"If you're happy, you'll agree to my request," Ouyang Ye said. Mu Anxiao, seeing an opportunity to please him, offered a stiff smile. She tightened her grip on his arm.
Ouyang Ye stiffened and looked down at her hand. "What trick are you up to now?"
"What trick? That's a rather hurtful thing to say," Mu Anxiao replied, tilting her head to gaze intently at his face. "I want to ask you something." The hand holding his arm began to tremble uncontrollably.
Ouyang Ye felt the tension radiating from Mu Anxiao. He thought of the coachman he'd locked in the woodshed and narrowed his eyes. "Speak."
"What do you like?" Mu Anxiao asked, her face alight with anticipation. She planned to use the fulfillment of Ouyang Ye's 'wish' as a means to enter the General's mansion.
Ouyang Ye fell silent, his gaze meeting hers.
Seeing the doubt in his expression, Mu Anxiao's nerves tightened. She feigned anger. "What's with that look? I'm asking out of kindness." She released his arm. "What do you mean by looking at me like that?"
"I know what you're up to. Don't think I don't."
"You..."
"If it's your achievement, I'll say it's yours. If it's not, it never will be. Of course," Ouyang Ye added with uncharacteristic seriousness, "if you want this credit, I can offer you a way. How about it?"
A way?
Though Mu Anxiao wasn't entirely sure what Ouyang Ye was scheming, she had a inkling, given his cunning nature, that if she answered him earnestly, he would respond with a series of questions she couldn't answer.
She decided it was best not to reply to Ouyang Ye's question.
Instead, she offered him a silly grin and said, "Didn't you say that if you were happy, the mission would be mine? As the leader of monsters and demons, you can't go back on your word." She, too, adopted a serious demeanor.
Ouyang Ye let out a cold laugh.
Seeing this, Mu Anxiao faltered. "What do you mean by that cold laugh?"
"I love nothing more than going back on my word."
"You..." Mu Anxiao uttered a single word. Realizing she couldn't win an argument with Ouyang Ye, she decided she didn't want to waste any more time arguing. "Fine. If that's how you feel, I can't do anything about it."
"Do you want this credit?" Ouyang Ye pressed.
Mu Anxiao knew it. Ouyang Ye would definitely use this topic to stall her. Sighing, she grew genuinely annoyed by his behavior. "Ouyang Ye, aren't you bored?" she said, her tone sharp.
Ouyang Ye chuckled. "How am I bored?"
"You tell me how you're bored. First you say you'll be happy, then you want me to do as you say. Speaking of which," Mu Anxiao got straight to the point, "do you have some kind of ulterior motive?"
"Think whatever you want."
"Then I'll think as I please. Since there's nothing else, I'll be going now." Mu Anxiao wanted to part ways with Ouyang Ye as quickly as possible so she could proceed with her next plan.
To her surprise, just as Mu Anxiao thought Ouyang Ye would let her go, he suddenly reached out and grabbed her arm. "This credit, I'm giving it to you."
The sudden bestowal. As the saying goes, there's no such thing as a free lunch, and Mu Anxiao truly couldn't afford Ouyang Ye's 'lunch.' Looking up at him, she felt an involuntary tremor of nervousness. This feeling gave her the illusion that Ouyang Ye might assassinate her.
With this thought in mind, Mu Anxiao, without provoking Ouyang Ye too much, struggled to free her arm from his firm grip. "No, thank you."
"Don't you want it very much?" Ouyang Ye said casually.
At this moment, the surroundings could only be described as eerie, especially with Ouyang Ye's 'wicked' expression and deep voice. The atmosphere became even more unsettling. Life and death seemed to hang by a thread. Considering Ouyang Ye's habit of 'reckless fighting,' Mu Anxiao was thoroughly terrified of him.
In order to save her life, she began to laugh foolishly at him uncontrollably.
Sometimes, such an atmosphere could induce all sorts of wild thoughts, but Ouyang Ye had no such intentions. Instead, he quietly watched Mu Anxiao's expression grow increasingly 'ferocious' and smiled. "Are you afraid of me?"
"I..."
"Aren't you an immortal?"
"I am an immortal, but I'm also in a private situation with a devil like you for the first time. I..." Mu Anxiao stopped mid-sentence, suddenly remembering the circumstances of her initial encounter with Ouyang Ye. Her eyes darkened. "Although we've been together, honestly, you weren't as terrifying then as you are now."
"What do you mean I'm terrifying?" Ouyang Ye, as if he had achieved some objective, began to 'confer' with Mu Anxiao.
Seeing Ouyang Ye's expression of seeking 'truth,' Mu Anxiao said, "Let go first, and I'll tell you."
"If you don't run, I'll let go," Ouyang Ye said, as if he had already sensed Mu Anxiao's intentions.
As expected, Mu Anxiao did have such thoughts. This made her flustered. "I wasn't going to run."
"I know exactly what you're thinking better than anyone."
"You… you don't understand me at all." Mu Anxiao's gaze was firm, intentionally trying to hide any tell-tale signs from Ouyang Ye.
Seeing this, Ouyang Ye seemed convinced. "Alright, I'll believe you this time." Saying this, he released her.
Immediately afterward, Mu Anxiao, having made up her mind to return to the mansion, bared her teeth at Ouyang Ye, turned, and sprinted away.
Ouyang Ye stood in place, watching Mu Anxiao disappear into the night. He smiled faintly and walked in the direction she had gone.
Moments later.
Mu Anxiao stopped, panting, in front of the General's mansion. She glanced at the lanterns on either side and muttered, "That's strange, why is no one on guard here?" She had intended to enter with the help of the guards, but it seemed that plan was now in vain.
"Inside."
"Inside..." Mu Anxiao hesitated, then placed a hand on her hip and slowly turned around. Her expression froze. "Are you a dog?"
Indeed, the one speaking to her was Ouyang Ye.
"You're more like a dog," Ouyang Ye retorted, reaching out to wipe the sweat from Mu Anxiao's forehead.
Mu Anxiao stiffened and quickly took a step back. "I'm definitely getting into this General's mansion," she said, her eyes wide.
Ouyang Ye looked down at his fingertip. "You're quite economical, not using any magic," he commented, then looked at Mu Anxiao.