The impression of being saved at the time was quite profound, so the little girl had a good impression of this fellow and trusted him a lot, which made her want to do something within her power to repay him.

However, Kikyo must face the risks hidden within this matter—

This person is a half-demon who inherits the demon bloodline and is using the power of the Four Souls Jade, and she is not familiar with him enough to give any absolute guarantee... Even from her perspective, he is a potential powder keg, possibly becoming a cannibal demon at any time, crazed by bloodlust, which indeed makes it unsuitable for a naive child to interact with him alone every day.

"Oh, then I understand, no wonder it is like this..."

Gu Mo suddenly realized that if it was explained this way, it seemed completely understandable.

He didn't think there was anything wrong with Kikyo's approach. After all, she had only known him for a few days, and had not built enough understanding and trust in him... Moreover, from Kikyo's point of view, even another well-known half-demon she knew had betrayed her due to the Four Souls Jade, which was a lesson from the past.

So this is really a very normal thing, the Witch's current attitude towards him was completely normal, and he didn't believe he was special. Others have only known him for a few days, with no bond established, and they should not be expected to trust him unconditionally, pouring their heart and soul to him...

If it is something one cannot do for oneself, then don't be so harsh on others.

Kikyo couldn't help but glance at him and found that he didn't care about it at all, so she did not say anything further.

He was not someone with extreme ideas, often being able to understand others. Clearly, from various details, it seemed like his background was either wealthy or noble, and potentially from an unimaginable upper class, yet it was unknown how he developed such a character, seemingly out of tune with the melody of this era.

Just like that, the two of them each contemplated a variety of insignificant matters, easily brushing aside the strange incident from moments ago.

Both of them came up with a reasonable explanation, feeling it should be that way, as neither considered any other possibility.

They found a shady hillside and sat under the shade of a big tree.

Gu Mo casually took a washed berry from the basket and, using the system's identification notes, confirmed what species it was before taking a bite. The texture wasn't particularly good, and the taste was sour and astringent, but as the saying goes, one shouldn't expect too much in this era.

The villagers are the same; having something to eat is already a blessing.

"Aren't you eating, Kikyo?" He glanced at the witch, who was sitting about three positions away. Observing her usual calm expression as she placed her longbow by her side, with knees slightly bent, gazing thoughtfully at the distant blue sky, Gu Mo asked.

"I don't mind... Eating doesn't matter." The witch did not look at him, only responding softly.

Her body, fired from clay and bone ash, was like porcelain, as she was no longer among the living, naturally having no dietary needs as she had in life.

"That's really a pity..." Gu Mo shook his head and looked towards the distant sky, feeling a serene peace in his heart as the mountain breeze brushed against him.

This was how he spent the afternoons in recent days. The witch brought food, and the two of them would sit in a quiet place. Although they didn't talk much, the atmosphere never felt awkward or strained. It seemed that when Kikyo was nearby, even the air had a sort of tranquil beauty.

Silence quietly spread between them.

But soon it was broken, as the cool witch, devoid of warmth, withdrew her gaze and looked at him, softly speaking: "Was it your inability to control the impulses in your heart just now?"

"Ahem, in a certain sense, that's what it is, but it's not because of the Jade. I wasn't overwhelmed by violence or anything... It was simply because that creature almost splattered its saliva on me, so I gave it a small punishment, purely with simple intentions."

Gu Mo shook his head repeatedly, insisting he wasn't beguiled by the Jade into a killing frenzy or anything like that.

His recent attacking desire was purely due to how disgusting that creature made him feel, and nothing more.

"But these days, you've been outside seeking demons to kill, which seems overly murderous..." Kikyo lightly frowned, unwilling to overlook any suspicious signs. Also aware of how sinister the power of the Jade is, she naturally suspected that he might unknowingly have been influenced by it.

"Ahem, it's because they are drawn to this place. They will eventually find the village. I thought it would be better to deal with them in advance, taking the initiative." Gu Mo coughed and explained seriously.

Many days, he enjoyed wandering around the village. After all, staying in his house, how could he grind monsters to level up? Even if creatures would occasionally be drawn to the Jade's aura and appear, they might not stand a chance against Kikyo.

The witch combined the strongest elements of an archer and a mage, and in a way, had maxed out levels in both professions in the current version, with high attributes and powerful skills. Even while sitting indoors, her arrows would fly out of the village to obliterate the freshly spawned creatures...

Moreover, the two of them were not currently in a cooperative team, so he couldn't even gain experience from her.

Thus Gu Mo decisively went out for a stroll. He had to compete for the creatures... Ah, no, as a man, he couldn't just stay in the village living off others' resources, especially since he couldn't even live off others' resources in this case.

But such matters couldn't be directly explained to the witch, so he could only give another reason.

"It's best if that's the case... If you feel anything is wrong, you should tell me, otherwise, you might get deeper and deeper, and by then it would all be too late." Kikyo gazed at him, nodding slowly, speaking in a tone that wasn't clear if it was trusting or skeptical, merely advising with genuine seriousness.

She sincerely didn't want him to become a bloodthirsty demon.

"Oh."

Faced with yet another round of advice, Gu Mo simply nodded noncommittally.

Yet another "Oh..."

The witch's expression remained unchanged as she turned her face away, staring unwaveringly forward, while on the other side, her delicate hand resting on the longbow tightened slightly.

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