The young man chuckled and said, "Grandma always said our minds need to work fast."
"This isn't a fast mind, it's a fast topic changer. Please distinguish between the two, thank you," Mu Anxiao said helplessly.
"Alright, then let's start from the beginning," the young man said, taking a deep breath.
Mu Anxiao found conversing with the young man exhausting and said decisively, "No need. I don't want to talk to you anymore."
"But you are the owner of that rabbit spirit," the young man returned to the topic.
Mu Anxiao looked up at the young man and said, "Her owner isn't me, it's the one in the room next door."
"Ah, I've come to the wrong person," the young man said, looking disappointed.
"Yes," Mu Anxiao nodded, not wanting to get entangled further.
"Then why am I telling you all this?" the young man said, acting a bit erratic, and turned to walk towards the stairs.
Mu Anxiao breathed a sigh of relief and turned to look at the man carrying two buckets of water from the back courtyard gate, saying, "Done."
"Mhm," the man replied.
Mu Anxiao's vision suddenly cleared, and she thought she could finally take a bath.
Half an hour later, after Mu Anxiao had bathed and put on the green-clothed man's clothes, she went to the bedside and looked at Hong Yan lying on the bed, asking, "How are you feeling?"
"Much better," Hong Yan nodded and pointed to a pouch beside her, saying, "I made this for you."
"What is this?" Mu Anxiao asked, reaching for it.
"This contains my feces. If you hang it around your neck, those monsters won't be able to sense your presence, and you'll be much safer."
"Thank you," Mu Anxiao smiled and took the pouch, hanging it around her neck.
"I made this with demonic arts," Hong Yan said.
"Demonic arts? Won't others see through it?" Mu Anxiao said, still a bit apprehensive.
"Only if they consider you one of their own will they not harm you," Hong Yan said, conveying her thoughts.
Upon hearing this, Mu Anxiao smiled and said, "That makes sense."
Hong Yan chuckled twice.
Mu Anxiao stepped forward and sat on the edge of the bed, asking, "By the way, did anyone come in last night?"
"No," Hong Yan's voice lowered.
Seeing Hong Yan's demeanor, Mu Anxiao frowned. "The waiter from this establishment is missing. You'd best not lie to me."
Hearing this, Hong Yan quickly raised her rabbit face and looked at Mu Anxiao, asking, "How could the waiter be missing?"
"I'm not sure. When I went downstairs just now to ask why they hadn't brought me water, the people downstairs told me," Mu Anxiao explained.
Hong Yan fell silent upon hearing this.
Mu Anxiao reached out and stroked Hong Yan's head, saying, "Yesterday, did someone disguise themselves as the waiter and come in?"
"No," Hong Yan shook her head.
"Hong Yan, I know you're a rabbit spirit, and you can't harm your companions. But please understand, your companion has harmed someone. If the waiter is truly dead, do you know the consequences?"
"What consequences?" Hong Yan asked fearfully.
Mu Anxiao put on a serious expression and said, "Demons who conceal information will be punished. You will never be able to transform into human form."
"I..." Hong Yan's greatest fear was not being able to achieve human form. Hearing Mu Anxiao's words, she hesitated.
Just as Mu Anxiao was about to speak further, a gust of wind suddenly blew the window open with a bang, and a black smoke shot in. "Xiao Bai, don't listen to her, she's trying to scare you." As it spoke, the black smoke bypassed Mu Anxiao and enveloped Hong Yan.
"It's you," Mu Anxiao recognized him instantly.
"It's me. Don't think you can brainwash my kind," the black smoke said, coiling around Hong Yan and disappearing.
Mu Anxiao froze, looked down at the empty bed, quickly stood up, and looked at the window, saying, "This is all a conspiracy." She furrowed her brows.
In the adjacent room, the young man was recounting everything he had seen the previous day to Feng Qishi and the green-clothed man. They both looked helplessly at the enthusiastic young man. The green-clothed man said, "You've told us so much of what you saw, but you haven't gotten to the point."
"My point is, the rabbit spirit you're keeping has harmed someone," the young man said excitedly.
"If you spout any more nonsense, I'll strip you of all your magical abilities," the green-clothed man said, pointing at the young man.
Hearing this, the young man cowered and lowered his head.
Feng Qishi pondered what the young man had said and remarked, "After all you've said, fundamentally, your grandmother sent you to convert those rabbits."
"Forget it, I can't do it," the young man said, lowering his head.
The green-clothed man looked at the young man's suddenly drooping head and said, "I know."
"Know what?" Feng Qishi asked, looking at the green-clothed man who had suddenly become agitated.
"You did it on purpose," the green-clothed man pointed at the young man's face.
The young man abruptly looked up and said, "I didn't do it on purpose."
"No, you did. You deliberately found the rabbit's owner so I would help you, right?" the green-clothed man said solemnly.
"You're too conceited," Feng Qishi said helplessly to the green-clothed man.
The young man cautiously glanced at Feng Qishi and nodded, "Mhm, that's what I meant."
"Your grandmother sent you to convert the rabbits, but you didn't expect them to be so wicked. On your first day here, the waiter went missing because of a rabbit spirit. Coincidentally, last night you saw a rabbit spirit disguised as the waiter enter the room next door. However, you didn't know who was living in the room. So, you deliberately discussed the waiter's disappearance downstairs, or rather, you wanted to draw me out so I could help you," the green-clothed man raised an eyebrow, "Correct?"
"Something like that. However, I didn't expect the rabbit spirit's owner to be a man," the young man admitted.
"It's fine, I don't blame you. You're human, after all," the green-clothed man said narcissistically.
Feng Qishi was completely bewildered by this turn of events.
At the same time, Mu Anxiao knocked on their door.
Feng Qishi glanced at the other two, then stood up and went to the door, opening it to look at the anxious Mu Anxiao, asking, "Why are you here?"
"I have something to say," Mu Anxiao said, pushing Feng Qishi aside and stepping through the threshold.
Feng Qishi glanced at Mu Anxiao from the side, then reached out to close the door again. He turned and looked at Mu Anxiao, who was frozen in place, and asked, "What's wrong?"
"Why hasn't this fellow left yet?" Mu Anxiao asked, staring at the young man sitting beside the green-clothed man.
The young man smiled and said, "Hello."
"I'm not well. I'm asking you to leave now. I have something to say to them," Mu Anxiao said coldly and resolutely to the young man whose words were incomprehensible.