"I..."
"Earlier, you called me by my full name, and I let it slide. But remember this," Ouyang Ye glared at Juan'er, "I am the King here. From now on, if I ever find out you laid such a cruel hand on your own maids, I will show you no mercy."
"Ye..."
"Take Xiao Yi to find Mu Anxiao. If you can't find her, don't come back," Ouyang Ye said, turning and flying away.
Juan'er stood there, stunned.
Xiao Yi, seeing Juan'er's status diminished by these events, dared not utter a word.
Then, Juan'er suddenly laughed.
Xiao Yi jumped, still cautiously watching Juan'er transition from laughter to a wry smile, hunching her shoulders, utterly terrified.
Immediately after, Juan'er shouted at the sky, her gaze fixing on Xiao Yi.
Seeing this, Xiao Yi was about to kneel when Juan'er asked, "Do you truly care for me?"
"Yes, your servant wouldn't dare..."
"If you follow me, you must serve me with your life, Xiao Yi," Juan'er walked up to Xiao Yi, her voice chillingly low. "Have you done evil?"
Done evil?
The truth was, since the day Xiao Yi cultivated into a demon, she had never left this place. Entering the palace was through a back door opened by her friend. If evil deeds were to be counted, she truly had none. No demon had ever asked her such a question. Therefore, hearing the bloodthirsty Juan'er ask so abruptly, she was truly frightened.
"I..." she thought of lying.
Seeing this, Juan'er sneered, "Just as I thought."
Xiao Yi was bewildered. "My Lady, what you say..."
"If you haven't done evil, then your hands..." Juan'er said, reaching out and taking Xiao Yi's hand, "shouldn't have even a speck of blood. Xiao Yi, do you know why I banished you before?" After asking, she immediately flung Xiao Yi's hand away.
Xiao Yi shook her head, unwilling to admit anything.
Conversely, the moment Xiao Yi responded in this manner, Juan'er laughed again. "It's because I wanted to cultivate you into... a helpless little demon, ripe for slaughter. Oh, there are many demons like you, but because you stayed by my side, I remembered you. After all," she said with a mocking tone, "my memory is better than that of ordinary demons, and my ability to hold grudges is also greater than theirs. Do you understand what I mean?"
"My Lady..."
"I'll give you a chance to atone for your sins. Kill Mu Anxiao." Juan'er had completely lost her mind.
Xiao Yi froze. She knew... Mu Anxiao was Ouyang Ye's 'apple of his eye.' A year ago, Ouyang Ye had gone on a killing spree because Mu Anxiao was 'dead,' and she was merely an unknown little demon. If she truly acted, Ouyang Ye would never let her go, and might even relegate her to a fate where she could never reincarnate.
Contemplating all possible outcomes, Xiao Yi fell silent.
"You dare not," Juan'er said.
Xiao Yi nodded, then shook her head, saying, "My Lady, I will do anything you ask, but only..."
"You are only useful to me in this way."
"My Lady..."
"I don't want to see her in the palace. If you don't want to die, listen to me," Juan'er said, gently rubbing her temples. "Alright, I'm tired. I'll await your news." With that, she spread her hand, conjuring a money pouch.
"This?" Xiao Yi was confused.
Juan'er: "Inside this are moths for sending messages. If you succeed, release one, and it will inform me." She handed the money pouch to Xiao Yi.
Then, Xiao Yi shakily reached out and took the money pouch. "My Lady, I want to... ask you a question."
"Granted," Juan'er said, crossing her arms.
"What if Wang Hu finds Mu Anxiao before I do?" Xiao Yi, fearing Juan'er's misunderstanding, emphasized, "I mean, *if* Wang Hu finds Mu Anxiao before I do, and Mu Anxiao enters the palace with him first, what then?"
"That is a good question," Juan'er nodded slightly.
Xiao Yi breathed a sigh of relief, but before she could think further, Juan'er smiled, "..." A sense of foreboding washed over her.
The next second, Juan'er stared at Xiao Yi's face for a few more moments, then said, "If you miss the opportunity, then kill her right under my nose," she said, reaching out to pat Xiao Yi's shoulder. "I await your good news." With that, she turned and flew away.
A shadow fell over Xiao Yi's eyes.
At the same time, Wang Hu appeared beside Xiao Yi. "That woman is truly terrifying," he said, nudging Xiao Yi with his elbow. "Isn't that right, Xiao Yi?"
"Yes," Xiao Yi replied, not quite comprehending.
Wang Hu crossed his arms, looking in the direction Juan'er had left, and said again, "But you can't fail this difficult mission, can you? Tell me," he nudged Xiao Yi's arm again, "how are you going to do it?"
"How to do it..." Halfway through her sentence, Xiao Yi sensed something was amiss and immediately turned her head to look... and froze.
Wang Hu smiled. "Surprised? Unexpected, isn't it?"
"Surprised, unexpected..." Xiao Yi said, her face covered in sweat.
Wang Hu saw this and laughed. "Juan'er's methods are indeed ruthless. Mu Anxiao is also unlucky," he said, treating Xiao Yi completely as his comrade. "Just arriving here and already being hunted by a female demon, tsk tsk tsk... truly unlucky, isn't it?"
Xiao Yi sighed.
Wang Hu asked, "What's wrong?"
"My Lady..."
"Xiao Yi, do you know why I haven't left?" Wang Hu didn't want to hear Xiao Yi express her fear of Juan'er, so he deliberately interrupted.
Xiao Yi heard this and shook her head.
"The picture the Master gave me... was too blurry. I thought," Wang Hu smirked, "you must have gotten a clear look at Mu Anxiao's true appearance."
"I..."
"When Mu Anxiao appeared with the Master, you seemed to... have transformed into human form," Wang Hu exposed Xiao Yi.
Xiao Yi lowered her head.
Wang Hu laughed, "Don't worry, I was peeking too. You and I," he said, reaching out and patting Xiao Yi's shoulder, "are birds of a feather."
"Why are you looking for me?" Xiao Yi raised her head, having let down her guard against Wang Hu.
Wang Hu smiled, "Let's look for Mu Anxiao together."
"You can see me, so wouldn't you have seen Mu Anxiao's face?" Xiao Yi didn't believe Wang Hu.
Wang Hu sighed.
Xiao Yi was perplexed. "Why are you sighing? My question isn't that... difficult, is it?"
"To say something that might amuse you, I..." Wang Hu said, pointing to himself, and sighed again, "I have prosopagnosia, especially towards Immortals, so I didn't remember her face."
"Don't you have a portrait..."
"Wait," Wang Hu interrupted, quickly taking out a portrait from his embrace, then unfolding it and holding it up to Xiao Yi.
Xiao Yi looked at it, her brows furrowing. "It has a nose and eyes."
"Does it look like the Mu Anxiao you saw?" Wang Hu said, taking the portrait away and smiling at Xiao Yi.
Xiao Yi looked solemn, contemplating Mu Anxiao's personality when she was with Ouyang Ye. She gave an awkward smile, "I think if Mu Anxiao saw this painting, she would probably want to punch someone."