Bing'er stopped her wailing the moment she heard Feng Qishi wouldn't speak to her anymore. "Brother Zhao Xiang told me. I just went to your room to find you, but you weren't there."
"Is that so?" Feng Qishi replied, thinking that the demonic energy on her might be Zhao Xiang's.
"Mm," Bing'er nodded.
Then, Bing'er peeked towards the door and said, "Brother, she's a bad person, you..."
"Bing'er, didn't you need me for something?" Feng Qishi interrupted her, becoming serious. "Tell me, what is it?"
"My father is missing."
"Your father..."
"Yes, I didn't see him when I went back. No, wait," Bing'er corrected herself. "I haven't seen him since last night."
"Your father is at the stables."
"Really?"
"Yes, he went into the palace with me early this morning. By now, he should have returned. Go and check."
"Brother, come with me."
"I have something else to do, so I won't go," Feng Qishi said, standing up.
Bing'er looked up at Feng Qishi, unhappy. "Brother, I want you to come with me. What if Father isn't there? I'm scared."
"You go. If he's not there, you can come back and find me."
"Brother..." Halfway through her sentence, Bing'er started coughing.
Feng Qishi looked down at Bing'er and suddenly remembered her condition. He then thought of his healing spell. He quickly crouched down and took Bing'er's arm.
Seeing this, Bing'er called out, "Brother."
"Let me take a look," Feng Qishi said, beginning to use his mind to sense Bing'er's condition and then attempting to heal her.
Mu Anxiao opened the door a crack and peered through the gap at Feng Qishi, who was crouched in front of Bing'er, wondering what he was doing.
However, as she was pondering this, Bing'er saw her. "Ugly monster," Bing'er shouted.
Mu Anxiao was startled, then straightened up and opened the door fully, looking at Bing'er who was pointing at her. "Have you no manners?"
Feng Qishi remained still, continuing to sense.
Bing'er snorted and looked down at Feng Qishi, who was looking at her arm, and asked, "Brother, what are you doing?"
Feng Qishi's eyes darkened. He let go of Bing'er's hand and said, "Nothing." With that, he stood up.
Bing'er looked up. "Brother, if you don't want to spend time with me, then I'll leave." After saying that, she turned and ran away.
Feng Qishi was distracted and didn't react at all.
Mu Anxiao peeked at Feng Qishi, who was completely ignoring Bing'er, and asked, "What's wrong with you?" She stepped forward and poked him on the back.
Feng Qishi said, "She's not sick." Then he lowered his head and looked at his own hand.
Mu Anxiao was puzzled. "Not sick? What do you mean?" she asked, moving to stand in front of Feng Qishi.
Feng Qishi lowered his hand. "You were right. They, father and daughter, have a problem." He met Mu Anxiao's eyes as he spoke.
Mu Anxiao stiffened. "Are you talking about Bing'er? The coachman?"
Feng Qishi nodded.
"Where is the coachman now?" Mu Anxiao blurted out.
Feng Qishi replied, "He should be at the stables."
"Should be..." Mu Anxiao repeated, then exclaimed in surprise, "You mean... you just said that casually to Bing'er."
"Mm."
Mu Anxiao looked at Feng Qishi's strange expression and asked, "What's wrong with you?" As she asked, she looked down at his hand.
Feng Qishi said, "I was deceived, and I feel uncomfortable."
"Uncomfortable..." Feng Qishi said, suddenly recalling that Bing'er had fallen ill a year ago, but it was only three months ago that Feng Qishi had changed. He realized the timing was problematic. "When did you meet the coachman and Bing'er?" she asked intentionally.
"Almost a year ago."
"A year..."
"Yes, I was a soldier for almost seven months, and that's where I truly got to know the coachman and Bing'er."
"A soldier for a year."
"Yes, why, is there a problem?" Feng Qishi frowned slightly.
Mu Anxiao's lips twitched. "You really are quite down. Being a soldier for nearly seven months, amazing, I'm impressed."
"...What's so impressive about that? You are too..."
"You've reached the point of just drifting along. Speaking of which, didn't anyone kick you out?"
"I am a descendant of Shen Yan, so naturally no one... kicked me out." Feng Qishi suddenly lost his confidence.
Mu Anxiao chuckled. "Nepotism."
"I rely on myself, what's the problem with that." Feng Qishi dodged her gaze.
Mu Anxiao chuckled. "Yes, what you're saying makes a lot of sense." She then pointed in the direction Bing'er had gone. "So, she and her father have been tricking you for a long time."
"I don't know." Feng Qishi became depressed again.
Mu Anxiao frowned. "I know this must be a blow to you, but I think... perhaps Gu Qin managed to control her illness, so... she's fine."
"They were just deceiving me," Feng Qishi said quietly.
Mu Anxiao's eyes darkened, not knowing what to say.
Then, as Feng Qishi remained silent, Jia and Lou Yi reappeared before them.
Jia saw that Feng Qishi was not right and asked, "What's wrong with you?" He looked up at Feng Qishi.
Feng Qishi did not speak.
Seeing that Feng Qishi was ignoring him, Jia shifted his gaze to Mu Anxiao. "What's the situation?" he asked quietly.
Mu Anxiao sighed and said, "Bing'er isn't sick. He feels like he's been deceived."
"Isn't it a good thing that she's not sick?" Jia wondered why Feng Qishi was like this.
Lou Yi couldn't stand it any longer. "He feels that he has been deceived," he said, looking at Mu Anxiao. "Am I right?"
Mu Anxiao nodded and began to ponder the matter.
Feng Qishi looked at them each in turn and said, "I want to be alone for a while."
"You can't be alone," Jia suddenly said.
Mu Anxiao frowned and looked down at Jia, who was obstructing Feng Qishi's solitude. "You're really not reading the room," she said.
"This isn't about reading the room. I've just thought of something," Jia said, becoming serious. "You said Bing'er and the others deceived you, right?"
Feng Qishi looked down at Jia coldly, remaining silent.
Jia's gaze flickered. "I'm going to ask you a question very seriously, just answer me." He braced himself and smiled at Feng Qishi.
Feng Qishi said, "Speak." He knew Jia was a persistent little kid and that if he refused again, Jia would not give up.
Therefore, to have peace and quiet, he agreed.
Jia smiled, then tensed his nerves and asked, "Have you ever seen her... for an illness before?"
"Doctors were consulted, and they all said she was ill, including just now," Feng Qishi sneered. "She was acting for me."
"Acting?" Jia glanced at Mu Anxiao, then continued, "You mean she's faking her illness."
"Yes, she..."
"Maybe she's not acting," Mu Anxiao interrupted, her eyes suddenly becoming firm.