Xi'er's reaction was entirely within Mu Anxiao's expectations. Seeing Xi'er's nervous demeanor now, Mu Anxiao felt a surge of satisfaction. "It seems you're still afraid of Ouyang Ye. However," she crossed her arms, "I'm still curious about Ouyang Ye's reaction. What should I do?"
"What do you want me to do to... let me go?" Xi'er was completely intimidated by Mu Anxiao's threats.
"Don't doubt me, and I'll let you go," Mu Anxiao said lightly.
Hearing this, Xi'er glanced back at the Golden Gate behind her and whispered, "Are you really not interested in it?" She then looked back at Mu Anxiao.
Mu Anxiao merely smiled, remaining silent.
"You've taken an interest in it," Xi'er guessed Mu Anxiao's thoughts from her facial expression.
"What I want, I can always get. In other words," Mu Anxiao chuckled, "if I wanted your Golden Gate, I could just go to Ouyang Ye and order him to give it to me. But in reality, have I done that?" She stared intently at Xi'er.
Xi'er shook her head.
"Then it's settled. From now on, as long as I'm here, you must use the front entrance," Mu Anxiao stated calmly.
"You really won't... touch my Golden Gate..."
"I only say things once. If you say it again, I might go find Ouyang Ye and have him smash this door to pieces," Mu Anxiao interrupted softly.
"Alright, I believe you," Xi'er dared not speak further.
Mu Anxiao waved her hand. "Alright, it's over. You can leave now."
"Okay," Xi'er nodded, turned, passed through the Golden Gate, and left.
Subsequently, after Xi'er had completely departed, Mu Anxiao stepped forward and placed her hand on the Golden Gate. *'Using demonic arts to perform a healing spell... and no one will be the wiser?'* she mused. She took half a step back, raising her hand... just as she was about to begin, she sensed Ouyang Ye's demonic aura. "Not good," she muttered, quickly turning and running towards the tree.
Immediately, just as Mu Anxiao stopped, Ouyang Ye appeared before the Golden Gate. "What are you doing here?" he asked, glancing at Mu Anxiao's retreating back.
Upon hearing this, Mu Anxiao turned around, feigning surprise as she looked at Ouyang Ye, and retorted, "What are *you* doing here?" She was playing dumb.
Ouyang Ye: "I came to find you." He walked forward.
"Why didn't you use the front entrance?" Mu Anxiao asked, glancing pointedly at the closed Golden Gate. "Strange, you didn't come through this door either."
"Are you playing dumb?" Ouyang Ye exposed her in a single sentence.
Hearing this, Mu Anxiao immediately withdrew her gaze from the Golden Gate and looked up at Ouyang Ye, who had stopped in front of her. "How am I playing dumb?" Her nerves suddenly tensed.
Ouyang Ye: "I generally don't like using the main entrance, didn't you know?" he asked, tilting his chin up.
"Who knows your eccentricities?" Mu Anxiao was relieved from the bottom of her heart.
"From now on... you'll have to get to know me better," Ouyang Ye said, suddenly reaching out to steady Mu Anxiao's shoulders.
Mu Anxiao's body stiffened. Just as she was about to push Ouyang Ye's hand away, he said, "Your hair is messy." As he spoke, he reached out with his other hand and touched her head. Her frizzy hair instantly became much smoother.
"You mind a lot of things," Mu Anxiao said, flicking her hair, which had fallen to her side, behind her.
Ouyang Ye removed his hands. "This is much better."
"You can skip all this nonsense. Speak," Mu Anxiao placed one hand on her hip and looked up to meet Ouyang Ye's eyes. "What are you doing here now? If I recall correctly, didn't you leave? You..."
"I saw Rose," Ouyang Ye suddenly said.
Rose?
Mu Anxiao thought it would take time for Rose to find Ouyang Ye, but who would have thought... she had stumbled upon such 'good luck' to meet Ouyang Ye so quickly. With this, Mu Anxiao found herself feeling anxious for the wolf demon. "What did she say?" she asked, feigning composure.
"I don't believe you don't know," Ouyang Ye stated calmly.
Mu Anxiao's eyes flickered evasively. "I don't know." She wanted to hear Ouyang Ye say it himself; it would be too strange if she brought it up herself.
Ouyang Ye saw Mu Anxiao's evasion and smiled faintly. "Rose has taken a liking to the wolf demon. You can't possibly not know about it."
"I..."
"Don't say you don't know. Rose said that you told her to find me," Ouyang Ye completely drew Mu Anxiao into the conversation.
Thus, Mu Anxiao naturally had no way to refuse. "Yes, it was me. So what?" she straightened her back, deliberately adopting a posture of, 'What can you do to me?'
"What do you think about the matter between the wolf demon and Rose?" Ouyang Ye suddenly asked.
"I'm an outsider..."
"Don't say that. Answer my question," Ouyang Ye said, looking serious.
"This..." Mu Anxiao pretended to hesitate. "Before I answer your question, I'd like to tell you something else."
"Go ahead," Ouyang Ye showed respect towards Mu Anxiao.
Mu Anxiao looked at Ouyang Ye's attentive expression as he listened to her, then recalled his calm reaction when he first appeared, and blurted out, "Are you okay?" She didn't know why he seemed strange, but he just did.
Ouyang Ye: "I'm fine. What's wrong?"
"Nothing, I just feel you're a bit strange," Mu Anxiao said, frowning slightly. "Did anything happen before you came here?"
"No," Ouyang Ye replied with a smile. "Are you concerned about me?"
"Who's concerned about you? I just think you're a little odd, but I can't pinpoint exactly how," Mu Anxiao did not like to beat around the bush, so she revealed all her thoughts.
"From now on, I will respect you," Ouyang Ye said again abruptly.
Mu Anxiao froze for a moment, then remembered her own words to him not long ago. Her body stiffened. "You've taken my words to heart."
Ouyang Ye nodded.
Mu Anxiao gave a wry smile. "You really are..." She stopped mid-sentence, feeling a sense of disappointment.
As it turned out, Mu Anxiao's intention in saying those things was merely to make Ouyang Ye recognize his own feelings. She hadn't expected... he would actually reflect on himself in such an unexpected way. Facing such a disappointing outcome, Mu Anxiao was speechless and helpless.
"You really are what?" Ouyang Ye smiled.
Mu Anxiao took a sharp breath. "It's nothing," she said, facing reality with a smile. "Back to the topic, the wolf demon is actually allergic to pollen."
"Allergic to pollen? What does that mean?" Ouyang Ye couldn't quite understand.
Mu Anxiao blinked. "It means that... whenever he gets close to Rose, his face breaks out in a rash. Not only that, his demonic arts immediately disappear. Although I know you like troublesome entanglements, this is your territory. If you were to act so heartlessly again, it might be difficult to gain everyone's trust." She deliberately exaggerated the seriousness of the situation.