The Great Ruler: Reborn as Mu Chen, sweeping across the vast world!

The firelight danced on the rough rock walls of the cave, elongating the shadows of the two people leaning against each other.

The firewood occasionally crackled softly, which was especially clear in the quiet night.

The weakness on Luo Li's pale face gradually faded. Although her injuries were still serious, she was no longer in a state of exhaustion and helpless vulnerability.

Mu Chen was poking at the fire with a thin twig, trying to make the flames burn more evenly, and the flickering firelight illuminated his handsome profile.

Why did you save me? And why are you asking me to cooperate?

Luo Li's voice rang out, her tone as calm as ever, but one could hear the confusion in it. Her glassy eyes, reflecting the firelight, quietly looked at Mu Chen.

"To you, I should be no different from those trial participants."

Mu Chen stopped fiddling with the twigs and met Luo Li's gaze: "I think I've already said it, I find you pleasing to the eye."

This answer was exactly the same as the one given in front of the ancient temple last time—so simple it was almost perfunctory.

But after Mu Chen finished speaking, he laughed first. His smile was frank and open, his eyebrows and eyes relaxed, and it even carried a sense of self-righteousness.

"Oh, and by the way," he added after laughing, "you're also very beautiful, that's very important!"

"I like being friends with pretty girls," Mu Chen continued, his gaze fixed openly on her face, without the slightest hint of evasion or lewdness, only pure appreciation and straightforward statement, "Ideally, for life!"

A strange silence suddenly fell over the cave, and even the crackling of the flames seemed to fade away.

Luo Li looked at him, momentarily speechless.

That's a really... blunt answer, almost to the point of being overbearing.

Although it sounded like the frivolous words of a lecherous man, the way he spoke them, coming from his clear and honest eyes, revealed a certain righteous sincerity.

She grew up in the Luo Shen clan and was used to seeing awe, greed, covetousness, or indifference in people's eyes.

Because of talent, because of appearance, because of status.

Behind those gazes always lie various calculations and motives.

Luo Li was already used to it and responded with an even colder, icy retort.

Previously, she was all alone, single-minded, believing that the path of cultivation did not require companions, as human entanglements were the most troublesome.

The responsibilities of the Luo Shen clan and the solitude of cultivation had long since made her accustomed to walking alone.

But now, she was critically injured and on the verge of death. It was Mu Chen who stepped in and swept away the danger. It was he who sucked out the poisonous blood for her, and it was he who gave her his essence to heal her wounds.

In the eyes of the boy before me, there was admiration, affection, and also a possessiveness that I couldn't quite put my finger on.

Perhaps because of the life-saving grace, Luo Li found that she did not dislike his gaze, and even felt a little happy about it!

"Friends for life?" Luo Li repeated softly, as if confirming the meaning of the word.

"Are there really friends who last a lifetime in this world?"

"Of course, there are lifelong friends, lifelong family, and lifelong lovers." Mu Chen threw the thin twig into the fire, sparks crackling and flying up.

"Life is so difficult. We have to go through birth, aging, sickness and death, and witness the impermanence of the world. How lonely it would be if we didn't even have someone to talk to, someone to confide in, and someone to care about us in this long life."

"What is the purpose of cultivation? What is the purpose of becoming stronger? If in the end you are surrounded by nothingness and your vision is blurred, what is the point of reaching the pinnacle?"

Luo Li listened quietly.

She had never heard these words before.

In the Luo Shen clan, the elders would only tell her that responsibility was heavier than a mountain, mission was higher than the sky, and that one should be able to make decisive choices on the path of cultivation.

Love can be a bond, but friends can also become a weakness or a potential source of betrayal.

Strength seems to always be accompanied by loneliness.

But Mu Chen said that strength should not be for the sake of loneliness, and loneliness itself may not be the necessary price of strength.

"Is that so?" Luo Li asked softly, tilting her head unconsciously.

This action made her look less aloof and more lively, like a young girl.

The firelight outlined a soft contour on her exquisite profile, her silver hair cascading down her shoulders, the ends gleaming faintly with gold in the firelight.

It's so beautiful!

"Of course it is." Mu Chen looked at the beautiful scenery and nodded heavily, as if he wanted to nail this belief into her heart.

Then he slowly extended his hand to Luo Li.

"Luo Li," Mu Chen looked into her eyes and said, word by word, "Would you be my friend for life?"

Luo Li's gaze shifted from Mu Chen's face to his outstretched hand.

She remembered the first time she saw him outside the safe zone; he stood in the sunset.

I recall his silhouette as he descended from the sky, routing the attackers.

I remember his focused profile as he knelt in front of me, sucking out the poisonous blood without hesitation.

I remember the self-righteous smile on his face when he said he found me pleasing to the eye.

Luo Li slowly raised her eyes and looked at Mu Chen again.

The boy still held out his hand, neither urging nor forcing, but simply waiting quietly.

Friends for life...

She nodded gently and slowly placed her hand in Mu Chen's palm.

Mu Chen squeezed her hand and said with a smile, "Then it's a promise, for a lifetime."

"I can't guarantee it for a lifetime, but I will always be by your side on this spiritual path!" Luo Li said earnestly.

"Is that so...? Can you tell me why you can't guarantee it for a lifetime? Maybe I can solve it in the future. You know, I'm very strong!" Mu Chen clenched his fist.

Luo Li didn't say much, she just shook her head, and Mu Chen didn't press her further.

He naturally knew why—the burden of the Luo Shen Clan—but it didn't matter; he would resolve everything in the future!

The silence flowed through the air, but it didn't feel awkward; instead, it created a sense of tranquility.

Mu Chen suddenly turned his head and looked at Luo Li.

Her eyelashes were long, casting small shadows in the firelight that obscured her glassy eyes. Sensing the gaze, she tilted her head to meet Mu Chen's eyes.

"I've never seen you smile before," Mu Chen said, his voice filled with curiosity and anticipation. "Could you smile for me?"

You must look beautiful when you smile!

Luo Li was stunned for a moment.

Then, a smile slowly spread across her face, filling her eyes.

Her cool and beautiful face suddenly became lively and bright because of that faint smile!

Like moonlight piercing through the clouds, its pure radiance falls upon the world, its beauty is so pristine and unblemished that it is enough to amaze a frozen moment in time.

Mu Chen was so engrossed in watching that he forgot to speak.

The two stayed at the cave for the next few days.

Luo Li's recovery speed is faster than expected.

She was already in excellent physical condition and had a strong will. With the spiritual energy provided by Mu Chen and his meticulous care, her wounds healed quickly, and she was fully recovered in just three days.

The days passed by.

As the two ventured deeper into the spiritual path, their tacit understanding rapidly accumulated and deepened through countless battles, treks, and casual conversations around the campfire…