Many of Bing'er's actions made Mu Anxiao suspicious, especially her unusual personality for her age and her protection of women, including her comments on Mu Anxiao's appearance, which led Mu Anxiao to harbor deep doubts about her.
However, setting Bing'er aside for a moment, what puzzled Mu Anxiao the most was... where had the coachman gone?
Thinking about it, she lowered her gaze and stared at the woman's face.
After some exchange with Mu Anxiao, the woman had realized that Mu Anxiao's thought process was indeed different from that of normal people. Looking at her, the woman said directly, "If you have anything to say, just say it."
"Where did the coachman go?" Mu Anxiao asked.
The woman's eyes flickered evasively. "..."
"I remember Bing'er saying her father had gone out. I didn't pay attention then, but after talking with you, a liar, for so long, a thought occurred to me," Mu Anxiao said. "He's the coachman of the General's mansion. Setting aside his outside work, wasn't he supposed to be..."
"He went to wash the horses," the woman interrupted.
"Wash the horses?"
"Yes, he said... he had to take the General and you to the palace tonight, so the horses must be clean. If they were dirty, it would only make outsiders mock the General's mansion. So, he went to wash them."
Listening to the woman's explanation of the coachman's whereabouts, Mu Anxiao frowned deeply.
Seeing Mu Anxiao's deep frown, the woman disdainfully asked, "What, you don't believe me?"
"Don't you not believe me either?" Mu Anxiao relaxed her brows and sighed softly. "Speaking of which, the weather is quite cold. Washing horses at this hour, won't the horses catch a chill."
"..." The woman was speechless.
Mu Anxiao looked at the woman's speechless expression and said lightly, "Since I've wasted so much time on you, it's better for me to investigate some things thoroughly, otherwise, I feel something is wrong." With that, she stood up.
The woman started, "What are you doing?" She looked up at Mu Anxiao.
Mu Anxiao looked down at the woman's excited expression, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "Do no wrong, fear no knocking at the door. Do wrong, and you'll always fear knocking. I seriously suspect Bing'er has issues."
"You..."
"From what I understand, Bing'er fell gravely ill about a year ago, and she's only six years old now..."
"What do you want to do? She's just a child," the woman interrupted, becoming agitated.
Hearing this, Mu Anxiao stared at the woman for a few seconds before saying, "A child, I know she's a child. I'm just wondering how a little girl like her can be so mature."
"She grew up with her father. Her father was often away and never paid attention to her, so she had to take care of herself. Naturally, even when she fell ill, she could only manage on her own..."
"Take care of herself? Isn't that an exaggeration? She's just a child, and she has no money. Besides, when you're sick, you can't just lie there. At the very least, you need medicine. And she's only six now. If you're saying she started taking care of herself at the age of two, that doesn't make sense."
"You don't believe what I say," the woman said in a low voice.
"It's hard for me to believe your words," Mu Anxiao said, putting one hand behind her back, clenching her fist slightly, enduring the pain, and continuing, "When did you come to Bing'er's side?"
"I..."
"If you want me to believe you, tell me the truth." Mu Anxiao's tone was serious.
The woman pursed her lips, unable to move. "Last year, when she got sick."
"And the ointment was what you gave to the coachman."
"Yes."
"Who is the owner of the ointment?" Mu Anxiao suddenly asked.
However, the woman had not expected Mu Anxiao to ask this question, so she averted her gaze and remained silent.
Seeing this, Mu Anxiao immediately crouched down, reached out to cup the woman's chin, "Why aren't you speaking? It seems there's someone else." As she spoke, she met the woman's eyes intently.
The woman's voice trembled, "I can't say."
"Can't say? What can't be said? You..."
"If I say it, Bing'er will die. I cannot say it."
"Why would Bing'er die if you said it?" Mu Anxiao was confused.
The woman: "..." She closed her eyes, intentionally avoiding Mu Anxiao's gaze.
Mu Anxiao hadn't been interested in this matter at first, but seeing this, she became curious about the woman. Taking a deep breath, she stood up and said, "Fine, you can rest. Anyway, I don't mind wasting time."
At this moment, Mu Anxiao thought that since time had already been wasted, a little more wouldn't matter.
Compared to the beating in the palace, she believed that demonic arts were more painful. Since she was already injured, she might as well embrace the situation.
Most importantly, her mind hadn't been used much for almost a year, so she now saw this as a form of training.
"..." The woman became still after Mu Anxiao's words.
Seeing that the woman wouldn't speak anytime soon, Mu Anxiao turned and walked to the woman in the green dress, glanced at her wound, and asked, "Are you alright?"
The woman in the green dress shook her head, then looked down at Mu Anxiao's stomach. Her mind then flashed back to the entire process of Mu Anxiao's injury, and she asked, "Are you alright?" She pointed to Mu Anxiao's stomach.
Mu Anxiao followed the woman in the green dress's finger, looked down at her own stomach, and said, "I'm fine." As she spoke, her brows furrowed slightly.
The woman in the green dress didn't notice Mu Anxiao's expression change and breathed a sigh of relief, saying, "That's good. It looks like you're quite a powerful little immortal."
"I'm not powerful."
"This demon soul must have been cultivating for a long time. You could defeat her, so you are powerful," the woman in the green dress said, glancing at the still woman.
Mu Anxiao felt a little embarrassed by the woman in the green dress's praise. She then raised her hand and touched the back of her head, saying, "Don't say that, it was just a fluke."
"Who are you calling a fluke?" The woman, quick-witted, deliberately tried to pick a fight to change the subject.
Upon hearing this, Mu Anxiao immediately turned to look at the woman who had inexplicably inserted herself into the conversation and said, "You're willing to talk now."
The woman stiffened. She thought her scheme would succeed immediately, but she hadn't expected... she was too naive. Looking at Mu Anxiao now, she felt awkward.
"...."
Mu Anxiao said, "It's very impolite of you to interrupt like that." Then she turned to look at the woman in the green dress.
The woman in the green dress leaned forward, looking at the woman still bound by the light rope, and asked, "Do you think these worms can really break through this light mist?" She turned back to Mu Anxiao.
Mu Anxiao said, "Definitely." Then she turned her back.
The woman in the green dress trusted Mu Anxiao, looked around, and continued to wait.