Then, Lou Yi heard Mu Anxiao's sigh and couldn't help but shift his gaze to her, "Why are you sighing?" he asked, looking down at Feng Qishi who was tending to Xiaoyue's wounds, then turned towards Mu Anxiao.
Mu Anxiao propped her chin with one hand, her eyes fixed on Bing'er, who was sleeping peacefully on the table. "There's too much going on, I can't quite articulate it all at once," she said, a slight frown appearing on her brow.
Lou Yi walked to Mu Anxiao's side.
Jia added, "It seems like quite a bit has happened with you all just now."
Mu Anxiao nodded.
Lou Yi looked at Mu Anxiao, then mulled over her conversation with Jia in his mind. He asked, "I'd like to ask you a question?" Fearing Mu Anxiao might not want to answer, he asked first.
Mu Anxiao tilted her head up. "Go ahead."
"Are you sure you can answer?" Lou Yi asked deliberately.
Mu Anxiao replied, "You ask. If I can't answer, then I won't."
Seeing Mu Anxiao's directness, Lou Yi stopped beating around the bush and said equally directly, "Is this woman related to the deceased girl?"
"Not closely," Mu Anxiao said faintly.
"Not closely? Then why was she pricked with needles?" Lou Yi reasoned that a mere maid wouldn't be injured for no reason.
Hearing Lou Yi's question, Mu Anxiao suddenly seemed to find a thread of logic. She straightened her back and retorted, "Why do you think she was pricked with needles?"
Lou Yi chuckled. "I ask you, and you're the one being sharp, turning it back on me."
Mu Anxiao said with a serious expression, "Just tell me, what do you think the reason is?"
Jia exchanged a glance with Mu Anxiao and Lou Yi, remaining silent.
Lou Yi thought for a moment. "Everything needs a framework. You need to explain to me clearly what happened before I can make any connections."
Listening to Lou Yi, Mu Anxiao felt he had a point. She said, "Wait a moment, let me organize my thoughts." As she spoke, she raised her hand to touch her head, then summarized everything in her mind.
Lou Yi said nothing and glanced at Jia.
Jia, with a look of curiosity, looked at Mu Anxiao, his brow furrowed slightly.
Meanwhile.
Feng Qishi crouched beside Xiaoyue, still racing against time to save her.
A few minutes later.
Mu Anxiao picked up her teacup, took a sip of water, and looked up at Lou Yi. "Here's what happened. Didn't a maid die in the manor? That maid lost her memories before she died because of Ouyang Ye, but she's actually still alive now, but..." she wasn't sure if her summary was clear, so she deliberately glanced at Jia, "without her memories, her soul can't return to her body, so..."
"So, you are looking for that girl's memories," Jia interrupted proactively.
As soon as Mu Anxiao opened her mouth, her thoughts became jumbled again. She thought she couldn't explain it clearly at all, but to her surprise, Jia understood as soon as he heard it. Relieved, she nodded. "Yes, that's the gist of it."
"Then, if that's the case," Jia suddenly shed his childish demeanor, becoming unexpectedly serious, "once that girl's memories return, Ouyang Ye's secret might fall apart on its own."
"It's not exactly a secret," Mu Anxiao said softly.
However, Jia insisted, "I think it is a secret."
Mu Anxiao was left speechless.
Lou Yi asked, "Do you know where Ouyang Ye is hiding those souls now?"
"I do. Gu Yan has already taken me to that place."
"Where is Gu Yan?" Lou Yi inquired.
Mu Anxiao replied, "She is currently cooperating with me, lying low beside Ouyang Ye, investigating the whereabouts of the coachman for me."
"Is that so?" Lou Yi nodded, then looked down at Jia, who was staring at him, and shifted his gaze. "Boss, why are you looking at me like that?"
Hearing Lou Yi's address, Jia felt a surge of satisfaction. He cleared his throat, withdrew his imposing demeanor, and said mildly, "I didn't expect your brain to be quite so capable."
Lou Yi smiled. "How could it be capable? I'm just following along with what she's saying." He then scratched the back of his head.
Jia chuckled lightly. "Keep being humble. I think you're much more capable than I am."
Lou Yi knew Jia's words held a hidden meaning. He masked his thoughts with a smile and remained silent.
Jia glanced at Lou Yi, then looked back up at Mu Anxiao. "What are your next plans?"
Mu Anxiao responded, "What else can I do? I need to learn about the deceased girl's past from this girl. The only thing I can do now is to keep that girl from dying."
Jia sighed.
Seeing this, Mu Anxiao looked confused. "What does your sigh mean?"
"The deceased girl lost her memories before she died," Jia mused, then continued, "Even if that girl speaks, it may not be her standard recollection."
"Memories need to be standard? A simple retelling should suffice," Mu Anxiao thought the matter was simple.
Jia smiled helplessly. "Your mind is truly straightforward." He then glanced at Xiaoyue, who was still being treated by Feng Qishi. "Since her memories could be lost by herself, it implies that she most wants to discard that period of memory, perhaps even a secret."
"A secret?"
"In any case, don't place too much hope on that girl," Jia said calmly.
While Jia hadn't said anything, Mu Anxiao had indeed placed all her hopes on Xiaoyue. But hearing his words now, she suddenly felt uncertain. Lowering her gaze slightly, she wondered if she truly had to go back to the past to understand Shuer.
Thinking this, her expression turned grave.
Lou Yi looked at Jia, then at Mu Anxiao, and asked, "What's wrong?"
Upon hearing this, Mu Anxiao looked at Lou Yi, then leaned forward slightly, raising her hands to cradle her head.
Seeing this, Lou Yi dared not ask further questions.
Jia wanted Mu Anxiao to think for herself, so he said no more and turned to walk to the table, sitting down in a chair.
Lou Yi shifted his gaze back to Feng Qishi.
Mu Anxiao's eyes were fixed intently on Bing'er.
Following this, Feng Qishi withdrew his casting hand, stood up, and looked at Mu Anxiao. "Where are the silver needles?" he asked.
Hearing him, Mu Anxiao snapped back to attention. "What did you say?" she asked, not having heard Feng Qishi clearly. She turned her body to look at him.
Feng Qishi patiently repeated, "I asked, where are the silver needles?"
"Silver needles?" Mu Anxiao echoed, then thought for a moment and asked, "Do you need them?"
Feng Qishi uttered a single word: "Yes."
Upon hearing this, Mu Anxiao stood up. "Okay, I'll go find them." She said this with a distracted air.
Seeing that Mu Anxiao seemed not quite right, Feng Qishi asked, "What's wrong?"
Each time he began casting a spell, he would inadvertently block out all surrounding sounds, thus he hadn't heard anything they had discussed.
Mu Anxiao shook her head. "Nothing. I'm going." With that, she turned towards the room door.
Feng Qishi watched Mu Anxiao's retreating back, a puzzled expression on his face.