Mu Anxiao watched Lin Zhao’s speechless expression and asked, "What, am I wrong?"
Lin Zhao then gave Mu Anxiao a wry smile and said, "Before this, just like you, I didn’t understand good dreams or nightmares. I remember when my family ran an inn, the waiters would chatter about what they dreamed about the night before. At the time, I thought they were bored, thinking sleep was just sleep, why dream? But," his eyes darkened, "ever since I started having this nightmare, I envy them. Even if they dreamed every night, at least it wouldn’t be the same dream. In short, I think you definitely wouldn’t understand how I feel." He waved his hand.
"Look at how pessimistic you are," Mu Anxiao said, thinking about what Lin Zhao had dreamed, and said in a low voice, "You saw that woman in the stable."
"Yes," Lin Zhao nodded.
"Good," Mu Anxiao hesitated, then continued, "Stand back in a moment."
"What are you going to do?" Lin Zhao asked doubtfully.
Mu Anxiao didn't want Lin Zhao to see her intentions, so she cleared her throat and said, "You don't need to worry about it, you..." She thought about Lin Zhao's aversion to that place, and didn't want to torment him further. However, she remembered how cunning that woman was, and felt uneasy leaving Lin Zhao there alone. So, after some thought, she said, "No, you should still come with me."
"Why?" Lin Zhao looked confused by Mu Anxiao's thoughts.
Mu Anxiao said, "As long as you're not afraid of traps, keep asking why." With that, she turned and walked away.
Lin Zhao repeated the word 'traps' a few times in his mouth before quickly catching up with Mu Anxiao, saying, "You have to protect me."
"I know," Mu Anxiao glanced at Lin Zhao and quickened her pace.
In the blink of an eye.
They arrived in front of the stable. Lin Zhao hid behind Mu Anxiao and pointed towards the horses inside, saying, "I saw her right there."
"There," Mu Anxiao repeated, following Lin Zhao's finger inside and frowning, "Isn't that the General's horse?"
"No, it's below the horse," Lin Zhao said, pointing to the hay pile. "That woman was formed from hay."
"Hay," Mu Anxiao repeated, looking down at her sleeve, which Lin Zhao was holding, and said, "Let go."
"What are you going to do?" Lin Zhao asked doubtfully, but still let go.
Mu Anxiao said, "I'll go take a look." With that, she walked to the hay pile and gently stroked the horse's head, saying, "Excuse me."
Seeing this, Lin Zhao whispered, "It's the General's horse, it only listens to the General. You..." He trailed off, but as the horse moved aside, he saw this and also withdrew his unfinished words.
Then, Mu Anxiao ignored Lin Zhao behind her, squatted down, and rummaged through the hay, saying, "Are you sure that woman was formed from hay?" As she spoke, she picked up a handful of hay, not minding the dirt, and brought it to her nose to smell.
Lin Zhao was startled by Mu Anxiao's actions. "Don't you find it dirty?"
"It's not dirty," Mu Anxiao said casually, then put down the hay and turned to Lin Zhao. "I'm asking you, are you sure."
Lin Zhao nodded.
"I'm sure," Mu Anxiao said, turning back and staring at the hay on the ground for a few seconds. Then she looked up at the horses, who were showing no interest in the hay, and muttered, "Horses eat this, why aren't they interested?" She then withdrew her gaze from the horses and began to dig.
Lin Zhao was too frightened by Mu Anxiao's rough actions to speak.
Following this, Mu Anxiao tossed the hay aside, reached out and touched a wooden board on the ground, and frowned, "There's a cellar here." She then suddenly remembered the dream Lin Zhao had described and guessed, "Is there really someone down there?"
Lin Zhao continued to stare at Mu Anxiao and asked, "What's wrong with you?"
"Nothing's wrong," Mu Anxiao said, glancing at Lin Zhao, then at the cellar. Just as she was about to lift the wooden board, a woman's voice reached her ears again, "You found it."
Hearing this, Mu Anxiao frowned, quickly looked up, and saw that the woman was sitting on a horse.
However, Lin Zhao also saw this scene.
"It's her," Lin Zhao exclaimed, stumbling back a few steps.
Mu Anxiao, upon hearing this, immediately stood up, looked up at the dishevelled, beautiful young woman, and asked, "Were you in the kitchen just now, too?" As she asked, she wondered if they were the same person.
The woman smiled, "What do you think?"
"I wouldn't be asking if I knew," Mu Anxiao said calmly.
The woman gently patted the horse's head and said, "I thought you were very smart, but after all this time, you're just an idiot." She said, leaning slightly to meet Mu Anxiao's eyes, "What's your name?"
"You..."
"Tell me your name, and I'll tell you what's underneath," the woman interrupted, pointing to the wooden board covering the cellar.
Then, Mu Anxiao followed the woman's finger, looked down at the cellar, and said, "Alright, I can tell you my name, but," she looked up, "you have to tell me first if the woman in the kitchen was you."
"What do you think?" the woman smiled.
Mu Anxiao frowned, "In his impression, I saw an ugly monster, but you're not." She spoke the truth.
The woman smiled even more happily upon hearing Mu Anxiao's words. "You really know how to talk. If," she glanced at Lin Zhao, who dared not move rashly, and then looked back at Mu Anxiao, "he had a mouth like yours, I wouldn't have had to mess with him."
"Then it was you."
"It was me."
"It really was you," Mu Anxiao feigned surprise.
"Don't be so surprised. I don't like others seeing my true appearance, unless," the woman smiled, "it's on my territory."
"Is that so?" Mu Anxiao responded casually, then smiled, "In that case, you are indeed quite mysterious."
"Stop being glib. Tell me, what's your name?"
"..." Mu Anxiao smiled down, and said, "My name is Cao Gen."
"Cao Gen," the woman repeated, frowning.
Mu Anxiao calmly looked at the woman and said, "My father wanted a son, so he gave me this name. Therefore, in the eyes of the world, I am a man."
"You want me to keep this secret for you," the woman understood this meaning from Mu Anxiao's words.
Mu Anxiao smiled down, "Yes," she nodded.
The woman also smiled, "To be honest, you're the first person to notice me... oh, wait, I should say immortal."
"Is it fate?" Mu Anxiao said deliberately.
The woman said, "Fate, now that I think about it," she looked Mu Anxiao up and down, "it would be good if you were a man."
"What do you mean?" Mu Anxiao asked.
The woman let out a cold laugh and immediately shifted her gaze to Lin Zhao's face.