Meanwhile, Ouyang Ye stared at the handker-chiefed 'silver needle' that had turned into black ash. After a few seconds of stunned silence, he said, "Cao Gen, are you messing with me?" He then looked up at Mu Anxiao.
Mu Anxiao's body stiffened. She feigned fear as she gazed at Ouyang Ye's face, saying, "No, boss." Her voice was laced with urgency. "When I just wrapped it up, it was clearly... clearly a needle blackened by potent poison." As she spoke, she lowered her head and then looked up again.
Seeing Mu Anxiao's anxious expression, Ouyang Ye chose to believe her for now. "How did you manage this?" The silver needle was coated with demonic energy. For a mere mortal like 'Cao Gen' to achieve this would astonish any demon. Ouyang Ye himself was no exception.
"Replying to the boss," Mu Anxiao swallowed, grinned, and said, "Actually, I think it was just a blind cat catching a dead mouse. I..."
"If you don't answer honestly, it means you're lying," Ouyang Ye stated abruptly.
Startled, Mu Anxiao exclaimed, "Heaven and Earth as my witness, I'm not lying!" As she spoke, she fixed her gaze on Ouyang Ye's face.
Ouyang Ye continued, "Since you're not lying, then tell me, how did you do it?" He gestured towards the black ash in the handkerchief.
Mu Anxiao appeared embarrassed. "Actually, I have another aspiration, but..." She recalled Ouyang Ye's impatience with her rambling and her eyes dimmed. "I don't dare to say."
"You can say it; no one will stop you." Ouyang Ye, looking at Mu Anxiao's indecisiveness, his tone clearly growing impatient.
"Boss, aren't you tired of me talking too much?" Mu Anxiao cautiously watched Ouyang Ye, who was clearly becoming impatient, and gave a dry laugh. "I talk a lot, and this story is quite long, so please don't mind me."
"If it's long, then shorten it," Ouyang Ye truly didn't want to listen to Mu Anxiao's nonsense anymore. His tone shifted from impatient to indifferent.
Mu Anxiao realized Ouyang Ye was indeed not treating her favorably. She figured that if she continued to stall him with such words, it wouldn't work anymore. Thus, she suddenly lowered her gaze.
Seeing this, Ouyang Ye furrowed his brow. "What is it now?"
Mu Anxiao stared at the ground, took a deep breath, and said, "I have another aspiration, which is to capture demons. But since I can't find any demons, I started making potions to deal with them. I didn't expect..." She looked at the handkerchief, "...to be so successful." Having said that, she looked up at Ouyang Ye.
Ouyang Ye remained expressionless.
Ah Ju was not a demon, so Mu Anxiao's words didn't affect her. However, when she considered Ouyang Ye's identity, she became nervous again. She wasn't nervous for anyone in particular, but she worried that Ouyang Ye would blame her entirely, thereby endangering her life.
Mu Anxiao, seeing Ouyang Ye's impassive face, grew fearful as well. "Boss, what's wrong?" She cautiously observed Ouyang Ye's facial expressions.
Suddenly, Ouyang Ye broke into a grin.
Seeing this, Mu Anxiao was startled and, mirroring Ouyang Ye, laughed. "No, boss, what are you laughing at?" Her eyes darted away slightly.
Ouyang Ye said, "You just follow me. Now," he became serious, "go back and create a potion that can kill immortals for me."
"To kill immortals?" Mu Anxiao repeated the words several times before chuckling. "No, it took me a long time to make this potion. A potion to kill immortals is really a bit difficult for me."
"Can't do it," Ouyang Ye said sarcastically.
Mu Anxiao gave a wry smile. "Boss, I'll do anything you ask, but to kill immortals," she pursed her lips, "that's truly beyond my ability."
"Just do your best. What's so difficult?" Ouyang Ye's impatience resurfaced.
Mu Anxiao looked at Ouyang Ye, who seemed to simplify everything, and gave a dry laugh. She then thought about the absurd things she had just said and fell into bitterness. "Boss, please remember, I am just a mortal." With that, she lost the courage to look at Ouyang Ye.
Ouyang Ye looked down at Mu Anxiao's face, which was full of 'difficulty,' and sneered. "Indeed, in the eyes of you mortals, the lives of humans and immortals matter, but the lives of demons, they don't." His eyes turned extremely cold. "Since that's the case, you must complete this task."
"Ah?" Mu Anxiao thought that after Ouyang Ye said all those words, the matter would be dropped. Little did she know, she was naive. "Boss, aren't you making things difficult for me?" After she spoke, she intentionally took a step back.
Ouyang Ye watched Mu Anxiao's slight movement and snorted coldly. "Afraid of me, yet you're still overestimating yourself, Cao Gen," he narrowed his eyes. "You truly are brazen."
"It's not that I'm brazen..." Halfway through her sentence, a gust of wind suddenly blew. Mu Anxiao quickly stopped speaking, hastily wrapped the handkerchief, and then continued, "It's not that I'm brazen, it's just that I truly lack the ability. Moreover, boss, I am just a mortal, what great power could I possess."
"If you don't do it, I'll kill you." Ouyang Ye was too lazy to listen to Mu Anxiao's nonsense.
Mu Anxiao's body stiffened. She slightly bowed, then immediately became afraid again. "Boss, a mortal like me only lives a few decades at most. Moreover, my father checked my pulse and said my body is very healthy. If you kill me, wouldn't that be..." She trailed off.
"What?"
"Just asking for trouble," Mu Anxiao didn't know how to finish her sentence, so she made up this phrase.
Unexpectedly, Mu Anxiao's simple sentence amused Ouyang Ye. "You kid, you really say the funniest things. Making me happy is simple; just make that potion. If you make me unhappy, I'll repeat myself," he retracted his smile, "I'll kill you."
Listening to Ouyang Ye's determined words, Mu Anxiao, without any hesitation, blurted out, "Boss, why do you want to kill immortals?"
To her surprise, the moment Mu Anxiao uttered these words, Ouyang Ye's face fell.
Seeing this, Mu Anxiao frowned, as if to show her confusion about his intentions.
Simultaneously, after Mu Anxiao's question, Ah Ju became completely tense on her behalf. Clenching her fists slightly, she took a step back.
This time, Mu Anxiao did not retreat. She simply watched Ouyang Ye, awaiting an answer.
Ouyang Ye blinked at Mu Anxiao and said, "You really want to know." After speaking, his eyes, fixed on Mu Anxiao, suddenly filled with killing intent.
Mu Anxiao, while suppressing her hatred for Ouyang Ye, said, "That's right, I do want to know. Only then can I... cooperate with you to make a potion that kills immortals." As she spoke, her gaze was firm, deliberately highlighting her determination to help him.