"Bai Mu, you can kill me, or you can torture me—do whatever you want,"
Xiao Wu said with rare firmness.
"But sacrifice is absolutely out of the question."
By now, even she understood the truth.
Everything had been planned by Bai Mu from the very beginning.
"You don't want to sacrifice yourself for me," Bai Mu said lightly.
"Are you planning to wait for Tang Hao to one day arrange your end so Tang San can inherit your spirit ring?"
"Uncle Hao would never do that!"
Xiao Wu shouted. "My brother will protect me!"
"I believe Tang San would protect you," Bai Mu replied calmly.
"But tell me—why wouldn't Tang Hao make that choice?"
He spoke unhurriedly.
"If the timing were right, he could erase you completely, let Tang San absorb your spirit ring, and your true identity would never be exposed."
"A hundred-thousand-year spirit ring," he continued, his voice steady,
"is enough to make anyone abandon hesitation, emotion, and morality."
"T-That's impossible… Third Brother wouldn't…"
Xiao Wu's words grew disordered.
Even she wasn't certain anymore.
She knew better than anyone how irresistible such a spirit ring was.
"Third Brother… I think about him all the time…"
Her voice trembled.
Bai Mu sighed softly.
"You love him deeply," he said.
"But does he truly know who you are?"
"You're a hundred-thousand-year soul beast in human form. Does he know that?"
"If you refuse to choose," Bai Mu continued evenly,
"I can't guarantee his safety."
Silence fell.
Xiao Wu stared at him, fear and conflict warring in her eyes.
She could feel it clearly now.
Bai Mu was not joking.
Everything he said—he meant.
Time passed slowly.
Finally, Xiao Wu clenched her fists and looked up, her voice hoarse.
"…I can agree," she said.
"But I have one condition."
"Oh?"
Bai Mu gestured for her to continue.
Hatred flashed through Xiao Wu's eyes—something rarely seen in her before.
"You swear by your martial spirit," she said,
"that you will avenge my mother."
"If you ever defeat Bibi Dong… you must do it for that reason."
Bai Mu paused—then laughed softly.
"Sister Xiao Wu," he said, shaking his head,
"do you even hear yourself?"
"If revenge mattered so much," he continued coldly,
"why didn't you cultivate seriously before?"
"You wandered, played, lived carefree—thinking only of your Third Brother."
"Only now, when you're cornered, do you remember revenge."
"You truly love your mother," he added mockingly.
Xiao Wu fell silent.
Because everything he said… was true.
After coming to the human world, she had been fascinated by everything.
Revenge had long faded into the background.
Only now—when faced with despair—did it resurface.
"I don't care!"
She shouted stubbornly.
"If you don't promise, I won't agree—no matter what you do to me!"
Bai Mu looked at her calmly.
"You are in no position to bargain," he said.
"Do you think killing the Pope of Spirit Hall is a simple matter?"
He fell silent for a moment, then spoke again.
"Still… I'll give you an answer."
He straightened, his gaze sharp.
"I swear by my martial spirit," Bai Mu said slowly,
"that if one day I defeat Bibi Dong, I will ensure she pays the price for what she did to your mother."
"In exchange," he continued,
"you will accept your fate and cooperate completely."
Xiao Wu trembled.
She sensed instinctively that his words carried a meaning darker than she could fully grasp.
But she had no choice.
"…You must keep your promise,"
she said at last.
"I will," Bai Mu replied without hesitation.
Not far away, Dugu Bo stood frozen, scarcely daring to breathe.
For the first time in his life, he felt genuine fear.
These two… were terrifying.
"Very well,"
Bai Mu said calmly.
He looked out over the vast medicinal fields.
"From today onward," he said quietly,
"your fate is bound here."
Xiao Wu closed her eyes.
Tears slipped down her face.
She thought of Tang San.
Of the boy who had always protected her.
Brother… I'm sorry…
She said it silently in her heart.
The valley returned to silence.
And the choice—
once made—could never be undone.