"I wasn't like this before. Then tell me," Ouyang Ye said, glancing intentionally at Mu Anxiao, and continued, "what was I like before?"
"You were a person of your word. Whatever you commanded was never changed. And... you would never have tried to lead the charge yourself. Master, what has gotten into you?" the woman in black asked, utterly perplexed by Ouyang Ye's behavior.
Looking at the woman in black, Mu Anxiao was suddenly reminded of the subordinates Ouyang Ye had eliminated. Before this, she had believed Ouyang Ye had few useful demons left by his side. Who knew... she had been overthinking it. Ouyang Ye was actually that 'capable,' having gathered a new 'team' in such a short time.
She inwardly sighed and shook her head.
At that moment, Ouyang Ye turned his gaze to Mu Anxiao.
Following Ouyang Ye's line of sight, the woman in black also looked at Mu Anxiao. "It's because of her," she stated directly.
Ouyang Ye responded with a "Yes," his eyes full of a smile.
Feeling exceedingly uncomfortable under Ouyang Ye's stare, Mu Anxiao quickly averted her gaze, unintentionally... looking at Feng Qishi. "..." Her eyes darkened.
At the same moment Mu Anxiao turned her gaze towards him, Feng Qishi, just as before, avoided her look.
Ouyang Ye witnessed this scene clearly and chuckled, "I didn't expect you to be so grateful, Feng Qishi."
Mu Anxiao clenched her fists.
Feng Qishi quickly looked away from Mu Anxiao and towards Ouyang Ye. "You harmed me, but you also saved me. My master said one must be grateful. I believe..." He then glanced at Mu Anxiao. "I believe you will be able to take good care of her."
"Is that so?" Ouyang Ye smiled.
Feng Qishi nodded and continued, "My master and her master are friends. As long as I inform her master, she will definitely sever ties with her. You can rest assured about that."
"So, she will have no connection to the immortal realm then," Ouyang Ye said deliberately.
Feng Qishi grunted, then hesitantly shifted his gaze back to Mu Anxiao's face. "This is your choice."
"Are all these your true feelings?" Mu Anxiao couldn't believe Feng Qishi would cooperate with Ouyang Ye so readily. She had actually prepared herself to speak up for Feng Qishi. In any case, this entire turn of events caught her completely off guard.
"Whether you are human or immortal, you must learn to be grateful. I hope..."
"Stop pretending to be some Buddha here and just tell me," Mu Anxiao interrupted, wanting to understand Feng Qishi's heart more clearly. "Are these your true feelings?"
"Yes," Feng Qishi responded immediately.
Mu Anxiao's eyes darkened. "Just because they saved you, you're turning your back on me? You... you're going too far."
"Speaking of going too far, aren't you the one who went too far?" Feng Qishi retorted.
Mu Anxiao blinked. "How did I go too far? You..."
"You were the one who supported me marrying Gu Yan, weren't you?" Feng Qishi interrupted.
"Yes, but..."
"That wasn't my choice, yet you forced that matter upon me. Now, I'm respecting your choice, and you're unhappy, Mu Anxiao," Feng Qishi scoffed. "I truly don't know what to say to you."
"You..."
"Enough with the 'you.' I'll inform your master of your situation when I return."
"You're not marrying Gu Yan anymore?" the woman in black suddenly said.
Upon hearing this, Feng Qishi glanced at the woman in black, then back at Ouyang Ye. "I have something to say."
"Go ahead," Ouyang Ye tilted his chin.
"Your goal is to completely separate me from Mu Anxiao, sever all contact and relationships. Now that I've made this decision, you see..." Feng Qishi said, "can you let me go?"
"You're doing this for yourself," Ouyang Ye stated flatly.
Feng Qishi nodded. "Yes. After experiencing this pain, I've realized that instead of opposing you, it's better to cooperate."
"Your realization is... indeed a bit late. However," Ouyang Ye liked Feng Qishi's attitude and his face broke into a smile, "Gu Yan is just a demon soul. Marrying her is truly pointless. If you'd like, I can find you... a woman from the immortal realm?"
"That's not necessary," Feng Qishi said politely.
Ouyang Ye smiled. "How can it not be necessary? I was an immortal once, after all. And from what I understand of your immortal rank, to find a good position in the immortal realm, the first requirement is marriage. If you don't marry, you might only be able to work odd jobs for the immortal realm. And you," he said, "are so powerful. Are you really willing to do odd jobs?"
"You don't need to worry about that for me," Feng Qishi said, casting a glance at Mu Anxiao's dejected face. "Could it be that you're still worried I have a connection with her?"
Hearing Feng Qishi's words, Mu Anxiao let out a cold snort. "My kindness towards you was only to repay a debt from decades ago. Since you're so eager for me to sever ties with the immortal realm," her eyes darkened, "fine, I'll do as you say. Go."
"This way, you won't owe me anything anymore," Feng Qishi said calmly.
Mu Anxiao crossed her arms and turned her face away.
Ouyang Ye watched their estrangement, his smile reaching his eyes. "If that's the case, then your engagement with Gu Yan is completely dissolved."
"Should I tell her? If she bothers me again in the future, it might become troublesome," Feng Qishi thought considerately.
At this moment, Mu Anxiao could no longer comprehend Feng Qishi's mindset.
Ouyang Ye laughed. "You can trust me to handle my affairs. If that girl tries to pester you again, I will stop her. I wouldn't even blink an eye if I had to take her life."
"That... that's too ruthless," Feng Qishi said lightly.
Ouyang Ye chuckled. "My subordinates are my business. We leave in three days. At that time," he walked up to Feng Qishi and placed a hand on his shoulder, "you'll be even more at ease."
"You'll be at ease too," Feng Qishi frankly exposed Ouyang Ye's intentions.
Ouyang Ye nodded. "Yes, I'll be at ease. However," he said, smiling at Feng Qishi, "I'd like you to do me a favor, is that possible?"
"Go ahead."
"Before this, I was doing my best to arrange a wedding for you. Now... would you help me and Xiao'er prepare?" Ouyang Ye said, deliberately glancing towards Mu Anxiao.
Simultaneously, Mu Anxiao idly repeated the word 'Xiao'er' and couldn't help but gag.
Seeing this, the woman in black became angry. "What do you mean by that?" she glared at Mu Anxiao.
Mu Anxiao glared back at the woman in black. "What I mean has nothing to do with you. If you ask again, be careful..."
Mid-sentence, Feng Qishi responded, "Okay."