"See, she admitted it. These weren't my words," the fake Lin Yan said, his tone filled with indignation.
Interrupted by Mu Anxiao, Lin Yan found himself at a loss for words.
Feng Qishi understood Mu Anxiao's intention and played along, "Why would you do that?"
Mu Anxiao glanced at the young man, who was seeking Feng Qishi's help but couldn't immediately escape her grasp. She said, "I don't know, I just wanted them to... see what these things look like." As she spoke, she looked at the fake Lin Yan again.
The fake Lin Yan remained expressionless, watching Mu Anxiao in silence.
"I advise you to lift that spell quickly. You're causing trouble for the mortal realm," Feng Qishi said, stepping forward.
"Whether I'm causing trouble or not, I know myself..."
Before Mu Anxiao could finish, a man in tattered clothes walked in. "The game's up, a quarter of an hour is over. Come here, kid."
At the sound, Mu Anxiao frowned, turned to the man standing at the door who was beckoning the young man, and spat out a single word: "Ghost."
Immediately, the young man's nerves tensed, and he grabbed Mu Anxiao's arm.
Mu Anxiao was startled and turned to look at the trembling young man staring at her. "What are you doing?"
"I'd rather be caught by you than by him."
The young man knew he couldn't escape. But from the exchange between Mu Anxiao and Feng Qishi, he realized Mu Anxiao was much more gentle than the man calling him.
Then, hearing Mu Anxiao's unfamiliar address for the man, and the man's indifferent behavior towards Mu Anxiao, he immediately understood they weren't allied.
"I'm not in the mood to catch you," Mu Anxiao said.
"You..."
"Didn't you say I was the culprit who let you see them? Now you want me to protect you? That's suicidal. So," Mu Anxiao deliberately glanced at the hand tightly gripping her arm, "kid, you'd better let go."
"I won't," the young man said, tightening his grip on Mu Anxiao.
Mu Anxiao curled her lips. "You believe me now."
"I do."
"Really?"
"Yes, I know..." The young man, seeing Mu Anxiao's doubtful expression, said firmly, "I know you can definitely protect me."
"Letting a woman protect you, are you even a man?" the man said.
At this, Mu Anxiao stiffened. She then looked down at her male attire and quickly turned to the man. "How did you know I was a woman?"
"Because I'm not human," the man said, his ghost-like hand, which had suddenly lengthened, lunging towards the young man and Mu Anxiao.
Seeing this, Mu Anxiao quickly pulled the young man a couple of steps to the side and looked at the indifferent Feng Qishi. "Do you really want to watch me die?"
Feng Qishi glanced at Mu Anxiao, then at the familiar-looking man before him. "You are... Yuan Yan."
"Don't say 'resentment,' help me quickly!" Mu Anxiao said, dodging the ghost-hand with the young man.
The moment the man heard Feng Qishi utter the name Yuan Yan, he withdrew his ghost-hand and looked at Feng Qishi. "You know me."
"You..." Feng Qishi swallowed, took two steps closer to the man, and said, "You really are Yuan Yan."
"Yes," the man nodded, a hint of caution in his voice.
"I..." Feng Qishi stopped in front of the man and pointed to his face. "Look at me, do I look familiar?"
The man obeyed, peering at Feng Qishi's face for a few seconds, then his eyes widened. "You're dead, aren't you?"
"I..." Feng Qishi sighed. "It's a long story. How did you get here?"
"Catching people," Yuan Yan said, glancing at the young man Mu Anxiao had brought to the corner.
Following Yuan Yan's gaze, Feng Qishi looked at the young man and asked, "What do you want him for?"
"If he dies, I can reincarnate."
Hearing Yuan Yan's words, Feng Qishi looked at Yuan Yan's spectral appearance and his eyes darkened. "When did you die?"
Yuan Yan shook his head.
"What do you mean by that?"
"I don't remember. If we're talking about years, it's probably been decades."
"Decades?"
Yuan Yan was someone Shen Yan met during those fifty years. He was a person with immortal destiny, and once, while lost in the mountains, he encountered Shen Yan.
Shen Yan saved him, and they became friends.
It was also then that he revealed he had immortal destiny and his purpose for entering the mountains to Shen Yan, who then introduced him to a cultivation sect.
However, as he was preparing to go there, he met a girl.
Afterward, for that girl, he gave up cultivation and decided to live a stable life.
So, if everything had gone as planned, he would be an old man by now, with children and grandchildren.
Yet, here he was, still looking so young, which Feng Qishi found astonishing.
Therefore, Feng Qishi lowered his gaze, recalling the fragmented past, and asked, "If I remember correctly, weren't you about to get married then?"
"I was killed."
"Huh?" Feng Qishi's eyes widened in disbelief.
Seeing Feng Qishi's surprised expression, Yuan Yan averted his gaze, trying to change the subject. "I'm truly surprised you still remember me. But speaking of which," he looked at Feng Qishi's youthful face and asked, "I heard back then that you were dead?"
"I was, but my master saved me," Feng Qishi replied truthfully.
Yuan Yan thought for a moment and asked, "Your master saved you, then... did the woman who caused you to fall from immortal status die?"
Hearing Yuan Yan's words, Mu Anxiao's heart sank, because she knew the woman he was referring to was herself.
The young man tightened his grip on Mu Anxiao's arm and whispered, "They know each other."
Mu Anxiao glanced at the young man but said nothing.
Feng Qishi made a gesture, scratching his cheek. "No, she saved me too."
"She harmed you? And then saved you?" Yuan Yan exclaimed in surprise.
At that time, Yuan Yan was the only person Shen Yan trusted, so he had told him everything about himself and Mu Anxiao.
Yuan Yan had been furious upon hearing this.
But despite his anger, he comforted Shen Yan to let it go, and offered him much warmth during that time.
Seeing Yuan Yan's surprised expression, Feng Qishi smiled faintly. "You told me to be more open-minded. Looking back now, I was too extreme back then."
Upon hearing this, Yuan Yan said in a low voice, "I thought you would always hate her. You've truly changed."
Feng Qishi was stunned.
Mu An Xiao Feng Qi Shi wu cuo zhangjie jiang chi xu zai xiang cun shu yuan geng xin, zhan nei wu ren he guang gao, huan qing da jia shou cang he tui jian xiang cun shu yuan!
Xi huan Mu An Xiao Feng Qi Shi qing da jia shou cang: Mu An Xiao Feng Qi Shi xiang cun shu yuan geng xin su du zui kuai.