0155 Someone's Conjecture

Moumou gave Huanluo a distant look that clearly communicated, "Don't worry, I will definitely not lose the initiative." Huanluo returned a look that said, "It's fine, I trust you, just go ahead and watch." Receiving Huanluo's authorization for diplomacy, Moumou maintained the posture of a seasoned diplomat and nodded slightly toward Huanluo. Xi, on the other hand, wore a puzzled expression as she watched these two humans communicate entirely through the air, momentarily at a loss for words.

Just as Xi was still looking bewildered and wondering what she could do to ease the awkwardly frozen atmosphere, Moumou suddenly placed both hands on Xi's shoulders. In an instant, she switched from the "wise mode" she had used to converse with Huanluo into her "goofy mode," looking at Xi with tear-filled, sorrowful eyes. "I confess everything, I'll be completely honest, I'll spill all the details. Where would you like your esteemed self to start listening? How about we talk while walking, eat while walking, and look for a place to sleep along the way?"

Xi was startled by Moumou's sudden closeness, but seeing the sincere expression on Moumou's face, she did not refuse. Standing in one place just to chat wasn't getting them anywhere anyway, so Xi nodded in agreement.

Along the way, Moumou utilized virtually every ounce of acting skill she possessed in her lifetime to vividly and emotionally recount the turbulent journey of her life to Xi. Of course, since Moumou's body had already been fifteen years old when she first arrived in this world, everything had to start from that point. She described how she had struggled to survive and make a living in various places within this completely unfamiliar world; how she had taught herself to identify and use medicinal herbs and wild berries just to stay alive; how she had figured out a clumsy, makeshift cultivation method of her own; and how she later managed to find work at the Grant family, why she became a wanted fugitive, and how she came to Ikasia and met Huanluo. She spoke of how many obstacles she had overcome just to reach this forest, and just how important the little girl Liangyin—who occasionally had a venomous tongue and frequently displayed neurological bouts of forced cuteness—truly was to her, and so on and so forth. Apart from omitting Lance's story, the fact that she was a time-traveler, and the sensitive parts involving Huanluo's parents, the thoroughness and speed with which Moumou unloaded her life story left Huanluo, who was quietly foraging for ingredients nearby, completely tongue-tied.

"Is that so?" Xi led Moumou and Huanluo toward a place suitable for camping for the night, gathering ingredients with one hand while listening to Moumou's endless chatter. Such complex multi-tasking didn't seem to bother her at all. She kept opening those blinking, amber-colored eyes wide, listening with a smile to Moumou's heavily edited yet exceptionally sincere and detailed tale. "So Huanluo used to be a general? That's amazing."

"Indeed, though for now she can no longer swing a sword," Huanluo said. Since Moumou had already revealed so much, Huanluo naturally saw no point in being coy about it now. She simply took the initiative rather than remaining passive. "Actually, I do have a selfish motive for coming to this forest this time. I heard that the Night Ghosts might have a way to resolve my murderous aura problem."

"Ah, yes, they certainly do," Xi admitted with a smiling, amiable expression. "In other words, you two have two main objectives in coming here to find the Night Ghosts: first, to rescue Liangyin, and second, to find a way to help Huanluo neutralize her murderous aura."

"No, actually we have a third objective," Moumou said, more decisively than anyone. "But explaining this purpose is very troublesome, so I don't want to talk about it right now. Anyway, none of this causes any loss to the Night Ghosts, I guarantee it."

"I understand. I'll think carefully about how to help you two," Xi said, smiling as she tightly hugged the ingredients she had managed to gather, appearing thoroughly satisfied with Moumou and Huanluo's candor. "Let's walk just a little bit further ahead. There's a small area that serves as our clan's hunting ground with no large magical beasts roaming about. We'll set up camp there for tonight~"

"No problem, we'll leave it all to you," Moumou said, patting Xi's shoulder with one hand to signal her trust, while using the other hand to pull Huanluo over and pass all the ingredients Huanluo was holding directly to Xi. "Little Luo and I will go find some meat to eat. Little Xi, you go ahead to the campsite and rest first. It would be even better if you could start a fire for us along the way."

Xi made no objection to Moumou's request and walked gracefully toward the direction of the campsite.

Only when Xi's figure gradually faded from view in the dense forest did Moumou release the hand she was holding. Huanluo didn't seem surprised at all; she relaxed, tilted her head to stretch her neck, and casually asked, "Alright, spill it. What was all that about just now? You gave away every single detail."

Moumou grasped Huanluo's hand with tearful eyes and wailed, "You reacted so well back there! I really thought you understood me."

Huanluo shrugged with an "I didn't understand at all" expression and waited for Moumou to explain.

Moumou had no choice but to let her shoulders slump, drop her joking demeanor, and speak to Huanluo with a serious expression. "Here, Little Luo, try sensing the direction Xi just walked off toward."

Huanluo didn't say another word. She closed her eyes and carefully focused on sensing Xi's aura. Although Xi's unique fragrance and aura blended almost seamlessly with the forest, they had only just spent a considerable amount of time together, so their perception of each other's presence was still fresh. Relying on the keen instincts she had honed over many years on the battlefield, she should easily have been able to trace Xi's aura... Wait. Even though Xi hadn't walked very far away, Huanluo was astonished to find that she could no longer sense any trace of Xi's aura whatsoever, as if this person had never existed there in the first place.

"Well? You couldn't find it, right?" Moumou said with absolute certainty to Huanluo. "I couldn't find it either. Xi isn't using any kind of magical or physical barrier to shroud herself. Based on my deductions, there's a strong chance she is fundamentally one and the same with this forest."

Huanluo stood quietly by the side without interrupting Moumou's speech at all, only nodding whenever Moumou paused to signal her to continue.

"Do you know about the tribal system of the Night Ghosts?" Moumou continued. "Back when I was in Cyrenia, I happened to come across a record about the Night Ghosts in an ancient book. Although some descriptions of the Night Ghosts in it were utter nonsense, the majority of it was grounded in fact, especially regarding their social structure..."

The Night Ghosts were a group of humans who worshipped nature and power—at least they used to be human; how they eventually developed pointed ears and deep brown skin remains a mystery. Authority within their tribe is divided into two parts. The power to manage the daily affairs of the Night Ghosts is held by the chieftain, while matters concerning the overarching survival and development of the entire race are managed by each successive generation of the Nature's Proxy, known as the Witch.