At the same time, Xie Xin opened her eyes and looked at the fake Lin Yan standing beside her, asking, "What are you doing?" She accidentally saw the dagger in his hand.
Fake Lin Yan: "I'm giving it to you." He smiled and placed the dagger next to Xie Xin's hand.
Xie Xin was taken aback. "Why are you giving me a dagger?" she asked, quickly sitting up.
Fake Lin Yan: "A girl traveling alone needs a weapon. Take it, it will be good for you." With that, he turned and walked away.
Immediately, Xie Xin picked up the dagger and smiled, looking down. "This person is quite considerate."
"Considerate? Then you should be with him."
Hearing this, Xie Xin was startled. She looked around but saw no one.
So, she asked with a trembling voice, "Who is speaking?"
"Look up."
"Up?" Xie Xin repeated the word, looked up at the beam of the room, and smiled. "Wolf demon."
Wolf Demon: "My name is Hu Yuan."
"Hu Yuan," Xie Xin obediently got out of bed, took a few steps barefoot, and looked up at the wolf demon. "Have you been here all along?"
"Not exactly." The wolf demon leaped down from the beam and stood in front of Xie Xin. "As long as you promise not to like me, I will help you."
"I don't quite understand what you mean?" Xie Xin asked, her gaze never leaving the wolf demon's face.
Similarly, the wolf demon was not intimidated by Xie Xin's stare. Instead, he calmly said, "I am a demon, and you are a human..." He paused mid-sentence, frowning. "No, you are not human."
Xie Xin: "I am human."
"You are not," the wolf demon asserted, stepping back and glancing at the dagger in Xie Xin's hand. "Tell me, what kind of demon are you?"
Previously, because Xie Xin was a woman and due to her close relationship with Mu An Xiao, the wolf demon hadn't detected her demonic aura. To his surprise, upon getting closer, Xie Xin's demonic aura began to emanate.
At this moment, the wolf demon suspected that Xie Xin was somehow connected to the dog-headed demon.
"I am not a demon, I am a woman with celestial destiny."
"Celestial destiny..." the wolf demon sneered. "Your entire being is filled with demonic energy. If you claim celestial destiny, it's more plausible to have a demonic affinity."
"Demonic?" Xie Xin uttered the word, then looking at the wolf demon's identity, she smiled. "If only I had a demonic affinity."
Wolf Demon: "What do you mean by that?" He hadn't caught on.
"Then I could openly like you."
"Can't you be a bit more reserved?"
"Yes," Xie Xin nodded, smiling at the wolf demon. "But not with you."
"Eh?"
The wolf demon was genuinely startled by Xie Xin.
Suddenly, he deeply regretted his words about her having a demonic affinity. But what was said was like spilled water. If he were to claim she was a celestial woman now, would she even believe him?
"Hu Yuan, I like you," Xie Xin stated firmly.
Wolf Demon: "..." He took two steps back, changing the subject. "You really dare to take this dagger."
"What do you mean?" Xie Xin's attention immediately shifted to the dagger.
Hearing Xie Xin's words, the wolf demon felt relieved. "Throw it away."
"Lin Yan gave this to me for self-defense."
"Self-defense." The wolf demon repeated, sneering inwardly, thinking how convincingly this female demon was acting.
"Yes, for self-defense," Xie Xin affirmed.
Wolf Demon: "Alright then, defend yourself. In any case, if you don't throw it away, you'll suffer later." He glanced to the sides. "There's also no food."
"Are you hungry?" Xie Xin asked, tucking the dagger at her waist as she spoke.
Seeing this, the wolf demon sighed helplessly. "I... it's better if you don't do this. Take it off." He deliberately looked at the dagger.
"Why?"
"Just listen to me."
"Are you caring about me?" Xie Xin put on an expression of overwhelming flattered surprise.
The wolf demon gave a dry laugh. "Why would I care about you?"
"You..." Xie Xin, seeing the wolf demon's indifferent demeanor, touched the dagger. "Then why are you telling me to take it off?"
"I tell you to take it off, and you do. Why so much nonsense?"
"I..."
"Hurry up, or I promise you'll have a hard time."
"You..."
"Stop with the 'you'," the wolf demon said impatiently.
Seeing the wolf demon's impatient expression, Xie Xin's heart skipped a beat. "Alright, I'll take it off." As she spoke, her hand touched the dagger, and a black light suddenly illuminated around it.
The next second, Xie Xin's hand was instantly engulfed by the black light.
"My hand hurts so much." As she spoke, she looked down, her eyes widening. "What is this?"
Wolf Demon: "Lingering resentment."
"What is that?" Xie Xin was scared.
"You wouldn't understand even if I told you." The wolf demon stepped forward, reaching out to grab Xie Xin. As he did, the dark energies streamed into his body through his sleeves.
"..." Xie Xin's eyes widened.
Wolf Demon: "What are you surprised about? I can still bear these things." With that, he closed his eyes.
The wolf demon had been waiting on the beam since last night, so he had seen every move of the fake Lin Yan. As for why the dagger was filled with lingering resentment, that had to do with fate.
The forest.
Mu An Xiao looked at the beggar with a cut throat in surprise. Then, looking at his purplish lips, she felt an overwhelming sadness welling up in her heart.
Beside her, Feng Qi Shi looked at the beggar's deathly appearance and then at the broken silver pieces by his hand. He frowned. "He was here all night." He then crouched down and gently took the beggar's wrist.
Mu An Xiao: "He's already dead."
Feng Qi Shi: "Silly Mu, who do you think did it?"
Hearing this, Mu An Xiao deliberately glanced at the villagers. "Help arrange the funeral."
"Do we need to report it to the authorities?"
"It's useless even if you report it," Mu An Xiao said indifferently.
The villager was surprised. "Not human?"
"Yes," Mu An Xiao said, seeing the villager's fearful expression. "Don't worry, I will..."
Mid-sentence, several villagers ran over, shouting in unison, "Someone's dead, someone's dead."
Hearing their shouts, Mu An Xiao's heart sank. She looked down at Feng Qi Shi, who was looking up at her, and frowned.
Immediately, Feng Qi Shi stood up. "Clear."
Next, the second villager recounted everything he and the others had seen to Feng Qi Shi.
Ten minutes later.
Mu An Xiao: "Ten lives." Tears welled up in her eyes.
"Ten..." The villager uttered the word, his body clearly starting to tremble.
Mu An Xiao glanced at the villager, then at the other villagers with fearful expressions. "Gather them first. You go home."
"Won't..."
The second villager's words were cut short by Feng Qi Shi. "They were all beggars, and it was at night. The killer definitely wouldn't act during the day."
Hearing Feng Qi Shi's words, the villagers seemed somewhat comforted, and they dispersed one by one to carry out their tasks.