Walking down the road, the rabbit spirits bowed respectfully whenever they saw Mu Anxiao, greeting him with deference. Mu Anxiao felt uncomfortable under their feigned smiles.
After the rabbit spirits had walked away, Piao floated to Mu Anxiao’s side and asked, "How does it feel?"
"How much do they fear you?" Mu Anxiao stopped and turned to Piao, who wore a mask, and asked.
"Probably a lot," Piao replied.
Mu Anxiao lowered his eyes and pondered, then asked, "What does it feel like to be feared by everyone?"
"It feels," Piao repeated, thinking for a moment before saying, "at first, it’s incredibly satisfying, but then slowly…"
"Don't you feel incredibly lonely?" Mu Anxiao interjected as Piao hesitated.
Piao chuckled twice. "Slowly you get used to it. I don't feel lonely at all."
"Cold-blooded," Mu Anxiao stated, giving Piao a glare before walking forward.
Piao continued to follow.
At the same time, Xu Lanyan arrived outside the woodshed. He squatted down and touched the ground, a smirk playing on his lips. "It's here." Just as he was about to cast a demon spell, a guard rabbit spirit suddenly appeared behind him.
"What are you doing?"
Hearing this, Xu Lanyan’s nerves tensed. He glanced sideways and said, "Nothing."
"Who are you?" the guard rabbit spirit asked.
Xu Lanyan had no intention of getting up. "Dog Head Demon is my boss. He sent me to the cellar to find something."
"You're one of Dog Head's subordinates?" the guard rabbit spirit asked, his tone softening.
"Yes." Xu Lanyan nodded without turning his head.
"Then carry on," the guard rabbit spirit said. As he turned to leave, Xu Lanyan asked, "You're guarding this place. Aren't you afraid of getting in trouble if you leave?"
Hearing this, the guard rabbit spirit turned his head to look at the back of Xu Lanyan's head. "You wouldn't understand this. This door is sealed with a demon spell, they can't escape, so I'm going back to sleep."
"You're sleeping when it's not even dark yet?" Xu Lanyan inquired intentionally.
The guard rabbit spirit’s eyes darkened. "You should focus on your work and leave me alone."
"Alright," Xu Lanyan nodded.
The guard rabbit spirit turned and left without another word.
Xu Lanyan breathed a sigh of relief, stood up, and walked through the woodshed door. "Did you hear that?"
Feng Qishi, still sitting lazily on the ground, said, "I heard. What are you trying to say?"
"You have to help me," Xu Lanyan said, pointing at Feng Qishi.
"How can I help you? My cultivation is not as high as yours anymore," Feng Qishi said lazily, looking up at Xu Lanyan.
Xu Lanyan frowned and walked in front of Feng Qishi. "I don't care, you must help me."
"Big Brother, putting aside whether I help you or not, I can't get out. Moreover, I was forcibly kept here by that great demon. You want me to…" Feng Qishi trailed off, then said, "Wait, why are you back?"
"I finished the job, so I came back," Xu Lanyan replied casually.
"Did you look for Dog Head?" Feng Qishi suddenly stood up.
Xu Lanyan nodded. "Yes, he gave me everything I needed."
"That easily?" Feng Qishi exclaimed in surprise.
Xu Lanyan glanced at the rabbit spirits cautiously watching him. "Did you do something?"
"What could I have done?" Feng Qishi's gaze flickered.
"When I went just now, I saw the great demon also went there," Xu Lanyan said directly.
"Went where?" Feng Qishi turned his head away.
A smirk played on Xu Lanyan's lips. "If I'm not mistaken, you sent the great demon to find Dog Head, didn't you?"
"No..."
"It was you!" the maid rabbit exclaimed, exposing him.
Xu Lanyan smiled at the maid rabbit, then turned back to Feng Qishi. "You really are my good brother." As he spoke, he embraced Feng Qishi.
Feng Qishi had only lied to Piao that Dog Head did it for his own reasons. Hearing Xu Lanyan say this, he was also startled.
"Uh, you don't have to thank me," he said, pushing away the tightly hugging Xu Lanyan with force.
"Thank you," Xu Lanyan said with a smile.
Feng Qishi looked embarrassed. "I already told you not to thank me. I just casually mentioned it to Piao."
"You still mentioned it," Xu Lanyan insisted on portraying Feng Qishi as his savior.
Feng Qishi was helpless in the face of this.
"Fine, fine, just consider it my help. Now you do what you need to do. I truly can't get out, and I can't help you," Feng Qishi said, patting Xu Lanyan on the shoulder.
"Alright, wait for my good news," Xu Lanyan said, waved at the rabbit spirits, and turned to leave.
The rabbit spirits smiled.
Back outside, Xu Lanyan, to prevent being interrupted, scanned his surroundings. Once he confirmed no rabbits were present, he squatted down again, gently traced the wooden board with his hand, and then muttered a spell. The dry grass covering the board slowly lifted, and the board opened by itself.
"Looks like I need to be quick," he said, leaping down. He conjured flames and walked to the opening. He then spoke softly, "Catch these. Eat one each."
Below, the rat spirits, who had been holding their breath, finally relaxed when Xu Lanyan’s voice reached them.
The black-clothed demon smiled. "I told you he wouldn't lie to us." He spread his hands and shouted, "I'll catch it."
"Okay," Xu Lanyan replied, taking out a red bottle and tossing it down.
The black-clothed demon caught it with ease.
"Distribute them quickly," Xu Lanyan urged.
The black-clothed demon responded eagerly. "Okay." He opened the bottle and distributed the red pills one by one to them. "Eat."
The rat spirits cupped the pills in their hands, nodded in unison, and consumed them.
A few minutes later…
The female rat spirit looked at her hands with a radiant expression. "This feels so good."
"Yes," the other rat spirits agreed happily.
Hearing the commotion below, Xu Lanyan quickly called out, "Come up quickly, and then leave."
"Okay," the rat spirits responded in unison, instantly transforming into gray lights and flying upwards.
Xu Lanyan half-turned to ensure they flew out, then turned back to the black-clothed demon below and asked, "Why are you still down there?"
"My cultivation is insufficient," the black-clothed demon replied.
"Troublesome," Xu Lanyan muttered, conjuring a rope and tossing it down. "Grab on."
"Okay," the black-clothed demon responded, grabbing the rope.
Just as Xu Lanyan was about to pull with all his might, the board above closed.
The black-clothed demon, hearing the sound from above, was startled. "What happened?"
Xu Lanyan frowned and glanced upwards. "It closed."
"Closed?" the black-clothed demon exclaimed.
"Let's not worry about that now, come up," Xu Lanyan said, pulling hard on the rope.
Instantly, the black-clothed demon was pulled up. Once he stood steady, the voice of the Dog Head Demon echoed from below, "Little brother, you stay down there properly."