Xiao Wu: Tang San, Xiao Yin and I Are Innocent!

The atmosphere inside the tree hollow was tense.

Just as red-eyed Tang San was about to make a move, Yu Xiaogang suddenly rose to his feet and shouted sternly:

"Enough! All of you, stop! Tang San! Calm down! Xiao Wu said she was applying ointment!

And do you want to attract powerful spirit beasts by fighting?!"

He turned to Xiao Yin, his gaze complicated. "Xiao Yin, this... although there was a reason for it, men and women should still keep their distance. Be more mindful in the future."

Though his words sounded like an attempt to mediate, he was subtly taking Tang San's side.

Xiao Yin looked at Xiao Wu, who stood before him, her little face flushed red with anger as she argued with Tang San to defend him. Then he looked at Tang San, whose eyes burned with jealous rage.

Finally, his gaze settled on Yu Xiaogang, who was trying to smooth things over while clearly favoring Tang San.

A complicated emotion rose within him.

Guilt? A little.

He had indeed taken advantage of Xiao Wu's trust and her sense of closeness toward one of her own kind, whether for the mission or for his purpose of entering the Soul Hunting Forest.

Xiao Wu's defense of him at this moment made his exploitation seem even more despicable.

But more than that, he felt a calm sense of finality.

He had already achieved his goal. Staying here would only intensify the conflict, make him a thorn in Tang San's side, and leave Xiao Wu caught in the middle.

He did not want to drag that innocent rabbit into this, much less see that disappointed look in her eyes again.

Besides, he could not truly "cut loose" if he stayed here. There were too many restrictions.

Who knew whether that brainless brute Tang Hao was nearby?

"Xiao Wu," Xiao Yin said, his voice utterly calm, "thank you."

He looked at Xiao Wu, his eyes clear and sincere, carrying a trace of hard-to-detect apology. "Keep this ointment. There are many mosquitoes and insects in the forest."

At last, his gaze fell on Tang San.

Tang San was still glaring at him fiercely, his eyes cold.

Xiao Yin neither grew angry nor provoked him. He merely met his gaze calmly for a moment, as though he were looking at an insignificant stranger.

That disregard angered and stifled Tang San more than any provocation could have.

"What are you doing?"

Watching Xiao Yin seemingly say his farewells, Xiao Wu felt a powerful sense of unease. She grabbed his arm. "Xiao Yin, don't go! Xiao San only misunderstood for a moment..."

"Xiao Wu," Xiao Yin said as he gently yet firmly freed himself from her grasp, giving her a faintly helpless smile.

"You're right. It was only a misunderstanding. But this place... does not seem to welcome me."

He meaningfully glanced at Tang San, who was still glaring furiously, and Yu Xiaogang, who stood silently beside him.

"I remember the way through the Soul Hunting Forest."

"Xiao Yin!" Xiao Wu panicked and tried to stop him again.

"Xiao Wu," Xiao Yin said, halting with his back to her. His voice lowered slightly, carrying a deeper meaning only she could understand.

"Remember what I told you. In the forest... be careful.

Some things may look harmless, but they can be the most dangerous.

Especially... the human heart."

He said those last three words softly, yet they struck Xiao Wu's heart like a heavy hammer.

He believed Xiao Wu would understand.

As he passed Tang San, Xiao Yin paused slightly and said in a low voice:

"You don't even trust the person you like, yet you dare call it 'liking'?

And today, for Xiao Wu's sake, I won't touch you. But if there is a next time... you won't want to know the outcome!"

After saying that, he did not linger. His figure flashed, and like a shadow melting into the night, he vanished into the depths of the dense forest after only a few leaps.

As for Yu Xiaogang, Xiao Yin could not even be bothered to acknowledge him!

"Xiao Yin—!"

Xiao Wu rushed to the entrance of the tree hollow and shouted into the dark forest, her voice trembling with tears and pleading. Yet she only startled a few night birds, receiving no reply.

She turned around in a daze and looked at the two people inside the hollow.

Yu Xiaogang sighed and shook his head without saying anything, then sat back down.

In his heart, the son of Tang Hao carried far more weight than Xiao Yin, whose talent was good but whose origins were unknown.

Seeing Xiao Wu's reddened eyes, the tear tracks still wet on her face, and the hurt, disappointed look she gave him, Tang San's fury was like a fire doused with cold water, instantly extinguished by more than half. In its place came an indescribable panic and... regret.

"Xiao Wu, I..." Tang San opened his mouth, wanting to explain, wanting to apologize.

"Don't say anything."

Xiao Wu interrupted him, her voice weary and distant.

She silently walked deeper into the tree hollow, hugged her knees, and buried her face in the crook of her arms, her shoulders trembling faintly.

Xiao Yin's parting words—"beware the human heart"—and Tang San's utterly distrustful questioning tangled repeatedly in her mind.

For the first time, she clearly felt that an invisible wall seemed to stand between her and Tang San.

Did he... really distrust her that much?

All because she had helped someone apply ointment?

Tang San stood frozen in place, his outstretched hand hanging awkwardly in midair.

Looking at Xiao Wu's back as she refused to speak with him, then recalling Xiao Yin's calm departure and his final meaningful words, an overwhelming sense of loss and self-doubt drowned him.

It seemed like... he had done something wrong?

But what had happened just now...

No!

I wasn't wrong!

Xiao Yin was the one at fault!

Xiao Yin already had... a Path of Death!

The third rule of the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record: once you determine that an opponent is an enemy, so long as they have taken the Path of Death, show no mercy. Otherwise, you will only bring trouble upon yourself!

Only oppressive silence remained in the tree hollow.

Yu Xiaogang's sighs, Xiao Wu's silent sobs, Tang San's heavy breathing, and the endless beast roars and insect cries from the forest outside.

Xiao Yin's departure was like a boulder thrown into still water. The ripples it stirred quietly tore an irreparable crack through the once-stable three-person team.

The Soul Hunting Forest at night might have been dangerous, but to Xiao Yin, it was merely an oversized "dining hall."

Through the experiments and insights of the past few days, he had more or less figured out what abilities the Taotie Martial Soul currently possessed.

First was Devouring.

Xiao Yin had yet to test this. Devouring was the core ability of the Taotie Martial Soul.

It could devour Soul Power, energy, vitality, and more, then absorb and digest them to strengthen himself.

It looked domineering, but in truth, it was extremely domineering!

Next was Beast Pressure.

The divine-grade Taotie Martial Soul came with an innate spiritual pressure that had an additional suppressive effect on Beast Martial Souls and spirit beasts, especially dragon-type ones, against which it possessed powerful restraint.

With Xiao Yin's current strength, spirit beasts under five hundred years old likely could not even stand before him!

Lastly, this was not an ability of the Taotie Martial Soul, but a potential side effect of the martial soul—its greedy nature!

When the Devouring ability was used excessively, he might enter a berserk state of frenzied Devouring, causing severe loss of mental control.

This was the nature granted to him by the Taotie Martial Soul. Since he had inherited such a heaven-defying Devouring ability, he had to bear the risks brought by its side effects!

Therefore, Xiao Yin understood clearly that unless he faced a life-or-death crisis, he absolutely could not cross that red line!

Thinking of this, Xiao Yin turned his attention back to the system.

"System, status panel."

[Sentient Wish System]

[Host Information]

Host: Xiao Yin

Martial Soul: Taotie

Level: Level 20 Soul Master

Cultivation Art: Myriad Spirits Unification Art

Spirit Rings: None

Spirit Bones: None

Wish Value: 20

It was just that simple and straightforward!