In front of the tile-roofed house, Ning Wan’er’s smile seemed somewhat forced and could even be described as stiff.
Clearly, producing such a large amount of Spiritual Medicine at once was very painful for this money-loving "little green tea."
But she had brought it out nonetheless...
Stunned and speechless, Li Muyang felt somewhat dazed as he looked at Ning Wan’er before him.
This is insane...
Am I still not fully awake?
Usually, it was always something entering and never leaving for the "green tea" Ning Wan’er, yet this time, not only did she not scam him of his money. she even took the initiative to bleed herself dry...
Li Muyang’s expression was one of shock.
Ning Wan’er, however, glared at him and said, "Don’t get me wrong, I’m not giving them to you for free, just lending them to you temporarily."
"You’ll have to return them to me later."
The girl tried to emphasize this point.
Li Muyang sighed and said, "Understood, understood, these are loaned to me by you, and I will definitely return them."
With that, Li Muyang welcomed Ning Wan’er into the house.
If it’s only a loan and not a gift, that more so aligns with his understanding of this "little green tea"... or not!
In his memory, Ning Wan’er, the little green tea, had always been the one scamming others—never was there a rule where others could take advantage of her.
The value of these Spiritual Medicines was roughly estimated to be even more than all the money Li Muyang had been scammed of before.
And the Ning household in Jiuyuan City had long been in decline, a publicly known secret within the city.
Li Muyang even believed that Ning Wan’er’s father, the head of the Ning’s family, could not produce such an amount of Spiritual Medicine.
Unexpectedly, this little green tea happened to be a hidden little rich girl, harboring a fortune.
Although most of that fortune originated from Li Muyang...
Feeling mixed emotions, he welcomed Ning Wan’er into the house and watched as the two girls began chatting, while Li Muyang sat in a corner, took out an alchemy cauldron, and began refining medicine.
Li Yuechan’s symptoms were getting more severe.
Although half of the Demonic Qi had been removed, the corrosion of her body by the Demonic Qi continued.
She would often fall into a faint sleep, spending one third of the day shivering in pain.
The time she could lie awake and rest was not much.
Ning Wan’er gently comforted Li Yuechan, talking with her for a while, but it wasn’t long before Li Yuechan weakly fell asleep again.
Seeing Li Yuechan, who had just been talking a second ago, suddenly close her eyes to sleep made Ning Wan’er a bit anxious.
"Muyang...Yu Chan, she..."
Ning Wan’er hastily stood up and called Li Muyang.
"Could it be that I actually despise deceiving him for money..."
Even though she wanted to go farther, climb higher, she had told herself very early on that she must forsake her conscience and shame, to step on everyone as if they were just rungs in a ladder, climbing step by step to greater heights.
She wanted to leave Jiuyuan City, this rural backwater, to go places her parents had never been, to become a true elite, to see sights unseen by all in Jiuyuan City.
Such a version of her shouldn’t have taken out the Spiritual Medicine she had saved for a long time to lend to Li Muyang.
After all with this lending, who knew how long Li Muyang would take to repay?
She shouldn’t bear such a risk.
But...
"I can’t really be a true villain, can I?"
Ning Wan’er laughed at herself with a sneer.
That liberating feeling back in the room finally made her see her own heart clearly.
Although she had been hypnotizing herself for years, amassing a lot of money, playing the part of a ruthless opportunist in the eyes of others.
Those disdainful looks from strangers, she had always thought she didn’t care.
But in that moment, she completely confirmed—she did care, more than she had imagined.
So the change in Li Muyang’s attitude was what made her feel relieved.
Because since coming to the Refinement Demon Sect, she had been afraid of one thing, afraid that the now sensible and mature Li Muyang would come to his senses and disdain her...
So it was that during the critical moment of Li Yuechan’s injury, she gritted her teeth and brought over the Spiritual Medicine she had saved, for Li Muyang.
This behavior was almost like atonement, as if she was deliberately trying to please Li Muyang...
"I really am ridiculous."
Finally realizing everything, Ning Wan’er laughed at herself mockingly.
"I always wanted to go farther, climb higher, ready to become a villain. Yet inside, I hate this behavior."
"The real me, turns out to be a fool who wants to rise above everyone, climb to the highest, yet doesn’t want to dirty her hands, cherishing her own integrity."
"...It’s truly laughably naive!"
In this world, under the rule of the Demon Path, wanting to climb higher and become elite, how could one possibly not dirty their hands.
But...
The girl on the mountain path gently exhaled, a hint of frost flashing in her eyes.
At this moment, she finally understood her heart.
If she really had to be a villain, then she would be the kind filled with great evil, crimes reaching to the heavens.
The past behavior of swindling and deceiving for minor gains, dirtying her hands—since she was unwilling, then she wouldn’t do it.
Those minor gains, not worthy of dirtying her hands!