Mai Liang knew that a person could pretend to be anything, but sincerity was difficult to fake. Therefore, after listening to Mu An Xiao's words, Mai Liang's heart was moved. "Do you really want me to give you a chance to atone for your mistakes?" she emphasized her words intentionally, wanting to see more clearly into her own heart and Mu An Xiao's sincerity.
"Yes, I truly want you to give me a chance to atone for my mistakes," Mu An Xiao replied, still firm.
"..." Mai Liang deliberately fell silent.
Mu An Xiao had no time to speculate on Mai Liang's thoughts. However, seeing her completely changed expression, Mu An Xiao's anxious heart finally relaxed. "..." Mu An Xiao respected her thoughts and fell into silence with her.
At the same time, Mai Liang looked at Mu An Xiao, who was not embellishing or explaining her words, and understood that Mu An Xiao was serious. Thus, she decided to trust Mu An Xiao one last time. "Alright, I'll trust you one last time."
"Thank you," Mu An Xiao said calmly, without any ostentatious reaction.
"You're welcome," Mai Liang did not pay attention to Mu An Xiao's calm demeanor. She then glanced at the back door and said, "That old man and old woman are hiding inside."
"What do you want to do?" Mu An Xiao suddenly had a bad premonition.
"..." Mai Liang stared at Mu An Xiao and remained silent for a few seconds before saying, "I'm giving you a chance to atone for your mistakes, and that chance is... to kill them."
"Kill..." Mu An Xiao repeated the word, paused for a few seconds, and then smiled, "Alright, I'll do it." She knew Mai Liang couldn't be so heartless, and she also knew that Mai Liang was doing this on impulse. After all, if she refused at this moment, everything she had done before would be in vain.
Therefore, to continue being trusted by Mai Liang, she had no choice but to agree.
Conversely, Jia, upon hearing Mu An Xiao's compromising words, was stunned. "Mu An Xiao, are you crazy?" He grabbed Mu An Xiao's sleeve.
Mai Liang looked down at Jia.
"I'm not crazy. Back then, the lady of this mansion killed Mu Xiao, and now she has killed Mai Xia. Since that's the case," Mu An Xiao said, without even looking at Jia, "it's time to settle this score."
"How do you know that Mu Xiao was killed by this lady?" Mai Liang asked in surprise.
"For nearly a year while I was Mu Xiao, I was constantly being targeted by that lady. At first, I didn't think much of it, believing she was trying to teach me a lesson for being too excessive. But later," Mu An Xiao stared at Mai Liang's face, "I discovered that the lady was poisoning me. If I hadn't been lucky, I would have died long ago."
Hearing Mu An Xiao's words, Jia's mind flashed back to the times Mu An Xiao had been in danger. His eyes darkened, and he stopped interrupting.
"You're right," Mai Liang suddenly said.
Mu An Xiao was confused. "You know."
"Yes, Mai Xia was also framed in the same way. Because of this..." Mai Liang's eyes darkened, "she was harmed."
"She's really... gone?" Mu An Xiao immediately shifted the topic back.
Mai Liang's face was filled with sorrow. "I don't know."
"You don't know? You..." Mu An Xiao said, looking at Mai Liang's face. "Do you mean you don't know if Mai Xia has left or not? Or is it... she disappeared?"
"Disappeared."
"Disappeared?" Mu An Xiao was startled. She glanced inadvertently towards the back door, then stared at Mai Liang's face again. "So, you suspect that Mai Xia was harmed by this lady."
Mai Liang nodded.
"As expected," Mu An Xiao murmured. She lowered her head and suddenly stared at Jia's face.
Being stared at by Mu An Xiao, Jia felt uneasy. "Why are you looking at me? I can't help." He accurately guessed Mu An Xiao's intention.
Mu An Xiao pursed her lips and smiled.
From Jia's understanding of Mu An Xiao, whenever she wanted to ask for a favor, a mysterious smile would appear at the corner of her mouth. He had seen this smile many times. Looking at her now, he felt a chill. "Don't be like this. Speak your mind. Your smile..." His lips twitched, "is truly terrifying."
"You say my smile is terrifying?" Mu An Xiao's expression instantly changed.
Jia smiled. "I'm telling the truth."
"You..." Mu An Xiao uttered a single word, then suddenly remembered the urgency of the situation. She helplessly put aside her personal grievances with Jia and said faintly, "Go in and scout around."
"Why don't you go?" Jia was afraid to go in and deliberately went against Mu An Xiao.
Seeing this, Mu An Xiao sneered.
Jia, seeing Mu An Xiao's face full of cold smiles, was also scared. "What do you mean?"
"I finally understand why you're not as good as Hei Feng."
"Don't bring..."
"How can such a timid fellow bear great responsibility? How can he fight against demons and monsters? Truly..." Mu An Xiao shook her head slightly. "The eyes of the public are discerning."
"Mu An Xiao, don't make personal attacks," Jia said anxiously.
"I don't have a habit of making personal attacks. I'm just speaking the truth. Of course," Mu An Xiao said seriously, "I don't deny your ability to save people, because... for the past year, you have indeed saved me quite a few times. But... your courage has really degenerated a lot."
"Mu An Xiao!" Jia was anxious.
Mai Liang did not understand what Mu An Xiao was trying to do, but she knew she could not understand their conversation.
"What?" Mu An Xiao retorted.
Jia frowned. "You can persuade me, beg me, encourage me, or..." He paused, then continued, "In short, can you stop being so sharp-tongued and direct when you talk about me? It's really hurtful."
"I'm tired of nice words. Of course," Mu An Xiao smiled, "if you want to hear my nice words, you can go in and investigate."
"You..."
"If you don't go, I'll say even harsher words."
"You..."
"You should know better than I do how Hei Feng earned his merits."
"This is completely different from what Hei Feng did," Jia retorted.
Mu An Xiao snorted lightly and glanced at Mai Liang.
Then, Jia followed Mu An Xiao's gaze and looked at Mai Liang's face. He said, "If this succeeds, it will all be my credit."
Mu An Xiao nodded.
"Not sincere," Jia said in a low voice.
Mu An Xiao said coldly, "Whether I can get back is another matter. The merits from these missions mean nothing to me now," she said, tilting her chin up. "Do you understand what I mean?"
"Are you really going to..."
"You are small, and you know the art of invisibility. You won't be discovered if you go in. If I go in, I'll be too conspicuous," Mu An Xiao intentionally interrupted Jia.
Hearing this, Jia understood Mu An Xiao's intention and sighed. "Alright, I'll go." With that, he left.