"I cannot say," Mu Qingyun lowered her eyes slightly. "But I do ask for your help. Once we are admitted into the military academy, I will tell you why."
[Ugh, still refusing to say it?][It's her business. Why should she tell you? I just want to watch Mu-ge hunt those virtual beasts—so thrilling, honestly.]
…
"Alright," Su nodded, a trace of sorrow flashing in his eyes. Although he understood Mu Qingyun's choice, he still could not suppress his disappointment.
"I can help too," Die Wu's voice came from behind, accompanied by a cautious smile. "Of course, I have my own reasons. If we run into each other in the second round, I hope you can protect me a little."
Hmm?
Mu Qingyun looked up at Die Wu and, seeing no harm in it, replied calmly, "I can't guarantee I'll be able to protect you completely."
After all, she had no idea what the rules or challenges of the second round would be. Making any promises now would be premature.
"It's fine, just do what you can," Die Wu fluttered her wings gently, smiling warmly. "Who knows, I may not even last until the second round."
Since Die Wu had spoken so sincerely, there was no reason for Mu Qingyun to refuse.
"Alright. Thank you."
"It's nothing," Die Wu smiled faintly and glanced at what Mu Qingyun was holding. "I'm a bit hungry… uh…"
She trailed off, feeling slightly embarrassed. As a guest, it was not proper to ask the host to cook.
"Su, help me clean this up. Let Fan Xuan Ye get some rest."
After everything was prepared, Mu Qingyun cooked a fragrant, visually appealing meal that filled the house with a mouthwatering aroma.
"You eat like this all the time?" Die Wu asked, unable to stop herself from swallowing hard. Her eyes were fixed on the pot of food.
Right now, she was grateful she had accepted Mu Qingyun's invitation.
Not far away, Bai Feifei glanced at them with murderous intent in her eyes. In her palm, she held a concealed packet of poison and slowly made her way toward them.
How dare they ignore her? Hmph. She would make them pay soon enough.
"Smells so good." She lowered her head to sniff the pot, pretending to wave the steam toward her face—only for Mu Qingyun to grab her hand abruptly.
"You can eat too, that's fine," Mu Qingyun said with a faint smile, holding Bai Feifei's hand and tilting her chin toward Su. "Give her a bowl."
She's really going to let her eat? Seriously?
Bai Feifei glanced into the pot, unable to help swallowing. If she was being offered food, then maybe she could wait on using the poison. She could poison them later. For now, she would fill her stomach.
Su silently nodded and ladled a bowl of soup.
Mu Qingyun reached out, took the bowl, and set it on the floor. Then, she tightened her grip on Bai Feifei's hand.
"What are you doing?" Bai Feifei instinctively tried to pull away. The poison packet was still hidden at her wrist. If Mu Qingyun moved her hand upward, she would find it.
[What's Mu-ge doing? What's happening here?!][Tsk, see? Caught red-handed. I told you, ugly people are always the most cunning.]
…
Ignoring Bai Feifei's protests, Mu Qingyun yanked back her sleeve and forcefully pulled out the concealed poison.
"You—!"
She held the packet in her hands, shaking it slightly as she stared coldly at Bai Feifei.
What now?
Bai Feifei looked down at the activated livestream device. She bit her lip—this packet had been given to her by Mu Xueyao. She could not tell the truth, no matter what.
[What is that?][What was Bai Feifei planning to do?!]
…
"Not going to talk?"
Mu Qingyun opened the packet, then lifted the bowl and dumped the poison into it. Swirling it a few times, she shoved the bowl into Bai Feifei's hands.
"Drink it," she ordered coldly. "If you do, I will act like none of this happened. If not, then we'll settle this another way."
Bai Feifei's fists clenched tightly. She looked at the bowl, face pale.
She had no idea what the poison was or what effect it would have. She could not drink this!
"I'm not hungry," she mumbled, letting the bowl fall from her hands. It was not a metal bowl, so even if it did not break, the contents would definitely spill.
But Mu Qingyun was faster. Just before it hit the ground, she snatched it back.
In the next instant, she grabbed Bai Feifei's arm and yanked her toward herself, shoving the poisoned soup into her mouth.
"Mm—!"
Bai Feifei struggled violently. Though the soup went in, much of it dribbled out due to her resistance.
"Xiong Ruoyou, come help me," Mu Qingyun said coldly, never loosening her grip.
Xiong Ruoyou had already been furious. At this, she immediately rushed over and forced Bai Feifei's mouth open, making sure she swallowed the rest of the soup.
[Oh my god, I feel like I'm watching a live-action soap opera! Isn't this a bit too much?][Well, if you're such a saint, then go ahead and forgive people when they try to poison you.][Cue holy saints in the comments trying to make excuses. Let's see you drink it next time.]
…
Die Wu stared wide-eyed at the scene. She did not know the backstory between them and Bai Feifei, so she found it all a bit excessive.
"She…" she began.
"Shh." Su gently shook his head. "That poison wasn't anything good. Mu-ge just returned the favor, that's all."
Once the force-feeding was done, Mu Qingyun and Xiong Ruoyou backed away in unison.
Bai Feifei, no longer restrained, pounded her chest and tried to vomit.
But it was too late. The poison had already gone down with the soup. No matter how much she retched, it was useless.
What should she do? She did not want to die!
Someone—someone had to help her!
Right—Mu Xueyao! Since she was the one who gave her the poison, she must have an antidote too.
Thinking of this, Bai Feifei sprang to her feet and bolted away to find Mu Xueyao.
"Mu-ge, if she ends up dying from her own stupidity, will Kazel be eliminated too?" Xiong Ruoyou suddenly asked, her gaze following Bai Feifei's panicked escape.
"Don't worry. He will be fine." Mu Qingyun casually wiped the soup from her hand and turned back to serve food.
The reason Bai Feifei ran off so desperately was because she wanted to find an antidote. If not for that hope, she would probably have already broken down.
And based on what she knew of Bai Feifei, Mu Qingyun was sure—there was no way Bai Feifei had the guts to poison anyone of her own accord.
That poison had to have come from Mu Xueyao.