Soon, Lin Zong followed Ouyang Ye down the mountain. Throughout the journey, Ouyang Ye remained silent. Lin Zong watched Ouyang Ye's retreating back, her thoughts drifting to his actions against those people. Fear began to creep into her heart. However, considering how detestable those people were, she chose to continue following Ouyang Ye.
As Ouyang Ye walked, he suddenly stopped.
Seeing this, Lin Zong also halted her steps. She then casually asked, "What's wrong?" as if nothing was amiss.
Ouyang Ye turned to look at Lin Zong and asked, "Aren't you afraid of me?" He had expected Lin Zong to inquire about his identity after they had moved away from the scene. To his surprise, after walking for so long, Lin Zong had said nothing. This made him curious about her thoughts.
Lin Zong replied, "Why should I be afraid of you?" Her voice trembled slightly.
Hearing this, Ouyang Ye sighed softly. He then deliberately walked up to Lin Zong and said coldly, "I hung those scoundrels on trees in an instant. Aren't you afraid?" As he spoke, he fixed his gaze on Lin Zong's eyes.
Conversely, Lin Zong deliberately widened her eyes and said, "I'm not afraid." While speaking, she couldn't help but swallow twice.
Ouyang Ye saw Lin Zong's pretense of bravery and let out a cold laugh. "If you're afraid, show it. I hate it the most when people pretend to be calm in front of me." He then deliberately extended his hand.
Lin Zong's nerves immediately tensed up upon seeing and hearing this. She then had no choice but to tell the truth, "That's right, I am afraid of you." Her face trembled with fear. "But it's not that I'm afraid of you like that; I'm afraid you'll kill me."
"Afraid I'll kill you," Ouyang Ye repeated, snorting softly. "Since you're afraid I'll kill you, then hurry up and leave. That way, you won't implicate me once you enter the city."
"What do you mean by that?" Lin Zong asked timidly.
Ouyang Ye replied, "To be honest, I don't trust you. You..." He narrowed his eyes. "Do you know why?"
Hearing Ouyang Ye's roundabout question, Lin Zong's heart clenched. She shook her head slightly. "I don't know."
"I knew you would say that," Ouyang Ye said, sighing softly. He glanced at the road behind Lin Zong, then turned back to look at her and continued, "You're clearly afraid of me, yet you pretend to be on my side. You're clearly afraid, yet you say you're not, which shows you can endure a lot. But a person's endurance is limited. If I treat you well ten times and poorly once, you'll turn against me. By then, you'll have fled, and I'll be in deep trouble. Therefore, I'm giving you a chance now. Go." He said this with a stern expression.
However, Ouyang Ye's words sounded nonsensical to Lin Zong. Looking at him, her eyes couldn't help but well up with tears. "I don't understand what you're saying, but I can guarantee that I will never betray you, because I'm not that kind of person."
"Then why did you lie to me?" Ouyang Ye retorted.
Lin Zong didn't want Ouyang Ye to continue misinterpreting her intentions. She immediately cast aside all her fear, straightened her back, and said, "I was afraid you would abandon me. If I showed my fear," she said, her gaze firm, "you would definitely abandon me without hesitation."
"You want to follow me that much."
"I've seen the true nature of those people. To be honest," Lin Zong recalled how they had searched for her in the jungle, her eyes darkening, "I've had enough of them. The reason I dressed myself up like that was because I didn't want them to have any improper thoughts about me anymore. When I first met you, I thought you were that kind of person, but after interacting with you, I realized you are different from them."
"Why are you saying all this?"
"Hear me out," Lin Zong said firmly. "When you dealt with them just now, I felt incredibly relieved. In fact, I forgot about your methods. It was only after we descended the mountain that I felt scared. But even though I was scared, I firmly believed that you are a good person."
"You're not afraid I'll kill you," Ouyang Ye said coldly.
Lin Zong shook her head. "No, I believe you won't kill me because you are righteous..." She trailed off, suddenly remembering what happened after someone called him "Great Immortal Ouyang Ye." She corrected herself, "In short, you are very righteous."
"Consider yourself observant," Ouyang Ye said lightly.
"Can I continue to follow you?" Lin Zong asked cautiously.
Ouyang Ye didn't reply. He turned and walked ahead.
Seeing this, Lin Zong's initial fear instantly vanished, and she stepped forward to follow him.
In the city, Feng Qishi searched with Zhao Xiang time and again but could not find his parents. This outcome undoubtedly weighed heavily on Zhao Xiang's heart. As they walked back, his expression was blank, and he was too weary to speak.
Feng Qishi walked beside Zhao Xiang, looking down at the inn names on the paper. He sighed. "Strange, why can't we find them?" He then glanced at Zhao Xiang.
Zhao Xiang also sighed. "What should we do? What if my parents were killed by him?"
"That... it's hard to say." Feng Qishi didn't want to be overly optimistic, as he knew very well what kind of person Ouyang Ye was. He reasoned that if Ouyang Ye could be so ruthless as to push Mu An Xiao off a cliff, there was nothing he wouldn't do. Therefore, he was unsure how to proceed with his words.
Hearing Feng Qishi's words, Zhao Xiang stopped walking.
Seeing this, Feng Qishi stopped with him.
Just then, a familiar voice reached their ears, "That fellow doesn't have that kind of leisure."
Upon hearing this, they turned in unison and saw Mu An Xiao. "Why are you out?" Feng Qishi asked in surprise.
Mu An Xiao stopped walking and looked at Feng Qishi and Zhao Xiang. She said, "My fairy sister asked me to come out and help her buy some offerings. I didn't expect to run into you two while walking. Coincidentally," she said with a smirk, "I also overheard your conversation." As she spoke, her gaze suddenly fixed on Zhao Xiang's face.
At the same time, Feng Qishi felt a sense of familiarity with Mu An Xiao's clothes. "No, what's with your casual attire?" xxs壹贰
"Yours," Mu An Xiao replied without looking back, continuing to stare at Zhao Xiang. "You can't even find your own parents. That's quite something."
"Please stop praising me," Zhao Xiang said softly, sighing. "I'm truly an unfilial son, getting my parents involved in all this. If I hadn't been in danger, none of this would have happened. It's all my fault." He regretted his actions.
Hearing Zhao Xiang's words, Feng Qishi reached out and patted Zhao Xiang's shoulder to comfort him.
Zhao Xiang glanced at Feng Qishi but said nothing.
Conversely, Mu An Xiao calmly observed Zhao Xiang's remorseful expression. "I wasn't praising you. And," she said, her attention inadvertently drawn to the paper in Feng Qishi's hand, "what is this?"
"This is a list of inn names compiled by a friend of mine," Feng Qishi said, handing the paper to Mu An Xiao.
Mu An Xiao accepted the paper with a casual gesture, tossing the remaining plums into her mouth. She then looked at the paper and frowned.