Mu Anxiao nodded slightly and sat beside Piao.
One of the black-clothed demons said, "You are Mu Anxiao."
"Mm," Mu Anxiao replied with a smile.
Upon hearing this, Piao looked at the interrogating demon and said, "I just brought her for you to see. Since you've seen her," he turned to Mu Anxiao, "you can go back."
"Mm," Mu Anxiao nodded and stood up.
The first black-clothed demon frowned and said, "Piao, are you unhappy because I'm talking to her?"
"Yes," Piao nodded.
Mu Anxiao glanced at Piao, then at the other demons, and lowered her head.
The second black-clothed demon said, "You said Mu Anxiao was a lively girl. This doesn't seem like it."
"Yes, are you lying to us?" the third black-clothed demon chimed in.
"Exactly. You said that girl was lively, but this one is like this," the fourth black-clothed demon pointed at Mu Anxiao, "And then you're in a hurry to let her go. Are you lying to us?"
"Yes. I remember a few years ago, you also found a girl and said your wish had come true, but the next year, you said you had found the wrong person. I say, are you afraid we'll see through something, so you're rushing her to leave?" the first black-clothed demon added.
Then, they began to discuss one by one.
Piao clenched his fists.
Mu Anxiao looked down at the nearly enraged Piao, then at the demons who were endlessly debating. She thought, "Fine, I won't say anything to avoid it becoming my fault again." With that, she lowered her head.
Next, Piao looked up at Mu Anxiao and asked, "Is it pretty?"
Hearing this, Mu Anxiao's body stiffened. She turned to look at Piao. Before she could speak, Piao suddenly reached out towards Queen Rabbit, and streaks of deep grayish-blue light shot towards her. Queen Rabbit's eyes widened, and before she could react, the light coiled around her neck.
Seeing this, Mu Anxiao instinctively cried out, "Stop."
The moment Mu Anxiao spoke, the black-clothed demons turned their gazes to her face.
Completely oblivious to their stares, Mu Anxiao bent down and grabbed Piao's wrist, saying, "I know you're in a bad mood, but you can't do this."
Listening to Mu Anxiao, Piao relaxed his grip, and the light uncoiled from Queen Rabbit's neck. Queen Rabbit tilted forward abruptly and fell to the ground.
Mu Anxiao breathed a sigh of relief.
Piao uttered a single word: "Scram."
"Okay," Mu Anxiao quickly replied. As she took half a step forward, Piao reached out and stopped her, saying, "Not you, her."
Hearing this, Queen Rabbit, clutching her neck, nodded, stood up, and left the reception hall.
The demons present looked at Mu Anxiao in astonishment, all rendered speechless.
Mu Anxiao turned to Piao and said, "Didn't you also tell me to leave?"
"Sit down," Piao said.
"Alright," Mu Anxiao nodded, sat down, and smiled at them.
They smiled back at Mu Anxiao.
Piao looked towards the open door and called out, "Close the door."
Outside the reception hall, Queen Rabbit quickly cast a spell to close the door.
At the same time, the red-clothed rabbit spirit, bringing Yan, arrived before Queen Rabbit outside the reception hall.
"You must not go in," Queen Rabbit said.
"Yes," the red-clothed rabbit spirit nodded slightly.
Queen Rabbit turned her back.
Yan breathed a sigh of relief, inexplicably.
Inside, Mu Anxiao sat in her chair, looking at the demons staring at her, and gave an awkward smile.
Piao glanced at Mu Anxiao and said, "All of you, take your eyes off her face."
"I believe you now," the second black-clothed demon said quickly.
"What do you mean?" Piao asked.
The second black-clothed demon scratched the back of his head and said, "The girl you brought that year couldn't stop you."
"Yes, you really do act according to your mood," the third black-clothed demon remarked.
Listening to their scattered remarks, Mu Anxiao thought about the rabbit spirits who had brought them tea. Her eyes flickered, and she mused, "These demons are so talkative. It must be that those rabbit spirits were talking to them, and inadvertently ignored Piao. In a fit of pique, Piao executed them all in front of them. Yes, it must be like this."
"What are you thinking?" Piao suddenly asked.
Startled, Mu Anxiao quickly turned to Piao, smiled, shook her head without daring to speak.
Seeing Mu Anxiao's fearful look towards Piao, the third black-clothed demon chuckled and said, "Indeed, Piao now is not the Piao of before. Isn't he very terrifying now?"
Mu Anxiao gave a dry laugh, not daring to speak.
"If it's convenient, could you pour us some water? We've run out," the first black-clothed demon said.
Mu Anxiao frowned, and just as she was about to get up, Piao said, "Sit down."
Hearing this, Mu Anxiao remained still.
Piao said, "The teapots are within your reach. Just pour the water yourselves."
"You this..." the first black-clothed demon pointed at Piao, then chuckled and said, "Something's not right. Why aren't there any rabbits serving us tea today?"
Piao deliberately glanced at Mu Anxiao and said, "She has already seen me kill two demons today. I don't want her to see me kill demons again, so I didn't let them in."
The third black-clothed demon heard this and looked at Mu Anxiao, asking, "Are you scared?"
Mu Anxiao cautiously glanced at Piao and said, "Well, I didn't see clearly."
"Look at you. Next time he does something like this, you need to watch carefully. Otherwise, your path to becoming a demon will be slow," the fourth black-clothed demon chided Mu Anxiao.
Mu Anxiao gave a bitter smile and did not reply.
"Alright, let's discuss important matters," Piao said.
Hearing this, Mu Anxiao frowned and quickly looked at Piao, saying, "You are going to discuss important matters, so I will leave now."
"You stay," Piao said coldly.
Mu Anxiao scanned them all and said, "I don't like this kind of setting, I..."
"You really don't want to stay here?" Piao asked.
Mu Anxiao nodded.
Seeing Mu Anxiao nod, Piao smiled slightly and said, "Then call Yan in."
"Yan?" Mu Anxiao's expression stiffened. She lowered her gaze and said, "Then I'll stay."
Piao's lips curled into a smile, and he replied, "Alright, tell me everything you've done this past year."
Afterward, they recounted their boring deeds of the past year one by one. Mu Anxiao was utterly uninterested. She yawned several times and then closed her eyes, falling asleep.
Following this, everyone stopped in unison. Piao turned to Mu Anxiao and said, "It seems she is truly not interested in our affairs."
"Those rabbits earlier were killed because they were too curious," the first black-clothed demon pointed at Mu Anxiao and said, "This shows she is truly different from them!"