Feng Qishi said, "Something came up, I'm going out."
"Where are you going?" Wan Sha suddenly became nervous.
Feng Qishi looked at Wan Sha's anxious expression, then at Mu Xiang, who stood beside her with the same look, and said helplessly, "She's just out on an errand. Why are you two so tense?"
Mu Xiang said, "Who's tense?" As she spoke, she glanced at Wan Sha.
Feng Qishi replied, "You're clearly tense, yet you say you're not." He then grew tired of the topic and turned his attention to Mu Long and the old man.
The old man, who hadn't seen Mu Xiang earlier, looked at her now and felt a sudden pang of guilt. "Mu Xiang, you're back."
Upon hearing this, Mu Xiang finally looked at the old man. Recalling the events of the night before, she called out, "Grandpa," and then fell silent. Mu Long, due to what had happened that night, had lost the courage to look at her and lowered his head.
The wolf demon remarked, "If it were me, I wouldn't deal with them at all." He still disliked the old man's and Mu Long's behavior.
The old man's eyes darkened.
Mu Xiang hadn't expected the wolf demon to speak like that and thus formed a new impression of him. "What do you mean by that?" she asked, looking at him.
The wolf demon crossed his arms and said, "What else could I mean? You were born into a family that favors sons over daughters, doesn't that make you unhappy? If it were me, I would have left this place long ago."
The old man frowned and said, "You're speaking inappropriately. She's still my granddaughter."
The wolf demon looked at the old man again. "I'm not curious about your family matters, nor do I want to know them. I only know that you treated your granddaughter poorly, and that's what I find most displeasing. It's as simple as that." He spread his hands.
The old man's expression stiffened.
Then, the wolf demon looked at Mu Long. "Your leg is actually healed." His gaze fixed on Mu Long's leg.
Mu Long hadn't reacted at first, but upon hearing the wolf demon's words, he suddenly realized his leg no longer hurt. He looked down at his leg and smiled, "My leg is healed."
The wolf demon looked at Mu Long's expression with disgust and clicked his tongue, turning to look at Mu Xiang. "..."
Mu Xiang didn't want the old man to know that she had broken Mu Long's leg, so the wolf demon's mention of it made her feel uncomfortable. "Why are you looking at me?" she asked, avoiding his gaze.
The wolf demon replied, "Nothing." He knew Mu Xiang had broken Mu Long's leg and had intended to tell her he would protect her and let her vent her anger. However, since she was deliberately avoiding him, he abandoned the thought of helping her.
Mu Xiang breathed a sigh of relief and inadvertently looked at the old man. "Grandpa, don't look at me like that."
The old man said, "I'm sorry."
"..." Mu Xiang gave a wry smile. "You don't need to apologize. Um... you two should get along well. You haven't seen each other in a long time."
"Mu Xiang, Grandpa..."
"Grandpa, you don't need to say anything else to me. Don't worry," Mu Xiang said, "I will leave the Mu family. I won't..."
"Mu Xiang, the day before yesterday..."
"Grandpa, I want freedom. From now on, I want to roam the jianghu. Please don't say anything more," Mu Xiang said calmly.
The old man's face stiffened. "Mu Xiang, do you hate Grandpa?"
"No, I used to..." Mu Xiang swallowed. "Our relationship wasn't close, and sometimes we couldn't even exchange a word. There's no point in talking much now. You should get along well with Mu Long. You'll be leaving soon when they return."
".." The old man was speechless.
Mu Xiang worried that the old man's gaze would make her waver in her resolve, so she forced herself to harden her heart. She knew that the old man would leave, and after he was gone, she would still have no status in this family. They would still treat her as they always had.
For her future self, she couldn't be soft-hearted or compromise.
For now, just seeing her grandfather leave was enough.
"..." She lowered her head.
Wan Sha looked at the old man opposite her, who was speechless, then at Mu Xiang, and said softly, "Do you have a lot you want to say to your grandpa?"
Mu Xiang glanced at Wan Sha upon hearing this and didn't reply.
Wan Sha continued, "He's about to leave. Don't let him have any regrets."
"I don't know what to say to him," Mu Xiang said in a volume that Wan Sha could hear, keeping her head down.
Wan Sha responded similarly, "Just say anything. Your grandpa seems very regretful about what he did to you in the past."
