Chapter 164: I Consider You a Friend

The sword energy grazed past, precisely slicing the branch under Mu Zixi’s skirt. Without support, the girl in green hanging from the branch plummeted down.

Xu Xiaoshou crossed his arms, watching the girl fall with keen interest.

Just as she was about to hit the ground, a large red flower suddenly bloomed from the surface, bouncing Mu Zixi upward so she landed steadily.

“Xu Xiaoshou, you didn't catch me!”

The young girl shouted angrily, then noticed something wet on her face. She wiped it and sniffed—it was saliva…

Her pretty face instantly flushed red, and she quickly turned away to wipe it clean.

“You were already awake, so why should I catch you?” Xu Xiaoshou bared his teeth, watching Mu Zixi wiping her hands and body all over, feeling utterly speechless.

“Heh!”

Mu Zixi let out a cold laugh and couldn’t help but turn back. “You threw me out earlier and almost got me killed—shouldn’t you at least help me down from the tree?”

“Isn’t the dragon here now?” Xu Xiaoshou suddenly brightened up and said leisurely, “You should be grateful I didn’t use you as a shield back then.”

Mu Zixi: “…”

“Beidong Zhi, 1.”

How infuriating!

“Fine, that doesn’t count—I forgive you… but what about you lying to me just now?” Mu Zixi said, sulking.

“When did I lie to you?” Xu Xiaoshou asked, curious.

“Just before—you said you’d give me the Shengming Lingyin, but then you gave me a spirit crystal instead?”

“Did I say that?”

“You didn’t…” Mu Zixi’s angry outburst stalled, and she suddenly froze.

Wait, did he actually say that?

“I didn’t say it!”

Xu Xiaoshou flatly denied it, speaking firmly. “That was just your own wishful thinking, and besides, you asked for the item yourself. When did I ever say I’d give it to you?”

“But how could you just give me a spirit crystal?” Mu Zixi’s beautiful eyes widened in disbelief. “What do you mean by that?”

“Do I have to give you the seal just because you asked?”

Xu Xiaoshou muttered to himself, then burst out laughing with a snort. “I gave you the spirit crystal just as a reward for throwing out the Shengming Lingyin. As for you misunderstanding…”

“If you don’t use your brain, whose fault is that?”

Mu Zixi: “…”

“Beidong Zhi, 1, 1, 1, 1…”

“Junior sister…”

Xu Xiaoshou pressed his hand on the girl’s head and rubbed it. “As your senior brother, I’m teaching you that in this world, you can’t trust anyone. The only one you can rely on is yourself.”

“Got it?”

Mu Zixi wrinkled her nose, slapped Xu Xiaoshou’s hand away, and stormed off.

“Heh, what a handful!”

Xu Xiaoshou chuckled lightly, but then realized something was off—the girl seemed to be following a scent, like she was hunting for food, and the direction she was heading…

Mo Mo?

No—it was the Shengming Lingyin!

Once Mu Zixi realized her intentions had been exposed, she stopped pretending and dashed forward in a flash, but Xu Xiaoshou wasn’t about to let her succeed.

Activating his Zongshi-level Minjie, he beat her to it and snatched the Shengming Lingyin.

“Beidong Zhi, 1.”

Seeing the increasingly dangerous glint in the girl’s eyes, Xu Xiaoshou instinctively covered his ears with his fingers.

Sure enough, the next second, a loud roar erupted.

“Xu! Xiao! Shou!”

“That’s mine!”

Mu Zixi pouted, glaring fiercely at the Shengming Lingyin in his hand.

Xu Xiaoshou looked completely innocent. “You threw it out earlier, so you didn’t want it anymore. Is it easy for me as your senior brother to pick up second-hand goods?”

“Beidong Zhi, 1, 1, 1, 1…”

“Ahem!”

Mu Zixi’s roar didn’t faze Xu Xiaoshou, but it did wake up Mo Mo on the ground.

Xu Xiaoshou was impressed—this Shengming Lingyin was truly something special!

It had pulled Mu Zixi back from the brink of death in just a short time in her arms, and now it had saved Mo Mo’s life after lying on her abdomen for a while.

He clutched the item even tighter.

Well, to be fair, not all the credit went to the Shengming Lingyin—both of them seemed a bit unusual…

Mo Mo was one thing… but Xu Xiaoshou stared at his junior sister with a strange look in his eyes.

When Mu Zixi was attacked by the Hui Wu Ren, he had immediately checked her condition and found her body self-repairing.

