"Impossible."
"Do you want her dead that badly? Do you want to hurt yourself so much?"
"There must be a truth to everything!"
"...."
"I know, Xiang Nang told you about Gu An's past. It's disgusting how you're imitating her."
"I'm imitating her?" Mu An Xiao pointed to herself, a laugh escaping her lips. "Gu An and I share one soul. Though this soul has had different experiences, I am still her, and she is still me. To say that about me is too absolute, isn't it?"
"Get out."
"I'm not leaving," Mu An Xiao took half a step back. "My thoughts are not to be controlled by Xiang Nang. Earlier, I was encouraging you purely because I didn't want you to refuse me. Who knew you wouldn't fall for my act? Fine then, I'll stay and tell you my true feelings about you."
"Go on. I'd like to see what you have to say," Shen Xian stared coldly at Mu An Xiao.
"You're a coward. A coward who only lives in the past and is afraid to face the future. Do you think you look cool like this? In my opinion, *you're* the disgusting one."
"Say that again if you have the guts," Shen Xian clenched his fists.
Mu An Xiao's eyes flickered. "I don't have the guts to repeat it. Anyway, that's what I think."
"You..." Shen Xian's wrist, which Mu An Xiao had grabbed, suddenly throbbed with pain. He tightened his fists slightly and gritted his teeth. "Mu An Xiao, don't push your luck."
"I'm not. I'm just telling the truth."
"You..."
"Just shut up," Mu An Xiao mustered her courage, stepped forward, and pointed a finger at Shen Xian's wrist.
Shen Xian frowned.
Mu An Xiao: "I heard from Xiang Nang that you took good care of me in my past life, so it's only right that I take care of you now."
All of this, Mu An Xiao had read in the immortal texts.
While she hadn't read all of their experiences, from the lines of text, she could tell that Shen Xian had been incredibly good to Gu An, so good it astonished her.
"...." Shen Xian.
Mu An Xiao glanced at the silent Shen Xian. "The bleeding has stopped. Come with me." Saying this, she gently took Shen Xian's hand.
Shen Xian flinched. "Let go."
"Stop with the nonsense, let's go," Mu An Xiao, still holding Shen Xian's hand, walked towards the round table.
Moments later, Shen Xian was seated at the table.
Just like before, Mu An Xiao re-bandaged Shen Xian's wound.
This time, Shen Xian remained silent.
Mu An Xiao then tied off the bandage and released his hand. "There. You need to rest well."
"I don't need to."
"You don't?"
"I'm going out again tonight. You'd best not stop me."
"I've said what I needed to say. You still want to go out?"
"Yes, I must..."
"If you go again, you will die."
"Die?" Shen Xian snorted. "What is there to fear in death? I've endured the suffering of prison; what is death?"
"How can you speak so irresponsibly? Do you think you're so capable? The only reason you're here is because of Gu An. Without her, you'd be dead already. To put it bluntly, Gu An saved you. Your life is a gift from Gu An before she died."
"What do you mean by that?"
"I mean, Gu An was a demon. If she wasn't a demon, do you think you could be here?"
"What do you mean by 'my life is a gift from Gu An before she died'?"
"...." Mu An Xiao suddenly realized she had misspoken. She hesitated for a moment. "That's just my opinion. Anyway, I think you shouldn't be so careless with yourself."
"You don't want me to die?"
"No."
Shen Xian looked up at Mu An Xiao, staring for a few seconds. "My life belongs to me. What I do with it is none of your business."
"...."
"Get out."
Shen Xian's stubbornness was something Mu An Xiao had anticipated.
So, she lowered her head to look at Shen Xian's wrist. "Just now, when the wound on your wrist reopened, you were in so much pain. If you go courting death tonight, it won't just be your wrist that tears open. All your wounds will split, old and new combined. Just thinking about it is painful."
"It has nothing to do with you."
"Shen Xian, I have no right to lecture you, but I have to ask, even if you know the truth, what will you do?"
"....."
Mu An Xiao looked down at the silent Shen Xian and continued, "Could it be that you want to bring her back to life?"
Resurrect?
Mu An Xiao hadn't said it, but Shen Xian hadn't thought of resurrecting Gu An until now. As she mentioned it, he looked at her face. "If it were possible, I would do it."
"Huh?"
"I," Shen Xian stood up, "If it were possible, I would do that."
At this moment, Mu An Xiao couldn't understand Shen Xian's words.
But from his eyes, she saw a chilling intensity she couldn't fathom. Swallowing hard, she took half a step back and asked, "What do you mean by that?"
"If you don't want to die, get out."
"I..."
"Scram."
Upon hearing this, Mu An Xiao's eyes darkened, and she turned to leave.
And so, the mission failed again.
In the room, after Mu An Xiao closed the door, Shen Xian sat down.
Then, recalling Mu An Xiao's words and his own sudden thought, he let out a cold laugh. "They've all reincarnated. How can they be resurrected? Mu An Xiao, are you an idiot?" He lowered his head as he spoke.
In the kitchen, Feng Qi Shi stood by the stove, placing food onto a tray. "Do you want to deliver it, or should I?" he asked, turning to look at Xiang Nang.
Xiang Nang: "Let's wait." She seemed lost in thought, glancing towards the kitchen door.
"Alright," Feng Qi Shi agreed. As he turned back, Mu An Xiao returned.
Mu An Xiao's face was dejected. "I failed."
Feng Qi Shi sighed and turned towards Mu An Xiao. "Did you say something to provoke him again?"
Mu An Xiao walked towards Feng Qi Shi, glancing at Xiang Nang in the process. "I didn't do anything much, it's just... he insists on acting tonight."
Feng Qi Shi was surprised. "He's going out in that state?"
"I couldn't dissuade him. It was too hard to persuade him," Mu An Xiao said, her gaze drifting towards the food behind Feng Qi Shi. "Did you make this?"
"Mm-hmm."
"Let me try."
Mu An Xiao, about to step forward, was pushed back by Feng Qi Shi's arm. "No, this is for Shen Xian."
"Let me just taste it."
"No."
"Why not?" Mu An Xiao tilted her head up, looking at Feng Qi Shi helplessly.
Feng Qi Shi: "This is prepared for Shen Xian. Do you think it's appropriate for you to eat it?"
"Why wouldn't it be appropriate? I'll just have one bite," Mu An Xiao held up her index finger. "Just one bite."
Xiang Nang asked, "Why are you so greedy?"
Originally, Feng Qi Shi and Xiang Nang hadn't spoken to her, but with their words, Mu An Xiao suddenly became curious about Feng Qi Shi's cooking skills.
Immediately, she said, "I'm hungry."
Feng Qi Shi frowned.
Xiang Nang turned to Feng Qi Shi. "She really hasn't eaten much."