The ambushing monster, hearing Mu Anxiao's sudden question, visibly froze. "What do you mean by that?" It felt its gender was quite obvious and was perplexed by Mu Anxiao's sudden inquiry.
Mu Anxiao: "What else could I mean? Are you male or female?" As she asked, her gaze swept over the ambushing monster.
The ambushing monster disliked Mu Anxiao's questioning and immediately put on a stern face.
Shen Lü glanced at the ambushing monster's face but said nothing.
Mu Anxiao snorted, "What, you're unhappy that I asked you that?" She frowned slightly.
The ambushing monster: "I seriously suspect you not only have a problem with your brain but also with your eyes."
"Answer whatever I ask you," Mu Anxiao said, threateningly pressing the blade against the ambushing monster's neck.
The ambushing monster, startled, exclaimed, "I'm male."
"Male," Mu Anxiao said, a smirk playing on her lips. "So whiny, I thought you were female. Disappointed."
"Are you male or female?" the ambushing monster retorted.
Mu Anxiao met the ambushing monster's eyes and said coldly, "What business is it of yours whether I am male or female?" She became flippant.
The ambushing monster was displeased. "You can ask me, so why can't I ask you? You're too selfish."
"Selfish," Mu Anxiao repeated, glancing at the monsters trapped in the net, then back at the ambushing monster. "Speaking of selfish, you're the one who's selfish. You let others take the lead, and that's that. As the leader, you used their human faces and turned them into monsters. Did a dog eat your conscience?"
"You don't understand," the ambushing monster growled.
Mu Anxiao: "I don't understand, and I don't want to." She turned to Shen Lü. "Hey, it's up to you now."
"What are you going to do?" Shen Lü asked.
"What else? I'm going to find your senior brother. I'll leave these guys to you, so they don't harm anyone else," Mu Anxiao said. She turned back to the ambushing monster. "I'll let go. You'd better not escape. If you dare to escape, I'll get serious."
From the ambushing monster's cautious demeanor, Mu Anxiao could tell it was alive and afraid of death.
Therefore, she believed it would obey her.
As expected, the moment Mu Anxiao finished speaking, the ambushing monster quickly replied, "I won't escape."
Mu Anxiao's lips curved as she released her grip.
Immediately, the ambushing monster consciously walked to Shen Lü's side.
Shen Lü glanced at the ambushing monster, then at Mu Anxiao. "You really know how to make arrangements." As he was about to step forward, the ambushing monster suddenly grabbed his arm. He stiffened, turned to the ambushing monster, and asked, "What are you doing?"
"Are you human, or..."
"I'm like you." Shen Lü knew that these former humans turned monsters detested immortals, so to avoid drawing animosity, he fabricated an identity for himself.
Upon hearing Shen Lü's words, the ambushing monster uttered an 'oh' and released its grip.
Shen Lü looked on, puzzled. "No, what do you mean by that?"
"Nothing really," the ambushing monster began making small talk. "How many years have you been cultivating as a monster?"
"How many years have you been?" Shen Lü asked.
The moment Shen Lü asked this, all the monsters in the net fixed their gaze on the ambushing monster's face.
The ambushing monster glanced at them and smiled. "Less than ten years. And you?"
"How many years do you think I've been?" Shen Lü retorted, glancing at the net he had woven from spider silk.
The ambushing monster chuckled twice and was about to speak when a monster in the net suddenly shouted, "He's an immortal."
Hearing this, the ambushing monster looked back at the shouting monster, frowned, and then quickly turned back to Shen Lü, saying, "You're an immortal. Why did you lie to me?"
Shen Lü let out a laugh.
The ambushing monster looked utterly bewildered. "No, what's with that laugh of yours?"
"What else could it mean? It means you're stupid," Mu Anxiao said. After a moment's hesitation, she turned and walked to the net, scanning the monsters within, then reached out and touched the net.
Shen Lü looked on, confused. "Weren't you leaving?"
"Changed my mind," Mu Anxiao replied, turning back to Shen Lü. "I've found that you're not as reliable as your senior brother."
"What... what do you mean by that?" Shen Lü asked back, daring not to show his displeasure too obviously, fearing Mu Anxiao would report him to Feng Qishi.
Mu Anxiao snorted. "That monster is your enemy, and you're chatting with him. If I had left," she glared at Shen Lü, "you might have released them after a few compliments."
"You don't trust me," Shen Lü said angrily.
"I don't trust you," Mu Anxiao stated directly, then turned her gaze back to the monsters before her and began to sense something.
Shen Lü, seeing this, grew angry. "Let me tell you, my spiritual energy is much stronger than yours. If you..."
"The one next to you is already showing signs of escaping. Don't talk about spiritual energy. Even if yours is superior, your experience isn't as vast as mine," Mu Anxiao said without turning her head. Her gaze then sharpened, and the monsters uniformly took two steps back.
At the same time, Shen Lü, taking advantage of Mu Anxiao's words, turned his head and saw that the ambushing monster had indeed quietly slipped towards the door. He quickly waved his arm, and streaks of green light shot from his sleeve towards them.
Moments later.
The ambushing monster was bound to a pillar by the green light.
Shen Lü, feeling a sense of defeat from the ambushing monster's attempted escape, stood opposite it, his face stern. "After asking me so many brainless questions, you were planning to escape all along," he said, narrowing his eyes. "You've really made me lose face."
"Face isn't worth much," the ambushing monster smiled.
Shen Lü frowned and raised his hand, about to slap the ambushing monster, when Mu Anxiao called out, "Come here."
Hearing this, Shen Lü lowered his hand, turned towards Mu Anxiao, and asked, "What is it?"
"Come here," Mu Anxiao repeated, then turned back to the visibly frightened monsters.
Shen Lü sighed helplessly at Mu Anxiao's words, pointed at the ambushing monster's face, and said, "A reminder: the more you struggle, the tighter this 'rope' will bind you. If you want to turn to ash, feel free to struggle as much as you like." After saying this, he shot the ambushing monster a glare and walked away.
Subsequently, after attempting to struggle, the ambushing monster regretted it.
Shen Lü walked gracefully to Mu Anxiao's side and asked, "What is it?"
Mu Anxiao replied without turning her head, "Look at them." She took a deep breath and lowered her hand.
Hearing Mu Anxiao's serious tone, Shen Lü paused, then looked at their faces, his eyes widening in shock.