Betrayal?
Ouyang Ye hadn't mentioned it, and Mu Anxiao had always assumed that Jiong Ye had somehow harmed the demon souls Ouyang Ye raised. She remembered that Jiong Ye had always harbored hatred towards demon souls when he was in the mortal realm, and that hatred must have been thoroughly unleashed upon arriving here. Who knew that the mistake Jiong Ye had committed was far more serious than she had imagined.
Considering how proud Ouyang Ye was, it was easy to imagine that the consequences of betraying him would be dire.
Just then, her nerves tightened the moment Ouyang Ye uttered those words. "Betrayal... You say he betrayed you, so clarify it. What did he betray you in?" She wanted to seize the opportunity to argue unreasonably and force Ouyang Ye to reveal his reasons.
"You want to know." Ouyang Ye curved his lips slightly upwards.
If it were before, Ouyang Ye would have immediately lost his temper after Mu Anxiao asked this question. But now, not only was he not angry, but he even revealed a faint smile. Seeing him like this, Mu Anxiao suddenly felt guilty about her question.
However, even so, she did not reveal her tense state. Instead, she continued to pretend to be calm and said, "Yes, I want to know."
"He wants to leave here." Ouyang Ye said lightly.
Mu Anxiao was stunned upon hearing this. "Just because he wants to leave here, you've judged him as a traitor?" she said, unable to help but laugh. "Ouyang Ye, aren't you making a mountain out of a molehill?"
"Making a mountain out of a molehill? Fine, tell me then, how am I making a mountain out of a molehill?" Ouyang Ye intended to establish a platform for communication with Mu Anxiao.
"He simply... misses his hometown, and that has aroused your suspicion. May I ask," Mu Anxiao tilted her chin, "if this isn't making a mountain out of a molehill, then what is?"
"As long as he has the thought of leaving, it means he has selfish intentions. Furthermore, I haven't treated him poorly since he came here. Why should he leave? You say I'm making a mountain out of a molehill, but I think," Ouyang Ye chuckled, "your thinking is too simplistic."
"My thinking is simple, yes, yes, yes. You're the one with complex thinking in this entire world, alright?" Mu Anxiao said, rolling her eyes at Ouyang Ye.
"You want to help the Demon Sword that much?" Ouyang Ye asked plainly.
Mu Anxiao nodded. "Yes, I do want to help him. Now," she said with a serious expression, "you've already promised me, so you have to help me."
"Jiong Ye is not a good person. He..."
"I don't care how he treats me. I've already promised the Demon Sword. Now, you go tell Xi'er." Mu Anxiao interrupted him matter-of-factly.
Ouyang Ye looked at Mu Anxiao's resolute attitude and then thought for a moment, "By the way, why didn't you mention saving Zhao Mei'er?"
Zhao Mei'er? Ouyang Ye hadn't mentioned it, and Mu Anxiao had completely forgotten about Zhao Mei'er who was with Jiong Ye. Now that Ouyang Ye mentioned it, she hesitated...
Seeing this, Ouyang Ye frowned. "Why aren't you speaking anymore?"
"The Demon Sword didn't say he wanted to save Zhao Mei'er, but," Mu Anxiao said, thinking of Zhao Mei'er's cries of "Help me," and suddenly became curious. "I'm quite curious why Zhao Mei'er was there."
Ouyang Ye smiled.
"What are you laughing at?" Mu Anxiao did not understand the meaning behind Ouyang Ye's smile.
Ouyang Ye said indifferently, "I'm laughing at you for saying you'd help without even finding out the crimes of those two, truly..." He shook his head. "How foolish."
"I'm foolish, alright, alright, you're the smart one, okay? In this demon realm, you, Ouyang Ye, are the most capable, alright?" Mu Anxiao said, giving him a thumbs-up.
At the same time, Ouyang Ye suddenly reached out and covered Mu Anxiao's thumb. "You don't need to praise me, I already know I'm the most capable. However," he cupped her thumb with one hand, "you should say such things less often in the future."
"Why?" Mu Anxiao asked, trying to break free... but it was useless.
Ouyang Ye glanced at Mu Anxiao's hand and smiled faintly. "Because I prefer to be low-key."
"I really can't see where you're being low-key." Mu Anxiao said, exhaling as she stared at her hand. "Uh, can you let go now?"
"Don't you want to know why Zhao Mei'er was also imprisoned?" Ouyang Ye deliberately used this to tease Mu Anxiao.
As expected, Ouyang Ye's method did have some effect.
"Of course I do, tell me." Mu Anxiao said excitedly, taking her gaze away from her hand.
"Her," Ouyang Ye said, intentionally pulling Mu Anxiao closer to him. Mu Anxiao saw this and thought Ouyang Ye was about to whisper a secret, so she didn't resist. Instead, she tilted her head up and stared intently at Ouyang Ye's face. Seeing Mu Anxiao's reaction, Ouyang Ye's lips curved upwards again. He said, "It's all because of Feng Qi Shi."
Mu Anxiao's eyes darkened, and she pretended to be calm. "What does he have to do with it?" She was afraid Ouyang Ye would link her to Feng Qi Shi again and became nervous.
"She likes Feng Qi Shi." Ouyang Ye said again, completely unaware of Mu Anxiao's abnormality.
Upon hearing this, Mu Anxiao couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Then, using Ouyang Ye's words, she recalled what had happened a year ago and realized, "Oh, right, I remember now. Zhao Mei'er did seem to have developed feelings for Feng Qi Shi. At that time, you even sent her to..."
Ouyang Ye cleared his throat, indicating he didn't want to bring up that past.
As it happened, Mu Anxiao also didn't want to dwell on that past. So, the moment Ouyang Ye's interjection came, she swallowed the rest of her thoughts about that past and asked, "Because of this, she was imprisoned?"
"Jiong Ye said that if he took her for a tour of the mortal realm, she would agree." Ouyang Ye said faintly.
"You knew her thoughts, so why did you still imprison her?" Mu Anxiao suddenly couldn't understand Ouyang Ye.
"I know their crimes better than anyone, but..." Ouyang Ye met Mu Anxiao's eyes. "They don't want to reflect on them. So, I gave them an opportunity to reflect. As the saying goes, opportunities are hard to come by; once lost, they are truly lost."
"You want them to reflect on their mistakes?" Mu Anxiao asked.
Ouyang Ye nodded. "Yes, but they don't realize it. All they do is shout for help." He sighed. "It's enough."
"Anyone imprisoned there would be scared, and they are no exception. You doing this," Mu Anxiao intentionally spoke up for Jiong Ye and Zhao Mei'er, "isn't it a bit extreme?"
"You can only save one. Who do you plan to save?" Ouyang Ye completely ignored Mu Anxiao's words and suddenly asked.
"What did you say?" It was too sudden, and Mu Anxiao didn't react.
Ouyang Ye looked at Mu Anxiao's "surprised" expression and curved his lips. "You can only save one. Who do you plan to save?" he said, leaning slightly forward to meet Mu Anxiao's eyes.