All of this was merely their speculation, including the whereabouts of Feng Qishi.
Lin Yan had been quite imaginative during this period. Every time he sought out Piao, he would come up with different guesses. Piao would always offer perfunctory replies, but this time, Piao felt that Lin Yan's guess was the most plausible.
Therefore, Piao nodded in agreement.
"You agreed," Lin Yan exclaimed excitedly upon seeing Piao nod.
"Yes, if I find him, I'll ask him for you where your master went," Piao said. He suddenly sensed something amiss and quickly turned his head, only to see a scruffy-bearded man approaching them.
Lin Yan followed Piao's gaze and also turned his head, his eyes widening. "Ouyang Ye."
However, Piao did not recognize the man before him as Ouyang Ye. Upon hearing Lin Yan's words, he was also startled. "Are you mistaken?" he asked, glancing back at Lin Yan.
Lin Yan stared intently at the scruffy-bearded man, firmly stating, "It is Ouyang Ye."
"..." Piao frowned, fixing his gaze on the man. He asked, "Are you Ouyang Ye?" his tone laced with uncertainty.
"Mu Anxiao, have you seen her?" the man suddenly asked.
"Are you Ouyang Ye?" Piao asked impatiently.
"Yes," Ouyang Ye replied, his eyes unfocused as he stared at Piao. He then asked, "Mu Anxiao is not dead, is she?"
For the past three months, ever since Mu Anxiao had vanished under Ouyang Ye's nose, Ouyang Ye had been using his future-seeing demonic art day and night, searching everywhere for Mu Anxiao.
However, he found nothing. Mu Anxiao had seemingly evaporated from the face of the earth.
Initially, he believed that if he could see Mu Anxiao's future, he could surely change it. But after this incident, he realized that it was Mu Anxiao's future, and he was only meant to appear in her life, not to alter her destiny. Only she herself could change her future.
After coming to this understanding, Ouyang Ye abolished this ability of his.
He had come out this time merely to clear his head, and encountering Piao and the others was purely by chance.
Meanwhile, Piao scanned the dejected Ouyang Ye from head to toe and sneered, "Isn't she with you?" he asked, deliberately taking a step forward to shield Lin Yan behind him.
Ouyang Ye shook his head. "No."
"No..." Piao frowned. "Weren't you with her that day?"
"..." Ouyang Ye blinked at Piao's questioning, clenched his fist, and said in a low voice, "She disappeared."
"...What?" Piao thought he had misheard.
"I said," Ouyang Ye looked up at Piao, "I said she disappeared, along with the monster, vanished from this world."
"Impossible," Piao exclaimed, his eyes wide. He had always believed Mu Anxiao was not dead, making it difficult for him to accept Ouyang Ye's words.
"I saw it with my own eyes, she perished with the monster, and then..." Ouyang Ye, holding back tears, punched the wall beside him forcefully. "Disappeared."
"What about Feng Qishi?" Lin Yan seized the opportunity to ask.
Upon hearing this, Ouyang Ye gasped and shifted his gaze to Lin Yan's face. "Feng Qishi ran off with Zhang Yan."
"Ran?" Lin Yan uttered the word, lowering his gaze.
"He's a coward. I prepared that monster for him, and what did he do? He handed everything over to Mu Anxiao, letting the now-useless Mu Anxiao bear everything. He," Ouyang Ye gritted his teeth, "is truly not a man."
"Didn't Mu Anxiao's master help her?" Piao asked casually.
"If I hadn't helped her, I wouldn't be saying this," Ouyang Ye decided to sow discord between them. "Speaking of which, her master is quite something. Initially, when she was useful, they treated her like a precious disciple, but when she was no longer needed..."
"That's not right, Mu Anxiao is very capable, how could she become useless?" Lin Yan intentionally interrupted, wanting to see what Ouyang Ye would say.
"I did it," Ouyang Ye confessed.
Piao narrowed his eyes. "Why would you do that?" he asked through gritted teeth, stepping forward and grabbing Ouyang Ye by the collar.
Ouyang Ye met Piao's gaze. "I did it only for her to live better, only to let her see her master's true colors. But," he said, "but the facts proved I was wrong. She's an idiot, willing to sacrifice herself for a mission." After speaking, he lowered his gaze.
Subsequently, Piao shoved Ouyang Ye away. "Get out," he said coldly.
Ouyang Ye staggered back a couple of steps, looking at Piao in disbelief. "Feng Qishi killed Mu Anxiao."
"I believe, Mu Anxiao definitely..." Piao started, but then realized that if he said Mu Anxiao was still alive, Ouyang Ye would definitely track him to find Mu Anxiao. By then, finding her would undoubtedly be a great trouble for Mu Anxiao. Therefore, he feigned pessimism and said, "It's for the best that Mu Anxiao is dead."
"What did you say?" Ouyang Ye was even more incredulous that Piao would utter such words.
Startled by Piao's words, Lin Yan reached out and grabbed Piao's arm.
Piao, without even glancing at Lin Yan, continued, "I said, it's for the best that she's dead. This way," he sneered, gently patting Lin Yan's hand twice, "I won't have to consider taking her as my disciple anymore."
"Selfish," Ouyang Ye spat out the two words coldly.
Piao sneered, "I am a demon. If my heart were not as hateful as Zhang Yan's, wouldn't I be betraying my identity?" he said. Glancing at Ouyang Ye's face, he continued, "Speaking of which, do you happen to have feelings for Mu Anxiao?"
"I don't," Ouyang Ye's eyes darted away.
Piao deliberately said, "Not yet. After Mu Anxiao's death, you've become so haggard. Not only that, you've let those evil spirits tarnish your reputation without a care. Ouyang Ye, you truly are a lovesick fool."
"..." Ouyang Ye heard the mockery in Piao's words and then looked up, glaring angrily at Piao.
Piao's expression remained unchanged. "You're glaring at me, why... am I wrong?"
"Mu Anxiao has always been the troublesome peach blossom I've been searching for. Honestly, her death does make me uncomfortable. But listen carefully, it's just discomfort. If you continue to spout nonsense, don't blame me for being impolite."
"You are merely an evil spirit. Do you think you can defeat me?" Piao retorted.
Ouyang Ye let out a cold snort. "I have no interest in you. If you were an immortal, I would not hesitate to kill you." After speaking, he shot Piao a fierce glare and turned to leave.
Piao calmly watched Ouyang Ye's receding figure, sighed, and removed his hand from Lin Yan's. "What are you looking at me for?" he asked, his gaze falling upon Lin Yan's eyes.
Lin Yan asked, "You said, Mu Anxiao isn't really dead, is she?" He removed his hand and took a step back.
Piao glanced back in the direction Ouyang Ye had gone, stepped forward, and then turned to face Lin Yan. "No."
"How do you know?"
"A feeling."
"A feeling..." Lin Yan repeated, then lowered his head in thought. "Then, does that mean my master has truly returned to heaven?"
"It's possible," Piao nodded slightly. "It seems I don't need to go to the Forbidden Forest."
"Where are you going now?" Lin Yan asked curiously.
"I don't know. I'll take it one step at a time. I believe I can find Mu Anxiao," Piao said with determination.