A moment's pause, and Zhao Xiang found himself utterly humiliated, his every attempt at dominance shattered.
She Ning gazed coldly at the now subdued Zhao Xiang and said, "You actually wanted to compete with me? Utterly preposterous." He let out a cold snort.
Immobilized by the spell, Zhao Xiang could only stare at She Ning's face, unable to move.
She Ning continued, "You've already lost." With that, he swung his arm towards Zhao Xiang once more.
Zhao Xiang stumbled forward, regaining his mobility. "You cheated!" he exclaimed, glaring at She Ning with indignant fury.
She Ning looked calmly at the fuming Zhao Xiang, his expression indifferent. "I don't have time to play out your revenge drama here. You'd best calm down."
Zhao Xiang, a person who was easily intimidated, flinched at She Ning's words. "Fine, I'll calm down. Can you at least be gentler?"
"You were the one who pushed your luck," She Ning stated, glaring at Zhao Xiang before turning to Mu Anxiao. "I'll help you find the person you're looking for. Once I do, will you take me to see this Ouyang Ye you speak of?"
"Can you really find him?" Mu Anxiao asked.
She Ning glanced at the portrait in Zhao Xiang's hand, then at Mu Anxiao. "I don't know. I'm just suspecting that the person you're looking for might be hiding in some village."
"That..." Mu Anxiao considered the father-daughter bond between the carriage driver and Bing'er, and the distance from the city gate. She said, "I don't think so."
"Can you help me find my parents?" Zhao Xiang suddenly interjected.
Hearing this, Mu Anxiao shot Zhao Xiang a fierce glare, then looked at She Ning, who also glanced at Zhao Xiang. "Answer my question first."
"No, answer mine first," Zhao Xiang insisted, looking defiantly at Mu Anxiao. "You have no relation to the carriage driver, but my parents are more important."
"Don't pretend to be a filial son here. If it weren't for you, Shen Moyun wouldn't have been in trouble. It's all your fault!" Mu Anxiao retorted, agitated.
Knowing that Mu Anxiao would do anything for Feng Qishi, Zhao Xiang fell silent after her outburst.
Just then, She Ning smiled faintly. "It seems that Shen Moyun is very important to you."
"They are all important to me," Mu Anxiao stated firmly.
She Ning chuckled at Mu Anxiao's words and asked, "Speaking of which, you're not looking for just one person, are you?"
Not just one person?
She Ning's words made Mu Anxiao forget her worry about Ouyang Ye. She suddenly remembered that the reason Ouyang Ye asked for her help was likely because he feared the carriage driver would rebel.
Thinking this way, it was indeed as She Ning said; it wasn't just one person.
"Indeed, it's not just one person," she replied.
"A person?" She Ning surmised.
Mu Anxiao cast a wary glance at Zhao Xiang, then turned back to She Ning, saying softly, "There's also a soul."
Sensing Mu Anxiao's guarded look, Zhao Xiang became angry. "We're on the same side, and yet you look at me like that."
"This is a deal between your master and me. You'd best not spread it around, otherwise," Mu Anxiao's gaze turned cold as she looked at Zhao Xiang, "don't come crying to me if your master blames you."
Upon hearing Mu Anxiao's words, Zhao Xiang's heart sank as he considered Ouyang Ye's penchant for causing trouble. "I didn't say I would say anything. I just want to find my parents now."
"Aren't you going after the monster anymore?" She Ning teased Zhao Xiang intentionally. "Didn't you say you were going to kill the leader?"
Zhao Xiang understood She Ning's implication and became displeased. "You're not helping me. If I go after them now, I'd just be asking for trouble. Rather than that, it's better for me to find my parents first," he said, looking at Mu Anxiao. "You have to help me."
"I can barely protect myself, how can I help you?" Mu Anxiao tried to refuse Zhao Xiang.
Zhao Xiang insisted, "I have a feeling that my parents are with the carriage driver."
"You feel..." Mu Anxiao said, recalling the false identity Zhao Xiang had put on before her, and gave a cold laugh. "You're quite cunning, using the guise of helping me find the carriage driver to look for your own parents. Zhao Xiang, Zhao Xiang, I don't know what to say about you."
"If you don't know what to say, then don't say it. Anyway, we're all in this together now," Zhao Xiang said, retracting his earlier 'masterpiece' and taking out a worn-out 'scrap of paper' from his sleeve, handing it to She Ning.
She Ning looked puzzled. "What are you doing?"
"I wasn't calm enough just now. It was my mistake. This is a drawing of my parents. I think," Zhao Xiang said, worried that Mu Anxiao wouldn't cooperate, "my parents are definitely with that carriage driver. As long as I find my parents, I believe my mom and dad will be found."
"Your parents..." She Ning repeated, and took the portrait.
Mu Anxiao looked at it and frowned deeply.
Immediately, She Ning unfolded the portrait in front of Zhao Xiang and looked down at it. Like Mu Anxiao, he frowned.
Under the moonlight, Zhao Xiang clearly saw She Ning's sudden frown and asked, "Can you find my parents? And," he added, worried about Mu Anxiao finding fault, "the carriage driver."
"I'll try," She Ning said. As he released his hands, the portrait drifted upwards with the wind.
Zhao Xiang exclaimed, "What are you doing? This is a portrait of my parents! How could you..."
"Shut up," Mu Anxiao, who had spotted a clue, interrupted Zhao Xiang abruptly.
Startled by Mu Anxiao's interruption, Zhao Xiang immediately stopped speaking. He then glanced at the portrait and She Ning, holding his breath, his fists clenched, and his heart filled with anxiety.
She Ning ignored Zhao Xiang. As he spread his arms wide, the portrait slowly descended back to him.
She Ning closed his eyes slightly, beginning to sense something.
Zhao Xiang watched She Ning's professional demeanor, holding his breath, and growing nervous.
A moment later, She Ning opened his eyes, catching the portrait as he said, "In the city."
"In the city?" Zhao Xiang frowned.
Mu Anxiao repeated the words in her mind. "Are you sure they're still in the city?" she asked, fixing her gaze on She Ning.
She Ning nodded.
"Then do you know where in the city?" Zhao Xiang inquired.
She Ning looked at Zhao Xiang, his gaze intense, and said in a low voice, "Probably an inn. To be honest," he shook his head slightly, "I didn't see clearly."
"Didn't see clearly..."
"I know where your parents are," Mu Anxiao suddenly remembered the place where the carriage driver had been held before escaping. "However, only those trusted by Ouyang Ye can enter." She was certain that Zhao Xiang's parents had indeed not left that place with the carriage driver. If they had, She Ning likely wouldn't have been able to find them.
However, She Ning's words had given her a clue about the carriage driver's whereabouts. "Could the carriage driver be there?" she murmured.
Hearing this, She Ning immediately shifted his gaze to Mu Anxiao's face. "What are you murmuring about?"
In response, Mu Anxiao looked up at She Ning and said in a low voice, "I think I have a clue."