“Not my biological grandmother,” Mu Anxiao exclaimed, startled. Looking at Yan Luosuo’s dejected expression, she said, “I think you shouldn’t overthink it.”
“What do you mean by that?” Yan asked, frowning.
Mu Anxiao pursed her lips and said, “You aren’t her biological granddaughter, and it’s already very good that she raised you. Don’t be so ungrateful.”
Yan rolled her eyes at Mu Anxiao and said, “Who is being ungrateful? I just wanted to tell you how I feel. After we go back, I’ll be the same as before, and I’ll still be my grandmother’s good granddaughter.”
“Then your grandmother must be very worried about you now,” Mu Anxiao said, playing along with Yan.
Yan thought for a moment and said, “I always run off. At first, Grandma would scold me, but gradually, she stopped. Because she knows I can come back alive.”
“Have you had any contact with humans?” Mu Anxiao asked curiously.
Yan shook her head. “No. My grandmother said that interacting with humans can cause a lot of unnecessary trouble. So, every time I go out, I don’t talk to humans.” She pointed at Mu Anxiao. “Of course, you are an exception.”
“Thank you for that,” Mu Anxiao said nonchalantly.
“Why are you thanking me?” Yan asked, confused.
“I’m also human. For a little demon like you, who doesn’t like talking to humans, to talk to me, isn’t that my honor? So,” Mu Anxiao smiled, “I must thank you, I must thank you.”
“If you hadn’t said that, I wouldn’t have thought you were a polite person,” Yan said with a smile.
“Heh heh, how should we do it? Let’s think,” Mu Anxiao said, tilting her chin up.
“We should think,” Yan said, standing up and looking around. “If I’m not mistaken, there are no barriers here.”
“I felt that, but there are rabbits outside. How do we get out?” Mu Anxiao pointed at the door.
Yan looked down at Mu Anxiao and smiled faintly. “We don’t necessarily have to go through the door.”
“This is a demolition site. It’s sealed all around, so how…”
“You old fool, are you stupid? They are rabbits, they don’t use firewood,” Yan said, hands on her hips.
Mu Anxiao heard this, stood up, and looked around in the candlelight. “This wasn’t a woodshed before. It was a guest room.”
“Yes,” Yan nodded.
Mu Anxiao knitted her brows tightly. “Then why did that rabbit say it was a woodshed?”
Yan glanced at the door and said softly, “It is said that they were rabbits raised by immortal cultivators here before. So, when they were rabbits, they were locked in here. And they are the kind of guys who don’t listen carefully to what people say. After a long time, they thought this was a woodshed.”
“What you’re saying makes sense,” Mu Anxiao agreed.
“Since you’ve figured it out, let’s take action,” Yan said, intentionally pointing at the window.
Mu Anxiao looked up and said, “How about we leave during the day?”
“No, it’s safer for us to act now,” Yan said.
Mu Anxiao thought for a moment and said, “Alright then. Before that, tell me your plan. Otherwise, it will be bad if something goes wrong later.”
“I…” Yan shifted her gaze and said, “So far, I’ve only thought of the first step.”
“What about the second step?” Mu Anxiao asked.
Yan gave an awkward smile. “I think if we take the first step well, the rest will go smoothly.”
“Do you think you’re accomplishing your life goals? Taking it one step at a time,” Mu Anxiao had a new understanding of Yan’s way of thinking.
“Then, shall we think again?” Yan sounded uncertain.
“Yes, that’s the only way,” Mu Anxiao said, stepping back and sitting on the ground again.
Yan crouched down and asked, “Why are you sitting down again?”
“My goal today was to come here. Since I’ve arrived, I can naturally rest.” As she spoke, Mu Anxiao lay down directly.
Yan’s mouth twitched. “Didn’t we say we’d discuss it?”
“My brain is too tired now. I’m going to sleep,” Mu Anxiao said, closing her eyes.
Yan let out a groan and said, “We haven’t even discussed anything yet, and you’re asleep. My mood has just started to pick up, and you’re ruining it.”
Mu Anxiao said with her eyes closed, “If you’re in the mood, keep thinking. I hope that by morning, you can give me a good plan.”
“Okay,” Yan agreed and sat on the ground.
In the deep forest, Xu Lan Yan sensed the presence of demons and turned around, saying, “Come out, stop lurking.”
The black-clothed demon heard this, chuckled, and walked out from behind the trees to stand before Xu Lan Yan, asking, “Do you need our help with anything?”
“You just need to stop lurking,” Xu Lan Yan said, turning around and looking up at the demon barriers hanging on the surrounding trees, sighing.
“What’s wrong?” the black-clothed demon leaned in and asked, looking at Xu Lan Yan’s back.
Xu Lan Yan said, “If I start now, the light will be too obvious, and it will definitely attract the rabbits. What do you think,” he turned sideways to look at the black-clothed demon, “how about we start after dawn?”
“I think that’s a good idea,” the black-clothed demon readily agreed.
“Alright, if Mu Anxiao asks tomorrow, I’ll say it was your idea,” Xu Lan Yan said, pointing at the black-clothed demon, and then turned back to sit by the tree.
The black-clothed demon glanced at the smaller demons behind him with a troubled look and stepped forward, saying, “Immortal, then you can start now.”
“Are you afraid of Mu Anxiao?” Xu Lan Yan asked with a smile.
The black-clothed demon rolled his eyes. “No, I just think it’s better to get things done and over with sooner.”
“If I act now, and the rabbits come later, can you handle them?” Xu Lan Yan asked deliberately.
The black-clothed demon blinked. “I don’t know.”
“What do you mean you don’t know?” Xu Lan Yan tilted his head.
“I haven’t interacted with them face-to-face, they…”
“They are ruthless killers, are you sure you can fight them?” Xu Lan Yan smiled.
Upon hearing this, the black-clothed demon shook his head. “No.”
“Let’s rest. We’ll think of a way in the morning,” Xu Lan Yan instructed.
“Then…”
“Don’t worry, I’ll say it was my own arrangement. You must be tired after following me around this much,” Xu Lan Yan said, deliberately glancing at the smaller demons standing behind the black-clothed demon.
The smaller demons smiled brightly upon hearing Xu Lan Yan’s concern for them.
Xu Lan Yan looked at them, smiled, and closed his eyes.
Time passed, and the sky gradually brightened. The candle in the woodshed had burned out. Yan was snoring on the ground, and Mu Anxiao, holding Yan’s leg, smacked her lips. Before she could fully wake up, the door was kicked open by the red-clothed rabbit spirit.
“You two seem quite affectionate,” she said loudly.
Mu Anxiao and Yan showed no reaction, continuing to sleep.
Seeing this, the red-clothed rabbit spirit became enraged, clenched her fists, and strode to Yan’s side, kicking her arm forcefully.
Following this, Yan instinctively kicked the leg Mu Anxiao was holding.
The next second, Mu Anxiao woke up.
“Why did you kick me?” she shouted, loosening her arms from Yan’s leg.