Mu Long knew he had treated Mu Xin poorly, but he had never realized it was so obvious. Now, hearing Mu Xi's words, he thought of Mu Xi's previous "torment" towards him, and a sense of fear arose within him.
However, some things couldn't be agreed to immediately. Just like how he felt about Mu Xin, if he didn't like someone, he simply didn't. Even if it was his own child, he still held that thought.
In short, he didn't know how to answer.
Mu An Xiao watched Mu Long's hesitant expression, then glanced at Mu Xi, who had made the request, and couldn't help but say, "It's just a simple answer, why is it so difficult?"
Mu Long looked at Mu An Xiao and remained silent.
Mu An Xiao frowned.
Feng Qi Shi glanced at Mu An Xiao and said, "Mu Xin is your biological daughter. It's just a request, you don't need to think about it so much."
Yue Ci: "Exactly. If you don't want the child, give her to me."
Upon hearing this, Mu Long's heart sank. He turned to look at Yue Ci, "..."
Seeing Mu Long looking at him, Yue Ci's lips curved: "What are you looking at me for? If you agree, I'll go to your wife's room right now and take the child. Honestly, your daughter is indeed beautiful. Don't worry, with me, she'll become even more beautiful. From now on, I'll be her father. In the future, I'll watch her get married. Ah, just thinking about it is wonderful." He was immersed in his own imagination.
Mu An Xiao looked at Yue Ci's face lost in his imagination and clicked her tongue, "Don't get your hopes up. I guarantee her mother won't agree."
Hearing this, Yue Ci withdrew his smile and looked at Mu An Xiao dismissively, "Ugly freak, what business do you have here? If you want to be my daughter, I don't want you either."
"You're not much better looking yourself. Honestly, you're uglier than the ghosts outside. No wonder no woman likes you," Mu An Xiao retorted.
"You..."
"What about you? If you call me ugly again, believe it or not," Mu An Xiao interrupted, "I'll rip your mouth apart."
Yue Ci snorted.
Mu An Xiao saw Yue Ci's disdainful look and clenched her fists. Just as she was about to rush forward, Feng Qi Shi grabbed her arm, "Ignore him, look." He pointed at Mu Xi, who was narrowing his eyes at Mu An Xiao.
Immediately, Mu An Xiao followed Feng Qi Shi's finger and looked at Mu Xi's face, frowning. "What are you looking at me for?"
"Take him away, leave me behind," Mu Xi arranged for himself.
Mu Long's eyes widened.
Mu An Xiao's mouth twitched as she heard this, and she looked at Hei Feng.
To her surprise, Hei Feng deliberately turned his face away.
Seeing this, Mu An Xiao said angrily, "Hei Feng, what do you mean?"
Hearing this, Hei Feng chuckled twice and turned back to Mu An Xiao, "Honestly, I'm just a soul. I'm only responsible for assigning you tasks. As for anything else," he spread his hands, "it's really not something I can control."
"You..."
"Don't look for me," Hei Feng turned his back.
Mu An Xiao felt bitter.
Feng Qi Shi: "Why do you have to do this?" He had the thought of sharing Mu An Xiao's burden.
However, Mu An Xiao didn't want Feng Qi Shi to get involved in this matter, so she deliberately reached out and grabbed his arm.
Feng Qi Shi was startled by Mu An Xiao's sudden pull, "What are you doing?" He lowered his head and stared at Mu An Xiao's face.
Mu An Xiao looked up at Feng Qi Shi and smiled, squeezing out a sentence through gritted teeth, "Don't concern yourself with this."
Mu An Xiao did this to avoid giving Mu Long any ammunition. Also, Mu Xi had only just begun to show some humanity. If Feng Qi Shi spoke in his favor, Mu Xi would surely feel awkward. If he then became uncooperative, all her efforts would be in vain.
She thought that Hei Feng had the same idea, which was why he chose to avoid the situation.
Feng Qi Shi looked at Mu An Xiao's eyes and heard her imperfect words squeezed through her teeth. He covered his mouth, indicating he wouldn't say more.
Mu An Xiao understood Feng Qi Shi's meaning and turned to Mu Xi, "What do you think?"
"Since he's unwilling to treat Mu Xin well, I'll take care of her myself. Is that alright?" Mu Xi said righteously.
Mu An Xiao pursed her lips and smiled, "How is it not alright? I think it's very problematic. This body originally belongs to him, and you've already agreed to return it to him. Doing this now," she tried her best to remain patient with Mu Xi, "isn't it inappropriate?"
Mu Xi: "I gave him two requests, and those two requests were so simple, yet he couldn't fulfill them. What does that indicate?" he said to himself, "It indicates that he has given up."
