After staggering back two steps as the wind began to stir, Feng Qishi steadied himself and managed a smile. Before he could speak, Piao, showing disdain, glanced at both of them and said, "Is there something we can't hear? Why the secrecy?"
"Curiosity killed the cat. You'd best rein in your curiosity," Mu Anxiao advised. She pointed at Piao, then looked at Feng Qishi, recalling his usual habit of telling them everything when they were together. She thought to herself, I absolutely cannot leave him here; if he stays, he'll definitely blab.
With that in mind, she changed her plan. "Shen Fengzi, you're coming with me."
Lin Yan, hearing Feng Qishi was going, volunteered eagerly, "I'm coming too."
"What are you going for?" Mu Anxiao said coldly. She then looked at Piao, "You know where Wan Sha is, right?"
"You want me to take them to Wan Sha?" Piao frowned.
"Yes," Mu Anxiao nodded, glanced at the wolf demon and the others, and continued, "Take them there, and wait for us there."
"You won't die, will you?" Xie Xin, recalling Mu Anxiao's words to Feng Qishi earlier, couldn't help but worry about Mu Anxiao's fate.
Hearing this, Mu Anxiao smiled at Xie Xin. "I'm not that fragile."
"Then why..." Xie Xin glanced at Feng Qishi, then back at Mu Anxiao. "Why did you just say you would never contact Feng Qishi again? Doesn't that imply... there will be a life-threatening danger there?"
"..." Mu Anxiao hadn't expected Xie Xin to think of this. She chuckled helplessly. "I was just scaring him."
"Scaring him?" Xie Xin repeated, relieved. Then she remembered Feng Qishi's excited words earlier and smiled. "Speaking of which, who did you embrace?" Her gaze shifted to Feng Qishi.
Feng Qishi stiffened.
Mu Anxiao frowned, about to speak, when the wolf demon interjected, "You sure are nosy." He then looked at Feng Qishi, "Feng Qishi, who did you embrace? Is your room actually hiding someone?"
The wolf demon had never quite understood the interactions between Mu Anxiao and Feng Qishi. Initially, he didn't want to ask too many questions, but hearing Xie Xin's query, he too became curious about their matters.
However, Mu Anxiao thought the wolf demon was siding with her. To her surprise, he was even more gossipy than Xie Xin. Seeing his curious expression, she felt helpless and annoyed. "Wolf demon, what's going on between you two?" she said, pointing at Xie Xin.
Xie Xin smiled shyly.
The wolf demon blinked. "Nothing's going on between us." He glanced at Xie Xin.
Mu Anxiao seized the opportunity to change the subject. "No situation? You're already standing together."
"I..."
"When I get back, I'll have Yuan Xian tie your red strings together. How about that?" Mu Anxiao deliberately interrupted.
The wolf demon's expression froze, and he recoiled. "If you dare, I'm not done with you." He stepped forward agitatedly.
Mu Anxiao took half a step back. "If you keep asking, I'll do as I say."
"I won't say another word." More than gossip, the wolf demon believed it was more important to distance himself from Xie Xin.
"I won't say anything either," Mu Anxiao said indifferently and walked ahead.
Following her, Feng Qishi glanced at them and then caught up with Mu Anxiao.
Lin Yan looked reluctantly at Feng Qishi's receding figure, his eyes darkening. He asked, "Piao, will my master be alright?"
Piao replied, "What could happen to him? It's best if those people are alright." He glanced at Mu Anxiao's back and turned away.
Moments later, Mu Anxiao and Feng Qishi stopped at a corner of the city wall not far from the city gate. They then looked up at Yuan Ye hanging on the city wall, frowned, and observed the surroundings.
On the city wall, Yuan Ye's hands were tied above his head with rough rope. His body was tightly leaning against the wall, his head bowed, his eyes blurred as he stared at his feet, weakly calling out, "Help, help." His voice had clearly weakened compared to the beginning.
After a thorough observation, Mu Anxiao turned to Feng Qishi, who was supporting her shoulder, and whispered, "Yuan Yan broke his promise."
"..." Feng Qishi frowned and stared down at Mu Anxiao. "You mean Yuan Yan captured him?" he asked in a very low voice.
Mu Anxiao nodded.
"Are you sure?" Feng Qishi hoped it wasn't Yuan Yan.
"If not him, then who?" Mu Anxiao met Feng Qishi's eyes firmly. "Only he has a grudge against Yuan Ye. Only he hasn't been captured."
"I don't think it's possible..."
"It's possible," Mu Anxiao interrupted.
Feng Qishi's eyes darkened. "He wouldn't break his promise. He came to find me last night, but I told him to go ahead because I had something to deal with over there. Anyway," he said, glancing at Yuan Ye on the wall again, "it wasn't him."
"Let's make a bet."
"Bet on what?" Feng Qishi met Mu Anxiao's gaze.
"If it's him, I..."
"If it's him, you kiss me," Feng Qishi said deliberately.
Mu Anxiao's expression froze. She raised her hand and grabbed Feng Qishi's ear. "If you act like this again, get out."
"I'm not leaving," Feng Qishi said, gripping Mu Anxiao's wrist. "I'm your partner."
"You know you're my partner. Partners don't have romantic attachments. If you say something like that again," Mu Anxiao released her grip, "it won't be as simple as pulling your ear." She then looked at the wrist Feng Qishi was still holding.
Feng Qishi followed Mu Anxiao's gaze, let go of her wrist, and asked, "Not as simple as pulling your ear... what does that mean?" He feigned ignorance.
"Figure it out yourself," Mu Anxiao said, lowering her hand. "Anyway, the bet: if it's not Yuan Yan, I'll be your servant for three days. If it is him, you..."
"I won't leave," Feng Qishi interrupted.
"Who said you could leave?" Mu Anxiao said, narrowing her eyes. "If it's him, you'll give me a hundred taels of silver, and not money earned from me."
"If I can't earn it from you, then I can only earn it from you. You..." Feng Qishi clicked his tongue. "That's making things difficult for me."
"Then you'd better pray for yourself," Mu Anxiao said and turned her back.
Feng Qishi said, "You say that so easily."
"It's not too bad," Mu Anxiao said, tilting her head up and fixing her gaze on Yuan Ye. "He was probably just hung up."
"How do you know?" Feng Qishi stared at the back of Mu Anxiao's head.
Mu Anxiao turned her head slightly. "You'd best not play dumb with me."
"How am I playing dumb?" Feng Qishi was bewildered, as he hadn't even considered the question.
Hearing this, Mu Anxiao sighed and turned to face Feng Qishi. "You asked how you're playing dumb. His initial cries for help were so loud, and now they're getting fainter and fainter. What does that indicate?"
"What?" Feng Qishi's mind wasn't engaging at all.