Every member of the Mu family had a preference for sons over daughters, and Mu Xiang had suffered greatly because of it. The old man was no different. Since she could remember, except for the events of the past year, the old man had never shown her a kind face. As the younger sister, she always had to defer to Mu Long.
Thinking about these things, she felt immense sorrow.
But... for an old man who was about to leave and already expressed such regret, it wouldn't be right to meet him with a cold face. Helplessly, she followed Wan Sha's advice and forced herself to look at the old man. "Grandpa, do you dislike me?" she wanted to express her true feelings so she wouldn't feel awkward.
The old man was taken aback. "How can you say that?"
"I know," Mu Xiang said, glancing at Wan Sha, and walked gracefully to the old man's side. "You dislike me."
Mu Long dared not look at Mu Xiang.
The old man's eyes darted away. "No."
"Grandpa, the events of the night before last don't count anymore. I'm asking you now, do you dislike me?" Mu Xiang's expression was firm.
The old man had never had a heart-to-heart talk with Mu Xiang, so seeing her like this, he decided not to lie. "Yes, I don't like you."
"Because you're a girl."
"Mm."
"What if I were a boy?"
"..." The old man's eyes darkened. "If you were a boy... it would be different."
Mu Xiang let out a bitter laugh. "I wish I were a boy."
The old man was surprised. "Why would you say that?"
"Grandpa," Mu Xiang said, "you're actually quite gentle. If I were a boy, and had sisters and female cousins, I could have enjoyed those things. Unfortunately, I don't have their good fortune."
"Grandpa, I'm sorry..."
"Grandpa, you haven't wronged me. In fact, since I was born, I've gotten used to it. Now, I just hope you can support my choice, and that's enough."
"Mu Xiang."
"Grandpa, you used to ask Mu Long and the others what they wanted to do in the future. Back then, I thought you would ask me, and I had already thought about how to reply. But you never paid any attention to me. To be honest," Mu Xiang's voice choked, "it made me feel quite upset."
"What did you want to say then?" The old man wanted to reach out and wipe Mu Xiang's tears, but realizing he was a soul, he withdrew his hand and could only watch her silently.
Mu Xiang sniffled. "When I got married, I wanted to repay your kindness, because you're getting old and need care. But..." She gave a wry smile. "You never even looked at me. To be honest, it was quite upsetting. But now I have new ideas. Do you want to hear them?"
The old man nodded slightly.
Mu Xiang raised her hand and wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes. "Now, I hope that as the head of the family, you can agree to my leaving here and breaking off my engagement with that fool."
The old man was taken aback.
Mu Long raised his head and said cautiously, "Mu Xiang, can you consider us? They've given us money, and you doing this will just disrupt the order."
Conversely, Mu Xiang didn't even glance at Mu Long and continued to stare at the old man.
The old man ignored Mu Long and said, "So, this is your decision."
When the old man had asked that question, all the children had said they wanted to be rich and have status; none had said they wanted to honor the elderly. Now... Mu Xiang had said this, which brought the old man a mix of sorrow and comfort.
Mu Xiang nodded.
The old man lowered his eyes and smiled, then looked at Mu Long. "You handle this."
Upon hearing this, Mu Long blinked and looked at the old man. "Grandpa, are you crazy? The Ye family has given us a betrothal gift, and not a small one. This can't just change like that."
"I will decide this matter," the old man said authoritatively.
Mu Long gave a dry laugh. "Grandpa, you're dead. Your words have no effect at all." He glanced at Mu Xiang. "Besides, this isn't something I alone can decide. The Ye family has to be the one to break off the engagement."
"What's wrong with you saying a word? Didn't your father entrust everything to you?" the old man said angrily.
Mu Long looked troubled. "Grandpa, to put it bluntly, this matter was decided by your generation. Besides, I'm not her eldest brother, so I can't make this decision." xxs壹贰
Mu Xiang: "..." She clenched her fists.
Mu Long happened to see Mu Xiang's clenched fist and took a step back. "I'm telling the truth. It's useless for you to be angry."
The wolf demon, seeing Mu Long's smug expression, whispered, "Break his legs. See if he's still so arrogant."
Hearing this, Mu Xiang glanced at the wolf demon but said nothing.
Feng Qishi said, "You're not planning to listen to your grandfather, are you?" He crossed his arms, fully supporting Mu Xiang's decision in his heart.
Upon hearing Feng Qishi and the wolf demon speak, Mu Xiang's clenched fists loosened.
