Chapter 2165 Remuneration and Merit

In the firewood shed, Shu and Lou Yi simultaneously felt a surge of demonic energy wafting in from outside, their faces contorting in shared terror. They exchanged glances, the words they wished to speak catching in their throats. It was then that Xiaoyue awoke.

"Can we go out now?" she asked, opening her eyes and sitting up to look at Lou Yi and Jia.

Upon hearing her, Lou Yi and Jia were indeed startled by Xiaoyue. They swallowed, turned to look at the dazed Xiaoyue, and offered weak smiles.

Seeing their reaction, Xiaoyue also smiled. "What are you laughing at? Is there something on my face?" She touched her cheek.

"No," Lou Yi replied, his heart sinking as he recalled the situation outside. He lowered his head and looked at Jia.

Jia, puzzled, asked, "Why are you looking at me?"

Lou Yi, not daring to make a decision, pointed at Xiaoyue, conveying the question, "Should we knock her out?"

"You want to knock her out?" Jia whispered, lightly waving a hand in the air.

Lou Yi nodded, impressed by their unspoken understanding.

Jia then paused, glancing at Xiaoyue. Just as he was about to speak, Xiaoyue began to smile at him. Her smile reminded him of his older sister in the real world; it was so familiar. Looking at her, he couldn't help but smile back.

Lou Yi, witnessing Jia's sudden smile, was bewildered. "What are you doing?" he asked, reaching out to gently tap Jia's shoulder.

Jia completely ignored Lou Yi, instead muttering to Xiaoyue, "Sister."

Hearing Jia's call, Lou Yi adopted an expression of disdain. "Sister," he repeated, looking at Xiaoyue, who was about to speak. Without a second thought, he waved his arm towards her, and Xiaoyue fainted.

The moment Xiaoyue collapsed, Jia became angry. "What are you doing?" he growled, looking up at Lou Yi.

Lou Yi looked helplessly at Jia, who had been inexplicably captivated by Xiaoyue's presence. "You stared at her smile for a moment and now you're going to play hide-and-seek with her. Don't think I don't know what you're thinking," he said, unceremoniously reaching back and tapping Jia on the back of his head. "Children will always be children."

"You dare to hit me," Jia said, glaring at Lou Yi.

Lou Yi glanced at Jia and replied, "Didn't you hear that female demon going mad?" As he spoke, he heard the girl's 'haha' laughter.

Hearing this, Jia put aside his intention to settle the score and looked back out the window at the 'scenery.' "She was forced."

"Forced..." Lou Yi uttered the word, suddenly recalling the dirty-faced man's provocations towards the girl earlier. He wore a speechless expression. "I really don't know what that guy was thinking, provoking her. Now look..."

"Now look, my plan is over," Jia said dejectedly.

Lou Yi, unable to understand Jia's sudden mood, asked, "What's wrong?" He looked down at Jia.

Jia sighed and looked up at Lou Yi. "Now that she's gone mad, Mu Anxiao won't have time to save us. Without time to save us, it means we're destined to lose the opportunity to capture the demon. Tell me," he said with a strained smile, "aren't we a failure?"

"You failed, not me," Lou Yi declared, intentionally distancing himself from Jia.

"What are you saying..."

"You don't need to ask what I mean. The fact is, I was just helping. You, on the other hand, are the Yin Messenger who gets the reward and credit. Naturally," Lou Yi stated clearly, giving Jia a faint smile, "whether this mission continues or ends has little to do with me." xxs

"I'm giving you an opportunity to gain experience, and you..." Jia, unable to argue with Lou Yi, paused before continuing, "How can you speak like that? It's too hurtful."

"Experience can be accumulated anytime, but rewards and credit are hard to come by. I understand all of this," Lou Yi said, spreading his hands with a smug expression.

Jia narrowed his eyes, looking at Lou Yi's smug face.

"Don't look at me," Lou Yi said, startled by Jia's gaze. He turned his face away and changed the subject. "In that case, we can only wait." He glanced at Jia.

Jia crossed his arms. "As punishment, you have to help me next time," he said, staring intently at Lou Yi.

Lou Yi deliberately remained silent, as his own summation had thoroughly extinguished any desire he had to be a 'volunteer.'

Jia, seeing Lou Yi's unresponsive expression, became displeased. "Fine, just ignore me then. In the future..."

"If you give me a share of the benefits, will it cost you a piece of meat?" Lou Yi interrupted casually. He knew that Jia, this kid, would always have something to say. Thinking that he had cut off his own future over this one matter, he decided to clear things up with Jia.

Jia frowned. "It's not that you'll lose meat, but I..."

"You want credit, so give me some reward. What's the harm? You're a child, greed isn't good."

"Who are you calling a child?" Jia growled.

Lou Yi, seeing Jia's angry expression, knew he had said the wrong thing. He gave a forced laugh and said, "I'm just discussing this with you. Keep a line of communication open for future encounters." He then smiled.

Jia hesitated.

Lou Yi gently patted Jia's shoulder and smiled. "I'll wait for your reply." He then shifted his gaze back to the window.

Upon hearing Lou Yi's words, Jia fell into thought.

Outside, Ouyang Ye had made a mistake. Mu Anxiao had spotted him, and to ease his own awkwardness, he stepped towards Mu Anxiao.

Mu Anxiao, worried that the girl might seize the opportunity to attack, had only glanced sideways at Ouyang Ye. It was that glance from Mu Anxiao that made Ouyang Ye abandon his attack on the dirty-faced man.

Before this, the dirty-faced man had keenly felt the gusting demonic art that swept past his face. It was that demonic art that instilled fear in Ouyang Ye, causing him to tighten his grip on Mu Anxiao's arm. Mu Anxiao had recognized the dirty-faced man's cowardice from the moment she started confronting the girl.

Therefore, at this moment, she allowed him to have his way.

However, the dirty-faced man's actions were perceived differently by Ouyang Ye. "Are you a man?" he asked, stopping beside the dirty-faced man.

Upon hearing this, the dirty-faced man turned and looked at Ouyang Ye's face, his eyes widening. "It's you." He then released his grip and pointed at Ouyang Ye.

"Stop trying to get chummy with me," Ouyang Ye said coldly.

Seeing Ouyang Ye's indifferent expression, the dirty-faced man didn't show fear; instead, he laughed. "It seems you've forgotten me." He then pointed at Ouyang Ye's money pouch at his waist.

"You are..." Ouyang Ye began, following the dirty-faced man's finger and glancing down at his money pouch. "Who are you?" he asked, as the dirty-faced man did indeed look unfamiliar.