Mu Anxiao had been discussing Yuan Yan's past with him and had forgotten about Yuan Ye's condition. The moment she realized Yuan Ye had disappeared, her heart leaped into her throat.
Seeing Yuan Ye lying on the ground, unconscious, she grew worried. "Shen Fenggushi, is he really okay or just pretending..." She ignored Zhao Mei'er, her gaze fixed on Fenggushi. "If he's fine, why is he like this?" she pointed at Yuan Ye.
Yuan Yan stood behind Mu Anxiao, not daring to utter a word.
Fenggushi felt a pang of unease hearing Mu Anxiao's concerned tone towards Yuan Ye. However, considering Mu Anxiao's position, he felt a bit better and said, "The rope broke, and he fell. I caught him."
"The rope broke," Mu Anxiao murmured. She immediately turned her head to look at Yuan Yan's hand.
Yuan Yan understood Mu Anxiao's implication and quickly said, "I didn't do anything."
"Was the rope tight?" Mu Anxiao tilted her head up to look at Yuan Yan's face.
"I used sorcery, so it must have been tight," Yuan Yan said confidently.
Only then did Fenggushi shift his gaze to Yuan Yan's face. "It was really you who caught him?" he asked, surprised.
Zhao Mei'er, standing behind Fenggushi, pursed her lips and remained silent.
Yuan Yan's eyes flickered, and he nodded in admission. "It was me."
"You said you wouldn't catch him, yet you went back on your word," Fenggushi stepped forward. "If something had happened to him, could you take responsibility?"
"I..."
"That's enough," Mu Anxiao interrupted Yuan Yan, deliberately stepping in front of him. She looked up at Fenggushi and said, "The facts prove I won. You just need to earn that hundred taels of silver."
Fenggushi, hearing this, lowered his head to meet Mu Anxiao's eyes and said, "I..."
"Don't 'I' me for now. It's fortunate Yuan Ye wasn't killed by the fall. If he had been, the responsibility..." Mu Anxiao trailed off, then pushed Fenggushi aside. She glanced at Zhao Mei'er. "Would all be yours."
Zhao Mei'er was unfazed. "What does it have to do with me? You can flirt with him..." She glanced at Yuan Yan and sneered, "You can flirt with him, but I can't have a heart-to-heart with Shen... oh, no, Fenggushi. Aren't you too selfish?"
"Flirt?" Mu Anxiao repeated, scanning Zhao Mei'er from head to toe. "They don't know your past, but I know it better than anyone. If you talk nonsense, I'll tell him about your past." She narrowed her eyes, intentionally reminding Zhao Mei'er that "him" referred to Fenggushi.
Clearly, "past" was Zhao Mei'er's greatest weakness. She had always used various pretexts and fabricated stories to conceal her shameful past.
Ever since she escaped from the underworld, no one had brought up the topic again. She had even convinced herself that those past events no longer had any direct bearing on her.
Who would have thought... after so many years, Mu Anxiao would bring it up.
She seemed to be afraid. "You wouldn't dare," she said stiffly, her eyes evasive.
Mu Anxiao: "If you dare to talk nonsense again, I dare to reveal your past."
She remembered every demon soul she had ever captured. Because of the vine demon, she had forced herself to recall the pasts of all those demon souls, especially Zhao Mei'er's, which she remembered most vividly.
However, Mu Anxiao's words were also a fatal threat to Zhao Mei'er.
Looking at Mu Anxiao, Zhao Mei'er lost her previous arrogance. "Mu Anxiao, you win."
"If you know I'm ruthless, then don't provoke me," Mu Anxiao said coldly.
"I'm not provoking you. I just want to find him," Zhao Mei'er said, pointing at Fenggushi.
Mu Anxiao didn't look at Fenggushi. "It has nothing to do with me that you're looking for him. But he's my partner, and this is mission time. I asked him to come to save this kid. If it weren't for you, he wouldn't have been distracted, and he wouldn't have..." She trailed off, suddenly shifting her gaze to Zhao Mei'er's hand.
Zhao Mei'er didn't lower her head but continued to stare at Mu Anxiao's face. "What are you looking at? Suspecting me?" she asked disdainfully.
"..." Mu Anxiao continued to stare at Zhao Mei'er's hand, thinking about the timing of Zhao Mei'er's appearance, and a clue emerged. She looked at Zhao Mei'er and deliberately said, "Move aside."
Zhao Mei'er, displeased with Mu Anxiao's tone, was about to retort when Mu Anxiao stepped forward, pushed her aside, and crouched beside Yuan Ye. She then brought the hand she had deliberately touched Zhao Mei'er with to her nose to sniff, and then picked up Yuan Ye's hand and brought it to her nose to sniff as well.
Fenggushi frowned at Mu Anxiao's actions.
Yuan Yan glanced at Mu Anxiao's movements, then at Zhao Mei'er, whose eyes were darting evasively. A flash of inspiration struck him, and he shouted, "It was her."
Hearing this, Zhao Mei'er faltered and said, "What nonsense are you talking about?" As she spoke, she didn't forget to glance at Fenggushi.
Seeing Zhao Mei'er's anxious expression and recalling her recent entanglement with him, Fenggushi said calmly, "Yuan Yan, don't talk nonsense."
"..." Mu Anxiao's heart sank upon hearing Fenggushi side with Zhao Mei'er. She slowly let go of Yuan Ye's hand and stood up. "He's not talking nonsense," she said, looking at Fenggushi.
Fenggushi had expected Mu Anxiao to respond similarly to him. To his surprise, she stood entirely with Yuan Yan. He felt both awkward and helpless.
Seeing Fenggushi siding with her, Zhao Mei'er quickly moved to his side and said, "Fenggushi, you have to believe me, it really wasn't me."
Fenggushi: "..." He looked down at Zhao Mei'er, unsure whether to speak.
Conversely, Mu Anxiao kept her gaze fixed on Zhao Mei'er. "He doesn't know you well, so why would he believe you?"
Zhao Mei'er: "He already believes me." As she said this, she reached out to grab Fenggushi, but he shifted two steps to the side, and she grasped at empty air.
Mu Anxiao felt a sense of satisfaction at Fenggushi's action. "Did you intentionally want to kill him? Or..." She stifled a laugh at Zhao Mei'er, then looked at Yuan Yan. "Did you want to harm him?"
"..." Zhao Mei'er frowned.
"I'm talking to you, can't you hear me, or what?" Mu Anxiao glared at Zhao Mei'er, unceremoniously.
Zhao Mei'er: "If you dislike me, just say so. Whether I did it or not," she widened her eyes, "I know in my heart. If you falsely accuse me again, I'll really kill him." As she spoke, she deliberately glanced at Yuan Ye lying on the ground.
"If it wasn't you, why is there your demonic energy on his wrist?" Mu Anxiao retorted, narrowing her eyes. "If you can explain this problem... I'll believe you."