The dilapidated temple burned.
Shen Lu had long heard that Mu Anxiao would do anything for a mission, for Feng Qishi. At this moment, he finally witnessed her true capabilities. He glanced at the bonfire, which Mu Anxiao could kick over at any moment, and then at the distance between the ruined temple and the village. He was scared.
"No," he stopped her sternly.
Hearing this, Mu Anxiao withdrew her offending foot, lowered her head to stare at Shen Lu, and said coldly, "Tell me."
"My senior brother was captured when he brought that child back," Shen Lu confessed truthfully.
Mu Anxiao narrowed her eyes. "I already know that. You don't need to tell me."
"Oh, really? Do you know where he is then?" Shen Lu began to beat around the bush.
Mu Anxiao looked at Shen Lu's smug expression and then back at the sky outside. She had clearly lost patience. "Shen Lu, if you try to stall me again, don't blame me." As she spoke, she deliberately moved her foot towards the bonfire.
Seeing this, Shen Lu quickly said, "I'll talk."
"Go ahead," Mu Anxiao retracted her foot again.
Shen Lu said, "Senior brother is locked in the cellar of the coachman's room, but my senior brother didn't want me to tell you."
"Does your senior brother have a plan?" Mu Anxiao asked.
Shen Lu shrugged. "I don't know about that. He just told me to take you away. I knew you wouldn't listen to me, so I deliberately used this method to trick you. Who knew," he chuckled, "that you'd actually believe it."
"Your senior brother told you about the thatched cottage, didn't he?" Mu Anxiao guessed.
Shen Lu: "No, I overheard your conversation with Ouyang Ye."
"You overheard..." Mu Anxiao trailed off, suddenly thinking of Ouyang Ye's ability to perceive things and his dislike for immortals. She muttered, "That Ouyang Ye. He didn't sense your presence." She paused, then fixed her gaze on Shen Lu's face.
Shen Lu felt uneasy under Mu Anxiao's stare. "I've told you everything I should. What else do you want?"
"I don't want anything. I'm just a little confused," Mu Anxiao said, intending to pique Shen Lu's curiosity.
Hearing this, Shen Lu frowned. "What are you confused about now?"
"Why Ouyang Ye didn't detect you."
"Did you detect me when I appeared?" Shen Lu retorted.
"When you appeared..." Mu Anxiao trailed off, realizing that she indeed hadn't sensed Shen Lu's spiritual energy. She leaned towards Shen Lu and found that he truly had no spiritual energy on him. From what she knew, Ouyang Ye relied on spiritual energy to find immortals. Thinking about it, it was no wonder Ouyang Ye hadn't noticed him. This must be the reason.
Inspired, she said, "Do you know this art?"
"Art?" Shen Lu didn't immediately understand.
Mu Anxiao patiently explained, "I mean, do you know... the art of concealing spiritual energy?"
"No," Shen Lu said flatly.
"No?" Mu Anxiao was surprised and narrowed her eyes. "You're lying. If you don't, how did you conceal your spiritual energy?"
"My spiritual energy is not easily revealed in the first place, and my senior brother is the same."
"Your senior brother... no," Mu Anxiao remembered that she had clearly sensed Feng Qishi's spiritual energy. Naturally, she dismissed Shen Lu's words. "You're talking nonsense. I clearly sensed your senior brother's spiritual energy, and Ouyang Ye also knows your senior brother. I'm not saying you're bad at lying, but you could at least be more convincing."
"My senior brother deliberately let those monsters sense him," Shen Lu said earnestly.
Mu Anxiao: "Deliberately? What do you mean?"
"What do I mean? My senior brother knows that some demons particularly dislike immortals, and some demons are afraid of immortals. So, he deliberately released his spiritual energy to attract the demons who disliked immortals and scare away the ones who were afraid of them. Do you understand what I mean?" Shen Lu raised his chin.
Mu Anxiao was stunned. She had never imagined Feng Qishi to be so magnificent.
Seeing Mu Anxiao's stunned expression, Shen Lu asked in confusion, "What's wrong? Didn't you understand what I meant?"
"Is he an idiot?" Mu Anxiao muttered.
Shen Lu smiled upon hearing this. "So you understood."
Mu Anxiao sighed. Just as she looked at Shen Lu, the temple door suddenly opened. She stiffened and quickly turned towards the door.
Shen Lu stood up and said vigilantly, "Hide behind me."
"Why should I hide behind you?" Mu Anxiao retorted.
Shen Lu frowned. "My senior brother said you can't afford to make a mistake. I need to protect you."
"You protect me?" Mu Anxiao snorted. "I'll protect you instead." Saying this, she walked towards the entrance.
Seeing this, Shen Lu quickly followed and grabbed Mu Anxiao's arm. "You can't go."
Thus, Mu Anxiao was forcibly restrained by Shen Lu. She then looked at Shen Lu with displeasure and said, "Do you look down on me so much?"
"I don't," Shen Lu said firmly. He glanced outside at the shimmering purple eyes and said, "Don't you feel the resentment?"
Resentment?
Mu Anxiao hadn't noticed this, but now that Shen Lu mentioned it, she suddenly felt the chilling wind and the heavy Yin energy. She then turned to look at the pairs of glowing purple eyes, and thinking of Feng Qishi's deliberate release of spiritual energy, her heart sank. She murmured, "They are the kind of monsters who loathe immortals." Then, she looked up at Shen Lu.
Shen Lu was startled and lowered his head to meet Mu Anxiao's eyes.
Mu Anxiao continued, "Now I understand what Shen Fengzi meant."
"What?" Shen Lu was surprised.
Mu Anxiao: "Don't just focus on spiritual energy. The more you look, the more useless it becomes. Instead of paying attention to that, it's better to improve through every real combat."
"My senior brother told you this?" Shen Lu said disbelievingly.
Mu Anxiao moved her arm, which Shen Lu was holding, and said, "I'm just summarizing what my senior brother told me. Let go." She tried to break free.
Shen Lu: "Your spiritual energy..."
"Your spiritual energy is in a hidden state. In the end, they will only attack me. If I really hid behind you, I would be doomed to get hurt. But now," Mu Anxiao began to speak nonsense, "if I go to meet the challenge, perhaps I won't get hurt. Do you understand what I mean?"
"What you mean is you don't want to be a cowardly turtle," Shen Lu said helplessly. "Why say so much?"
"If you understand my meaning, then let go."
"Be careful." Shen Lu was persuaded by Mu Anxiao and let go.
At the same time, a gust of cold wind blew out the fire, plunging them into darkness. Shen Lu said, "It seems we don't need to put out the fire." As he spoke, he conjured a large saber and handed it to Mu Anxiao. "You know how to use a saber, right?"
"If I use this, what will you use?" Mu Anxiao's vision was gradually returning.
Shen Lu: "That's not for you to worry about. Take it." He then forced the saber into Mu Anxiao's arms, and Mu Anxiao had no choice but to embrace it.