Wan Sha’s lips curved into a knowing smile as she retorted, "What do you think?"
Mu An Xiao gazed at Wan Sha’s smile and then at the path stretching out before them. She said indifferently, "What do you want me to say?"
Wan Sha chimed, "I’ve helped you. As the saying goes, one must learn to be grateful."
"I am not human," Mu An Xiao replied, spreading her hands. "That saying has nothing to do with me."
Mu An Xiao had long since experienced Wan Sha’s tendency to go back on her word. If her guess was right, Wan Sha would surely present her with some unfair terms. To avoid any unnecessary trouble, she decided not to engage in a proper conversation with Wan Sha.
"You…" Wan Sha, having anticipated Mu An Xiao’s reluctance to cooperate immediately, then lowered her eyes and smiled, "But immortals must also learn to be grateful, right?"
"….." Mu An Xiao merely smiled without speaking.
Wan Sha urged, "Speak up."
"What do you want me to say?" Mu An Xiao replied, turning away from Mu Xiang and looking directly at Feng Qi Shi and Bi Shou. "Hey, let's go."
Seeing that Mu An Xiao was ignoring her, Mu Xiang became anxious. "Why are you ignoring me?"
Upon hearing this, Mu An Xiao finally looked at Mu Xiang. However, her reaction was entirely different from Feng Qi Shi’s. "What are you doing here?"
Mu Xiang stammered, "I…"
"You're not working with her, are you?" Mu An Xiao interrupted, pointing at Wan Sha.
Mu An Xiao was notoriously fickle. She had heard everything Feng Qi Shi and Mu Xiang had said earlier, but due to the spell she was casting, she hadn't had the chance to interject! The reason she ignored Mu Xiang was simple: Mu Xiang was allied with Wan Sha. Although she knew Mu Xiang must have her reasons, she didn’t have the time to understand them.
"How did you know?" Feng Qi Shi asked, surprised.
Mu Xiang glanced at Feng Qi Shi, who had spoken over her, then looked back at Mu An Xiao and repeated, "How did you know?"
"I'm not telling you."
Wan Sha observed Mu An Xiao’s deliberately mysterious demeanor. Recalling Mu An Xiao’s lack of cooperation earlier, which had forced her to use more demonic arts, she said, "Mu An Xiao, you are truly a creature of many minds."
"I don't understand what you're talking about," Mu An Xiao feigned ignorance.
Wan Sha continued, "Don't play dumb. I thought you were short on demonic energy earlier, and then…" She glanced at Mu Xiang, "Your mind wandered, and you went eavesdropping."
Just like that, Wan Sha unceremoniously unveiled Mu An Xiao's veil of mystery. It was rather awkward for Mu An Xiao.
"You found me out," she said, feigning composure.
"So that's how it is," Mu Xiang was no longer surprised, finding Mu An Xiao rather tiresome.
Feng Qi Shi asked, "You heard."
"I heard," Mu An Xiao replied, looking at Mu Xiang. "What do you think?"
Mu Xiang, who just yesterday had happily spoken of her impending marriage, had now, less than a day later, colluded with Wan Sha. This baffled them.
"What does it matter to you?" Mu Xiang said, losing the courage to meet their gaze.
Mu An Xiao crossed her arms, her heart sinking as she recalled the events elsewhere. "If you don't want to say, so be it," she said, then turned to Feng Qi Shi. "Let's go!"
"Mmm," Feng Qi Shi nodded.
Bi Shou, fearing Wan Sha would brainwash him again, quickly reverted to its original form and floated before Mu An Xiao.
Mu An Xiao accepted Bi Shou with a reach, tucking it into her embrace. As she turned to leave with Feng Qi Shi, Wan Sha suddenly blocked her path. "You can't leave."
"What do you want?"
"I helped you."
"And then?" Mu An Xiao continued to pose rhetorical questions.
Wan Sha, too tired to play coy with Mu An Xiao any longer, stated directly, "And then, you should learn to be grateful."
This question had been on Wan Sha's mind for a while. Seeing Wan Sha’s determined expression, Mu An Xiao thought that if she continued to play games, Wan Sha might not listen and it would only delay her. Thus, Mu An Xiao had no choice but to speak plainly.
"If you have something to say, say it directly."
"Let me go."
"I didn't say I was holding you captive."
For the sake of her plan, Wan Sha decided to be somewhat submissive to Mu An Xiao for the time being, saying, "You can let me go today, but it might not be the same tomorrow. So, for my future freedom, I need to make a deal with you."
"You've thought this through quite well."
"Of course."
Mu An Xiao sighed, "Alright, but I want to make a counter-offer, not just accept what you propose."
"I helped you, so you should agree to my terms, not propose a counter-offer."
"You…" Seeing Wan Sha’s stubbornness, Mu An Xiao was too lazy to argue further. "Fine, you propose."
"Within ten years, you are not allowed to capture me."
Ten years could bring about many changes for a person. For a demon soul living in the mortal realm, ten years was enough time to commit many wicked deeds. If Mu An Xiao agreed, it would be akin to letting a tiger return to the mountains. If Wan Sha truly committed a great sin later, Mu An Xiao would be implicated. This condition, she could not agree to.
"No," she refused outright.
Wan Sha sneered, "I knew you would say that."
"I know that you know," Mu An Xiao replied calmly.
Wan Sha lowered her eyes, smiled, and looked up at the sky. "If I'm not mistaken," she said, glancing at Feng Qi Shi and then at Mu An Xiao, "the gods in the celestial realm must already know about your misuse of demonic arts by now."
"Are you threatening me?"
"I don't have that kind of time. I'm just…" Wan Sha’s smile remained, "curious about what your fate will be."
Fate? Mu An Xiao hadn't considered this. However, judging by Feng Qi Shi's attempt to stop her, she suspected her outcome would be quite dire. Yet, she wasn't afraid, for she knew that as long as she did good deeds, she would have opportunities to atone. At worst, she might only suffer a significant loss of spiritual energy. While she would feel the pinch, her life was more important than her spiritual energy.
"Just be curious then," she said.
"….." Wan Sha, seeing Mu An Xiao's unwavering refusal, let out a cold laugh. "Your mindset is truly extraordinary, not just good, but exceptionally good. You're not even afraid of death."
"What do you mean?"
"There’s a story that used to circulate in our demon realm, but I don't know if I should tell it."
"….." Mu An Xiao felt a stir of curiosity about Wan Sha's words but didn't want to ask directly, so she remained silent.
Wan Sha continued with a smile, "There was once an immortal who cultivated demonic arts. At that time, he used them as conspicuously as you do. He was discovered by the higher powers that very day," she pointed upwards, "The immortal's fate… tsk tsk tsk, it was truly tragic."
"How tragic?" Mu An Xiao blurted out.
This was the effect Wan Sha desired. "Never mind the outcome. As long as you agree to exchange conditions with me, I promise to keep my mouth shut." She knew that if she proposed terms alone, Mu An Xiao would certainly refuse, so she compromised in this way.
"Exchange…" Mu An Xiao repeated, a smile creeping onto her lips. "So, you mean I can also propose conditions?"
"That's what I've been implying all along," Wan Sha shrugged. "It's just that you don't understand plain language."
An Xiao Feng Qi Shi, without errors, will continue to be updated at Xiang Cun Shu Yuan. There are no advertisements on the site, please bookmark and recommend Xiang Cun Shu Yuan!
If you like An Xiao Feng Qi Shi, please bookmark: An Xiao Feng Qi Shi Xiang Cun Shu Yuan updates fastest.