Tears welled up in Li Meirong's eyes instead, acting as some sort of substitute to Ben Mo's turbulent emotions, but she held herself back from letting them spill. She didn't feel like it was her place to cry. She kept her fingers on the Mushroom Spirit's head, trying to comfort him through the painful recollection.

Ben Mo said, 'Good things never last, however. My senior disciple under the same Grandmaster, she, one day, she… took me out, to this very place. She took me here and used me in a way I dare not mention. She stole my powers, used them as her own. She murdered me. Afterwards, my ghost was left wandering, anguished, vengeful. I'm not certain what had happened, but at a specific point, all I could recall was waking up inside your dimension. I only wished to grow stronger, not sure as to the reason why. It was as if an invisible purpose drove my thirst for power.'

He stopped his explanation, taking a deep breath, a clear indication to Li Meirong that whatever it was that he was going to say was difficult for him to share.

'Then, when I was summoned out of the dimension and saw this place, I felt frightened, and I couldn't understand why. When I saw Liang Rou Yan all charged up with lightning, I recognized the power as my own. When she struck you, all the memories of my past life came rushing back to me.'

"I'm sorry." Li Meirong said. The dam finally broke, tears fell down along her cheeks, dripping on the Mushroom Spirit in a salty shower.

Ben Mo let out a burst of strangled laughter, wiggling from side to side. 'Hey! Stop crying! You're getting me all wet with your tears! What are you sorry for, anyway? I should be the one who's sorry. Because of Liang Rou Yan's past obsession with me and my relationship, she lost her mind and hunted you down.'

Li Meirong angrily wiped the tears from her eyes with the back of her tattered sleeve, "I'm sorry. I won't cry."

She sniffled a few times, trying to get her emotions under control before asking, "Does this mean that the one who Liang Rou Yan had talked about, the one who seduced the lunatic Grandmaster Zhu Zhang is… is…"

'...' Ben Mo silently hopped out of Li Meirong's palm.

"Were you and the lunatic Grandmaster of the Bestiary Division together?" Li Meirong asked again, properly this time.

'C-could you shut up about it? It's very rude of you to ask!' Ben Mo's colour darkened into a deeper shade of red, sounding quite mortified.

"Pfft!" Li Meirong covered her lips with the back of her hand, stifling a giggle, her cheeks still damp with tears.

Just then, Chou returned to the jungle, carrying an unconscious Mo Jing within his tendrils. "Master, Chou found him!"

Mo Jing was unceremoniously dangling behind Chou. His appearance was practically a replica of his older brother, Mo Cheng. He owned a healthy tan and a face that was nicely sculpted, all sharp angles and high cheekbones, unconcealed by his dark brown hair that had been tied neatly into a bun. Only his narrower shoulders and slimmer waist contrasted in comparison to his sibling.

Unlike his brother, it was clear to see that Mo Jing was a man who wasn't trained for fighting. His eyes were shut tight, and he snored loudly, unaware of anything around him. He seemed to be heavily drugged, for him to remain asleep under Chou's 'tender' care.

Li Meirong felt that the final discomfort lodged in her heart finally dissipated. Her friend was safe and sound. "That's great, Chou!"

Chou grinned from ear to ear, ready to be basked in his Master's compliments, however, Ben Mo bumped himself against Li Meirong's foot at that exact moment, catching her attention instead.

Ben Mo transmitted a final message to Li Meirong, 'Don't you dare tell a soul what I told you! I'm warning you!'

Li Meirong winked at the mortified Lingzhi Mushroom, perching him on her shoulder.

"Your secret is safe with me!"

Chou sulked, poking at the mushroom with his tendrils as they passed through the jungle's path.