The Inner World of Nalan Thirteen

If nothing unexpected happened, it was indeed that Abyssal Chapel from before.

"Xu Mu, don't make me angry. Take all these spirit stones. Your current realm is still very low, and you need treasures more than I do."

Nalan Shisan brushed her silver hair back. "Go back. I have other things to do from now on, so there's no need to come looking for me again."

"If I don't look for you, won't you be crippled? It won't be long before the Gu worms accumulate in your body again and block your meridians," Xu Mu said to Nalan Shisan.

"We'll talk about it when the time comes."

Nalan Shisan pointed at the spirit stones on the desert sand. "Hurry up and take them. Under normal exchange rates, three tons of spirit stones can be traded for three rank-nine natural treasures."

Xu Mu stared into Nalan Shisan's eyes; those unique eyes held a trace of sorrow.

"Sister Demon Queen, if I'm not mistaken, you've run into some trouble, haven't you?"

"No, what kind of trouble could I possibly run into?" Nalan Shisan smiled and shook her head.

Hearing her answer, Xu Mu looked a little surprised.

He had originally thought she would cry and complain, telling him she was in trouble and asking for his help.

He didn't expect her to bury this matter deep in her heart.

Xu Mu's respect for this Nalan Shisan grew a bit.

"Was it that person from just now? He threatened you."

As Xu Mu spoke, he sat on the pile of spirit stones nearby.

"No, this matter has nothing to do with you." Nalan Shisan waved her hand at Xu Mu. "Just go back."

"Nalan Shisan, the bond between you and me is far less than that between Fu Jinyu and me, but I still consider you a friend. If you really encounter any trouble, you can ask me for help."

After Xu Mu finished speaking, he hopped down from the spirit stones, his feet stepping back onto the ground. "There's nothing shameful about it. Doesn't Fu Jinyu care about her pride as much as you do? Yet when she runs into trouble, she doesn't hesitate to ask for my help."

Nalan Shisan pressed one hand against a spirit stone and remained silent, but Xu Mu's words truly moved her.

[Affection +20]

"If you have any trouble, just tell me directly. I don't like guessing women's thoughts."

With that said, Xu Mu turned to leave.

Nalan Shisan looked at Xu Mu's back. Her throat bobbed a few times before she finally said, "I'm jealous of Fu Jinyu. From the first moment I saw her, I've been jealous of her."

Hearing this, Xu Mu, who was a short distance away, stopped in his tracks.

"My talent is not inferior to hers, so why does she get to live so well? What exactly did I do wrong? Why does everyone target me?"

Nalan Shisan clenched her fists tightly. "When I was young, I tried hard to cater to everyone, willing to be a clown just to make them laugh, all for the sake of gaining their approval. Only later did I realize that the gap between people is even greater than the gap between humans and animals!"

"Xu Mu, I am not like Fu Jinyu. I've been very rational since I was a child. I don't dare to throw tantrums. No matter what I do, I first weigh what I have to offer."

Nalan Shisan looked at Xu Mu and continued, "Even if I want someone's care, I first think about what capital I have to make others care about me."

Hearing this, Xu Mu turned his head and asked, "Aren't you tired living like this?"

"Tired! Of course I'm tired! But this is just the kind of person I am. Fu Jinyu can ask you for help, she can lose her temper with you, and even act unreasonably towards you. Why? Because she has the capital to do so. She is the Empress of the Heavenly Demon Tribe, showered with endless love since childhood, and has never had to associate with monsters and demons."

At this point, tears were already falling from Nalan Shisan's eyes. "And what about me? I'm just a dirty, defective product that has been played with by others. That's all I am."

Xu Mu took a deep breath. He now completely understood Nalan Shisan's state of mind.

Ultimately, it was because that incident had dealt her too heavy a blow.

It had left an indelible shadow on her forever.

She didn't dare to extravagantly hope for others to treat her well, because she felt she didn't deserve it.

Xu Mu walked back to Nalan Shisan and forcefully pulled her into his embrace. "You shouldn't think that way."

Nalan Shisan's body stiffened. Feeling the warmth of being cared for, the emotions that had piled up in her heart over the years were finally released.

She cried loudly in Xu Mu's arms, her tears rolling down her cheeks and falling onto him.

From the time Nalan Shisan had memories up until now, she had never exposed her truest emotions.

If it were any normal day, she wouldn't have expressed them either.

But today, a change had occurred in her heart, because she was going to die.

No one knew better than her the terror of the Abyssal Chapel.

This organization gathered all the experts in the world who had suffered unfair treatment.

They had wanted criminals, unaccepted lunatics, and homicidal maniacs.

It brought together people of all races and various species.

The overall strength of the Abyssal Chapel could even rival the legendary Salvation.

With just Nalan Shisan alone, she was completely unable to contend with them.

She hadn't been in contact with anyone from the Abyssal Chapel for six or seven years.

She originally thought they had forgotten about her, not expecting them to find her so accurately.

Nalan Shisan knew she couldn't possibly fight against such an existence. To her, this was an outcome of certain death.

Perhaps it was precisely because death was approaching that Nalan Shisan let out all her previously suppressed emotions.

From birth, she was called a half-breed by the Jiuli Tribe and targeted in every possible way.

Later, she was rescued by the then-patriarch of the Heavenly Demon Tribe, who was also Fu Jinyu's father.

In the Heavenly Demon Tribe, she likewise suffered dirty looks, bullying, and beatings at every turn.

Eventually, she managed to escape the Heavenly Demon Tribe. To avoid being found, she fled abroad.

During a fight over a natural treasure, she was almost killed.

However, it was then that her talent caught the eye of the people from the Abyssal Chapel.

Since then, she had been risking her life for the Abyssal Chapel. In return, due to the constant baptism of life and death, her cultivation realm rapidly improved.

Later, the Abyssal Chapel planted her back in the Dragon Kingdom to act as an informant.

From then on, she began her revenge against both the Jiuli Tribe and the Heavenly Demon Tribe.

It could be said that she had always lived in a world of negativity, but upon meeting Xu Mu, she couldn't help but feel that he was different.

Especially when she saw him hand over such precious natural treasures to Fu Jinyu without any hesitation.

This was something she couldn't understand.

She envied Fu Jinyu for meeting this man. She too wanted to be cared for by someone, to be kept in someone's heart.

"Stop crying. I told you before, that wasn't your fault. I've never looked down on you because of it, and I believe most people would feel the same way."

Xu Mu gently patted Nalan Shisan's back.

[Affection +50]

Nalan Shisan gradually pulled back from Xu Mu's embrace. Her crimson irises, along with her sclerae—one black and one white—were less than five centimeters away from Xu Mu's eyes.

Accordingly, Nalan Shisan's lips were also less than five centimeters away from his.

Looking into those eyes, Xu Mu instinctively leaned back.

Even though it was a very slight movement, Nalan Shisan still caught it.

She revealed an incredibly sorrowful smile. "Heh, I knew it. Deep down, you think I'm disgusting. Why bother lying to yourself..."

Before Nalan Shisan could finish her sentence, her lips were sealed.