Shi Yi, as Feng Qi Shi pointed a finger at himself the moment the wind stirred, ceased his sentimental weeping.
Mu An Xiao looked at Shi Yi, her expression cold. "Why are you running around outside when you're supposed to be here?"
"I'm sorry," Shi Yi suddenly said.
Mu An Xiao knitted her brows. "Why are you apologizing out of the blue?"
"It was me, it was my fault," Shi Yi said, lowering his gaze.
"You?" Mu An Xiao exclaimed in surprise, then let out a bitter laugh. "As expected of a dead rat spirit, your schemes are so subtle, nobody even knows they're happening."
"I'm sorry," Shi Yi said again.
Mu An Xiao's eyes widened. "What good is your apology? Because of you, I've wasted more than half my time."
"Don't worry, I'll stop them immediately," Shi Yi said, turning to look around and shouting, "Brothers, come out!"
On the rooftops, several monsters were crouched. A black-clothed demon, who had just been injured, grabbed a young demon's arm and said, "Be careful, it might be a trap."
"Impossible, that's Shi Yi's voice," the young demon replied.
The black-clothed demon looked at the other demons who were also focusing their gazes on him. "You all must have seen the flames just now, right?"
"We saw them," they replied in unison, but their voices were very soft.
"Those flames are what control the demons, so we can't go out. Once we do, we're finished," the black-clothed demon said, his face filled with anxiety.
"Boss, aren't you being too nervous? I think you're overthinking it. Shi Yi's voice sounds pretty normal to me."
The black-clothed demon furrowed his brow tightly.
The young demon thought for a moment and said, "I remember Shi Yi saying that we haven't done anything harmful, so we won't be caught. It's mainly that Mu An Xiao likes to arrest people randomly. So, even if we go out, we'll be open and honest. Therefore," he smiled, "there's no need for us to hide."
"No, we are demons who were supposed to be ambushing them. Besides, we don't even know Shi Yi's situation right now. What if he's being controlled? Mu An Xiao is someone who doesn't show mercy."
"You..."
"Stay down, let's quickly think of a plan," the black-clothed demon said.
Below, Shi Yi clearly heard their voices and sighed, saying, "I'll go find them."
"You'd better not play any tricks," Mu An Xiao said.
Feng Qi Shi glanced at Shi Yi and said, "He has reflected on his actions. I can vouch for that. Don't have any more prejudice against him."
"Which side are you on?" Mu An Xiao shot a piercing gaze at Feng Qi Shi's face.
Feng Qi Shi smiled awkwardly. "No, I was just saying."
"That's not right. Didn't you say you were following him? And now you're saying he's reflected," Mu An Xiao tilted her head, narrowing her eyes. "Tell me, do you know about his scheme?"
Feng Qi Shi chuckled foolishly twice and said, "You asked me to watch him, didn't you?"
Mu An Xiao nodded. "Yes, I did say you should watch him, but I didn't say you should collude with him to harm me."
"You're hurting my feelings by talking like that," Feng Qi Shi said in a low voice.
Mu An Xiao narrowed her eyes, glanced sideways at Shi Yi, and said, "Don't go yet, clarify things first."
"I was watching the stars with him," Shi Yi said casually.
Upon hearing this, Mu An Xiao chuckled. "Oh, you're quite romantic, watching stars while planning how to frame me."
"Silly Mu, can you stop being so sensitive?" Feng Qi Shi said, sounding annoyed.
Hearing this, Mu An Xiao thought of how they had seen her past, and thus said, "If I saw your tragic, embarrassing past, would you be angry?"
"I..." Feng Qi Shi was speechless.
Mu An Xiao let out a soft哼. "You're angry, right? It's all because of this guy's scheme that you've all seen through me. Those are things I didn't want to talk about, and now you've seen them in person," her cheeks flushed red with anger. "It's simply too embarrassing."
"We're all so familiar with each other, what's the big deal?" Xu Lan Yan said, looking at Mu An Xiao.
Mu An Xiao knitted her brows. "It's precisely because I'm so familiar with you that I don't want you to see my past. I wish you would forget it."
"If you're willing to see my past, I can show it to you," Feng Qi Shi suddenly said.
Mu An Xiao froze and looked at Feng Qi Shi. "Is this how you want to be?"
"Silly Mu, is this how you want to be?" Feng Qi Shi retorted.
Mu An Xiao furrowed her brows slightly. "I..."
"Don't speak yet, let me explain clearly," Shi Yi interrupted Mu An Xiao.
They all turned their gazes to Shi Yi's face.
This time, Mu An Xiao remained silent.
Shi Yi said, "Just now, I was watching the stars, and then he came," he pointed at Feng Qi Shi, "He enlightened me with a single sentence."
"What sentence?" Mu An Xiao asked curiously.
Feng Qi Shi glanced at Shi Yi and said without any embarrassment, "I asked, 'Have you ever hurt him?' He thought about it, and then he understood."
"Really?" Mu An Xiao shifted her gaze from Feng Qi Shi's face to Shi Yi's.
Worried that Mu An Xiao might overthink again, Shi Yi nodded without hesitation and said, "Yes, it was because of his sentence that I understood. It was my fault, I'm sorry."
"Everything I said was useless, and he enlightened you with one sentence," Mu An Xiao said, looking at Feng Qi Shi with a bewildered expression. "I really suspect you two have some kind of relationship?"
"What kind of relationship?" Xu Lan Yan asked curiously.
Sensing Mu An Xiao's expression, Feng Qi Shi instantly guessed her next words. A moment before she could utter them, he quickly reached out and covered her mouth.
Mu An Xiao's eyes widened, and she let out muffled sounds.
Feng Qi Shi smiled at Mu An Xiao and said, "You'd better not spout nonsense. Shi Yi and I have no relationship whatsoever."
Xu Lan Yan looked at Shi Yi, who was confused and didn't understand the situation, then looked at Mu An Xiao and said, "Everyone has moments of impulsiveness. Plus, because the rattan spirit is a monster, and with your track record, it's natural for him to be suspicious. It's all within reason."
"You really know how to talk," Feng Qi Shi smiled at Xu Lan Yan.
The soul spirits exchanged glances. "Are you trying to say they might have a bromance?"
However, the moment the soul spirit uttered these words, both Feng Qi Shi and Shi Yi froze. Mu An Xiao nodded excitedly.
Xu Lan Yan blinked and looked at Feng Qi Shi. "But speaking of which, I've never seen you try to persuade any... male demons. This..." he glanced cautiously at Shi Yi, "Could it be true!"
Feng Qi Shi removed his hand and quickly said, "Brother Shi, I truly have no other intentions towards you."
Conversely, Shi Yi looked at their different expressions with complete composure and said, "Brother Feng and I are just brothers. The one I like is her." He pointed at Mu An Xiao.
The smile on Mu An Xiao's face froze.