"Really?"
Gu Xiyan listened to Mu Jinyu's earnest words, her gaze skeptical.
Mu Jinyu's brow raised, irritation flaring as he frowned and said, "You, this foolish woman, why do you never believe what I say? It was the same with the Beauty Pill, the same with the Spirit Gathering Array, and it's the same now. Look at yourself, always in need of a lesson!"
Gu Xiyan glared back at him and retorted, "You're the one in need of a lesson!"
Mu Jinyu thought for a moment, then suddenly suggested, "You don't believe me, huh? How about we make a bet?"
Upon hearing this, Gu Xiyan's eyebrows lifted as she queried, "What kind of bet?"
Mu Jinyu looked at her for a while and said solemnly, "How about this: later, when we take the shovel to start digging, if you manage to find those jade stones, you won't have to do any household chores like washing clothes or cooking anymore—I'll take care of everything."
At his words, Gu Xiyan's eyes brightened, then she calmed down and asked, "And what if I don't find any? What will I have to do?"
Her eyes warily watched Mu Jinyu, suspecting he harbored ulterior motives against her.
Mu Jinyu glanced at her and chuckled softly, "Don't worry, you won't have to offer yourself to me. If you don't find any and you lose, just a kiss will do."
Gu Xiyan's face flushed with a surge of red at the mention of the wager, her immediate instinct being to refuse.
But upon reflection, realizing she had indeed been kissed by him before, the stakes didn't seem unacceptable.
And the thought of not having to do household chores ever again if she won caused her heart to race with excitement for the victory at stake.
Without much hesitation, Gu Xiyan gritted her teeth and declared, "Fine, I agree."
Seeing this, Mu Jinyu's face broke into a self-assured smile, that of a fox having trapped a rabbit.
Gu Xiyan, perceiving his smile, felt her heart inexplicably flutter with unease.
Mu Jinyu's smile fading, he suggested, "You should mark the spot. That way, there's no saying I cheated by having you dig a jade-less hole and trying to wriggle out of it."
"Okay," Gu Xiyan replied, squatting down to pick up a small stone and placing it on the patch of earth that had just glowed faintly white.
In truth, even without marking it, the freshly dug soil was clearly different from the surrounding earth.
The reason he asked Gu Xiyan to do so was to prevent her from denying the loss later.
"Let's go, we'll get the shovel and pickaxe. Today, I'm going to make you admit defeat wholeheartedly," Mu Jinyu said, seeing her rise after making the mark.
After speaking, he set off towards the warehouse where the tools were kept.
Gu Xiyan watched the scenery dim around her, a cold breeze causing her to shiver, and she quickly stepped to keep pace with Mu Jinyu.
Soon, the two of them took a shovel and a pickaxe from the warehouse.
Then they returned to the original spot.
"Come on, start digging and let's see if you can find any jade," prompted Mu Jinyu, holding the pickaxe and gesturing to Gu Xiyan, who now held the shovel.
"Hmph."
Gu Xiyan had felt unsure about being able to do much digging and had wanted Mu Jinyu to help, but seeing his demeanor, she snorted coldly and began to dig with the shovel.
After a few shovelfuls, however, Gu Xiyan stopped, resting on the shovel, hands on hips, her face flushed and panting heavily.
"Phew, this is exhausting—you dig," Gu Xiyan panted for breath, looking up at Mu Jinyu with a plea in her eyes.
Mu Jinyu drawled, "I can help, but if you lose afterward, you won't just owe me a kiss—you'll owe me one with tongue."
Gu Xiyan's eyes widened as she glared at him, this guy actually taking advantage of the situation, demanding more.
But she truly couldn't swing the shovel or dig through the earth, and after a few changes in her expression, she gritted her teeth and said, "Fine, you dig. I refuse to believe it's so impossible."
Mu Jinyu shook his head with a wry laugh, taking the shovel from Gu Xiyan's hand and starting to dig.
Quickly, he had dug more than half a meter deep.
Logically, by this depth, they should have started to see some trace of the dozens of jade stones that had been thrown in.
Yet Gu Xiyan peered into the hole, searching repeatedly, but couldn't see any sign of jade.
"There, you see? No jade, you've lost. Time to honor the bet," Mu Jinyu said as he put down the tools, insisting on the wager's terms.
Mu Jinyu set down the shovel, and smiled at Gu Xiyan.
"Wait a moment..."
Gu Xiyan, of course, wasn't convinced and anxiously shouted, then said, "Maybe it's further down, dig a little more and see."
"All right."
Mu Jinyu agreed.
And began to dig again.
"Nothing, right?"
"Dig a little more, it should be right below."
"All right."
"Nothing, right?"
"Keep digging."
"..."
As the hole was nearly a meter deep and still no trace of the jades, Gu Xiyan was almost in tears.
"Keep digging! Just keep digging."
"What the hell am I still digging for!"
Mu Jinyu threw down the shovel, wiped off sweat, and said, "It's nearly a meter deep and still nothing, won't you concede? If you don't believe me, dig it yourself!"
"But..." Gu Xiyan pursed her lips, desperately and helplessly looking at Mu Jinyu, and said, "It shouldn't be possible to not find it, could we have dug in the wrong place?"
"We didn't dig in the wrong place." Mu Jinyu said impatiently, "I've told you before, once the Concealment Array is activated, the jade is still here, but others just can't dig it out."
Gu Xiyan's eyes lit up, and she hurriedly said, "Then you take out those jades from this hole and show me."
Mu Jinyu looked up at Gu Xiyan and said, "If I take them out, will you willingly admit defeat? No more cheating?"
Gu Xiyan's gaze flickered with panic, and finally, gritting her teeth, she said, "Yes."
Seeing this, Mu Jinyu chuckled lightly and said, "Well then, the time to witness a miracle has come."
Having said that, he performed a hand gesture.
Instantly, several clumps of muddy dirt in the hole abruptly shone, and then merged together as if they were modeling clay.
As the faint light faded, they had turned into several pieces of jade.
"How... How is that possible?!"
Gu Xiyan watched this scene, akin to a magic trick unfolding before her eyes, and was so astonished that her mouth hung open.
She had thought that even if Mu Jinyu could find those pieces of jade in this hole, he would need to dig from the side, but it turned out to be like this.
It was something she had never imagined.
Mu Jinyu turned to Gu Xiyan, pursed his lips, and said, "Time to own up to the bet, right?!"
Gu Xiyan, her eyes in turmoil, didn't dare to look at him, bit her lip, and asked quietly, "Can we... change the stakes?"
As expected, she was trying to weasel out.
Upon hearing this, Mu Jinyu's mouth twitched into a smirk, and he replied indifferently, "Oh."
Gu Xiyan clenched her small fists, looked up at Mu Jinyu with a guilty and shy expression, and said, "I mean it, pick another one."
"Oh." Mu Jinyu looked at her, his tone noticeably heavier as he chuckled.
At this moment, Gu Xiyan realized what was happening and, blushing deeply, shouted in frustration, "Get lost, you big pervert!"
Mu Jinyu, watching her reddened cheeks, chuckled mischievously and said, "You shouldn't be telling me to get lost, even if you reject, you should say 'no'."
"Get lost!"
Gu Xiyan ground her Tiger Teeth, and finally couldn't hold back anymore, she pounced forward to bite Mu Jinyu.
"Ouch, stop biting, it hurts, it hurts..."