"That's true, you can't beat her," the second disciple said, looking at the stain on the first disciple's hem.
"I'll go get her something to eat," the first disciple sighed. "Honestly, why did I take on this task?"
"Alright, I'll go with you," the second disciple said.
In the woodshed, Mu Anxiao leaned against the sturdy stack of woodpile, her eyes closed in rest.
The boy, about fifteen or sixteen, sat in his spot, gazing at Mu Anxiao's relaxed demeanor. He asked in a low voice, "Aren't you scared?"
Mu Anxiao didn't reply.
The boy, undeterred, continued, "Your friend isn't a demon, why would you admit that?"
Upon hearing this, Mu Anxiao opened her eyes, sat up, and looked directly into the boy's eyes. "Look at what you're saying. It's because of you that your ignorant master wrongly accused me."
"I..."
"No," Mu Anxiao suddenly realized, her eyes darting. "No, your master was clearly doing that on purpose. If I'm not mistaken, your fellow disciples were clearly just blindly following suit in calling me a demon. That's right, you're all deliberately bullying me."
"You really chewed me out just now," the boy stammered.
"You deserve it for speaking nonsense," Mu Anxiao poked the boy twice with her finger. "Haven't you considered whether your fellow disciples, senior brothers, or senior sisters would believe you?"
"I know they wouldn't believe me, but at least if I followed my master's words, I could save my life."
"Save your life," Mu Anxiao let out a soft snort. "Then I have to ask, who healed your injuries?"
"You," the boy pointed cautiously at Mu Anxiao.
Mu Anxiao raised an eyebrow. "That's right. To be honest," she leaned back against the woodpile again, "I haven't figured out what's going on here yet. You're human, and that female spirit is a soul. How could she have injured you?"
"She was harmed by a wolf demon, but wolf demons don't usually eat demons randomly. To succeed, they must use my blood to gain the wolf demon's trust."
"Why are you telling me this?" Mu Anxiao thought the boy's words were completely unnecessary. What she wanted to know now was why a soul could touch a human.
"You wanted to know, and I'm telling you," the boy explained.
"You telling me this," Mu Anxiao still didn't trust the boy. "Forget it, don't say any more. Otherwise, you might later say I know things I shouldn't, and then report me to your master, saying I, a demoness, forced you to say these things in an attempt to escape."
"Why are you thinking so much?" the boy asked in surprise.
"Once bitten by a snake, one fears a well rope for ten years," Mu Anxiao rolled her eyes.
"You're really quite cautious."
"Never mind that. Just tell me, can I still get out of here alive?" Mu Anxiao felt a trace of apprehension in her heart.
The moment Mu Anxiao asked this, the boy fell silent.
Mu Anxiao anxiously looked at the suddenly silent boy and said impatiently, "I'm asking you a question. What do you mean by being silent?"
"They're going to tie the soul-binding rope on you later, so you won't be able to use demon arts," the boy said, dejected.
Mu Anxiao frowned and casually lifted the fabric covering her ankle, asking, "Is this what you call the soul-binding rope?"