Mu Anxiao, hearing no sound from above, paused her actions. She tilted her head up to look at Feng Qishi and asked, "Why aren't you talking anymore? Do you also feel you've forgotten your original intention?"
"If you don't pick up that money, I'll pick it up for you," Feng Qishi said as he crouched down.
Seeing Feng Qishi crouch down, Mu Anxiao quickly stuffed the silver into her money pouch.
At the same time, Feng Qishi stared at the money pouch in Mu Anxiao's hand and asked, "This money pouch is..."
"It's from Mu Xiao's mother," Mu Anxiao guessed what Feng Qishi was about to say and spoke first.
Feng Qishi: "Your mother's." He extended his hand.
Mu Anxiao was startled, "What are you doing?" She clutched the money pouch to her chest.
Feng Qishi frowned slightly, "Let me have a look."
"It's just a money pouch, why do you want to look at it?" Mu Anxiao, with a hint of wariness, glanced down at the pouch. "You're a really strange person."
"..." Feng Qishi looked at Mu Anxiao's guarded expression and then at the money pouch in her arms. He opened his mouth and said, "I just find that money pouch familiar."
"Familiar..." Mu Anxiao repeated the words, then cautiously took the money pouch from her chest and said, "This is a woman's money pouch. Do you happen to have the same one?" She looked up at Feng Qishi.
Feng Qishi spread his hands, "Let me have a look."
"..." Mu Anxiao glanced at Feng Qishi's hand, then back at the money pouch, and asked, "Is your salary really that high?"
"Why would I lie to you?" Feng Qishi said, deliberately extending his hand a little closer to Mu Anxiao.
Seeing this, Mu Anxiao quickly pulled the money pouch back into her chest, saying, "Are you trying to snatch it?"
"Let me have a look," Feng Qishi said helplessly.
Mu Anxiao took a deep breath. "If you give me one tael of silver, I'll let you look. After all, you're not short of money."
"You..." Feng Qishi nodded speechlessly. "Fine, you let me look, and I'll put one tael of silver in it."
"That's more like it," Mu Anxiao said, completely letting down her guard as she handed the money pouch to Feng Qishi.
Feng Qishi glanced at Mu Anxiao's face, then took the money pouch. After weighing it in his hand for a moment, he focused on the pattern on it.
Mu Anxiao watched Feng Qishi's serious expression as he examined the money pouch with a hint of confusion. She smiled and said, "This money pouch... is for women. Honestly, in the less than a year you've been here, have you suffered heartbreak?"
"..." Feng Qishi ignored Mu Anxiao and continued to examine the money pouch.
Mu Anxiao continued speaking to herself, "Hmm, it's undeniable, you must have suffered heartbreak. Otherwise, your personality wouldn't have become so strange, and you wouldn't have forgotten your original intention, insisting you are Shen Moyun." She rested her chin on her hand, her gaze fixed on Feng Qishi, and asked, "Speaking of which, is that woman still alive?"
"..." Feng Qishi froze for a moment, looked up at Mu Anxiao, and said, "Can you stop making wild guesses?"
"Wild..." Mu Anxiao let out a light laugh. "See, you're guilty, aren't you?"
"You... you say, why would I be guilty?" Feng Qishi was somewhat resigned to Mu Anxiao's imagination.
Mu Anxiao said seriously, "That woman was very good to you, and she took care of you, and didn't turn you away. In short... she's the complete opposite of me. Therefore, you fell for her, and gradually," she was completely lost in her own fantasy, "you started to hate me in your heart, to the point where you can't stand the sight of me when you see me."
"I don't dislike the sight of you."
"You haven't..." Mu Anxiao exclaimed in surprise, continuing, "You've already shown your dislike for me on your face. Don't pretend anymore, okay." She lifted her chin.
Feng Qishi sighed.
Seeing Feng Qishi sigh, Mu Anxiao smiled. "See, I was right, wasn't I?" She raised an eyebrow.
Feng Qishi looked at Mu Anxiao's smug expression and curled his lips. He immediately held the money pouch up in front of Mu Anxiao. "Here, look at the money pouch."
"..." Mu Anxiao's lips curved into a smile, her eyes fixed on the money pouch.
Feng Qishi, however, stared at Mu Anxiao's face and asked, "Whose is this?"
"...Mu Xiao's mother's," Mu Anxiao, not fully reacting, hesitated for a few seconds before answering.
Feng Qishi: "You know that too."
"I do know, but as I said, this is the same style. May I ask," Mu Anxiao frowned, "why are you telling me this?"
"You tell me why I'm telling you this?" Feng Qishi retorted.
"How would I know why you're telling me this? You're really quite strange," Mu Anxiao said impatiently.
