Shen Lu chuckled, setting down the wine flask as he said, "You're something else, aren't you? Even in this situation, you're not letting it stop you from eating."
"Why did you bring me here?" Mu Anxiao asked, separating the chicken leg from the stick with a casual flick of her wrist.
Shen Lu replied, "My senior brother said you can't stay there anymore. You have to leave."
Leave?
Mu Anxiao had thought Shen Lu brought her here to impart some crucial information or to discuss a plan to rescue Feng Qishi.
But it turned out to be neither.
Immediately after, she stared at Shen Lu for a few seconds, then, without thinking, tossed the chicken leg she was holding at him. She quickly bent down, gagging.
Seeing this, Shen Lu casually picked up the half-eaten chicken leg Mu Anxiao had discarded. "I didn't poison it, don't worry," he said, then tossed the chicken leg into the fire.
Hearing this, Mu Anxiao let out a sigh of relief and looked up at Shen Lu. "Are you sure you didn't poison it?"
Shen Lu smiled, "This chicken leg was one I roasted for myself. Sharing it was a courtesy," he said, patting the wine flask. "Who knew you had such a large appetite."
"I call it being indiscriminate," Mu Anxiao said, standing up.
Shen Lu tilted his head. "Where are you going?"
"Where else? I'm going to find out where your senior brother is from Ouyang Ye. You're not allowed to interfere with this," Mu Anxiao said, turning towards the temple gate.
At the same time, Shen Lu waved his hand towards the temple gate, and the doors all swung shut simultaneously.
"I specifically had these doors repaired for you. See how good I am?" As he spoke, he pulled another chicken leg from his nearby bag and began to eat it.
Mu Anxiao stiffened and turned to Shen Lu, angered. "This isn't right, doing this."
"It is indeed not right. These years in the mortal realm," Shen Lu said, chewing as he spoke, "have truly been uninteresting. Earning money from mortals is just too difficult."
"Did your senior brother give you money?" Mu Anxiao asked, a sudden thought striking her.
Shen Lu looked up at Mu Anxiao upon hearing this and smiled. "Not exactly. Unlike you, I don't seek payment from acquaintances. But speaking of which," he set down the chicken leg and smiled at Mu Anxiao, "Ouyang Ye went to find you, but didn't see you. Will he be angry?"
"You..."
"No, he shouldn't be angry. With you gone, he can better deal with my senior brother. What do you think?" Shen Lu said in a deliberately taunting tone, "Am I right?"
"What exactly are you trying to say?" Mu Anxiao pressed, growing anxious.
Shen Lu sighed. "You asked me earlier when I arrived, and I said a few days ago," he said, resting an arm on his knee. "Actually, I only arrived today."
"What are you trying to say?"
"I've been tired from being out and about recently, so I wanted to find a place to rest properly. Who knew," Shen Lu shook his head, "I'd run into this situation. Not only that, but my senior brother told me not to save him, but to save you instead. Just thinking about it makes me frustrated."
"You saw your senior brother."
"Yes, of course," Shen Lu was never one to keep things hidden, especially after seeing how worried Mu Anxiao was for Feng Qishi. He became even less able to conceal it. "If you want to know, give me a benefit."
"Didn't you say you don't ask for benefits from acquaintances?" Mu Anxiao frowned, worried he might ask her for money.
"You and I," Shen Lu said, raising his chin, "we aren't exactly acquaintances, are we?"
As it turned out, the relationship between Mu Anxiao and Shen Lu was, at best, the relationship of strangers who were not entirely unfamiliar with each other. Therefore, his words left Mu Anxiao with no room to refute.
Instead, she compromised. "What benefit do you want? Just say it."
Shen Lu smiled.
Mu Anxiao's expression froze as she watched the smile on Shen Lu's face, and she instinctively covered her money pouch at her waist.
Seeing this, Shen Lu withdrew his smile and glanced at the money pouch deliberately hidden by Mu Anxiao. "Don't worry, I'm not interested in your money," he said, standing up. "Find me a woman with a destined connection to immortality."
"What?" Mu Anxiao thought she misheard.
Shen Lu said seriously, "I said, find me a woman with a destined connection to immortality. After all these years, I'm weary," he said, walking towards Mu Anxiao. He then offered her the remaining chicken leg. "Don't be shy." Mu Anxiao looked disgusted. "I'm not eating it." As she spoke, she glanced at the chicken leg in Shen Lu's hand, took a step back, and thought about Hong Yan's genuine feelings for Shen Lu. She hesitated.
Shen Lu asked, "What, no confidence?" He then resumed eating the chicken leg.
Mu Anxiao pursed her lips and said, "Do you truly have no feelings for Hong Yan at all?"
Shen Lu's face turned stern.
Mu Anxiao continued, "If she could ascend with you, it means she has the potential to become an immortal. And you also know," she said sternly, "that women with a destined connection to immortality are hard to find. It's not just about having a destined connection, but also about whether you have a connection with each other. You..."
"That's enough," Shen Lu roared, glaring at Mu Anxiao.
Mu Anxiao was startled. "I'm doing this for your own good."
"You mean you're unwilling to help me, right?" Shen Lu said coldly.
Mu Anxiao frowned slightly.
Shen Lu spoke again. "Since you don't want to help me, then forget it. You can stay here then. It makes sense, though," he said with a cold snort. "My senior brother didn't want you to go anyway. If you went, it wouldn't be a good thing for me. Just stay put." After speaking, he turned back to the fire and sat down.
Hearing Shen Lu's words, Mu Anxiao became even more worried about Feng Qishi's safety. "Are you truly going to disregard your senior brother's life and death?"
"My senior brother is very capable."
"But Ouyang Ye is a deceitful villain."
"Knowing he's a deceitful villain, and yet you still trust him time and time again," Shen Lu said, looking up at Mu Anxiao, "you are the least qualified person to say that right now."
"You..."
"You should rest," Shen Lu interrupted, continuing to eat the chicken leg.
Mu Anxiao looked at Shen Lu's indifferent demeanor, stunned for a few seconds, and then inexplicably started to laugh.
Shen Lu heard her and looked up. "What's gotten into you?"
"It's not me who's acting strange, it's you," Mu Anxiao said, glancing at the temple doors before stepping back to the fire and suddenly staring intently into it.
Seeing that Mu Anxiao was acting strangely, Shen Lu asked, "Seriously, what's wrong with you?" As he spoke, he followed Mu Anxiao's gaze towards the fire, then looked back up at her.
"I'm asking you one last time. Where did you see your senior brother? And," Mu Anxiao's tone was indifferent as she looked at Shen Lu, "what did your senior brother say to you? Tell me."
"If you want to know, agree to find me a woman with a destined connection to immortality."
"I won't agree to that," Mu Anxiao said firmly.
Shen Lu sneered. "Since you won't agree, then don't waste our time with this nonsense."
"You say my words are nonsense." Mu Anxiao said.
Shen Lu let out a soft huff. Just as he was about to speak, Mu Anxiao deliberately kicked a foot towards the fire.
Sparks flew, startling Shen Lu. "What are you doing?"
Mu Anxiao replied, "If you don't agree, I'll burn this place down. It's just an abandoned, dilapidated temple anyway." As she spoke, she glanced at the bare pedestal.