rays of brilliant light over the mountains, rivers, and cityscape.
On this day, this group of people had undeniably lost a great deal—family, friends, and their hometown.
But even amid such loss, seeds were quietly planted in their hearts—some buried deep, some beginning to take root and sprout.
...
Reinforcements arrived quickly. From the moment Bo City fell to the invasion of monsters, less than a day had passed before help came riding on sky eagles.
After assessing the situation, the military magicians who came with the reinforcements mounted their sky eagles and began sweeping through Bo City to eliminate the monsters.
Magicians from within the Safe Zone also took the opportunity to counterattack and joined the effort to purge the city.
The cleanup lasted a full week, with even Jing Wuji and Mo Fan joining the operation.
After round upon round of hunts—leaving no place untouched, not even the sewers—Bo City finally quieted down, with not a single monster left behind.
However, Bo City had already become unrecognizable.
Ruined buildings were everywhere, streets and alleys piled with blood and corpses—utter devastation.
Bo City was no longer what it once was. That torrential rainstorm had left psychological scars on too many people—sleepless nights, and a newfound fear of heavy rain.
"Everyone's gone," Mo Jiaxing said, sitting inside the house, smoking a cigarette, a trace of melancholy on his face.
"Let's go too. Let's follow the government's instructions and move to another city," Mo Fan suggested.
"If you want to go, go. I'm staying. Wandering around, relying on others—it's like being a refugee," Mo Qing said darkly.
His aunt and father were safe, but his uncle was still missing. His name wasn't on the list of the dead, which likely meant there was nothing left of his body.
"Mo Fan, you and Wuji are grown up now. Wherever you two decide to go, I'll go," Mo Jiaxing said, handing over the decision to Mo Fan and Jing Wuji.
"Let's go to the Magic City," Mo Fan suggested, turning to Jing Wuji.
Jing Wuji looked at Ye Xinxia, trying to gauge her opinion. But her expression clearly said: "I'll go wherever you go." With that, Jing Wuji gave up trying to decide.
"Alright," Jing Wuji replied calmly.
It didn't matter where they went—he only wanted to settle his family, and then head off to a certain place.
"Real estate in Shanghai is expensive. I'll check if they're offering resettlement housing for us folks from Bo City," Mo Jiaxing said as he headed out to inquire.
Not long after, Mo Jiaxing returned, beaming at the three of them. "Guess what—there is resettlement housing for Bo City survivors. If it's okay with you all, I'll go ahead and submit our names."
He quickly registered the four family members, and once the approval came through, they packed their few belongings and left. There wasn't much to take, and the old house was left to Aunt Mo Qing.
They first traveled to Xiamen by car, then boarded a high-speed train from Xiamen to Shanghai.
Throughout the trip, Jing Wuji remained unusually quiet—barely speaking three sentences in a day, sometimes not even one.
This worried Ye Xinxia terribly. She had worked so hard to help fix Wuji's twisted personality, and now he was slipping back into that dark state again. It left her frustrated.
I must get Wuji back to his old self!
With that resolve, the young girl quietly clenched her fists and began her mission.
Upon arriving in Shanghai, they eventually found the resettlement area based on the information provided by Bo City.
Over a thousand people were relocated to this same area, enough to form a small residential complex.
The gaps between buildings were extremely narrow—it felt like living inside a box, and the atmosphere was deeply suffocating.
Jing Wuji didn't care where they lived, so he didn't voice any opinions. Mo Fan, on the other hand, complained a little.
And just like that, the four of them officially settled down in their new home.
That night, Jing Wuji sat cross-legged on the bed in his room, cultivating deep meditation. He was breaking through to the Intermediate Level.
The process was surprisingly simple—he simply used his magic energy, which far exceeded that of a typical Basic-level mage, to crash against the barrier. The light screen shattered instantly.
His spiritual power surged drastically. For a Basic-level mage, such a sudden increase would be excruciatingly painful. But for him, it wasn't even as painful as the long periods he had spent with his "Mind's Eye" activated.
His stardust transformed into a star nebula. In addition to the 7 stars he had previously controlled, the nebula now contained 42 stars.
After completing the breakthrough, Jing Wuji didn't immediately try to control the stars. Instead, he continued cultivating his magic energy.
Meanwhile, in another room, Ye Xinxia's door slowly creaked open. A shadowy figure leaned clumsily against the wall, inching forward with difficulty until she reached the door to Jing Wuji's room.
The figure cautiously opened his door little by little and then struggled to walk inside.
Once in the room, she quietly closed the door behind her and slowly made her way to the bed where Jing Wuji was meditating.
She was breathing lightly, clearly exhausted from the effort. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead.
After resting for a bit, she climbed onto the bed and gently hugged Jing Wuji.
Jing Wuji was startled out of his meditation by the physical contact. He opened his eyes and looked at the intruder.
As a Shadow Element mage, he could see clearly in the dark.
Xinxia? Why was she here?
Jing Wuji tried his best to soften his voice, but it still came out sounding cold.
"Xinxia, is something wrong?"
"I... I'm a little worried about you. Ever since you came out of that apartment building, your aura changed—it became cold. Your actions and behavior, too... they felt distant. I know you still care about us, but that feeling… scares me. It feels like you're becoming the way you were when we were younger. When you were lying in my arms, being healed, you looked so at peace... So I wanted to help you get back to that state quickly…"
As she spoke, her face flushed visibly—even though it was night, no one could see it.
Of course, in the darkness, Jing Wuji could see her blushing like a ripe apple.
"Mm. I'll be okay." Jing Wuji replied softly, then closed his eyes again, his consciousness drifting into his spiritual universe.
"Come out!" a cold voice rang out in the spiritual world.
"What now?" another Jing Wuji stepped out of the darkness.
As soon as he appeared, the dark Jing Wuji immediately began punching and kicking the light Jing Wuji without warning.
"What's your problem? Stop hitting me!" the light Jing Wuji shouted, crouching down to shield himself.
It wasn't that he didn't want to fight back—it was just that he couldn't win! The other guy constantly had "Mind's Eye" activated, while his own only lasted five seconds. How was he supposed to compete with that?
After a while, the dark Jing Wuji finally stopped.
"Damn it!" he cursed, then growled, "Take good care of Xinxia!"
Then he turned and walked back into the darkness without looking back.
The light Jing Wuji watched his counterpart's retreating figure and said, "I will!"
Then he turned and walked toward the light ahead.
Though they had fought for quite a while in the spiritual realm, in the real world, only an instant had passed.
In a gentle voice, Jing Wuji said, "As you wish."
"Mm." Ye Xinxia smiled. She could feel it—Jing Wuji had returned to normal.
Mission accomplished!
Jing Wuji didn't resume cultivating. Instead, he held Ye Xinxia in his arms and fell asleep with her.
With a soft, fragrant girl in your arms, why on earth would you keep cultivating? Are you insane?
The night grew even more peaceful, and the young boy and girl fell asleep in each other's embrace.
End of the Bo City Arc. A new chapter begins next.
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