"You're awake," Feng Qishi said.
Lin Yan opened his eyes and, as he lifted his head, retracted his right arm which had been dangling in front of Feng Qishi. "Strange, where am I?" he asked, touching the back of his head.
"I say," Feng Qishi said, feeling Lin Yan's movements behind him, tilting his head, "I'll count to three. If you don't get down, I'll toss you."
Hearing this, Lin Yan looked down and realized he was on Feng Qishi's back.
"Brother Feng, you're carrying me?" he asked excitedly.
Listening to Lin Yan's agitated words, Feng Qishi grew impatient. "Get down."
"Oh," Lin Yan quickly agreed and jumped to the ground.
Feng Qishi stumbled back a step, then steadied himself and said without turning his head, "Do you remember what happened at the ruined temple?"
"Ruined temple," Lin Yan touched the back of his head again. "I don't remember."
"Good that you don't remember."
"Huh?"
Feng Qishi squinted and said, feigning solemnity, "What huh? You fainted just now, so I carried you into the city to find a doctor. Now that you're awake, there's no need."
At such a juncture, Feng Qishi still didn't want Lin Yan to know too much.
"Thank you," Lin Yan said shyly.
Feng Qishi had never heard a man speak to him in such a tone. Hearing Lin Yan's voice now gave him goosebumps.
"No need to thank me. It's getting dark. We'll make do here for the night," Feng Qishi said, pointing at the mansion's gate.
Lin Yan nodded slightly and stepped up to Feng Qishi's side. He glanced at Mu Anxiao, who was standing at the gate staring at him, and said urgently, "I remember now."
Hearing this, Feng Qishi looked at Lin Yan. "Remember what?" he asked.
"She knocked me out," Lin Yan said, pointing at Mu Anxiao.
Mu Anxiao calmly watched Lin Yan's pointing finger. "So what if I did?"
"Nothing," Lin Yan said, genuinely startled by Mu Anxiao's gaze.
Meanwhile, Feng Qishi thought about what he had just said, chuckled dryly, and quickly covered up. "Oh, so she knocked you out. I didn't know."
"It's nothing," Lin Yan said, worried that Mu Anxiao might cause trouble for him.
"That's good," Feng Qishi replied.
Lin Yan glanced uncomfortably at Feng Qishi, then at Mu Anxiao, who had beaten him soundly and then knocked him out. He gave a dry laugh.
Mu Anxiao hadn't expected Lin Yan to become afraid of her in less than a day.
Although his fear came suddenly, she thought about Lin Yan's attitude towards her over the past year and suddenly felt a great sense of satisfaction.
"No one's opening the door," she said, glaring at Lin Yan and looking at Feng Qishi.
"How could no one be here? He should be back!" Feng Qishi said.
"No choice, we'll just have to wait here for a bit. I guess," Mu Anxiao said, deliberately glancing at Lin Yan, "he's busy."
As soon as she said "busy," Feng Qishi immediately thought of Chen's situation. He nodded. "Oh, right. Maybe he's busy. Let's wait."
Lin Yan didn't understand what Mu Anxiao and Feng Qishi were talking about. At this moment, the mansion before him seemed particularly familiar.
"This place..." Lin Yan muttered, stepping back and looking around in the ambient light. "This is my home!" he exclaimed excitedly.
Hearing this, Mu Anxiao and Feng Qishi turned their gaze to Lin Yan.
"Even if it was your home, it isn't yours anymore," Mu Anxiao said.
"I know," Lin Yan replied softly.
"Then don't call it your home."
A year ago, Mu Anxiao lost the tavern she had painstakingly managed for nine years. At first, she often went back to look at it, even shamelessly calling it her home.
Until one day, when she went to see the tavern again, Piao floated over and told her, "Even if this place was yours in the past, it no longer belongs to you. Don't delude yourself. Rather than dwelling on it, you should look forward. This place is mine." After saying this, he drove her away.
His words were deeply etched into Mu Anxiao's mind that day.
Every time she remembered it now, it felt like a stab to the heart!
"Why?" Lin Yan asked.
At the time, Piao had said those words after Mu Anxiao asked "Why?" But now, she didn't want to tell Lin Yan that, because Lin Yan was different from her; he was human, without excessive secrets.
Therefore, she wanted to explain it to him properly.
"If you want it to be your home again, then work hard. Don't always live in the past. What's the point?"
In Feng Qishi's eyes, Mu Anxiao's dislike for Lin Yan was no less than the hatred of those vengeful spirits towards her. He even thought she wouldn't speak kindly to Lin Yan at all.
Who knew he was wrong? He heard the word "encouragement" in her words.
However, whether Lin Yan could understand it, he didn't know.
"..." Lin Yan.
Feng Qishi looked at Lin Yan, who had suddenly fallen silent, and deliberately cleared his throat.
Mu Anxiao calmly looked at Lin Yan's face. "For a whole year, you've only put in effort these past few days."
Her words struck Lin Yan's heart like needles.
At this moment, Lin Yan truly didn't know what to say.
Mu Anxiao disliked lecturing others. If she hadn't seen her past self in Lin Yan, she wouldn't have bothered.
Therefore, looking at Lin Yan's speechless expression now, she suddenly felt she had spoken too much.
"If you feel upset, say it. I won't be angry," she said, turning her back.
Feng Qishi: "..."
Lin Yan looked up at Mu Anxiao's back. "Since I was little, no one has ever said such things to me. You suddenly saying this," he pursed his lips, "I can't quite accept it yet."
Mu Anxiao snorted. "Whatever."
At this moment, Feng Qishi could see from Mu Anxiao's back that she really wanted to hear Lin Yan's reply, that she hoped her words could bring Lin Yan hope.
Clearly, Lin Yan's response had instead dealt a blow to Mu Anxiao's heart.
"Lin Yan, did her words hurt you?" Feng Qishi asked deliberately, staring at Mu Anxiao's visibly disappointed back.
Hearing this, Mu Anxiao tilted her face, looking expectantly at Lin Yan for a reply.
Lin Yan hesitated for a moment, then said, "No. I was just thinking, someone like me," he gave a cold laugh, "how could I possibly buy this mansion back? It's very expensive." xxs1
What Lin Yan said was a reality, and Mu Anxiao couldn't help but feel a little relieved. At least he had taken her words to heart; his heart had been moved, no matter what.
Therefore, she had to say... more nonsense!
"You are human," Mu Anxiao turned to look at Lin Yan. "You can strive continuously. I believe you can buy this mansion back. Of course, I also believe you won't sell the ruined temple."
---
An