Yue Ran, to avoid being influenced by Mu Qi, shielded his surroundings and fought the Flood Dragon with all his might. He had just ascended to the Golden Core stage and needed to consolidate his realm; combat was the best method. The Flood Dragon was a suitable opponent, and he was confident he could defeat it.
"Let's go. There's no point in staying here. They're all pitiable." Mu Qi turned away. Yue Ran would have no friends, nor would he. Of course, neither would Ze Fang. They were all freaks, and freaks didn't need friends.
However, he hadn't walked far when he saw Xiao Man rushing back from a distance. A little bear cub stood on his shoulder, looking very imposing. It lost its balance and tumbled towards the ground. Xiao Man reached out, caught it, and placed it back on his shoulder.
Mu Qi stopped and looked at Xiao Man, who had returned. "Where did you go?"
Xiao Man looked at Mu Qi with a bewildered expression. Did she need to report her whereabouts to him? He looked like a jilted bride. If anyone saw him, they'd suspect she'd been unfaithful.
"There were some matters to attend to. We can't let people casually pick the fruits of our labor anymore." Xiao Man looked at the rising barrier and a smile curved his lips. "We're eating this dragon today!"
Yue Ran's battle with the Flood Dragon had attracted many curious onlookers. However, they were trapped outside the barrier, unable to enter.
Mu Qi watched the scene and smiled inexplicably. "You snuck out just to set up a barrier to prevent outsiders from snatching our spoils?"
"What else?" Xiao Man retorted. "If you don't learn from your mistakes after being tricked once, aren't you just preparing a wedding dress for others for nothing?"
Mu Qi immediately quickened his pace to Xiao Man's side and walked alongside him. "Xiao Qin, can you be my friend?"
"Do you know what a friend is?"
"A friend is someone you eat, drink, and have fun with."
"That's called a fair-weather friend. Such friends are friends when you're successful but nothing when you're down," Xiao Man said unhurriedly. "If you consider such people your friends, you'll soon have no friends."
"What kind of friend is a true friend?" Mu Qi asked curiously. "I have many friends. I just need to beckon them, and they'll come to my side immediately."
"Why do they come to your side?"
"I give them pills."
Xiao Man nodded. "So, they are friends with you because of the pills you have. If one day you run out of pills, or can no longer refine them, will these people still come to your side and help you?"
Mu Qi was silent for a moment, then slowly shook his head. He knew he didn't have a single true friend. That's why, when he saw Yue Ran and Xiao Man getting along well, and Xiao Man wholeheartedly protecting him, he was consumed by jealousy.
"True friends aren't friends with you because you can refine pills or artifacts. They become friends with you because of who you are, perhaps because you share similar ideals, appreciate your character, or even admire you. They won't stop being friends with you if you lose a survival skill, nor will they shun you when you're in trouble."
"How do I know if they are true friends?" Mu Qi asked doubtfully.
"Just go through some hardship, and you'll know who your true friends are," Xiao Man said meaningfully. Only in times of adversity can one truly discern who is a friend and who is a foe.
"Xiao Qin, do you have many friends?"
"Not many. Only a handful of true friends."
"Will true friends betray you?"
"That, I cannot answer," Xiao Man said frankly. "People tend to seek advantage and avoid harm. I can't guarantee that I am the most important person to my friends, so I also can't guarantee that they won't betray me. But I can guarantee that I won't betray myself."
"Yourself?"
"Yes, myself." Xiao Man clenched his fist and gently pounded his chest. "I will not betray my own heart, nor will I betray my principles."
Mu Qi pondered Xiao Man's words carefully. If he followed his heart and stuck to his principles, would he have friends?
"What if I still have no friends?"
"An aspiring youth with bottom lines, principles, and great ability will surely attract those with similar qualities, and they will become friends," Xiao Man thought to himself. Mu Qi seemed like a spoiled young master, merely lonely, wanting many friends to accompany him in eating, drinking, and having fun, to dispel his loneliness and solitude.
"What if I have very few friends?"
"To have one confidant in a lifetime is enough."
"One confidant in a lifetime?" A strange light flashed in Mu Qi's eyes. That was right. Because of his status, he had many people around him, but who truly considered him a friend? If he weren't the young master of the Mu family, if he didn't have the talent for alchemy, would those people still befriend him?
"Xiao Qin, why are you friends with Yue Ran?" Mu Qi asked, puzzled. In his understanding, Yue Ran had a twisted personality and was prone to anger. Everyone around him had been beaten by him, so Yue Ran always went his own way. Of course, Ze Fang also went his own way, but that was because he was strong enough to do so. Yue Ran, however, had no one willing to accompany him.
"He's very much to my liking," Xiao Man said with a smile. "I don't know why, but even though it's the first time I'm seeing him, I inexplicably feel like I've met him somewhere before. Perhaps that's what they call kindred spirits." Sudangenshu.com
"You became friends just because you felt a sense of familiarity?" Mu Qi found it incredible. "Is becoming friends that simple?"
"Becoming friends is inherently simple. You're overthinking it," Xiao Man said softly. "There's a simple principle for friends: get along if you click, part ways if you don't. There's no right or wrong."
"I don't understand."
"You will."
"Junior brother, many people have come outside the barrier. It's fortunate you were so prescient and set up the barrier beforehand, otherwise, these people would have come to take advantage of us again."
"It's about time. Let's go help Yue Ran, take down this Flood Dragon, and then have a Flood Dragon feast!"
The Flood Dragon, believing it was only half a step away from becoming a dragon and could easily deal with these humans, unexpectedly encountered the fearless Yue Ran, the mischievous Xiao Man, and behind them, the bewildered but unquestioning Bai Chen and Mu Qi. The Flood Dragon, so close to becoming a dragon, once again suffered a great defeat!
The Flood Dragon was no match and desperately tried to escape. However, the barrier Xiao Man had set up prevented outsiders from entering and insiders from leaving. For the first time, the Flood Dragon regretted chasing out of the Extreme North Swamp. It was just its egg that was stolen; why did it have to chase after it? If the egg was gone, it could lay another. Now, it had lost its life, and with it, everything.