Mu Anxiao watched Zhang Yan’s cautious demeanor and said, “I know you met his master.”
“Who?” Zhang Yan smiled unnaturally and averted his gaze.
“Don’t play coy. My cultivation is shallow, and I have no spiritual energy to speak of. However, I’ve met the old gentleman before, and I know what his otherworldly aura smells like. So, you can’t hide it from me,” Mu Anxiao said lightly.
“It seems that after spending so much time with the dog demon, your nose has indeed become sharper,” Zhang Yan chuckled.
Mu Anxiao looked at Zhang Yan’s grinning face and said, “Can you stop pretending?”
“He told me not to say anything,” Zhang Yan confessed honestly.
Seeing Zhang Yan’s suddenly troubled expression, Mu Anxiao stood up from the sofa and said, “Fine, then don’t tell me.”
“Eh?” Zhang Yan was surprised.
Mu Anxiao said, “If you’ve promised someone, you should keep your word. I won’t ask you then.”
“You’re so good,” Zhang Yan said, relieved.
“Moderately so,” Mu Anxiao replied nonchalantly.
Then, Zhang Yan’s expression turned serious, and he casually called out, “Mu Anxiao.”
“Why are you calling my name?”
“Your spiritual energy needs to be cultivated again. What do you plan to do when you go back?” Zhang Yan asked, looking at Mu Anxiao with concern.
Mu Anxiao sighed, “I don’t know. I’ll take it one step at a time. What else can I do? Crying and begging won’t help with this.”
“You’re quite optimistic,” Zhang Yan couldn’t help but smile.
Mu Anxiao said, “After I leave, take good care of yourself.”
“You haven’t been taking care of me here either; I’ve been the one taking care of you,” Zhang Yan curved his lips upward.
Mu Anxiao smiled at Zhang Yan, “You really are an old child.”
“Setting aside whether I’m an old child, when you get back there, how do you plan to break ties with him?” Zhang Yan asked curiously.
Mu Anxiao let out a breath, “It’s simple. I’ll just send him back to his master. I believe his master is much more capable than I am. I’ve only been a female swindler who has occupied someone else’s spiritual energy for half my life. I can’t return my immortal age.” Her voice became weak, “In short, when I get back, I want to be myself again. Even if it’s hard, I will fight for what belongs to me.”
“Spiritual energy is difficult to cultivate; you must find a master. Otherwise, why don’t you stay here?” Zhang Yan suggested.
Mu Anxiao shook her head, “No, the wind doesn’t stir here anymore. If I meet his parents again, I can’t bear that sense of emptiness.”
“Alright then.”
Mu Anxiao smiled slightly, then her brow furrowed suddenly. She asked, “Can you help me see how many more times I can use magic?” She extended her hand.
Zhang Yan was startled and said, “Can’t you sense it yourself?”
Mu Anxiao shook her head.
Zhang Yan’s expression flickered, then he reached out and grasped Mu Anxiao’s wrist. After a pause, he said, “This is bad. The magic in your body is almost depleted, and the spell sealing your spiritual energy is also nearly consumed.”
“Is that so!” Mu Anxiao spoke calmly, but her heart was already beginning to panic. “Then can I subdue that monster?”
“Not necessarily,” Zhang Yan shook his head.
“Okay,” Mu Anxiao nodded and sat back down on the sofa.
Zhang Yan looked at Mu Anxiao’s face and said, “When the time comes, I can help you.”
Mu Anxiao remained silent.
Zhang Yan looked at Mu Anxiao’s dispirited appearance, contemplating her future predicament, and fell into a sympathetic silence.
Suddenly, a voice reached Zhang Yan’s ears, “Come out for a moment.”
Zhang Yan glanced sideways, then looked at Mu Anxiao and said, “Since you don’t want to say anything, it’s fine. I’ll go buy you something to eat.”
“Thank you,” Mu Anxiao replied without looking up.
Zhang Yan’s lips curved slightly upward, then he waved his arm and vanished, leaving invisibly.
Leaving the courtyard, Zhang Yan went to a quiet corner, looked both ways, and said, “Old man, I didn’t say anything.”
Immediately, the old gentleman appeared before Zhang Yan, shimmering with a blue light, and said, “I didn’t expect that girl to be so smart.”
“Compared to your disciple, she’s far behind,” Zhang Yan whispered.
“What do you mean?”
“Stop playing dumb. Your disciple’s plan really had everyone running in circles. I genuinely thought he had died that way, but I didn’t expect things to be completely different from what I imagined,” Zhang Yan said helplessly.
“If it were as you imagined, I would be laughing,” the old gentleman chuckled.
“I really don’t like talking to you,” Zhang Yan pointed at the old gentleman.
The old gentleman smiled wordlessly.
Zhang Yan looked at the smile on the old gentleman’s face and was startled, “Can you stop looking at me like that?”
“Do me a favor,” the old gentleman said.
“What for?” Zhang Yan frowned.
“Release the spell that seals Mu Anxiao’s spiritual energy,” the old gentleman said earnestly.
“Release… release it?” Zhang Yan was shocked. He looked around and said, “No, you know that I know she’s not your disciple, right?”
“I know,” the old gentleman nodded.
“You lied to me,” Zhang Yan pointed at the old gentleman’s face.
The old gentleman pushed Zhang Yan’s finger away and said, “If I hadn’t done that, do you think your misunderstanding could have been resolved? As an immortal, you can’t even understand the words of the deceased. You’re quite disgraceful.”
“You know about that incident,” Zhang Yan was even more surprised.
“My disciple has precognitive abilities. If I, as his master, don’t, wouldn’t that be too embarrassing?” the old gentleman said lightly.
“Speaking of which, your disciple never used precognitive magic,” Zhang Yan said in a low voice.
“He did, so you would know,” the old gentleman said calmly.
Zhang Yan raised his eyebrows, “You have a point. Your disciple, like you, is a man of few words. He always does things privately, never letting anyone see.”
“Remember this, you must treat Mu Anxiao this way.”
“Now that the truth is out, treating her, a young girl, like this is perhaps…” Zhang Yan tilted his chin upwards, “a bit excessive.”
“If I didn’t do it that way, she would have been truly finished,” the old gentleman said sternly.
“What do you mean?” Zhang Yan was shocked again.
“The spiritual energy is no longer willing to reside within her. Now, she is forcibly using spiritual energy to cast spells. The spiritual energy will resist, and she will lose her perception of magic,” the old gentleman explained.
Zhang Yan blinked, “She did seem unable to sense the magic and spiritual energy within her body just now.”
The old gentleman added, “If this continues, the spiritual energy will absorb her vital spirit, and slowly, her body will become weak. You should understand the principle behind this.”
“I understand, it’s just…” Zhang Yan scratched his head, “I really didn’t think as comprehensively as you did.”
“Since you understand, then go and do it,” the old gentleman said, placing one hand behind his back.