"....." Shen Xian was speechless.
Seeing Shen Xian's distrustful gaze, Mu Anxiao could only shrug and continue practicing her lackluster calligraphy.
Shen Xian looked down at the crooked characters on the paper and said, "Your heart is not calm."
At this moment, nothing could truly calm Mu Anxiao. Counting the days that had passed and thinking about the matters in the mortal realm, Mu Anxiao lost the patience to remain quiet with him.
Thus, she put down her brush, looked up, and said, "I want to sleep, you can leave."
"Okay." Shen Xian nodded and stood up.
Mu Anxiao: "..." She put down her brush.
Shen Xian took out a handkerchief from his robes and handed it to Mu Anxiao. "Wipe your face."
"Oh." Mu Anxiao nodded, reached out, took the handkerchief, and casually dabbed her face, saying, "It won't come off."
"Go wash your face," Shen Xian said, then turned and walked away.
Mu Anxiao: "..." Her lips curled. She put down the handkerchief, walked around the desk, and headed towards the door.
This time, Shen Xian unexpectedly did not stop Mu Anxiao. Mu Anxiao picked up the lantern outside and walked gracefully to the well, crouching down to wash her face with the water in the bucket.
In the room.
Shen Xian stood by the door, gazing at Mu Anxiao's back as she washed her face. Thinking about her somewhat troubled handwriting, he furrowed his brow and turned back into the room.
In the kitchen.
Feng Qi Shi glanced at Shen Xian's room, then pondered for a moment and mentally called out, "Mu Anxiao!"
Suddenly, Feng Qi Shi's voice reached Mu Anxiao's ears.
Immediately, she asked mentally while washing her face, "What is it?" She tilted her head.
Feng Qi Shi took a step back and said mentally, "I think that Xu Lan has a problem."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Don't you think so?"
"You say it first, then I'll say whether I think so or not."
"..." Feng Qi Shi hesitated for a moment, pinched his nose, and continued, "He chased me all day, Shen Xian deliberately trapped you in the room all day, and tonight, those monsters came knocking again, and Xu Lan just happened to disappear. Don't you find it suspicious?"
"You haven't finished speaking, have you?"
"When you went to the latrine, did you hear footsteps?"
"....." Mu Anxiao, prompted by Feng Qi Shi's words, thought for a moment and said mentally, "I didn't hear anything. The moment I pushed the door open, I saw him."
"Xiang Nang said today that he rushed to the latrine in a panic and then disappeared very suspiciously. I think that guy has a problem."
Mu Anxiao, to stall for time, deliberately scooped another handful of water from the bucket and splashed it on her face, saying mentally, "When I went out today, I saw the lantern in that guy's hand, which was the same as the one the monsters used tonight. But," she rubbed her face with her hand, "he said he was thrown into the cesspool by the monsters. I don't believe him. I feel he has a relationship with the monsters, and it's not a simple one."
"Then I'll check on him tomorrow," Feng Qi Shi said mentally. He glanced again at Shen Xian's room and took half a step back, asking mentally, "Mu Shazi, do you smell a familiar scent on that Xu Lan?"
"A familiar scent?" Mu Anxiao repeated mentally. She thought of the scent on the rattan spirit and continued, "It is quite familiar."
"Don't you think it smells a lot like Lu Yan's scent?"
Lu Yan?
The moment Feng Qi Shi mentioned that name, Mu Anxiao felt nothing else but a sense of familiarity and strangeness.
If she remembered correctly, Lu Yan was the first person associated with the rattan spirit.
Thinking about it, Lu Yan was also unlucky. He was tricked by the rattan spirit for his entire life. Because of the rattan spirit, he resented his parents for his entire life. Finally, with Shen Yan's help, the misunderstanding was resolved, and the entire village returned to their normal lives.
Mu Anxiao also watched his parents pass away.
Thinking of that past, and considering her relationship with Shen Yan at the time, Mu Anxiao's heart ached.
"....."
Feng Qi Shi gazed at Mu Anxiao's silent back, furrowed his brow, and asked mentally, "Why aren't you talking to me anymore?"
Hearing this, Mu Anxiao snapped back to attention and said mentally, "Since you know Lu Yan."
"I remember the memories of my past life, including my experiences with you."
For some reason, the moment Mu Anxiao heard Feng Qi Shi say this, her heart felt a little happy.
However, she didn't want to show it. "You're like a dog, you even remember his scent."
"No matter how long the rattan spirit stayed with Lu Yan, it's been a long time. So, I suspect this Xu Lan is... the rattan spirit," Feng Qi Shi said seriously and mentally.
Mu Anxiao's body stiffened, and then she couldn't help but think about the rattan spirit's actions today, as well as his scent.
Therefore, she hesitated, stood up, and replied mentally, "There's a possibility. He can hide his demonic aura, but he can't hide his own scent. Shen Fengzi, keep an eye on him."
"Are you ordering me?"
"....." Mu Anxiao turned her head to look at the kitchen, picked up the lantern, and asked, "Do you have paper and ink in your room?"
"What are you doing?"
"Write twenty pages of calligraphy tonight. Tomorrow, before dawn, you'll put the finished calligraphy outside."
"What exactly are you trying to do?"
"I need to keep an eye on Shen Xian," Mu Anxiao said hurriedly and mentally, then walked away.
Feng Qi Shi curled his lips: "...." He turned and walked into the kitchen, blowing out all the candles inside.
In the early morning, Feng Qi Shi, with his suspicions and the task assigned by Mu Anxiao, arrived at the thatched hut in the garden.
That's right, the rattan spirit lived here.
Not far away, Piao and Chen, who had already started their early work, watched Feng Qi Shi's back and then exchanged glances. Chen said, "Since he's going to actively look for that Xu Lan."
Piao said, "Perhaps he was moved by Xu Lan's enthusiasm."
"Who knows." Chen shrugged his shoulders.
Piao: "....." He continued to stare at Feng Qi Shi's retreating figure.
In Shen Xian's room.
Mu Anxiao woke up early and placed Feng Qi Shi's finished calligraphy on the table, sitting at the desk and pretending to work.
Shen Xian put on his clothes and walked gracefully to the desk. He looked down at Mu Anxiao's neatly written characters and smiled. "You've finally calmed down."
"Are you going out today?" Mu Anxiao put down her brush and looked up at Shen Xian.
Shen Xian lowered his head to meet Mu Anxiao's eyes and asked, "Why are you asking that?"
"If you go out, I want to follow."
"Why do you want to follow me? By the way, didn't you say yesterday that you didn't want to be with me?"
Then, Mu Anxiao stood up and pointed to the calligraphy Feng Qi Shi had written for her. "I've finished writing. You said, I only need to write twenty pages."
Upon hearing this, Shen Xian's lips curled. Just as he was about to reach out, Mu Anxiao stopped him. "Don't look."
"I finished writing, and you don't want me to see?"
"I just need to count the pages for you. The handwriting isn't good. If you look, I'm afraid it will hurt your eyes," Mu Anxiao said, deliberately brushing the dust off the paper.
"I think your writing looks quite good, much better than yesterday," Shen Xian said, retracting his hand.
"Since it's better than yesterday, then... where are we going later?"
Shen Xian asked, "Do you really want to come along?"