"That's none of your concern," the wolf demon said, picking up a wine cup from the stone table. "Drink from this to celebrate with me." He then poured the blood into the cup.
At the same time, Mu Anxiao and Shen Yan's gazes locked onto the cup.
"Did you drink from that that day?" Shen Yan turned to look at Mu Anxiao.
Mu Anxiao nodded.
Shen Yan said no more. After watching the entire process with Mu Anxiao, Mu Anxiao felt a growing unease as he saw himself transform into an immortal.
In contrast, Shen Yan's expression became calm.
Next, after they witnessed the wolf demon transform into a small wolf cub, Shen Yan's eyes widened. "This is not the true wolf demon." He then scanned their surroundings, turned to look at the rapidly escaping black shadow, and said, "Quick, pursue it!" With that, he turned and began to give chase.
Mu Anxiao hurried to catch up.
However, their prolonged pursuit yielded nothing; the black shadow had still vanished.
Stopping deep within the jungle, Shen Yan turned to look at Mu Anxiao, who had stopped behind him, and said, "I know the reason now."
Mu Anxiao's eyes widened, still too stunned to speak.
Shen Yan looked around and said, "You can speak now. There's no one here."
Mu Anxiao glanced to either side and asked, "You know the reason now?"
"I've lived a lifetime. For these fifty years, I could never understand why I became human. Now I know."
"I'm sorry. If I hadn't drunk it that day, you wouldn't have ended up like this. It's all my fault," Mu Anxiao's eyes began to redden. "I caused you to become human."
Shen Yan looked at his palm, then hesitated before placing a hand on Mu Anxiao's shoulder. "That day, after you drank the immortal blood, I began to feel pain. It was a strange kind of pain, as if a force was being injected into my body. That force could even control my thoughts, making my hatred for you grow without end."
"Then why don't you hate me now?" Mu Anxiao questioned.
"Before coming here and seeing the reality, I still hated you. But for some reason, just now, after seeing you beaten like that..." Shen Yan's eyes darkened. "After seeing you beaten like that, I no longer hated you."
"I understand now," Mu Anxiao said seriously.
Shen Yan frowned slightly. "Understand what?"
Mu Anxiao hesitated and said, "It's nothing. Tell me now, is there any way for you to come back to life? I'm willing to exchange places with you."
"If it were me, I wouldn't have been able to break through that barrier. Perhaps this is my destiny. Now," Shen Yan opened his arms and gently hugged Mu Anxiao, "I've finally resolved the knot in my heart from these fifty years. You must live well."
Mu Anxiao glanced at Shen Yan's hair turning white, his eyes filling with tears. "Shen Yan, you..."
"Go back," Shen Yan said, standing up and looking at Mu Anxiao with a voice full of age. "Alright, you can call me Grandpa now."
"How could this happen?" Mu Anxiao looked at Shen Yan, who had aged before his eyes, tears streaming down his cheeks.
"The knot in my heart has been untied, and the past is slowly fading from my memory. Mu Anxiao," Shen Yan patted Mu Anxiao's shoulder with his wrinkled hand, "I never had any family in my life, and that junior disciple didn't understand anything. So, I'm entrusting my funeral arrangements to you."