The food demon beast laughed, "Ask whatever you wish."
"Will you truly answer me truthfully?" Mu Anxiao retorted.
The food demon beast flicked its tail, not towards the water, but nudged its entire body further onto the bank. "I keep my word. If I'm not mistaken, Ouyang Ye definitely wouldn't keep those immortals confined in one place."
"You do know Ouyang Ye quite well," Mu Anxiao said with a smile.
As Mu Anxiao spoke, the food demon beast let out a cold chuckle. "I don't really know him. I've just heard his threats so many times that I've come to understand his methods. In short," it said, "he certainly hasn't kept them all in one place."
"I know that." Seeing the food demon beast's firm conviction, Mu Anxiao let go of her doubts.
"You know? Then you..."
"Do you know where Rongguang Hall is?" Mu Anxiao interrupted.
Upon hearing this, a troubled expression immediately appeared on the food demon beast's grotesque, three-dimensional face. Mu Anxiao, seeing this, frowned. "You're afraid to speak again, aren't you?" she concluded based on her past experiences.
Conversely, the food demon beast shook its heavy head. "No, it's not that. Rongguang Hall is a small hall within Ouyang Ye's palace, and it's very far from here."
"It's not within the Demon Cultivation Grounds?" Mu Anxiao asked in surprise.
The food demon beast grunted. "That's what I heard when they passed by."
"Is that so? No wonder it's not on this terrain map." Mu Anxiao said, looking down at the map she held in her hand. She continued, "Well, if there's nothing else, I'll be going."
"If you need anything, come find me again. I'll definitely provide you with clues," the food demon beast quickly said.
Mu Anxiao responded with an "Okay" and turned to leave.
After Mu Anxiao had gone some distance, the food demon beast plunged back into the water.
A short while later, Mu Anxiao had completely left the forbidden forest, armed with the answers from the food demon beast. Unfortunately, just as she was about to formulate a plan, Ouyang Ye and Xi'er appeared before her. She happened to look up at that moment and saw them.
Xi'er remembered Mu Anxiao and became serious. "Why are you out here?"
To prevent the situation from unraveling, Mu Anxiao immediately put on a foolish smile the moment Xi'er asked.
Ouyang Ye frowned slightly. "You are a servant who waits outside Xi'er's study."
Hearing this, Mu Anxiao's heart skipped a beat, but she maintained a facade of calm. "I am indeed."
"How could you..."
"Answering my master, she got lost," Xi'er said, speaking for Mu Anxiao.
Mu Anxiao breathed a sigh of relief.
Ouyang Ye furrowed his brow. "Lost? Why aren't you waiting properly outside Xi'er's study, and instead, you've come all the way here?" he asked sternly.
Mu Anxiao gave a forced laugh. "Answering my master, I suddenly felt the urge to relieve myself, so I went to the privy. Who knew that while walking, I got lost? If you don't believe me, ask..." She trailed off as she looked at Xi'er's face, realizing with a jolt that her fabricated story didn't quite match this scenario. To avoid making Xi'er suspect her further, she resigned herself to her fate and knelt.
Xi'er blinked in confusion. "What are you doing?"
"This servant knows her mistake. Whether you wish to kill or flay me, please proceed as you see fit." Mu Anxiao attempted to steer the chaotic plot back on track.
Unexpectedly, Xi'er had never taken Mu Anxiao seriously. Hearing her words, Xi'er couldn't help but laugh. "What are you saying? I don't understand."
"I..."
"Get up."
"When I was inside, you pretended not to recognize me. Aren't you angry?" Mu Anxiao would rather fall into Ouyang Ye's trap in this matter than have him question her further.
As expected, the moment Mu Anxiao uttered these words, Xi'er's expression changed. "You were pretending."
"Yes, this servant knows her mistake. Please punish me." Mu Anxiao said with feigned humility.
Xi'er let out a cold laugh.
Ouyang Ye glanced at Xi'er, who had suddenly begun to act erratically, but remained silent.
In contrast, after her cold laugh, Xi'er stepped forward, lifted her leg, and placed her foot directly on Mu Anxiao's shoulder. "I loathe liars more than anything in this life. You are seeking death." With that, she prepared to cast a spell.
Seeing this, Ouyang Ye quickly called out, "Stop."
Upon hearing this, Mu Anxiao immediately looked up at Ouyang Ye. She had no idea why Ouyang Ye would help her.
Xi'er stopped when she heard Ouyang Ye.
Then, Ouyang Ye stepped forward and looked down at Mu Anxiao. "Speak. Why did you lie?"
"This servant knew of her noble status, so I dared not admit it. Once I did, it would be a death sentence. But now I realize," Mu Anxiao said, feigning a sob, "that we all end up with the same fate."
"I hate it the most when people lie to me. It seems you truly don't wish to live," Xi'er said, becoming considerably more ruthless under Ouyang Ye's influence.
Hearing this, as Xi'er removed her foot from her shoulder, Mu Anxiao buried her head on the ground.
Xi'er looked down at Mu Anxiao's seemingly terrified demeanor, then glanced at Ouyang Ye, who was staring intently at Mu Anxiao without saying a word. "Master," she said calmly, "how do you propose we deal with this fellow?"
"Let her go. I don't have time to deal with her now," Ouyang Ye said, turning and walking away from the forbidden forest.
Xi'er responded with a "Yes," then looked down at Mu Anxiao again. "Consider yourself lucky. If I see you again, I will definitely not let you off." With that, she delivered a kick and turned to leave.
Then, after ensuring they were gone, Mu Anxiao quickly stood up, patted her shoulder, and muttered, "These two change their faces faster than flipping a book. They scared me to death." Saying this, she looked around and, putting aside the matter of Rongguang Hall for the moment, decided to return to the prison.
Half an hour later.
Mu Anxiao stopped outside the prison, panting. "I didn't expect this Demon Cultivation Grounds to be so large. I walked for so long, I almost got lost to death." As she spoke, she strode towards the prison gate. However, just as she was about to cross the threshold, Ouyang Ye's roar came from within. Hearing this, Mu Anxiao hurriedly withdrew her foot and, relying on her memory, turned towards the wall of the cell where she was located.
Minutes later.
Mu Anxiao climbed onto the window and saw what was happening inside.
Inside the prison.
A man (Mu Anxiao) and Ouyang Ye stood facing each other, not speaking a word.
Seeing this situation, Mu Anxiao was bewildered. "What's going on here?"
"Do you truly refuse to return to the palace with me for the banquet?" Ouyang Ye 'first' broke the silence, asking in a low voice.
"No, I don't. You've imprisoned me here, so don't talk to me about attending any banquets. You..."