"Where's your brother?"
"My brother is Mo Bi."
"Mo Bi?" Mu Anxiao repeated, beginning to suspect the boy was lying.
As Mu Anxiao harbored these doubts, Villager Number One lowered his gaze and asked, "Why do you want our names?"
Hearing Villager Number One's question, Mu Anxiao cautiously glanced at Mo Chu again, swallowed, and asked, "Are you really named Mo Bi?"
"You don't believe me."
"No," Mu Anxiao said quickly, worried the idiot might have another episode.
"..." Mo Chu remained silent and began to play with the water.
"Mhm," Mo Bi nodded.
Initially, Mu Anxiao had expected their names to be rather common. After hearing them, she gained a new perspective on their family.
"Mu Anxiao."
At the sound, Mu Anxiao hastily looked up at Mo Chu. At the same time, Mo Chu lifted the basin and splashed most of the dishwater onto her face.
She stood there stunned.
Mo Chu dropped the basin, stood up, and burst into laughter.
Mo Chu's pigeon-like cackle further rendered Mu Anxiao speechless.
In the Celestial Realm, Feng Qishi stood by the Celestial Lake, from which one could overlook all affairs of the mortal world, and gaze upon whomever one wished. He watched through the lake's waters as the idiot treated Mu Anxiao, his fists clenching tightly.
Shi Yi stood beside him, his face filled with indignation. "This is outrageous."
Mu Anxiao had been under the attention of Feng Qishi and Shi Yi since emerging from the cellar. The reason they had suddenly arrived at the Celestial Lake was thanks to Feng Qishi's junior brother, Shi Yi's senior brother, the green-robed man.
In the Celestial Hall, the green-robed man stood in the center, sweeping away celestial dust with his whisk and using spells to clear the ground obscured by clouds. Hong Yan stood by, watching the green-robed man clean for her, her face blushing with shyness.
"Master is also... This Celestial Hall is such a large place, and he's only asked you to clean it. Doesn't he worry if you can clean it properly?"
"Eh?"
The green-robed man cast his spells as he spoke, "Don't misunderstand. I'm helping you purely because I'm afraid you won't clean it properly. I have mysophobia; if I stay in a place that isn't clean, I feel uncomfortable."
"You're just afraid I won't clean it properly?"
"What else would it be?"
She had thought the green-robed man was concerned for her. To her surprise, his answer was... for himself. Lowering her gaze slightly, she couldn't help but smile, smiling at her own naivety, so naive that... in such a short period, she had fallen for him.
"Why aren't you speaking anymore?"
"Young Master, I want to ask you... do you like me?" Hong Yan couldn't help but ask.
The green-robed man had never imagined Hong Yan would ask him such a question. Her sudden inquiry caught him completely off guard. He stopped his spellcasting, turned to Hong Yan, and let out a silly laugh.
Seeing the green-robed man smile foolishly at her, Hong Yan smiled and said, "I understand." With that, she walked out of the Celestial Hall.
The moment Hong Yan left, the green-robed man sighed.
By the Celestial Lake, Feng Qishi, peering through the lake waters at Mu Anxiao's plight below, his eyes betraying his anger, said, "I'll go talk to Master. I want to go to the mortal realm."
Shi Yi had the same thought and quickly said, "I'll go with you."
"Why are you coming with me? I'm going to help Mu Anxiao, she..."
"She won't be happy to see you," the old man interrupted.
Feng Qishi was not surprised by the old man's sudden appearance. Instead, he calmly turned to the old man and asked, "Master, Mu Anxiao has been bullied so much. Those humans are going too far, and that idiot... what's he thinking?"
Shi Yi also turned around, chiming in, "Exactly. Why should that idiot splash dishwater on Mu Anxiao's face? Her face may not be exquisite, but it's not meant to be cleaned like that."
Hearing this, Feng Qishi forcefully nudged Shi Yi's arm. "How can you speak like that?"
Shi Yi was startled by Feng Qishi's question and said earnestly, "I'm not... I'm just anxious, aren't I?"
"Anxious... but you can't talk like that."
"I was wrong, Senior Brother."
"That's more like it." Feng Qishi shot Shi Yi a glare, then turned back to the old man smiling at him and Shi Yi and said, "Master, we cannot stand idly by."
"Zhang Yan has already gone."
"We know, but Mu Anxiao still..."
"Zhang Yan will find her," the old man interrupted.
Shi Yi was left speechless.
Unwilling to accept this, Feng Qishi said, "Master, alright, I'll listen to you, but I have one condition."
"Speak."
"I want to watch her from here."
The old man assented with a sound. "Good." He then looked at Shi Yi, "Take care of your senior brother."
"Yes, Master," Shi Yi said, cupping his hands.
The old man turned and walked away.
Shi Yi lowered his hands, turned to Feng Qishi, and said, "Senior Brother, are we still going?"
Feng Qishi glanced at Shi Yi and said, "Master has said so. Let's forget about it. Besides, neither of us has enough spiritual energy. If we don't even reach the mortal realm and die halfway... wouldn't that be embarrassing?"
Shi Yi thought Feng Qishi's words were reasonable and said nothing further.
Feng Qishi suppressed his urge to help Mu Anxiao and turned to look at the lake again.
Shi Yi no longer had the courage to watch below. "Look, I'll wait for you over there," he said, walking towards the celestial tree.
Feng Qishi remained silent.
Below, Mu Anxiao felt utterly overwhelmed by Mo Chu's antics. Standing at his doorstep, she looked at Mo Chu, who was darting around in front of her, her forehead beaded with sweat. Closing her eyes, she truly realized... she was indeed a complete and utter waste.
"Mu Anxiao, here."
At the sound, Mu Anxiao opened her eyes and looked at the sheep dung Mo Chu held in his hand. She quickly took half a step back and said, "Throw it away."
"Stone." Mo Chu smiled and directly threw the sheep dung at Mu Anxiao.
Mu Anxiao had never imagined her luck could be this bad. With wide eyes, she looked at the idiot pointing and laughing at her, on the verge of tears. She couldn't stand it any longer and shouted, "You'd better not run." Saying this, she bent down, picked up a pebble, then straightened up and, dragging the clanking chains, chased after Mo Chu.
Mo Chu ran.
Unexpectedly, before Mu Anxiao could run a few steps, the chain restricted her speed. That wasn't all; just as she was about to persevere, her toe hooked the chain. The next second, her foot tripped forward, and she fell face-first.
Mo Chu heard it, turned around, pointed at Mu Anxiao, and burst into laughter.
The passing villagers, seeing Mo Chu laugh, also laughed mercilessly.
Mu Anxiao lay on the ground, wanting to cry but not daring to. She looked at her palm, scraped by the stone, and muttered, "Unlucky." Then, using her other hand to support herself, she unsteadily stood up.
"Are you alright?"