"Are you saying you've converted those twenty demon souls with your own heart?"
"Mhm."
In the past, Feng Qishi had heard about Mu Anxiao's methods of capturing demon souls; they were described as utterly cold-blooded.
Hearing Mu Anxiao's answer now, he was startled. But considering her meager magical power, he thought she must have gone through some experiences to truly comprehend this.
"Fine, anyway, I'm someone who listens to you now. Whatever you ask me to do, I'll do it. Let's go," Feng Qishi conceded.
Mu Anxiao let out a sigh of relief.
Before long, Mu Anxiao led Feng Qishi into the dilapidated temple. Feng Qishi took a quick look at the wretched environment and the beggars who were glaring at him with unfriendly eyes, and asked, "Hey, you live here?" He grabbed Mu Anxiao's arm.
"If I don't live here, where else would I live?" Mu Anxiao glanced down at Feng Qishi's hand.
Feng Qishi let out a cold laugh.
Then, those people stood up and walked towards them. A young beggar among them looked coldly at Mu Anxiao. "Who let you bring someone in here?"
"I..."
As Mu Anxiao uttered a single word, Feng Qishi pulled her behind him and stood in front of the young beggar, saying coldly, "I don't like your attitude."
"Who do you think you are?" the young beggar glared at Feng Qishi.
Feng Qishi met the young beggar's gaze coldly. "Who I am is not important."
"You..."
"Alright, that's enough. He's a friend of mine. If it's possible, could you let him stay here for the night?" Mu Anxiao pushed Feng Qishi's hand away and stepped forward.
"Mu Anxiao, have you forgotten how you got to stay here?"
"No," Mu Anxiao shook her head.
Being a beggar wasn't easy either, as all sorts of people gathered here.
Back then, when Mu Anxiao first arrived, the man gave her a task: to wash his feet every day. To stay, she agreed. From then on, every day, she had to travel a long distance to fetch water for his foot washing, and even share half of the hard-earned money she managed to get. If she gave too little, she would be beaten and scolded.
However, to beg in the city and locate demon souls, she could only endure the humiliation and tolerate it.
"Alright, then tell him," the young beggar said.
Mu Anxiao didn't want to; such a thing was simply humiliating for her.
"...."
"No."
Mu Anxiao shook her head.
The young beggar's eyes narrowed when Mu Anxiao refused him. "You don't really think of me as a friend, do you? Is that why you dare to bring this person back?"
Yes, Mu Anxiao thought so.
Considering the time she had spent with this young beggar, she truly believed he considered her a friend.
"You don't consider me a friend?"
"Friend? I'm your leader. How can there be such a thing as a friend?" the young beggar said, looking at Feng Qishi. "Your clothes look pretty good. Take them off and give them to this young master."
"Say that again," Feng Qishi said coldly.
"Good words are not repeated twice."
"Never mind," Feng Qishi turned to Mu Anxiao. "Let's go."
"I have nowhere to go," Mu Anxiao said softly.
"Tell him our rules here, and I'll let him stay," the young beggar shifted his attention back to Mu Anxiao.
Mu Anxiao was reluctant, but if she didn't, they would be sleeping on the streets. So... she had to say it.
"He's the boss here. If you want to stay, you have to wash his feet," Mu Anxiao said.
Washing feet? Feng Qishi had never washed an elder's feet in his life. Now he was supposed to wash the feet of this stinking beggar? How could he possibly agree!
"Ridiculous," Feng Qishi glanced at the young beggar and asked, "Mu Anxiao, has he always bullied you?"
Mu Anxiao: "...."
"Ask anyone here. Is there anyone I haven't bullied?" the young beggar said arrogantly.
"Fine, then how do you bully her?" Feng Qishi coldly asked the young beggar.
The young beggar let out a soft snort, thinking himself superior. "It's just making her wash my feet, then give me a massage, give me some money, and make late-night snacks. Of course, there's more. Anyway... you'll have to go through all of this."
"Is this place your territory?" Feng Qishi asked coldly.
"Yes, so what?" the young beggar was arrogant.
"Looking at your age, you must have been only ten years old ten years ago."
"What does it matter how old I am?"
"These people," Feng Qishi scanned the beggars who dared not speak, "many of them are older than you. How can you bully them like this?"
"This dilapidated temple was left to me by my father. I have the right to command these stinking beggars."
"You call them beggars, but aren't you a beggar too?"
"It's different."
"From now on, this is my territory," Feng Qishi said coldly.
"This is the first time I've seen someone try to take my territory. You're quite something," the young beggar faked a smile, then raised his fist and swung it towards Feng Qishi.
Feng Qishi's gaze remained fixed on the fist swinging towards him. A smile played on his lips as he swiftly grabbed the young beggar's wrist and forcefully bent it backward. "I knew how you could be so arrogant. A year ago, you were a young master of a wealthy family." As he spoke, he pulled the young beggar violently closer and looked directly into the young beggar's eyes. "How does that feel?"
The young beggar grimaced in pain. "I'm not convinced."
"Not convinced? Very well, then I'll make you convinced." As he said this, Feng Qishi turned to Mu Anxiao. "Move aside."
Mu Anxiao nodded quickly and obediently moved out of the way.
Then, Feng Qishi dragged the young beggar out and beat him soundly.
Throughout this process, Feng Qishi did not use any magical arts.
"Convinced or not?" Feng Qishi asked, looking down coldly at the young beggar curled up on the ground.
This young beggar's name was Lin Yan. He was once the most privileged young master in this area. His family had fallen a year ago, and before his father died, he left this dilapidated temple to him. He had become accustomed to being lazy and useless, and with the little martial arts he possessed, all the beggars here feared him.
Because he needed to survive, he gathered the beggars and let them live in the dilapidated temple, but the condition was that they had to obey him, or get out!
Mu Anxiao had no place to stay at first, so she came here. Because Lin Yan had set rules for her, she endured this guy.
Who would have thought that Feng Qishi would beat him up like this at this moment? It made Mu Anxiao feel a sense of exhilaration!
Seeing that Lin Yan remained silent, Feng Qishi asked again, "Convinced or not?"
At this moment, anyone who saw Feng Qishi's demeanor would be afraid.
Even these beggars dared not come forward to help. Seeing their fear, Mu Anxiao herself felt a chill of fear towards him.
Similarly, Lin Yan was also afraid.
"Convinced."