"Why would I lie?" Xiao Man asked, confused.
The man was silent for a moment, also finding it hard to comprehend. They were strangers, and there was no reason for her to deceive him. However, from what he understood, the vast desert was not a gentle place; anyone who entered faced a near-certain death.
"Did you encounter any danger inside?"
"Nearly starving to death, dying of thirst. Does that count as danger?"
The man choked. Nearly starving to death and dying of thirst certainly counted as danger. Anything that threatened one's life was considered danger?
"No attacks?"
"None."
"No wild beasts?"
"There wasn't even a blade of grass in there, so where would any wild beasts come from?" Xiao Man looked at him as if he were an idiot, making the man wonder if he truly was one, to ask such a foolish question!
"But I encountered wild beasts when I went in."
Xiao Man looked at the man suspiciously. "Are you sure you entered the same desert as me?"
"Of course. In the Ghost Realm, there is only one desert, the vast desert. Could it be that different people encounter different things?"
"It's possible."
"Where did that little boy go in the end?" the man inquired.
"He came out with me."
"What?" The man, agitated, thrust his head forward, getting it stuck between the bars. He tried to pull his head back, but found it was trapped and wouldn't retract.
Xiao Man's lips curved upwards, then she realized it was inappropriate to laugh at him at such a moment and immediately suppressed her smile. "Are you... alright?"
"Where did the child who came out with you go?" The man, unable to retract his head, disregarded it, looking at Xiao Man with earnest inquiry.
"He disappeared."
"Disappeared?" The man's voice rose. "What do you mean disappeared?"
"As soon as we came out, his body became transparent and then he vanished," Xiao Man stated plainly, her expression exceptionally sincere.
"How could he have disappeared?" The man was full of doubt. "How could he just disappear?"
"Is that child your son?"
"Don't talk nonsense, I wouldn't dare claim to be his father!" The man sighed, having thought he'd found a way, only for it to disappear. No, it was impossible for him to disappear; he must have hidden. If outsiders knew he had emerged from the vast desert, they would surely be alerted.
However, the man was very curious about Xiao Man's identity. Over the years, many people had been thrown into the vast desert, but not a single one had managed to bring anyone out. Why was it her who brought someone out?
"Why did Zang Xu want to kill you?"
"I ruined his plans," Xiao Man said with amusement. "He was plotting a monstrous conspiracy, and I accidentally stumbled upon his scheme. It's not entirely my fault; it's his for choosing us as sacrifices."
"Are you from Wuji City?"
"No." Xiao Man glanced at the man. "I came from the Land of No Law."
"You are Xiao Qin!" the man realized instantly.
Xiao Man was slightly surprised. "Am I that famous? Even people in the Ghost Realm know my name?"
"After all, you are the one who disrupted the demon race's long-planned scheme. As a demon, it would be strange if I didn't know your name," the man said with a smile. "I heard you are from the Eight Tribes?"
"Sort of."
"Sort of?" A flicker of doubt crossed the man's eyes. Was the intelligence inaccurate? Was this person not from the Eight Tribes but someone who infiltrated the Land of No Law? No, according to the reports from the spies, this person indeed originated from one of the Eight Tribes, the Hong Huang Tribe.
"Yes, sort of," Xiao Man said lazily. "By the way, you said normal people entering the Ghost Realm would be affected by the ghost energy, leading to madness. Is there a cure?"
"Yes," the man said with a smile. "A drink of the Floating Life Brew will do."
"Floating Life Brew isn't exactly a pleasant drink, is it?" Xiao Man asked softly.
"Floating Life Brew costs a hundred spirit stones a cup, not everyone can afford it. Moreover, it's only available in Ghost King City."
"There should be some outside too, perhaps not as authentic," Xiao Man said slowly. "Right?"
"Floating Life Brew from outside might suppress it for a while, but it will lead to endless trouble," the man looked at Xiao Man. "Would you like a drink? My treat."
"Sure." Xiao Man got up and walked towards the exit. The man was about to warn Xiao Man when he saw her take out a wire and, with a few nimble movements, unlock the padlock. "Let's go."
The man wanted to pull his head out, but no matter how he tried, he couldn't. He had to turn to Xiao Man for help. "Lend me a hand."
Xiao Man nodded and walked back in, standing in front of the man. She raised her foot and stomped fiercely towards his head. In his panic, the man unleashed unprecedented potential and retracted his head. The originally sturdy wooden bars were broken by her stomp!
The man swallowed, instinctively touching his head. If he hadn't been able to retract his head, would she have crushed it?
"Are you trying to kill me?"
"You asked for my help, and I was merely complying with your request. See, your head has retracted?"
"My head has retracted, but what if it hadn't?" the man asked indignantly. This brat was too reckless, acting without considering the consequences!
"Don't hypothesize about what didn't happen. Hurry up and get out, let's go have that Floating Life Brew. I'm treating." Xiao Man opened the door to the adjacent cell. "Quickly."
The man got up from the ground, brushed the dust off himself, and walked out of the cell. "Alright, have you figured out how to deal with the guards outside?"
Xiao Man nodded and took out a token from her怀. The man's gaze fell upon it, and he immediately gave her a thumbs-up. "Impressive. How did you get it?"
"When Cang Feng attacked me, I quietly swiped it." Xiao Man smiled.
The man chuckled. "It's not unfair that Zang Xu fell into your hands."
"If he hadn't attacked me, I wouldn't have bothered with him. But he insisted on killing me," Xiao Man said lazily. "I've always believed in the principle: I don't offend others unless they offend me, but if they do, I will retaliate!"
"A rebellious spirit isn't always a good thing."
"This personality doesn't matter. Aren't you, with your gentle nature, also locked up like me?" Using the token Xiao Man had acquired, they successfully exited the dungeon and arrived on the street. "By the way, why were you locked up?"
"I offended the Ghost King."
Xiao Man couldn't help but give him a thumbs-up. "Amazing! You dared to offend the Ghost King. Is the Ghost King fearsome?"
The man thought carefully. "Probably not."
"If he's not fearsome, why would he lock you up?"
"If he were fearsome, he would have killed me, not locked me up," the man said softly. "Let's go, didn't you want to drink Floating Life Brew? My treat."