"Go ahead and indulge in your narcissism," the wolf demon said, casting a sideways glance at Jiong Ye. He then turned his gaze towards Mu Anxiao and the man enveloped by the barrier, "Tell me, why can't we hear what they're saying? Do those two already know each other? If so, am I saved?" With that, he quickly turned back to fix his stare on Jiong Ye.
Jiong Ye, observing the wolf demon's sudden spark of interest, then glancing at the mysteriously veiled pair, shrugged his shoulders. "Who knows, but," he narrowed his eyes, "I have a feeling they don't."
"What makes you say that?" the wolf demon asked, crossing his arms.
"Intuition."
"Intuition?" the wolf demon repeated, chuckling. "You? If your intuition were truly accurate, you wouldn't have been captured by Ouyang Ye time and time again."
"Say one more word, and I'll tell that man who you are," Jiong Ye attempted to threaten the wolf demon.
To his surprise, the wolf demon completely disregarded Jiong Ye's threat, a dismissive smile playing on his lips. "If you dare, I'll tell Ouyang Ye about your escape plan."
"You..."
"If you dare, we'll just hurt each other," the wolf demon interrupted.
Jiong Ye was left feeling awkward.
Seeing Jiong Ye's awkward expression, the wolf demon let out a soft chuckle and remained silent.
Over there, Mu Anxiao stared at the silent man for a while before finally losing patience. "If you're not going to speak, then remove this barrier. Otherwise, your barrier might attract people we don't want here." To get the man's attention, she deliberately reached out and pushed his shoulder.
At the same moment, the man came back to his senses, looked down at his shoulder that Mu Anxiao had touched, and said in a low voice, "Do you truly intend to protect the wolf demon?"
Mu Anxiao nodded.
Seeing this, the man also nodded. "Alright, I understand."
"Understand what?" Mu Anxiao asked, not grasping his meaning.
"I understand your determination, but," the man said, glancing towards Jiong Ye and the wolf demon, and continued, "I have my own mission to complete. Here, I must have a place."
"What do you mean?" Mu Anxiao retorted.
The man's tone was serious. "It means I need someone reliable to help me complete this mission."
"A patron?" Mu Anxiao repeated.
The man nodded.
Observing the man's reaction, Mu Anxiao lowered her gaze and thought, curiosity piqued. "Speaking of which, how long have you been here?"
"Just arrived."
"Just arrived, then you..." Mu Anxiao started, but then her mind went to the man's connection with the bee. She looked puzzled. "That's not right. If you just arrived, how do you know about the bee? Also, as far as I know, the bee is always very careful in his actions. How did you bribe him?" She was filled with doubt regarding the man's words.
The man looked at Mu Anxiao's earnest questioning expression and remained silent for a few seconds before saying, "I lied to him, telling him I was one of Mo Juan's subordinates, and that my help was merely a case of righteous indignation."
"That's it?" Mu Anxiao was surprised.
The man grunted, "Yes, that's it."
Hearing the man's words, Mu Anxiao let out a dry laugh.
In response, the man displayed a puzzled expression. "Why are you making that face?"
"I thought you used some sophisticated method to bribe the bee. Turns out, it was just a gamble."
"I simply exploited his jealousy of the wolf demon. Exploiting him is not a gamble," the man stated calmly.
Listening to the man's honest reply, Mu Anxiao pondered for a moment and couldn't help but ask, "Speaking of which, if you hadn't met me, would you..." She didn't want to be too direct, swallowing hard, and continued, "...have actually killed the wolf demon?"
"Yes," the man replied.
Mu Anxiao's heart sank. She asked again, "Then you don't even know who the wolf demon is. You..."
"I would kill both of them," the man interrupted coldly.
"..." Mu Anxiao was speechless.
Seeing Mu Anxiao's expression of disbelief, the man quietly added, "I'm listening to you only because you are useful. If you weren't useful," his demeanor turned icy, "I would have still struck them both down with a single blow."
"You still haven't given up... on killing the wolf demon," Mu Anxiao exclaimed in surprise.
The man snorted coldly. "I only do what benefits me. If you dare to deceive me, I won't let you off either."
"You would kill me too," Mu Anxiao's expression froze.
"Yes. Anyway, you are already in the demon realm. Even if I killed you, the celestial beings would not care. In short," he reached out and placed his hand on Mu Anxiao's shoulder, "you had better help me properly, or no one will collect your corpse."
"What's your name?" Mu Anxiao suppressed her fear, remaining composed.
"You don't need to know," the man said, removing his hand. "I'll wait for your news."
"You haven't told me what mission you're on, how can I help you?" Mu Anxiao realized the man's terrifying nature.
The man turned his back. "Save the celestial beings captured by Ouyang Ye."
"That's your mission?" Mu Anxiao had never considered this possibility. Hearing the man say it so suddenly, she became excited.
"Yes, but I haven't found out where those celestial beings are being held, so I'll need your help to figure it out," the man said, turning his head slightly.
Mu Anxiao blinked. "That's not right."
"How is it not right?" the man asked, turning to face Mu Anxiao.
Mu Anxiao swallowed. "I'm confined here, how can I help you investigate? You..." she started, but then suddenly remembered the destinies of the wolf demon and Jiong Ye. She then added, "You can wait for news."
"What you say makes sense. In that case, I'll have to rely on the bee," the man said, shifting his gaze back to Jiong Ye and the wolf demon.
At that moment, as Jiong Ye and the wolf demon saw the man looking at them, they froze.
Seeing this, Mu Anxiao had a flash of inspiration and quickly said, "I have a way to help you."
"What way?" the man withdrew his gaze and looked at Mu Anxiao.
Mu Anxiao couldn't see the man's face, so she didn't know what kind of person he was. However, judging by his words, she had a general idea of why the celestial realm had sent him to the demon realm – simply because he was decisive in his actions. Therefore, listening to his question, her heart couldn't help but feel apprehensive.
"I'll try to trick information out of Ouyang Ye. As for you, go outside and search for a while. Later, I'll use my method to call you over, and then we can discuss the next plan," she said, feigning calmness.
The man found Mu Anxiao's words reasonable, but considering his unfamiliarity with the place, he said, "However, I still need the bee's help."
"I've already helped you, you..."
"He can find clues," the man interrupted.
Mu Anxiao had said all those words with the intention of making the man give up on killing the wolf demon. She never expected that all her earnest persuasion would be met with such a statement from the man. Feeling a sense of frustration, she reached out and grabbed the man's arm in an attempt to make him completely abandon his plan.
The man stiffened, looking puzzled. "What are you doing?" he asked, his gaze fixed on Mu Anxiao.