"Why are you only telling us half the story?" Maid Rabbit asked Mu Anxiao, her expression puzzled.
Mu Anxiao pondered for a moment, then looked up and smiled at them. "After you hear what I have to say, you'll surely feel uncomfortable. That's why I decided not to say it."
"Go on," Maid Rabbit urged.
Mu Anxiao pursed her lips and glanced at the other rabbits. "Alright, I'll say it then."
They all looked at Mu Anxiao with increasing anticipation, their eyes shining.
Mu Anxiao gave an awkward smile. "What I wanted to say is, rather than being bound there, it's better to calmly anticipate what it's like after death. No matter what you do, shouldn't there be some expectation!"
"I've heard that great demons don't leave even a shred of soul dust when they kill anything. Even if you anticipate, it might be useless," Rabbit Spirit Number Three said in a low voice.
Instantly, the smiles on their faces vanished.
Mu Anxiao surveyed them, then lowered her head. "If I say I want to think of a way to escape, will you report me?"
"Can you think of one?" Rabbit Spirit Number One exclaimed excitedly.
"Yes," Mu Anxiao said firmly.
"Save us," Rabbit Spirit Number Four pleaded.
Mu Anxiao looked at Rabbit Spirit Number Four and said, "Actually, I don't trust you."
"Why?" Maid Rabbit asked.
Mu Anxiao pursed her lips. "You've been following Queen Rabbit for a very, very long time. Is it easy for you to just say you want to leave?"
"We don't want to die," Rabbit Spirit Number Five said, crying after holding back for so long.
Mu Anxiao turned to Rabbit Spirit Number Five. "Don't cry. Crying won't solve anything."
"What are you going to do?" Rabbit Spirit Number Five asked, trying to suppress her tears.
"Me..." Mu Anxiao scanned the expectant expressions on their faces. "I'm not sure, because I'm not very familiar with the terrain here."
"The cellar," Rabbit Spirit Number Two said excitedly.
The moment Mu Anxiao heard the word "cellar," her heart leaped with joy.
"You have a cellar here?" she asked, feigning surprise.
"Yes, but..." Rabbit Spirit Number Two hesitated. "Queen Rabbit handed the cellar over to the dog-headed demon for management. He changed the direction of the cellar entrance."
"Where was the cellar entrance originally?" Mu Anxiao asked.
"By the door," Rabbit Spirit Number Two pointed to the door of the woodshed.
"Just outside," Mu Anxiao clarified.
Rabbit Spirit Number Two nodded.
"Before," Rabbit Spirit Number Three said, glancing at Rabbit Spirit Number Two, he stood up and stepped forward. "A few rabbits escaped from there, but they were all caught in the end."
"Queen Rabbit caught them?" Mu Anxiao asked.
"No," Rabbit Spirit Number Three shook his head, his face filled with terror. "It was the great demon."
"And then what?" Mu Anxiao's heart began to feel uneasy.
"They were executed on the spot, leaving no trace of their souls," Rabbit Spirit Number Three said, his eyes welling up with tears.
Mu Anxiao had always thought they were just saying that. Hearing a real example now, she was frightened.
"Did your Queen Rabbit say anything?" she asked, her voice trembling.
"No," Rabbit Spirit Number Three shook his head.
"They were her own kind, her companions. And she said nothing?" Mu Anxiao said incredulously.
"In your eyes, we are good companions. But, in our eyes," Rabbit Spirit Number Four gave a bitter smile, "we are merely her tools. Because of this, we have to continuously strive, to become a tool that she cannot bear to lose. That way, we won't have to die."
"Who knew," Rabbit Spirit Number Two sighed, "that in the end, our efforts would result in such a death sentence. It's truly laughable."
The other rabbit spirits fell silent after hearing their words.
Mu Anxiao looked at them, affected by their words, and didn't know what to say.
Maid Rabbit looked at the rabbits who understood everything so clearly and said, "Why don't I have this feeling?"
"Because you've never seen a companion die before your eyes. Because you don't understand that pain, the pain of losing a friend, a family member, who struggled alongside you, sacrificed for a trivial matter."
"I don't have friends or family," Maid Rabbit shook her head.
"I know you. You've always quietly followed Queen Rabbit since you were young. I think if the great demon didn't need the red-clothed one today, you... wouldn't have been appreciated!" Rabbit Spirit Number One said.
Maid Rabbit hadn't thought that far. She had even thought Queen Rabbit was just joking. Now, hearing their words, she was utterly terrified.
"What do we do?" she cried.
Mu Anxiao sighed. "We find a way. What else can we do?"
"The cellar is out," Rabbit Spirit Number Two said.
Mu Anxiao looked at Rabbit Spirit Number Two, thinking about the rabbits who had escaped from the cellar and were caught. She said, "That's strange, why were those rabbits discovered?"
"We don't know," Rabbit Spirit Number One shook his head.
Mu Anxiao lowered her eyes to think, then looked up at their heads. She thought: Huh? Are their weaknesses all in their heads? Thinking this, she frowned and asked, "Um... how did you transform?"
"The great demon gave us a pill, and then helped us find suitable soul essences to absorb. After absorbing those soul essences, we transformed," Rabbit Spirit Number Two explained in detail.
"Is that so?" Mu Anxiao said, glancing at their heads. "Did he hit your heads with something?"
"Although a very, very long time has passed since we transformed," Rabbit Spirit Number Three said, his gaze firm, "as you say, he did indeed touch our heads."
Hearing Rabbit Spirit Number Three's honest confession, Mu Anxiao suddenly understood.
"I know," she said.
"Know what?" Maid Rabbit asked tearfully, pouting.
Mu Anxiao looked at Maid Rabbit. "Your lives are in that guy's hands. He can let you live, or he can," she narrowed her eyes, "let you die."
"Then, if you say so, our lives... are really over," Rabbit Spirit Number One said, hanging his head in dejection.
"We're doomed." They all felt discouraged.
Before, Mu Anxiao hadn't dared to consider the ability to float. Now, seeing them, she was a little scared of that guy too.
Maid Rabbit cried in despair a few times, then looked up at Mu Anxiao. "Do you have any way to save us?"
Hearing this, Mu Anxiao deliberately suppressed the fear in her heart. "This... I just discovered it. A way to save you," she shook her head. "I really don't have one."
"Then can you think of one?" Maid Rabbit clasped her hands together, pleading.
Then, they all turned their gazes to Mu Anxiao.
Mu Anxiao touched the back of her head and said hesitantly, "Um, please let me... think about it!"