"What's wrong? Are you worried that your mental strength isn't up to par?" Mu Qingyun chose to "play dumb," pretending that Xiong Ruoyou was worried about this, and patiently comforted her, "It's okay, after you get out of the second level, you can cultivate for a while longer."

Having said that, Xiong Ruoyou could only suppress her sadness and slowly nod, "Okay, thank you for your trouble, Diewu."

"It's nothing." Diewu pursed her lips, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

We're all smart people; how could a fox who's been around for a thousand years not know about Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio?

They see through it but don't say it out loud, and they won't think that Brother Mu is looking down on them. They will only think that it's because they are not capable enough.

This doesn't count as PUA. They are self-aware, and Brother Mu has already been very tactful in his words.

There's nothing I can do but practice more and improve myself in the future.

After traveling all night, just as dawn was breaking, another flock of geese arrived, flapping their wings.

The moment Mu Qingyun saw the wild geese approaching, she changed her mind.

He handed over Fan Xuanye, who was still in hibernation, and said, "Take him with you."

Fan Xuanye, in his dormant state, couldn't help, but he might wake up at any time.

If Diewu and Xiong Ruoyou leave them, in case they encounter any danger, they might be able to wake up Fan Xuanye and resolve any potential crises.

Furthermore, in her snake form, Fan Xuanye was very light; when she held her, it felt like a rope.

“Okay.” Diewu had no objections and gestured for Xiong Ruoyou to take Fan Xuanye.

"Xiao You, how much do you weigh when you turn into a bear?" Diewu looked Xiong Ruoyou up and down. Xiong Ruoyou had a good figure, slim where she should be and plump where she should be. She looked to be around 90 pounds.

However, if becoming a bear would make me thinner, then becoming a bear would be better.

Hearing her words, Xiong Ruoyou thought about it seriously, then shook her head, "If I turned into a bear, even a miniature version, I would still weigh about 100 pounds, which would be heavier than I am now."

"Okay." After asking the questions she wanted to ask, Diewu immediately hugged Xiong Ruoyou's shoulders, while Xiong Ruoyou was holding Fan Xuanye in her arms.

With flapping wings, the three people followed the flight of the wild geese.

Daylight will arrive soon. Although there will be a gray fog around her, she is a butterfly and is particularly sensitive to the sound of wings flapping.

Furthermore, at the altitude at which geese fly, they can vaguely see the sunlight. Geese determine their direction by relying on vision, aided by magnetic fields and infrasound.

As long as they can see the faint light of the sun, they will not lose their way.

As she watched Diewu and the others slowly shrink in her sight until they became a tiny dot, Mu Qingyun breathed a sigh of relief.

Before Butterfly Dance and the others had completely disappeared from sight, a layer of gray fog rose on the horizon, obscuring her vision and making it impossible for her to see anything.

"Do you want to leave first?" Mu Qingyun couldn't see where Kazel was, so she simply lowered her head and asked softly.

Kazel actually took a raw stone. If it weren't for the fact that he couldn't live without water in his fully transformed beast form, she would definitely have had Butterfly Dance take him with her.

"Of course...no."

Kazel sighed, shook his head as if feigning sadness, then realized that Mu Qingyun couldn't see him, so he simply said, "I'm leaving, and you'll be all alone."

“I’m perfectly fine on my own.” Mu Qingyun fumbled around and took out the blue raw stone.

Because Kazel had spoken earlier, she easily located his position.

He stuffed the raw stone into his hand and said, "Since the wild geese can leave, it means the exit should be easy to find and won't make things too difficult for us."

Kazel didn't take the rough stone she offered, but instead put it back in her hand, saying calmly, "Do you remember what I told you in the first trial?"

"..."

What did you say?

Mu Qingyun raised an eyebrow in confusion, "You've said a lot to me, which sentence are you referring to?"

“It’s the one where I say I like you.” Kazel turned to face Mu Qingyun. Since he couldn’t see her face, he didn’t need to pretend to have those expressions.

"I told you, I like you, and I wasn't joking, it was the truth," he said, his face expressionless.

But for some reason, Mu Qingyun's face appeared before his eyes.

The truth?

A hint of disgust flashed in Mu Qingyun's eyes. He clearly already knew that she had a boyfriend, so why did he still say such things?

"I already have a boyfriend, and we have a great relationship. We won't be breaking up anytime soon. I hate it when someone has a boyfriend and is still flirting with other people. Also,"

Mu Qingyun's eyes flashed with coldness, and she spoke without any mercy, "I hate third parties. If you have any self-awareness, you'd better put your mind to it."

Kazel was taken aback by Mu Qingyun's words. He paused for a moment, then chuckled softly, "I can silently protect you without asking for a response from you."

"There's no need for that, and I don't need it at all." Mu Qingyun frowned in annoyance, cutting off Kazel's thoughts at the source.

Retorted to this, Kazel opened his mouth, but for a moment he really didn't know what to say.

After a moment of silence, he coughed softly. "Isn't it unnecessary to be so ruthless? There's nothing wrong with having one more sycophant."

"It's not that it's bad, but I don't need it." After saying this, Mu Qingyun closed her eyes and began to rest, not wanting to say anything more.

She hates the term "simp".

Ever since she learned what that meant, she has experienced some physical discomfort.

How can someone who gives their all and has eyes only for one person be called a "simp"?

To do incomprehensible things for someone you like, to be so humble and lowly as to be reduced to dust, that can only be called brain-dead.

There is a clear difference between the two.

The term "simp" is insulting to her, and she feels it's unnecessary to use it to describe herself.

She simply couldn't understand the behavior of deriving a little pleasure from insulting oneself to make others laugh.

The conversation broke down, and Kazel stopped talking.

A day passed, and in the evening, Mu Qingyun opened her eyes and gave him the blue raw stone without saying a word.

"You can come if you want, and you can leave whenever you want. But if you still have this idea after our deal is successful, then let's not talk anymore."

She lowered her gaze and spoke firmly.

She had never experienced the feeling of loving someone but not getting a response, but she had seen it many times in the imperial harem.

Many girls fell in love with her after just one meeting and vowed to marry no one else.

Strangely enough, they may not have said a single word to each other, but all the concubines in her harem were hopelessly in love with her.

Every day, they rack their brains and scheme against each other to win her favor. Today she might be having dinner with the Noble Consort, but tomorrow the Noble Consort might be poisoned.

Some of these women, secluded in their chambers, went mad; some became poisonous; some, unable to obtain the love they desired, chose suicide; and some spent their lives with only the company of a Buddhist lamp and ancient Buddha.