Mu Anxiao watched as the dagger scrutinized her with its gaze and the slight shake of its head. "What do you mean by that?" she asked unamicably.
The dagger replied, "Nothing really, I just think you look quite good in women's clothes."
"You're complimenting me," Mu Anxiao pointed to herself.
The dagger smiled, "Yes, I am complimenting you."
Subsequently, Mu Anxiao bashfully said, "Thanks." She then looked at Zhang Yan, "Master, is it strange?"
"Not strange at all. From now on, I can finally tell those immortals with righteous indignation that my disciple, Zhang Yan's disciple, is a woman." Zhang Yan said with exaggerated drama.
Mu Anxiao's expression froze.
Immediately after, Feng Qishi glanced at Mu Anxiao, then sensed the demonic energy from the other side. He said, "Master, could you please explain to me what you meant by stimulating the spiritual energy within her immortal destiny? Why does it have to be through practical combat to be stimulated? And besides, you... well... you explain it to me." He had gotten himself tangled.
Zhang Yan recalled telling Feng Qishi to have Mu Anxiao practice and stimulate the spiritual energy within her own immortal destiny. He hadn't thought there was anything wrong with his statement at the time. Now, hearing Feng Qishi say it and thinking about it, he suddenly realized that his words had been somewhat vague.
Thus, he put aside the thought of charging Feng Qishi tuition, beckoned him over, and said, "Come here."
Feng Qishi frowned. "Can't you just say it from where you are?"
"Come here," Zhang Yan urged.
Upon hearing this, and looking at Mu Anxiao, who was still in the dark, Feng Qishi pondered for a moment, then walked gracefully towards Zhang Yan.
Next, Zhang Yan looked at the dagger and said, "You go over there."
The dagger was taken aback. After glancing at Zhang Yan, it stepped forward, brushed past Feng Qishi, and walked towards Mu Anxiao.
Mu Anxiao looked at the sneaky Zhang Yan opposite her, then at the abacus in her hand, and said, "Master, we're not calculating anymore."
"We're not. I have something to say to him, and you're not allowed to eavesdrop," Zhang Yan said, waving his hand, glancing at Feng Qishi, and then turning to walk ahead.
Feng Qishi followed.
Mu Anxiao curled her lips and called out, "I don't have that kind of hobby." Saying this, she looked at the dagger, which had stopped opposite her. Before she could speak, the dagger asked, "What are you holding the abacus for?"
"I wanted you to help me calculate an account, but it's not necessary now."
"Calculate an account? What account?" the dagger asked, confused.
Mu Anxiao replied, "It's not necessary now." As she spoke, she put away the abacus and looked in the direction from which intermittent sounds were coming. "The cries of these people and the roars of those monsters are not coming from the same place."
"Yes, the cries are near, and the monsters' roars are far away," the dagger added.
Mu Anxiao glanced at the dagger and nodded.
Then, the dagger thought for a moment and suddenly asked, "You did that on purpose, didn't you?"
Earlier, when Mu Anxiao was fighting the vine spirit, the dagger had also been affected, and she knew how badly she was injured. If it hadn't been for Zhang Yan's magic, she might have died. She thought that an immortal like Zhang Yan would certainly not save a monster like her.
Therefore, she understood that Mu Anxiao must have deliberately used the abacus to make Zhang Yan save her.
Mu Anxiao’s eyes darted away. "What are you talking about? I don't understand."
"If I'm not mistaken, you intentionally used the abacus to have your master save me, right?" the dagger stated earnestly.
As the dagger said, Mu Anxiao had indeed thought so. She knew that Zhang Yan would never easily save a monster, and even if he did, Zhang Yan would definitely find various excuses to charge her money.
So, to prevent such a thing from happening, she came up with this plan.
This way, she both saved the dagger and prevented him from charging Feng Qishi.
It seemed like the best of both worlds.
As for the dagger, she never expected it to thank her. Hearing the dagger say this now made her feel a little embarrassed. "Don't say that. I know that when the soul sword disappeared, you used your demonic arts to block it for me. So, what I did was the right thing to do. We're even now."
Hearing Mu Anxiao's words, the dagger's heart sank. "If you don't mind, I am willing to be your weapon," it said.
The dagger had, in a way, experienced a short period with Mu Anxiao. When she was in a difficult situation, it was Mu Anxiao who helped her.
Now that Mu Anxiao was in trouble, she felt it would be heartless to leave. Therefore, after being revived by Zhang Yan, she made this decision.
However, with Zhang Yan and Feng Qishi present, she hadn't felt comfortable saying it.
"You be my weapon?" Mu Anxiao asked back, thinking she had misheard.
The dagger nodded. "Yes, I'll be your weapon."
"You..." Mu Anxiao hesitated. "Let me think about it."
"Do you need to think about this?" the dagger asked in surprise.
Mu Anxiao said with difficulty, "I am only as big as a sesame seed now. If I become your master, you will lose your freedom, and... you will have no status, and might even be ridiculed and looked down upon by other immortals. Are you sure you can handle that?"
"What's there to not handle? I'm just your weapon. Usually, I'll just be worn at your waist, so," the dagger shrugged, "it doesn't affect me much."
Mu Anxiao was momentarily speechless. "No, shouldn't you say that you are willing to bear these things with me?"
"..." The dagger gave a foolish laugh.
Mu Anxiao smiled dryly and turned her face away.
The dagger added, "If you need me, I will also help you to look down on them." It became excited.
Hearing this, Mu Anxiao nodded. "That's more like it."
"You agreed."
"That depends on our level of tacit understanding," Mu Anxiao said. Suddenly remembering Zhang Yan's earlier mention of practical combat, she felt a knot of anxiety in her stomach.
Seeing Mu Anxiao's nervous expression, the dagger remained silent.
At this moment, Zhang Yan and Feng Qishi stopped at a considerable distance from Mu Anxiao and the others.
Zhang Yan gathered his thoughts, then turned around in silence. Before he could speak, Feng Qishi asked, "Didn't you say earlier that after she took that pill, she would activate the spiritual energy within me? Now you want her to practice and stimulate her own spiritual energy. How much spiritual energy is hidden in her immortal destiny?"
Zhang Yan said calmly, "Your spiritual energy has all been activated, so naturally, there's no spiritual energy left."
Feng Qishi gasped. "But you said for her to practice and stimulate her own spiritual energy within her immortal destiny. What did you mean by that?" He frowned, staring at Zhang Yan.
Zhang Yan replied, "I was talking nonsense. I just wanted to tell you in advance," he said, leaning closer to meet Feng Qishi's eyes, "I want her to practice, so that when I tell you, you won't object."
Feng Qishi gave a wry smile. "You're truly cunning. I can't even keep up with your pace."
"You really have a way with words," Zhang Yan retorted, glaring at Feng Qishi. "Later, you'll go with her, but you're not allowed to help her. She must get injured this time."
"Injured? But the wound on her back hasn't healed yet?" Feng Qishi looked confused. "How can you, as a master, hope for your disciple to get hurt?"
"Only this way can Ouyang Ye not guess her whereabouts," Zhang Yan said sternly. "In other words, I'm asking you to go together not because I want her to be under too much pressure."