Moments later, as Gu Yan approached, Mu Anxiao clenched her hand and vanished.
Gu Yan did not see this. When she looked behind the tree and found no one, she was startled. "Where did she go?" she murmured, glancing around before tucking the scattered silver needles into her palm.
Soon, Mu Anxiao reappeared outside Feng Qishi's room through sheer will. She ignored her surroundings, lowering her gaze to her own hands, pondering the difficulty of this spell. "That's not right," she muttered. "This spell can only be used with ten layers of spiritual energy, yet I can use it?" She paused her thoughts and looked up at Zhao Xiang, who stood at the foot of the steps.
Zhao Xiang had witnessed Mu Anxiao's entire reappearance. He was taken aback, staring at her. "You can… also do this after so long…"
"Where is Lin Zong?" Mu Anxiao interrupted, too impatient to listen to Zhao Xiang's rambling.
Zhao Xiang's eyes darkened. "You're afraid I'll kill Lin Zong, aren't you? That's why you rushed here."
"If you know, why ask?" Mu Anxiao replied, walking towards Zhao Xiang.
Seeing her approach, Zhao Xiang involuntarily took a step back. "Don't come closer," he warned, drawing a short dagger from his sleeve.
Mu Anxiao's brow furrowed. "This is the weapon you intend to kill her with."
"Mu Xiao, this has nothing to do with you. This is…" Zhao Xiang's gaze flickered. "This is between her and me."
In fact, Zhao Xiang had arrived much earlier. He had intended to deal with Lin Zong immediately upon arrival.
But, for some reason, the moment he entered and saw Lin Zong's sleeping face, his heart softened. He decided to wait until Lin Zong woke up so she could understand why she was being killed.
With this thought, he waited here. Who knew Mu Anxiao would arrive?
At that very moment, he changed his mind. He wanted to deal with Lin Zong directly.
But he didn't dare, which led to the current situation.
"Between her and you," Mu Anxiao repeated deliberately.
Hearing her words, Zhao Xiang tightened his grip on the short dagger. "Mu Xiao, I'll say it again, this is none of your business. I don't want you to get involved. You…"
"Do you really want to kill her?" Mu Anxiao interrupted, not making any move to stop him.
Zhao Xiang: "I do want to kill her. If it weren't for her, I wouldn't have become like this. I… If I let her go, I'd be harming myself," he said, his eyes filled with hatred. "I can't let her go, I can't."
Mu Anxiao watched Zhao Xiang's deranged expression calmly. Just as she was about to speak, a meddlesome servant appeared behind her and shouted, "What are you doing?"
Startled, Mu Anxiao turned and looked at the servant's face, growling, "Be quiet."
To her surprise, the servant replied, "I'm helping you, and you tell me to shut up." He thought Zhao Xiang was targeting Mu Anxiao.
Mu Anxiao looked at the interfering servant with helplessness. Then, glancing at Zhao Xiang, who had moved up another step, she said, "Thank you for your help, but this is between him and me. You should go."
"I can't go," the servant insisted.
Mu Anxiao's expression stiffened. "This is very dangerous. If you don't leave, are you planning to take my place?" She gestured helplessly towards Zhao Xiang.
At that moment, Zhao Xiang stopped.
Hearing Mu Anxiao's words, the meddlesome servant glanced towards Zhao Xiang and said, "No, I have old parents and young children. If I die, what will happen to them?" He inexplicably fell into his own emotions.
Mu Anxiao was speechless.
Then, after some thought, the meddlesome servant said, "I'll go find someone. Don't worry, I'll save you."
However, what Mu Anxiao feared most was someone else arriving. One meddlesome servant was already troublesome enough. If he brought more people, things would definitely spiral out of control. Therefore, to prevent further trouble, just before the servant could leave, she gritted her teeth and waved her hand in front of his face. The servant frowned.
Seeing this, Mu Anxiao's heart sank. Just as she was about to ease the awkwardness, the servant fainted.
Watching this scene, Mu Anxiao couldn't help but feel a surge of joy. She hadn't used this spell much since becoming a cripple. Moreover, as far as she knew, using this spell required at least eleven layers of spiritual energy.
But, as it turned out, she had succeeded. Thinking this, she momentarily ignored Zhao Xiang and chuckled to herself.
Conversely, Zhao Xiang had also witnessed Mu Anxiao's capabilities and looked at her with a stunned expression.
Immediately, Mu Anxiao reined in her excitement and turned back to Zhao Xiang. "I see," she said.
"You can do this?" Zhao Xiang said incredulously.
Mu Anxiao clenched her fist slightly, her face hardening instantly. "My patience has its limits. If you truly lay a hand on Lin Zong," her confidence returned, her tone becoming stern, "your demon soul will be contaminated. Do you understand what I mean?"
"Contaminated." Zhao Xiang trembled slightly, holding the short dagger. He laughed. "From the moment I died and gained a demon soul, everything about me has been contaminated. What use is it to tell me this now?" His emotions became agitated.
Mu Anxiao knew she couldn't be too gentle with him, as gentleness would only make her seem weak. If she went against him, he would feel targeted. Therefore, to avoid both perceptions, she said, "Becoming a demon soul isn't contamination, it's just…"
"Just what? Just becoming a monster? You just want to say I'm a monster, don't you." Zhao Xiang remembered Mu Anxiao's past words, so he became agitated as soon as she spoke.
Mu Anxiao remained calm. "I was just talking nonsense then. You believed it all."
"Once words are spoken, they cannot be taken back. Mu Xiao, don't try to trick me. I am a monster, a freak. And the one who caused me to become this way," Zhao Xiang clenched his fist, turning to glare at the door, "is her."
"You think killing her will free you, is that what you mean?" Mu Anxiao countered.
Hearing this, Zhao Xiang slowly turned to look at Mu Anxiao and burst into laughter.
Mu Anxiao calmly watched Zhao Xiang's manic behavior, realizing that any more words would be wasted on him.
The best course of action now was to give him a taste of his own medicine.
With that thought, she clenched her fist and charged forward.