The wolf demon was embarrassed upon hearing this.
However, Mu Anxiao discerned the meaning from the wolf demon's words. Recalling the recent conversation between Xi'er and Mu Xi, she realized, "The cultivators of the immortal sects are notorious for going back on their word. Mu Xi's death is definitely related to that Xi'er."
"You mean Xi'er pushed him off?" Feng Qishi followed Mu Anxiao's line of thought.
Mu Anxiao glanced at Feng Qishi and said after a moment's thought, "I can't be certain, but I believe it's inextricably linked to that Xi'er." As she spoke, she remembered Mu Xi's agreement to cooperate with Xi'er to kill her for the sake of the girl, and a profound sense of loss washed over her.
That feeling spurred her to recall all the scenes of being with her family that she had once fantasized about. In her fantasies, her mother was very, very kind to her. She had always loved to follow her mother everywhere.
She had completely forgotten all the unpleasant things. All she remembered was… getting lost, and all she was angry about was that her family hadn't looked for her.
Yet, even then, she could understand them. After all, she was just a girl.
As expected, only this part aligned with reality. Because she was a girl, she was abandoned. Because she was a girl, she was inauspicious. Because she was a girl… she was destined to be abandoned.
Lost in thought, she lowered her gaze, her mind tracing back through her fragmented memories of the days that had led to tomorrow.
Feng Qishi, seeing Mu Anxiao's despondent expression after she spoke, his eyes darkened as he asked, "Are you alright?"
Mu Anxiao sighed, "I'm fine, I just feel…" she trailed off, "It's a feeling I can't quite describe, a sense of regret, perhaps."
"Regret?" Feng Qishi couldn't understand Mu Anxiao.
"My mother, she just spoke so earnestly to those relatives. Was it very touching?" Mu Anxiao asked him.
Feng Qishi thought for a moment and replied, "It was quite moving. Were you touched?"
"I was touched, but," Mu Anxiao scoffed, "I don't believe her words are true. Yet… I don't want to hate them. After all, they gave me life. Without them, I wouldn't be who I am today."
"What are you trying to say?" Feng Qishi inquired.
Mu Anxiao shook her head, "I'm not trying to say anything, it's just suddenly…" She took a sharp breath, "Suddenly I feel like… everyone hates me." She looked up at Feng Qishi.
Feng Qishi blinked, "Why do you suddenly say that?"
"You say," Mu Anxiao thought of the words of the vine spirit, and then of Mu Xi saying she had pushed him into a bottomless abyss. She asked, "Could it really be me… who pushed him down?"
"Why would you think that?" Feng Qishi was surprised.
"Look," Mu Anxiao sniffled, "Xi'er wanted to use him, and that girl loves him. And I didn't die. So, between the three of us, apart from me, who else could it be?"
"Didn't you say you were playing hide-and-seek?"
"Hide-and-seek…" Mu Anxiao mumbled, faintly recalling the rainy day. Then, feeling the cold wind blowing at that moment, she said, "I don't remember what happened that day clearly."
"What..."
Feng Qishi's words were cut short as the wolf demon impatiently interjected, "Mu Anxiao, can you stop overthinking? If it were you, you wouldn't have been able to achieve immortality."
Hearing this, Mu Anxiao frowned slightly and looked at the wolf demon, who had only ever practiced demonic arts, and asked, "How do you know? You're a demon, after all."
"I am a demon, but I've had dealings with the cultivators of the immortal sects. Do you know," the wolf demon said seriously, "why they can't achieve immortality?"
"They lack immortal destiny," Mu Anxiao replied casually.
The wolf demon sneered, "Lack of immortal destiny is one reason, but the main reason is their wickedness."
"Ah." Mu Anxiao had never heard the wolf demon speak so ill of the immortal sects before. Hearing this now, she was genuinely surprised and astonished.
"Stop with the 'ah's'," the wolf demon sighed. "They resort to any means, they take crooked paths, and of course, the most crucial thing is, they have killed people."
"Killed…" Mu Anxiao spat out the word, thinking of the faces of the cultivators. She paused, "Doesn't that mean all their disciples have killed people?"
"Of course not."
"Then why can't they achieve immortality?" Mu Anxiao asked a question that rendered everyone speechless.
The wolf demon rolled his eyes, "My dear lady, setting aside the matter of immortal destiny, their leaders don't possess such capability. Do you think… those who do nothing but loaf around do?"
Mu Anxiao shook her head.
"Then that settles it. So," the wolf demon pointed at Mu Anxiao, "your ability to walk this path is not solely due to Shen Yan's immortal blood, nor just your luck. The most important thing is that you have no heart to harm others."
"After saying all this, you just want to say… I didn't push Mu Xi down."
"Yes." The wolf demon nodded slightly.
Immediately, Mu Anxiao pondered the wolf demon's words carefully and chuckled, "Now that you mention it, it seems it truly has nothing to do with me."
Feng Qishi heard this, glanced at Mu Anxiao, and muttered, "Idiot."
Hearing this, Mu Anxiao glared at Feng Qishi, who startled and averted his gaze.
The wolf demon nodded, "It has nothing to do with you. However, I'm only saying this because you found my demon core for me. If you hadn't helped me with the demon core, I wouldn't have told you all this." He didn't want Mu Anxiao to think he was helping her.
"...." Mu Anxiao frowned as the wolf demon spoke these words, "Wasn't that a pill you were giving me?" She latched onto the word.
The wolf demon furrowed his brow, "When did I say it was a pill? That's my demon core. You already misstated it. I didn't want to bring this up, but Mu Anxiao brought it upon herself."
In this regard, the wolf demon felt he must explain properly.
Mu Anxiao: "Pill.." Repeating the word, she realized, "Oh, I remembered incorrectly."
"Didn't you remember incorrectly down below?"
"No, I didn't," Mu Anxiao affirmed.
"Then that's fine." The wolf demon nodded slightly.
Mu Anxiao looked at the wolf demon's relieved expression and sighed, suddenly unsure of what to do next.
"...."
Lin Yan: "Where are we going now?" he asked Mu Anxiao.
Mu Anxiao glanced at Lin Yan and said after a moment's thought, "No, it wasn't Mu Xi who gave me the medicine."
"Why are you suddenly talking about this?" Feng Qishi was puzzled.
"Since we're idle, it's better to clarify my past. Perhaps then…" Mu Anxiao said, "I might find new clues."
"What clues do you need?" Feng Qishi was completely lost trying to keep up with Mu Anxiao's thoughts.
Mu Anxiao: "Lone soul."
"The matter of the lone soul shouldn't… be related to this time, should it?"
"I feel…" Mu Anxiao recalled those half-dead people lying in the dilapidated house, her eyes darkening. "Who knows? How about we go see them again?" She looked at Feng Qishi.