Chapter 251: A Joke

“Little Xi,” she spoke in a raspy voice, her throat exceptionally dry due to her recent self-harm and emotional agitation.

Mu Xi did not respond, merely staring out the window.

Ye Lan reached out, wanting to touch her, but her fingertips stopped just before they reached Mu Xi’s long silver hair.

She ultimately withdrew her hand, leaning against the back of the sofa in dejection. 

‘Everything has returned to the starting point, or rather, it never changed. I thought I tore off the disguise, only to find I was just spinning in place. And Mu Xi, my Little Xi, is still that little girl wrapped in layers of mist.’

Ye Lan closed her eyes, feeling the bursts of stinging pain from her cheeks and forehead. 

She needed to treat the wounds, but at this moment, she only wanted to stay quietly by Mu Xi’s side.

Even if beneath this peace lay a bottomless abyss.

Mu Xi’s hand, resting on her knee, curled almost imperceptibly.

The chip in her brain issued faint commands regarding obedience, inducement, and obtaining blood. 

But another more blurred and surging emotional undercurrent was churning in the depths of her heart.

She looked at the silent Ye Lan beside her, looking at the wounds on her face.

Then, she spoke softly, breaking the silence, “Does it hurt?”

Mu Xi’s voice was very light, like a feather brushing against the tip of the heart, yet it possessed a strange piercing power that stabbed directly into Ye Lan’s chaotic thoughts.

The soft lights inside the car outlined Mu Xi’s exquisite profile, her silver hair flowing and making her skin appear even more snow-white.

Those jewel-like eyes were currently clearly reflecting the miserable state of Ye Lan’s face.

‘Does it hurt?’

Ye Lan did not know how to answer. 

‘If I say it hurts, will it make Little Xi feel guilty? She just showed a tiny bit of genuine emotion; I don’t want to push her away again.’

‘But saying it doesn’t hurt would be too fake.’

The skin on her forehead and cheeks burned with pain; the sensation of the torn flesh remained vivid.

A deeper pain originated from the helplessness and bitterness in her heart.

She remained silent, her phoenix eyes swirling with complex emotions that eventually dissolved into a nearly inaudible sigh.

Mu Xi seemed to see through her hesitation. 

She lowered her long eyelashes slightly, concealing the flicker of emotion in her eyes.

The instructions from the chip rang in her mind, cold and rigid, urging her to utilize Ye Lan’s vulnerability to obtain the “nourishment” she required.

But beneath those instructions, something was breaking through the soil.

Like a deeply buried seed, it finally felt a faint glimmer of light after a long time in the darkness.

“Sorry,” Mu Xi spoke again, her voice even lower than before. 

“I was the one who… requested you to do that. It was my fault.”

Her apology was light, carrying a sense of unreality, as if she were merely executing a program.

Yet Ye Lan captured a trace of genuine regret within it — faint, but enough to make her heart tremble.

“No,” Ye Lan countered immediately, her voice tinged with urgency, “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have… shouldn’t have continued after you pleaded for mercy…”

Her words caught in her throat.

‘How could I do such a thing to Mu Xi?’

‘Even if she asked for it, even if I was blinded by darkness and desire at the time.’

‘A hurt is a hurt.’

Silence fell over the car once again.

There was only the subtle sound of gravel outside the window and the low hum of the air circulation system.

Ye Lan looked at Mu Xi’s slightly curled fingers on her knee and her pale face; her heart almost stopped beating.

In that suffocating silence, Mu Xi suddenly looked up. 

In those beautiful eyes, the mist seemed to have cleared somewhat, revealing a strange light.

She gave a soft smile.

The smile was very shallow, yet it was like a stone thrown into stagnant water, instantly breaking the frozen atmosphere.

“Actually…” Mu Xi tilted her head, her silver hair sliding down her shoulder, “I still liked it quite a bit.”

Ye Lan was stunned.

Mu Xi continued, her tone so calm it was almost eerie, “Perhaps I will have this kind of request again in the future. I hope you…”

She paused, seemingly weighing her words, “Don’t take the opportunity to beat me to death.”

Hearing this, Ye Lan was first taken aback, and then a mixture of laughter and tears surged within her.

‘What is going on in my Little Xi’s head?’

Ye Lan suppressed the bitterness and worry in her heart, forcing a somewhat raspy smile, “What nonsense.”

She reached out, and this time, her fingertips finally landed gently on Mu Xi’s silver hair, feeling the cold, silky texture.

“Next time…” Ye Lan’s voice was very soft, carrying an unprecedented tenderness, “it might be you beating me.”

Mu Xi blinked, seemingly not understanding.

Looking at her bewildered expression, Ye Lan’s heart softened further as she continued, “I owe you too much, Xi’er. This life… the next life… for all eternity, I could never repay it.”

Those days and nights of wandering, those bone-deep pains, those promises she failed to keep… each and every one of them weighed on her heart, so heavy she could hardly breathe.

She had thought she was providing Mu Xi with sanctuary, yet she had also personally pushed her into another abyss.

Mu Xi listened quietly without speaking.

She seemed to feel the heavy emotion in Ye Lan’s words, even as the cold instructions of the chip surfaced again: ‘Utilize her guilt.’

Then, she suddenly remembered something.

“Ye Lan,” she called her name, her voice becoming a bit clearer, “Let me tell you a joke.”

Ye Lan was somewhat surprised but still nodded, “Alright.”

Mu Xi cleared her throat and began to speak in a flat, expressionless tone.

“Once upon a time, there was a very powerful hunter. His marksmanship was exceptionally accurate, and his archery was also excellent. One day, he went hunting in the Forest and saw a rabbit.”

“He raised his bow and arrow, taking aim. The rabbit was terrified and shouted, ‘Don’t kill me! I am a Rabbit Immortal! If you kill me, you will face retribution!'”

“The hunter paused and asked, ‘What retribution?'”

“The rabbit said, ‘In your next life, you will become a rabbit, and then you will be hunted by a hunter as powerful as you!'”

“The hunter thought about it and put down his bow.”

Mu Xi paused here, looking at Ye Lan.

Ye Lan was listening intently, waiting for the rest.

Mu Xi continued in that same toneless voice, “The hunter said, ‘That would be wonderful! In my next life, I only want to be chased by a powerful hunter. Being chased by an idiot is far too boring!'”

The story ended.

The car was silent for one second.

Then, Ye Lan suddenly burst into a fit of laughter.

She laughed so hard she doubled over, which caused the wounds on her face to throb with pain, and physiological tears even leaked from the corners of her eyes.

“Pfft… Hahahaha… What kind of terrible joke is that!” Ye Lan laughed as she wiped the tears from her eyes. 

“Little Xi, where did you hear that from?”

Mu Xi looked at Ye Lan’s joyful expression, and the mist in her eyes seemed to clear a bit more.

She herself didn’t think the joke was particularly funny, but seeing Ye Lan laugh, something in her own heart seemed to gently unfurl.

“I don’t know. I was probably born with it,” she said softly, her voice carrying a trace of imperceptible nostalgia.

“Born with it?” Ye Lan’s laughter paused for a moment before she started laughing again. 

“Could it be something you brought over from your previous life?”

The awkwardness, pain, and tension from not long ago seemed to be gently brushed away by this sudden burst of laughter.

Those heavy topics and untouchable scars were temporarily cast to the back of her mind.

A strange, fragile sense of warmth permeated the car.

Ye Lan looked at Mu Xi, watching her eyes widen slightly because of her laughter, and seeing a tiny hint of a smile finally grace Mu Xi’s lips.