As Feng Qishi listened to Mu Anxiao's tense tone, his heart sank. He glanced at Yuan Yan, who was refilling his teacup, then stood up and walked to the corner to continue their conversation. "Are you really alright?"
Yuan Yan looked at Feng Qishi's retreating back, not daring to speak.
Mu Anxiao: "I'm fine, just tell me what you meant by that."
"Meant..." Feng Qishi repeated. After closing his eyes and sensing the surrounding atmosphere, he opened them and said mentally, "That gust of wind was very similar to the demonic aura on Zhao Mei'er and the others."
Upon hearing this, Mu Anxiao's eyes widened. "Really."
"Mhm."
"Okay, I understand, you..."
Before Mu Anxiao could finish speaking mentally, Zhao Mei'er suddenly pushed open the door on Feng Qishi's side.
Feng Qishi was startled by the sound. He mentally said, "It's Zhao Mei'er. Close your eyes, I'll show you." With that, he lightly tapped his own forehead and turned to face Zhao Mei'er.
At the same time, following Feng Qishi's words, Mu Anxiao tightened his grip on his silver rope. After confirming the barrier was secure, he closed his eyes and saw Zhao Mei'er.
At the door, Zhao Mei'er held nothing and quietly looked at Feng Qishi. "I'm going out," she said.
"What does me going out have to do with me?" Feng Qishi asked, confused.
Zhao Mei'er: "It doesn't have anything to do with you, but it has a little bit to do with you."
Feng Qishi was bewildered and frowned.
Seeing Feng Qishi's confused expression, Zhao Mei'er smiled. Without even glancing at Yuan Yan, she walked up to Feng Qishi and said, "We just received news that the benefactor of the malevolent spirits has been found."
Feng Qishi immediately forgot about communicating with Mu Anxiao. Instead, he suddenly became worried about Mu Anxiao's safety.
Even so, his expression remained unchanged. "Is that so? If that's the case, then release me now."
"No," Zhao Mei'er said, reaching out and placing a hand on Feng Qishi's chest. "I said it only counts if Mu Anxiao finds the benefactor of the malevolent spirits. Right now, it's not her, it's our people."
"Your people?" Feng Qishi frowned.
"It's a secret, I can't tell you." After speaking, Zhao Mei'er lowered her hand and turned away.
Next, on top of worrying about Mu Anxiao, Feng Qishi impulsively reached out and grabbed Zhao Mei'er's arm, saying, "Don't go."
Zhao Mei'er's body stiffened. She turned back, looking at Feng Qishi, who was inexplicably stopping her, with surprise. "What do you mean by that?"
Feng Qishi knew that Mu Anxiao was in that forbidden forest, and her injuries had just healed. If Zhao Mei'er went, she would surely be in danger.
Therefore, for her sake, he decided to swallow his pride and speak to Zhao Mei'er properly.
"It's dangerous there," he said.
Zhao Mei'er didn't notice anything amiss. She smiled. "Are you worried about me?"
"..." Feng Qishi forced himself to nod.
Seeing Feng Qishi's expression, Zhao Mei'er suddenly remembered Mu Anxiao's situation. She then changed her expression, her face turning serious, and she angrily flung Feng Qishi's hand away, saying, "You're lying."
"I'm not lying," Feng Qishi insisted. He glanced at his hand that had been thrown away and deliberately shifted his concern for Mu Anxiao to Zhao Mei'er. "I truly care about you. That place is full of malevolent spirits, and I heard they eat everything. If you go, you'll surely die."
"How do you know I'll die?"
"If you die..."
"Don't worry, I won't die, because I'm already a soul. Besides, they don't have that kind of ability. Because Jiongye is their master, do you think they can escape when they see their master?" Zhao Mei'er inadvertently revealed the secret of Jiongye.
Feng Qishi was not surprised by this. Instead, he smiled. "Then that's good. In that case," he said, "you have even less reason to go."
"No, I'm the main leader soul leading the subordinates to capture the malevolent spirits. If I don't go, it would be too illogical."
"Subordinates..." Feng Qishi frowned. "Subordinates are all humans."
"Yes, they are all people trained by Jiongye. They all have their own weapons and abilities. This time, You Xian has earned merit."
"Who is You Xian?" Feng Qishi asked, confused. He believed Zhao Mei'er would eventually tell him.
Zhao Mei'er thought that since Feng Qishi was here, he wouldn't be able to leave anyway. Therefore, she no longer hid anything from him. "She is a woman trained by Jiongye. She has the most potential here, and it was she who told us that the benefactor of the malevolent spirits had been found."
"What kind of person is that benefactor?" Feng Qishi deliberately pretended to know nothing.
Zhao Mei'er: "Why do you want to know everything?" She suddenly decided not to say more.
Immediately, Feng Qishi put on an unhappy expression as Zhao Mei'er said this. "If you don't want to say it, then forget it."
"You..."
"I know, I asked too much. You go ahead," Feng Qishi said, turning his back and glancing sideways.
He was confident that Zhao Mei'er would continue.
The next second, as Feng Qishi expected, Zhao Mei'er thought she had offended him. She stepped forward, peeked at his profile, and said, "Are you angry."
"You were the one saying it, and now you won't let me ask?" Feng Qishi deliberately acted a little petty.
Hearing Feng Qishi's slightly angry tone, Zhao Mei'er gently poked his arm and said, "I was wrong, I'll tell you."
To avoid revealing his intentions, Feng Qishi deliberately retracted his arm slightly. "It's alright, I don't want to know anymore."
"I'll tell you," Zhao Mei'er said, genuinely believing Feng Qishi was angry. She said excitedly, "The benefactor is rumored to be a demonic being. She was once an immortal, but eventually cultivated into a demon, named Ouyang Ye."
"..." Feng Qishi frowned and turned to Zhao Mei'er. "Then you really shouldn't go."
"Why?"
"Because Ouyang Ye is a formidable character."
"We're not afraid."
"You're not afraid, but Zhao Mei'er, remember this: it's not about being afraid or not. He is, in essence, an evil demonic being. If you go, you will definitely get hurt. If anything happens to you," Feng Qishi said seriously, "I'll be ruined."
"..." Zhao Mei'er's face turned cold.
Feng Qishi feigned ignorance. "What's wrong?" He wanted to tell Mu Anxiao this news immediately because he believed Ouyang Ye would never let Mu Anxiao die.
"You only care about me because I can save you, right?"
"No, it's..."
"Don't say anymore. It's because of this. Anyway, I'll say it upfront: even if I'm fine, I won't save you. I will definitely turn you into a demonic soul like me." With that, Zhao Mei'er turned and flew away in a red glow.
After she left, as Feng Qishi was about to alert Mu Anxiao, Mu Anxiao's voice came through. "Shen Fengzi, good news."