At the same time, Mu Anxiao paused beneath the thick layer of clouds, clenching her fists. She tilted her head up slightly, watching the red light that had completely vanished into the sky. Relieved, she lowered her gaze to the ground below and muttered, "Damn it, so high." Then, she glanced at the blue light surrounding her and wondered, "I should be able to go back, right?"
"Jump."
Upon hearing the voice, Mu Anxiao's eyes brightened. "Master, is that you?"
"It's me. Just jump. This way, your spiritual energy will also improve," Zhang Yan's determined voice reached Mu Anxiao's ears.
However, in Mu Anxiao's eyes, while Zhang Yan wasn't the most reliable, he had helped her through countless difficulties and even taught her many spells.
Based on these facts, she chose to trust him in this moment of crisis.
"Then I'm jumping, Master," she said, tilting her head up slightly.
"Jump," Zhang Yan affirmed resolutely.
Mu Anxiao took a deep breath and plunged straight down.
The Celestial Realm.
Zhang Yan stood by the lake with his hands behind his back, looking down at Mu Anxiao's figure rushing rapidly below. He smiled, "This girl's spiritual cultivation is quite good."
"That Ouyang Ye is too wicked," Shi Yi said, his face full of concern.
Zhang Yan turned and glanced at Shi Yi, who came to inquire about the situation every day. "You haven't told Shen Xian and the others, have you?"
"No," Shi Yi shook his head.
Zhang Yan was well aware of Shi Yi's fondness for Mu Anxiao. It was precisely because of this that he had told him Mu Anxiao was still alive.
Of course, Zhang Yan hadn't told him because Shi Yi liked Mu Anxiao; rather, he couldn't stand Shi Yi's constant tearfulness, so he had no choice but to tell him.
From then on, Shi Yi would come to the lake to watch Mu Anxiao with Zhang Yan whenever he had nothing else to do.
Initially, Zhang Yan had resisted Shi Yi's presence, but over time, he had grown accustomed to it.
"My disciple might have forgotten about you," he said casually.
Shi Yi's eyes widened in alarm. "How could that be?"
"How long has it been since you last saw each other? She's definitely forgotten," Zhang Yan said deliberately. "In the future, you'll just have to wait for wedding invitations."
"Wedding invitations for what?" Shi Yi feigned ignorance.
Zhang Yan knew Shi Yi was playing dumb, so he smiled and turned to walk away.
Shi Yi was frustrated. "When will I be able to go down there? This is so annoying." He bent down, picked up a stone, threw it forcefully into the lake, and then left.
After they left, Mu Anxiao, who had been on the lake's surface, also disappeared.
The Mortal Realm.
Ouyang Ye appeared outside Mu Anxiao's room, then transformed back into the coachman's appearance. "General, are you here?"
In reality, he had always known Feng Qishi was here. However, because of Mu Anxiao, he had played along.
Now that Mu Anxiao was 'dead,' he no longer needed to pretend.
Thus, he walked deliberately to the door.
Following this, Feng Qishi glanced at Lou Yi and Jia, then stood up.
Lou Yi and Jia knew the coachman's true identity. At the moment Feng Qishi stood up, they left.
Seeing them leave, Feng Qishi approached the door. "Coachman, why have you come?" he said, opening the door.
"I came to see my daughter." Ouyang Ye looked haggard.
Feng Qishi observed the expression on Ouyang Ye's face, his eyes darkening. "Did you come by just now as well?" he asked, starting to worry about Mu Anxiao's safety.
"No," Ouyang Ye replied.
"No?"
"General, I didn't come. I just went to wash the horses, and then..." Ouyang Ye coughed a few times. "And then I thought of my daughter." As he spoke, tears welled up.
Feng Qishi had no mind to tend to Ouyang Ye's feelings, because he knew Ouyang Ye was lying. His greatest concern was still Mu Anxiao's safety.
However, the mission was important, so he pretended to go along. "Mu Xiao finds you dirty. Have you cleaned yourself?"
"I'm clean," Ouyang Ye said, attempting to walk inside.
Seeing this, Feng Qishi immediately moved to block Ouyang Ye. "What are you doing?" he asked, frowning slightly.
"Since Mu Xiao isn't here, let me just take a look."
"How do you know Mu Xiao isn't here? This is Mu Xiao's room." Feng Qishi's eyes were stern. "No, how do you know I'm here?"
"You care about my Bing'er, so of course you would come here. As for Mu Xiao," Ouyang Ye began to fabricate a lie, "I just saw her."
"You saw her?" Feng Qishi's eyes lit up.
"Yes, I saw her at the back door. She said she was going to buy something, and then she left."
"Left?" Feng Qishi murmured.
Ouyang Ye, thinking Feng Qishi had believed him, quickly said, "Yes, she left."
"Did you speak to her?" Feng Qishi asked deliberately.
"I did, but she ignored me." Ouyang Ye sighed.
"Why did she ignore you?" Feng Qishi wanted to glean some information from Ouyang Ye.
"She thinks I smell of horse manure. Even when I spoke to her, she was dismissive. It's better not to talk to her at all." Ouyang Ye appeared aggrieved.
Feng Qishi calmly observed Ouyang Ye's expression, his eyes darkening. "Is that so?"
"What's wrong?" Ouyang Ye sensed something was amiss with Feng Qishi.
"Nothing. If nothing's wrong, you should head back. Once Bing'er's condition improves, I'll contact you."
"You're not letting me in?"
"The doctor will be here soon, don't worry." Feng Qishi, intending to mislead, took a step back and closed the door.
Ouyang Ye hadn't expected Feng Qishi to suddenly become wary of him. He clenched his fists, thinking, "It's fine. There's always tomorrow. As long as I get Bing'er's body before tomorrow, that's all that matters."
With that thought, he turned and left.
Feng Qishi stood by the door, staring intently at the room. Thinking about Ouyang Ye's entirely fabricated lies, he narrowed his eyes and looked at Bing'er and A'mei. "What do you two think?"
"He's lying," Lou Yi appeared.
Jia also appeared within Feng Qishi's line of sight, alongside Lou Yi. "I also think he's lying. Mu Anxiao never disdained any woman. Horse manure wouldn't disgust her." His tone was serious.
"You know that too?" Lou Yi was surprised.
"Of course," Jia became smug.
Lou Yi's lips twitched; he didn't know what to say.
Feng Qishi looked at Jia and Lou Yi, then asked, "Do you think Mu Anxiao might be in trouble?"
Lou Yi: "I think the possibility is slim. However, what I don't understand is, he saw Big Brother," he glanced at Jia, then at Feng Qishi, "why would he still lie?"