In the blink of an eye, Mu Anxiao, with Ouyang Ye trailing behind her, walked blindly onto the dark and quiet street. Just then, she suddenly lost her way, and all her plans were thrown into disarray the moment Ouyang Ye appeared.
As time ticked by, she began to grow anxious.
Conversely, after Mu Anxiao's exchange with the woman, Ouyang Ye started to pay attention to Mu Anxiao's "honest truths." He followed her now, wanting to hear her speak about her own situation. Who knew... she would walk blindly like this without a word.
He, too, was gradually losing patience with Mu Anxiao. "Mu Anxiao, stop."
Finally, he spoke.
Hearing Ouyang Ye's call, Mu Anxiao seemed to have found an exit. She stopped, quickly turned to face Ouyang Ye, and feigned ignorance. "Why are you following me?"
"You're faking it." Ouyang Ye knew Mu Anxiao had extremely sharp perception, so he didn't believe her.
"I'm not faking it. Why were you walking so silently?" Mu Anxiao said with a hint of complaint.
Ouyang Ye walked up to Mu Anxiao, looked down at her for a few seconds, and said, "You were blown into the woods by a demonic wind."
"Why are you suddenly asking about this?"
"I want to know who the demon that harmed you was?" Ouyang Ye cut to the chase.
However, if Ouyang Ye were a good person, she might have been touched by his words. But in reality, she no longer recognized him as a "good person," so his words only struck her as laughable. "You tell me, who was the demon that harmed me?" she suspected that demon was in league with Ouyang Ye.
Unexpectedly, Ouyang Ye frowned the moment Mu Anxiao spoke these words.
"What, feeling guilty?" Mu Anxiao said directly.
Hearing Mu Anxiao's words, Ouyang Ye couldn't help but take a deep breath and said, "You have a prejudice against me, I won't say anything. But now," he said, his expression serious, "I am asking you a question very seriously, and I hope you can be serious about it."
"You sent a demon to harm me, and you want me to be serious?" Mu Anxiao scoffed. "Ouyang Ye, you're just making a fool of yourself all day long."
"You..."
"Don't say anything now. I need to find the coachman. We can talk after I find him."
"You think if you find the coachman, I'll let Feng Qishi go?" Ouyang Ye said in a low voice.
Mu Anxiao frowned. "What do you mean by that?"
"You tell me," Ouyang Ye said deliberately.
"I'll tell you," Mu Anxiao said, tilting her face helplessly. "The safety of everyone in the General's mansion is now in your hands. Asking me to find the coachman is just exchanging their lives, isn't it? You..."
"I've already found him," Ouyang Ye interrupted suddenly.
The reason Ouyang Ye was able to appear at the back door of the General's mansion was that he had sensed Mu Anxiao's spiritual energy within the mansion. Before that, he had happened to encounter the coachman at the General's mansion, and the coachman was now under his control. He was lying to Mu Anxiao just to tease her.
"Where is he?" Mu Anxiao didn't believe Ouyang Ye and asked deliberately.
Ouyang Ye looked down at the anger on Mu Anxiao's face and said with a straight face, "In the firewood shed of the General's mansion."
The General's mansion firewood shed... The truth was, Mu Anxiao had also suspected that the coachman might have returned to the firewood shed, as it was their former residence with Bing'er.
However, hearing this news from Ouyang Ye's mouth made her feel uneasy, and she began to worry more about their safety. "Since you've found him, you can keep your promise and let them go, right?" she deliberately avoided mentioning the coachman's safety.
"You knew he was at the General's mansion and still lied to me," Ouyang Ye retorted.
"I was just guessing," Mu Anxiao said righteously.
Ouyang Ye let out a soft snort and said, "You really like to take all the credit yourself."
"What do you mean by that?"
"They're still at the ruined temple, aren't they?" Ouyang Ye added.
Upon hearing this, Mu Anxiao suddenly remembered Xie Shou, whom Ouyang Ye had assigned to her. Her eyes darkened. "What do you mean by that?"
"The task I gave you was outside the city, but you," Ouyang Ye said, fixing his gaze on Mu Anxiao's eyes, "are in the city now. Thinking of that guy, I don't think I need to forgive him."
"You..."
"I hate immortals," Ouyang Ye interrupted.
Mu Anxiao was stunned. Suddenly, she couldn't understand what Ouyang Ye was trying to do. However, thinking about Ouyang Ye's actions during this period, she realized once again... he was trying to confuse her thoughts. If she wasn't mistaken, he must be planning a conspiracy.
So, she hid her thoughts and pretended to be foolish. "If you dare to lay a hand on them, I won't let you go." She deliberately widened her eyes, playing along with Ouyang Ye.
"You're the same with everyone."
"Of course, I am an immortal," Mu Anxiao deliberately emphasized her identity, her gaze becoming exceptionally firm. "The safety of those people is naturally my concern."
"How noble," Ouyang Ye smiled down at her. "Since that's the case, then I must thoroughly disrupt your plans."
"You dare," Mu Anxiao growled, sensing... that Ouyang Ye indeed had a conspiracy.
Ouyang Ye chuckled lightly.
Mu Anxiao took a step back. "You know the coachman's whereabouts but won't tell me, and I," she narrowed her eyes, "have been diligently completing the tasks you assigned me. In short, if you ask me, regardless of whether you found him or someone else did, the credit should ultimately be mine."
"On what grounds?"
"You ask on what grounds? You only gave the task to me, so naturally, if you found him, the credit is also mine."
"You..."
"I don't care. On this ground alone, you cannot lay a hand on any of them," Mu Anxiao said, reaching out and grabbing Ouyang Ye's arm.
Ouyang Ye's body stiffened, and he looked down, meeting Mu Anxiao's eyes.
As Mu Anxiao waited for Ouyang Ye to compromise, she suddenly thought of Bing'er's situation. Seeing Ouyang Ye's silent expression, she suddenly realized that he was actually trying to delay her return. She couldn't appear too clever in front of Ouyang Ye.
There was no other way; she could only try her best to speed up their conversation.
"If you hear me, then answer me," she said forcefully.
Immediately, Ouyang Ye frowned and coldly said, "Let go."
"I won't, unless you promise not to harm them."
"That depends on my mood."
"Your mood? You mean," Mu Anxiao deeply felt that Ouyang Ye was definitely stalling for time, "you'll agree only when you're happy."
"Yes," Ouyang Ye nodded. He felt his plan... was foolproof.