It had been two hours since they departed.
In the carriage, Chen had not smiled since leaving her brothers. Her presence made the entire carriage feel oppressive.
Yin Ye sat opposite Chen, looking at Chen's gloomy face, then glancing at Lin Yan, who was sleeping with his head bowed beside her. She muttered, "You can even sleep through this, I'm impressed." Then she looked back at Chen.
Chen sighed, "Can you be a bit quieter?" She looked at Yin Ye.
Yin Ye: "We've been traveling for two hours, can you stop looking so glum? Seriously." She pouted, "It really affects my mood."
"Are you human?" Chen retorted.
Yin Ye's expression froze. After staring at Chen for a few seconds, she leaned towards the carriage's small door and shouted, "Piao, I'll drive the carriage."
From the moment they set off, Piao had sensed Chen's unhappiness. To avoid seeing it, he had taken on the sole responsibility of driving.
During this time, Yin Ye had offered to switch with him several times, but he ignored her each time.
This time was no different.
"Stop calling, my master won't pay attention to you," Chen discouraged Yin Ye.
Hearing this, Yin Ye retracted her upper body and looked at Chen, saying, "We have to be together for quite some time. Are you going to be like this forever?"
"What about me?" Chen feigned ignorance.
Yin Ye stated directly, "What about you? You know yourself. Look," she pointed at Chen's face, "your expression is terrifying. Even I, a demon soul, feel suffocated."
"He doesn't," Chen pointed at Lin Yan.
Yin Ye glanced at Lin Yan and said, "He's not a normal person."
"I just can't bear to leave them," Chen said with a wronged look.
"Can't bear to leave them..." Yin Ye laughed. "As far as I know, they can't wait for you to leave."
"Impossible."
"Hmph, I go out with them every day. Whenever you're not around, they're extremely happy, chatting and laughing all the way. But when you arrive," Yin Ye shook her head slightly, "they all become incredibly serious. Do you know why? They just don't want to see you." She pointed at Chen.
At the same time, the carriage stopped, and Chen's expression froze.
Yin Ye looked at Chen's face and added, "I'm not trying to sow discord, but you are indeed too harsh on them. Everyone is afraid of you. When you go out this time, you should really think about this issue."
"I... I don't know why. As soon as I see them not doing things well, I get angry. Sometimes..." Chen sighed, "I just can't control myself."
"Do you know why you're like this?" Yin Ye asked seriously.
"Why?" Chen decided to humbly seek Yin Ye's advice.
Yin Ye: "It's because you're too anxious."
"Anxious..."
"Yes, as a captain, a leader, you're always worried about not doing well. Because they are humans, and you think human lives are fragile, naturally, you will unconsciously worry about them losing their lives. So, for the sake of their lives, you're anxious every day. As you get more anxious, you become irritable, and when you're irritable, you tend to get angry. So," Yin Ye leaned forward and stared at Chen, "at times like this, you should really relax. Most importantly, you need to trust them."
"Trust them... but their lives are so fragile, I'm afraid..."
"Don't be afraid. They have their own abilities, and they can naturally do things well. If you keep worrying about this and that, I can tell you," Yin Ye said seriously, "your demonic powers will also weaken with your emotions. In that case, it will only harm yourself."
"Harm myself... What should I do then?"
"Relax, stop thinking about them."
"But..."
"No 'buts.' Be happy, don't be unhappy. If you continue like this, your master will also dislike you. Moreover," Yin Ye said, "your master is a demon. If you continue like this, and your master gets unhappy, he might just get rid of you. By then, you'll regret it too late."
"What you said seems reasonable."
"What do you mean 'seems'? It is reasonable." Yin Ye said, then thought for a moment and asked, "Do you know why I'm so eager to find Mu Anxiao?"
"Why?" Chen's mood improved.
Yin Ye: "Because she said if I do good deeds, she'll let me reincarnate. But if she dies, my dream will be shattered. So, for my own sake, I must follow your master to find her." She clenched her fist.
Chen laughed, "So it's all for yourself."
"Honestly, I really envy you. You are a demon, you can do many things, and you can do many things for yourself. But me," Yin Ye gave a bitter smile, "I can only stick to this, only do this one thing for myself."
"I believe Mu Anxiao is still alive," Chen took Yin Ye's words to heart.
"Mhm," Yin Ye nodded, then thought for a moment and asked, "Are you feeling any better now?"
"Yes, you're right. Even if I'm upset, we've come this far. Since that's the case, I might as well accept it and do my best. Don't worry, I won't have a long face anymore." Chen smiled.
