In an instant.
Mu Anxiao followed Ouyang Ye and stopped outside a guest room she had never been to before. On the way, following Ouyang Ye, Mu Anxiao discovered that although the gate was unchanged, the path inside was completely different from before. With this in mind, Mu Anxiao withdrew her gaze from Ouyang Ye and looked down at the pebbles scattered on the ground, a strange feeling suddenly arising in her heart. At the same time, a sense of crisis emerged.
Ouyang Ye had long anticipated Mu Anxiao's reaction, which was why he had deliberately stopped. As time passed, he thought she had seen enough.
So, he turned to Mu Anxiao, looked down at her profile, and said, "It's changed, hasn't it."
"What exactly did you do?" Mu Anxiao was not frightened. Instead, she calmly raised her head and met Ouyang Ye's eyes.
Ouyang Ye sneered, "I didn't do anything."
"You didn't do anything," Mu Anxiao said, nudging the pebbles under her feet with the tip of her shoe. "Then what is this."
"Pebbles."
"These pebbles, you took them from..."
"Didn't you say you didn't care about Feng Qishi? Why," Ouyang Ye interrupted, "are you looking for trouble with me on his behalf?"
"My asking you this has nothing to do with whether I care about Feng Qishi," Mu Anxiao retorted disdainfully.
Ouyang Ye snorted, "How can it not? This is Feng Qishi's residence, and yet you are here... questioning me. Just tell me," he said, his face hardening, "are you unhappy because you think I've interfered with his territory?"
"No."
"No? Then why are you asking me this?" Ouyang Ye countered.
Mu Anxiao looked at Ouyang Ye, who was pressing her like this, and for a moment, she didn't know what to say. But if she didn't give him an answer, she figured he wouldn't let it go. Thinking this, she stared intently at Ouyang Ye's face.
"..." She frowned slightly, contemplating her next words.
"Why aren't you talking?" Ouyang Ye grew a little anxious.
Immediately, Mu Anxiao forced herself to dismiss unnecessary thoughts and get back to the point. "Is Bing'er here?" As she pointed to the door, she realized it was locked.
Ouyang Ye followed Mu Anxiao's gaze, glanced at the lock, and said, "Just go in."
"Just go in?" Mu Anxiao asked, indicating she didn't understand.
"This door is constructed with demonic arts; it's not solid. You can just walk through it."
"Not solid," Mu Anxiao repeated. After glancing at Ouyang Ye, she fixed her gaze on the door again and said, "Not solid? Then why can't I see inside?"
"What I mean by not solid is that you can walk through it, not that it's transparent," Ouyang Ye explained helplessly.
This time, Mu Anxiao understood. "Oh, so I don't need to open the door."
"Yes." Ouyang Ye nodded, pointing to the door. "Go ahead."
"She's inside, isn't she?" Mu Anxiao deliberately confirmed.
Ouyang Ye responded with a simple "Yes," and said no more.
Mu Anxiao grew suspicious. "Why are you being so perfunctory?" She felt something was not right.
"I've already answered you, so why..."
"Bing'er is probably not inside," Mu Anxiao interrupted. Just as she was about to step back and flee, the pebbles beneath her feet made a sound.
Ouyang Ye immediately looked down at the pebble Mu Anxiao was stepping on and said, "What, trying to escape?"
"No." Mu Anxiao gritted her teeth and refused to admit it. At that very moment, she understood the purpose of these pebbles.
"Since you're not, just go in."
"Bing'er..."
"She's inside," Ouyang Ye stated firmly.
Immediately, Mu Anxiao frowned slightly. Just as she was about to speak, Ouyang Ye suddenly moved behind her, placed his hands on her shoulders, and said, "Alright, go in." He then gave her a push towards the door.
The next second, Mu Anxiao's face contorted in horror as her feet, out of her control, propelled her towards the door.
In the woodshed.
The coachman sat at the table, staring blankly at the teapot, and asked, "Is Bing'er really okay?"
Across the table, Lou Yi looked at the worried coachman and said helplessly, "She's fine." As he spoke, he picked up his cup, turned to Jia beside him, and sighed.
Jia: "I, a dignified..."
Lou Yi coughed.
Upon hearing this, Jia glanced at Lou Yi and fell silent.
From the moment the coachman entered and Xiaoyue woke up, Lou Yi and Jia had agreed to conceal their identities.
During this time, Jia had nearly blurted out the truth several times, leaving Lou Yi both exasperated and speechless.
The coachman sighed again.
Seeing this, Jia turned and glanced at Bing'er on the bed, saying, "Go see your daughter."
"Never mind."
"Why?" Jia was puzzled. Why did the coachman refuse to approach his own daughter?
The coachman shook his head.
"No reason?" Jia tried to understand the coachman's meaning.
The coachman nodded.
Seeing this, Jia was speechless.
Lou Yi was also speechless.
In the guest room.
Mu Anxiao staggered to her feet, then looked up, her eyes wide with surprise as she surveyed the elaborately decorated 'bridal chamber.' "This is... Feng Qishi's bridal chamber." As she spoke, her eyes darkened, and she turned to look at Ouyang Ye, who had followed her in, deliberately acting as if nothing was wrong.
Ouyang Ye crossed his arms and sneered, "How do you know this is Feng Qishi's bridal chamber?"
How did she know?
Ouyang Ye's question startled Mu Anxiao, causing her to take a step back. Her gaze on Ouyang Ye became cautious. "What do you mean by that?" She had a bad premonition.
Conversely, Ouyang Ye merely lowered his eyes and smiled faintly. "At this point, shouldn't you be angrily saying that I lied to you? Why are you so calm?" His lips curved into a subtle arc.
Angry? Yes, Mu Anxiao was indeed very angry. She was angry at herself for being deceived by Ouyang Ye again, and she was angry that she could still be foolish enough to believe his words.
However, if she showed that emotion, she would be playing right into Ouyang Ye's hands. Therefore, she had to pretend. "You scoundrel, you can't make me angry at all." Saying this, she walked towards the door.
Ouyang Ye remained silent, instead making way for her.
Immediately, Mu Anxiao glared at Ouyang Ye and, just as she was about to pass through the door to leave, Ouyang Ye laughed.
Hearing this, Mu Anxiao immediately withdrew the hand she was using to test the 'path ahead,' turned, and looked at the inexplicably amused Ouyang Ye, asking, "What are you laughing at?"
"You think you can leave," Ouyang Ye said.
"This door isn't solid..." Halfway through her sentence, Mu Anxiao realized something was wrong. She quickly reached out and touched the door, then froze. "You lied to me," she said, turning to face Ouyang Ye.
Ouyang Ye chuckled again.
Subsequently, Mu Anxiao quickly turned around, glared at Ouyang Ye, and said, "You really are a cunning old fox."
"You're quite old yourself," Ouyang Ye retorted.
Mu Anxiao let out a soft哼, "You're older than me." Saying this, she stepped forward and began searching for another exit.