Feng Qishi hugged Mu Anxiao tightly, "We'll be living together in the future, so I want to try to like you." He stood up and looked down at Mu Anxiao, "Do you feel anything?"
"Yes," Mu Anxiao nodded.
Feng Qishi smiled, "What feeling?"
"A desire to hit you." Mu Anxiao looked down at his attire, "I'm a man. If you dress like this, you'll make it impossible for me to live here."
Feng Qishi feigned surprise, took half a step back, looked at Mu Anxiao's clothing, and chuckled, "Oh, you're a man."
"Now that you know, stay away from me," Mu Anxiao pointed at Feng Qishi.
Feng Qishi said, "I can, but... you have to promise to follow me. Otherwise, I'll tell everyone here that you're a woman."
Shen Yan had threatened her like this before, and now Feng Qishi was doing the same. Coupled with the previous encounter with Piao, she was on the verge of a breakdown. However, if she refused, given his personality, he wouldn't give up.
Helplessly, she had to compromise.
"Alright, how much will you give me?"
"Give you how much?" Feng Qishi asked.
Mu Anxiao smiled, "I know you were joking just now. If I'm not mistaken, your purpose here is to find a Xian Yuan woman. So, I can agree to help you as I did before, but on the condition that you compensate me, regardless of success or failure."
"I... I'm looking for you," Feng Qishi said earnestly.
Based on Mu Anxiao's understanding of Feng Qishi's gaze, it was unlikely he would be attracted to her, so she didn't believe his words.
"Do you find me interesting?"
"Didn't you feel my sincerity just now?"
"Not at all."
"I even hugged you," Feng Qishi said.
Mu Anxiao rubbed his nose, "What does hugging me prove?"
"Hugging you proves my sincerity," Feng Qishi stated.
"..."
"Don't you believe me?" Feng Qishi asked.
"Only a fool would believe you."
Having spent ten years here, Mu Anxiao no longer wanted to trust others easily. Although Feng Qishi hadn't deceived her much before, Shen Yan had deceived her until the very end. Now, since Feng Qishi possessed Shen Yan's memories, it meant his words were bound to contain some fabrication. To avoid falling into a trap, she couldn't believe him.
The moment Mu Anxiao said that, Feng Qishi couldn't help but recall that he had indeed deceived her in his previous life, so her disbelief was understandable.
Therefore, he decided to prove his sincerity through actions and refrained from further explanations.
"Fine, seeing how poor you are, how about you follow me from now on?" Feng Qishi said.
Mu Anxiao sneered, "I knew you were lying to me."
"Think whatever you want. Anyway, you don't need to help me find any Xian Yuan women anymore. Now, I have a greater task to undertake."
"What greater task could you possibly have?"
"Follow me," Feng Qishi said mysteriously and turned towards the city.
Mu Anxiao looked around and, upon confirming the absence of any demon souls, followed Feng Qishi.
As they walked, Feng Qishi pondered his attitude towards Mu Anxiao. He thought, "Oh my, I wasn't fierce with her at all. This isn't like my past self. But if I treat her the way I did in my past life, it would seem like I have multiple personalities. Ah, well, let's just let things take their course." With that, he intentionally quickened his pace.
Mu Anxiao clicked her tongue and caught up, asking, "Since you don't want me to help you find a Xian Yuan woman, why do you want me to follow you?"
"..."
"Why aren't you talking to me?"
"..."
"Fine, if you won't talk to me."
After a while, they stopped in front of a tavern. Mu Anxiao saw the characters on the plaque illuminated by the lanterns outside and asked, "Did you open this place?"
"And you?" Feng Qishi retorted.
"If I knew, I wouldn't be asking you," Mu Anxiao replied.
"Of course... I didn't open it."
"If you didn't open it, why did you bring me here?" Mu Anxiao asked, intentionally stepping back, "I don't have money to treat you to a meal."
"Inside, there is something you are looking for..."
"Looking for..."
"A demon soul."
"A demon soul?" Mu Anxiao's eyes widened.
For three days, Mu Anxiao hadn't seen any demon souls pass by the city gates, nor had she sensed their presence. Now Feng Qishi claimed there was a demon soul inside? This surprised her.
"This tavern is run by a vine spirit," Feng Qishi suddenly said.
"How do you know?"
"Listen to me, and I'll tell you."
Shen Yan had said the same thing back then. However, it was impossible for Mu Anxiao to regress to her past self, desperately trying to curry favor with him. But considering her mission and the money she needed, she had to make the impossible possible.
"Alright, I'll listen to you," she said with a smile.
Feng Qishi was waiting for that expression from Mu Anxiao. He then reached out and patted her head, "Come in with me, let's have a drink."
"A vine spirit..."
"Run by a demon soul," Feng Qishi corrected.
"You're not a vine..."
"Their boss is a vine spirit, so naturally, the shop was funded by the vine spirit. As for how the demon soul managed to slip past your eyes and arrive here, we'll only know by going inside to investigate."
"You're right," Mu Anxiao nodded.
"Let's go in, you're paying." As Feng Qishi was about to step inside, Mu Anxiao suddenly grabbed his arm. He was startled and turned to ask, "What are you doing?"
Mu Anxiao looked up at Feng Qishi's face, "I don't have money."
"If we catch that demon soul, you'll have money," Feng Qishi said.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, what I said before I came here is no longer valid."
"No longer valid?"
Feng Qishi smiled, "Sixty years ago, you helped me find a Xian Yuan woman. Now I'll help you catch a demon soul, and then you'll give me money. Isn't that a good deal?"
"Are you... serious?"
"Of course, I'm serious."
Hearing this, Mu Anxiao hesitated, "That's acceptable, but... it's so late, how about tomorrow?"
"Matters that need to be resolved should be resolved. You..."
"Let's do it tomorrow," Mu Anxiao said, holding Feng Qishi's arm tightly.
"Reason," Feng Qishi asked.
"Reason," Mu Anxiao rolled her eyes slightly, "The reason is, I want to try to influence the demon soul with sincerity. If we just capture it, the outcome will be the same in the end."
"How will you influence it?" Feng Qishi asked.
"With sincerity."
"With sincerity?" Feng Qishi repeated, lowering his gaze and smiling, "You're too naive, trying to influence a demon soul with sincerity."
"I know my idea sounds ridiculous, but only by doing this can they be truly convinced," Mu Anxiao said earnestly.
Those twenty demon souls were all influenced by Mu Anxiao with sincerity. Although she had used spiritual techniques, they were only for self-protection. Those demon souls eventually left in true submission, though the process was arduous.