"Yes, the portrait," the man echoed in a low voice, focusing on Mu Anxiao's expression. "What, you don't believe what I'm saying?"
Hearing this, Mu Anxiao immediately came back to her senses, and after staring at the man for a few more seconds, she asked, "Who exactly are you?"
"Who I am is not important, tell me," the man said, glancing at Jiongye and the wolf demon again before continuing, "Which one of them is the wolf demon?"
"What do you want the wolf demon for?" Mu Anxiao asked again.
Seeing Mu Anxiao's persistent questioning, the man showed no impatience. Instead, he continued to answer carefully, "I have my reasons for looking for him, you..."
"Your reasons, and you don't even recognize them yourself. It's clear your appearance is not simple," Mu Anxiao interrupted.
At Mu Anxiao's words, the man's fists visibly clenched. "There are some things it's better for you not to know."
"I just want to know," Mu Anxiao said without fear. "Tell me, who sent you?"
"That has nothing to do with you."
"The wolf demon has something to do with me, so tell me if this matter has anything to do with me or not," Mu Anxiao said stiffly.
Seeing Mu Anxiao's stubbornness, the man lowered his head slightly and said, "Fine, you're forcing me." With that, he extended his hand.
Mu Anxiao frowned upon seeing this. "What are you trying to do?"
"Since you won't tell me who the wolf demon is, I'll go in and find him myself." With that, the man was about to tamper with the lock cylinder.
Seeing this, Mu Anxiao quickly stopped him. "If you break this lock cylinder, and the little demons guarding here find out, you'll be finished." She glanced at the lock as she spoke.
The man snorted dismissively. "The prisons in the demon realm are mostly unguarded. You don't even know that."
"No guards? How is that possible?" Mu Anxiao asked, surprised.
The man looked at Mu Anxiao's unworldly expression, then glanced at Jiongye and the wolf demon still hiding behind her, and continued, "I don't have time for your nonsense now." With that, a beam of black light appeared at his fingertips.
Mu Anxiao didn't know what mood the man was in to be looking for the wolf demon, but judging solely by his mysterious attire, she suspected his purpose was far from simple, perhaps even to take a life. Thus, for the wolf demon's safety, she stepped to the door without a second thought, extended her hand, and grabbed the man's casting finger. In that instant, an electric current surged through her palm, and she froze.
Just then, the man suddenly looked up and met Mu Anxiao's stunned eyes, saying coldly, "You're crazy." With that, he tried to pull his hand away.
"You..." As the man was about to succeed, Mu Anxiao deliberately tightened her grip on his finger, blinked, and thought, he's not a demon after all.
At the same time, the man narrowed his eyes and thought, "Ask what you should, and don't pry into what you shouldn't."
Upon hearing this, Mu Anxiao's body stiffened. Relying on her senses, she met the man's eyes tightly and continued to think, "You can actually hear my thoughts?" she said, a slight smile forming at the corner of her mouth. "Well, that's fine too."
"What do you mean?" The man was too lazy to struggle anymore.
"The magic you're using isn't demon magic, but how did you hide it, you..."
"I'm using demon magic," the man suddenly said.
Mu Anxiao was embarrassed upon hearing this. "We were communicating so well, why did you have to speak? It's so disappointing."
"You are the master's fiancée. It's not good for you to be holding me like this," the man said deliberately.
Conversely, Mu Anxiao, completely unfazed by the man's intimidation, said, "I'm just stopping you from doing something you shouldn't. As long as you promise not to break the lock, I'll let go."
"You don't want to get out," the man suddenly said.
Mu Anxiao sneered. "Oh, you want to drag someone down with you? Well, I just won't be that scapegoat." She said, looking down at the man's hand. "If you don't give up, I won't let go. I'm not afraid of looking bad, and I'm certainly not afraid of dying."
"You..."
"Don't 'you' me. Since you won't agree to my terms, don't talk to me." With that, Mu Anxiao leaned against the cell door and closed her eyes.
The man looked at Mu Anxiao's reaction up close, then glanced at Jiongye and the wolf demon, who were deliberately avoiding his gaze. He cleared his throat and said, "Let go of my hand, and I'll give up."
"Really?" Mu Anxiao said, still with her eyes closed.
The man hummed in affirmation and said, "Really."
Hearing the man's response, Mu Anxiao opened her eyes and released his hand. "Alright, you can leave now."
"Who said I was leaving?" the man said calmly.
"You've given up, why aren't you leaving?" Mu Anxiao said, frowning. "What else do you want?"
"I have something to tell you," the man said, and then passed directly through the cell door.
Seeing this, Mu Anxiao and the others showed expressions of surprise.
Immediately after, the man walked forward and looked at their astonished faces, saying coldly, "I just have something to tell you, there's no need for you to be like this." With that, he withdrew his gaze from Jiongye and the wolf demon and stopped in front of Mu Anxiao.
Mu Anxiao's mouth twitched. "No, if you can phase through walls, why... why did you go for that lock?" she asked, glancing towards the cell door.
"I have something to tell you," the man said again.
Mu Anxiao hadn't expected the man to be so adept at changing the subject. Clearing her throat, she couldn't help but become curious about what the man had to say. "If I'm not mistaken, what you want to tell me is nothing other than about the wolf demon, but..."
"It's not him," the man interrupted, waving his arm. A barrier then enveloped him and Mu Anxiao.
Mu Anxiao looked at the scene before her, truly astonished. "What do you mean by this?" she asked, glancing at the barrier before shifting her gaze back to the man's face.
"I know you're a celestial," the man suddenly said.
Mu Anxiao narrowed her eyes. "If I'm not mistaken, the reason I was imprisoned here has already been spread by Ouyang Ye," she said, crossing her arms. "It's natural that you know."
"I lied to you," the man said again.
Mu Anxiao smiled.
"I lied to you, shouldn't you be angry? Why are you smiling?" The man couldn't understand Mu Anxiao's smile.
"Do you think I would believe what you say?" Mu Anxiao deliberately countered.
The man paused. "What do you mean by that?"
"I mean, I know you came here only to find the wolf demon. Apart from that, I will not consider or believe anything else you say," Mu Anxiao became direct.