Mu Anxiao averted her gaze, not wanting any eye contact with the young man.
Seeing Mu Anxiao deliberately avoiding her sight, the young man considered his location. He casually dismissed his unfriendly thoughts about Mu Anxiao, stood up, and said, "Hmm, you're in."
At this moment, Mu Anxiao was ready to speak up for herself.
Upon hearing this, the first man glanced at Mu Anxiao again and asked, "Did you see her?"
Following the first man's gaze, the young man also glanced at Mu Anxiao and nodded, "Yes."
"Is she a thief?" The first man persisted with his idea.
The young man shook his head, "No."
Mu Anxiao was surprised that the young man spoke up for her.
Feng Qishi stared fiercely at the first man, "Apologize."
Startled by Feng Qishi's attitude, the first man quickly looked at Mu Anxiao and said, "I'm sorry."
Mu Anxiao wanted to see the first man in this state, so she smiled, "I don't hold grudges against petty people."
"You..."
"What about me? You want to fight?" Mu Anxiao said, making a gesture to roll up her sleeves.
The first man frowned, "You? You think you can beat me."
"I can," Mu Anxiao stated firmly, widening her eyes.
The first man remained disdainful of Mu Anxiao. "You should just go home, wash up, and sleep." He then looked at the young man, "Why did you go into the forbidden forest?"
The young man: "I wanted to see if there were any evil spirits there."
"Evil spirits," the second man repeated, glancing at Mu Anxiao, and continued, "I think she is the evil spirit."
First a thief, now an evil spirit.
Mu Anxiao was speechless with this man.
However, the moment the second man spoke, everyone else also retreated a step in fear.
Seeing this, Mu Anxiao quickly said, "I am human, you all know me, I... I could..."
"You talked to spirits yesterday," the woman realized.
Mu Anxiao froze.
The woman quickly added, "Yes, yesterday, you indeed talked with those monsters and spirits. You... who are you?"
"Yes, who are you?"
"You said you rescued him from the forbidden forest," the second woman said nervously, "but no one who went in came back normal. You're not right."
"That's right, no one who went in came back unharmed. You managed to bring him back, and... carried him back on your back. That's not right, not right."
The things that had happened recently were indeed strange. Mu Anxiao had no room to refute the words of these commoners, as they were all facts.
So, she remained silent, accepting all their venting.
Seeing Mu Anxiao's silence and the commoners pointing fingers at her, Feng Qishi angrily said, "Without her, you wouldn't be able to survive at all."
Upon hearing this, they all fell silent.
Feng Qishi glanced at them and continued, "You are truly ungrateful."
"You are in league with her," a girl of about eight or nine years old shouted up at Feng Qishi.
Immediately, Feng Qishi lowered his head to look at the girl's face. Just as he was about to speak, the girl's mother grabbed her arm and then looked at Feng Qishi with fear, saying, "Yes, you are in league with her, of course you have to side with her."
"Yes, yes."
Just like that, they turned their attention back to Feng Qishi.
"You are all bringers of misfortune."
"That's right, if it weren't for you, we wouldn't have been captured by spirit souls and wouldn't be living in fear."
"Yes, yes, yes."
"Get out, get out of here, you stinking beggars."
"Get out."
As they were shouting, the few beggars at the end exchanged glances with each other, turned, and left.
Mu Anxiao had intended to bear it all alone, but Feng Qishi was unexpectedly dragged into it. Now, seeing their faces shifting all the blame onto herself and Feng Qishi, and hearing their escalating shouts for them to leave, her heart sank, and she conceded, "We'll leave, we'll leave."
Feng Qishi was stunned and called out, "Mu the Fool."
At first, Mu Anxiao didn't consider it her fault or think of herself as a bringer of misfortune. But, hearing their words now, she suddenly felt like it was indeed the case.
She was the bringer of misfortune.
"Let's go," Mu Anxiao took Feng Qishi's arm.
The young man's eyes darkened. He looked at Mu Anxiao, who was being innocently driven away, and then at the angry villagers, not daring to speak.
The initial intention of the four men was only to take Mu Anxiao to the county office a hundred miles away. They never expected things to turn out like this, so they dared not speak.
