As that hoarse “Support me” fell, the suffocating pressure surrounding them finally dissipated.
Shen Manyi’s entire body remained rigid in Xiao Mo’s arms.
The bone-chilling cold emanating from the man had vanished, but his body was still cold.
Tears still clung to Shen Manyi’s long lashes, and for a moment, she forgot how to react.
He had agreed?
Had she imagined it?
“Little Girl, stop standing there like an idiot! He’s withdrawn his sword qi!”
Tangyuan’s voice was filled with excitement in her mind.
“We survived! We really survived! This divine beast told you that the beauty trap would definitely work!”
The noise jolted Shen Manyi back to her senses.
She cautiously lifted her head from Xiao Mo’s icy embrace, only to meet his deep eyes.
The bloodlust and brutality in them had receded, leaving behind an almost indifferent scrutiny that she could not understand.
“Brother…?”
Shen Manyi tentatively called out to him again. Her voice was soft and sweet, with a slight tremble at the end.
Xiao Mo did not respond. He merely lowered his eyes and looked at her.
Shen Manyi was dressed in an ill-fitting set of night clothes.
Her hair was somewhat disheveled, and her palm-sized face was smeared with both tears and dirt. She looked like a kitten that had just rolled around in the mud.
Yet her almond-shaped eyes were astonishingly bright.
“You just said that you brought all the family fortune out?”
Xiao Mo finally spoke. His voice was still hoarse, as though he had not spoken in a very long time.
At once, Shen Manyi nodded like a pecking chick.
“Yes, yes, yes! Brother, I emptied the Shen Family’s Treasure Pavilion.
“Spirit stones, magical artifacts, pills—I even pried up the floor tiles!
“I’ll support you from now on. Buy whatever you want. We’ll never have to look at anyone else’s expression again!”
As she spoke, she tried to take things out of her spatial realm to show Xiao Mo.
“Don’t move.” Xiao Mo pressed down on her hand.
His palm was cold, without the slightest trace of warmth.
Yet that icy touch caused Shen Manyi’s tense body to relax involuntarily.
Clinging to this powerful ally was her only path to survival, even if that ally was as cold as a block of ice.
“Y-you should get up first.”
Xiao Mo’s tone was somewhat strained, carrying a hint of unnaturalness.
He had lived for several thousand years, yet he had never been so close to anyone.
The warm and soft presence in his arms was like a ball of fire, making him uncomfortable from head to toe.
And yet, the faint fragrance of grass and trees on her body, along with her pure spiritual power, made him instinctively unwilling to push her away.
“Oh, oh, all right.”
Only then did Shen Manyi realize that she was still clinging to him like an octopus.
Her face heated up, and she scrambled to climb off him.
But the moment she moved, she saw that the front of Xiao Mo’s black robe was covered by a suspiciously large wet stain from her tears and mucus.
Her little face instantly turned pale.
“Oh no, oh no,” Tangyuan wailed in her mind. “You dirtied the God of Slaughter’s clothes! What if he thinks you’re filthy and throws us out to feed the snow wolves?”
Shen Manyi’s heart leaped into her throat as well.
She had heard that those powerful cultivators who practiced demonic arts were all obsessive about cleanliness and eccentric in temperament. Once they turned against someone, they did so without hesitation.
She hurriedly extended her sleeve and carefully wiped the stain from Xiao Mo’s robe.
In a small voice, she apologized, “I’m sorry, Brother. I… I didn’t mean to. I’ll wipe it clean for you.”
Her movements were very light, the fabric of her sleeve gently brushing against him.
Xiao Mo’s body instantly tensed.
He could clearly feel her soft sleeve rubbing across his chest, bringing with it a strange, tingling sensation.
The remnants of the Inner Demon within him had yet to settle.
This sudden touch disrupted the murderous aura he had finally managed to suppress.
This feeling was very unpleasant.
“That’s enough.” His voice deepened.
