Shi Kuai heard this and looked up at Mu An Xiao, saying, "It's a pity, though, she's dead."
"Dead." Mu An Xiao feigned surprise, furrowing her brow. "How did she die?"
".." Shi Kuai shook his head.
Seeing Shi Kuai shake his head, Mu An Xiao sighed sympathetically and said, "That's truly a shame. It would have been great if she hadn't died. That way, perhaps I could have met her. Maybe we could have been brothers."
"She was a woman," Shi Kuai emphasized.
Mu An Xiao: "Can't women be brothers? I think you two are more like sisters." She glanced meaningfully at Shi Yan.
Shi Yan was speechless for a few seconds before saying, "Your names are quite similar."
"Quite similar... what does that mean?" Mu An Xiao feigned confusion.
Shi Yan: "Her name was Mu An Xiao, and yours is Mu Xiao. And now you look a bit alike. It's truly strange."
"..." Mu An Xiao let out a dry chuckle, unsure how to respond to Shi Yan.
Feng Qi Shi glanced at Mu An Xiao and said, "Alright, let's not discuss this now. Where have you two been wandering around lately? Tell us." He gestured with his chin.
Shi Kuai: "We've been in the palace all this time. But that female demon soul has recently left the palace. Taking advantage of this opportunity, we thought we'd come out and report to you."
However, Mu An Xiao thought these two had no news to report, which was why they had been chuckling foolishly earlier. Now, hearing them speak, her eyes lit up, and she began to listen to them.
"I know she's left the palace," Feng Qi Shi said calmly.
"You know..." Shi Kuai started, then chuckled. "Oh, right. You're a general, so you naturally follow King Jin. And that female demon soul also follows King Jin. But speaking of which, have you found out yet?"
".." Feng Qi Shi slanted his eyes but didn't speak.
Shi Yan frowned, "General Shen, what's wrong with your eyes?" He leaned in to peer at Feng Qi Shi's eyes.
Feng Qi Shi cleared his throat and said, "If you're just here to report this news, then you can..."
"Have you been in the palace the whole time?" Mu An Xiao interrupted. She knew that the demon soul they spoke of must be related to that female demon soul, so she thought... perhaps they could teach her the rules of the palace.
Hearing this, Shi Yan first shifted his gaze to Mu An Xiao's face. "Yes, why?"
"..." Mu An Xiao pursed her lips into a smile and lowered her head, staring at Feng Qi Shi.
Following Mu An Xiao's gaze, Shi Yan also shifted his gaze to Feng Qi Shi's face. "..."
Feng Qi Shi noticed their gazes, then cleared his throat, tilted his head up, and asked Mu An Xiao, "Have you thought of another way?" He asked this only to change the subject.
Shi Yan looked up at Mu An Xiao.
Mu An Xiao: "They've been in the palace for so long, they must know the rules for women. So, I was wondering if you could tell them to teach me those rules. Is that feasible?"
"...." Feng Qi Shi felt a dark line appear on his forehead.
At the same time, Shi Kuai and Shi Yan both looked at Mu An Xiao, blinking. Shi Kuai said, "No, we're all here. This way, it feels a bit distant."
"I think so too. This is simply unnecessary," Feng Qi Shi said directly, turning to look at Shi Kuai and Shi Yan.
This was precisely Mu An Xiao's objective. She thought that if she directly asked them for help, they would undoubtedly speculate about her identity. To prevent this, she deliberately acted demure.
".." She chuckled foolishly at the two of them.
Shi Kuai said casually, "Don't talk about it. We haven't learned anything these days, except for those tedious rules. Especially the rules for women, there are just too many," he said, sighing. "It's all so confusing."
"Confusing..." Mu An Xiao carefully observed Shi Kuai's expression and chuckled dryly. "Then have you learned them or not?"
"No, but," Shi Kuai said, turning to Shi Yan, "He learned them carefully."
Shi Yan rubbed the back of his head and chuckled foolishly.
Seeing this, Mu An Xiao looked puzzled. "Why are you chuckling foolishly?"
Shi Yan: "I've been wondering... if the rules I've learned in my spare time can be useful. Now you want to learn them," he continued chuckling foolishly, "I actually feel a bit embarrassed."
Mu An Xiao smiled. "What's embarrassing about it?"
"These are all rules for women. I'm afraid you'll think I'm effeminate," Shi Yan said, scratching the back of his head.
Mu An Xiao didn't find it funny. Instead, she became serious. "What's effeminate about it? I myself only like to learn men's rules; it's more practical. The fact that you learn these shows you're a cautious person. That's very good."
Hearing Mu An Xiao's praise, Shi Yan's foolish smile became even more unrestrained.
Feng Qi Shi cleared his throat and picked up his teacup. Just as he brought it to his lips, Mu An Xiao reached out and snatched the cup, saying, "These are all my heartfelt words." As she spoke, she walked around the table to Shi Yan's side.