However, Feng Qishi still didn't believe these events were directly related to Mu Anxiao, as this place was inherently prone to being targeted by spirit souls and monsters.
As far as he knew, before Mu Anxiao came here, there were hardly any residents. In fact, spirit souls liked to hide here. It was only after Mu Anxiao arrived that this place truly gained a sense of human activity.
Now, Mu Anxiao had protected them for ten years, only to be met with their heartless expulsion.
Putting himself in her shoes, he felt a chill for Mu Anxiao.
In the blink of an eye, Mu Anxiao, pulling Feng Qishi, stopped at the entrance of an alley not far from the city gate. "There's no one here," she said, letting go of his arm.
Feng Qishi glanced behind them and asked, "Are you alright?"
Mu Anxiao sighed, "I'm fine, I'm used to it."
"Used to it?"
"Yes, over the past ten years here, I've encountered many things. Actually," Mu Anxiao gave a bitter smile, "I knew they would be like this long ago."
"What do you mean?" Feng Qishi asked, puzzled.
Mu Anxiao bit her lip. "What do I mean? I don't know how to explain it. Anyway... people's moods change so quickly. One moment they praise you to the heavens, the next, if they find you useless, they'll push you into hell. I'm used to all of this." She finished with a bitter smile.
For ten years, Mu Anxiao had dealt with these people constantly. When there were no spirit souls around, she would chat with them. Many women also liked to gossip about their husbands to her.
Every time Mu Anxiao offered advice or told them not to overthink things, they would turn hostile and point at her, calling her a "stinky man."
In short, she had seen all sorts of mood swings, and gradually, she had become accustomed to it.
If they wanted her to leave, so be it. Her skin was thick enough!
Feng Qishi: "Your experiences are truly rich."
"..." Mu Anxiao sneered, "Not bad."
"You're not being humble at all," Feng Qishi said, turning to look back in the direction they came from, and asked, "Where are we going next?"
"An inn."
"An inn?"
"Yes, we can't go back to the dilapidated temple. Let's go to an inn and make plans, then we'll see."
"If we go to an inn, won't they drive us away?" Feng Qishi worried.
Mu Anxiao: "As long as we pay, they won't drive us away." Saying that, she turned and walked into the alley.
Seeing this, Feng Qishi hurried to catch up with her and asked, "This is a dead end."
"The road is just beyond the wall, we can just climb over," Mu Anxiao said as she walked.
Feng Qishi: "That's muddy ground, and it's sticky mud, very dirty."
"Sticky mud is even better, it won't hurt if you fall," Mu Anxiao completely ignored Feng Qishi's words.
Feng Qishi listened to Mu Anxiao's reply and reluctantly accepted his fate.
A quarter of an hour later.
Mu Anxiao and Feng Qishi, covered in dirt, returned to the inn. Yuan Ye stood up quickly from his table when he saw them return.
The inn was still deserted. Mu Anxiao, unconcerned about her dirtiness, walked directly to the table and scanned Yuan Ye from head to toe. "Have you been here all night?" she asked.
"No, I just came down."
"Oh," Mu Anxiao nodded, then turned to the waiter who was approaching and asked, "What's for food now?"
"Beef noodles."
"They have beef noodles this early?" Mu Anxiao was surprised.
The waiter nodded, "Yes. Do you want a large bowl or a small bowl?"
"A large bowl, of course," Mu Anxiao said, sitting down.
The waiter happily replied, "Alright," and walked away.
Mu Anxiao looked at her dirty hands and clicked her tongue, "Really dirty."
Feng Qishi looked at his mud-covered clothes with disgust, then at the clumps of mud stuck to the strands of Mu Anxiao's hair, and said, "Do you want to wash up?"
"What's there to wash? I just want to eat," Mu Anxiao said, looking at Feng Qishi.
Feng Qishi: "Then you eat." He then looked at the waiter who had just notified the kitchen, "Waiter, heat up some bathwater for me."
"Alright."
Mu Anxiao picked up the teapot, poured herself some water, and asked Feng Qishi, "Aren't you eating?"
Feng Qishi lowered his head, "I'm not eating. I'm too dirty, I can't eat."
