"Who are the two fellows you're talking about?" Mu Anxiao wondered why she felt like she knew the two people the man in green mentioned.
"One is an adult, the other a child. The child is particularly arrogant. Judging by their appearance," the man in green thought for a moment, "they must be Yin messengers."
"You don't even know their identities, aren't you afraid they're monsters?" Hun Ling said excitedly.
Mu Anxiao glanced calmly at Hun Ling and said, "Don't worry, the two of them won't covet your Soul Locking Rope."
"Listening to your tone, do you know those two?" The man in green noticed something and asked.
Mu Anxiao thought for a moment and said, "I have a rough guess, but I can't tell you their true identities."
"Why?" the man in green asked, puzzled.
Mu Anxiao pointed to the ceiling and said, "The secrets of heaven must not be revealed."
Upon hearing about heavenly secrets, the man in green immediately withdrew his burgeoning curiosity. He turned to Hong Yan and asked, "Are you listening now?"
"Yes," Hong Yan nodded, walked around the table, and stood beside the man in green.
Hun Ling consciously stepped back.
The man in green smiled at Hong Yan and turned halfway to look at the three rabbit spirits hiding in the corner. He exclaimed in surprise, "Why did you untie their ropes?"
"They are my rabbits now," Mu Anxiao said proudly.
Hearing this, the man in green gave Mu Anxiao a disbelieving look and then turned to Feng Qishi, asking, "Is she telling the truth?"
Feng Qishi glanced at Mu Anxiao's still smug expression and said, "It's true."
"This works too." The man in green couldn't help but shake his head and sigh.
"Hmph, don't look down on people casually, because the people you look down on," Mu Anxiao deliberately pointed to herself, "are much more extraordinary than you."
"You really know how to praise yourself," the man in green chuckled.
Mu Anxiao rolled her eyes at the man in green, stepped up to the table, and deliberately sat down with her back to him.
The man in green smiled helplessly.
Feng Qishi pursed his lips and consciously refilled Mu Anxiao's teacup.
In the backyard of the inn, Shi Yi sat slumped on a bench by the long corridor, his face full of melancholy. He thought about Mu Anxiao's words and the vine spirit's words, muttering, "The vine spirit, like me, is a demon, a fellow creature. Mu Anxiao has an immortal body, which proves... she was once an immortal. In that case, it's impossible between us. Therefore," he twisted the corner of his mouth, "I'll choose the vine spirit." Saying this, he still felt no comfort and lowered his head.
"Who are you?"
Hearing this, Shi Yi looked up at the young man, his junior disciple, who had stopped in front of him. "You don't need to know who I am. What are you doing here?" He had forgotten what the person who had transformed into his likeness looked like.
"My senior brother and I accidentally did something bad, and now we're being punished here."
"Senior brother..." Shi Yi repeated the word and instantly realized, "Oh, so you're that guy."
The young man, his junior disciple, chuckled foolishly at Shi Yi's words.
Then, Shi Yi, not wanting to talk to him anymore, waved his hand and said, "Alright, you go attend to your business!"
Unexpectedly, the young man, his junior disciple, had no intention of leaving. Instead, he consciously stepped forward and sat beside Shi Yi, saying, "I won't ask too much. Are you someone from this inn?"
Shi Yi frowned and turned to look at the young man, his junior disciple, saying, "You said you wouldn't ask, yet you're asking."
"Did I ask?" The young man, his junior disciple, pointed to himself with a bewildered expression.
Shi Yi looked at the young man's dazed expression and the dirt on his face, and said, "Fine, I'll assume you're a bit slow from tending the fire. I won't hold it against you."
"Are you someone from this inn?" the young man, his junior disciple, asked again.
Shi Yi said impatiently, "Why do you need to know so clearly?"
"This is my jurisdiction. If the proprietress finds someone entering, she will blame me immediately. Therefore, I must ascertain your identity so that I can be at ease." The young man, his junior disciple,'s expression was entirely devoid of jest.
Shi Yi was also won over by the young man's overly serious tone.
"Yes, I am from here. My job is to manage the accounts," he managed a strained smile. "Are you satisfied now?"
"Mm," the young man, his junior disciple, nodded and stood up.
Shi Yi looked up and asked, "Can you tend the fire now?"
"I can get it lit, but it goes out quickly. I don't know why," the young man, his junior disciple, said, pointing to the small door leading to the front hall. "I'll go ask the proprietress."
Shi Yi glanced at the small door, following the direction of the young man's finger, and let out a sigh. He stood up and said, "Come on, I'll teach you."
"You can?" the young man, his junior disciple, exclaimed in surprise.
"Yes, I can," Shi Yi nodded and walked towards the fire room first.
The young man, his junior disciple, was overjoyed and followed Shi Yi's steps.
In the main hall, the young man was sweeping the floor very reluctantly, muttering from time to time, "The proprietress is truly heartless. No wonder no one wants to marry her. I finally understand. Such a terrifying woman, even if you gave me a hundred of them, I wouldn't fancy a single one."
At the counter, the proprietress put down her ledger and glanced at the young man's retreating back, saying, "If you have the guts, say it out loud. Don't just mumble. What's the point?" As she spoke, the proprietress stepped out from behind the counter and tiptoed closer to the young man from behind.
The young man didn't sense anything. He squinted his eyes and continued to mutter, "If I say it, wouldn't I be asking for death? Do you think I'm stupid? A woman no one wants."
"If you have the guts, say it louder," the proprietress said, folding her arms in front of her.
Hearing the proprietress's voice so close, the young man was startled and said loudly, "Oh, I say the proprietress is truly capable. She runs such a large inn without relying on anyone, and she's so beautiful. Anyone who marries a wife like the proprietress is simply blessed with fortune from their past life... Ah!" He slyly glanced sideways.
The proprietress curled her lips and said, "Do you really think so?"
"Yes, proprietress," the young man continued loudly.
The proprietress gave a light scoff and said, "Very well, since you desire a woman like me so much, I shall grant your wish."
Hearing the proprietress's words, the young man couldn't help but be startled. He quickly turned around and asked, "Proprietress, what do you mean by that?"
"To be honest, no one has ever said such a thing to me. You, young man," the proprietress sized him up from head to toe, smiled, and said, "although your tongue is slippery, your appearance is acceptable. Since that's the case, you shall marry me!"
"Huh?" The young man's mouth twitched, and he quickly took a step back, saying, "Proprietress, absolutely not! I am from a cultivation sect. Our goals, aspirations, and worldviews are different. Therefore, you marrying me will not bring happiness."