Mu Anxiao observed Feng Qishi's dull expression, reflecting on his habit of not using his brain until a critical moment, realizing she had overestimated him.
Thus, she offered Feng Qishi a fake smile, "Do you think it's appropriate for you not to use your brain at this moment?" She didn't want to waste any more time on him.
Feng Qishi gave a dry laugh, "What's inappropriate about it? I'll follow you. Whatever you do, I'll cooperate."
"You're truly quite lazy," Mu Anxiao said, pointing towards Yuan Ye. "Since that's the case, you go."
"Isn't it supposed to be you?" Feng Qishi had already prepared to secretly assist Mu Anxiao, so he was rather bewildered by her sudden instruction.
Mu Anxiao replied, "Yes, it was supposed to be me. But things are different now. You and I have different views. You don't think it's Yuan Yan, but I do. Since that's the case," she smiled, "you should see the reality for yourself first."
"You..."
"Go ahead," Mu Anxiao interrupted, taking Feng Qishi's arm. "Don't let reality affect your emotions." With that, she pulled Feng Qishi forward with force, then released his arm and pushed him forward again.
Feng Qishi, caught off guard, took a couple of short running steps with Mu Anxiao's momentum. He then turned his head to look at Mu Anxiao, his brow furrowed.
Mu Anxiao waved her hand.
Feng Qishi understood Mu Anxiao's intention, curled his lips, turned around, tidied his clothes, and walked towards them.
Seeing Feng Qishi cooperate, Mu Anxiao's lips curved upwards, and she tilted her head to look at Yuan Ye, whose head was slightly swaying atop the city wall.
Moments later, Feng Qishi arrived below Yuan Ye. However, he didn't look up at Yuan Ye immediately. Instead, he scanned the surroundings, trying to sense Yuan Yan's soul presence.
At the same time, the red and white light, unique to Zhao Meier, suddenly appeared beside Feng Qishi. Feng Qishi immediately felt Zhao Meier's demonic aura. He temporarily abandoned his search for Yuan Yan, turned his head to look at the materialized Zhao Meier, his eyes darkening, and shifted a couple of steps to the side.
Mu Anxiao happened to see this. However, she felt no jealousy. Instead, she found Zhao Meier rather bothersome. "Why is she here?" she muttered.
"Yes, why is she here?"
Hearing this, Mu Anxiao froze and turned to look at Yuan Yan, who had stopped behind her. Her eyes widened. "When did you get here?"
"..." Yuan Yan smiled. "You don't need to know when I arrived. In any case, I know you've sensed me."
"So it was you who captured him."
"Yes, but," Yuan Yan peeked at Feng Qishi, who was being engaged by Zhao Meier, then turned back to Mu Anxiao, "I didn't intend to harm him."
"Then what do you want?" Mu Anxiao felt a sense of foreboding.
Yuan Yan said calmly, "I'm just looking for you."
"Looking for me?"
"Yes," Yuan Yan nodded. "I just want to ask you, why are you helping them and not me?"
"..." Mu Anxiao was stunned.
Yuan Yan continued, "You don't understand what I mean." He frowned slightly.
Mu Anxiao looked at Yuan Yan's slightly confused expression. Recalling the time Yuan Ye had been hung on the city wall, she suddenly understood. "I get it, you did it on purpose."
"...." Yuan Yan's eyes darkened, and he intentionally remained silent.
Mu Anxiao then said, "If you wanted to go down, you could have just come to me directly. Why... " She glanced at Yuan Ye, "...cause all this trouble?" She then looked back at Yuan Yan.
"I was afraid you wouldn't help me," Yuan Yan said calmly.
"Who told you I wouldn't help you?" Mu Anxiao found Yuan Yan somewhat strange and began to guard against him.
Yuan Yan: "I..."
Unexpectedly, before he could even utter a word, the man in black who had assigned tasks to Zhao Meier walked over. "Liar," he said, stopping behind Yuan Yan.
Yuan Yan stiffened, not daring to turn around.
Mu Anxiao frowned and looked directly up at the man in black. Her eyes lit up, and she recalled the black figure being pursued by Wan Sha and Mu Xiang not long ago. She casually uttered two words, "It's you."
Upon hearing this, the man in black shot Yuan Yan a glare and turned his gaze to Mu Anxiao. "Since you know me..."
"You were the one Wan Sha was chasing," Mu Anxiao said in a low voice.
"Wan Sha?" The man in black smiled. "Who is that?"
"You don't need to know," Mu Anxiao said, realizing the man in black was definitely feigning ignorance.
The man in black replied, "Alright, you are Mu Anxiao."
"You know me," Mu Anxiao narrowed her eyes.
"I do..." The man in black nodded, then looked down at Yuan Yan. "But before that, I need to settle some personal matters with him. Please wait a moment."
Hearing this, Mu Anxiao inadvertently glanced at Yuan Yan's nervous expression. Then, recalling Yuan Yan's earlier words, she quickly reached out and grabbed Yuan Yan's arm. "You know him," she said, while keeping an eye on the man in black, she pulled Yuan Yan behind her and released his arm.
Yuan Yan was surprised that Mu Anxiao would help him. He froze for a moment, then looked down at the back of Mu Anxiao's head.
The man in black didn't seem angry at Mu Anxiao's actions. Instead, he smiled slightly. "I do know him. However, I must say, I'm quite surprised you're helping him."
"What's surprising about it?" Mu Anxiao firmly believed Yuan Yan was not a bad person.
The man in black continued, "You're a woman, and to help him like this, it's truly..."
"If you were a good person, I'd help you too," Mu Anxiao interrupted, knowing the man in black wouldn't say anything pleasant.
Conversely, the man in black remained unperturbed. "Is that so? Well, I happen to have something I need your help with right now. See if you're willing."
"We're not familiar with each other."
"..." The man in black smiled. "You're not familiar with me, but you are with him."
"I'm not familiar with him either. However, he is a wandering soul, and in a way, he's my mission. You..."
"Those evil spirits are also your mission," the man in black suddenly interrupted.
Mu Anxiao was eager to know about the evil spirits, and now the man in black brought them up. She felt a surge of excitement, but... to avoid being deceived, she insisted on maintaining her rationality. "Is that so? Unfortunately, I'm capturing soul essences, so... those evil spirits aren't under my purview." She deliberately played dumb.
The man in black laughed. "Keep playing the fool."
"You..."
"I know, you know everything," the man in black interrupted, sneering. "Those evil spirits are all transformed soul essences. If they commit evil deeds, you'll also be in deep trouble."
"What does that have to do with me?" Mu Anxiao shifted her gaze, suddenly realizing the seriousness of the situation.
The man in black sneered. "Some things are best left unspoken, even if understood. This fellow has no more value to me. Take him if you want him." He looked at Yuan Yan.
Yuan Yan's eyes flickered.
Seeing Yuan Yan's fearful gaze, the man in black smiled again, then looked at Mu Anxiao and said, "Remember, my name is Jiong Ye, and I'll be back to find you." After saying this, he turned and left.