Mu Anxiao worried that Feng Qishi would revert to his former self, Shen Yan, so she decided not to argue or respond, only offering a foolish smile.
This was the effect Feng Qishi desired. He was quite pleased seeing Mu Anxiao's expression.
"Are you still planning to drive me away?" Feng Qishi suddenly asked.
As the saying goes, one might try twice, but not a third. Mu Anxiao had deceived Feng Qishi twice without successfully driving him away. Now that he had seen through her once more, and considering his words when he first arrived, she felt that continuing to push him away would be unrealistic.
"No more driving you away."
"You've given up that idea?" Feng Qishi asked again.
Mu Anxiao nodded.
"It's good that you've given up. Then, let's start the task." Feng Qishi.
"Mm." Mu Anxiao nodded, then glanced at Feng Qishi's portrait. "What exactly did you have those beggars do?" xxs1
"Begging."
"It can't be that simple, can it?" Mu Anxiao.
Feng Qishi was surprised by how sharp Mu Anxiao's mind had become after the matter was revealed. He smiled, "It isn't that simple."
"What did you have them do?"
"Tell me first how many beggars there are here, and then I'll tell you."
"Can't you count them yourself?" Mu Anxiao asked.
Feng Qishi replied, "I'm too lazy to count. I haven't even properly recognized everyone yet. If I had to count them all, I'd get them mixed up."
Listening to Feng Qishi's exaggerated statement, Mu Anxiao was speechless.
"..."
"Why aren't you speaking?"
"I'm counting," Mu Anxiao replied perfunctorily.
"Alright, I'll wait for you," Feng Qishi said, crossing his arms.
Mu Anxiao glanced at Feng Qishi, mentally counted the beggars, and said, "There are ten in total. Including you and me, that's twelve."
"Only twelve?" Feng Qishi exclaimed in surprise.
"How many did you expect?"
Every day, the beggars came and went. Feng Qishi had always thought there were at least twenty-odd beggars here. Hearing the actual number, he was taken aback.
Seeing Feng Qishi fall silent, Mu Anxiao asked again, "Why aren't you speaking?"
"I thought there were over twenty," Feng Qishi replied.
Mu Anxiao sighed, "At first, there were that many. But because of Lin Yan, many beggars left."
"Is that so!" Feng Qishi said.
Mu Anxiao sighed again. "What do you want to do?"
"Come with me." Feng Qishi said with a mysterious air, then turned and walked out of the dilapidated temple.
Having long grown accustomed to Feng Qishi's eccentric behavior, Mu Anxiao followed him without a word.
In a blink of an eye, Mu Anxiao followed Feng Qishi to a shop that specialized in selling wooden beds.
"What are you doing?" Mu Anxiao asked, looking up at the shop's sign.
Feng Qishi's lips curved into a smile. "Renovating the dilapidated temple."
"You want to put wooden beds in there?" Mu Anxiao asked in surprise.
"Yes, but don't worry," Feng Qishi said, putting his arm around Mu Anxiao's shoulder. "I'll pay for it. Once we catch the demon soul, you can give me a share of the money."
"You really think highly of yourself," Mu Anxiao said, giving Feng Qishi a sidelong glance.
Feng Qishi bumped his head against Mu Anxiao's. "I do think highly of myself."
"You..."
"Let's go in." Feng Qishi interrupted, forcefully guiding Mu Anxiao into the shop.
However, the moment they entered, the female owner of the shop looked directly at Mu Anxiao, who was dressed as a man, and Feng Qishi, then smiled. "This is your good brother," she said, pointing at Mu Anxiao.
Feng Qishi chuckled, "You still remember me."
"Of course, I remember you."
"It's good that you remember. Coincidentally, I have something that needs your help." Feng Qishi still had his arm around Mu Anxiao's shoulder.
Due to Feng Qishi's height, Mu Anxiao was pressed down as he embraced her.
At the same time, the female owner noticed Mu Anxiao's discomfort. "Your brother seems unwell."
Hearing this, Feng Qishi glanced at Mu Anxiao and removed his arm from her shoulder. "Alright, we can talk business now."
The moment Feng Qishi moved away, Mu Anxiao straightened up.
The female owner glanced at Mu Anxiao's attire. "Your brother... is a beggar?"
The female owner hadn't noticed before due to Feng Qishi's obstruction.
"What about it?" Feng Qishi asked nonchalantly.
Everyone present here deeply despised beggars. In their eyes, beggars were lazy good-for-nothings who did nothing but beg from others for money.
Mu Anxiao was aware of this, so she didn't say anything when the female owner asked the question and instead lowered her head self-consciously.
"It's nothing." The female owner swept a contemptuous glance at Mu Anxiao.
Feng Qishi followed the female owner's gaze to Mu Anxiao. "You mentioned you dislike these people and want to see them change. I've thought about this, and I can help you achieve that."
However, the moment Feng Qishi uttered these words, both the female owner and Mu Anxiao wore expressions of astonishment.
Yet, the meaning behind their similar expressions differed.
In the female owner's eyes, Feng Qishi's actions were impractical.
In Mu Anxiao's eyes, Feng Qishi's actions were…benefiting the beggars.
For nearly a year, Mu Anxiao had been scorned by various people. She had tried to find work, but in the eyes of the shop owners, beggars were thieves and robbers. No one was willing to hire them, nor even sell them anything. Feng Qishi's current actions made Mu Anxiao see him in a new light.
"I'm just saying," the female owner replied.
Feng Qishi smiled, "You're just saying it, but you still said it."
"You want to buy wooden beds for those lazy good-for-nothings?" the female owner asked ungraciously.
Feng Qishi replied, "I have that idea. And it would be best if those wooden beds were ready-made."
"They won't thank you for doing this."
Feng Qishi shook his head. "No need."
"Those beggars are blood-sucking fellows. By doing this… you're digging your own grave," the female owner advised.
Mu Anxiao heard another meaning in the female owner's words. But thinking of the hardships of those who begged with her, she couldn't help but say, "There are many beggars here. In your eyes, we are all lazy good-for-nothings. But have you ever thought about yourselves?"
"Why should we think about ourselves? We have our own difficulties too," the female owner retorted.
Mu Anxiao pursed her lips. "I know you have your difficulties too, but... those beggars, they also..."
Mid-sentence, Mu Anxiao suddenly recalled the negative traits of the beggars over the past year. She instantly stopped speaking.