I Am a Rune Engraver, Carrying a Knife Makes Perfect Sense-Chapter 46 - Miaomiao

—

“When did she get hurt?”

Three days later, in Yuan City, outside a high-tech yet discreet medical facility, Xu Shen stood with bloodshot eyes, his expression heavy. He stared through the glass at the unconscious Wang Qingqing inside.

Her arm was nearly severed, but thankfully, she had been brought back in time. The doctors managed to reattach it.

“When you were holding back the corpse ape horde, you didn’t notice the entrance to the living area,” Wang Bing said hoarsely, his hands trembling slightly as he smoked a cigarette. “A few sneaky corpse apes almost slipped inside. Qingqing went out to stop them.”

“One of them was nearly a second-tier peak. That’s why her arm was so badly injured.”

Xu Shen sat beside Wang Bing in silence for a long time, clenching his hand slightly as if suppressing his emotions.

“How many survived in the living area?” Xu Shen finally asked.

“Sixty percent are unharmed and undergoing treatment to purge the gray mist,” Wang Bing replied, exhaling smoke. “The remaining thirty percent… either transformed into ghouls or became half-human, half-ghoul hybrids. They’ve been quarantined to prevent outbreaks.”

“We wanted to rush in and save people immediately,” Wang Bing continued, shaking his head. “But the Heart of Reversal is insidious—it ignores cultivation levels. No one could enter until its effects wore off.”

—

CRACK!

The steel bench Xu Shen was sitting on groaned as he crushed part of it with his grip.

Even with Xu Wei’s sacrifice and his own efforts, nearly thirty percent of the people had been transformed.

“This is the reality of the world,” Wang Bing said grimly. “Life is fragile—anyone can die.”

“Don’t dwell on it too much. You’ve already done more than enough,” he added, patting Xu Shen on the shoulder.

After a moment of silence, Xu Shen let out a bitter laugh and stood up to leave. “I know… but it still feels wrong.”

—

“Xu Wei left behind a memory spirit. Do you want to view it yourself, or should we have our specialists handle it?” Wang Bing’s voice stopped Xu Shen in his tracks.

A memory spirit was Xinhuo Guard’s way of preserving a fallen member’s final moments. It contained fragments of their most precious memories, meant to be remembered by others.

Many tombstones bore inscriptions derived from memory spirits.

“I’ll watch it myself,” Xu Shen said after a pause.

—

In the memory:

“Xu Wei, what kind of talent do you think we’ll awaken today?” a young Xu Wei asked, sitting at a high school desk and chatting with his friends.

“Whatever fate decides,” he replied casually. “Honestly, I don’t have high hopes. I don’t even want to join Xinhuo Guard—it’s too dangerous.”

—

“Xu Wei, wood-based talent, 140 meters!” announced an examiner.

Xu Wei hadn’t expected his talent to be decent.

—

“Xu Wei, with your healing wood-based talent, why not stick to logistics? You’d be better off in the medical division,” said a stern middle-aged man with a longsword strapped to his back. The scene shifted to a battlefield Xu Shen didn’t recognize.

At this point, Xu Wei was 28 years old.

“Captain! The entire team is gone—it’s just you and me left! Who am I supposed to heal?!” Xu Wei shouted back.

“Get out of here! Your power is too weak! Without reaching Flame Mastery, you can’t fully utilize your abilities. Don’t stay here!” his captain roared.

Xu Wei watched as his captain and countless Xinhuo Guards—some familiar, some strangers—charged into battle one after another.

They all died.

That battlefield was lost.

—

At 33 years old, Xu Wei married a fellow Xinhuo Guard member.

At 38 years old, he received orders to guard the Changbai Mountain battlefield in the northeastern region. He stayed there for 60 years.

During those six decades, he remained stuck at Flame Mastery. His talent had reached its limit; he couldn’t break through further.

He began thinking about how to prevent the tragedies he had witnessed from happening again. He didn’t want to see anyone else die in front of him. That helplessness was something he never wanted to feel again.

During those years, his wife passed away. His son got married but later died alongside his daughter-in-law during a mission, leaving behind an eight-year-old granddaughter—Xu Wei’s only family left.

—

“Grandpa, Grandpa! Miaomiao learned how to draw! When are you coming back to see Miaomiao?” a little girl cried on a phone screen as Xu Wei gently comforted her.

“Miaomiao, after Grandpa finishes this busy period and takes some time off, I’ll come see you, okay?”

“The teachers at daycare won’t let me come find you. Grandpa… I miss you and Mom and Dad… Did you all abandon me?”

“No, Miaomiao! Grandpa would never abandon you. I promise I’ll come see you soon.”

This content is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.

“Really? You promise?”

“I promise.”

—

A single tear rolled down Xu Shen’s cheek as he opened his eyes in a dimly lit room. Several staff members stood nearby, watching him quietly.

“Is it over?” one of them asked softly.

“It’s over,” Xu Shen replied, wiping away his tears. “I’ll write down Xu Wei’s story myself.”

“Thank you for doing this,” one staff member said gratefully.

“It’s nothing,” Xu Shen murmured before leaving the room.