Even without the Shengming Lingyin, it probably would have just been a matter of time before she woke up…

Mu Zixi had no idea what Xu Xiaoshou was thinking. She gazed at the bloodied figure on the ground as it stirred awake and extended her small hand toward him.

“Loan me your sword!”

“What for?” Xu Xiaoshou was startled and pulled out Zang Ku, but as she reached to draw it, he quickly held it down.

This couldn’t be for revenge, could it?

That palm strike earlier?

“Be good, don’t act rashly!” Xu Xiaoshou hurriedly put the sword away. “It wasn’t her who struck!”

“Then who else could it be?” Mu Zixi was furious.

She had trusted Mo Mo so much—the two of them had even chased after this swindler Xu Xiaoshou together. But when she least expected it, this woman had betrayed her.

What she hated most in life was being betrayed by someone she trusted!

Mo Mo watched the arguing pair and glanced at the massive pit around them. Her eyelids drooped as she understood what had happened.

She sighed bitterly, “Junior sister Mu is right—maybe I really shouldn’t keep living.”

Xu Xiaoshou restrained Mu Zixi’s restless hands behind her back and covered her mouth, then frowned at Mo Mo. After a pause, he said, “I agree.”

Mo Mo felt a jolt in her chest, her heartbeat accelerating beyond normal.

“If you’re not planning to explain yourself,” Xu Xiaoshou added.

Mo Mo was stunned and lowered her head. “There’s no explanation.”

“You survived, and it’s probably not because of me—it must have left you a thread of life…”

At this, Xu Xiaoshou furrowed his brow and used his foot to hook Mu Zixi’s fidgety legs, forcing her into an awkward one-legged stance so she wouldn’t interrupt him.

He continued staring at Mo Mo: “It’s still alive, isn’t it?”

Mo Mo knew exactly who the “it” referred to, but she remained silent.

Xu Xiaoshou didn’t want to have saved a mute. If he couldn’t figure this out, it would be like leaving a ticking time bomb—better to just let Mu Zixi loose and end it with a sword.

He said gravely, “If it’s not some kind of sealed oath of silence, I don’t see why it can’t be said.”

“I didn’t sense that Hui Wu Ren earlier, but now that I’ve beaten it to a pulp, it’s probably weakened… It can’t hear us talking, right?”

Mo Mo’s body trembled, but she didn’t deny it.

Xu Xiaoshou fell silent, thinking about how to get Mo Mo to open up.

A person’s deepest secret wasn’t easy to pry out, especially something like this “old man in the ring” type of mystery.

He knew that in this world, many people were kind-hearted.

Sometimes, they kept secrets not for any other reason, but simply to avoid dragging others into it.

Xu Xiaoshou could tell that Mo Mo was that kind of person, and he knew how to unlock such hearts.

After all, he had once been one of them!

Threats and bribes would only make her clam up more. The real way to open someone’s heart was through empathy, making her see herself in him.

In short—play the victim!

Xu Xiaoshou softened his tone and said gently, “You might want to shoulder this alone, but I’ve already encountered it…”

“If I can’t understand where that Hui Wu Ren comes from, it’s a potential threat to me. I’d be tossing and turning, unable to sleep!”

“Have you considered how I feel?”

Mo Mo looked at him, her eyes trembling, then averted her gaze.

Seeing her reaction, Xu Xiaoshou felt encouraged and said sincerely, “Tell me—what exactly is that gray fog?”

Mo Mo clenched her teeth, her fists gripping her bloodstained dress, hesitating as if about to speak.

But when Xu Xiaoshou saw she still wasn’t talking, he decided to go all out!

He kicked the struggling Mu Zixi to the ground, crouched down while holding her, and locked eyes with Mo Mo, as if piercing straight into her soul.

“I consider you a friend!” His voice was filled with genuine emotion.

Mo Mo could hold out no longer, her eyes turning red as she prepared to reveal the truth.

But then, she watched in shock as the sincere look in the young man’s eyes suddenly turned to pain, and he let out a roar.

“Ah—!”

“Are you a dog?!”

The moment shattered into a yell.

Xu Xiaoshou broke character and quickly pulled his hand away from Mu Zixi’s mouth—it was covered in blood.

How had this girl managed to bite through a Zongshi-level body?

His eyes were full of shock.

Mu Zixi sneered, “Xu Xiaoshou, do you even have friends?”

“Beidong Zhi, 1.”

Mo Mo: “…”

Her parted lips moved twice, but in the end, she said nothing.