The sudden meeting of their eyes startled Zhao Xiang, who grinned foolishly at She Ning.
She Ning, bewildered by Zhao Xiang's odd behavior, shifted his gaze to Mu Anxiao's face. "What's wrong with him?" he asked, pointing at Zhao Xiang.
With her lie exposed, Mu Anxiao could only offer a strained smile to mask her embarrassment. "Nothing's wrong with him," she replied, her heart filled with unease.
She Ning: "What's wrong with you?" He sensed Mu Anxiao's strangeness.
Mu Anxiao, hearing She Ning's sudden question, recalled her earlier words to him before encountering the monsters. Her nerves taut, she said, "Nothing's wrong with me, it's just..." She wasn't good at keeping secrets, and now she saw no reason to hide. "You're not angry."
"Why would I be angry?" She Ning countered, feigning ignorance.
Mu Anxiao, seeing She Ning's obvious act, let out a dry laugh. "There were two of them, and I told you there was only one. And you're not angry."
"Is anger useful?" She Ning asked, his gaze turning to Zhao Xiang. "Do you know those monsters?"
"..." Zhao Xiang nodded, then shook his head.
She Ning calmly observed Zhao Xiang's reaction and took a deep breath. "I won't kill you if you just tell me the truth." He recognized Zhao Xiang's timidity and decided against threats, knowing they would be counterproductive. It would be better to patiently converse with Zhao Xiang; perhaps then he could glean the information he desired.
As it turned out, Zhao Xiang's greatest fear was She Ning acting against him. Upon hearing She Ning's words, he breathed a sigh of relief. "You really won't kill me?"
However, Mu Anxiao had never imagined Zhao Xiang to be so craven. She had always believed his fear was solely directed at Ouyang Ye. Now, seeing him, she realized he feared everyone. A look of disdain crossed her face.
"..." She deliberately fixed her gaze on Zhao Xiang.
Zhao Xiang, oblivious to Mu Anxiao's stare, eagerly awaited She Ning's reply.
She Ning, like Mu Anxiao, had assumed Zhao Xiang was a man of substance, that his cowardice was merely a tactic. Now, upon closer inspection and hearing his words, he too displayed a look of disdain. "With your demeanor, it's truly miraculous that your master appreciates you."
"I don't want to," Zhao Xiang mumbled. "But for my parents, I must show I'm useful. Otherwise, my master will abandon me, and my parents will be implicated because of me. That's why I have to be like this."
"You mean, you never show fear towards your master."
"I do, at times. But when faced with a situation, I always do my best to handle it properly. That's who I am," Zhao Xiang said, as if introducing himself. "My name is Zhao Xiang."
"I know," She Ning replied calmly.
Zhao Xiang was startled. "How do you know?" He hadn't realized She Ning was present earlier.
She Ning: "The monsters mentioned it."
"Oh, I see," Zhao Xiang said with an awkward smile, suddenly turning his head to look at Mu Anxiao.
Mu Anxiao frowned, glanced at Zhao Xiang, and remained silent.
At the same time, She Ning, like Zhao Xiang, shifted his gaze to Mu Anxiao's face. "Cao Gen, is it?"
"Yes," Mu Anxiao nodded, then frowned, recalling the monsters' reactions as they left. "No."
"No, what?" She Ning asked, completely confused.
Mu Anxiao looked calmly at She Ning's perplexed expression and said in a low voice, "I can feel it. They were afraid of you, and..." Her eyes narrowed as she thought of the 'he' the monsters had mentioned. Her gaze darkened. "If I'm not mistaken, 'he' they spoke of was you."
"..." She Ning simply smiled, remaining silent.
Seeing She Ning's expression, Mu Anxiao grew even more puzzled. "No, what are you smiling about?"
"I've fought them before. In other words," She Ning stated calmly, "they are my defeated foes. However, the lesson I taught them doesn't seem to have stuck."
"And then?" Mu Anxiao felt She Ning had more to say.
She Ning: "And then, I couldn't figure out where they got their courage. Now I know," he scoffed. "It turns out, they have someone backing them."
"..." Mu Anxiao frowned, guessing if he wanted her and Zhao Xiang to help him.
She Ning met Mu Anxiao's eyes, remaining silent.
Mu Anxiao, met by his gaze, felt her nerves tighten. "You want me to help you." She felt it was best to voice her suspicion, as she disliked feeling passive.
She Ning nodded slightly.
Seeing this, Zhao Xiang quickly asked, "You want me and her to help you?" He didn't want to betray Ouyang Ye and became visibly anxious.
She Ning didn't even glance at Zhao Xiang. "If you help me, I'll help you." He kept his eyes on Mu Anxiao.
Mu Anxiao met She Ning's gaze with equal composure and said calmly, "How do you want me to help you?" She deliberately excluded Zhao Xiang.
She Ning: "I said, you both." He glanced at Zhao Xiang.
Zhao Xiang, catching She Ning's glance, became fearful.
Mu Anxiao continued to calmly meet She Ning's eyes and asked, "Do you think he is useful?"
"You both are," She Ning replied flatly.
Mu Anxiao snorted, deliberately adopting a look of disdain. "He and I are not the same. Now, I'll give you two choices," she said seriously. "One is to choose him, the other is to choose me."
"I don't want to choose." She Ning could see the utility in both of them and didn't want to abandon either.
Hearing this, Mu Anxiao put a hand on her hip and turned her face away, refusing to speak.
Seeing Mu Anxiao's reaction, She Ning's brow furrowed deeply. "What do you mean by this?"
"I'm giving you a choice: choose me, or him," Mu Anxiao said, sticking to her guns. She slowly turned back to face She Ning. "I have plenty of time for this stalemate."
"Finding someone seems more important," She Ning said in a low voice.
Mu Anxiao pushed forward, "It's not important. Your choice right now is the most crucial, because it will determine who, between him and me, can earn your trust, and also, who is useful." She raised her chin.
She Ning was rendered speechless.
Zhao Xiang grumbled, "Boring." He stared at She Ning opposite him and said, "I don't want to help you with her. You choose."
Hearing this, Mu Anxiao shot Zhao Xiang a fierce glare. "Oh, and let me tell you beforehand, his relationship with his master is closer. I'm not familiar with his master." She said this deliberately.
Zhao Xiang, upon hearing Mu Anxiao's words, excitedly agreed, "You better think carefully." He wasn't sure what She Ning intended to do, but Mu Anxiao's words had truly ignited his competitive spirit.