You actually came back alive?

Ji Yan raised her head, staring at Xuan Ye with sullen dissatisfaction, and complained, "And you! When they were snatching the egg, why didn't you step in to help me? If you had made a move, they wouldn't have been able to escape at all!"

"Please, that matter has zero to do with me. Why should I get involved?" Xuan Ye shrugged indifferently, casting his gaze toward the distance.

Knowing precisely what Xuan Ye meant, Ji Yan questioned him without a trace of hesitation, "Did you deliberately let them go?"

Startled, Xuan Ye suddenly turned his head and froze for a moment.

Seeing his reaction, Ji Yan became even more certain of her deduction!

"Are you still dwelling on what happened back then?" Ji Yan dared to ask. Seeing Xuan Ye suddenly fall silent, clenching his jaw without a word, an inexplicable fury surged from the depths of Ji Yan's heart. "You wanted to let them go, leaving them free to find that talisman master, so that you could go seek an explanation for what happened back then?"

"..."

"Enough, Xuan Ye! How many years has it been? Some things should just be forgotten! Why be so obsessed?"

"Shut up! If you don't understand a single thing, keep your mouth shut! Just watch your egg properly. If you dare flap your jaw again, see if I don't smash it to pieces!"

For some reason, upon hearing these words, Xuan Ye burst into a towering rage. He glared fiercely at Ji Yan, as if reprimanding her was an everyday occurrence.

It was always like this... No matter what happened, Xuan Ye would invariably take his anger out on Ji Yan, never once caring about her feelings.

"You... you only ever know how to snap at me!" Still kneeling on the ground, Ji Yan bit her lip. She had already been left in an utterly wretched state by those two humans, yet Xuan Ye showed her not a shred of sympathy or comfort, treating her with his habitual reprimands.

And this time was no exception.

The more Ji Yan thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt, until she finally collapsed onto the ground and sobbed unrestrainedly.

Hearing these abnormal sounds, Xuan Ye hesitated for a moment, then turned his head.

The next second, he froze!

Crying... she was crying?

This guy was actually crying? And crying with such a pitiful grievance!

Seeing her weeping like this, Xuan Ye was instantly speechless, not knowing what to say. His heart finally softened; casting aside his cold indifference, he slowly walked over to Ji Yan.

"Alright, alright, stop crying, you silly girl. What's the big deal? So your core essence was stolen, is it really worth crying like this?" Xuan Ye squatted down, gazing softly at Ji Yan's tear-streaked makeup, a trace of unprecedented tenderness flashing across his expression.

"You don't understand how I'm supposed to cultivate without my core essence! That woman is truly going too far! She's recovered her cultivation abilities, but what about me? Am I supposed to be the useless one for her? I don't care! Even if she escapes back to the mortal realm, I'm going to dig her out! I'm taking back my core essence!!"

"…You mean you plan to descend the mountain?! Have you lost your mind?"

Xuan Ye's eyes widened in shock. One had to know that Ji Yan had spent all these years living in seclusion deep within the mountains and forests, barely ever seeing any humans. If she went down the mountain and mingled in the mortal realm, there was no telling what kind of colossal disaster she might cause!

"I don't care! I'm going down the mountain to get my core essence back! And I'm going to exact revenge on that woman! How dare she treat me like this... I'll tear her to pieces!"

"Stop acting crazy, Ji Yan! You don't know about that woman... that woman... her soul is actually a fox!" Unable to endure Ji Yan's willful and impulsive nature any longer, Xuan Ye hurriedly issued a warning.

Upon hearing this, Ji Yan was utterly dumbfounded. "What did you say? Her soul is..."

"...A fox!" Xuan Ye explained helplessly. He had to remind this idiot of a sister that this entity of unknown origin and identity was not someone to be trifled with lightly!

He had thought that telling Ji Yan this would make her somewhat cautious, but unexpectedly, upon hearing this information, Ji Yan flew into an even greater rage: "Me, a dignified Snake Emperor, actually had my core essence stolen by a fox?! Oh my god! This is the ultimate humiliation! It's too much... She's actually a fox! I was actually robbed by a fox..."

Seeing that Ji Yan's emotions were even more agitated than before, Xuan Ye completely surrendered. He had originally intended to calm her down, but it had backfired entirely, causing Ji Yan to now be bent on exterminating that fox at all costs, regardless of its background or why it had possessed a human.

"How about this? Neither of us holds the other back. You don't oppose me going after that fox, and I won't oppose you taking revenge for the past. Let's both go down the mountain together, how about that?"

"..." Unexpectedly, Ji Yan's mind was already made up.

"Just agree, I'm begging you, brother~" Seeing that Xuan Ye remained unresponsive, Ji Yan grabbed his hand and shook it persistently.

"→_→ Well, this is truly a rarity, Ji Yan. Not calling me husband this time?"

"I won't call you that anymore! If you agree, I'll only call you brother from now on!"

"You said it yourself! Don't embarrass me in front of humans when the time comes!"

"I won't, I won't! Absolutely not! Don't you worry, brother."

Seeing Ji Yan acting so obediently, Xuan Ye genuinely found it a rare sight. The corners of his lips curved upward slightly. "...Deal!"

...

Meanwhile, after Ming Xi used the talisman to return to Shi Zhiyan's residence, she suddenly felt a sense of coming home!

It hadn't been easy, but she was finally back! She swore she would never go to that ghostly place again!

"→_→ You really had a tough time, thief-girl, actually making it back alive?" Seeing her return, Shi Zhiyan showed no excessive warmth. Instead, leaning against the doorway, he unleashed his usual sharp-tongued banter.

Hearing the underlying mockery in his words, Ming Xi felt quite stifled. He was clearly sneering at the fact that she had narrowly escaped by relying on the Spirit-Devouring Beast he had sent. If not for the Spirit-Devouring Beast this time, she and Xiao Tong might have completely perished in the snake cave!

Though feeling somewhat stifled, Ming Xi had to admit that after a mere two days apart, she had actually missed him a little.

"Stop acting so aloof! Weren't you just waiting for me here the whole time? Otherwise, how did you calculate that we'd return at this exact hour?"

"→_→ Who was waiting for you? I just happened to be here enjoying the scenery."

"Hey, you've really had enough. No wonder the Spirit-Devouring Beast has such a nasty temper—turns out it has a master like you!"