"I know," Mu Anxiao replied, her voice calm as she grasped a corner of the yellow talisman.
"Do you feel anything?" the wolf demon asked again.
Mu Anxiao, however, focused on the red script on the talisman, murmuring, "The handwriting on this talisman is rather blurry."
"Can you understand it?" the wolf demon inquired.
Mu Anxiao glanced at the wolf demon. "It's familiar, yet not entirely. Let me look again." As she spoke, she furrowed her brow, studying the runes.
The wolf demon watched Mu Anxiao's focused profile, her concentration evident, and remained silent.
Minutes later, a smirk touched Mu Anxiao's lips as she tore the talisman free and crumpled it in her hand. "It's fine now."
"Did you understand the runes on it?" the wolf demon asked.
"Yes, I did. It's just a rather insignificant spell, incapable of harming a demon," she said, tossing the crumpled talisman onto the ground.
The wolf demon chuckled and was about to approach when a barrier suddenly materialized before him.
"What's going on?" he asked, leaping back in alarm.
Hearing the wolf demon's words, Mu Anxiao quickly looked down. The yellow talisman, now a crumpled ball, lifted itself and pressed tightly against the surface of the barrier.
"I can't pass," the wolf demon said, tilting his head back to look at the talisman.
Mu Anxiao remarked, "Just as you suspected. The current cultivation sects are not the same as they were in the past. After all, this is a place with a history spanning centuries."
"You only realize this now?" the wolf demon stated dryly.
"I underestimated them," Mu Anxiao confessed, reaching out to touch the barrier. "It's still blocking me."
"It's protecting you, and blocking me," the wolf demon said calmly.
"How do you know?" Mu Anxiao asked.
"I surmise that only when the talisman is activated by a spiritual entity will it manifest such an effect," the wolf demon replied.
Mu Anxiao questioned, "How do you know that?"
The wolf demon raised his eyes. "When that mortal touched it earlier, nothing happened. But the moment you touched it, this appeared. Do you know what that signifies?"
"Stop playing games with me. Why?" Mu Anxiao wasn't inclined to ponder the matter.
"This was stolen from the Celestial Realm by someone from a cultivation sect," the wolf demon declared earnestly.
"Stolen?" Mu Anxiao echoed, then asked, "How could you tell?"
"This item is a yellow talisman in your possession, quite useful. But to mortals, it's merely a piece of scrap paper. She likely spent a considerable sum to acquire it!" the wolf demon analyzed patiently.
"Stolen... bought..." Mu Anxiao murmured, glancing around at the barrier encompassing the prison cell. "Now that you mention it, I do seem to recall something."
"Do you know how to break it?" the wolf demon asked.
Mu Anxiao furrowed her brow slightly. "I have a recollection, but I need to think."
"Then think. That woman won't be coming anytime soon," the wolf demon said, stepping back and sitting on the ground.
Mu Anxiao took half a step back and sniffed the air. "Do you smell alcohol?"
"That's why I said the woman won't be coming anytime soon," the wolf demon replied, leaning his head back against the wall.
"You're so clever," Mu Anxiao said, looking up at the yellow talisman.
Not far away, as Mu Anxiao and the wolf demon sensed, the female jailer sat at a square table, pouring wine and awaiting the return of the female warden.
In the cell opposite the jailer, the woman Mu Anxiao had disdained looked curiously at the female warden and smiled. "You seem very happy."
At that, the female jailer looked towards the woman in the cell. "You dare speak to me."
"No, I just find you very familiar," the woman said with a playful grin.
"I'm familiar?" The female jailer pointed at herself and walked gracefully around the table to the cell door.
The woman tilted her head back, looking at the jailer's face, and smiled.
"Do you find me familiar?" she asked.
The female jailer lowered her gaze to the woman, who was slightly shorter than her. "I couldn't tell from a distance. Now that I see you up close, you do look a bit familiar."
"It's me," the woman said, pointing to herself.
"You..." the female jailer began, drawing out the word before her eyes widened in sudden realization. "It's you."
"It is me. I thought you had forgotten me," the woman said, her voice filled with emotion.
"When were you locked up?"
"I've lost count of the days," the woman pouted.
"I haven't seen you here before," the female jailer commented.
The woman pursed her lips. "I was confined in the most inconspicuous cell. But I'm so glad you recognize me." She gave a slight toss of her head.
The female jailer looked at the woman's face, falling silent for a few seconds. "I told you not to sell fake medicine, but you wouldn't listen. Look at you now, locked up."
The moment the female jailer spoke, the woman's face froze.
"What's wrong?" the female jailer asked, noticing the woman's discomfort.
The woman managed a forced smile. "You've mistaken me for someone else. I wasn't imprisoned for selling fake medicine."
"If not, then how did you end up here?" The female jailer's demeanor instantly became rigid.
"I sold you that yellow talisman. Have you forgotten?" The woman pointed to the talisman on the jailer's sleeve cuff.
"Yellow talisman," the female jailer repeated, raising her arm and looking down at the talisman on her cuff. "You're from a cultivation sect."
"Yes," the woman nodded.
"Then you must be capable of expelling demons," the female jailer said, her lips curling upwards.
The woman, who had merely intended to strike up a conversation with the female jailer, was genuinely startled by her words. "Although I'm from a cultivation sect, I'm just a seller of talismans. If you ask me to expel... demons, I'm afraid that might be a bit difficult for me."
"I'm asking you to do this because I think highly of you. Do you not want to?" the female jailer asked coldly.
The woman gave a dry chuckle. "No, how could I not want to? It's just..." She took half a step back. "Because I've been locked up here for so long, I've forgotten many incantations. I need to recall them, to remember."
"Then recall them. When the warden returns, you will accompany me to expel demons," the female jailer instructed, turning back towards the square table.
The woman looked at the retreating back of the female jailer with regret, clenching her fists. "Damn it," she muttered, "why did you have to get so chummy? Are you crazy?"
"What did you say?" the female jailer asked, her back still to her.
The woman jumped, then forced a cheerful smile. "Nothing. I'm just trying to remember the incantations."
"Are you drinking?" the female jailer asked, returning to the table.
The woman shook her head and then asked, "Um, can I turn around to get a better feel for it?"
"You'd best find the right feeling, otherwise, you'll be spending another half a year here," the female jailer said, picking up the wine pot.
The woman gave a dry chuckle. "I'll find the right feeling. I definitely will." With that, she turned around, crossing her arms.
The female jailer watched the woman's slightly trembling figure, then casually took a yellow talisman from her sleeve. She frowned, murmuring, "This talisman is specifically for demons. Why did that woman earlier feel unwell..." Her eyes widened, and she suddenly asked, "Hey, that talisman is specifically for dealing with demons, right?"