—

After documenting Xu Wei’s life story for Xinhuo Guard records, Xu Shen stepped out of the Yuan City base into the bright sunlight. The sudden change in weather felt surreal after spending so much time in Changbai Mountain’s eternal snow and cold.

Not far away, Wu Yun waved at him while sitting casually on some steps with a cigarette in his mouth.

—

Xu Shen walked over and sat beside him.

“I misjudged you,” Wu Yun said suddenly.

“Huh?” Xu Shen looked confused.

“I thought you were the type who only cared about your close ones—the kind who’d abandon others when things got tough,” Wu Yun explained with a grin that was both amused and feral. “But what you did proved me wrong.”

“Xu Shen… thank you.”

“I’m still that kind of person,” Xu Shen replied with a faint smile. “But at that moment…”

He trailed off before changing the subject abruptly: “What exactly is the Heart of Reversal?”

—

“It’s an extremely dangerous artifact unique to the Moon Cult,” Wu Yun explained without hesitation. “It requires at least an intact ghoul heart combined with other sinister components to create.”

“Even within the Moon Cult, it’s rare.”

“I didn’t expect Qu Zhixing to use one there,” Wu Yun added with a frown. “He probably intended to convert me too but left when he realized it wouldn’t work on me.”

Xu Shen clenched his fists as he recalled Qu Zhixing’s parting words and seemingly sincere gaze.

—

“Not killing you makes sense,” Wu Yun said with a shrug. “Unless they’re certain you’re hopelessly opposed to joining them, they won’t go for the kill.”

“A living convert with their own consciousness is far more valuable than a mindless ghoul.”

“And clearly, Qu Zhixing values you highly—enough to risk exposing his decade-long cover just to activate the Heart of Reversal.”

Wu Yun’s gaze turned sharp as he studied Xu Shen carefully. “That says a lot about how much potential he sees in you.”

—

“It doesn’t matter,” Xu Shen said coldly. “He hurt Qingqing and caused Xu Wei’s death. If not for my unique constitution, I’d have been converted too.”

“I’ll deal with him my way.”

“You’re underestimating the Moon Cult if you think it’s that simple,” Wu Yun warned with a bitter laugh. “If they were easy to deal with, they wouldn’t have survived this long despite everyone trying to wipe them out.”

Xu Shen remained silent, staring at the sky as if lost in thought.

After a long pause, he spoke: “Can I trust you?”

“Or… can I trust Xinhuo Guard?”

—

Wu Yun’s expression turned serious as he stood up and looked directly at Xu Shen.

“I can’t guarantee that you’ll trust me or Xinhuo Guard,” he said firmly. “But I can promise this: Xinhuo Guard exists solely to protect people like you.”

“If you don’t trust me, then trust Wang Bing—or anyone else who has fought alongside you.”

“And remember this: Xinhuo Guard has always prioritized Xia Nation and its people above all else since its founding during humanity’s darkest era.”

“Look at Xu Wei—he’s just one example among countless others who gave everything for this cause.”

“Can you trust that?”

—

Xu Shen studied Wu Yun’s unwavering gaze for a moment before nodding slightly.

“My actions on the frontlines—they’ve been hidden?” he asked.

“Yes,” Wu Yun confirmed. “All footage from Changbai Mountain has been deleted or altered.”

“We even brought in a high-level soul cultivator to erase certain memories from those who were unconscious during the incident.”

“No one knows about your breakthrough into Awakening Extreme Realm or your golden light transformation—except for a select few.”

“As for your fight against the corpse apes… only basic details remain visible in encrypted footage. Your unique rune patterns and other secrets are obscured by illusions.”

“The people from the living area only know that you saved them.”

—

“Why not delete everything?” Xu Shen asked curiously.

“People need explanations—and heroes,” Wu Yun replied with a smirk. “Though higher-ups are still debating whether to release any footage publicly.”

“What about Qu Zhixing? Won’t he expose me?” Xu Shen asked warily.

Wu Yun chuckled darkly. “The Moon Cult isn’t monolithic—they have internal divisions too.”

“If Qu Zhixing sees value in converting someone like you, he’d keep it secret rather than risk someone else taking credit.”

“Unless he decides there’s no hope of recruiting you… then he’d likely come after you himself.”

—

Xu Shen frowned deeply. This felt like having a ticking time bomb hanging over his head—he never knew when Qu Zhixing might strike again.

Looking at Wu Yun suspiciously, he asked: “How do you know so much about this?”

“We have spies within the Moon Cult,” Wu Yun replied matter-of-factly.

—

“Fine,” Xu Shen said after a moment of thought as he stood up. “I’ll join Xinhuo Guard.”

Wu Yun’s eyes lit up briefly before narrowing as Xu Shen added: “But I have one condition.”

“What condition? As long as it’s reasonable, I’ll agree,” Wu Yun said seriously.

“My younger brother and sister must be protected by at least Flame Mastery peak or Tongyou Realm experts until they awaken their talents,” Xu Shen demanded firmly. “And they must not face any danger before then!”

Wu Yun hesitated briefly but recalled orders from higher-ups before nodding resolutely. “Deal!”

Extending his hand toward Xu Shen, Wu Yun smiled faintly: “Welcome to Xinhuo Guard.”