By the pool.
The Demon Sword (Soul Sword) emerged from the water with foam, and then floated above the pool. At this moment, Mu Anxiao saw it through the light veil, "Soul Sword." She murmured, recalling what Jiong Ye had said not long ago, and observing its loyal actions towards Jiong Ye, she realized that its actions were likely due to its inability to accept reality. Thinking deeper, it probably believed that if it could wash away the dark substance on its blade, Jiong Ye would change his opinion of it. In any case, all its current actions seemed futile to Mu Anxiao.
However, considering it was the Soul Sword, Mu Anxiao chose not to dampen its spirits. She walked forward, parting the layers of light veil, and headed towards the pool.
Following Mu Anxiao's movements, Ah Feng looked back at the Demon Sword behind the veil and felt scared. "No, I can't stay here." He said, taking a deep breath, and making excuses for himself. "Mu Anxiao, I think you can handle it alone. I'll wait for you outside. If you need anything, just call me." With that, he turned and ran.
Unexpectedly, Ah Feng's shout plunged Mu Anxiao into crisis. She stopped, unable to blame anyone, and looked at the Demon Sword (Soul Sword) whose tip was suddenly pointed at her, her eyes wide.
Outside, the flower spirits had also caught the scent of flowers wafting from the house. Under the influence of this floral fragrance, they knew that things had become complicated. To their surprise, just as they were about to think of a solution, Ah Feng came out. At this, their faces showed only tension, nothing else.
However, Ah Feng saw the expressions on their faces. "What's wrong with you all?" he asked. He believed he was safe now that he was outside, so he felt no sense of danger.
"Why... why did you come out?" Xiao Mei asked, stepping in front of Ah Feng, before Rose.
Hearing Xiao Mei's question, Ah Feng's eyes flickered. "Oh, Mu Anxiao is developing... a relationship with the Demon Sword, so I didn't want to interrupt, and I came out."
"Developing what relationship?" Xiao Mei pressed, wanting to know everything.
Ah Feng gave a dry laugh. "What other relationship could it be but... a master-servant bond?"
"Master-servant?" Xiao Mei repeated, her expression becoming exceptionally serious. "You mean Mu Anxiao has become the Demon Sword's master? But why is there the scent of essence? Could it be... could it be that the Demon Sword is defiant and is fighting with Mu Anxiao, and Mu Anxiao is subduing it with force?"
Ah Feng hadn't expected Xiao Mei to have such a vivid imagination. Now, hearing her say this, he found himself unable to cope. However, considering his own act of cowardly escape, he continued to put on a brave face. "No, she's having a serious negotiation with it. Just now," he said, straightening his back, intentionally trying to appear imposing, "I accidentally knocked over the essence with my magic, but Mu Anxiao doesn't know."
"Why would you do that?" Xiao Mei asked again.
Ah Feng replied earnestly, "Only then can they communicate. Otherwise, if they just face each other... without saying anything, wouldn't time be wasted?"
"You're scared, aren't you," Rose said, calling him out directly, and stepped forward to stand beside Xiao Mei.
Hearing this, Ah Feng quickly shifted his gaze to Rose's face. "I'm telling the truth, I'm not scared." His eyes were firm, wanting to avoid being looked down upon by Rose.
Rose snorted coldly. "If you're not scared, then why did you come out?"
"As I said, it's their business. It wouldn't be appropriate for me to be inside," Ah Feng stated seriously.
Rose's face turned stern.
Ah Feng looked at Rose's expression, which clearly showed she wouldn't buy his story. Then, thinking about his actions of fleeing not long ago, his heart sank. "I'm not lying. I truly felt it wasn't appropriate for me to be inside. Besides," his eyes were firm, "I came out only to protect you."
"Then why did you choose to go in?" Rose continued to question.
Ah Feng pursed his lips. Trusting Mu Anxiao, he said, "I chose to go in because I thought Mu Anxiao might not be able to handle it alone, so I wanted to lend a hand and prevent it from coming out. But after going in, I realized that what I was doing wasn't quite right."
Rose frowned.
Ah Feng continued, "I should have stayed by your side. What if that Demon Sword had help?"
"You're quite thoughtful," Rose said coldly.
Ah Feng looked at Rose's indifferent expression and smiled. "For you, of course, I have to think everything through. Otherwise," his eyes darkened, "what if you get hurt."
Hearing this, Xiao Mei's eyes darkened. "Ah Feng, your excuse sounds quite touching."
"What I said comes from the bottom of my heart," Ah Feng said, glancing sideways at Xiao Mei, and then at the still cold-faced Rose. "Rose, no matter what, I will always put you first. Your life is far more important than mine. You..."
"You didn't save me that time," Rose interrupted suddenly.
Ah Feng was stunned by this.
Seeing Ah Feng's sudden stunned reaction, Rose let out a cold laugh. "Everyone has a mouth, and everyone can easily utter nice words and comforting words. But," she said, "when it comes to taking action and making those nice words and comforting words a reality, it's much harder."
"Rose..."
"What you say must be taken responsibility for. You've satisfied your urge to speak, but you've hurt others," Rose interrupted again.
This time, Ah Feng fell silent the moment Rose said that.
Seeing Ah Feng rendered speechless by Rose, Xiao Mei looked at the motionless house and said, "Rose, perhaps you're being too harsh." She felt sorry for Ah Feng and wanted to put in a good word for him.
Hearing this, Ah Feng shifted his gaze to Xiao Mei's face.
At that moment, Rose also looked at Xiao Mei. "If you like his sweet talk, then take him with you and don't appear before my eyes." With that, she glared at Xiao Mei and walked past Ah Feng.
Ah Feng looked at Xiao Mei, who was speaking up for him, and said with a pang of guilt, "I'm sorry."
Hearing this, Xiao Mei snapped back to attention. She tilted her head up to look at Ah Feng and said calmly, "Actually, Rose is right. You seem to... always rely on your words to get things done." She paused, her gaze lingering on Ah Feng's face for a few more seconds. "I hope you can change this habit." With that, she stepped back.
Immediately, Ah Feng took Rose's and Xiao Mei's words to heart. "I really made a mistake," he muttered. Thinking about his hasty retreat just now, his eyes darkened. He turned around and walked towards Rose without a second thought.