Meanwhile, Mu Anxiao carefully observed Yuan Yan's darkening face, thinking about his unintentional reply and Feng Qishi's stunned expression as he watched the wind stir. "What do you mean you were killed?" she asked.
At this moment, Feng Qishi saw that Yuan Yan's attitude had clearly changed. He also realized that his reply was not what Yuan Yan wanted. Moreover, he could tell that Yuan Yan was no longer the Yuan Yan of decades ago.
Therefore, he had already thought of how to deal with Yuan Yan, but Mu Anxiao beat him to it.
He was speechless about this.
Following that, Yuan Yan shifted his gaze to Mu Anxiao's face. "What does that have to do with you?"
"I didn't say it had anything to do with me. I just think you're quite strange. You're unhappy when others want to move on," Mu Anxiao deliberately shifted the arm tightly held by the young man. "Are you his friend?"
Friend?
For so many years, since the day he died, loneliness had become his constant companion.
Revenge had become the most difficult thing in the world for him.
Now, hearing Mu Anxiao's question, his eyes sank, and he looked back at Feng Qishi, saying weakly, "Have you already died once?"
"Yes." Feng Qishi did not want to lie and nodded.
"Died once," Yuan Yan repeated, then shifted his gaze back to Mu Anxiao's face, his eyes sinking as he said, "He and I are not friends."
Upon hearing this, Feng Qishi's body stiffened, and he widened his eyes. "Yuan Yan, what do you mean by that?"
Yuan Yan took half a step back. "I was friends with Shen Yan, yes, but," he said, "that was decades ago. I have no friends now."
"You..."
"I knew you had changed. After all this time, you're not him. Of course, if you were him, you wouldn't have forgiven that woman," Yuan Yan said casually.
Just as Yuan Yan had said, Feng Qishi was no longer the Shen Yan of the past.
Thinking about it, he naturally had no right to discuss the past with Yuan Yan.
Therefore, he glanced at the young man and got straight to the point. "Since you say I've changed, there's nothing I can do. I just want to ask you to let that fellow over there go."
Yuan Yan: "Why should I listen to you?"
"An exchange of lives is not a good method, and besides, I have the right to protect him."
"Protect?" Yuan Yan snorted. "You can't even protect yourself, and you want to protect that guy over there. You're truly laughable."
"How do you know I can't protect myself?"
"You let a woman drink your immortal blood, causing you to become like this. You..."
"Didn't you say I wasn't Shen Yan?" Feng Qishi interrupted.
Yuan Yan was taken aback and fell silent.
Mu Anxiao calmly watched Yuan Yan's sudden silence, thinking, "Is he pretending to distance himself from the madman Shen?"
As she thought this, she turned to the young man, who was still full of fear, and frowned. She recalled Yuan Yan's attitude when he entered, focusing entirely on the young man, and asked in a low voice, "Did you offend him?"
Young man: "I don't know."
"You don't know? Why is he targeting you and not others?"
"..." The young man hadn't considered this question, but hearing Mu Anxiao say it, he glanced at Yuan Yan again and shook his head. "I don't know. However, if I remember correctly, I was the last one to make eye contact with him, and some people didn't run as fast as me. But why did he only find me?"
At this moment, the young man's words reminded Mu Anxiao. She immediately looked at the still silent Yuan Yan and then recalled what he had said to Feng Qishi: "Once he dies, I can reincarnate."
Thinking of those words, she turned her gaze back to the young man and asked, "What's your name?"
"Why are you asking for my name?" the young man's voice trembled.
Mu Anxiao: "Just tell me your name. Don't ask so many questions, or I won't help you anymore."
Seeing Mu Anxiao's determined expression of giving up on him, the young man quickly said, "My name is Yuan Ye."
"You're also surnamed Yuan?"
"Yes." Yuan Ye nodded.
"His name is Yuan Yan, and yours is Yuan Ye. He doesn't grab others, but he insists on grabbing you," Mu Anxiao muttered. She thought for a moment, then quickly looked at Yuan Yan and asked loudly, "Yuan Yan, who taught you to do this?"
Upon hearing this, Feng Qishi was truly startled by Mu Anxiao's familiarity and immediately signaled her with his eyes.
Conversely, Mu Anxiao did not shift her gaze to Feng Qishi's face at all. She was determined to stare at Yuan Yan.
Yuan Yan then shifted his gaze back to Mu Anxiao. "It's none of your business. Hand him over to me quickly, or else," he raised his ghostly hand, "I'll kill you."
Hearing this, Feng Qishi shot Yuan Yan a fierce look. "How dare you!"
Yuan Yan was stunned and looked at Feng Qishi. "You're actually doing this to me for a woman..."
"Didn't you say I'm not your brother? Now," Feng Qishi interrupted, spreading his hand to summon his long sword, "if you dare say another word about killing her, don't blame me for being impolite."
"Shen..."
"I'm not Shen Yan. My name is Feng Qishi."
Earlier, the moment Feng Qishi saw Yuan Yan, he recalled all the events of that year.
However, it was Yuan Yan's words that made Feng Qishi realize that people could change.
The current Yuan Yan was clearly no longer the kind, considerate Yuan Yan of the past.
Therefore, he no longer intended to waste further words with Yuan Yan. Now, he just wanted to protect Mu Anxiao.
"You can't kill me," Yuan Yan glanced at the long sword in Feng Qishi's hand.
Feng Qishi: "If you die, I naturally can't kill you, but I can make your soul scatter."
"You..." Yuan Yan looked at Feng Qishi, who was being so impolite to him, and his heart sank. "You are my friend."
"You just said I'm not your friend. Besides, I won't allow anyone to harm her under my watch. If they dare to harm her," Feng Qishi said, "I will not be lenient."
"Shen..."
"My name is Feng Qishi."
"I..."
In life, Yuan Yan was a person whose words did not match his thoughts. In death, he was a ghost whose words did not match his thoughts.
His earlier words were just a moment of impulsiveness. After decades of living as a lonely spirit, he was truly tired of it. Now, he had only one goal: to live.
To live, he would resort to any means. To live, he was willing to do evil, and even more willing to be a ghost full of lies.
In reality, he still wanted to be friends with Feng Qishi and escape loneliness.
But, there is gain in loss. Through the brief exchange with Feng Qishi, he understood that Feng Qishi would definitely not let him kill the young man. Between friendship and living, he chose to live.
However, it was just imagination. At this moment, looking at Feng Qishi's indifferent attitude towards him, his heart hesitated.