"When I left, Yuan's mother had come, and your legs were inconvenient. Based on the time, you couldn't have reached the upper floor so quickly," Mu Anxiao analyzed.
"It was a spur-of-the-moment decision. Why are you asking so much?" the wolf demon said impatiently. "Besides, the elevator shaft isn't far from here, and there were few people around then, so naturally, I got there before you."
"You used demonic arts, in the restroom," Mu Anxiao stated directly, standing up while enduring the sharp pain in her palm.
"You're quite clever," the wolf demon chuckled.
Mu Anxiao watched the wolf demon, who alternately feigned distress and then smiled, and said, "I admit I lost."
"You're just a nearly magic-less old fossil. How could you possibly succeed if you tried to compete with me?" the wolf demon sneered.
Mu Anxiao lowered her head.
"Speaking of which, how could your immortal arts have faded so quickly? You only saved Feng Qishi; it's impossible," the wolf demon suddenly became suspicious.
Mu Anxiao worried that the wolf demon might think of Feng Qishi and then harm him, so she pretended to be foolish. "How should I know? You were the one who messed with it back then."
"Oh, so you're blaming me now," the wolf demon said, surprised.
Mu Anxiao nodded.
Distracted by Mu Anxiao's words, the wolf demon said, "Perhaps it was a side effect. I don't remember the events of that time very clearly."
"Are you satisfied now?" Mu Anxiao tilted her chin up.
The wolf demon smiled. "Very satisfied."
"As long as you're satisfied, I'm leaving," Mu Anxiao said, turning to walk out of the ward.
Immediately, the wolf demon burst into laughter.
Mu Anxiao sighed as she heard the chilling laughter coming from behind her.
A few minutes later, Mu Anxiao left the hospital building. Fat Head and Small were anxious to meet her as soon as they saw her come out.
Fat Head, seeing Mu Anxiao's forehead beaded with sweat, asked, "What's wrong?"
"The matter is resolved. Let's go back," Mu Anxiao whispered.
"It's over already?" Fat Head was surprised.
"How much more dramatic did you want it to be? Do you only find it realistic if I'm seriously injured?" Mu Anxiao asked weakly.
"No, let's go," Fat Head said with an awkward smile.
Half an hour later, Mu Anxiao returned to the courtyard. Zhang Yan, hearing the sound, rushed out of his room and approached Mu Anxiao, asking, "Where are you hurt?"
Mu Anxiao silently raised her hand.
Zhang Yan glanced at Mu Anxiao's reddened palm and said, "Did he only hit you this one time?"
"Otherwise?" Mu Anxiao asked softly.
Zhang Yan shook his head. "No, I thought you two would fight in a more dramatic fashion, a proper contest. I didn't expect it to end so casually, I'm a little surprised."
"Let's go inside," Mu Anxiao gestured towards the room.
"Alright," Zhang Yan agreed and helped support Mu Anxiao's arm.
Fat Head and Small followed them back to the room.
Mu Anxiao sat on the sofa and looked at Zhang Yan, asking, "If I don't have spiritual... qi, then I'm useless. So, I want to ask, how do those cultivators practice their magic?"
"I don't know. I've never really interacted with cultivators," Zhang Yan said, making a couple of gestures in the air in front of Mu Anxiao's palm.
Mu Anxiao looked at Zhang Yan's face and said, "Then I'll be going back. Can I cultivate immortal arts through mortal methods?"
"That... you already have an immortal age. It's likely unrealistic for you to cultivate mortal immortal techniques there."
"Why is it unrealistic?" Mu Anxiao asked.
Zhang Yan pondered for a moment and said, "Because they primarily cultivate immortal age. While cultivating immortal age, they learn some techniques, but their techniques are different from ours. Theirs are for fighting enemies and small spells to manage minor demons. They aren't powerful, just superficial. But what you want to cultivate is immortal arts. What use would that be for you?"
"When do they cultivate spiritual qi?"
"Naturally, only after they have immortal age do they seek immortals to cultivate spiritual qi. However, it depends on opportunity, fate, and other factors. The chances of success are very slim. If you want to follow mortals," Zhang Yan smiled, "it will take a very, very long time."
"Then how did Shen Yan cultivate back then?"
"He followed his master from birth, so he possessed an immortal soul, immortal age, and spiritual qi from birth. That's why you can't control his spiritual qi," Zhang Yan said bluntly.
"Was it very difficult for him to practice magic then?" Mu Anxiao asked again.
Zhang Yan retracted his hand from Mu Anxiao's palm and said, "I don't know about that. It's definitely not simple. You know that anything worthwhile isn't simple, right!"
"You're right. Then about my situation..." Mu Anxiao trailed off, then suddenly realized, "Wait, didn't you say you didn't know about mortal cultivation? How are you speaking so fluently now?"
"Huh?" Zhang Yan chuckled. "No, you must be mistaken."
"You're contradicting yourself," Fat Head pointed at Zhang Yan.
Small nodded in agreement.
Zhang Yan glanced at the two of them, cleared his throat, and said, "It's possible I suddenly remembered. Speaking of which, wolf demon," he looked at his fingertips, "is indeed using your master's soul essence as demonic arts."
"Then did you see our master's current condition?" Small asked with a worried expression.
"This..." Zhang Yan hesitated. "Your master's condition is very bad. If I'm not mistaken, your master's soul essence has already begun to halve."
"Halved?" Fat Head's eyes darted around. "What does that mean?"
"It means that if this continues, your master will be annihilated," Zhang Yan said in a low voice.
Mu Anxiao looked at the stunned expressions of Fat Head and Small, then swallowed.
Small held back his grief and asked, "Is there any way?"
"Don't forget him, and that will sustain his soul essence," Zhang Yan said seriously.
"Forget..." Fat Head blinked, his eyes wide with panic. "Does that mean the faster we forget him, the faster his soul essence will dissipate?"
"Yes, if I'm not mistaken, your souls all have his spiritual qi, right?" Zhang Yan observed their bodies.
Small looked at Fat Head and nodded. "Yes. If it weren't for Master, we wouldn't have been able to take human form, nor become demons. It's all our fault. If we hadn't appeared before Master, Master wouldn't have had so many troubles. It's all our fault."
"Master cultivated demonic arts for us, thereby transferring spiritual qi to us, allowing us to become demons. Master said that from the day we became demons, we would be eternal friends," Fat Head said, his gaze moving helplessly. "It was our greed. We felt our demonic arts were too weak, so we believed a demon's deceptive words and harmed nearly half the villagers. It's all our fault, our fault." He then burst into tears.