"Hmm, you seem much more agile than before."
"Agile?"
"Yes, you used to walk so slowly. Ever since that incident, your pace has quickened considerably."
"Is that so?"
"Do you think that swindler is responsible?"
This was a question Mi Yan had pondered for a long time.
"Certainly not."
"Then why?"
"I won't elaborate on the specifics of this matter."
"You know?"
"..." Mu Anxiao paused deliberately for a few seconds, then changed the subject: "I hope you'll take my rambling advice to heart."
"Rest assured, as long as I live, I will be grateful every day. As for those I dislike, I will simply ignore them. From now on, I will be true to myself. Even if I encounter unpleasant things, I won't let my temper get the better of me."
"I am very pleased that you are listening to my ramblings."
"You're deliberately talking about me, aren't you?"
"Deliberately? Why do you think I'm speaking deliberately?"
"The moment I produced the white silk, your expression changed. It's clear that..."
"I just didn't want to see you go astray; I had no other intentions. I wasn't being deliberate. I simply can't stand a young lady like you being so wicked. That's all there is to it."
"Alright," Mi Yan nodded.
"..." Mu Anxiao looked at Mi Yan's face, thinking of the thirty elders who had been harmed by that fellow according to the booklet. She said, "As soon as I regain my freedom, I will help you."
Upon hearing this, Mi Yan's eyes lit up. "Really?"
"Yes, I mean, if I regain my freedom, I will do my best to help you."
"Your words are enough for me." Mi Yan smiled, then her expression suddenly turned dejected. "I truly wish you were related to me."
"What kind of relation?"
"It would be wonderful if you were my family."
"I don't want any family."
"Why?"
"Having family is too troublesome."
In the past, Mu Anxiao had witnessed many disputes between relatives. The thought of entering another large family was simply unbearable for her.
"Having family is what proves your..."
"Enough, why are we talking so much?" Mu Anxiao interrupted, her attitude suddenly changing. "Since you think family is so important, why are you here? Why aren't you with your family?"
"I..."
"Speaking of which, why were you working at that ninety-year-old man's house? Where are your parents? Your relatives?"
".... " Mi Yan lowered her gaze.
Seeing Mi Yan's sudden dejected demeanor, Mu Anxiao asked, "You don't want to talk about it?"
Mi Yan: "If I tell you, can you help me?"
"Help you?" Mu Anxiao repeated, frowning. "Didn't I already promise to try and help you? Why aren't you listening to me?"
Mi Yan shook her head. "That's not what I mean. I mean," she raised her face to look at Mu Anxiao, "help me find my family."
"Help you find your family? What do you mean?" Mu Anxiao's heart began to race.
"I went out to the market with my parents, and in a blink of an eye, my parents were gone."
"You got lost?"
"Yes." Mi Yan nodded.
"How old are you?" Mu Anxiao asked, guessing in her heart that Mi Yan must be eighteen.
Mi Yan: "I am fourteen."
Upon hearing this, Mu Anxiao instantly put on a surprised expression, and then the corners of her mouth twitched upwards. She said, "You're not joking, are you?"
"What's with that expression?"
Seeing this, Mu Anxiao swallowed and said, "You should be eighteen or nineteen. Fourteen seems a bit exaggerated."
"I got lost when I was twelve. Two years have passed. Am I not fourteen? What age do you think I am?"
"Uh."
"What 'uh' for?"
"No..." Mu Anxiao leaned forward, looking at Mi Yan's appearance and her clothes. She said, "If you're only fourteen, why are you dressed so maturely?"
"That swindler said that this look would make me more convincing. He said that if I didn't dress like this," Mi Yan said, "his business would suffer because of me, and not only that, but I wouldn't even be able to eat with him."
"So you deliberately dressed maturely?"
"Yes."
"And these clothes, did he buy them for you?" Mu Anxiao asked, a smile playing on her lips. "They seem to fit quite well."
"I stole them."
"Stole?"
"Yes, I sneaked through a dog hole in the middle of the night into a wealthy household and stole these clothes. I altered them, and they fit perfectly."
"Oh." Mu Anxiao still couldn't believe that Mi Yan was only fourteen.
"What do you mean by 'oh'?"
"It means nothing," Mu Anxiao shook her head.
Mi Yan: "Can you help me?"
"Help you..." Mu Anxiao repeated, taking a deep breath. "This matter hasn't even begun to materialize, and you're already asking me to find your family. Don't you think... you're a bit greedy?"
"I..."
"Alright, don't think about other things for now. Finding your family depends on my schedule," Mu Anxiao said, turning to look at the Yin messenger who had inexplicably appeared outside the cell. "What are you doing?"
The Yin messenger glanced at Mi Yan, then at Mu Anxiao and said, "Come out."
"It's starting already?" Mu Anxiao looked surprised.
Seeing Mu Anxiao's surprised expression, the Yin messenger curled his lip. "Consider yourself lucky. They've decided to interrogate you earlier."
"Who is interrogating me?"
"Lord Xu Lan."
"Xu Lan?" Mu Anxiao repeated, pointing at Mi Yan. "Who is interrogating her?"
The Yin messenger followed Mu Anxiao's finger to Xu Lan and said, "Your friend here is also Xu Lan."
"Also Xu Lan." Mu Anxiao said, putting on a stern expression. "In that case, open the door." She pointed at the cell door, which was sealed with a spell.
"You're definitely guilty." The Yin messenger stated firmly and cast a spell to open the door.
Mi Yan: "Help me."
Hearing this, Mu Anxiao turned slightly to Mi Yan and nodded, then turned back and stepped out of the cell.
At the same time, the Yin messenger glanced at Mi Yan, who had placed her hope in Mu Anxiao, and then looked at Mu Anxiao. He said, "She can barely save herself. I advise you to save yourself." Saying this, he cast another spell and closed the door. xxs1
Mi Yan: "...." She still placed her hope in Mu Anxiao, not heeding the Yin messenger's words.
Mu Anxiao ignored the Yin messenger and walked out of the cell.
Before leaving, the Yin messenger glanced at Mi Yan, then followed Mu Anxiao.
Leaving the cell.
Mu Anxiao looked at the forest in front of her, stretched, and said, "Lead the way." As she spoke, she turned to the Yin messenger.
The Yin messenger took out a black rope. "Give me your hands."
Mu Anxiao calmly glanced at the black rope and said, "There's no need, is there? I can't escape."
"Basic rituals must be performed."
"Rituals..." Mu Anxiao let out a soft scoff. "What ritual is needed? It's just one Xu Lan, what..."
"Give me some face," the Yin messenger, not daring to shout at Mu Anxiao, said gently.
Mu Anxiao: "..." Seeing the Yin messenger's no longer arrogant expression, she sighed and extended her hands.
--End of Chapter--