The man crossed his arms and glanced in the direction Ouyang Ye had left, then continued, "Speaking of which, it's quite… astonishing that you're so afraid of Ouyang Ye."
"I'm not afraid of him. I just don't want him to recognize me. Besides," Mu Anxiao said with disdain, "if he did recognize me, it wouldn't do you any good."
"It wouldn't do me any good, but what's the point of you standing here letting the bee do the reconnaissance?" the man asked pointedly.
Mu Anxiao snorted, "You wouldn't understand. This is what you call waiting by the stump for a rabbit."
"The rabbit you're referring to is the bee," the man said.
Mu Anxiao shook her head.
The man frowned, "Not the bee, then who is the rabbit?"
"I have a question for you," Mu Anxiao deflected.
"Answer my question first," the man said, completely unfazed by Mu Anxiao's attempt.
Mu Anxiao hadn't expected the man to be so persistent. She took a breath, stared at him for a few seconds, and said, "If you answer my question, your problem will also be solved."
"Ask away," the man was piqued by Mu Anxiao's curiosity.
Mu Anxiao smiled, "If I hand over that item to you, will you let the wolf demon go?"
"Does the wolf demon hold such a high position in your heart?" the man asked with a mocking tone.
"That has nothing to do with you. Answer my question," Mu Anxiao, not wanting to engage in further conversation, said.
"Yes, as long as you personally hand over the map to me, I won't kill the wolf demon, but," the man said, glancing towards the study, "if the bee gets to me first, then I can't guarantee the wolf demon's life."
"You said it," Mu Anxiao pointed at the man.
The man nodded, "Yes. Now you can tell me who the rabbit is."
"That rabbit is you," Mu Anxiao said and turned away.
At this, the man lowered his gaze, thought for a moment, and then angrily exclaimed, "You played me!"
"I didn't play you, but you too," Mu Anxiao said, turning back to face him. "Since you've already assigned the task to the bee, why are you still following? Aren't you tired?"
"I'm not with him," the man said coldly.
Mu Anxiao listened, scanned the man from head to toe, and smiled, "Not with him? Then why are you here?"
"As the saying goes, it's better to rely on oneself than others. I heard there was a terrain map here, so I rushed over. Who knew, since both you and the bee thought of this, I'll just wait for your news then," the man said, taking a step back, preparing to leave.
Seeing this, Mu Anxiao spoke without thinking, "Wait a moment."
Upon hearing this, the man stopped his movement and asked, "What is it now?"
"You're new here. Even if you find the terrain map, you probably won't know where to go, right?" Mu Anxiao had an idea to cooperate with the man.
The man: "..." He suddenly fell silent.
Mu Anxiao saw this and frowned slightly, "Why aren't you speaking?"
"What you said isn't unreasonable, but," the man hesitated and took a breath, continuing, "you are Ouyang Ye's fiancée. How can I trust you?"
"The wolf demon's life is in your hands," Mu Anxiao said calmly.
"His life has nothing to do with whether I trust you or not."
"It doesn't, but don't you think about it? I was willing to escape from prison at any cost to help you find that map. Naturally, I can also help you find those people you want to find. Even if it's a test," Mu Anxiao smiled, "I've passed it, haven't I?"
"Slick talker," the man said, glancing at Mu Anxiao.
Mu Anxiao sighed, "Say what you will. Regardless, this is the opportunity I'm giving you."
"You are currently a criminal. Once the map is obtained, hurry back, lest you implicate me," the man said, then turned and left.
However, Mu Anxiao had spent so much effort precisely because she wanted the man to cooperate with her. This way, she could complete the mission Zhang Yan had given her as quickly as possible and then leave before her wedding with Ouyang Ye. She hadn't expected the man to be so unresponsive. With a sigh, she was at a loss.
Inside the study.
The bee, oblivious to the outside world, searched diligently but found no terrain map of this demonic cultivation land. He was extremely annoyed. "What's going on? I clearly remember that terrain map was right here. How could it..." he muttered, flew around again, "How can I not find it?" As he spoke, he remained still for a few seconds, then reverted to human form, walked to the door, and opened it.
At this moment, Mu Anxiao also spotted the bee. She looked left and right, quickly walked forward, and asked, "How is it?"
The bee looked crestfallen and dejected, "Nothing."
"Nothing," Mu Anxiao repeated, sighing. "I'm really sorry, I couldn't help you at all." She didn't know if what the bee said was true or false, but she now had an idea to get the truth out of him.
The bee: "You were just guarding the door. There's nothing to be sorry about."
"Still, I'm sorry," Mu Anxiao emphasized.
Seeing Mu Anxiao's 'guilty' expression, the bee suddenly remembered the sounds he had heard when he first entered. He asked, "Did the master come?"
"Yes, the master came," Mu Anxiao said. She suddenly thought of her conversation with the man and deliberately asked, "By the way, someone else came just now. Didn't you hear?" She wanted to confirm if the bee had actually overheard her conversation with the man.
"Someone else came? Who?" the bee asked immediately, surprised.
Then, Mu Anxiao feigned surprise, "You heard the master come, but you didn't hear someone else? You're joking, right?" She let out a dry laugh.
"Once I revert to my original form, I habitually ignore any sounds. Just tell me, who came?" the bee said, his expression tense.
Mu Anxiao saw that the bee didn't seem to be lying, so she habitually spun a tale. "It was a servant. He asked me what I was doing here, and I said I was waiting for the master."
"Is that so? You didn't mention me, did you?" the bee probed.
Mu Anxiao smiled.
The bee panicked. "Why are you smiling? Did you say something?"
"I'm not that foolish," Mu Anxiao said. Seeing where the bee was standing, she quickly reminded him, "Speaking of which, how long are you planning to stand at this door?"
At the door? The bee thought, looked down at his position, hastily crossed the threshold, then turned around and closed the door.
Mu Anxiao took a step back, quietly watching the bee's retreating figure, thinking, 'Looking at how dejected this guy is, he definitely didn't find the terrain map. But if the terrain map isn't here, then where could it be?' With that thought, she couldn't help but speak, "Where are you going next?"
Hearing this, the bee turned around with a troubled expression and looked at Mu Anxiao...