The first villager, anxious that the young man might suspect something, quickly explained, "Oh, she's our friend, she likes to run, we just don't like to."
The young man, listening to the first villager's strange explanation and glancing at Mu Anxiao, said, "I think I understand."
"Hurry up and get back to work," Mu Anxiao urged, worried the young man might pry further and harm her.
"Alright." The young man cast another look at Mu Anxiao, placed the teapot on the table, and said, "If you want water, pour it yourselves."
"Okay," the first villager replied with a smile.
The young man gave an awkward smile back and turned to leave.
Mu Anxiao breathed a sigh of relief.
The second villager picked up the teapot. "Does it cost money for us to drink tea here?"
"You'll definitely have to pay," Mu Anxiao said, resting her chin on her hand.
"But we don't have any money," the second villager said blankly.
Upon hearing this, Mu Anxiao looked at the teacup the second villager had filled. "This tea is very expensive. You've really gotten yourself into trouble."
"I..."
"Don't 'I' me. Do you want to know why he came here?" Mu Anxiao asked slyly.
The second villager glanced at the tea in his cup with lingering apprehension. "I don't know."
"It's because they drank the owner's tea and didn't pay. Do you know who the owner of this shop is?" Mu Anxiao raised an eyebrow.
"What's her identity?" the second villager leaned in to ask.
"She's a woman, but she doesn't have a husband."
"So she's the boss then." The second villager spoke.
Mu Anxiao nodded. "You're right. But, she has someone in her heart."
"She has someone in her heart, but that's not necessarily... her husband, is it?" The second villager's thoughts were being led astray by Mu Anxiao.
Mu Anxiao continued, "Her husband is a monster, much weaker than the one you're trying to catch. Even the cultivators couldn't subdue him, and in the end, he was dealt with by a weak woman. Do you understand what I mean?"
The first villager interjected, "You just mean that the cultivators aren't as powerful as they seem, right?"
"I see," Mu Anxiao replied, glancing at the first villager.
The first villager reached out and picked up the teacup in front of the second villager. "I see."
"Then do we still have to do this?" Mu Anxiao asked.
"You know our objective, don't you?"
"I don't know," Mu Anxiao shook her head.
"If you don't know, why are you talking so much?" the first villager frowned.
"I don't know your objective, but," Mu Anxiao pointed to her ear, "I've heard of your cruelty. Of course, I thought that by being so cruel to a mortal, you could show off your power. But when it comes to monsters, that's another matter."
"We've seen cultivators capture monsters," the first villager stated earnestly.
"You have," Mu Anxiao repeated, then asked, "What kind of monsters did you capture?"
"We don't know," the first villager shook his head.
"You don't know, yet you say you've seen it? You're just saying that to make a fool of yourself," Mu Anxiao said nonchalantly.
"Whatever you think. Since you don't understand our plan, don't jump to conclusions," the first villager said, taking a sip of tea.
The second villager looked at the teacup with distress. "I have no money."
"Her," the first villager pointed at Mu Anxiao.
Mu Anxiao scoffed. "You want to capture me, and you still expect me to pay for your tea? You really have a lot of nerve."
"If you cooperate, we'll be in a good mood, and we'll let you go after a couple of days. If you don't cooperate," the first villager's lips curved into a smile, "I'll marry you off to the village idiot."
"You wouldn't dare," Mu Anxiao's eyes widened.
"To be honest, from the first moment I saw you, I thought you and our village idiot would be quite a match. So, that's one of the reasons I abandoned my previous plan," the first villager said seriously.
Mu Anxiao was speechless.
The second villager thought for a moment. "Isn't the village idiot your brother?"
The first villager glanced at the second villager and said nothing.
At this moment, Mu Anxiao had developed a strong sense of distrust towards the two villagers before her.
At the village entrance, a wolf demon looked up at the villagers still hanging from the trees, pleading for help. "Tell me where they went. If you tell me, I'll let you down."
"Don't you want to know our objective? I..." the elder, unable to hold on any longer, lifted his face.
"Do you want some water?" the wolf demon asked, looking down at the elder.
"Yes," the elder nodded.
The wolf demon's lips curled into a smile. He stepped forward, squatted in front of the elder, and said, "I'll untie you. If you run, I'll hang you back up."
"I won't run," the elder shook his head.
Seeing the elder's compromise, the wolf demon reached out and gently untied the ropes binding the elder's hands. He then picked up the water flask from the ground and handed it to the elder. "Drink up, but don't drink too quickly."
"I know," the elder said, taking the flask and opening the lid. He tilted his head back and began to drink.
The wolf demon watched the elder's throat and asked, "Tell me, what is your objective?"
"We'll tell you if you let us down. We want to drink water," the fourth villager shouted.
The wolf demon chuckled, stood up, and looked at the fourth villager. "Just now, you were quite arrogant. Why are you willing to cooperate now? Oh, I really don't believe you."
"You're a monster. Even if we get down, we can't confront you," the fourth villager said weakly.
The third villager swallowed with a dry throat. "He's right. You're a monster. Even if we wanted to pick up our hoes and beat you, you wouldn't give us that chance."
"That's right. Just let us down. My silly son can't hold on any longer," the uncle glanced at the silly boy who had fainted nearby.
Hearing the uncle's voice, the wolf demon walked forward and looked up at the silly boy. "You're the one who led the charge to beat my father, I recognize your voice."
"I..."
"If you dare to deny it, I won't let you down," the wolf demon threatened.
The uncle closed his eyes for a moment upon hearing this. "It was me. But I really don't know where my eldest son went. My son," he glanced at the slender child next to him, "he really can't hold on any longer."
"Let us go, we are women," a woman's voice pleaded.
The wolf demon shifted his gaze to the woman. "What's wrong with being a woman? Your strength isn't great either."
"I... I was wrong," the woman said, pouting and starting to cry.
The wolf demon glared at the woman, then sighed. "Alright, alright. I can let you down, but once you're down, everyone must be obedient."
"We'll be obedient, we promise," they all said in unison.
Satisfied with their answer, the wolf demon put his hands on his hips and nodded. "Fine, fine, I'll let you down now." As he spoke, he took a few steps back and raised his hands.