Mu Anxiao turned her gaze directly to Wan Sha's face and said, "You've really gotten smarter just from being tugged and tied by my silver rope." As she spoke, she casually bent down and released the four ants.
Wan Sha: "..." She couldn't be bothered to discuss such a trivial matter with Mu Anxiao and lowered her head.
Xu Lan glanced at Wan Sha and said, "Mu Anxiao, why are you bothering to pull a demon soul?"
Mu Anxiao replied, "You wouldn't understand. It's less lonely going down that way."
Xu Lan smiled helplessly and looked at the Yin Messenger. "Alright, you're not needed here anymore."
"Why?" the Yin Messenger asked, confused.
Xu Lan waved her hand towards the tree and said, "Alright, you can go now." She then looked at the entrance on the tree.
Upon hearing this, the Yin Messenger stood up, staring at the entrance he had been searching for a long time, but which Xu Lan had hidden. He said angrily, "It was you!"
"If I didn't think you were so foolish, I wouldn't have come out to help you figure this out," Xu Lan said, then looked at Mu Anxiao, "This matter has nothing to do with you, I know."
"Then the dagger... it called her master."
"The dagger calls you master, so does that make you its master?" Xu Lan retorted.
The Yin Messenger's face froze.
"It's obvious someone else killed those people. Furthermore," Xu Lan's eyes were firm, "go and check if those beggars have any immortal energy."
"..." The Yin Messenger's eyes darted away. "She knows demonic arts," he pointed at Mu Anxiao.
"Don't spread slander."
"She's good with the wolf demon..."
"Those beggars don't have any demonic energy either," Xu Lan interrupted.
The Yin Messenger was stunned.
Xu Lan continued, "I usually tell you to study properly, but you don't listen." Her eyes narrowed. "Just tell me, how many mistakes like this have you made in the past month."
"I..."
"You must investigate every matter thoroughly before making a judgment. But you, every time, you stubbornly listen to the demon. Xu Lan shook her head slightly. "Honestly, if you weren't catching demons, you'd be making friends with them, is that what you mean?"
"No," the Yin Messenger said, looking wronged.
"Go back."
"But..."
"You're being sent back for re-education. I've already arranged it for you. Go, relearn what you haven't learned."
Although Xu Lan's position below was not as high as Xu Lan's, she was ranked higher than many Yin Messengers. Therefore, she often assessed some of them.
And this Yin Messenger was clearly failing in her eyes.
The Yin Messenger pleaded, "Can you give me another chance?"
"What chance?" Xu Lan asked, pointing at Mu Anxiao. "A chance to capture her."
"No," the Yin Messenger dared not look at Mu Anxiao.
Mu Anxiao watched the Yin Messenger's timid demeanor and Xu Lan's serious expression. Just as she was about to speak, Piao and the others returned.
"Mu Anxiao, what are you doing?" Gu Xiao asked, approaching them.
Mu Anxiao looked at Gu Xiao. "You're back."
"En, the matter..."
Gu Xiao stopped mid-sentence, and Mu Anxiao quickly interrupted, "Xu Lan, do me a favor."
"What for?" Xu Lan asked, confused.
Mu Anxiao handed the silver rope to Xu Lan. "Hold this for me for a moment. I have something to say to this fellow." She pointed at Gu Xiao.
Gu Xiao, after being interrupted by Mu Anxiao, dared not speak.
Xu Lan glanced at Gu Xiao, took the silver rope, and nodded. "Alright, you go ahead."
"Thanks," Mu Anxiao smiled and stepped forward, grabbing Gu Xiao's arm. She glanced at Piao and the others watching them from not far away and said, "Come here." As she spoke, she pulled Gu Xiao past them and walked away.
Piao and A Xia glanced at Wan Sha's side before turning to follow Mu Anxiao.
Chen also looked at Wan Sha before leaving.
A few minutes later.
They stopped by the tree, and Mu Anxiao released Gu Xiao.
Piao asked, "Is there any need to walk so far?"
Mu Anxiao looked around, ensuring they were safe, then asked, "Did you find that fellow over there?"
"No," Piao shook his head.
Seeing Piao shake his head, Mu Anxiao thought of the wolf demon and said, "I know."
"You know what?"
"I can't be sure if my guess is correct, but I feel like the one who went down to be an official wasn't human, but a demon," Mu Anxiao's eyes were full of mystery.
Piao questioned, "A demon?"
"Mhm," Mu Anxiao nodded.
Then, Piao remembered what the old man had said and excitedly exclaimed, "We just met an old man whose body was possessed by a demon soul, and he's become a wandering spirit. He wants us to help him drive out the demon soul inhabiting his body."
"How long has it been?"
"A year."
"A year?" Mu Anxiao expressed surprise. "This might be difficult to handle."
"What's wrong?"
"There's a time limit. Can he not even enter the city anymore?"
"En, how did you know?" Piao was astonished.
Mu Anxiao explained, "His body has completely rejected him. This matter is not easy to resolve."
"Body..." Piao had never heard of such a phenomenon and was clearly shocked.
Mu Anxiao remarked, "It's rare for you to have such a kind heart."
Piao's eyes darkened. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Right, he said that a demon told him it would help him before, but that demon hasn't left the city since entering."
"A demon?"
"Yes," Piao continued, building on Mu Anxiao's previous statement, "Do you think that demon might be related to the person we're investigating?"
"...." Mu Anxiao recalled the behavior of the dog-headed demon and the results of Piao's investigation over the past few days. She nodded slightly. "It's possible."
"Then, what do you think his objective is?"
"Objective," Mu Anxiao repeated and let out a cold laugh. "It's probably related to me."
"Related to you?"
"Yes, because of his appearance, my mission failed. It's clear that those five women didn't recognize that fellow at all, or perhaps," Mu Anxiao speculated seriously, "he transformed into the appearance of their friend, because he only has a dog's face."
All of this, if it were just yesterday, would have been mere speculation for Mu Anxiao. But after this round, Mu Anxiao was certain that this matter was absolutely inseparable from the dog head and the vine spirit.
She thought that the person she had Piao painstakingly investigate might be the dog-headed demon.
"...." Piao had no memory of what happened a year ago, so he couldn't understand anything Mu Anxiao was saying.
Mu Anxiao sighed. "Alright, let's end this matter here. From now on, leave it to me."
"You're not going to..."
"Thank you for helping me, but I'm not yet at the stage of becoming your disciple."
Piao knew that this was his own failure, so Mu Anxiao's words did not surprise him. "Okay, I will continue to work hard."
"..." Mu Anxiao breathed a sigh of relief and looked at A Xia and the others. "Thank you for helping me."
Chen replied, "Don't be polite with us."