"Right," Mu Anxiao nodded, glancing down at the broken lock. "You broke someone's lock, and in the end, I'm the one paying. A whole ten taels!" She put on a pained expression.
Fake Lin Yan: "Do you think I have that much silver?"
"You don't?" Mu Anxiao retorted.
"Of course not."
"Oh?" Mu Anxiao feigned disbelief. "How could you not? If I remember correctly, you... seemed to say you'd have your master give me the money. Now you say you don't have it. Do you really think I'll believe you?"
Mu Anxiao was known for her greed, and Fake Lin Yan had witnessed it firsthand.
Thinking that she wouldn't give up if he didn't pay, he muttered, "My bad luck." As he spoke, he began searching himself for his money pouch.
"No," Mu Anxiao was displeased with Fake Lin Yan's attitude and snorted, "What do you mean by that?"
"Nothing," Fake Lin Yan said, glancing at Mu Anxiao sideways, and pulled out his money pouch from his chest.
Seeing this, Mu Anxiao, without a second thought, reached out and snatched the money pouch from Fake Lin Yan's hand, declaring, "It's all mine now."
"What are you doing?" Fake Lin Yan was angered.
Although this silver belonged to Lin Yan, as Lin Yan's substitute, Fake Lin Yan had already regarded this silver as his own. Naturally, Mu Anxiao's actions enraged him.
"I'm taking what's mine. What's wrong with that?" Mu Anxiao provocatively tested Fake Lin Yan's patience, aiming to continue stalling for time.
"Give it back," Fake Lin Yan said furiously.
"I won't," Mu Anxiao said smugly. "What can you do to me?"
"You..."
"A mere mortal, and you want to fight with me? Do you think," Mu Anxiao widened her eyes, "you can handle it?"
At this moment, Mu Anxiao's expression had reached an extreme level of impertinence. Alung, looking at her face, felt she was in danger.
"Don't push your luck," Fake Lin Yan roared.
Inside the door, Feng Qishi had been standing for a long time. He had heard every word Fake Lin Yan uttered, but this particular outburst truly made him sense danger.
Swiftly, he gently secured the bolt, moved aside, and looked up at the not-so-high wall. He narrowed his eyes, jumped up, grabbed the top of the wall with both hands, and suddenly pushed himself up.
Outside the door, Fake Lin Yan clenched his fists. Just as he was about to reveal his true intentions and harm Mu Anxiao, Feng Qishi vaulted over the wall and landed behind him. "Disciple."
Hearing the voice, Fake Lin Yan was startled, thinking, "It's over."
"Are you alright?" Mu Anxiao feigned surprise.
Fake Lin Yan glared at Mu Anxiao, then turned to Feng Qishi and smiled, "Master."
Feng Qishi pretended, "I heard what they said. You were very reckless."
"..." Fake Lin Yan feigned remorse, but he was starting to panic internally.
Feng Qishi saw Fake Lin Yan's anxiety but remained indifferent. "Those trips must have been exhausting."
Fake Lin Yan: "Master, are you alright?"
"I'm fine," Feng Qishi smiled.
Mu Anxiao looked at Feng Qishi, who had completely ignored her, with a speechless expression, her lips twisting. "Hey, Shen the Madman, what do you mean by this?"
Hearing this, Feng Qishi finally shifted his gaze to Mu Anxiao's face. "What were you doing?"
"I..." Mu Anxiao frowned, her demeanor clearly becoming uneasy. "I was concerned about you. Didn't you hear me?"
"You're concerned about me?" Feng Qishi immediately put on a surprised expression, strode past Fake Lin Yan to Mu Anxiao, and grabbed her face.
Mu Anxiao's face contorted in pain. She pulled Feng Qishi's hand away. "Are you crazy? Why are you pinching me?" She rubbed her cheek.
Feng Qishi laughed. "It seems I'm not dreaming." He intended to stall Fake Lin Yan along with Mu Anxiao.
Fake Lin Yan, seeing that time was running out, thought for a moment and said, "Master, I'll go buy you some medicine for diarrhea. You wait here."
"..." Feng Qishi turned to look at Fake Lin Yan.
Mu Anxiao seized the opportunity to say, "Your disciple just said you weren't here. Your disciple is quite the actor."
"You... don't talk nonsense," Fake Lin Yan said, startled and agitated.
Mu Anxiao: "See? He's acting again."
"Mu the Fool, can you stop targeting him?"
"I'm not targeting him, it's him..."
"Master, she took my silver," Fake Lin Yan said, to prevent Mu Anxiao from exposing him further and raising Feng Qishi's suspicion, he decided to complain first.
Mu Anxiao: "Quite the tattletale." She looked at Fake Lin Yan.
Fake Lin Yan: "The silver in your hand is mine."
"Who asked you to break the kitchen lock, forcing me to front the money for you."
"My disciple would never do such a thing," Feng Qishi said, looking at Mu Anxiao again, and winked.
Mu Anxiao cooperated. "If you don't believe me, fine. I'll show you the lock he broke."
"I don't want to see it."
"You..." Mu Anxiao paused, holding up the lock, and asked, "Then what do you want?"
"Give me the silver first," Feng Qishi said, extending a hand.
Mu Anxiao was taken aback and returned the money pouch to Feng Qishi, emphasizing, "He owes me ten taels of silver."
"My disciple has poor health. How could he possibly do something like that?" Feng Qishi said, then glanced at Fake Lin Yan and deliberately added, "Since that's the case, let's go and see for ourselves."
"See for ourselves?" Mu Anxiao asked. "What do you want to do?"
"Let's go back and check the kitchen," Feng Qishi said, then threw the money pouch back to Fake Lin Yan.
Fake Lin Yan, seeing the money pouch fly towards him, quickly caught it. "Master... I did break it." He didn't want to waste any more time.
Feng Qishi deliberately said, "Disciple, you have poor health. How could you have such strength? Don't be threatened by her. You have your master here." Saying this, he walked to Fake Lin Yan's side, put an arm around his shoulder, and said, "Let's go back to the inn." He then led Fake Lin Yan away.
Mu Anxiao's lips curved into a smile. She glanced at Gou Hun, who was getting up, then at Alung, before walking away.
In the small wooden house across from the city wall, a dozen spirits looked at each other after the man's continuous pleas for mercy. One of the disfigured female spirits said, "He's not lying to us, is he?"
Female ghost: "Impossible."
"How are you so sure?" the disfigured female spirit asked, looking confused.
"He saved me, so I believe him," the female ghost said calmly.
"None of us believe him," another male ghost suddenly said.
The people listening to their words showed fearful expressions, except for the elderly woman. She glared at the female ghost without saying a word.
"If you don't believe him, why are you here?" the female ghost retorted to the male ghost.
The male ghost was then rendered speechless.