At this moment, Mu Anxiao did not notice the expression on Gu Yan's face. Instead, she thought that Gu Yan's silence was an implicit agreement. Therefore, without another word, she turned around again, raised her silver rope, and walked towards the stairs.
In the blink of an eye, Mu Anxiao stepped on the dilapidated stairs and ascended to the second floor. To her surprise, the light on the second floor was significantly better than on the first. She retracted the silver rope, bypassed the excess firewood and broken wood, and turned to the right, intending to check the rooms one by one for any sign of Gu Tie. However, just as she made this decision, a hand suddenly appeared on her shoulder. Her nerves instantly tensed. She raised her guard, lowered her head slightly to look at the hand on her shoulder, and whispered, "Who is it?" As she spoke, she prepared to lift her hand to pull the hand away.
The atmosphere froze. A cold wind blew.
At this moment, Mu Anxiao was completely engulfed in tension. It was then that the owner of the hand spoke, "It's me."
Upon hearing the voice, Mu Anxiao's body stiffened. She quickly lowered her hand, turned sideways, and frowned. "Gu Yan, didn't I tell you not to come up?"
Gu Yan withdrew her hand. "I was worried about you, so I came up to see if there was anything I could help you with."
"Why are you so silent when you walk? You..." Mu Anxiao paused mid-sentence, then realized, "Oh, you're different from me."
Gu Yan pursed her lips and smiled.
Seeing this, Mu Anxiao curled her lips. "You are indeed optimistic."
"Last time, I was almost killed when Gu Yan framed me," Gu Yan suddenly said.
Mu Anxiao did not understand why Gu Yan would say that and frowned. "Why are you talking about this?"
"Mu Anxiao," Gu Yan said seriously, "my fate is already sealed."
"What do you mean?" Mu Anxiao was completely bewildered by Gu Yan's words.
Seeing Mu Anxiao's confused state, Gu Yan lowered her eyes, smiled, and said patiently, "The master's heart, the master's thoughts, cannot be changed by just anyone. You know," she said, "when the master sets a trap for someone, he leaves no trace. You..."
"Why are you telling me this?" Mu Anxiao interrupted.
Gu Yan said seriously, "Listen to me finish."
"No, I feel like these are your last words." Given the situation, Mu Anxiao wanted to be direct.
Gu Yan smiled upon hearing this.
Mu Anxiao didn't understand Gu Yan's 'state of mind' at all, but seeing her like this, Mu Anxiao felt a tremor of unease. "What's wrong with you? I... I don't understand anymore."
"Yes," Gu Yan's smile faded. She took a breath that was of no use to her and continued, "I am indeed saying my last words."
"You..."
"The master will not believe me. No matter what the outcome, my result will be the same. You..." Gu Yan interrupted, her gaze cautious. "Do you understand what I mean?"
"I won't let him harm you, and I certainly won't let that Gu Yan's scheme succeed," Mu Anxiao said with determination.
Gu Yan smiled. "It's useless."
"How is it useless? I... I can definitely do it." Hearing Gu Yan say this, Mu Anxiao's confidence halved.
"I understand the master's intentions better than you. He is determined to listen to Gu Yan. Moreover," Gu Yan said, lowering her head, "my value is gone."
"What value..."
"These souls have all been collected by you. Naturally, their consciousness will return soon. Then... the souls outside the city will also learn of this news. When they know that these souls have reincarnated, they will all come back to find you. And I," Gu Yan said, "my task is to guard the consciousness of these souls and prevent them from rebelling. Given the current situation, it is only a matter of time before they rebel and leave."
"Doesn't Gu Yan have the same value as you?" Mu Anxiao asked.
Gu Yan lowered her eyes and smiled. "I admit, Gu Yan is smarter than me. So what I want to say is," she said seriously, "Ouyang Ye is not as simple as you think."
"I don't think he's that simple either," Mu Anxiao said in a low voice.
"In short, you cannot save my life."
"You..."
"Before Gu Yuan died, he wished for Gu Tie to live. Similarly," Gu Yan said, smiling slightly, "this is also my wish."
"I won't let him touch a single hair on your head."
"It's not worth it for a mere demon soul like me."
"But..."
"Stop with the 'buts,' Mu Anxiao. I've made my preparations. In other words, even if I went down with you, I wouldn't have a good outcome. Rather than that, I might as well be completely destroyed by Ouyang Ye. This way," Gu Yan insisted, "you can also see his true colors clearly, and you'll know Gu Yan's methods, so you won't end up like me in the future."
"..." Mu Anxiao felt that Gu Yan made sense and suddenly... had nothing to say.
Seeing Mu Anxiao's speechless expression, Gu Yan smiled again. "Since things have come to this, I no longer want to trust Ouyang Ye." As she spoke, a red light suddenly flashed before her eyes.
Seeing this, Mu Anxiao was surprised. "What are you doing?"
"That scheming Gu Yan has set up a layer of sorcery here."
"Did you just discover this?" Mu Anxiao was surprised.
Gu Yan nodded.
Mu Anxiao asked in confusion, "Then what are you doing now?" She pointed at Gu Yan's eyes.
Gu Yan looked around and said, "I've decided to betray Ouyang Ye."
"Huh?"
"To be honest, when I was downstairs, I still held onto a sliver of hope for him and thought about serving him. But after your reminder, I realized that things might not be as simple as I thought," Gu Yan said, turning to the left. "I feel like Gu Tie is on this floor."
"Why? Couldn't you sense it downstairs?"
"Gu Yan set up a trial enchantment. Anyone who sincerely intends to betray Ouyang Ye can find anything. Conversely, those with no intention of betrayal will find nothing," Gu Yan said, walking forward.
Mu Anxiao followed closely. "Then aren't you walking right into a trap?" As she spoke, she sped up and grabbed Gu Yan's arm.
Gu Yan stopped in place, turned to look at Mu Anxiao, and smiled faintly. "Do you think I can escape?"
"I..."
"Ouyang Ye is a demon blinded by profit. Don't be fooled by how he treats you today; when he gets what he wants, his true colors will emerge. I advise you, no matter the occasion, never trust his words. This marriage... you must be careful."
"You..."
"This is all the advice I can give you. What happens next depends on you." Gu Yan changed the subject, pulled her hand away from Mu Anxiao, and continued forward.
Mu Anxiao watched Gu Yan's retreating back, feeling a touch of desolation.