Immortality: Starting with a grave, I'm invincible when burying corpses.

Sin Village, Datong Academy.

Decades later, Mu Ling'er met Zhuang Sheng again, the schoolteacher who had taught her for a period of time when she was young.

She never imagined that their long-awaited reunion would be in such a tense and hostile situation.

In the small hut, a teacup was shattered into pieces, and scalding hot tea spilled onto the floor.

Zhuang Sheng, who already looked like an old man, sat motionless, letting Mu Ling'er place the sword against his neck.

Only Wanshu was anxiously pacing around, trying to persuade her.

"Miss Mu, please calm down. It's not what you think. The master truly has his reasons!"

"Dilemma?" After a cold laugh, Liu Yun moved a little closer to Zhuang Sheng's neck. The chilling light was like a venomous snake, ready to cut Zhuang Sheng in two at any moment.

"What difficulties could we possibly have? Our family has tolerated you and helped you countless times, not so that you would do such despicable things!"

I'll say it one last time: either explain everything clearly, or hand over your natal magic weapon. I'll destroy that book right now; someone like you isn't qualified to use it!

Even with a sword at his neck, Zhuang Sheng showed not a trace of fear.

He just stared at Mu Ling'er, saying completely unrelated things, as if he was certain that the sword at his neck wouldn't be swung down by the person in front of him.

"You have a bit of Lord Mu in you, and you have many similarities with him, but your personalities are ultimately too different. You have good aspects, and you also have bad aspects."

The sword drew closer, its blade touching Zhuang Sheng's neck, drawing out a few drops of blood.

"This is your last chance. Speak or die!"

A sharp pain traveled along his nerves to Zhuang Sheng's mind. Feeling the sharp edge on his neck and looking at Mu Ling'er, whose eyes were cold and who could erupt at any moment, Zhuang Sheng sighed deeply.

Things are different now. So many years have passed, and everyone has changed.

He looked at Mu Ling'er and opened the "Book of Great Harmony" in his hand.

"Miss Ling'er, until you calm down, I'll call you that for now. Lord Mu probably hasn't told you what the 'Book of Great Harmony' actually says, has he?"

Staring at the open pages, Mu Ling'er's furrowed brows relaxed slightly.

Deep down, Mu Ling'er didn't believe Zhuang Sheng was a bad person. If possible, she would prefer to hear a reasonable explanation.

"Here, Miss Ling'er, you can take a close look at this book, 'The Book of Great Harmony.' What is written in it is the way in my heart."

An ancient scroll was handed to Mu Ling'er. The scroll looked very thin, but when Mu Ling'er picked it up and flipped through it, she noticed something was amiss.

This book, "The Book of Great Harmony," which resembles bamboo slips, is very thick, with over a thousand pages.

Mu Ling'er casually flipped through the pages, looking at the various ideas inside. At first, she didn't pay much attention, but the more she read, the more amazed she became.

There was a great deal of content that she found very informative, and there were many things that she had never noticed before.

From the sun high in the sky to the moon hanging high on the branches, when Mu Ling'er looked up again, she was dazed to find that she had been completely immersed in the book, to the point that she had forgotten the time.

If Wanshu hadn't called her, she wouldn't have even noticed that it was already evening.

Come to think of it, I seem to have forgotten something?

Forget it, I've already forgotten about it, it couldn't have been anything important.

Looking at the "Book of Great Harmony" that had been flipped through about a tenth of its pages, Mu Ling'er pondered for a moment before turning her gaze back to Zhuang Sheng.

"The book is indeed very good, but what it describes doesn't match what you're doing now. I need a reasonable explanation."

This time, Zhuang Sheng refused to answer. He looked at Mu Ling'er and just kept shaking his head, his voice neither hurried nor slow.

"When everything comes to an end, Miss Ling'er, you will understand that my nine bets with the Sage of Literature were indeed flawed, but they were necessary. Some things always require trade-offs, and besides..."

Seeing Zhuang Sheng's posture, Mu Ling'er's eyes turned somewhat cold, but this time she did not put Liu Yun on Zhuang Sheng's head again.

"And what?"

"Moreover, in this gamble concerning people's hearts and the future of literature and art, I have not lost yet, nor have the villagers."

"What do you mean by that?" Mu Ling'er clenched the book in her hand, staring intently at Zhuang Sheng, as if she could see through his thoughts.

Unfortunately, Zhuang Sheng's emotional control was flawless, and Mu Ling'er couldn't figure it out even after watching for a long time.

Zhuang Sheng made no attempt to hide anything; he directly extended an invitation to Mu Ling'er, saying something that left Mu Ling'er completely baffled.

"The bet between me and the Sage of Literature was made under the witness of the ancestors of literature and the Bodhisattva Xuanling of Buddhism. It is bound by an oath and there is no possibility of it ending."

You alone, Miss Ling'er, cannot stop this gamble from continuing. As for what I really want to do, I cannot tell you now.

Ling'er, if you really want a reasonable explanation, why not invite Lord Mu as well, and let him witness this gamble that has lasted for thirty years and concerns the future of literature and the well-being of all people and society.

If you have any questions, Lord Mu will naturally answer them for you.

Under Mu Ling'er's increasingly puzzled gaze, Zhuang Sheng smiled calmly.

"So, Ling'er, can you perhaps put your mind at ease for now?"

If it were an ordinary scion of a prominent family, upon hearing Zhuangzi's words, there would be no way he would follow them.

They can't stand it when there's a small problem and they turn to their elders at home.

Especially when you're already in charge of a region, it's simply too embarrassing to face anyone if you call on your parents or anything like that.

But Mu Ling'er was never one of them; she was incredibly skilled at calling for reinforcements.

In front of Zhuang Sheng and Wan Shu, she took out the projection jade that Mu An had made for her without hesitation and skillfully sent out a communication invitation.

The next second, a mountain forest appeared in front of the three of them. In the center of the scene, Mu An, dressed in white, was standing on a headless corpse with a bright smile on his face.

Beside the headless corpse, hundreds of other bodies, each missing a different part of their body, lay quietly.

???

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"Ah? It's Little Ling'er. You're contacting me at this hour, do you miss me?"

Before Mu An could finish speaking, Mu Ling'er closed her eyes and opened them again, hanging up the call with lightning speed.

She looked down and then up again, forcing a smile at Zhuang Sheng and Wan Shu, saying things she herself didn't believe.

"There's something wrong with the projection jade, you've contacted the wrong person... I don't know that person..."

Zhuang Sheng nodded in agreement, while Wan Shu covered her mouth with both hands, seemingly unable to believe what she had just witnessed.

Just then, the projection jade lit up again, displaying an image many times clearer than before in the room.

Everything in the forest was clearly visible, even the missing parts of the corpse on the ground could be seen clearly.

"Little Ling'er, why are you being shy? We haven't been in touch for months, and you just hung up on me like that. Isn't that a bit too heartless..."