Shen Manyi’s hand immediately stopped in midair. She did not even dare to breathe too loudly.
“Brother…?”
Xiao Mo did not look at her. Instead, he used his uninjured hand to brace himself against the ground and tried to stand.
But the moment he exerted himself, his figure swayed uncontrollably.
Shen Manyi reacted quickly and immediately reached out to support his arm. “Brother, you’re hurt?”
Only then did she notice that the hand Xiao Mo had braced against the ground bore a wound so deep that the bone was visible. The blood had already coagulated and frozen together with the snow.
His complexion was even paler than before, and there was not a trace of color in his lips.
“I’m fine.”
Xiao Mo tried to push her away, his voice betraying no emotion.
“How could you be fine?”
Shen Manyi grew anxious and, forgetting her fear, unconsciously allowed a hint of reproach into her voice.
“Just look at you. You’ve lost so much blood!
“Did you suffer a cultivation deviation while practicing again?
“How many times have I told you not to practice those harmful demonic arts anymore? You never listen!”
As she scolded him, she treated him as though he were her real elder brother, throwing herself wholeheartedly into the act.
Xiao Mo: “…”
When had he ever practiced demonic arts?
What existed within him was the baleful aura of an Inner Demon that had been suppressed for a thousand years, tangled in karma.
“Little Girl, you’re overdoing it,” Tangyuan reminded her. “If you keep going, you’ll expose yourself!”
Shen Manyi also realized that she had said too much and hurriedly shut her mouth.
She only gazed at him with a pair of watery almond-shaped eyes, filled with anxiety.
“Brother, let’s find somewhere to treat your wounds first, all right? You can’t go on like this.”
Xiao Mo looked at the anxiety in her eyes. Her concern did not appear to be feigned.
He could no longer remember when someone had last shown him such concern.
The feeling was unfamiliar, but he did not refuse her again.
“Mm.”
Having received his permission, Shen Manyi immediately perked up.
Supporting Xiao Mo, she struggled toward the outskirts of the snowy mountain.
Xiao Mo was very tall, and most of his weight pressed down on her, making it difficult for her to walk.
“I say, Little Girl, where exactly are you taking him?” Tangyuan whispered from her shoulder.
“How should I know? We’ll leave this wretched place first and figure out the rest later.” Shen Manyi gritted her teeth as she replied.
“Aren’t you afraid that once he recovers, the first thing he’ll do is kill us to silence us?”
“Of course I’m afraid, but right now, he’s my brother and my only support.”
Shen Manyi’s gaze was firm. “As long as he acknowledges me as his younger sister, I have to take good care of him.
“Didn’t you hear what he said? He wants me to support him.”
“Support him? What are you going to use to support him? The scraps you stole from the Shen Family?”
Tangyuan scoffed. “A powerful cultivator of his level could eat enough spirit stones in a single meal to cultivate you to the Core Formation stage!”
“Then I’ll still support him.” Shen Manyi’s tone brooked no argument.
As the two communicated through divine sense, the tall man beside her suddenly stopped.
“What’s wrong, Brother?” Shen Manyi asked with concern.
Xiao Mo did not answer. He merely raised his eyes toward an ice cliff not far away.
There was a naturally formed cave sheltered from the wind.
“Over there.” His words were concise.
“Got it!”
Supporting Xiao Mo, Shen Manyi finally managed to make it into the cave.
The cave was dry and could temporarily shield them from the wind and snow outside.
She had just helped Xiao Mo sit down beside a smooth section of rock wall when he spoke in his emotionless voice.
“If you want to support me, you can.”
Shen Manyi’s eyes lit up. “Really?”
Xiao Mo looked at her calmly, but his words left both Shen Manyi and Tangyuan stunned.
“Your brother here is very expensive.”
After saying this, he closed his eyes. His tall body tipped straight to the side, and he actually fainted.
“Brother—!”
Shen Manyi cried out in alarm and hurriedly reached out to catch him.