**Chapter 167: Crow Group**
Despite the effort being thankless, Mu Jixue found herself treating Yun Zhonghe nicely for no reason—she felt like a cat who licked its owner.
Suddenly, her little face flushed red.
She… was definitely not like that! She just didn’t want little Yu to feel sad or hurt. Besides, Yun Zhonghe was so dense it made her want to pull her hair out! As his friend, she couldn’t help but worry.
She was not a cat who licked!
If only Yun Zhonghe would listen to her a bit! Why didn’t he believe her when she said Qin Hongye was dangerous?
As Mu Jixue thought about this, her tightly clenched fists slowly relaxed.
Her frustrated expression suddenly became complicated—almost regretful.
“Little Yu.”
“Xue’er, what’s up? Just say it.”
“I…” Mu Jixue bit her lip, her gaze turning shy, “I… seem to understand how Yun Zhonghe felt back then.”
“Eh?”
The topic change left Lin Zhongyu momentarily baffled.
Mu Jixue felt an emptiness inside her.
When Yun Zhonghe was solely focused on being nice to her and little Yu, didn’t she doubt him too? Always questioning and suspecting? Yet, he never complained or got angry.
But he was human too—he must have felt as helpless as she did back then.
Clearly both were trying for each other’s sake, putting in effort and action, yet neither understood the other. That feeling…
So uncomfortable.
At that moment, Mu Jixue felt Yun Zhonghe’s past feelings deeply and regretted it immensely.
He had done far more than she realized, and she had no right to expect him to accomplish what she hadn’t.
If one truly cares and protects, it shouldn’t depend on getting anything back.
In that instant, it seemed like Mu Jixue understood something, her expression turning peaceful.
At the same time, she became resolute.
To Lin Zhongyu, she suddenly seemed to exude a different aura—more composed.
The awakening of her heart and the growth in character made her look taller, no longer matching her petite physical stature; she had taken a step forward internally.
This gradual growth was undeniably charming.
“Xue’er, you…”
Seeing her best friend suddenly mature a bit, Lin Zhongyu felt somewhat lost—was it Mu Jixue who figured something out?
However, Mu Jixue smiled breezily and looked at Lin Zhongyu: “Little Yu, I’m fine now, really.”
She indeed seemed much lighter in spirit.
Lin Zhongyu sighed in relief, thinking that’s great.
Earlier, seeing Mu Jixue storm off on the spirit boat, she thought she was going to revert back to old ways. It seemed she truly was keeping her promise.
The child has grown a bit.
Of course, as long as she matures in character, her body can stop developing—Lin Zhongyu would feel the pressure!
But on the bright side, as Mu Jixue gradually matures, once she stops being awkward, Yun Zhonghe should get attracted and might just want to take things further.
But when that time comes, how would she fit into their dynamic? She only had soup dumplings…
Lin Zhongyu’s gaze involuntarily fell to Mu Jixue’s chest, her envy almost spilling over.
In fact, it wasn’t just Mu Jixue; every woman on this spirit boat had a figure to flaunt. Tao Jiu’er and Qin Hongye were heavyweight contenders.
Why was fate so unfair? Why couldn’t it just throw in some flat-chested characters? At least then she wouldn’t feel so lonely, or like she was out of place.
“No, no, no, what am I thinking?”
Lin Zhongyu shook her head, dismissing her wild thoughts.
It seemed with Mu Jixue’s growth, she began to feel anxious, worried that her charm was lacking.
“Little Yu?”
While Mu Jixue’s own feelings seemed to have settled, she noticed Lin Zhongyu acting strangely, but she couldn’t quite grasp what was troubling her friend.
Lin Zhongyu steadied herself, her expression returning to normal as she shook her head: “I’m fine. Xue’er, let’s hurry back to the inn; we can’t keep Yun ge waiting.”
“Alright.”
Mu Jixue readily nodded, feeling thoroughly refreshed.
She would definitely move Yun Zhonghe with her sincerity!
“Oh? This place… feels a bit strange?”
However, just as Mu Jixue was about to turn back with Lin Zhongyu, she felt that the atmosphere in the forest was off.
Lin Zhongyu was oblivious, mumbling, “What’s strange about it?” But Mu Jixue narrowed her eyes, her protagonist intuition kicking into gear.
In the next moment, a flock of birds suddenly took flight from the west side of the forest.
Bad omen!
“Little Yu, we need to hurry back; this place isn’t safe…”
Before Mu Jixue could finish her sentence, she spotted a large black crow suddenly swooping into the lake where they stood.
The crow was massive, almost the size of a large dog, its beak smeared with bl**d, dangling a fresh piece of meat—eerily unsettling.
Its eyes glowed a bl**d-red, emanating a sinister light.
The moment the crow’s eyes met Mu Jixue’s, it bolted toward her like it had just snorted some crazy stimulant.
Mu Jixue’s gaze locked in.
This crow was definitely wrong—like it was possessed—its body wrapped in a strange aura making her instinctively recoil. So, she subconsciously unleashed the power of Extreme Cold, erupting a blast of icy air that froze the crow into a statue.
“What’s up with this crow? Why’s it so huge? It’s just a regular crow, right?”
Lin Zhongyu immediately drew her sword, shifting into a battle stance.
She noticed this crow seemed to have no cultivation level, just an ordinary bird—it had just emitted some weird energy that felt threatening.
Mu Jixue shook her head; she wasn’t sure what was happening either. They couldn’t risk staying any longer; they had to reunite with Yun Zhonghe.
Without hesitation, they exchanged glances and prepared to make their exit, but just then, behind them, a dark swarm of crows erupted from the depths of the woods…
……
Meanwhile, at the inn, Yun Zhonghe and company were busier than a bee.
Qin Hongye and Tao Jiu’er headed off to book rooms, with Qin suggesting they settle in for the night. After all, though her spirit boat was large, there weren’t that many rooms for five people—it made more sense to stay at the inn.
Besides, they weren’t in a rush; better to rest well.
However, the inn was bustling with customers today, all rooms fully occupied. To impress Yun Zhonghe, Qin was gearing up to leverage her ‘money-arm’ skills, negotiating with other guests to vacate a room.
Meanwhile, Yun Zhonghe was tasked with sorting out food at the tavern.
Suddenly, he felt something and paused, his gaze drifting toward the forest where a flurry of birds was taking off.
He felt an unsettling premonition.
“Is that white-haired loli not back yet?”
It was just a case of running out of spiritual energy and feeling queasy on a boat, not like she was pregnant—she should be okay after a bit of fresh air.
Had she been gone too long? What if something happened?