Mu Long had been worried that the wolf demon would say this, and now he had. He recalled how Mu Xiang had broken his leg the night before. His eyes darkened, and he swallowed his next words, carefully observing Mu Xiang's expression.
Mu Xiang looked at the wolf demon and Feng Qishi, who were speaking up for her, and said softly, "Grandpa, do you agree with my decision?" The old man had a bad premonition upon hearing Mu Xiang's words. "Mu Xiang, you mustn't do anything foolish."
"I won't do anything foolish. Since you've already agreed, I don't need their consent either," she glared at Mu Long. "When you leave, I'll leave too."
After hearing Mu Long's words, the old man understood that after he left, Mu Long would not treat Mu Xiang sincerely. Even if he tried to persuade them further, it would be useless. Therefore, to compensate Mu Xiang, he agreed. "Alright, Grandpa supports you."
"Grandpa." Mu Xiang smiled.
The old man smiled. "It was Grandpa's fault for neglecting you before. No matter what others think, Grandpa supports all your ideas, as long as... you're alive."
"I will live well, Grandpa," Mu Xiang said resolutely.
The old man smiled.
Mu Long, with the wolf demon and Feng Qishi backing Mu Xiang, didn't dare to say anything more.
The old man then looked at Mu Long. "Do you have any objections?"
Mu Long shook his head.
"That's good," the old man said, then looked back at Mu Xiang. "You must take good care of yourself. The jianghu is not easy to navigate."
"I know, Grandpa. I'm prepared," Mu Xiang said calmly.
The old man nodded. "That's good." He then looked at Mu Long again. "Alright, take us to the reception hall. Host them well." He glanced at Feng Qishi and the others.
Mu Long didn't dare to put on airs and nodded in agreement. "Okay," he said, then turned and walked towards the reception hall first.
Immediately after, they entered the reception hall.
Then, Ye Yu stopped in the center of the courtyard. He looked at the door of the reception hall, thought about what Mu Xiang had just said, chuckled lightly, and turned away.
Inside the reception hall, Wan Sha sensed Ye Yu's presence and paused by her chair. She turned to look at the reception hall door, frowned, and then looked at Mu Xiang, who was already seated, without saying anything.
Across from them, Feng Qishi inadvertently noticed Wan Sha's subtle expression, but he paid it no mind.
A quarter of an hour later.
Mu Anxiao and the others landed by the cliff where Mu Xi had been torn apart alive. Looking around, Mu Anxiao exclaimed in disbelief, "It hasn't changed much at all."
Hei Feng said, "This is a cliff, and it's a gloomy place, so no one comes here."
"That's true," Mu Anxiao agreed that Hei Feng had a point. She then looked at Mu Xi, who was staring at the mound of earth. "This is your grave." As she spoke, she looked at the withered wildflowers in front of the mound and thought about what she had told Yue Ci. She realized that the guy had actually been quite obedient.
Mu Xi glanced at Mu Anxiao and asked, "Did you see how I died?"
Mu Anxiao nodded. "Mm."
"..." Mu Xi's eyes sank. She took two steps forward and crouched down. "This should be our hometown, shouldn't it?"
However, Mu Anxiao hadn't thought of this. Hearing Mu Xi suddenly mention it, her memory was instantly awakened. She turned to look at the path leading into the forest and said, "Yes, if you go that way, it is."
Mu Xi said, "If I hadn't been disobedient and had been close to Xin'er, Xin'er probably wouldn't have ended up like that. I ruined her life." She looked at the flat ground beside the mound.
"...." Mu Anxiao wanted Mu Xi to have some quiet, so she remained silent.
Hei Feng glanced at Mu Anxiao, then at Mu Xi, and turned his back.
The moment Hei Feng turned away, Mu Xi said, "Sister, I still don't want you to escort me down."
Hearing this, Hei Feng tilted his head but didn't speak.
Mu Anxiao asked, "Why?"
Mu Xi replied, "Because," she stood up and looked at Mu Anxiao, "I don't want them to know you're my sister."
"They already know."
"Only he knows. As for the other underworld messengers, even if they know, they still don't understand our relationship," Mu Xi said, glancing at Hei Feng.
Hei Feng had already spread the news, so the moment Mu Xi said this, he didn't dare to make any further comments.
Mu Anxiao frowned and looked at Hei Feng. "What's going on?"
Hei Feng gave a dry laugh and turned to look at Mu Anxiao, guiltily saying, "Listen, it's just... this, that..." He was speechless.