Mu Anxiao curled her lips, put down the teapot, waved her hand, "Go, go, go." After speaking, she turned and picked up a cup to drink some water.
Feng Qishi: "..." He shook his head slightly and turned to leave.
Mu Anxiao ignored Feng Qishi, put down the teacup, and looked at Yuan Ye opposite her, who was also looking at her with disdain. "What are you looking at?" she asked. As she spoke, she picked up the teacup again, turned sideways, poured warm water onto her hand, and very perfunctorily washed her hands.
"You're really dirty," Yuan Ye said disdainfully.
"Dirty, then don't look," Mu Anxiao said, letting out a yawn. "Has no one been here?" she asked, putting down her teacup.
"No."
"No?" Mu Anxiao said, thinking that if Yuan Ye knew she had been driven away, he certainly wouldn't dare to speak to her like this.
Yuan Ye frowned, noticing Mu Anxiao's expression was not right.
At the same time, the first man, accompanied by the second man, walked into the inn and immediately saw Mu Anxiao.
Yuan Ye looked at them.
Mu Anxiao followed Yuan Ye's gaze and turned to look at them. Her heart skipped a beat.
Subsequently, the first man's eyes widened, "Bringer of ill omen, you actually came here."
Mu Anxiao: "I'm just having a meal and then continuing my journey, can't I?" she said, feigning composure.
"No," the first man said sternly, walking quickly behind Mu Anxiao. "Get out."
Mu Anxiao looked up at the first man and clicked her tongue.
The first man glared at her, "I told you to get out, can't you hear me?"
"I'm going, I heard you," Mu Anxiao said, standing up.
Yuan Ye looked at the situation in confusion. Just as he was about to speak, Mu Anxiao suddenly extended a finger and pressed a pressure point on the first man, freezing him in place.
Mu Anxiao clapped her hands, "It's quieter like this." Then, she immediately looked at the second man, who was about to go and report, and shouted, "Stop." She then cast a spell.
Next, the blue light that shot from Mu Anxiao's fingertips accurately hit the second man's back. The next second, the second man lay on the ground, unable to move.
Seeing this, Mu Anxiao lowered her hands and said, "This is really troublesome." Saying that, she stepped over the chair, bypassed the first man, and walked gracefully towards the door.
The second man, lying on the ground, cried out without making a sound, "Help, help."
Following that, Mu Anxiao stepped over the second man and walked to the door. Just as she was about to close it, she accidentally saw Xiao Zeng and Xie Xin being chased by several beggars.
Subsequently, she lowered her gaze and thought. Just as she was about to step over the threshold, Xie Xin shouted, "Wolf demon, save us." Xie Xin looked anxiously at the wolf demon and Piao opposite them.
Hearing this, Mu Anxiao hurriedly withdrew her foot, turned, and hid behind the door, preparing to act according to the situation.
Outside.
Xie Xin, with Xiao Zeng, ran to the wolf demon's front. Then, she grabbed the wolf demon's arm and said, "Save us."
The wolf demon looked down at Xie Xin with disdain and asked, "What trouble have you gotten into now?" As he spoke, he glanced at the beggars who had stopped opposite them and shook off Xie Xin's hand.
Xie Xin: "How would I know?" Saying that, she grabbed the wolf demon's arm again.
"You don't know, they are chasing you," the wolf demon said, looking down at Xiao Zeng, "Are you alright?" He asked, shaking off Xie Xin's hand again.
This time, Xie Xin was unhappy.
Xiao Zeng shook his head.
Just then, Lin Yan, panting, ran behind the wolf demon and asked, "What's going on?" He glanced at the beggars opposite them.
The wolf demon turned his head to look at Lin Yan, "How would I know?" Saying that, he turned back to the beggars and shouted, "Why are you chasing them?"
Piao remained silent throughout, only staring at them.
The first beggar: "You are friends with the bringer of ill omen, so naturally, you should also get out."
The second beggar: "Yes, all of you get out."
"Get out, get out, get out."
Piao clenched his fists, watching the beggars who kept driving them away, and shouted, "Who are you talking about as the bringer of ill omen?"
The third beggar stepped forward, "Who else could it be, Mu Anxiao."
"Mu Anxiao," Piao repeated, recalling what Mu Anxiao had done for them. He was angered, "What a group of ungrateful wretches."