Feng Qishi tilted his head and said, "Fine, I regret to inform you that you..."
"I guessed correctly." Mu Anxiao raised an eyebrow.
Feng Qishi's expression stiffened. He said coldly, "Can you just let me finish speaking?"
Mu Anxiao nodded.
Feng Qishi looked at Mu Anxiao's flippant expression and closed his eyes with a sigh. He continued, "I regret to inform you that you've guessed it all wrong."
"How is that possible?" Mu Anxiao felt a blow.
Feng Qishi: "Why isn't it possible? I'm a general, so naturally... I have to lead them into battle. Do you think I can come into contact with women?"
"..." Mu Anxiao blinked.
Feng Qishi saw Mu Anxiao's expression change and understood. "Can you stop overthinking things?"
At the same time, Mu Anxiao, unable to remain standing, sat down. "I don't believe it."
"..." Feng Qishi glanced at Mu Anxiao's movement, remained silent for a few seconds, and said, "Never mind, I'll tell you the truth."
Mu Anxiao's eyes lit up.
Feng Qishi ignored Mu Anxiao's change in expression and said indifferently, "This money pouch is something only people in the palace have."
"What do you mean?" Mu Anxiao suddenly tensed up.
Feng Qishi: "What I mean is, your money pouch is produced in the palace, and this belongs to Mu Xiao's mother, so you..."
"You mean, she's trying to harm me," Mu Anxiao interrupted.
Feng Qishi frowned, as he had not expected Mu Anxiao to say this.
"..." He paused.
Seeing Feng Qishi pause, Mu Anxiao abandoned her flippant attitude from the previous moment and became serious. "Speak up, isn't that right?"
"Why would you think that?" Feng Qishi sensed a story.
Mu Anxiao: "I..." She was speechless.
Feng Qishi observed Mu Anxiao's facial expression, then looked at the money pouch in his hand again, and said, "I don't think she meant to harm you."
".." Mu Anxiao met Feng Qishi's eyes, and then, as memories flooded back, she suddenly recalled all the times Mai Xia had ganged up with the Madam to bully her. She said, "She didn't mean to harm me, I don't believe it." She shook her head.
Feng Qishi was startled by Mu Anxiao's sudden change in attitude. "You change too quickly."
"As expected, one cannot fathom the human heart," Mu Anxiao sank into another train of thought. "I knew it, why was she so good to me, helping me? It was all planned." She stared at the money pouch.
Following Mu Anxiao's gaze, Feng Qishi also looked down at the money pouch and said, "I don't think it's as you imagine."
"It's not as I imagine," Mu Anxiao said, looking up at Feng Qishi. "Then what do you think it is?"
"This money pouch..."
"She gave me the money pouch so I would enter the palace and be..." Halfway through, Mu Anxiao suddenly remembered the purpose of Mai Xia giving her the bundle... it was only to facilitate her escape, and entering the palace was her own choice. She felt speechless with herself. Feng Qishi looked at Mu Anxiao, who had interrupted him and then fallen silent, and asked, "Why aren't you speaking?"
"You say it," Mu Anxiao said softly, knowing she had been overthinking.
Seeing Mu Anxiao's realization, Feng Qishi sighed and sat down as well. "The pattern on this money pouch is made in the palace, but this money pouch has another peculiarity."
"Peculiarity? What peculiarity?" Mu Anxiao was confused.
Feng Qishi: "The money pouch represents a person's status in the palace."
"Then, by that logic, you have one too."
".." Feng Qishi saw Mu Anxiao's curious expression and stopped beating around the bush. He immediately pulled a money pouch from his waist and handed it to Mu Anxiao.
Mu Anxiao looked down at the bulging money pouch, her heart suddenly filled with excitement. "This is your money."
"Yes, for you," Feng Qishi said, tossing the money pouch to Mu Anxiao.
Mu Anxiao caught the money pouch quickly and smiled. "Oh, it's quite heavy." As she spoke, she weighed the money pouch in her hand again.
Feng Qishi looked at Mu Anxiao's avaricious expression and let out a cold laugh.
Mu Anxiao, completely ignoring Feng Qishi's laughter, said, "Hey, Shen Moyun, we've talked so much, we're friends now, aren't we?"
"..." Feng Qishi narrowed his eyes.
Mu Anxiao clicked her tongue. "Why are you narrowing your eyes? Just tell me, are we friends?"
Feng Qishi shook his head.
Mu Anxiao's expression froze. ".." She was displeased.
Seeing Mu Anxiao displeased, Feng Qishi frowned and then said, "Do you really want to be friends with me that much?"
"..." Mu Anxiao lowered her head and stared at the money pouch.
