Xie Shou watched Mu Anxiao's sudden stern expression, his own nerves tightening. "Your serious face, isn't that just boring?"
"You answer exactly what I ask, and if you utter one more nonsense word," Mu Anxiao's face darkened considerably, "don't blame me for being impolite."
"You..."
"As you've seen, Ouyang Ye knows me. And you," Mu Anxiao said, narrowing her eyes, "are supposed to assist me. If the carriage driver isn't found, I'll blame it on you. Think about it, Ouyang Ye will surely punish you."
"You.."
"Also, you should understand the meaning of 'making amends for past mistakes' better than I do," Mu Anxiao interrupted, fixing her gaze directly on Xie Shou's face.
Xie Shou was left speechless after Mu Anxiao finished speaking.
Mu Anxiao then added, "I'll give you time to think."
"What am I supposed to think about?" Xie Shou was almost driven mad by Mu Anxiao.
"Think about their stories and tell them to me," Mu Anxiao insisted.
Upon hearing this, Xie Shou put on a helpless expression again. "Brother, I've told you their stories are very, very long. By the time I finish, I'll be waiting to die. This is a critical moment, we need to find that carriage driver. Can you stop this?"
"Speak or not," Mu Anxiao said dismissively, not paying Xie Shou any mind.
Xie Shou was once again rendered speechless.
Mu Anxiao calmly observed Xie Shou's speechless expression and then glanced at the monsters preparing to supervise her, saying, "If you think the stories are long, just tell me each of their stories in a short sentence. Once you're done, we'll go find the carriage driver."
"You make it sound so simple."
"Yes, I do make it sound simple. As long as you agree, I will definitely put in a hundredfold effort to find the carriage driver and ensure you are not punished." Mu Anxiao said with absolute certainty.
Xie Shou looked at Mu Anxiao's earnest expression, then at the monsters, and said in a low voice, "I can agree, but I can't guarantee they'll want to hear me tell you their stories."
"..." Mu Anxiao listened to Xie Shou, turned to look at them, then back at Xie Shou and said, "Aren't you their leader? Don't tell me you're afraid of them?"
"It's not about fear, it's about whether they are willing to listen," Xie Shou said.
"Oh," Mu Anxiao nodded and then looked at the monsters, asking, "I want to understand your past, may I?"
Immediately, the monster designated as Number One, who had been silent for a long time, spoke, "Why do you want to understand our past?"
"Exactly," Monster Number Two chimed in, "Why do you suddenly want to know our past? Our past is our past, why should you understand it?"
"You're just stalling for time, aren't you?" Monster Number Three suddenly said.
"Your intention in stalling is to get us killed, right?"
"You're truly a wicked person."
"Indeed, indeed."
Hearing their unanimous affirmation, Mu Anxiao was left speechless.
At the same time, Mu Anxiao had never expected these monsters to be so calculating. Now, listening to their conjectures, one after another, left her at a loss for words.
After their back-and-forth, Xie Shou stared directly at Mu Anxiao's face.
Sensing Xie Shou's gaze, Mu Anxiao withdrew her eyes from the monsters and looked at Xie Shou, asking, "What do you want to say?" She had a premonition that Xie Shou had taken the monsters' words to heart.
Xie Shou: "You want to harm me."
"What do you think?" Mu Anxiao retorted.
Hearing Mu Anxiao's words, Xie Shou turned to look at them again, then turned back to Mu Anxiao and said, "I am their leader, their thoughts are basically the same as mine. You..."
"Is that how you think of me?" Mu Anxiao interrupted, her face etched with defiance.
Xie Shou's gaze flickered. "It's not about what I think, it's mainly about you."
"How is it mainly about me?" Mu Anxiao asked, puzzled.
Xie Shou: "You asked me to tell you their stories, isn't that just to make me stall for time? You..." he said, his eyes darkening, "to be honest, I didn't think much of it at first, but now that I've heard them say it, I also feel you have issues."
The reason Mu Anxiao wanted to understand these monsters was actually for their sake.
She couldn't claim to understand Ouyang Ye's character completely, but she understood him well enough. She knew even better that if Ouyang Ye couldn't find someone, others certainly wouldn't. Finding the carriage driver in one night was an impossible task.
Therefore, what she wanted to do now was to win them over with her own methods. This way, she would have helpers.
Who knew that Xie Shou couldn't understand her intentions, and these monsters were so fond of making wild guesses.
At this moment, she truly didn't know what to say.
She even had the thought of letting them fend for themselves.
"..." After Xie Shou's statement, the monsters one by one shifted their gaze to Mu Anxiao's face.
Mu Anxiao looked at each of them without speaking.
Then, Xie Shou said, "It seems I've hit the nail on the head."
"Hit the nail..." Mu Anxiao repeated the phrase and sneered, "Think whatever you want. The carriage driver isn't easy to find." With that, she walked towards the temple entrance.
Seeing this, Xie Shou suddenly became nervous. "What do you mean the carriage driver isn't easy to find?"
Upon hearing this, Mu Anxiao stopped and turned her head to look at Xie Shou. "Ouyang Ye's abilities, you should understand them better than I do, right?" As she spoke, her entire demeanor became serious.
Xie Shou looked at Mu Anxiao's serious expression, his nerves tightening. "What are you trying to say?"
Mu Anxiao: "What I want to say is already contained within this sentence. Think about it yourself." After speaking, she was about to turn away.
Seeing this, Xie Shou quickly said, "Wait."
Mu Anxiao frowned. "Why are you calling me?" She didn't dare to place too much hope on Xie Shou, so her overall demeanor was particularly serious.
Xie Shou was startled by Mu Anxiao's serious attitude. "You mean, we won't be able to find the carriage driver."
"Ouyang Ye asked you to assist me. How much do you think you can help me?" Mu Anxiao retorted.
Xie Shou's expression stiffened, and he replied, "I don't know how much I can help you, but I do know," he pursed his lips, "that he asked you to help me, he must have his reasons. He..."
"Have you seen the carriage driver?" Mu Anxiao asked deliberately.
Xie Shou thought for a moment and shook his head.
Mu Anxiao let out a soft scoff. "Then you still want to assist me? Do you perhaps think that just following me counts as assisting me?" She curled her lips. "You're really quite naive."
"Aren't I?" Xie Shou asked.