Not long after Mu Anxiao thought she could finally leave, Ouyang Ye suddenly asked, "Are you sure you can remember my demonic aura?"
Sure? Remember?
However, Ouyang Ye's question felt like a test, and even more like a confirmation. His inquiry was precisely what Mu Anxiao didn't want to hear, because... saying yes would lead him to misunderstand, and saying no would make him angry.
In short, both responses presented a "test" for Mu Anxiao.
But, could she really not answer?
Thus, she helplessly retracted her right foot, turned to face Ouyang Ye, who was anticipating her reply, and asked, "Which response do you want to hear?"
"I want your reply," Ouyang Ye said, completely unfazed by Mu Anxiao's attempt to play coy.
Upon hearing this, Mu Anxiao was momentarily speechless, then she chuckled.
Seeing this, Ouyang Ye really couldn't stand her feigned ignorance anymore. "You can go." He had already guessed Mu Anxiao's response, so to avoid wasting more time, he let her off the hook.
Similarly, Mu Anxiao wanted precisely this response from Ouyang Ye. With a couple of sheepish smiles at him, she turned and walked towards the alley entrance.
Ouyang Ye watched Mu Anxiao's retreating back, sighed, and said, "You must find it before dawn."
"Understood." Mu Anxiao raised her hand without looking back. Just as she was about to accelerate, a red light suddenly descended from the sky. As she prepared to step back, the red light struck the ground with a boom.
Upon witnessing this, Ouyang Ye quickly moved behind Mu Anxiao. "Are you alright?" he asked, looking down at the red light enveloped in a vortex on the ground, his brow furrowed.
Mu Anxiao, catching her breath after the scare, remembered the woman who had stopped her from returning in the woods and muttered, "Could it be her?" As she spoke, she looked up at the night sky.
Ouyang Ye stared at the small vortex for a few seconds, then said in a low voice, "It seems you have quite a few enemies."
"I have many enemies," Mu Anxiao repeated, immediately turning to look at Ouyang Ye standing beside her, and said dismissively, "Compared to mine, yours are definitely more."
"Yes, more than yours," Ouyang Ye stated calmly.
Mu Anxiao let out a soft snort. "Since you know yours are more than mine, don't mention it."
"I didn't mention you."
"You..."
"I was just concerned about you," Ouyang Ye softly interrupted Mu Anxiao.
Mu Anxiao had never... needed Ouyang Ye's concern the most. If it weren't for him, she wouldn't have been so unlucky. In her eyes, he was always a nightmare. Hearing his words now, she felt nauseous.
"I don't need your concern," she said.
Ouyang Ye's eyes darkened. "That monster won't give up," he said, reaching out and taking Mu Anxiao's arm.
Mu Anxiao's body stiffened, and she turned to look at the suddenly faux-concerned Ouyang Ye, narrowing her eyes. "You know it's a monster." As she spoke, she glanced down at the red light that had completely disappeared, then looked back at Ouyang Ye. At this moment, Ouyang Ye sensed Mu Anxiao's hostility towards him and, like her, lowered his gaze to the ground, saying, "You're not going to say that monster was sent by me, are you?"
"If not you, then who?" Mu Anxiao glared at Ouyang Ye unfriendlily.
"It wasn't me," Ouyang Ye replied immediately.
Mu Anxiao let out a cold snort. "If you hadn't come, that monster wouldn't have attacked me. The moment you arrived, she attacked me," she said, staring directly at Ouyang Ye for a few seconds, then continued, "I think she likes you."
"You..."
"What 'you'? Anyway, if you ask me, she's either your subordinate or your... lover."
"Why don't you say she's Feng Qishi's lover?" Ouyang Ye retorted sharply.
At the alley entrance, Feng Qishi leaned against the wall, clearly hearing Ouyang Ye's words. He clenched his fists and glanced at a woman passing by him, a frown on his face.
Meanwhile.
Mu Anxiao sneered and said, "Shen Fengzi is an immortal. What you are, you know in your heart. Also," she said, glancing over Ouyang Ye's face, "you should know better than I do who those women in the inn were."
"You..."
"Mu Anxiao, you're back," the woman interrupted.
Hearing this, Mu Anxiao was startled and quickly turned to look at the disheveled woman walking towards her from the alley entrance. "Who are you?" she asked.
"Who am I? You're the one who blew me away, aren't you?" the disheveled woman said, ignoring Ouyang Ye and rushing angrily towards Mu Anxiao.
Upon seeing her, Mu Anxiao suddenly remembered the woman with a fated connection to Lin Zhao. At that instant, she also recalled how the woman had been blown away by Shen Lu's spell. She said seriously, "That was a gust of demonic wind." Worried that the woman might expose Shen Lu, she decided to confuse her.
Of course, she didn't know if this woman had seen Shen Lu or not, but she understood the principle of taking precautions.
"Demonic wind."
"Yes," Mu Anxiao nodded, pointing to the ground split by the red light. "Look."
"Look..." The woman believed her and, following Mu Anxiao's finger, looked down at the cracks on the ground. "What is this?" she asked, her thoughts completely captured by Mu Anxiao. She then raised her head.
"A demon."
"I'm also a demon," the woman emphasized her identity.
Hearing the woman's words, Mu Anxiao ignored Ouyang Ye and took a step forward. "Have you offended anyone recently?"
"What do you mean?" the woman didn't understand Mu Anxiao's implication.
Mu Anxiao cleared her throat and put on a feigned cautious expression. "I mean, have you offended any monsters recently? Are they coming to seek revenge?"
"I don't think so," the woman was completely led by Mu Anxiao.
Ouyang Ye watched Mu Anxiao scaring the woman with his arms crossed, a smirk on his lips, and couldn't be bothered to interject.
"No? That's truly strange," Mu Anxiao said earnestly.
"Woman: What's wrong? Has something strange happened?" Driven by Mu Anxiao's serious demeanor, she had completely forgotten about Lin Zhao and her own situation, instead focusing on Mu Anxiao's reply.
Mu Anxiao looked at the woman's completely "trusting" expression and tensed her nerves. "At that time, just as I was about to speak to you, the wind blew, and you were blown away. Actually, I was also blown away."
"You were also..."
"Yes, I was also blown away," Mu Anxiao stated firmly.
The moment Mu Anxiao said this, Ouyang Ye lowered his head and stared at the crack on the ground.
Subsequently, the woman became curious. "Where were you blown to?"
"Me..." Mu Anxiao said, raising her hand to her forehead. "That, I need to think about it."
"Then think about it," the woman believed Mu Anxiao completely.
Mu Anxiao chuckled dryly, pretending to recall.