"If we let her stay here, it wouldn't look good if word got out," Shen Xian said, shaking his head slightly.
"What's not good about it? Only this way will she not meet with Feng Qishi alone. If they don't meet alone, she won't tell him about your help catching monsters. If she doesn't tell him, Feng Qishi won't come to cause trouble. Isn't that for the best?"
Shen Xian looked at the vine spirit's confident expression and chuckled, "You think too highly of yourself."
"It's not me..."
"Letting her stay here is impossible. Find another way."
"Another way?" The vine spirit rubbed the back of its head. "I'll need to think about that."
"How long will it take you to think of one?"
The vine spirit replied, "At least a few days."
"A few days? How many days?"
"I don't know. Anyway, I think this is the best solution at the moment."
"....."
"Really."
Shen Xian said calmly, "No, wasn't your previous plan also thought up on the spot? That shows you must have many ideas in your head!"
Shen Xian had seen how the vine spirit was full of sophistry and had many ideas. Just four hours ago, it had said it would cooperate with him tomorrow morning, but four hours later, it had suddenly appeared in Shen Xian's room, saying it was going to find Mu Anxiao, completely negating its previous statement. Seeing its current look of distress, Shen Xian had no other thought but that it was fake!
The vine spirit chuckled dryly, "I thought of this on the spot too."
"If you can think of this on the spot, you can think of the next one on the spot too. Anyway, letting Mu Anxiao stay here is not very realistic."
"Why isn't it realistic?"
"How is it realistic? There's only one bed here. I can't let her sleep on the floor, can I?"
"You could..." The vine spirit grinned foolishly.
"What crooked ideas are you having?"
"Nothing," the vine spirit said, looking at the spacious room. "You could make a bed over by the desk, and she could sleep there."
Shen Xian had initially thought the vine spirit was going to suggest something about him and Mu Anxiao sharing a bed. Hearing the vine spirit's suggestion, he suddenly realized he had overthought things. So, he deliberately cleared his throat and said, "That's a good idea."
"Right? Then it's settled?"
"It's fine."
Seeing Shen Xian agree again, the vine spirit smiled and said, "Then I'll have to trouble you to speak for me to Feng Qishi tomorrow."
"I know. You can go now."
"Got it!" The vine spirit nodded, turned, and disappeared.
A moment later, Shen Xian yawned and looked down at the almost-burnt-out candle. "I should rest too," he said, standing up.
Before long, the vine spirit arrived in a forest filled with dense demonic energy, followed by sounds of wailing. It transformed back into a chain and floated in mid-air, saying, "Come out, all of you."
Then, gusts of wind blew, and the monsters jumped down from the trees one by one, surrounding the vine spirit.
The vine spirit said, "I can't see you."
The moment the vine spirit spoke, the eyes of the monsters lit up with red light. In the darkness, their eyes clearly became a distinct sight.
Immediately, the monster leader walked up to the vine spirit, let out a few roars, and asked in a magnetic voice, "Why didn't he come?"
"Him? Are you guys tired of playing yet?"
"We're a bit tired."
"In a few days, I'll prepare something even more fun for you. Then, you can torture her to death."
"How many?"
"Just one, but it will definitely be a challenge."
"Alright, we'll be waiting."
After the monster leader finished speaking, the other monsters behind it wailed in unison. The vine spirit, listening to their sounds, expressed confusion. "Stop."
The next second, they stopped wailing.
The monster leader asked, "What for?"
The vine spirit said, "Why are you wailing? Shouldn't you be roaring?"
Upon hearing this, the monster leader's eyes widened. It lunged forward and grabbed the vine spirit, saying, "You're just a chain, you can't control how we call." With that, it raised its hand and violently threw the vine spirit away.
Monster Number Two walked behind the monster leader and asked, "Boss, we've been taking orders from that guy for so many years. Do we still have to?"
The monster leader said, "This is the last time."
Monster Number Two nodded slightly.
Dawn...
Mu Anxiao was squatting by the well, washing her face, and thinking about Xu Lan from last night. She muttered, "Every room is occupied. Where will that guy sleep tonight?" As she said this, she looked at the rooms on both sides. "Could it be that he's staying with Shen Xian?"
"What are you muttering about so early in the morning?" Xiang Nang stopped beside her.
Hearing this, Mu Anxiao raised her arm to wipe her face and stood up, asking, "Do you still remember what happened last night?"
Xiang Nang: "..." She thought for a moment and shook her head, "I don't remember. What's wrong?"
Mu Anxiao knew that Xiang Nang would definitely forget what happened last night, so she smiled and said, "Alright, anyway... I saw the man you mentioned."
"You saw him?"
"Yes, you even hit that guy yesterday."
"What?" Xiang Nang exclaimed, looking down at her palm and saying, "I forgot all about it."
"I thought you didn't sleep at night at all. You slept more soundly than me." For many years in the ghost cave, Xiang Nang hadn't had a good night's sleep. Every day, she had to endure the teasing and bullying from those blood lanterns. Only after following Mu Anxiao here did she finally get a good night's sleep. However, she didn't want to tell Mu Anxiao about this, because Gu An had said that all suffering should be kept in one's heart; speaking of it would only bring trouble to others! Thus, she fell silent.
Seeing Xiang Nang looking preoccupied, Mu Anxiao asked, "What's wrong?"
Xiang Nang shook her head slightly, "Nothing."
"Are you angry?"
"No, I just remembered Master."
"...." Mu Anxiao didn't know how to comfort Xiang Nang, so she reached out and patted Xiang Nang's shoulder, saying, "You should wash your face." With that, she turned and left. Xiang Nang watched Mu Anxiao's departing figure from the side and sighed.
In Shen Xian's room.
The vine spirit, covered in wounds, sat at the table and looked at Shen Xian, who was about to leave the room. "You don't even care about me."
Hearing this, Shen Xian looked down at the vine spirit, "Why should I care about you?"
"We are..."
"Once the matter is settled, I'll care about you. If it's not settled, you have nothing to do with me." With that, Shen Xian turned towards the door.
The vine spirit: "....." It lightly touched its face and then deliberately let out a pained sound. Hearing this, Shen Xian withdrew his hand from the door and turned to look at the vine spirit, "Do you want to find Feng Qishi?"
"Yes."
"If you want to, then get up," Shen Xian said coldly.
Then, the vine spirit stood up and, limping, walked behind Shen Xian. Shen Xian hadn't noticed that the vine spirit was so badly injured. Seeing it like this now, Shen Xian asked curiously, "Where were you last night? Why are you so badly injured?"