Yin Ye: "You better mean it." She pointed at Chen.
Chen gave a simple smile, then suddenly remembered Yin Ye's relationship with You Xian and asked, "By the way, did you tell You Xian that you were leaving?"
"Of course I did. If I hadn't, that guy would have definitely died of anger."
"How did you tell her?"
"I said I was following you, and coincidentally looking for that person to retrieve the weapon her father left her."
"After you said that, she agreed?" Chen couldn't believe that You Xian, who was usually so temperamental, would let Yin Ye go so easily.
"Mhm, otherwise? It's good enough that I can help her."
"Didn't she cause trouble for you?" Chen asked again.
Yin Ye's eyes flickered. Just as she was about to speak, Lin Yan opened his eyes and said, "That You Xian really treats Yin Ye like her slave. Last night, I personally heard Yin Ye go to her. Before they could exchange a few words, she started throwing a tantrum. That voice," she clicked her tongue, "was quite noisy."
Upon hearing this, Chen shifted her gaze to Lin Yan's face.
Yin Ye's expression froze. She glared fiercely at Lin Yan, then turned back to Chen and gave a dry laugh without speaking.
"She's gone too far," Chen said, feeling indignant for Yin Ye.
Yin Ye shrugged, "It can't be helped. She was a young lady from a wealthy family before. If she didn't have a bit of a temper, it would be strange. So, I don't take her seriously." After speaking, she shook her head.
Chen: "Did you run away?" she asked, her curiosity piqued after hearing the real reason.
"Something like that," Yin Ye said. She gave a bitter smile and was about to continue when the carriage's small door was suddenly pushed open.
Following that, You Xian bent down and entered, "Yin Ye, I said I would follow you."
Hearing this, Yin Ye's body stiffened. She slowly turned her head and was stunned, "You... why are you here?"
"Ask him," You Xian said, naturally sitting down next to Chen.
Then, Piao turned his head to look at Yin Ye, who was staring at him, and said, "She insisted on coming, nothing I could do." After speaking, he casually closed the small door and continued driving.
Yin Ye was dumbfounded.
At the milk tea shop, after Mu Xiang's renewed communication with Wan Sha, she decided not to leave and to stay. Thus, that sum of money would become theirs.
And so, You Xian also became one of them.
Half a year later.
They arrived at Jin City.
At this point, Piao stopped the carriage in an open space not far from the city.
All along the way, they searched for Mu Anxiao but still had no clues.
Initially, Piao thought it would take at least a year to reach here, but unexpectedly, they arrived in half a year, which disrupted his plans.
Inside the carriage.
You Xian, dressed as a man, leaned over and lifted the curtain, glancing at the passersby outside. A smile tugged at her lips, "There are quite a few people." Saying this, she lowered the curtain, turned to Yin Ye sitting opposite her, and asked, "Can they see you?"
"No."
"No? But you've been seen in other places." You Xian was insistent.
Yin Ye looked at You Xian, who was determined to extract information from her, with a sense of speechlessness. She then glanced at Lin Yan and Chen, who were preparing to watch the show, and said, "Enough."
"I'm telling the truth, why do they..."
"Whoever I want to see me, can see me. It depends on my mood, understand?" Yin Ye interrupted.
You Xian was startled. After scanning Yin Ye up and down, she said, "Then perhaps you shouldn't let me see you."
"You..."
"You two have been arguing all this time. You've been quarreling. We've arrived at Jin City, shouldn't you quiet down a bit?" Chen interrupted, looking at You Xian, who acted like a spoiled young lady whenever she was bored. "Especially you, can you quiet down a bit? After entering the city, can you restrain yourself from talking to Yin Ye? If others see it, what will they think of my master?"
Hearing Chen's words, You Xian became unhappy, "You're always targeting me."
"It's not that we're targeting you. You weren't involved from the beginning, and we didn't beg you to come along. But you," Chen's patience with You Xian had completely run out, "you've been saying all along that we asked you to come. Now... tell us honestly, did you want to come yourself, or did we ask you to?"
For a full half-year, Chen had been restraining herself from losing her temper with You Xian, as they were all in the same carriage, seeing each other every day. If things became too strained, it would be awkward for everyone.
Now, she was clarifying things simply to prevent You Xian from disrupting Piao's business.
You Xian's eyes filled with tears, "You mean you've had enough of me."
Chen nodded.