Mu Long felt wronged, "I haven't."
Immediately, Mu Xi's gaze shot directly at Mu Long's face, "You shut up."
Mu Long was afraid of Mu Xi and lowered his head.
Mu Xi glared fiercely at Mu Long, then turned back to Mu An Xiao, "This is my thought."
"..." Mu An Xiao knew her words might not be pleasant to hear. She looked at Mu Xi and gave a few silly laughs before saying, "I think, you..."
"Mu Xi, you're pushing your luck," the old man interrupted, unable to bear it any longer.
Hearing this, Mu An Xiao was taken aback and turned to look at the old man who had walked forward, her expression constipated.
The old man completely ignored Mu An Xiao and stood opposite Mu Xi.
Mu Xi: "Mu Yu, what business do you have here?" He narrowed his eyes.
"You..."
"It seems you've forgotten me," Mu Xi suddenly said.
Mu Yu froze and stared directly into Mu Xi's eyes.
Mu An Xiao was stunned by this.
Mu Xi smiled, "We both have the surname Mu. You are ninety-one years old this year. You used to play with me back then. Have you forgotten?"
"You?"
"If we count by generation, you are my younger brother. But you are clearly older than me. Back then, you always said... don't call me brother. You were almost thirty then, weren't you?"
"Mu An Xiao, Mu Xi, you two... are his sons."
"He..." Mu Xi laughed, "It seems you've forgotten who my father is."
The old man's eyes flickered.
Mu Xi: "However, speaking of which, I don't remember what my father looked like. You, I remember clearly, but it was only after I used your body that I recalled."
Hearing Mu Xi's words, Mu An Xiao suddenly remembered that Mu Xi used to always tell her about someone named 'Mu Yu'. Whenever he spoke of that person, he couldn't stop laughing. Mu An Xiao would also laugh along with Mu Xi.
Now that she thought about it, she wondered why Mu Yu's name sounded familiar. It seemed her memory had been awakened.
"Release my son," the old man said in a low voice.
"Back then," Mu Xi smiled, "you bullied me quite a bit."
"Those things are ancient history, I've long forgotten them," the old man's eyes darted away, seeming unwilling to admit his relationship with Mu Xi.
Mu Xi: "You may not remember, but I do. Perhaps it was... too lonely, or perhaps..." He suddenly stopped.
Mu An Xiao looked at Mu Xi's strange behavior and then at the unharmed old man and Mu Long. She understood in her heart... he was probably just trying to scare them?
Therefore, she said nothing more.
The old man: "Please, release him, please."
Mu Xi sneered, "If I release him, what about Mu Xin?"
"Mu Xin..."
"Let me tell you the truth, since we're both in this situation," Mu Xi said, looking at Mu Long, "your daughter had a connection with me in her past life. I want her to have a good life in this life. If you don't agree, I won't leave."
"What?" Mu Long clearly couldn't accept this reality.
Mu An Xiao blinked her eyes, as if this matter had nothing to do with her.
Feng Qi Shi was dumbfounded after hearing Mu Xi's words.
Yue Ci smiled, "I can actually treat her well." He was interested in Mu Xin.
Hearing this, Mu Xi turned to look at Yue Ci, "You are an immortal."
Yue Ci nodded, "I am an immortal, specializing in capturing monsters. If Mu Xin follows me, I'll teach her skills. If she wants to become an immortal in the future, I can fulfill that. If she," he was too deep into his role and started to sob, "wants to get married, I'll find her a good husband. In short, she is now my daughter."
Mu Xi: "..." He withdrew his gaze and looked at Mu Long.
Mu Long saw Mu Xi looking at him, his eyes sinking, "I'll listen to you."
Yue Ci clicked his tongue, "You keep lying, Mu Xi. He's definitely tricking you." He stared directly at Mu Xi.
However, Mu Xi didn't look at Yue Ci and continued to stare at Mu Long, "Are you serious?"
"Yes, those two requests weren't difficult. I will definitely treat her well. She is my daughter," Mu Long said, his gaze shooting directly at Yue Ci, who wanted to snatch his daughter away, "I would never give my daughter to an outsider."
"I've already thought of my daughter's name, Yue Shi." Yue Ci had completely immersed himself in the role of a father.
Mu An Xiao and Feng Qi Shi looked at Yue Ci, who was eager to take Mu Xin away, and cleared their throats in unison.
Hearing this, Feng Qi Shi was startled and immediately turned to look at Mu An Xiao, smiling, "We have quite good chemistry."
"..." Mu An Xiao gave Feng Qi Shi a look of disgust and shifted her gaze back to them.