Shi Yan stopped his foolish chuckle, turned sideways to look at the teacup in Mu An Xiao's hand, and asked, "What are you doing?"
"Please teach me the rules," Mu An Xiao leaned forward slightly and offered the cup to Shi Yan.
Shi Yan frowned. "Why do you need to learn those rules?" He had arrived suddenly and hadn't heard Mu An Xiao's conversation with Feng Qi Shi. Therefore, hearing Mu An Xiao say this suddenly, he was confused.
Mu An Xiao sighed deeply and said, "I have offended..."
"She offended that female demon soul, and now she wants to enter the palace to be her maid. So, to save her life, she wants to learn these rules," Feng Qi Shi interrupted coldly. He didn't want to hear any more nonsense from Mu An Xiao.
Mu An Xiao was speechless. She turned to look at Feng Qi Shi, then back at Shi Yan, and said, "That's pretty much it."
"Is that so?" Shi Yan said, sighing softly. "So, that female demon soul really does like well-behaved girls. Those who don't know the rules have all been punished by her."
"How were they punished?" Mu An Xiao asked curiously.
Shi Yan thought for a moment and said, "Standing on their heads in front of trees."
"Huh?" Mu An Xiao was bewildered.
Shi Yan: "Simply put, it's doing physical labor. If they were good-looking," he shook his head slightly, "then they were in for a terrible time."
"What happened?" Mu An Xiao had a bad premonition.
Shi Yan: "They would be tanned under the scorching sun, and they were not allowed to use rouge or powder. Their clothes had to be plain. If there was even a little flair," he clicked his tongue, "then it was over."
"Over?"
"Yes," Shi Kuai chimed in, picking up where Shi Yan left off. "She would disfigure them herself. And those who were unlucky would also perish under her torment."
"..." Mu An Xiao's eyes widened. She hadn't expected the female demon soul's methods to be so cruel.
Shi Kuai: "In short, you learning the rules is the correct choice."
"I also think this is the right decision," Shi Yan said, immediately taking the teacup from Mu An Xiao and asking, "By the way, when are you entering the palace?"
Hearing this, Mu An Xiao snapped back to attention and replied absently, "Today."
"..." Shi Yan was taken aback. He quickly took a sip of tea and said, "Then let's begin." He then placed the teacup on the table.
"Huh?" Mu An Xiao hadn't reacted yet.
Shi Yan suddenly stood up and said, "Come, I'll start teaching you the rules right away." As he spoke, he moved out from behind the chair and walked towards an open space.
Mu An Xiao blinked and turned to walk towards Shi Yan.
Jia, watching Shi Yan, who was enthusiastically trying to help Mu An Xiao, smiled. "I really didn't expect you, a demon soul, to have such a helpful heart. Not bad, not bad."
Shi Kuai: "I already told you, we're different from other demon souls. Now you believe me, right?" As he spoke, he still found it hard to accept Jia's identity and abilities.
"..." Jia shot Shi Kuai a glare, then turned to Feng Qi Shi. "Now, you've saved yourself some trouble."
"Have some snacks," Feng Qi Shi pointed to the snack plate on the table.
Jia smiled, reached out, and pulled the snack plate towards him, then began to eat ravenously.
Seeing that Jia was ignoring him, Shi Kuai dared not say anything and looked at Shi Yan.
A quarter of an hour later.
Shi Yan looked at Mu An Xiao with a helpless expression. "You learn the rules quickly, but your walking posture is too casual." He lowered his head to look at Mu An Xiao's feet.
Mu An Xiao worried that Shi Yan would notice her posture, so she deliberately imitated Mu Hua. Of course, she thought this would be enough to pass. Little did she know, she had mastered all the other rules, but this walking posture, which should have been easy to correct, managed to escape Shi Yan's discerning eye.
Thinking about it, she was momentarily speechless and said, "Casual, what does that mean?"
"What else can it mean? Your walking posture clearly shows no rules," Shi Yan said directly.
Mu An Xiao listened to Shi Yan's words and then thought of Mu Hua's usual haughty demeanor. She smiled. "What you're saying does seem to be correct."
"It is correct. Why are you smiling?" Shi Yan was confused.
Mu An Xiao withdrew her smile and said, "Alright, tell me what I should do."
"You.."
"What is it?" Mu An Xiao asked, puzzled.
Shi Yan thought for a moment and said, "It's this. You should summarize your walking posture."
"Summarize..." Mu An Xiao repeated, then lowered her eyes and smiled. She said seriously, "I think my walking posture is exclusive to young ladies from noble families. It carries wealth, and also a hint of... charm. It's exceptionally beautiful, not like you say."
"..." Shi Yan was speechless.
