Xia Yi looked at the completely exhausted and soundly asleep Mu Xi, and he couldn't help but smile wryly — this wasn't necessarily a good thing.
After planting a gentle kiss on both their foreheads, Xia Yi wrapped his left arm around Mu Xi and his right around Lan Fozi, and then drifted off to sleep as well.
"Damn you, Xia Yi! That was Xi'er's first time? Bastard!" Outside Mu Xi's room, Yuan Bao'er stood fuming, her eyes red. She was furious — it was already bad enough that her precious daughter had to compromise for Xia Yi.
But Xia Yi didn't even give Mu Xi a complete first-night experience.
Didn't he know how meaningful a girl's first time was?
As Mu Xi's mother, Yuan Bao'er knew better than anyone how much her daughter loved Xia Yi. She had caught Mu Xi staring blankly at his photo on more than one occasion.
She had tried introducing Mu Xi to many outstanding young men to help her move on, but Mu Xi had turned them all down.
Had it not been for how much hardship she knew Mu Xi had endured, Yuan Bao'er would've stormed in and given Xia Yi a good beating for involving another woman on her daughter's first night.
"Xia Yi, that scoundrel... completely outrageous. How dare he treat Xi'er like that. Just wait till he comes out, I'll teach him a lesson myself!" Seeing Yuan Bao'er's frosty expression, Mu Chen gritted his teeth in support, immediately standing in solidarity with her.
"Yes, yes! Exactly!" Zhen Hua chimed in quickly.
Feeling Yuan Bao'er's towering rage, the men shrank back, clearly intimidated.
"And you two have the nerve to speak? If it weren't for you, would Xia Yi have treated Xi'er this way?" Yuan Bao'er instantly turned her anger toward Mu Chen and Zhen Hua, her eyes red as she scolded them. "You always say how much you care about Xi'er, but when it really matters, you don't help her — worse, you push Xia Yi into venting his frustrations on her. Just keep clinging to your so-called legacy and wait for Xi'er to hate you both for life!"
"Madam, you don't need to be this angry." Watching Yuan Bao'er seethe, Ya Li couldn't help but interject, "I know Xia Yi quite well. Though the Forging Association has wronged him, he would never take that out on Mu Xi."
"If it's not because of the Forging Association, then why did he treat Xi'er like this? Don't tell me he just purely wanted a threesome, sleeping under the same blanket with both of them? I never realized he was this shameless. Men really are all the same." Yuan Bao'er became even more enraged by Ya Li's words, her fists clenched tightly.
If she had known Xia Yi was this kind of man, she would never have allowed Mu Xi to be with him.
"You're not being entirely fair. I believe Xia Yi was actually trying to be considerate. He probably didn't want to be too rough on Mu Xi since it was her first time, which is why he had Lan Fozi stay with them," Ya Li said, glancing at Zhen Hua and Mu Chen.
She gently moved her lips, and a message enveloped in her Spirit Domain spiritual power was transmitted into Yuan Bao'er's mind.
"Impossible..." Yuan Bao'er's eyes widened in disbelief.
"So now you understand why he had Lan Fozi there, right?" Ya Li asked calmly.
"…Forget it, I don't want to think about it anymore." Yuan Bao'er took a deep breath and turned to leave.
Mu Chen and Zhen Hua were left utterly confused.
They were both curious about what Ya Li had whispered that instantly calmed the furious Yuan Bao'er.
Mu Chen didn't know that Ya Li had chosen to use sound transmission precisely to avoid hurting him — if she said it aloud, it would have been too much for him to bear.
Meanwhile, at the Spirit Pagoda, Leng Yaozhu formally announced the destruction of the Holy Spirit Cult.
Ghost Emperor and the other senior leaders of the cult had all been sealed of their cultivation and dumped at the ruins of Shrek Academy and the Tang Sect, forced to kneel and repent.
After handling everything, Leng Yaozhu dialed Xia Yi's soul communicator."I've discovered something — related to the leader of the Holy Spirit Cult. Come back, we need to talk."
"What is it? Something about the Demon Emperor?" Xia Yi froze.
