"She's gone," Mu Anxiao uttered two words.
Yan nodded, remaining silent.
Feng Qishi looked at Mu Anxiao with confusion and asked, "Didn't you say you couldn't see souls anymore?"
"Who told you I couldn't see them?" Mu Anxiao retorted, looking at Feng Qishi.
Feng Qishi hesitated for a moment, then said, "I remember you couldn't see them, how can you see them now?"
"I can't touch them," Mu Anxiao said casually, then paused and added, "Huh, I think I did say I couldn't see, but then again, maybe I didn't. That's strange, did I say it or not?" She fixed her gaze on Feng Qishi's eyes.
Feng Qishi watched Mu Anxiao's bewildered expression and her convoluted words. He said, "You probably didn't. Don't think about it, it's good that you can see, it's good that you can see."
"Mhm," Mu Anxiao nodded blankly.
Yan hesitated for a moment and said, "Was my mother beautiful?"
"Beautiful," Mu Anxiao responded enthusiastically.
"Why didn't my mother come to see me?" Yan said dejectedly.
Mu Anxiao replied, "Your mother was released by the vine spirit. If I'm not mistaken, your mother was probably brainwashed by that vine spirit."
"Brainwashed?" Yan exclaimed, pointing at Mu Anxiao. "Didn't you just arbitrarily capture my mother? It's only natural for my mother to come back for revenge, so why are you saying she was brainwashed? Are you trying to whitewash yourself?"
Hearing this, Mu Anxiao was speechless.
Feng Qishi said, "Don't mind her being silly, she doesn't randomly capture demon souls."
"I don't believe you," Yan shook her head.
Feng Qishi looked at Yan's distrust of Mu Anxiao with a helpless expression and said, "Alright, think whatever you want. Anyway, this silly girl doesn't..." He trailed off, looking at the dejected Mu Anxiao, and asked, "What's wrong?"
Mu Anxiao looked up and shook her head.
"So you care too," Feng Qishi muttered, picking up his teacup and taking a sip while turning his face away.
Mu Anxiao also picked up her teacup and took a sip, saying nothing.
Outside the house, just as the rabbit spirit in red reached the steps, the vine spirit, having transformed into her likeness, suddenly appeared before her. "There's food."
The rabbit spirit in red froze the moment she saw the vine spirit's face.
"Who are you?" she asked, staring at the vine spirit's identical face with wide eyes. "Why do you look like me?"
"I am your elder sister, do you believe me?" the vine spirit said, reaching out to take the tray. "Little sister, give it to me, let your elder sister take it in."
"You..."
As the rabbit spirit in red uttered one word, the vine spirit released one hand and snapped his fingers in front of her eyes, saying, "Shut up." With that, he quickly took the tray, watching as the rabbit spirit in red collapsed to the ground.
"Serves you right," he said, turning and walking towards the steps.
Inside the room, Feng Qishi turned his head to look at the closed door and said, "Was that a sound outside?" As he spoke, he stood up and quickly walked to the door. The moment he opened it, the smiling face of the vine spirit appeared before him.
"Hello," the vine spirit greeted.
Feng Qishi jumped and took half a step back, asking, "What are you smiling at?"
"I feel like smiling," the vine spirit said, stepping forward to block Feng Qishi's view and intentionally forcing him back into the room. Then, he crossed the threshold and kicked the door shut.
Feng Qishi glanced down at the vine spirit's agile foot and said, "Normally, I don't see you closing doors like this." As he spoke, he inadvertently glimpsed the figure of the rabbit spirit in red under the steps through the crack in the door, thinking, This person is definitely not right.
"I've never closed a door in front of you," the vine spirit said with a smile, directly handing the tray to Feng Qishi. "I'm a weak woman, you have to lend a hand. What are you staring at?"
Feng Qishi snapped back to attention, looking at the vine spirit's coquettish expression on his face, which startled him. He then took the tray, turned, and walked to the table first.
The vine spirit peeked at Mu Anxiao's profile, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. He walked forward and said, "Mu Anxiao, what's wrong? Got something on your mind?"
Hearing this, Mu Anxiao turned to look at the vine spirit and said, "Nothing, you never cared about me before, did you?"
Upon hearing Mu Anxiao's words, the vine spirit's heart clenched, and his eyes involuntarily flickered. He said, "Oh, I was just asking casually, you don't need to take my words to heart."
"Oh," Mu Anxiao replied listlessly.
Feng Qishi took out the dishes from the tray and placed them on the table, saying, "Alright, let's eat." As he spoke, he thought, This person is not right.
"Who do you think she is?" Mu Anxiao asked mentally, lowering her head.
"The vine spirit, probably," Feng Qishi replied mentally.
Mu Anxiao heard this, cleared her throat, and intentionally glanced at Yan, who had suddenly stopped paying attention to her. She said, "I've lost my appetite."
Yan also lowered her head dejectedly.
The vine spirit looked at Yan's profile and smiled, "Little sister, what's wrong?"
Hearing this, Yan frowned, turned to look at the vine spirit who had spoken, and sniffed the air, asking, "Who are you?"
The vine spirit was startled, blinked a couple of times, and said, "I'm the red-clothed... rabbit spirit."
Mu Anxiao listened to the vine spirit's strained self-introduction and glanced at Feng Qishi, who was not looking at the vine spirit. She said, "Vine spirit, it's you, isn't it."
Hearing this, the vine spirit froze and asked, "How did you figure it out?"
"I just figured it out, of course. Actually, I didn't want to expose you, but you made it too obvious," Mu Anxiao said, pointing her finger at the door that the vine spirit had closed. "Alright, go bring Red Clothes in. She's been drugged, can you handle it?"
"Why should I..."
"Because you drugged her," Mu Anxiao interrupted the vine spirit.
Feng Qishi glanced at the vine spirit, saying nothing.
The vine spirit pouted and said, "A tiger fallen into low ground is bullied by dogs. If I didn't want your help, I wouldn't be so polite to you." The vine spirit said, instantly transforming into a man and turning towards the house door.
Mu Anxiao watched the vine spirit's defeated back and said, "You still have to go." She let out a soft hum, then turned to look at Yan, who was staring at her, and gave an awkward smile.
"Never mind, I believe you," Yan suddenly said.
Mu Anxiao was surprised by this. "Why do you suddenly believe me?"
"The vine spirit looks too cunning. He must be the one who brainwashed my mother, so I believe you. However, the condition is that you have to let me see my mother," Yan said.
Mu Anxiao hesitated.
"What, you don't want to?" Yan asked, looking at Mu Anxiao's face.
Mu Anxiao pursed her lips and said, "This matter, it's not something I can control. I can't summon your mother right away, we have to wait."
"How long?" Yan asked.
Mu Anxiao shook her head.
"Alright then, if my mother doesn't come out, I'll stay with you. I'll wait until my mother comes out before I leave," Yan said firmly.