"It's an engagement," Ouyang Ye interrupted in a low voice.
The man, Mu Anxiao, wasn't sure if he should decide for Mu Anxiao, but he thought that given Mu Anxiao's personality, she would surely refuse. So, he continued to insist, "An engagement while bearing the mark of a criminal, I fear it's not proper."
"Are you considering for me?" Ouyang Ye's eyes lit up.
The man (Mu Anxiao) snorted lightly and then crossed his arms in front of him. "I am not considering for you; I am considering for myself. If you take me into the palace, what if I am drowned in gossip? At that time," he said with a proud expression, "will you help me? Will you save me? As expected, you will abandon me to save your own face, won't you?"
"You..."
"I'm not going, so I'm not going. What engagement," the man (Mu Anxiao) mimicked Mu Anxiao's attitude and snorted again, "has nothing to do with me."
"Remember your words," Ouyang Ye said coldly, turning to look at Xi'er outside the cell. He instructed, "Let him be alone here to quiet down. Jiongye and the wolf demon should not return."
"Yes, Master," Xi'er replied. The moment Ouyang Ye walked out of the cell, she locked the door.
However, the man (Mu Anxiao) truly felt nothing about Ouyang Ye's actions. On the contrary, Mu Anxiao felt a great deal. She had intended to discuss countermeasures with Jiongye and the wolf demon after returning, and then carefully study how to go to Rongguang Hall.
Unexpectedly, all her arrangements and thoughts were completely disrupted before she could even implement them. "This guy, he's really something," she muttered, glaring fiercely at the man below through the gaps in the bars.
At the same time, the man happened to look up at Mu Anxiao. "..."
Thus, their eyes met. Then, Mu Anxiao pointed at him, and with the intention of settling accounts later, she jumped out of the window and came through the wall.
Seeing this, the man immediately reverted to his original form and then became invisible.
Mu Anxiao hadn't expected the man to be so quick. So, without falling behind, she resumed her previous disguise and said, "Ouyang Ye asked you to enter the palace, so why did you refuse?" She hadn't intended to bring this up first, but for some reason, her mind went blank, and she could only remember to say this first.
"Do you want to get engaged?" the man asked, setting up a barrier between them.
Mu Anxiao understood the man's methods and didn't lose her train of thought, continuing the topic, "I don't want to."
"Then why are you blaming me? According to normal logic, you should thank me for refusing."
"Thank you?" Mu Anxiao frowned.
"What, you don't want to thank me?" the man said, nodding. "Alright, it's fine if you don't want to thank me. Right now, I want to know the news you brought back."
"The news has been compromised," Mu Anxiao said inexplicably.
The man was confused. "What do you mean by that?"
Then, Mu Anxiao took a deep breath and said, "Forget it, there's no point arguing with you." She adjusted her mindset and became serious. "The place where the immortals are imprisoned is in a tower deep within the forbidden forest, but..." She stopped speaking.
The man became anxious. "But what? You tell me clearly."
"Some of the immortals are also imprisoned in a place called Rongguang Hall, and according to my inquiries, that place is in Ouyang Ye's palace," Mu Anxiao said indifferently.
Afterward, the man couldn't help but ponder Mu Anxiao's words and said, "No wonder you blamed me. So... it was me who messed things up." He then fell into deep self-reproach.
Mu Anxiao reached out and patted the man's shoulder, saying, "It's not your fault. If I had come back earlier, if I hadn't gotten lost..."
"It's not your fault; it's all my fault," the man said firmly.
Mu Anxiao was puzzled. "Why?"
"Actually, I thought Ouyang Ye would imprison them in the palace. It's just... I didn't dare to make a decision for you, so I kept refusing Ouyang Ye. Therefore," the man said with firm conviction, "it's my fault. If I hadn't considered you, none of this would have happened."
"...You," Mu Anxiao felt a sudden discomfort listening to the man's words. "No, why do I feel like you're scolding me?"
"I'm just speaking the truth. How can you say I'm scolding you?" the man retorted.
Mu Anxiao shook her head. "I don't know. I just feel like you're scolding me, but I don't have any evidence to prove that you are," she said. After thinking for a moment, she couldn't be bothered to think about it anymore. "Forget it, let's not talk about this. It is what it is. You continue to impersonate me."
"What do you mean?" the man didn't understand Mu Anxiao's words for a moment.
Mu Anxiao said, "Since you messed things up, you should fix them." She didn't feel her idea was problematic and spoke righteously.
The man snorted coldly. "You think too highly of yourself."
"How am I thinking too highly of myself? This is your responsibility. Moreover," Mu Anxiao said, curling her lips, "I really don't know how to act coquettish."
"I don't either," the man said.
Mu Anxiao gave a dry laugh. "I saw you chatting quite well with Ouyang Ye just now. If that situation were on me, I definitely wouldn't be able to make him fawn over me like that, but you can. This shows," she smiled, "you're better than me."
"You're flattering me so badly that it's backfiring. You don't feel it, but I feel uncomfortable just listening to you. If you ask me, this still needs to be done by you."
"I've already found the location of those immortals. If you act like this, it's too uncooperative," Mu Anxiao said, frowning.
The man gasped. "It's not that I won't help you, it's that I truly can't help you."
"Reason."
"I need to go out and find something now," the man said seriously.
Mu Anxiao was curious. "I've already found where the immortals are, what else do you need to find?"
"This is classified," the man said mysteriously.
Then, Mu Anxiao smiled.
The man was confused. "What are you smiling about? What I said..."
"I can tell whether you're telling the truth or a lie with just one listen," Mu Anxiao interrupted, her lips curled. "It seems you've made up your mind not to help me. Fine, then I won't force you."
"What do you want to do?"
"You can't leave until this is done," Mu Anxiao said, grabbing the man's arm.
The man was stunned. "You're..."
"Unless you turn into me and help me resolve this matter, you'll stay here."
"Even if I turn into you, Ouyang Ye won't necessarily come just like that," the man showed slight emotion.
Mu Anxiao smiled. "You've agreed."
"This..."
"I'll go find him," Mu Anxiao said, turning around... and then reverting to her servant disguise. "It's your turn."
"I'm convinced," the man said, honestly transforming into Mu Anxiao's appearance.
Mu Anxiao smiled with satisfaction. "As long as this matter is successful, I will continue to help you unconditionally."
"You said it," the man pointed at Mu Anxiao.
Mu Anxiao hummed and said, "Start shouting, Ouyang Ye will come back."
"Why?"
"That way, it will be easier for me to talk," Mu Anxiao said, turning to the wall. "Hurry up and shout, I'm leaving." With that, she passed through the wall.
The man watched Mu Anxiao leave, sighed helplessly, and then began to do as she said.