"Then..."
As the number one guard rabbit was about to speak, Mu Anxiao's expression suddenly turned serious. "If your queen finds you, tell her I bullied you. If she asks how you escaped, say you used sorcery to protect yourself and that I couldn't get close to you, so I left in anger. Do you understand?"
"What did you tell the queen?" the number one guard rabbit asked, looking at Mu Anxiao's unexpectedly serious expression.
"Just say that," Mu Anxiao insisted.
"Well, then, did that maid rabbit frame me?" the number one guard rabbit tentatively asked.
"Yes, remember, be careful yourself from now on," Mu Anxiao said.
The number one guard rabbit nodded and said, "Thank you." Then it walked away.
Mu Anxiao stood in place, watching the number one guard rabbit's receding figure. She breathed a sigh of relief, thinking, Her matter is resolved, but mine is still a mess. I guess I should go find Yan and clarify things. With that thought, she turned and walked in the opposite direction of where the number one guard rabbit had gone.
In a short while, Mu Anxiao arrived outside Yan's room. Then, just as she was about to knock, Piao's voice emerged.
"You said it," he said.
Hearing this, Mu Anxiao frowned and squatted down.
Inside, the red-clothed rabbit spirit stood beside Piao and nodded slightly. "Yes, I said it."
"Why so slow?" Piao asked, picking up his teacup.
"I... I took a detour to the kitchen," the red-clothed rabbit spirit confessed honestly.
"What were you doing in the kitchen?" Piao asked again.
The red-clothed rabbit spirit pursed her lips and said, "I was hungry."
"Hungry," Piao repeated, pointing to the pastries on the table. "Eat these."
"I... I only like food like carrots and cabbage. I don't like anything else," the red-clothed rabbit spirit said cautiously.
"I told you not to be reserved in front of me, not to refuse me. Are you looking for death?" Piao looked up at the red-clothed rabbit spirit and said.
The red-clothed rabbit spirit tightly pursed her lips.
Yan watched Piao carefully and said, "Why did you spread those words?"
"You want to know?" Piao turned his head and asked Yan.
"Mhm," Yan nodded slightly.
Piao stared at Yan for a few seconds and said, "Originally, I didn't want to say these things, but since you asked, I'll tell you."
Yan stared intently at Piao, remaining silent.
The red-clothed rabbit spirit glanced at Yan, who was staring at Piao, then turned her gaze to Piao's face as well.
"You don't need to look at me," Piao said.
Hearing this, the red-clothed rabbit spirit averted her gaze.
Outside the house, Mu Anxiao's calf suddenly cramped. She instinctively slapped the door.
The next second, she thought, I'm finished. Thinking this, her calf continued to cramp, preventing her from getting up.
Inside, the red-clothed rabbit spirit cautiously glanced at Piao and said, "Someone's outside."
"Open the door," Piao said.
"Yes," the red-clothed rabbit spirit nodded, turned, walked to the door, slid the bolt, and opened it. Without looking down, she said to the outside, "There's no one there." Then she tilted her head and looked at Piao.
Piao looked directly at Mu Anxiao, who was squatting outside and smiling foolishly at him. He blinked, stood up, stepped forward, and brushed past the red-clothed rabbit spirit, stopping at the door. He squatted down and asked, "You heard."
Mu Anxiao held her leg with one hand and nodded, "I heard."
"Get up," Piao said, pulling Mu Anxiao's arm.
Mu Anxiao gave a dry laugh, "My leg cramped, and I can't get up. If I could, I would have run away long ago."
"So direct," the red-clothed rabbit spirit muttered, looking down at Mu Anxiao.
Piao sighed and said, "Alright, I'll wait for you."
"No need, you go in. Once I recover, I'll roll away gracefully," Mu Anxiao said with a playful grin, worried about provoking Piao.
Piao looked at the uncomfortable expression on Mu Anxiao's face and asked, "Does talking to me make you so uneasy?"
"Mhm," Mu Anxiao nodded subconsciously, then shook her head. "No, I don't feel uneasy. I feel fine." She forced a dry laugh.
Hearing Mu Anxiao's reply, Piao sighed, released her arm, and stood up. "Yan, kill her."
"Huh?" Yan also stood up in surprise.
Mu Anxiao looked up at Piao's heartless face and said, "Didn't you say you wouldn't kill me?"
"Don't believe what I say," Piao replied.
Yan was at a loss.
Mu Anxiao's eyes sank, and she couldn't help but smile. "You mean you've been lying to me all along?" She pointed to herself.
"No," Piao said.
"Then what you said," Mu Anxiao, thinking of her life, instantly cast everything aside and stood up, saying, "You said not to believe what you say. Doesn't that mean everything you've told me is false?"
"You're standing up," Piao suddenly said.
Mu Anxiao frowned, looked down at her leg, and realized, "You're provoking me."
Piao bent down to meet Mu Anxiao's eyes and said, "If I don't provoke you, how can you get up?"
"You..." Mu Anxiao pointed at Piao, then glanced at the red-clothed rabbit spirit who was watching her cautiously. "You made her go find me."
"Mhm," Piao admitted.
"You knew I was coming here?" Mu Anxiao asked again.
Piao thought for a moment and said, "No. Why are you here?" He pointed at Mu Anxiao.
Mu Anxiao puffed out her cheeks and said, "There are some things I can't figure out."
"What can't you figure out?" Piao asked.
"I don't know why Yan told me to be careful," Mu Anxiao said matter-of-factly.
"You can't even figure this out," Piao said with a look of great surprise.
Mu Anxiao looked at Piao's face and said, "I figured it out, but then I thought it was wrong, and then I couldn't figure it out anymore."
"Stubborn," Piao shook his head.
"You're the stubborn one," Mu Anxiao retorted, frowning. "Are you testing her?" She pointed at Yan.
Yan glanced at Mu Anxiao and lowered her head.
Piao said, "What would I be testing her for?"
"You're testing her..." Mu Anxiao repeated the half-finished sentence several times, saying, "How would I know what you're testing her for?"
"Mu Anxiao, you already know I sent her, so why are you still asking? Aren't you tired?" Piao asked helplessly, looking at the suddenly serious Mu Anxiao.
Hearing this, Mu Anxiao's mouth half-opened, and she paused. "Ah, I forgot. Then," she stared into Piao's eyes, "why did you have her find me?"
"I wanted to test you," Piao suddenly said.
Mu Anxiao was stunned. She glanced at Yan and forced a dry laugh. "What are you testing me for? You don't think I'm lying to you, do you?"
Hearing Mu Anxiao's words, Piao casually put on a stern face and asked, "Are you lying to me?"
Hearing this, Mu Anxiao's heart suddenly became uneasy, but thinking of her own life, she forced herself to speak resolutely, "Why would I lie to you? It's so good to be with you. Lying to you would be foolish."
Piao looked at Mu Anxiao's earnest expression and couldn't help but smile.