"If she wasn't here, we wouldn't have experienced so many disasters that we shouldn't have," the first beggar said righteously.
The second beggar agreed, "Yes, it's because of her that all our brothers died."
The third beggar: "That's right. I beg you, please leave." Seeing that Piao was not to be trifled with, he softened his tone.
The wolf demon frowned.
Xie Xin was afraid of them, so she took Xiao Zeng and went behind the wolf demon.
Lin Yan looked at the beggars who had a strong prejudice against Mu Anxiao, his heart sank, "..." He turned to look at Piao.
Piao: "You all leave."
"You..."
"We don't know where Mu Anxiao is either. We just want to have a meal now. If you continue to disturb us," Piao said coldly, "don't blame me for being impolite."
Piao was considered a tough character in this city, and they all knew he was wealthy. Therefore, after he said this, they dared not say anything more. After exchanging glances, they left.
Subsequently, Piao added, "If you dare to tell anyone else about what happened here, I won't let you off either."
Upon hearing this, the beggars who had this thought in mind stiffened, and each ran away without daring to look back.
Piao watched their retreating figures, snorted lightly, turned to look at the wolf demon who was staring at him, and asked, "What are you looking at me for?"
"Are you trying to distance yourself from Mu Anxiao?" the wolf demon retorted.
Piao did not speak and turned to walk towards the inn.
Behind the door, Mu Anxiao pondered the beggars' words in her mind and thought of Mu Xi. Her eyes then darkened. She turned to look at Piao, who had just crossed the threshold, "You're here."
Upon hearing this, Piao calmly looked at Mu Anxiao, "Got into trouble."
"No," Mu Anxiao lowered her head.
Piao walked up to Mu Anxiao, "Not yet. Because of you, we've all been implicated." Saying that, he looked at Xie Xin and the others who had stopped at the door.
The wolf demon closed the door with one hand and said, "You're back."
Mu Anxiao grunted. Forgetting about the demon core, she scanned the waiter who was placing the beef noodles on the table. Before she could speak, the waiter looked at the first and second men, who were standing and lying on the ground respectively, and froze.
Seeing the waiter's expression, Mu Anxiao said helplessly, "Don't worry, I won't do anything to you." Saying that, she stepped forward.
A moment later, Mu Anxiao, holding the bowl, finished the last sip of soup and looked at Xiao Zeng, who was eating noodles from a small bowl opposite her. "Are you full?" she asked, putting down the bowl.
Xiao Zeng, with a greasy mouth, nodded.
Mu Anxiao: "That's good then." Saying that, she wiped the oil from her mouth with her hand and then looked at the wolf demon and Piao, who were staring at her, and asked, "What are you looking at me for?"
Piao: "You've finished eating, you can say it now."
"What do you want me to say?" Mu Anxiao frowned.
Piao: "Why did they call you a bringer of ill omen?"
"..." Mu Anxiao's eyes darkened. "Evil spirit, have you heard of it?" she stared at Piao.
Piao frowned, "What is that?"
However, the moment Mu Anxiao said this, Xie Xin grabbed the wolf demon's arm. Not only that, but she also rested her head on the wolf demon's arm and said in a high-pitched voice, "Evil spirit, how scary."
The wolf demon looked disgusted and tried to pull his arm away, but it was no use.
Xie Xin: "Protect me." She looked up at the wolf demon.
The wolf demon lowered his head, glanced at Xie Xin, and said, "Mu Anxiao, help me." He turned to look at Mu Anxiao.
Xie Xin pouted.
The wolf demon turned his body away.
Mu Anxiao saw Xie Xin's behavior and considered the current situation. She said, "Xie Xin, do you know about evil spirits?"
Hearing this, Xie Xin seemed to have found her self-worth, let go, sat up straight, and said, "Evil spirit? I think I've heard of it." She returned to normal.
"You think?" Mu Anxiao retorted.
Xie Xin nodded, "Yes, when I came, I think I heard the spirit souls mention it..." She thought for a moment and continued, "They said..." Halfway through her sentence, her mind went blank.
Mu Anxiao felt that Xie Xin must know something, so she patiently waited for her reply.