"Yes, sir," the Yin Official replied, then scurried away.
Mu Anxiao watched the departing figure of the Yin Official, musing on his private actions and sighing, "It can't be helped. When I'm excellent, I attract jealousy. It's so troublesome." She then turned her gaze to Xu Lan.
Sensing Mu Anxiao's stare, Xu Lan’s eyes darted away. "You haven't even helped me resolve my own issues, and now you've stirred up another incident. You really don't shy away from trouble."
Mu Anxiao chuckled, "Oh, I hadn't realized until you mentioned it. Come to think of it," she sighed, "I do seem to have quite a few pending matters. Before this, I took on another task. I wonder if you could help me?" She smiled.
Xu Lan frowned. "What is it?"
"Lin Yan. Do you know him?"
"Lin Yan," Xu Lan repeated, lowering his gaze in thought. "Yes, I do."
"Good. His body has been taken over by a demon soul... or perhaps a human soul. Because of this, he cannot descend. Similarly, a ninety-year-old man also had his body possessed, but that was last year."
"A wandering soul."
"Lin Yan isn't quite there yet. That old man, however, likely is."
"This sort of thing has happened before."
"What do you mean, 'happened before'?"
"You should know," Xu Lan said softly.
Mu Anxiao watched Xu Lan suddenly lower his eyelids. She pondered for a moment, then asked, "Do you know Mu Xi?"
"Your brother."
"Yes."
"He returned last year. However, because the demonic energy on him was too strong, we couldn't make a judgment, so we sent him away. At that time, neither Xu Lan nor I were present," Xu Lan explained. "Not long ago, the Yin Official who received him last year happened to see his name. That Yin Official then found him, but he specifically requested that you apprehend him. You should know about this."
"I understand. Three months."
"Yes."
Mu Anxiao remained silent for a few seconds before asking, "So, is Lin Yan's situation, and that of the old man, the same as his?"
"On the surface, it appears the same, but in reality, it is not."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Your brother fell into an abyss ten thousand feet deep, and that abyss belongs to a forbidden zone," Xu Lan sighed. "Over the past few decades, due to the demonic energy in the forbidden zone, he became a demon soul. The old man and Lin Yan are different; their bodies were taken over."
"You all know this, so why haven't you dealt with it?"
"If their bodies were simply occupied by ordinary demon souls, we would ask for your assistance and then escort them down. However, the soul possessing them, we cannot discern if it is demonic or human. In short," Xu Lan said, "the matter seems quite complicated."
"Complicated." Mu Anxiao repeated, lowering her gaze in thought. "May I presume to ask if the one possessing the old man and Lin Yan... might be the same individual?"
"Yes. That individual placed a curse on them. As long as that individual lives, no matter where they go, they will have no chance to come here. With the accumulation of years, they will gradually transform from wandering souls into souls that are neither clearly demonic nor human."
Mu Anxiao thought for a moment, then suddenly became indignant. "How utterly detestable."
"Indeed. The problem is, we are still trying to investigate him, but," Xu Lan frowned, "because he has celestial beings around him, we cannot get close."
"You mean, Shen Fengzi."
"Shen..." Xu Lan uttered the syllable, then realized, "You mean Feng Qishi."
Mu Anxiao nodded.
Xu Lan continued, "I am also referring to him. In short, as long as Feng Qishi is by his side, we..."
"Wait. You clearly know the inside story of all this, so why did you drive Lin Yan away?"
"If we allowed him to stay, that individual would use him to spy on everything here. Therefore," Xu Lan explained, "that was the only way."
"That fellow is truly insidious," Mu Anxiao grumbled, her teeth itching with anger. However, due to her injured hand, she couldn't clench her fist.
"Yes," Xu Lan sighed, his gaze unintentionally falling upon Mu Anxiao's still-bleeding hand. "Give me your hand, I'll tend to your wound."
Mu Anxiao's intention for not treating her wound was to use it as proof of her innocence.
Now that her innocence had been proven, she no longer needed to overthink it.
Thus, she said, "Thank you," and raised her hand.
Immediately, Xu Lan reached out and gently held her wrist, then looked down at the wound on her palm. "You were quite harsh on yourself."
"If I wasn't, how could I have cleared my name?" Mu Anxiao replied, looking up to meet Xu Lan's eyes. "I have a question for you."
Xu Lan averted his gaze, simultaneously casting a spell to stop Mu Anxiao's bleeding. "Speak."
Mu Anxiao asked, "Do you... still remember what happened between you and Gu An?"
Upon hearing this, Xu Lan's hand trembled. "I remember some things, and some things I don't. Why are you bringing this up all of a sudden?" As he spoke, he conjured a white cloth and began meticulously bandaging Mu Anxiao's wound.
Mu Anxiao explained, "I suddenly remembered your past with her. Seeing you now feels quite surreal."
"Seeing you also feels surreal."
"Why?"
"You've changed completely from back then. Now," Xu Lan said, meeting Mu Anxiao's eyes, "you're like a madwoman."
Mu Anxiao... She forced a smile.
Xu Lan continued bandaging. "What? Did I say something wrong?"
"Although many people have cursed me, hearing it from you," Mu Anxiao clicked her tongue, "still leaves me a bit displeased."
"Get used to it," Xu Lan said, releasing Mu Anxiao's hand. He then pointed to her other hand. "Let me see that one too."
"You're going to bandage this one too? This is an old injury."
"As long as it's an injury sustained today, it counts as new. Give it here."
"Indeed." Mu Anxiao agreed with Xu Lan's reasoning and willingly handed her hand over.
Just as before, Xu Lan grasped Mu Anxiao's wrist and began to cast his spell.
Mu Anxiao asked, "Can you heal it completely in one go?"
Xu Lan's lips curved slightly. "I don't have such abilities. Also," he glanced at Mu Anxiao, "it's fortunate I can bandage it for you; don't ask for too much." With that, he continued his work.
Mu Anxiao pouted.
Meanwhile, the Yin Official returned outside the prison. Just as he was about to enter, Xu Lan appeared behind him. "Finished interrogating?"
The Yin Official stiffened at the words, turning to look at Xu Lan with a flustered expression. "Ah, finished."
"And the results?" Xu Lan raised an eyebrow.
The Yin Official pursed his lips and stammered, "Oh, the results, they're very good, very good."
"Very good," Xu Lan suppressed a laugh at the Yin Official's demeanor and took a deep breath. "How good are they? So good that you should kowtow to me three times, perhaps?"
The Yin Official's face froze.