Laughter would have had him immediately retracting the offer. He's lucky that Xingchen is smarter than that and it helps, infinitely, that, somehow, the daozhang calms him enough to think this way. If Song Zichen isn't here, Xiao Xingchen could fall prey to anyone anywhere. Xue Yang tells himself that he only wants the revenge (for imprisoning him) to come from him, but lies like that only taste sweet for a little while.

It's just a cover. The truth is: he likes being around Xiao Xingchen. And what else does he have to offer, really? At least his blood-stained hands can tear Xingchen's enemies down.

"Mm don't go that far. I have a lot more enemies than you do." so the offer isn't a fair trade, "Look after yourself, daozhang, and I'll find a way to keep close by."