Reason

After finishing her analysis, Zhang Lexuan leaned back against the chair, arms crossed over her chest.

Her already slender and perfect figure was outlined even more strikingly by this unintentional movement.

It was a pity that the only youth present was currently lost in deep thought, with no heart to admire the view.

Sigh, this sister is truly not easy to fool.

I only revealed a tiny bit of information, yet she was able to follow the correct line of reasoning.

This is troublesome...

Just as Ning Huan was struggling with this, Zhang Lexuan took the initiative to make a concession.

"Judging by your expression, you likely cannot reveal any more inside information, so let's end this topic here."

As her voice fell, she leaned forward, tightly gripping a handkerchief to wipe away the beads of sweat that had unconsciously trickled down his forehead.

Her words and actions were incredibly considerate and gentle, making it impossible not to feel a surge of goodwill.

"I am more curious now: why did you take the initiative to bring up the topic just now?"

"In my view, pretending to know nothing and waiting for me to leave on my own would have better served your interests."

"You surely understand the principle of watching the tigers fight from the mountain, don't you~"

"Uh..."

Ning Huan hesitated for a moment upon hearing this.

Looking at the woman before him, whose eyes were smiling but whose attitude allowed for no questioning, he had the distinct illusion that his little schemes had been seen through.

"Do you want to hear the truth or a lie?"

"Hm?"

Hearing this, Zhang Lexuan blinked, her interest immediately piqued.

"Let's hear the lie first."

"Your background is too pitiful, and the way you looked just now was truly heart-wrenching; if I continued to use you, I wouldn't be able to bear it..."

"And the truth?"

"..."

"..."

Silence, the Cambridge of the early morning...

"What? Is it hard to say?"

"That's not it; I'm just afraid of getting beaten up."

"Hmph, you dare to scheme against me to my face, yet you fear that?"

Zhang Lexuan chuckled, her attitude inscrutable, revealing not a hint of displeasure.

"Speak, I won't lay a hand on you."

"Besides, we are, for the time being, a community of interests; hiding too much isn't good, is it~"

Once these words were out, Ning Huan had no room left to refuse.

After all, what she said was perfectly reasonable.

If he were ignorant, it would be fine.

Everything could just drift with the tide and develop as it would.

Conversely, if the issue were brought to the surface but left unexplained, the disadvantages would outweigh the benefits.

With no other choice, Ning Huan had to slowly explain his thoughts.

"In truth, the moment you stepped into the library, the scheming had already begun."

The moment the words left his lips, Zhang Lexuan's expression turned abruptly dark.

The fluctuations of soul power that threatened to erupt made him wave his hands repeatedly to show his innocence.

"Don't stare at me with that look; you should know how special the [Moon] martial soul is."

"If handled correctly, anyone could reap immense benefits from it."

"Of course, what makes me different from them is that I have this opportunity, and I possess the courage to act on it."

As he spoke, he reached out to pick up the historical tome from the table, his tone suddenly turning exceptionally cold.

"But the problem is that you are too smart, to the point where I concluded I couldn't hide it from you for long."

"In such a situation, rather than being discovered and becoming total enemies with you..."

"It is better to take the initiative to come clean when conditions allow, and gamble on gaining your favor."

"When conditions allow?", Zhang Lexuan repeated subconsciously after hearing this:

"It seems you have me all figured out!"

In the next second, Ning Huan gave a slight nod.

He shook his head immediately after, meeting her bewildered gaze.

"Hmm, I won't deny that."

"But to me, it wouldn't matter even if you were exposed."

"You read the books yourself, you guessed the secrets yourself, and even including this current conversation, I have at most played a supporting role."

"With the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect as a layer of protection, no matter how arrogant or domineering Shrek may be, they wouldn't dare do anything to me openly."

"Unless you were desperate enough to drag me down with you."

"But burdened by family vengeance as you are, would you really do that?"

"...No."

After spitting out those two words with difficulty, Zhang Lexuan retracted her soul power, her expression blank.

She then stared at Ning Huan with wide eyes, scrutinizing him as if trying to etch his image into her mind.

A seemingly harmless youth, yet he is full of schemes...

One truly cannot judge a book by its cover!

Was his plan perfect?

In all honesty, it was riddled with holes.

Clumsy guidance.

Dozens of loopholes in his speech.

Not to mention the miscalculation of how Shrek operates, and so on...

Any one of these would have been enough to bring total ruin upon the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect.

Yet, he grasped the single most critical point.

That is, her!

From beginning to end, Ning Huan was certain that once she knew half the truth, she would no longer continue to collude with Shrek.

Every flaw in his plan would be proactively patched by her, the person involved.

The logic was a closed loop.

And yet, both sides got exactly what they wanted without suffering any losses.

Aside from complaining about being manipulated, she could find absolutely no reason to lash out at him.

How infuriating!

Meanwhile, seeing the tension in Zhang Lexuan's furrowed brows begin to ease, Ning Huan continued:

"If you cannot let go of the past, you will choose to hide everything."

"And as long as you choose to hide it from everyone, I will remain safe and sound."

"This loop, while crude, is extremely effective; the only way it could be broken is if you fulfill your long-cherished wish or let go of the past."

"As for me..."

Before he could finish, a familiar, gentle voice interrupted him once more.

"So you chose to confess proactively, seemingly to win my favor."

"In reality, you were making a more advantageous choice based on the decision I was bound to make anyway."

"You forced me to abandon my hesitation and stand on the same side as you, all while minimizing unknown risks."

"But, how can you trust someone you've never met before so easily?"

Ning Huan was momentarily speechless, unsure of how to answer her question.

He wanted to brush it off with a vague remark, but those eyes, soft as jade, left him with no choice.

Sigh, I can't exactly tell you 'I've known about you for a long time' now, can I...

Without a doubt, that was definitely something he couldn't say!

It would be no different than a confession!

And so, he racked his brain, eventually settling on a very simple and universal answer.

"Facial features and personality often reflect a person's true nature."

"You are beautiful and gentle, so the possibility of you being a dangerous person is low."

"Besides, with such massive benefits on the table, why not take a gamble? Even an ice silkworm can turn into a butterfly."

Yes!

A reasonable answer!

First, pay her a backhanded compliment, then highlight the theme of mutual benefit!

Nothing wrong with that!

"Hmm~ then can I interpret that as you liking your big sister?"

"My sister has a precedent for grazing on tender grass, so she wouldn't mind, but that child-husband of hers is a bit of a nuisance..."

"Why don't you think of a way to handle him?"

"You've always been the cunning one, anyway~"

"Pfft...!!"

This woman is out of her mind!

Bei Bei, that is Mu En's only remaining outstanding descendant!

Just how much ability would I need to handle him!

Wait a minute...

Why wasn't my first instinct to refuse?

Just as he lowered his head in silence, a burst of giggling suddenly rang out.

"Heehee, your reaction is so cute. We're even now."

Ning Huan, his expression stiff: "..."

Damn it!

I was being played the whole time!

Beautiful women are all liars; the ancients never deceived me!