Mu An Xiao looked at Shi Yan's speechless expression and gave a wry smile. "You told me to summarize my own walking posture. I said it, so why are you unhappy?" As she spoke, she deliberately made her gaze cautious.
Shi Yan took a deep breath and said, "Fortunately, I'm not human. If I were, I would have been angered to death by you long ago."
"What is it? I'm just..."
"It's not wrong for a person to be narcissistic, but they must have self-awareness. Your walking posture," Shi Yan interrupted, humming lightly, "I can say that within three days of entering the palace, you'll be crippled by the female demon soul."
"..." Mu An Xiao's expression froze.
Shi Yan: "What... you don't believe me?" He observed Mu An Xiao's facial expressions.
Mu An Xiao chuckled dryly. "It's not that I don't believe you, it's just that it sounds a bit exaggerated. I was thinking..." She raised her hand to wipe the tip of her nose. "Does King Jin not care when she acts so recklessly?"
"She has demon arts, so she can naturally control King Jin. Silly."
"Then isn't there someone in the palace who specializes in dealing with all sorts of messy things? That person..."
"They're all famous for nothing. Those kinds of people just stay in the palace to waste time. In short, listen to me, and you won't go wrong." Shi Yan said seriously.
Mu An Xiao smiled. "Okay, I'll listen to you. Then, how about this?" She thought of a plan and said, "You teach me, and I'll learn how you walk. How about that?" She raised her eyebrows.
Shi Yan was taken aback. "But I'm a man..."
"You've taught me all the rules. Now all that's left is the walking posture. It shouldn't be too difficult for you, right?" Mu An Xiao deliberately flattered Shi Yan.
Shi Yan gave a wry smile and looked at Feng Qi Shi and the others, who were watching them. "This... it might not be appropriate."
"What's inappropriate about it? Anyway, we won't tell anyone," Mu An Xiao smiled. She was curious about how Shi Yan would teach her to walk.
Immediately, Shi Yan chuckled a few more times and said, "You all must not laugh at me."
Shi Kuai: "No, no."
Jia, while eating snacks, said, "As long as you walk like it, I won't laugh at you."
Feng Qi Shi: "Jia is right. Let's begin." Like Mu An Xiao, he was curious about how Shi Yan would walk.
Hearing this, Shi Yan hesitated for a moment, then turned around, straightened his back, and began to walk, relying on his memories.
Mu An Xiao watched Shi Yan's "dignified and graceful" walking posture and secretly smiled.
Shi Yan stopped in front of a pillar, turned around to look at Mu An Xiao, who was trying hard to suppress her laughter, and asked, "You're laughing?"
With a smile in her eyes, Mu An Xiao tilted her head slightly and said, "No, I'm not."
"No..." Shi Yan glanced at Shi Kuai and Jia, who were secretly chuckling, and said, "You're all laughing."
"You're walking very well, but the moment I think it's you," Shi Kuai started laughing, "I can't help it."
Jia: "It's indeed quite good, but you're a man, it's very strange." As he spoke, he didn't forget to eat his snacks.
At this moment, only Feng Qi Shi wasn't laughing.
Upon hearing this, Shi Yan lowered his head.
Mu An Xiao looked at Shi Yan's dejected appearance, and then recalling his earnest attitude when teaching her the rules, her eyes softened. She said, "I've learned it."
Hearing this, Shi Yan looked at Mu An Xiao.
Mu An Xiao smiled slightly and began to imitate Shi Yan's walking posture.
Feng Qi Shi had never seen Mu An Xiao so dignified. Now, watching her walking posture, his eyes were full of surprise.
Seeing this, Shi Kuai and Jia also stopped laughing and looked at Mu An Xiao, who was "learning to walk."
Upon seeing this, Shi Yan was no longer dejected.
Another quarter of an hour passed.
Mu An Xiao returned to Feng Qi Shi's side. Feng Qi Shi casually handed her a cup of water and said, "You've worked hard."
Shi Yan sat down and, seeing Feng Qi Shi taking care of Mu An Xiao and not him, felt jealous. "I've worked hard too."
"..." Feng Qi Shi glanced at Shi Yan but said nothing.
Mu An Xiao took the cup and said, "Thank you." Then she took a sip of water and asked, "How many women has that female demon soul harmed?"
Shi Kuai: "So far, about five."
"How many have died?" Mu An Xiao asked again.
Shi Kuai sighed and said, "You'll know once you enter the palace." After he finished speaking, he shifted his gaze back to Feng Qi Shi's face.
Seeing this, Mu An Xiao glanced at Feng Qi Shi and asked, "By the way, what mission did she assign you?" She knew that the task of catching demon souls could only be carried out after the Yin Yang Master made arrangements.
Yet, Feng Qi Shi was now cooperating with Shi Kuai and Shi Yan to investigate the 'female demon soul,' which puzzled Mu An Xiao.