The burly men turned their gaze back to the woman's face after she fell silent.
Sensing their stares, the woman asked as if seeking their opinion, "What do you all think?" She was still wavering on the figure Mu Anxiao had mentioned.
Upon hearing the woman's words and recalling that Mu Anxiao could even save the deranged Lin Zhao, the second burly man thought there was nothing she couldn't do. Therefore, for their own good, he was the first to say, "I agree with Cao Gen's approach."
"I agree too," said the third burly man.
"We all agree," they chimed in unison.
Hearing her subordinates' agreement and seeing Mu Anxiao's calm expression, the woman suddenly lost the courage to negotiate further with her. She nodded and said, "Alright, then two taels of silver it is."
"Deal," Mu Anxiao said with a light chuckle.
Lin Zhao was filled with admiration for Mu Anxiao.
Outside.
Feng Qishi and Zhao Xiang listened to the sounds emanating from within. Zhao Xiang, confused, asked, "What are they doing in there?" His dull mind hadn't grasped anything after listening for so long.
Conversely, Feng Qishi cast a helpless glance at the dull Zhao Xiang and said, "Mu, the silly girl, is having them help Lin Zhao with some work." As he spoke, he looked towards Mu Anxiao and Lin Zhao, who were emerging.
Zhao Xiang also looked at them.
Lin Zhao thought Feng Qishi had already left. Seeing him now, he was indeed startled. "General, you're still here," he said, his heart sinking as he recalled his recent actions.
Feng Qishi still felt a pang of guilt towards Lin Zhao, so he averted his gaze and asked, "What, you don't want me here?"
"No," Lin Zhao shook his head slightly.
"It's best if you don't," Feng Qishi said softly, shifting his gaze back to Mu Anxiao. "Cao Gen, why did you bring him out?" he asked, feigning ignorance.
Zhao Xiang chuckled secretly at Feng Qishi's pretense.
Mu Anxiao, not noticing Zhao Xiang's expression, said calmly, "I have something to ask him. If you have nothing else, General, please leave first."
"You don't need my help?" Feng Qishi asked casually.
Hearing Feng Qishi's words, Lin Zhao was startled and fixed his gaze on Mu Anxiao's face.
Mu Anxiao shook her head. "No need. If I need it, I'll find you." She then looked at Lin Zhao, "Let's go."
"Okay," Lin Zhao nodded obediently, then looked at Feng Qishi. "General, I'll be going now," he said, cupping his hands.
Feng Qishi remained silent and nodded.
A moment later.
Mu Anxiao led Lin Zhao to stop beneath a rock garden not often frequented by Gu Yan and the others.
Lin Zhao was very familiar with the General's mansion, but he had always assumed Mu Anxiao would take him directly to the back door. To his surprise, after taking a detour, Mu Anxiao brought him here, leaving him confused. "Aren't we going to the back door?"
Hearing this, Mu Anxiao, after confirming the safety of the location, looked at Lin Zhao. "There are some things I need to clarify."
"What?" Lin Zhao was shocked, completely unable to follow Mu Anxiao's train of thought.
Mu Anxiao, with a calm expression, answered Lin Zhao's question. "I brought you here only to clarify some matters. What I can determine now is that that woman is definitely at the back door. If we go there now, it would be like falling into a trap set by the woman. So," she said seriously, "before that, we need to clarify some things."
"What things?" Lin Zhao understood Mu Anxiao's words.
Mu Anxiao: "It's about your nightmares." Her eyes widened.
Lin Zhao was startled by Mu Anxiao's sudden seriousness. "My nightmares."
Mu Anxiao nodded. "Yes, your nightmares. Now," she said, glancing to both sides, "you just need to tell me what you dreamed of."
"Does asking these things have any meaning?" Lin Zhao couldn't understand Mu Anxiao.
Mu Anxiao continued to look calmly at Lin Zhao, who was clearly not on the same wavelength as her. "If it had no meaning, I wouldn't ask. Tell me, I'm listening." She became serious.
Lin Zhao, seeing Mu Anxiao's earnest expression, was truly frightened. After a moment's thought, he began to recount.
The scene of Lin Zhao's dream was a small forest where all the trees had withered. But for some reason, every time he went there, he inexplicably felt that everything was familiar, a familiarity that brought him comfort. However, whenever he felt comfortable, the sky would suddenly change, and he would be enveloped in darkness. During this time, he would unconsciously close his eyes, remaining fully conscious throughout the process.
Then, the dream began to jump. When he opened his eyes again, he was standing in front of the General's mansion's back door. Following this was the beginning of all his nightmares. Pairs of bloody hands emerged from the ground, waving around his feet. Some hands would playfully grab his ankles, their actions undoubtedly plunging him into another wave of fear. Before long, that terrifying atmosphere would descend, and a hideous woman would fall from the sky, telling him various dreadful things.
Each time, the woman's most frequent phrase was, "Don't go to the back door. If you go, your demon soul will be born, and you will be damned forever, haunted by nightmares eternally. Remember, remember..."
After finishing his narration, Lin Zhao fell into silence.
Mu Anxiao calmly looked at Lin Zhao, who had completely recounted his nightmares, and shivered. "It's really creepy," she said, rubbing her arm.
Lin Zhao remained silent.
Seeing this, Mu Anxiao reached out and patted Lin Zhao's shoulder, asking, "What's wrong?"
Hearing this, Lin Zhao came to his senses, looked up at Mu Anxiao, and said softly, "This is my nightmare. It repeats, and repeats." His eyes reddened. "It's really too terrifying."
"It is indeed terrifying," Mu Anxiao admitted she was also scared. "Do you see these things every night as soon as you close your eyes?"
"Yes."
"For a long time," Mu Anxiao added.
Lin Zhao nodded slightly.
"Every day, it's the same scene."
"Mm," Lin Zhao nodded again.
Mu Anxiao looked at Lin Zhao's responses and frowned as she thought about his nightmare. "Thinking about it this way, it is quite creepy. But then again, after dreaming it so many times," she furrowed her brow, "shouldn't you be used to it by now?"
"I can't get used to it. How could I possibly get used to it?" Lin Zhao said, raising his arm to wipe away the tears that had unconsciously fallen. "Put yourself in my shoes, wouldn't you break down? Every night before sleeping, you think of having a good dream, but who would know that all you dream of are those things? You..."
"I rarely dream when I sleep, and I don't really understand the concept of a 'good dream'," Mu Anxiao interrupted.
Lin Zhao was speechless.