"..." Mu Anxiao fell silent, releasing her hand. "You go play with your disciple." With that, she temporarily put aside the papers she was handling and turned away.
At that moment, Mu Anxiao sensed something was off about Lin Yan, but she chose not to voice it to Feng Qishi, knowing it would be a blow to him.
Therefore, she decided to investigate in secret.
Seeing that Mu Anxiao remained silent, the fake Lin Yan thought he had gotten away with it and began to laugh heartily at Feng Qishi.
Gu Xiao and A Xia exchanged glances. "..."
Feng Qishi: "That's great." He patted the fake Lin Yan's arm.
The fake Lin Yan smiled.
Thus, with the fake Lin Yan's revival, everyone dismantled the mourning hall the next day. The fake Lin Yan was also well-received by everyone, and Feng Qishi, being his master, was thanked as well.
Early the next morning, the two of them left the dilapidated temple.
Mu Anxiao did not want to go, so she stayed behind in the temple, sitting by the table.
After spending the night together, Mu Anxiao did not mention the matter of the box to the fake Lin Yan, knowing that even if she did, he might not understand it.
All she could do now was investigate in secret and, at the same time, get him to press his handprint.
"Why didn't you expose him?"
Upon hearing this, Mu Anxiao stood up and looked at A Xia. "You saw through him."
"There's a great deal of demonic energy on him. I don't know what Feng Qishi is thinking, since he didn't notice?" Gu Xiao said with annoyance.
Mu Anxiao: "I didn't smell anything."
A Xia was surprised. "You didn't smell it?"
"Yes, it's possible... only you can sense it. We," Mu Anxiao shook her head slightly, "cannot."
"Then how did you know he was fake?"
"Instinct."
"Instinct?"
"Yes. Lin Yan is an extremely greedy person, yet he didn't ask for his money. It's truly strange," Mu Anxiao said, turning to look at her sleeping mat.
A Xia: "I feel like you knew he was fake the moment he woke up yesterday."
"Yes, but I wasn't sure."
"Why weren't you sure?"
"..." Mu Anxiao didn't want to explain too clearly to A Xia, so she asked, "Where's Piao?"
"They're having a victory banquet. Everyone here is there, and Piao went too." A Xia was led astray.
"That's good."
"What are you going to do?" Gu Xiao could tell Mu Anxiao had something on her mind.
Mu Anxiao hesitated for a moment and said, "Never mind, I'll go too."
Just as Gu Xiao suspected, Mu Anxiao did have something on her mind. She worried that Feng Qishi would foolishly teach the fake Lin Yan cultivation techniques. If the fake Lin Yan learned them, what would he do?
However, she didn't know the fake Lin Yan's true identity. If she went to warn him blindly, it might draw Feng Qishi's displeasure. Moreover, given Feng Qishi's rebellious nature, he would undoubtedly choose his disciple whom he had seemingly regained.
Therefore, she needed to handle this matter cautiously.
Thus, she glanced at Gu Xiao and A Xia and turned to leave first.
Gu Xiao and A Xia exchanged glances and followed Mu Anxiao.
A moment later.
Mu Anxiao found the house where Feng Qishi and the others were.
Xiao Zeng saw Mu Anxiao arrive and excitedly stood up, saying, "You're here."
Mu Anxiao: "I'm here." She deliberately glanced at Feng Qishi, who turned his head to look at her.
Feng Qishi: "Come and sit next to my disciple." He beckoned.
Mu Anxiao: "..." She walked over and sat beside the fake Lin Yan.
The fake Lin Yan handed Mu Anxiao a pair of chopsticks. "Here."
"Thanks." Mu Anxiao took the chopsticks and looked at Xiao Zeng. "Are you okay?"
Xiao Zeng: "I'm fine." He said, looking at the fake Lin Yan, "I thought you were dead. I was so scared."
The fake Lin Yan: "Aren't I back?"
Xiao Zeng nodded and smiled.
Watching the fake Lin Yan's friendly attitude towards Xiao Zeng, Mu Anxiao's heart sank, and she couldn't help but have the mistaken impression that he was indeed Lin Yan.
However, she recalled her encounter with Lin Yan yesterday and reminded herself to remain clear-headed.
With that thought, she began to eat.
The fake Lin Yan: "What dish do you like? I'll serve it for you."
Feng Qishi's eyes darkened upon hearing the fake Lin Yan's gentle tone towards Mu Anxiao. "Disciple, she can serve herself. Just eat your own food."
"Alright, Master." The fake Lin Yan's voice held a hint of disappointment.
Feng Qishi: "..." He glanced at the fake Lin Yan.
Immediately, Piao walked in with a wine pot. "Everyone, let's drink!"
As Piao's voice echoed, people at other tables happily agreed, "Good, good, good."
Hearing their cheerful responses, Mu Anxiao felt even more reluctant to expose the fake Lin Yan.
So, she could only lower her head and eat.
For a long time, this was the first time Mu Anxiao had eaten with so many people. At this moment, it gave her a sense of being with family.
A quarter of an hour later.
Listening to their idle chatter and their descriptions of the appearance of the demon souls, Mu Anxiao couldn't help but want to laugh but held herself back.
"Those demon souls all looked terrifying, with sharp mouths, buck teeth, and bulging eyes. In short, they were frightful."
"Yes, I've seen them too, though what I saw was different. That night, I saw a female demon soul, incredibly seductive, with her hair dishevelled, her clothes..."
"Shut up," an elder interrupted, deliberately glancing at the children listening to their stories. "There are children here, be mindful of your words."
The young man, heeding the elder's words, stopped his description.
Mu Anxiao: "..." Looking at the elder's stern expression, she couldn't help but think of her own family decades ago. Her heart sank, and she lowered her eyes slightly. As she raised her wine cup to her lips, the fake Lin Yan suddenly snatched it away.
Seeing this, she asked indignantly, "What are you doing?"
The fake Lin Yan put down the cup. "This is wine."
"What's wrong with wine?"
"You can't drink it."
"Why can't I drink it?"
"Young ladies shouldn't be drinking wine," the fake Lin Yan said, gulping down the wine in one go.
Mu Anxiao paused, then said disdainfully, "It's none of your business." With that, she reached out and snatched the wine cup from Feng Qishi, drinking it all down.
The fake Lin Yan was stunned. "..."
Feng Qishi, observing Mu Anxiao's strange behavior and then the way the fake Lin Yan looked at her, said, "Disciple, ignore her." He patted the fake Lin Yan's shoulder.
Mu Anxiao swallowed the spicy white wine, put down the cup, and her mind involuntarily drifted back to the past decades ago, when her brother used to like to control her like this.
Although she detested recalling the past, for some reason, ever since she went to the underworld, many past memories had inexplicably resurfaced.
She felt rather depressed about it.
Piao: "Mu Anxiao, want some more?"
Upon hearing this, Mu Anxiao looked up at Piao. "No." After speaking, her head suddenly felt heavy, and she slumped down, falling asleep.