Out of fear of death, Invest Everything into Health

Chapter 761: Chapter 297: Because I Like You

"Why!" Xiaoye said angrily.

"If you don’t compare it, how will I know if you’re faking it."

"Who would fake this!" Xiaoye shouted in fury, "Stop causing trouble for nothing."

Fan Wubing sneered, "Exposed by me, now you’re angry from embarrassment, aren’t you? Ha, looks like I’ll have to call Jiang Sha over to seriously check if you’re real or not."

"How dare you!" Xiaoye’s eyes widened.

"Then make a heart for me."

Xiaoye looked at Fan Wubing with a caught expression, her fists clenched tightly, resembling a stiff puppet as she slowly raised her right hand, trembling as she made a heart shape.

"Happy now?"

"Nope. That’s not how you make a heart! You’ve got to smile, your eyes should be filled with love! Your face should be slightly shy. Your current expression only gets you one point. The real An An’s heart-hands score a solid ten in my mind. You’re far off."

Xiaoye, nearly hysterical, said, "Why do I have to do that for you! You bastard!"

Fan Wubing smirked, "I knew it was fake." He then shouted toward Jiang Sha’s courtyard, "Jiang Sha! Jiang Sha! Come over, there’s a fake—"

Xiaoye hurriedly covered his mouth, eyes blazing, "I’ll do it, isn’t that enough?"

"Okay."

Xiaoye forced a smile and made a heart shape again.

"No good, but there’s improvement, I can give two points. Your eyes didn’t show sincerity. They need to curve into crescents."

Third time.

"No no, this is worse than the second time."

Fourth time.

"Still far off, haven’t improved at all!"

Fifth time... sixth time...

After seventeen tries, Fan Wubing gave at most three points; Xiaoye was on the verge of collapsing, feeling she had truly imitated An An’s heart-shape.

"Are you doing this on purpose!" Xiaoye cursed, "Bastard! Scoundrel!"

Fan Wubing sighed, "Ah, you really aren’t An An. An An is clearly a delightful person, while you look like a resentful woman trying to monopolize a friend but had them taken away instead."

"You’re spouting nonsense!" Xiaoye snapped, furious, "You’re just a thief! A rogue with malice! Taking advantage of other’s innocence, playing with their feelings! You don’t genuinely care for her at all!"

"You mentioned... ’her’ again." Fan Wubing quietly watched Xiaoye.

Xiaoye was dumbfounded for a moment, then slumped onto a stool, lowering her head,

"I’m not An An, you win, you win! Go ahead, laugh at me."

Fan Wubing stated calmly, "Why occupy her body? Where is she then?"

Xiaoye lifted her head, voice sharp, "She’s heartbroken from you, would rather hide than see you!"

Fan Wubing’s gaze was profound,

"Isn’t it you who drove her to this point?"

"I am protecting her!" Xiaoye shouted, "Protecting her from being harmed by people like you!"

"People like me? Why don’t you tell me, what kind of person am I?"

Xiaoye replied coldly, "I don’t care what kind of person you are, anyhow, you’re not truly good to her. She’s just too naïve, too easily believing others, that’s why she’s hurt over and over again."

"Ha, people like you who claim to be her friend, she has met nine of you!" Xiaoye showed extreme disgust, "But without exception, all had ulterior motives. Either wanting to use her as a cultivation vessel or to deceive her treasure. She’s a very fragile person, every lie pierced wounds that were nearly fatal."

"So, you absorbed her negative emotions? Bore her sadness?"

Xiaoye froze, a bit puzzled how Fan Wubing knew. She crossed her arms, "I’m her best friend, of course I would do that."

Fan Wubing shook his head, "I fear it’s not just like that."

"What are you trying to say?"

Fan Wubing said, "An An has lived for over a hundred years, yet she’s only thirteen. It was you who used the Anger Demon Dao to lock her age, wasn’t it?"

"I don’t know what you’re talking about."

"You don’t want her to grow up. You want her to live forever under your protection." Fan Wubing stated, "But it’s your excessive protection that made her repeat the same mistakes, deceived time and again. Maybe, she encountered genuinely kind friends, but all were driven away by you. That’s why she’s always alone."

Xiaoye stared blankly at Fan Wubing. She opened her mouth slightly, but said nothing.

Fan Wubing sighed, "It would be better if that were the case. But the truth is more complicated than I said."

Xiaoye felt a bit scared, "What are you trying to say?"

Fan Wubing stated, "The truth is. Xiaoye, you are An An." His eyes reflected an inverted galaxy, seemingly holding the entire universe, "When An An was thirteen, she was sold to a slaver. The slaver, seeing An An’s attractive face, intended to violate her. But Jiang Sha, upon first seeing An An, had determined she would become the Anger Demon Lord and thus placed protective methods on her."

Fan Wubing looked at Xiaoye, but his gaze was away beyond the heavens,

"After Jiang Sha’s protection was triggered, that slaver was sliced into pieces. Almost being violated, coupled with such a bloody scene, pushed An An’s emotions to the brink. In immense fear, she initiated the Path of the Demon Lord."

Xiaoye took two steps back,

"I don’t understand what you’re saying."

"Emotions are the instinct of living beings; even those who cultivate the Path of Forgetting Emotions can’t escape them. And the Anger Demon Dao uses these emotions to launch attacks. It is unavoidable, and thus, even An An herself was affected. She detested her timid and weak self, and so she imagined a strong, brave version of herself. And Xiaoye, you are that strong and brave An An."