Chapter 161: Shocking Mortis for a Hundred Years

"Tonight's moonlight is just right."

The pitch-black room had no lights on, yet it wasn't dark. Pale moonlight poured down like a silvery waterfall, spreading a layer of fine frost-like silver over the floor.

Kaito stood in front of the window sill, his palm full of fine, fragmented moonlight, like silk or threads, gradually condensing into a lustrous round pearl.

Whether it's the vampires and werewolves of Western legends, or the mountain and forest spirits of Eastern folklore, it seems there's always a trope of becoming stronger through moonlight.

Unlike the blazing sunlight, its effect is gentler, and it has a nourishing effect on most living beings.

Of course, that being said, it doesn't mean one can be reborn just by basking in moonlight.

To truly use the power of moonlight, special techniques are needed, collecting moonlight that falls directly from the heart of the sky and condensing it into a bead-like shape, thus forming the essence of moonlight.

This method isn't too difficult, just a bit tedious. Hence, it's not widely practiced in the cultivation world, and few people study it deeply.

After all, for most cultivators, if they have spare time, they'd rather absorb more spiritual energy. The effect isn't much different and it skips the trouble of crafting.

But in this world, where spiritual energy is scarce, the advantage of moonlight essence stands out.

It can be used not only for cultivation but also as a material for refining Mortis's physical body, killing two birds with one stone.

If there's only one flaw... it's probably that the energy within moonlight is too limited, so the condensed essence isn't of high quality, just barely usable.

Shaking his head, Kaito stopped thinking about it, ended today's collection, flipped his hand and stored the pearl, intending to rest.

But at that moment, the doorknob in the distance turned slightly.

Then, a girl tiptoed inside.

"Soyo?", He raised an eyebrow, a little puzzled, "Coming to see me this late, is something the matter?"

The brown-haired girl's pretty face flushed slightly, but she didn't answer. Instead, she looked a bit embarrassed, lowering her head, hiding her hands behind her back, and drawing circles with her toes.

Earlier, she had been eager and impatient, but now that she stood in front of Kaito, she was too embarrassed to speak.

She couldn't very well say that because she still wasn't satisfied earlier, she left Mutsumi behind and secretly came to find him, right?

Although... that was exactly the case… but what if she was mistaken for a lewd girl?

Well, maybe she was a lewd girl… but some things, if spoken aloud, would be too shameful.

After all, the girl's face was still thin-skinned. If it had been a certain unnamed long-time vegetarian lady, she clearly wouldn't have had such concerns.

After a long bout of stammering, Nagasaki Soyo finally whispered like a mosquito, "I… couldn't sleep, so I came to chat with you for a while…"

Kaito was silent for two seconds.

'I'd like to believe you really came just to chat… but before we go further, could you please put away the hearts in your eyes?'

It's not that he hated this kind of thing. It just left him a little helpless.

"Does Mutsumi know?"

Nagasaki Soyo gently shook her head, then said with a bit of guilt, "When I got up, I moved very carefully. I didn't wake Mutsumi."

Kaito extended his spiritual sense, and it was true.

The girl with light green hair was still quietly lying in the next room, sleeping in a very obedient posture.

But before he could glance twice more, Soyo, her face already red, gently took his hand, then turned her head away in silence.

She was already being so proactive. The rest, naturally, would flow like water.

———

[Meanwhile, Mutsumi's Room]

["Mutsumi, Mutsumi, what are you hesitating for!"]

In her mind, Mortis was anxiously spinning in circle, ["Soyo suddenly got up in the middle of the night, and even deliberately kept it from you. She's definitely up to something! Hurry and follow her to see what she's doing!"]

As a sub-personality, she didn't need rest. Even in the space of consciousness, she could still sense nearby events within a certain range.

So the moment Soyo got up, Mortis noticed her movement.

At first, she thought it was just to use the bathroom, nothing major, but then Soyo softly called Mutsumi's name once.

That suspicious move immediately made Mortis alert. She hurried to wake Mutsumi and egged her on to follow.

"Soyo… maybe she just got up to use the bathroom."

Wakaba Mutsumi was silent for a moment, then gently said, "She'll be back soon."

Mortis was half mad with anger.

["You're just too naïve, Mutsumi!"]

Even with the truth right in front of her, she still tried to make excuses for Soyo?

'Main personality, you idiot…'

Mortis stomped a few times in frustration, then finally calmed down and suddenly said with interest, ["If that's the case, how about we make a bet?"]

Wakaba Mutsumi: "?"

The green-haired girl hesitated for a moment, "What do you want to bet on?"

["The bet is simple."]

Mortis seemed to give a soft "hmph" in the mind, ["If Soyo still hasn't returned in half an hour, I get to take control of the body and go see what's going on."]

"What if… Soyo comes back?"

["Then it's simple too."]

Mortis answered without hesitation, ["Until my onii-chan creates a new body for me, I won't interfere with any of your decisions again. I'll follow your lead completely, how about it?"]

Wakaba Mutsumi didn't speak for a long time.

Just as Mortis was about to assume she had refused, a barely audible "okay" finally sounded in the quiet room.

'Hmph, no matter how naive Mutsumi is, this time, the bet is mine to win!'

'I'll be the one to strike and shatter your pitiful fantasy.'

———

It was now 2:45 AM. The clock's hands ticked second by second.

Wakaba Mutsumi had never realized that time could be such a slow thing.

Clearly only ten minutes had passed, but it felt like a whole decade.

The door remained quiet, not a sound of the handle turning.

Fifteen minutes.

Still no change.

Finally…

When the time on the screen reached 3:15 AM, Soyo still hadn't returned.

["Well?"]

Having won the bet, Mortis was clearly very pleased, ["Now do you believe me?"]

If it were really just going to the bathroom, there's no way it would take this long.

Faced with this ironclad truth, Wakaba Mutsumi could only remain silent, and accept the loss.

At last, she gave up control of the body.

Mortis had no time to gloat. She jumped out of bed, didn't even put on shoes, and dashed "thump thump thump" to her onii-chan's bedroom door.

She had been curious about what was inside for a long time, but now standing in front of this thin door, she suddenly felt a sense of retreat.

'No, I can't give up like this!'

Mortis lightly patted her chest, gathered her courage, and slightly twisted the tightly closed door open into a narrow crack.

The girl's breathing quickened slightly, then abruptly stopped.

Soft, suppressed moans, faint, but present, floated from within the bedroom.

She leaned in closer, and her golden eyes turned a little dazed.

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