Over there, Mu Anxiao stopped outside the room door, clearly smelling the faint scent of alcohol wafting from under the door. Fearing she would be intoxicated by the smell, she raised a hand to cover her nose and mouth, and with the other, gently knocked on the door.
Inside the room.
You Xian was standing at the table with two men in black, drinking obliviously.
The woman sat by the bed, watching the shadow on the door. She called out, "Come in." As she spoke, she stood up, glanced at the three men who were almost completely drunk, and walked towards the door.
Mu Anxiao heard the woman's voice and, without a second thought, pushed the door open. The moment she did, the smell of alcohol in the room hit her. Mu Anxiao hurriedly lowered her hand, turned sideways, and took a few deep breaths of fresh air.
The woman happened to see this scene and asked, "Miss, who are you looking for?" She stopped at the door.
Mu Anxiao said, "I'm looking for them," and turned to look at the woman.
Upon hearing this, the woman turned sideways and pointed to the group still standing by the table, drinking heartily, saying, "They've had too much to drink."
"I can see that," Mu Anxiao replied, wiping her nose. "Don't you find it unpleasant?"
"I'm used to it," the woman said softly.
"What do you mean by 'used to it'?" Mu Anxiao didn't understand. However, seeing that the woman could speak so calmly, she could roughly guess why the woman had been taken in by those two.
But it was also because of this... that she began to suspect the woman.
"They drink often. At first," the woman lowered her eyes slightly, "I couldn't stand the smell, but as time went by, I got used to it."
"You haven't been overcome by the fumes?" Mu Anxiao asked curiously.
The woman chuckled behind her hand. "Miss, you do have a way with words. I've only heard of getting drunk, not of being overcome by fumes."
"My apologies," Mu Anxiao suddenly felt awkward.
On the contrary, the woman, feeling no awkwardness at all, asked, "Miss, why are you here to see them?"
Hearing this, Mu Anxiao was led back to her thoughts by the woman, casting aside her awkwardness. She said, "Oh, I'm here to find them. They owe me money."
"Owe money?" the woman was surprised.
"Yes, why are you so surprised?" Mu Anxiao couldn't understand why the woman was so astonished.
The woman replied, "They're all scoundrels. They only ever owe men money. Owing women..." She gave a dry laugh, "that's truly rare."
"It seems you know them very well," Mu Anxiao said deliberately.
Upon hearing this, the woman quickly averted her gaze and said, "I don't know them."
"Then how do you know..." Mu Anxiao leaned forward, meeting the woman's eyes, "that they never owe women money."
The woman's eyes darted away again. "Miss, if you have nothing else, please go back. You can come back tomorrow morning. They..."
"I'm going in," Mu Anxiao stated firmly.
The woman chuckled dryly. "They've all had too much to drink."
"Too much to drink..." Mu Anxiao said, looking the woman up and down. She let out a cold laugh. "Something's not right with you." With that, she pushed the woman's shoulder and shoved her inside.
Feng Qishi leaned against a pillar, watching Mu Anxiao enter, and muttered, "It seems it has begun." He continued to wait.
Inside the room.
The moment Mu Anxiao entered, she closed the door. At this moment, she was still holding the woman's shoulder, and then she began to look around.
Seeing Mu Anxiao's searching expression, the woman asked, "What are you looking for?"
Hearing this, Mu Anxiao turned back to the woman in front of her and said, "Let's be honest."
"Be honest, you..."
"The door is closed now. Tell me, what's your relationship with them?" Mu Anxiao realized that the woman was actually working with them.
As for that demon soul, it was still on the roof beam.
"Them..." the woman began, then started to cry.
Mu Anxiao looked at the woman's pitiful expression and said coldly, "Save your tears for those who believe you. Now," she narrowed her eyes, "I can see clearly that you and these two are in this together."
"..." The woman stopped crying.
Seeing this, Mu Anxiao curled her lips. "It seems your true colors are about to show."
"Fox..." the woman said, her attitude completely changing. She lowered her eyes and smiled. "Foxes are beautiful. Do you think I look like one?" She raised her hand to push aside a strand of hair blocking her eyes.
Mu Anxiao said, "Do you know you smell like a fox?" She fanned her face with her hand.
"You..."
"Be quiet," Mu Anxiao interrupted, turning to look at the table and widening her eyes. "..."
Seeing this, the woman smiled. "What, shocked by their amazing drinking capacity?" As she spoke, she stepped forward and reached out to touch Mu Anxiao's face.
Then, Mu Anxiao narrowed her eyes and batted away the woman's hand. She turned and walked to the table, looking at You Xian, who was holding a wine pot and drinking continuously. She said deliberately, "It's you."
You Xian remained unresponsive, continuing to drink.
The woman lowered her hand and turned to Mu Anxiao, crossing her arms. "Such a presumptuous woman, wouldn't you say?"
"..." Mu Anxiao heard this and quickly turned to look at the woman. "You tampered with the wine."
"Tampered... not exactly. It depends on their alcohol tolerance. But now it seems," the woman glanced at You Xian, "she's quite good."
"Now, you're the only one sober here," Mu Anxiao said. Thinking of the demon soul's presence, she pretended not to recognize You Xian and said, "When you first arrived, I thought you were strange."
In reality, she hadn't seen them arrive.
On the contrary, the woman believed Mu Anxiao's words. "It seems you were observing from the shadows. I presume," she leaned forward slightly, scanning Mu Anxiao from head to toe, "you're also here to save me?"
"I'm not saving you. I'm here to collect money," Mu Anxiao said, walking up to the woman and extending her hand. "These two have had too much to drink, so you can pay them back."
"How much?" the woman asked, starting to fumble in her purse at her waist.
Mu Anxiao noticed the woman's action and said, "Not much, just ten taels of silver." After speaking, she lowered her eyes and quickly dodged.
Thus, the woman scattered the medicinal powder into empty space. "..." She was stunned and looked at Mu Anxiao.
Mu Anxiao stood steady, looking at the woman's bewildered expression and smiling. "Trying to drug me, are you?"
"You..."
"Stop with the 'you'," Mu Anxiao interrupted the woman. "Do you know if your two brothers told you about being fed to wolves?"
"Fed to wolves..." The woman repeated the words a few times before chuckling coldly. "Trying to scare me."
Listening to the woman's words, Mu Anxiao had a general understanding. "Fine, it seems you don't know." As she spoke, she looked at the two men in black.
Immediately, the woman followed Mu Anxiao's gaze to the two men in black and hurriedly asked, "What are you going to do?" She turned and fixed her gaze on Mu Anxiao.