Before coming here, Ouyang Ye had instructed Xi'er that no matter what, she was not to engage in any overly aggressive fighting with Mu Anxiao. He hadn't explained the reason. Initially, she hadn't understood why Ouyang Ye would do that.
In fact, she felt Ouyang Ye was being overly protective of Mu Anxiao.
Upon seeing this now, she understood Ouyang Ye's intentions.
Mu Anxiao asked, "Why aren't you talking anymore?"
Xi'er knew Ouyang Ye's temper. If she disobeyed his words and let the giant black bear monster fight Mu Anxiao, and Mu Anxiao died, then all the blame would fall on her.
Therefore, for her own sake, she said, "You can't."
"How can I not?" Mu Anxiao frowned. "If I recall correctly, you were the one who proposed a fight with me. Now you say this, you're contradicting yourself."
"I just remembered, my black bear monster is male. If you fight it, it would be bullying a woman. So," Xi'er, thinking her reason was sound, pursed her lips and smiled, "Feng Qishi should be the one to fight." xxs1
"Most of the demon souls I've taken are male, and they still couldn't beat me. So," Mu Anxiao said, "Don't worry, I definitely won't hold back against this monster."
"Then don't use your weapon," Xi'er deliberately made things difficult for Mu Anxiao, glancing at the dagger in her hand.
Mu Anxiao had long anticipated that Xi'er would never allow her to fight the monster easily. She knew even better that Xi'er was afraid of her dying and having to account for it to Ouyang Ye.
As the saying goes, one meets trouble halfway. Xi'er had her ways, and she had hers. "If I can't use a dagger, fine, then swap him for me," she said, pointing at the giant black bear monster.
The giant black bear monster, upon seeing Mu Anxiao pointing at it, began to roar.
Xi'er knew the giant black bear monster was also a picky creature. It hated being pointed at the most, and Mu Anxiao had just made that gesture.
Immediately, she quickly looked at both Mu Anxiao and the giant black bear monster, saying, "Mu Anxiao, step aside."
"Why should I step aside? Aren't you its master? Now you command it to fight me, and let's see who wins," Mu Anxiao feigned composure, knowing in her heart that Zhang Yan would never watch her die.
"Don't you understand? You've angered it," Xi'er said nervously.
"How have I angered it? Can it understand human speech?" Mu Anxiao asked deliberately.
Xi'er glanced at the finger Mu Anxiao was still pointing at the giant black bear monster and said, "Put your hand down."
"Why?" Mu Anxiao asked, confused.
Xi'er: "Because this monster hates it the most when people point at it."
"Just pointing at it once will anger it?" Mu Anxiao retorted, showing no intention of lowering her finger.
Xi'er frowned: "Put it down, or it will attack you."
"Attack me? Perfect," Mu Anxiao said, deliberately raising her hand higher, more pointedly indicating the giant black bear monster's face. "I'm not afraid of it."
"Mu Anxiao, you're crazy!" Xi'er exclaimed, quickly stepping forward and grasping Mu Anxiao's finger.
At the same time, after roaring a few times at Xi'er, the giant black bear monster stomped forward with a 'thump' and swung its enormous claws with great force.
Seeing this, Mu Anxiao had no time to speak. She quickly withdrew her finger, which Xi'er was holding, bypassed Xi'er, and sprinted towards the giant black bear monster.
Xi'er was stunned. She turned and saw Mu Anxiao flying up, raising her dagger and swinging it towards the giant black bear monster.
Feng Qishi and Yue Ci both became nervous for Mu Anxiao.
In contrast, Zhang Yan calmly watched Mu Anxiao confronting the giant black bear monster, a smile playing on his lips.
Feng Qishi frowned tightly and, without looking, noticed the smile on Zhang Yan's face. He asked, "Won't she be alright?"
"She's already confronting such a large monster, of course, something will happen."
Feng Qishi's eyes widened. "Then why didn't you let me go?"
"What do you mean 'I didn't let you go'? If I recall correctly, I gave you a choice just now, and *she* didn't let you go. It has nothing to do with me," Zhang Yan said blandly.
Feng Qishi was momentarily speechless and asked, "She won't die, will she?"
"..." Zhang Yan sighed, looked at Mu Anxiao, who had just been knocked to the ground by the giant black bear monster's paw, and uttered a single, profound word: "She will."
"..." Feng Qishi was stunned.
Then, Zhang Yan saw Feng Qishi's intention to act and said, "However," he reached out and grabbed Feng Qishi's arm, "This is the result I wanted. If you dare to disrupt my plan, I'm not done with you."
"The result you want is to sacrifice that foolish Mu Anxiao," Feng Qishi said, trying to shake off Zhang Yan. "No, I can't just watch her die."
"Only by dying can she start anew," Zhang Yan whispered.
Feng Qishi blinked. "What exactly are you trying to do?"
"Ouyang Ye can already see the future of my disciple. If my disciple doesn't die, he will continue to control her future. Therefore, she must die," Zhang Yan stated with firm resolve.
Feng Qishi listened to Zhang Yan's resolute tone and recalled the blue pill he had given Mu Anxiao not long ago. He asked in a low voice, "Does that pill have other uses?"
"She's opened her mind," Zhang Yan smiled.
"Really?"
"Of course. She's my disciple, how could I let her die easily? In the end, it will only be a feigned death," Zhang Yan said, releasing his grip on Feng Qishi's arm. "If you want to see my disciple fall into Ouyang Ye's hands, then go ahead. I won't stop you."
"..." The depth in Feng Qishi's eyes deepened.
Yue Ci added, "If you go over there, and Mu Anxiao doesn't die, but *you* die, then she will surely hate herself to death. Do you... do you really want to see her live a life worse than death?" He turned his gaze to fix on Feng Qishi's face.
Feng Qishi shook his head. "I won't go." He trusted Zhang Yan's decision.
Zhang Yan smiled faintly. "Alright, it's time for us to go into hiding."
"Hide..."
"Ouyang Ye is about to arrive," Zhang Yan interrupted. After clasping his hands together, they became transparent.
Feng Qishi looked down at his own body and asked, "Mu Anxiao can't see us either?"
"Correct," Zhang Yan said, looking at Mu Anxiao, who was rapidly dodging the giant black bear monster. He continued, "Only when she despairs can the pill take effect." His eyes were sharp.
Feng Qishi became nervous for Mu Anxiao.
At the entrance to the forbidden forest, You Xian was still leisurely sitting on a tree, staring blankly below. He asked, "Um... when can we go down?"
"You can't go down," Yin Ye remained suspended in the air opposite You Xian. "If you're tired, go to sleep. I'll wake you when things are over."
"I can't sleep. If I sleep, I'll fall," You Xian said, hugging the tree and shaking his head.
"Then just sit there," Yin Ye said, deeply sensing the monster's demonic energy and frowning. He wondered if that guy would be alright.
"You say..." You Xian leaned his head against the tree, thinking of Yue Ci chasing the monster away earlier. He asked, "He won't abandon us, will he?"
"No," Yin Ye replied blandly.
"If he doesn't come back, will I have to stay up here forever?" You Xian said lazily.
Yin Ye: "..." She didn't know how to answer You Xian.