Seeing Chen nod, You Xian let out a cold laugh, immediately stood up, opened the small door, and before she could speak, Piao, ignoring You Xian, said to those inside, "Let me tell you something. We'll enter the city after half a year. There's no point in going in now."
"..." You Xian stared blankly at Piao and burst into tears.
Piao was startled by this. He turned his head and looked at You Xian's face, asking, "What's wrong?"
You Xian: "Are you annoyed with me?"
Throughout the journey, Piao had gained a new understanding of You Xian. He also knew that You Xian was not someone to be trifled with, and a single wrong word could shatter her fragile heart.
Therefore, he thought for a moment and said, "No, it's just that if you could change your little temper sometimes, it would be fine."
"You're saying I have a temper." You Xian's eyes widened.
Piao realized he had said the wrong thing, let out a dry laugh, and tried to change the subject, "Then let's stay in the small town not far from the city. Perhaps we can find clues about Mu Anxiao there."
"You're still changing the subject," You Xian said, bending forward and pushing Piao aside. "Fine. From now on, I'll go find the guy who took my short sword myself." Saying this, she jumped out of the carriage and ran towards the woods.
Piao was stunned.
Seeing this, Lin Yan said, "Piao, why aren't you chasing her?"
"Let her be alone for a while," Piao said, pulling on the reins, turning the carriage around, and driving away.
Chen: "Master, if you leave, what if she can't be found?"
"I've cast a spell on her, so I know where she goes, don't worry."
"Alright." Chen nodded and looked at Yin Ye opposite her, asking, "Aren't you worried about her?"
"She's made my life miserable enough. Wherever we go, she makes me look for that guy, and she always orders me around. It's too much." Saying this, Yin Ye leaned over, lifted the curtain, and looked outside. She saw a woman in a blue dress with a veil walking past the carriage. Looking at the woman, she was startled for a moment, then quickly poked her head out, turned her head to look at the woman's long hair scattered behind her, thought for a moment, and muttered, "It's not Mu Anxiao... I must have seen wrong." Saying this, she retracted her head, glanced at Lin Yan and Chen, and said nothing.
Lin Yan and Chen hadn't noticed anything and continued to discuss You Xian with her.
Outside the carriage.
The blue-clothed woman, whom Yin Ye mistakenly thought was Mu Anxiao, stopped. She turned sideways to look at the departing carriage and shouted unceremoniously, "Why are you running so fast, in a hurry to be reincarnated?" Saying this, she dusted herself off and sighed, "You've harmed me again. This time, you've left me on the edge of a cliff. It's too much." Saying this, she looked down at the 'Lingzhi' hanging from her waist and walked towards the city gate.
A moment later, the blue-clothed woman stopped in front of the city gate. As the woman was about to step into the city gate, the guarding soldier blocked her path and said, "There have been many petty thieves in the city recently. Take off your veil."
"I am Miss Mu. I am not yet married. If you look at my face," the woman's tone was cold, "your fate will be the same as that soldier who blocked my way a few days ago." She pointed above the city wall.
"A few days ago..." the soldier said, looking up in the direction the woman was pointing, and his eyes widened. "You are Mu Anxiao."
"I know. Now move aside."
This was Mu Anxiao's new identity. She was now the long-lost daughter of the Mu Mansion in Jin City. In the Mu Mansion, her given name was Mu Xiao, but she disliked it, so she privately changed it back to Mu Anxiao.
Because she was found later, she naturally had little status in the family.
Moreover, there was a rule that unmarried women could not step outside the family home. She was different. From the moment she entered the mansion, she was constantly being framed. For the past three months, every night, she would be put into a sack and thrown out of the city.
However, she would return unharmed the next day.
It was because of this that they were afraid Mu Anxiao would spread rumors, so they made a special exception for her, allowing her to leave the mansion. However, the condition was that she must wear a veil. If anyone saw her face, they would be hung on the city wall for three days and three nights.
This rule was known to all the city gate guards.
Therefore, after hearing Mu Anxiao's words, the soldier was terrified. "So you're Miss Mu. Please, please."
Mu Anxiao looked at the soldier's obsequious expression, let out a cold laugh, and walked towards the city gate.
After Mu Anxiao left, the soldier breathed a sigh of relief and turned to the second soldier next to him and asked, "Hey, why can she roam around like this?"
"You don't know about this. The entire Mu Mansion is targeting her. Giving her this privilege, while it looks good, is actually," the second soldier clicked his tongue, "harming her."
"Harming her? But I think..." The soldier looked in the direction where Mu Anxiao had gone, "she seems to be living quite freely."