Feng Qishi understood Mu Anxiao's intention immediately. "So, you're friends with me only because of the money. How shallow." He gave Mu Anxiao a disdainful look.
Mu Anxiao: "Actually, we were already friends." Her voice was very low.
Feng Qishi didn't hear clearly and leaned forward to ask, "What did you say?"
"I said," Mu Anxiao looked up, her expression serious. "We were already friends. Now, since you want to be Shen Moyun, I'll be friends with Shen Moyun. You..."
"Can you stop pretending?" Feng Qishi exposed her.
Mu Anxiao felt embarrassed upon hearing this.
Feng Qishi glanced at the silver in Mu Anxiao's hand and said, "You only want to be friends with me because of this bag of silver, right?"
Mu Anxiao blinked to ease her embarrassment. "This... yes, but also no."
"Tell me about it," Feng Qishi raised his chin.
Mu Anxiao pursed her lips and said, "It's just that I want to be friends with you again. First, you've become Shen Moyun, and you're going to help me, and I'll remember your kindness. Second... I feel that after we become friends, you won't want to kill me anymore. Third... you have money." She weighed the money pouch in her hand again.
Feng Qishi was speechless.
Mu Anxiao chuckled dryly. "I've said so much, you should feel my sincerity by now."
"..." Feng Qishi looked at Mu Anxiao's avaricious expression and shook his head slightly. "For money, you can really say all sorts of nonsensical things. How desperate are you for money?"
"Very desperate."
"I remember, a year ago..."
"Don't mention a year ago. My silver is long gone. In the past year, I've been earning money by cleaning in this mansion, saving money. In short," Mu Anxiao interrupted, sighing repeatedly, "you can't imagine how miserable I've been."
Feng Qishi's eyes darkened.
Mu Anxiao observed the change in Feng Qishi's expression and couldn't help but smile. "What, you pity me now? If that's the case, then we're friends, right?" After speaking, she didn't forget to glance at the money pouch again.
Feng Qishi: "That... girl..."
"Which girl?" Mu Anxiao interrupted.
Feng Qishi cleared his throat and said, "That is, the girl who died."
"Dead..." Mu Anxiao uttered the word, her face turning cold. "Did Jia tell you?"
"Yes."
"That guy's mouth is really long," Mu Anxiao said, lowering her gaze.
Feng Qishi: "What's wrong?"
"..." Mu Anxiao sighed several times and said, "At that time, I realized... how useless I was."
"You..."
"..To be honest," Mu Anxiao looked up at Feng Qishi, "I really envy you."
"What do you envy about me?" Feng Qishi was confused.
"What else can I envy you for? You have magic powers, how good is that? You can save people, while I," Mu Anxiao raised her hand and looked up at her palm, "can only worry anxiously, doing nothing."
"Not everything can be solved with magic," Feng Qishi said softly.
"I know, but having magic powers," Mu Anxiao lowered her hand, "is still better than not having magic powers."
"Give it to me," Feng Qishi suddenly changed the subject.
Mu Anxiao frowned. "I haven't looked at it yet." Saying this, she began to examine the money pouch in various ways.
Feng Qishi said nothing.
Minutes later.
Feng Qishi looked at Mu Anxiao opposite him with a helpless expression, still diligently examining the money pouch. "Are you done yet?"
"The needlework on this money pouch is really good," Mu Anxiao exclaimed.
Feng Qishi: "Needlework? I think you're just attracted by the silver."
Mu Anxiao's eyes flashed. "That's right, let's exchange." She looked at Feng Qishi.
Feng Qishi leaned forward. "You wish. As far as I know, if you catch a soul, you'll get more silver. You want mine now..." He paused intentionally. "...it's possible, but you'll have to give me a share of the profits later."
"..." Mu Anxiao narrowed her eyes and immediately threw the money pouch at Feng Qishi's feet.
Feng Qishi looked down at the money pouch and said, "I'll keep it safe for you." Saying this, he picked up his own money pouch.
"Fine, but I won't give you any dividends," Mu Anxiao compromised for the sake of the silver after the mission.
Feng Qishi nodded and hung both bags of silver around his waist.
Mu Anxiao glanced at them and reminded him, "I advise you not to do that, lest you be misunderstood when you enter the palace."
"...." Feng Qishi thought Mu Anxiao's words were reasonable. He then took the money pouch down and, just as he was about to put it in his chest, it dropped to the ground.
The next second, someone exclaimed, "Ow!"
Hearing the sound, Mu Anxiao was startled. She looked down at the ground and saw Jia's head emerging from beneath. "What are you doing?" she asked, supporting herself with her hands and backing away.
Jia remained silent, rubbing his head with one hand and looking down at the money pouch.
Feng Qishi said nothing, waiting to see what he would say.