Mu Long: "It sounds awful."
Yue Ci: "How is it awful? I think it's beautiful. My name is Yue Ci, and my daughter's name is Yue Shi. What poetic names, much better than Mu Xin."
"You..."
"I am an immortal. Didn't you want to give your daughter away? If I take her, it's a blessing you've cultivated over three lifetimes. You should be happy," Yue Ci interrupted.
Mu Long's expression was constipated.
Then, Yue Ci shifted his gaze to Mu Xi's face, "If it's possible, I'll take her to cultivate immortality. How about you?" He had understood Mu Xi's words and wanted to use them to get Mu Xi on his side.
Mu Xi: "..." He looked at the old man (Mu Yu).
The old man understood Mu Xi's meaning and said, "She is my great-granddaughter, the bloodline of our Mu family. You..."
"She's a girl. When she gets married, she'll be someone else's woman. Besides," Yue Ci said righteously, "isn't your family quite patriarchal? Why are you pretending to be a good person in front of Mu Xi now."
"You... presumptuous."
"Presumptuous?" Yue Ci looked at the old man's attempt to scare him and laughed, "I am an immortal, you are a human. If anyone is to be called presumptuous, it's me. It's because of people like you that there are so many pitiable women. You dare to say these things to me? Are you worthy?"
"Mu Xin is my great-granddaughter. I cannot bear to see her live such a life of doom with you. You don't think of taking her away," the old man glared at Yue Ci.
Yue Ci was not intimidated by the old man's gaze and sneered, "Now you know the danger, but it's probably too late."
The old man's eyes widened. Mu An Xiao, hearing Yue Ci's increasingly excessive words and seeing Mu Xi seemingly helping Mu Xin find a suitable candidate, said, "Yue Ci, what you're doing is perhaps a bit selfish."
Hearing this, Yue Ci looked at Mu An Xiao, "Haven't you seen how biased they are? And you're telling me off."
"I have seen it, but I also see," Mu An Xiao said, "Mu Xin's dependence on her mother. Moreover, in her eyes, you are just a stranger, while this scoundrel is her father." She glanced sideways at Mu Long.
Mu Long frowned.
Mu Xi shifted his gaze to Mu An Xiao.
Yue Ci: "Yes, but as long as we get familiar, I will be her only one."
"You are her only one," Mu An Xiao sneered, "You say that as if you gave birth to her after ten months of pregnancy."
Yue Ci's face stiffened, "Are you trying to ruin me like this?"
"Do you think Mu Xin is living a miserable life?" Mu An Xiao deliberately interjected.
Yue Ci clicked his tongue, but still replied, "Yes, I just feel my daughter Yue Shi is too pitiful."
"You shut up," Mu Long roared.
Yue Ci completely ignored Mu Long and continued to stare at Mu An Xiao.
Mu An Xiao: "But she feels very happy. She will only feel," she also realized that Mu Xin was very similar to her past self, so she began to recount her own thoughts at the time, "that her parents are busy and can't take care of her. As for her brother, it's just because he's young. Seeing her brother being cared for, she also feels a sense of having been cared for in the past. Of course, she also knows that her parents never treated her that way, but she will self-anesthetize, and give herself half of whatever her parents' care for her brother."
Yue Ci pursed his lips, "My daughter is too pitiful."
Mu An Xiao looked disgusted, "Don't you think you're too immersed in the role?"
Yue Ci wiped his dry eyes with his hand, "This is my genuine feeling."
"..." Mu An Xiao expressed her disdain and inadvertently looked at Mu Xi, who was looking at her, then averted her gaze.
Mu Xi didn't want to say too many touching words to Mu An Xiao in front of them, so he just watched her quietly.
Feng Qi Shi heard Mu An Xiao's words and understood her past. He lowered his head and looked at Mu An Xiao, feeling heartache for her.
After hearing Mu An Xiao's words, Mu Long couldn't help but recall the details of how he had treated Mu Xin over the years, and his heart sank, "I am an incompetent father."
Wolf Demon: "Daughters are meant to be doted on, sons are meant to be disciplined. You, on the other hand, have it backward. Aren't you afraid your son will become a sissy in the future?"
Mu Long remained silent.
Mu An Xiao looked at the Wolf Demon, who usually disliked interfering in mortal affairs, and said nothing.
Seeing Mu An Xiao looking at him, the Wolf Demon deliberately turned his face away.
Immediately, the old man said, "Actually, I regret it quite a bit." As he spoke, he glanced at the Wolf Demon, who had been looking down on them since they arrived outside the door.
The Wolf Demon glared at the old man and said nothing.