"Yang Tai, it wasn't easy back then either," Gu Xiao suddenly said.
Hearing this, Feng Qishi turned his gaze back to Gu Xiao's face. "What do you mean by that?"
"..." Gu Xiao thought of his awkward relationship with Yang Tai and decided against elaborating on his past. "It's nothing."
"Speak."
"I can't say." Gu Xiao shook his head.
Initially, Feng Qishi hadn't been particularly curious about Yang Tai's past, but Gu Xiao's remark sparked his interest.
"If you don't tell me, I'll hand you over to Mu Anxiao."
"No."
"If you don't want that, then speak," Feng Qishi raised an eyebrow.
Gu Xiao hesitated for a moment before shaking his head again.
Feng Qishi: "..."
Gu Xiao cautiously glanced at the suddenly silent Feng Qishi and said, "I really can't say."
"Give me a reason."
"I can't articulate it," Gu Xiao said softly.
Feng Qishi disliked forcing people to do things they didn't want to, especially seeing Gu Xiao's strong refusal. He decided to let it go.
"If you don't want to talk about it, then forget it," Feng Qishi said, standing up.
Gu Xiao looked up and asked, "What are you going to do?"
"You stay here and behave. Don't run. If you dare to run, when I catch you again, you'll see a different kind of scenery. Understand?"
Although Gu Xiao couldn't imagine what kind of scenery Feng Qishi was referring to, he understood from Feng Qishi's serious expression that any attempt to escape would be a grave offense.
However, his innate desire for freedom drove all his actions.
Therefore, to prevent his legs from leading him to escape, he asked, "Can I go with you?"
"Why would you follow me?" Feng Qishi asked.
Gu Xiao replied, "I'm afraid I won't be able to control myself and might try to escape."
Gu Xiao's reason amused Feng Qishi. Looking back at how he had escaped ten years ago, his self-control was indeed lacking.
With a sigh of resignation, Feng Qishi agreed, "Fine."
Gu Xiao smiled and quickly stood up.
At the same time, Mu Anxiao stood on the ground, gathering all the demon souls.
Only then did Gui Xiao notice the situation.
"Mu Anxiao, what do you mean?" he asked, rushing forward.
"Next," Mu Anxiao turned to face Gui Xiao, "it's you."
Hearing Mu Anxiao's arrogant tone and recalling her earlier request for him to ponder immortal arts, Gui Xiao suddenly realized he had been tricked.
"You lied to me."
"What did I lie to you about?" Mu Anxiao feigned ignorance.
Gui Xiao narrowed his eyes. "Immortal arts are another name for spiritual energy. You deliberately made me dwell on this question to capture them, to distract me, didn't you?"
Upon hearing Gui Xiao's realization, Zhu Yang and Ma Kai sighed in unison.
The other demon souls also began to question Gui Xiao's sanity, wondering how he could have pondered the question for so long, only to figure it out after they were captured. They found it laughable.
Mu Anxiao let out a soft hum.
Meanwhile, Feng Qishi descended with Gu Xiao, standing invisibly beside Mu Anxiao.
"How about I help you deal with this guy?" Feng Qishi offered.
Mu Anxiao had indeed expended a lot of spiritual energy and effort earlier, but she didn't want to give up now, as Zhang Yan had mentioned that fighting during the day could improve her abilities.
She cleared her throat, signaling her refusal of Feng Qishi's help.
Feng Qishi understood Mu Anxiao's intention and sighed.
However, Gu Xiao did not grasp the situation. "What does she mean?"
"We'll continue to watch the show."
"Show?" Gu Xiao looked around with a confused expression. "Where's the show? I don't see anything."
Feng Qishi, not bothering to explain, turned and walked to a nearby corner, standing ready.
Gu Xiao blinked, then walked over to Feng Qishi, continuing to ask, "Where is the show?"
"The show is in your heart."
"But I don't have a heart," Gu Xiao said blankly.
Feng Qishi looked at Gu Xiao's face and couldn't help but laugh. "You really look like a fool."
At this moment, Gu Xiao was bewildered.
Feng Qishi crossed his arms and calmly observed the situation between Mu Anxiao and Gui Xiao.
Over there, Gui Xiao was angered by Mu Anxiao's silence. "Mu Anxiao, why aren't you speaking?"
Mu Anxiao had intended to continue using the question about immortal arts to stall Gui Xiao. However, before they could even begin fighting, he had figured it out.
This development gave Mu Anxiao a headache.
"Yes, I admit, that was my intention. But I truly didn't expect," Mu Anxiao pointed at Gui Xiao, "that you would figure it out."
"I'm not you."
"Yes, you are certainly not me, but... can I renegotiate the terms with you?"
"Do you think you still have the right to negotiate with me?"
Mu Anxiao felt awkward. "According to... what do I say? Yes, I was wrong to lie to you, but... I didn't harm you. I just captured them." She pointed to the demon souls bound by silver ropes.
Gui Xiao glanced at them and said, "Alright, speak."
However, Mu Anxiao suspected that Gui Xiao's sudden change in attitude meant something bad.
Therefore, Mu Anxiao chose to be cautious. "Okay, I'll tell you. If you defeat me now, I'll..."
"If you lose, you release them," Gui Xiao pointed to the demon souls.
As expected, nothing good was going to happen.
Thinking back, she had gone through great trouble to capture them. If she agreed to his terms, all her efforts would be in vain. Especially Yang Tai, who was the most difficult to capture. If she let him go now, it would be very difficult to catch him again.
With that, she hesitated.
"...."
"Don't you have any confidence in yourself?" Gui Xiao deliberately provoked Mu Anxiao.
"Who says I don't have confidence?" Mu Anxiao's eyes darted away.
Gui Xiao believed that the methods Mu Anxiao used to subdue Yang Tai must have consumed a lot of spiritual energy. If he fought her now, his chances of winning would be much higher.
Thus, he deliberately said, "Since you have confidence, continue speaking."
As the saying goes, what must come will come. Mu Anxiao knew she couldn't avoid it any longer.
"Fine. As you said, if I lose, I'll release them. If I win, you'll come down with me, and not only that, you'll release those mortals as well." She stated.
Gui Xiao's lips curved into a smile. "Agreed! It's a deal."
Not far away, Feng Qishi listened to Mu Anxiao's words and saw Gui Xiao's confident demeanor, which made him worried.
"Should I help?" Gu Xiao asked.
Feng Qishi understood Mu Anxiao's temperament. If he were to help, she would certainly be unhappy. Moreover, judging by the situation, it seemed like a form of training for her. Therefore, he decided not to intervene.
"No," he said.