Equivalent Exchange

The delayed introduction was finally over. The two sides politely stood up and bowed to each other. Although to Moumou this was merely a straightforward meeting between friends, to Huanluo, the Uncle, and Junyan, it was a momentous and formal encounter. However, before the bowing gesture could be fully completed, it was abruptly interrupted by Moumou’s sharp voice.

"Hold on... that's not right. I refuse to believe that the two of you share only such a simple relationship. Surely you didn't brave hardships and risk your lives to travel all the way to the Southern Forest just to discuss some dark history of the Night Ghosts?" Moumou demanded, her suspicion evident in the furrow of her brow and the posture of her crossed arms. "I simply don't believe it. Spill the beans right now!"

Moumou’s rapid-fire questioning left both Junyan and the Uncle momentarily stunned.

However, the Uncle quickly recovered. He looked at Moumou with a smile, wearing the benevolent expression of a proud parent watching their child grow up. "It seems the little girl has not only improved her strength, but her wits as well. Not bad at all, definitely praise-worthy." Despite his words and his usual warm, grandfatherly smile, the Uncle had no intention of answering Moumou's question. He remained as unshakeable as a great Buddha statue, letting Moumou’s suspicious gaze sweep back and forth over him while he stood firmly rooted to the spot.

Seeing that this approach was getting her nowhere, Moumou instantly shifted her target. Her nimble eyes darted toward Junyan, and she began signaling him with her gaze to answer her question. The double pressure from Moumou and her teacher forced Junyan into a heavy sweat. After a long silence, he could only offer Moumou a helpless, apologetic look, indicating that he stood firmly on his teacher's side.

Moumou was rendered momentarily speechless. In her mind, she transformed her glares into invisible daggers, mercilessly hacking Junyan to pieces. Junyan seemed to sense Moumou mentally cursing and slandering him, but all he could do was sigh. Whether back at his own estate or now in the territory of the Night Ghosts, he somehow never seemed to have a good way of dealing with Moumou and Liangyin. These were two people he wanted so desperately to protect, yet they had been forced into hiding and branded as criminals on his own family's turf. When it came down to it, it was because he was useless and in the wrong from the beginning. Now, even if he wanted to actively pry some information out of Moumou, he didn't even know how to broach the subject.

At this thought, Junyan swallowed back the question about Liangyin's whereabouts that had been lingering on the tip of his tongue. On one hand, he feared that asking would turn the verbal sparring match between Moumou and his teacher into a one-sided affair. On the other hand... perhaps it was guilt. He simply lacked the standing to ask that question.

Seeing his beloved disciple silently bowing his head, the Uncle knew exactly what Junyan was struggling with. In this young man's heart—a heart that usually remained completely indifferent whether he was doing business, building connections, attending various social functions, or watching the power of his own older sister and father gradually get hollowed out under his control—there was a very soft spot. It was just large enough to hold precisely three people: one was the grace of a teacher, the second was friendship, and the third... well, he probably hadn't even figured out what kind of emotion that was yet.

Once he was pitted against these people, Junyan was truly helpless.

"Let's trade," Moumou said, unwilling to waste any more time here, choosing instead to lay her cards on the table. "You give me what you know in exchange for what I know. Neither side loses, and both sides get answers. How about that?"

She paused, then added, "I know what you're hesitating about, and I presume you know what I'm hesitating about. All I can say is that despite being separated for so long, I've always felt grateful to Junyan and you, Uncle; I've always considered you friends. The situation I'm facing right now is extremely urgent, and I really don't have time to waste here. If you don't mind, I'll tell you everything I know first. After I'm done, you can decide whether my story is worth the exchange."

Huanluo was slightly dazed upon hearing Moumou's words, but considering their current predicament, they truly had no better way out of their current dilemma. Thus, after a brief moment of stupefaction, Huanluo completely agreed in his heart with Moumou's proposal of an "exchange."

Having received Huanluo's affirmative look, Moumou hardened her resolve. She stared into Junyan's eyes and recounted the events of her journey as concisely as possible. Of course, this was the abridged version. The story began right from the time she and Liangyin encountered Huanluo in the forest. Afterward, Huanluo had brought the two of them—along with an inexplicable man who had suddenly appeared—back to Arcadia. During this period, Huanluo's killing intent went berserk, but no one expected that the man was actually a traitor from the Beast clan. Following that, Arcadia suffered defeat after defeat. For reasons unknown, the beasts' frenzy had advanced ahead of schedule, and Marshal Li Yi and his wife Xia Kui unfortunately died in battle due to misjudgments on the battlefield. Ever since then, Huanluo's berserk killing intent had spiraled completely out of control.

During this time, Liangyin had volunteered to go to the Southern Forest to fetch reinforcements in order to help Arcadia's warriors, but she had vanished without a trace afterward. Arcadia fell. Moumou and Huanluo simply could not rest easy knowing Liangyin was missing and unaccounted for. Moreover, with the White Tower Kingdom in utter turmoil over the fall of Arcadia, it was unlikely anyone would care about Liangyin's life or death. Consequently, Moumou and Huanluo came to the Southern Forest, hoping to find Liangyin and simultaneously discover a way to cure Huanluo's berserk killing intent. To their surprise, they were abducted by Xi and inexplicably placed under house arrest within the Night Ghost encampment. Their reason for proactively seeking out Junyan and the Uncle now was merely to gather a bit more intelligence to regain the initiative, never expecting to run into old acquaintances by sheer coincidence.

"Is that everything?" The Uncle asked, still looking somewhat unconvinced after listening to Moumou's narration.

Moumou didn't quite understand what the Uncle was trying to imply, so she silently retraced the events in her mind. Aside from the matter concerning the traitor, which she preferred not to elaborate on, there truly wasn't anything left that urgently needed explaining. Therefore, Moumou nodded affirmatively, indicating that she had told them everything.

Junyan's reaction was much more intense than the Uncle's. He jerked his head up, his voice rising considerably louder than before: "You mean Liangyin is here too, and she's been locked up?"

"That's right. I believe Xi wouldn't lie to me about something like this; there's no benefit in it," Moumou replied. "It's just that I honestly don't know which corner Liangyin is locked in. Usually, there are Night Ghost guards stationed around that building to watch my and Huanluo's movements, making it completely impossible for us to get out. Forget about searching for people; even catching a glimpse of the sunrise is difficult. The strange thing is that today those Night Ghosts suddenly withdrew, which is why Huanluo and I took the risk to come and gather information."

"Junyan." Junyan seemed to want to ask something more, but he was sternly cut off by the Uncle. "I know both you and the girl are eager to find Miss Liangyin, but panicking won't help right now. We still need to get our stories straight first."

Jolted by the Uncle's shout, Junyan instantly regained his composure. He offered a wry smile, made an apologetic gesture toward Moumou, and retreated to the side to collect his thoughts. Huanluo cast a rather strange look at Junyan, his lips parting slightly, but in the end, he said nothing. The entire room fell into an instant silence.