The woman in the green skirt watched Mu Anxiao's frozen expression, then shone the lantern towards her again, saying, "I know what your identity is."
"..." Mu Anxiao's mouth twitched, and she began to worry about her own safety.
The woman in the green skirt had no intention of listening to Mu Anxiao's reply and continued on her own, "You are an immortal. Although you don't have much spiritual energy, it's enough for me."
"What?" Mu Anxiao exclaimed in surprise.
"My master said that for a person to cultivate into an immortal, they must go through something," the woman in the green skirt smiled. "You know what that 'something' is, don't you?"
Listening to the woman in the green skirt's words, Mu Anxiao couldn't help but recall what Jia had just told her. Her heart sank, and she quietly asked, "Jia, does she only remember the past?"
Upon hearing this, Jia glanced at the woman in the green skirt's almost crazed expression and whispered, "Her current memories... should be from before she became an immortal."
"Before becoming an immortal... then she shouldn't be coveting my spiritual energy."
"I understand. Once poisoned like this, she'll develop illusions. If I'm not mistaken," Jia said, "she's a bit lost to demonic deviation right now."
"..." Mu Anxiao listened to Jia's baseless speculation and looked at the woman in the green skirt opposite her, who acted like a villain. She asked, "Are you sure she's an immortal? Not a demon?"
"This... I'm sure."
"Yes, she should be kind. She should think of relying on herself. Why... is she targeting me?" Mu Anxiao began to feel confused about things.
"Perhaps she had such thoughts in the past, but now, fueled by the poison, she has amplified that thought," Jia explained according to his understanding.
"Are you sure your thoughts are correct?" Mu Anxiao asked softly.
"Certain," Jia said, looking the woman in the green skirt up and down. "Don't talk to me anymore. If you continue talking to me, you'll only harm yourself." With that, he continued to try and find the woman in the green skirt's weakness.
Hearing this, Mu Anxiao took the opportunity to look down at Jia, who had started thinking, and then at the woman in the green skirt opposite her, who was growing impatient. She said, "That's not right. If she's an immortal, she should be able to see you, shouldn't she?"
"My invisibility technique is targeted. If I want you to see me, you can see me. If I don't want you to see me, you can't," Jia said anxiously. "Alright, stop talking to me."
"Oh." Mu Anxiao agreed and looked at the woman in the green skirt, smiling.
The woman in the green skirt put on a stern face. "Who are you talking to?" She hadn't clearly heard what Mu Anxiao was saying, but she knew... Mu Anxiao had indeed opened her mouth.
Mu Anxiao's mouth twitched, but she maintained her smile. "I'm talking to myself." With that, she chuckled foolishly twice.
"Talking to yourself..." the woman in the green skirt repeated, and gave a light hum. "Since you're talking to yourself, I'll give you two choices."
"Two choices?" Mu Anxiao gave a dry laugh. "What choices?"
"One, willingly hand over your spiritual energy to me. Two, fight me, and then hand over your spiritual energy to me."
"Why don't you just take it from my body?" Mu Anxiao asked deliberately.
The woman in the green skirt narrowed her eyes upon hearing this. "You want to harm me."
"I..."
"If I take the spiritual energy from your body, even if it enters my body, it will be useless. It might even backfire on me. You..." Before she could finish, the woman in the green skirt's eyes widened as if she had realized something. "No, I can't trust you."
"...What's wrong?" Mu Anxiao was truly startled by the woman in the green skirt's reaction.
The woman in the green skirt's eyes darted around. "No, I can't do this. What if you're lying to me? I'll still be in trouble. Master said that spiritual energy must be cultivated through one's own efforts. If I do this..." She looked up at Mu Anxiao, the lantern in her hand swaying with her arm. "It would be unearned gain."
At this moment, Mu Anxiao knew she couldn't communicate with her. Doing so would only harm herself.
Looking at her, Mu Anxiao swallowed her throat, not daring to speak, only daring to smile.
Unexpectedly, the woman in the green skirt's smile angered her immediately. "You're mocking me."
Hearing this, Mu Anxiao's expression stiffened. She quickly explained, "I'm not mocking you. I'm just... smiling out of politeness." As she spoke, the corners of her smiling mouth began to twitch.
The woman in the green skirt went mad.
In this instant, Jia saw the red light on the woman in the green skirt's forehead, and a flash of inspiration struck him. He quickly shouted, "Mu Anxiao, fight her, let her win."
Win?
Mu Anxiao thought she had misheard. She then turned to look at Jia, who was giving her urgent orders, and said, "If I let her win, I'll be in trouble."
"Let her gain confidence and superiority through victory. This way, her poison can be cured."
"Are you crazy?"
"Quick..."
"You go!" Mu Anxiao interrupted. She knew... she couldn't defeat the woman in the green skirt. No matter how she and the woman in the green skirt fought, she would be the one to suffer in the end. Therefore, she had reservations about Jia's last-minute suggestion.
"She's looking for you, not me," Jia said helplessly.
"You..."
"Go quickly, here she comes," Jia said. He glanced at the woman in the green skirt, who had drawn her long sword and was rushing towards Mu Anxiao, then turned and ran to hide behind a tree not too far away.
Mu Anxiao heard this, looked back, and shouted, "Don't come here!" Then she quickly dodged the sword's attack.
The next second, the woman in the green skirt, completely unwilling to admit defeat, retracted her sword, sharply turned her head to look at the dodging Mu Anxiao, and said, "As long as I'm better than you, it proves I'm stronger than you."
"What?" Mu Anxiao muttered. After quickly considering Jia's words, she compromised. "It seems I have to do as that brat said." With that, she turned and ran.
Seeing this, the woman in the green skirt gave chase.
After a while.
Mu Anxiao sat on the ground, looking at the woman in the green skirt who was still pointing her sword at her with a disheveled appearance. She said, "My lady, I can't run anymore."
During this time, she had not used any magical abilities at all, precisely to create a sense of superiority for the woman in the green skirt.
Unexpectedly, her actions had offended the woman in the green skirt again.
"You're doing this on purpose," the woman in the green skirt said angrily, pressing the tip of her sword against Mu Anxiao's shoulder.
Mu Anxiao lowered her head, staring at the sword tip pressed against her shoulder at close range. She smiled and said, "My lady, please calm your anger." With that, she gave the woman in the green skirt a foolish smile.
The woman in the green skirt: "What I hate the most is this kind of playful, disguised-true-ability immortal. Now," she said, retracting her sword slightly, "either fight me, or die."
"You want to kill me."
"I won't kill you, I'll cripple you," the woman in the green skirt said. Just as she was about to use her sword to stab Mu Anxiao, Mu Anxiao quickly lay down, kicked her sword away, and stood up.
Seeing Mu Anxiao stand up, the woman in the green skirt smiled.