At first, Mu Yuan maintained the appearance of a gentle senior brother.

But perhaps the environment was too relaxed, or perhaps his status as an injured person gave him an excuse to act recklessly, and he gradually began to reveal his true colors.

Unleash your long-suppressed flamboyant side!

"Junior sister, this spiritual tea seems a bit too strong; it's so bitter it's hurting my wounds..."

He held the teacup, his brows furrowed slightly, his tone aggrieved, but his eyes sparkled as he looked at Zixi.

Zi Xi glanced at him silently, then picked up the teapot and added some warm water for him.

"Sigh, the weather today is so unpredictable, sometimes cold and sometimes hot. My injury keeps aching, I'm afraid it's flaring up again from that old ailment..."

Mu Yuan, his clothes disheveled, leaned against the couch, revealing large expanses of skin on his chest. He looked frail and sighed repeatedly.

Zi Xi remained silent for a moment, then got up and went inside to fetch a clean, thin blanket, which she handed to him.

"Little Xi'er practices swordsmanship so diligently, unlike me who is injured and can only waste my time here now..."

He looked at Zixi practicing her sword not far away, his eyes filled with admiration.

Zi Xi ignored him, continuing her sword practice without stopping, as if she hadn't heard a thing.

He was like a little fox who finally found a chance to show his soft belly, but couldn't help scratching Zi Xi with his paws from time to time, trying every possible way to attract her attention.

At the same time, he was testing her limits and enjoying the feeling of being taken care of by her.

Zi Xi remained silent most of the time.

But her silence was not coldness or rejection, but rather... a habit she had developed since childhood.

She still couldn't see through his disguise to his true purpose, but she could clearly sense the occasional sincerity in his eyes.

One afternoon, Mu Yuan leaned lazily against the bamboo couch, watching Zi Xi quietly wiping her sword beside him.

The bamboo forest was quiet, with only the rustling of the wind through the leaves and the soft sound of cloth wiping the sword.

"Xi'er, do you think I'm too cunning and calculating, making me seem scary and a complete hypocrite?"

Mu Yuan suddenly spoke, his voice losing its usual frivolity and carrying a rare seriousness.

His question came suddenly, even carrying a hint of self-deprecation and anticipation.

Perhaps it was because his period of recuperation had made him lower his guard, or perhaps he had subconsciously begun to care about what the woman in front of him thought of him.

Zi Xi paused slightly as she wiped the sword.

She raised her eyes and turned to look at Mu Yuan.

Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the bamboo leaves, casting dappled shadows on his handsome face.

Those fox-like eyes, which always held a smile, were now devoid of frivolity, only filled with clarity.

She remained silent for a moment, seemingly deep in thought about his question.

“Senior brother, scheming is not hypocrisy if it is used for protection. You did not do wrong in cleaning up the sect this time.”

"In the future, Senior Brother will naturally need to be shrewd and calculating to support the sect. Senior Brother doesn't need to care about other people's opinions."

Then she lowered her head again and continued wiping the longsword, her voice calm and clear, reaching Mu Yuan's ears.

Zi Xi didn't directly answer whether he was scary, but gave an unexpected answer.

She fully approved of his calculations, attributing them to his motivation to protect.

This was the first time she had so positively and clearly acknowledged his actions.

Mu Yuan was stunned.

He anticipated that she might coldly deny it, or even remain silent.

But I never expected her to say something like that.

Is his scheming also a form of protection?

This was the first time he had ever heard such words.

A feeling of joy welled up in his heart.

It turns out that, in Xi'er's eyes, his scheming was not something she found repulsive.