Did the coachman’s destination get told to A Chu?
However, A Chu’s reply was something Mu Anxiao had never expected. Lowering her head, Mu Anxiao suddenly felt that everything had become complicated. With a sigh, she looked up at A Chu and asked, “Where is Mai?”
“Still there.”
“Still there,” Mu Anxiao said, pursing her lips. “Then that means she is still trusted by Ouyang Ye.”
“Mm,” A Chu nodded.
“It was she who told you not to tell me this news?” Mu Anxiao guessed from A Chu’s brief but not entirely uninformative reply.
Conversely, A Chu fell silent for a few seconds after Mu Anxiao’s words before saying, “Not just you.”
“Not just me?” Mu Anxiao was startled and frowned slightly. “Then that means Ouyang Ye doesn’t know?”
“I don’t know about that either.” A Chu thought Mu Anxiao was talking to herself and replied accordingly.
Upon hearing this, Mu Anxiao sighed again and said, “Alright, I’m leaving.”
“You’re leaving now?” A Chu sounded surprised.
“Do you want Song Xu to live?” Mu Anxiao asked back pointedly.
A Chu quickly said, “Of course I do.”
“Since you do, then don’t ask too many questions.”
“Then you must save Song Xu,” A Chu added.
Mu Anxiao nodded.
A few minutes later.
Feng Qishi followed Mu Anxiao towards the stairs, and at the same time… he recalled the discussion between A Chu and Mu Anxiao in the room just now, and the assurance she gave A Chu. His heart sank, and he couldn’t help but speak, “You’re going now?” he asked, reaching out to hold Mu Anxiao’s arm.
Mu Anxiao was startled, quickly retracting her foot from the steps. She turned to look at Feng Qishi and was taken aback, saying, “You were eavesdropping on us.” The moment she opened the door and saw Feng Qishi… Mu Anxiao had suspected he might have overheard their conversation, but since Feng Qishi hadn’t spoken, she hadn’t thought much of it.
Now, Feng Qishi’s question brought the matter back to mind, and she decided to address it directly.
“I just happened to overhear,” Feng Qishi said, sounding a little guilty.
“Eavesdropping is eavesdropping, don’t pretend,” Mu Anxiao said. She stared at Feng Qishi’s face for a few seconds, then asked, “Does your home have any secret passages or anything like that?”
“Secret passages?”
“You heard everything, so don’t play dumb. You know what I mean, right?”
“You want to go in?” Feng Qishi stated plainly.
“Yes,” Mu Anxiao nodded. “I want to go in and find the coachman.”
“Are you really sure Ouyang Ye doesn’t know…” Feng Qishi trailed off, glanced around, and then, making sure no one was passing by, continued, “Doesn’t know the coachman went back.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Perhaps this is a trap,” Feng Qishi said seriously.
A trap?
Mu Anxiao hadn’t thought as comprehensively as Feng Qishi, but… she believed A Chu wasn’t lying. She knew A Chu cared about Song Xu, and it was evident that A Chu must have also seen her as their hope. Otherwise, A Chu wouldn’t have believed her so steadfastly.
Besides, given Ouyang Ye’s greedy nature, there would be no point in A Chu lying about this. Most importantly, as the saying goes, the most dangerous place is often the safest. Bing’er was the coachman’s daughter, and when he came out, he would undoubtedly prioritize finding ways to rescue Bing’er. He would likely consider any other thoughts a waste of time.
For these reasons, she rejected Feng Qishi’s idea, saying, “Impossible.”
“So certain?”
“I am that certain. I guarantee she didn’t lie to me. Now,” Mu Anxiao’s gaze was firm, “you just need to tell me if your home has any secret passages.” After speaking, she didn’t forget to look around, to avoid anyone overhearing.
Feng Qishi knew that Mu Anxiao was a persistent woman, and that any further persuasion would be futile and even provoke her displeasure. Furthermore, arguing with her over something like this would be a waste of feelings and time.
Having no other choice, he could only… cooperate with her.
“Let me think,” he said.
Mu Anxiao had expected Feng Qishi to talk a lot, so hearing him say this, she felt relieved. “Alright, you think.” As she spoke, she met Feng Qishi’s eyes intently, awaiting his reply.
Just as Mu Anxiao was anticipating, Feng Qishi’s eyes flickered. “I honestly don’t know if there are any secret passages.”
“You really don’t know… No,” Mu Anxiao pursed her lips and continued, “Is it even your home? If you don’t even know the layout of your own home, are you joking?”
“If you were given such a large courtyard, would you know it all?”
“Of course. It’s my home. I would need to understand it first. Otherwise, what’s the point of living there?”
“You make it sound so easy,” Feng Qishi said, suddenly releasing the arm he had been holding.
Immediately, Mu Anxiao looked down at her arm, which Feng Qishi had held, and asked, “What do you mean by that?”
“I remembered,” Feng Qishi said quietly.
Remembered?
Feng Qishi’s words left Mu Anxiao utterly bewildered. Looking at him, she couldn’t help but show a confused expression. “What do you mean?”
“With your reminder, I remembered…”
“Remembered there are secret passages,” Mu Anxiao interrupted excitedly.
Seeing this, Feng Qishi quickly reached out and covered Mu Anxiao’s mouth.
Everything happened so suddenly that Mu Anxiao’s eyes widened in alarm.
Feng Qishi glanced around, leaned in slightly to meet Mu Anxiao’s eyes, and said, “This is someone’s territory. You should be more careful.”
Hearing Feng Qishi’s slightly tense words and considering the current situation, Mu Anxiao nodded.
Seeing Mu Anxiao’s cooperation, Feng Qishi removed his hand from her mouth.
Mu Anxiao knew she had been rash just now. She gave Feng Qishi a sheepish smile and whispered, “Let’s go.”
Feng Qishi gestured towards the stairs.
Mu Anxiao gave a silly chuckle and then turned to walk ahead.
Just as Feng Qishi and Mu Anxiao walked out of the inn, a waiter passed by a group of flirtatious women and caught up with Mu Anxiao. “Wait.”
Hearing this, Mu Anxiao didn’t react immediately. She turned to look at Feng Qishi beside her and asked, “Did you hear that?” She pulled Feng Qishi to a halt.
Feng Qishi nodded, then turned his head and happened to meet the waiter’s eyes. At the same time, the waiter stopped and gave Feng Qishi a sheepish smile, saying, “I’m looking for her.” He had been intimidated by Feng Qishi’s gaze.
Just then, Mu Anxiao turned to face the waiter. “What are you looking for me for?” she asked, suddenly unable to understand the waiter.
The waiter smiled and said, “Can we talk in private?” As he spoke, he gestured towards a small alley next to the inn that led to the back door.
Mu Anxiao followed the waiter’s gaze to the alley and said, “Can’t you say it here?” She turned back to stare at the waiter.