Zhao Xiang cried for a while, but eventually, it became meaningless. He stopped his tears, raised his head, and glared at Mu Anxiao. *"You're the one who ruined my relationship with Mo Yun. You're the villain here."*
*"Villain?"* Mu Anxiao repeated, squatting down to meet his eyes. *"Not sincere enough."*
*"You—"*
*"What about me? All thunder and no rain,"* Mu Anxiao interrupted, placing a hand on his shoulder. *"Right now, it's just the two of us. Who exactly are you performing for?"*
*"I just can't stand you."* Zhao Xiang avoided her gaze.
*"I can't stand you either. Since we both dislike each other, how about this?"* Mu Anxiao stood up. *"You get lost, so I don’t have to look at you, and you don’t have to be annoyed by me."*
*"I'm not leaving."*
*"Not leaving? Then keep kneeling. I—"* She walked around him and leaned against a pillar. *"—will just watch."* Her eyes fixed on the back of his head.
Zhao Xiang frowned, turning to look at her. *"Why won’t you let A’Mei go with me? What you're doing is ruining our fate!"*
*"I don’t see any ‘fate’ between you two."*
*"Love at first sight is destiny!"*
*"That’s just you. She doesn’t even want to see you."* Mu Anxiao tilted her head slightly.
Zhao Xiang noticed. *"What are you looking at?"*
*"Nothing."* She took a deep breath. *"Just keep kneeling. As for me, I’ll just pretend I’ve adopted a grandson early."*
*Grandson?!*
Zhao Xiang felt personally insulted. Furious, he stood up. *"Say that again if you dare!"*
*"Grandson."*
*"You—!"* He pointed at her. *"Just you wait!"*
*"Wait for what?"*
*"One day, you’ll kneel before me!"* He was genuinely enraged.
Mu Anxiao smirked. *"Kneeling to you? Honestly, I don’t care."*
*"You—!"* Her nonchalance stunned him.
*"They say a man’s knees hold gold. But I’m a woman—mine are just worthless dirt. Kneeling means nothing to me. But you?"* Her tone sharpened. *"The moment you knelt just now, you threw your dignity to the ground. In my eyes, you’re a coward."*
*"Mu Xiao, don’t push me too far!"*
*"I told you to leave, and you refused. This is just how I talk. Deal with it—or don’t. Either way, it’s not my problem."*
Her words were infuriating.
Zhao Xiang couldn’t take it anymore. *"Just you wait. I won’t let you off!"*
*"Try it. Did Ouyang Ye send you?"* she suddenly asked.
Zhao Xiang stiffened, halting his turn. *"..."*
Mu Anxiao pressed on. *"You reek of Ouyang Ye’s demonic aura. At first, I wondered why it felt so familiar. Turns out—"* She lied smoothly, *"—you’re his lackey."*
*"You... know him?"*
*"More than know. I’m very familiar with that guy."* She stepped closer. *"Zhao Xiang, I advise you not to listen to him too much. It won’t end well for you."*
*"Are you... warning me?"*
*"Yes. You came here to fish for information from me, right? Well, you got it. Now scram and report back."* She deliberately twisted his mission.
Zhao Xiang frowned. *"That’s not my task."*
*"Then what is?"* Mu Anxiao almost laughed. *This idiot is really this stupid?*
*"I—"*
Before he could finish, a female voice interrupted. *"Since you’ve already guessed everything..."*
Mu Anxiao turned slowly to see Gu Yan, who had been secretly observing them. *"Gu Yan."*
*"Don’t call my name!"* Gu Yan’s eyes widened.
*"Calling your name won’t make you lose flesh."* Mu Anxiao glanced back at Zhao Xiang, who was staring dumbly at Gu Yan. *"You can continue."*
Zhao Xiang snapped out of it and lowered his head.
Mu Anxiao *tsk*ed and faced Gu Yan. *"It’s all your fault. He was about to spill, and then you showed up."*
*"Aren’t you afraid I’ll kill him?"* Gu Yan threatened.
Mu Anxiao shrugged. *"Kill him if you want. What’s it to me?"* She walked to another pillar and leaned against it.
Gu Yan narrowed her eyes. *"If he dies, it won’t benefit you."*
*"..."* Mu Anxiao looked away.
*"You—"* Gu Yan’s voice sharpened. *"Mu Xiao, are you listening to me?"*
*"I heard you."*
*"Then answer me!"* A green light flickered in Gu Yan’s eyes.
Mu Anxiao sensed her fury and sighed. *"If you kill him, are you sure Ouyang Ye won’t be angry?"*
*"You—"*
*"Besides, he’s possessed by a demonic spirit. He’s hurt people. Killing him might actually be doing me a favor."* A mocking smile played on her lips.
Gu Yan froze.
*"Don’t believe me? Go ahead and try."*
Meanwhile, Zhao Xiang looked shocked. *"How did you know... I’m a demonic spirit?"*
*"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. I used to hunt demonic spirits. Of course—"* She scanned him. *"—I’m sensitive to them. And you still think you’re human, don’t you?"*
*"I *am* human!"*
*"Human?"* She chuckled. *"Wrong. Dead wrong. The moment you took in that spirit, you became a monster. Actually—"* She goaded him further. *"—is this a family trait? Are your parents demons too?"*
Zhao Xiang paled.
Gu Yan clenched her fists. *"Mu Xiao, one more word, and I won’t hold back."*
Mu Anxiao took a deep breath and turned to her. *"Your sister was captured by me. You know that, right?"*
*"Why are you telling me this? She... has nothing to do with me. You—"*
*"Just answer if you know. I’m not interested in your excuses."* Her gaze was piercing.
Gu Yan scoffed and stayed silent.
Mu Anxiao had expected this dismissive reaction—which was exactly what she wanted. Now, Gu Yan wouldn’t interrupt her interrogation.
Smirking, she turned her attention back to Zhao Xiang.