"It's too complicated to explain over the soul communicator. Just come back, and I'll tell you everything." Leng Yaozhu's voice was heavy.
"Alright. I'll be there." Xia Yi nodded.
"What's going on?" Lan Fozi, now awake from the noise, asked.
"It's about your mother. We need to go back to the Spirit Pagoda." Xia Yi furrowed his brow — whatever it was, it must be urgent for Leng Yaozhu to contact him like this.
"My mother? Alright!" Upon hearing it involved the Demon Empress, Lan Fozi immediately got up to help Xia Yi wash and dress. After both were ready, Mu Xi finally woke up groggily.
"You're leaving?" Mu Xi asked upon seeing Xia Yi already dressed. She tried to get up, but a sharp pain forced her to lie back down.
She wasn't like Lan Fozi. Though Lan Fozi had also been worn out the night before, she had recovered after a good rest.
But Mu Xi… it would be impossible for her to even get out of bed anytime soon.
"Careful!" Xia Yi gently helped Mu Xi sit up, his voice soft. "Yaozhu asked me to return to the Spirit Pagoda. Do you want to come with me, or wait here at the Forging Association? I'll come back for you once I've handled things."
"You're leaving right now?" Mu Xi bit her lip.
"Mm." Xia Yi nodded. "If it weren't something urgent, Yaozhu wouldn't be contacting me."
"I'll go with you. But what if the Heavenly Phoenix doesn't like me?" Mu Xi lowered her head nervously.
She still remembered how Leng Yaozhu had once tried to break her and Xia Yi up.
And after what happened this time…
Xia Yi might not mind, but what about Leng Yaozhu?
She was truly afraid that the Demon Empress wouldn't like her.
"No matter if she approves or not, I'm never leaving Xia Yi again," Mu Xi silently vowed, biting her lip.
Xia Yi understood what she was worried about. He gently pulled her into his arms. "Don't worry. Yaozhu's very understanding. Among all the fire-attribute soul masters in the soul master world, she's one of the top. You're also a fire-attribute soul master — once we get to the Spirit Pagoda, you could even train under her."
"Alright. Let me get dressed and say goodbye to Mom, then I'll go with you," Mu Xi nodded. She knew she couldn't avoid this forever. She couldn't hide from Leng Yaozhu her whole life.
"I'll help you." Knowing Mu Xi still couldn't move well, Xia Yi brought her clothes and helped her get dressed, then carried her on his back to find Yuan Bao'er.
Lan Fozi didn't follow — she waited outside for Xia Yi and Mu Xi.
"If only things could stay like this forever…" Mu Xi lay on Xia Yi's back, a bright smile blooming on her face.
"Don't make it sound like I'm about to abandon you." Xia Yi gave her pert bottom a firm smack, feigning annoyance.
"Eek! That hurt~" Mu Xi let out a soft yelp.
"Next time I'll be more careful. Heh heh!" Xia Yi chuckled as he carried her to Yuan Bao'er's room.
A disciple from the Forging Association was already waiting outside, clearly expecting them. "Miss, the Divine Craftsman President has returned and resumed leadership of the Forging Association. Master Craftsman Mu Chen is heading back to Shrek City to manage the local branch, and your mother left with him and the Divine Spirit Lord."
"In that case, let's just go to Shrek directly," Mu Xi said to Xia Yi.
"You're not going to say goodbye to your Master Uncle?" Xia Yi frowned.
"No." Mu Xi turned her head coldly. "He can just guard his Heavenly Forging Technique for all I care."
Even knowing Xia Yi's identity now, she was still resentful that Zhen Hua hadn't passed the Heavenly Forging Technique to him.
But more than that, she was worried things would be awkward between Xia Yi and Zhen Hua right now.
Rather than that, she preferred to visit Zhen Hua alone next time she returned to the headquarters.
"That's fine too." Xia Yi nodded, and after finding Lan Fozi, the three of them left the Forging Association.
Once outside, Xia Yi switched from carrying Mu Xi on his back to holding her in his arms. His battle armor wings spread from his back, and Lan Fozi summoned hers as well. Together, the three turned into streaks of light heading toward the Spirit Pagoda headquarters at Shrek Academy.
(End of chapter)