Mu Anxiao listened to Hei Qi's cautious questioning and then looked down at Hei Qi's nervously clasped hands, thinking, *it's done.*
"Don't you understand your master?" she asked deliberately.
The second Mu Anxiao finished her question, Hei Qi shook its head slightly and said, "I have been with Master for quite some time, but... I have met him very few times. However..." it paused, then continued, "There is something, I don't know if I should say it."
"If you say it, I'll know if you should say it," Mu Anxiao patiently conversed with Hei Qi.
Hei Qi's eyes darkened as it said, "Master has done many things for you."
"Many things," Mu Anxiao said with disdain. "Fine, then tell me, what did he do for me?"
"Slaughter." Hei Qi was brief and to the point.
Upon hearing this, Mu Anxiao snorted, showing even more disdain. "Slaughter? That guy is a bloodthirsty, mad scoundrel. It would be strange if he *didn't* slaughter. Speaking of which," she frowned, clearly growing impatient, "can you tell me something new? This way... you're just making me think you're stalling for time."
"I'm not."
"You're not? Then be quick about it. Say whatever you want. However," Mu Anxiao pointed at Hei Qi, "I think the most important thing for you should be saving your own life."
"I know," Hei Qi stated firmly.
At this moment, Mu Anxiao felt... Hei Qi was deliberately contradicting her. So, she put on a stern face, unhappy. "Fine, fine, fine. Since you know how to save your life, then keep talking nonsense. It's your life, after all, not mine."
Hei Qi's eyes darkened. "Master killed all the personnel involved in that incident a year ago for your sake. That's why he had to recruit new soldiers. You," it carefully stared into Mu Anxiao's eyes, "do you understand what I mean?"
As the saying goes, always keep something in reserve. Hei Qi understood Ouyang Ye's temper and knew that everything Ouyang Ye was doing now was for Mu Anxiao. It believed that the reason Mu Anxiao had never accepted Ouyang Ye's 'kindness' might be because she didn't know how much Ouyang Ye had done for her.
It thought that if it could make Mu Anxiao re-understand Ouyang Ye through its words, perhaps Mu Anxiao would change her opinion of him. As long as Mu Anxiao changed her opinion of Ouyang Ye, it believed... even if Ouyang Ye returned, it wouldn't die. It might even be rewarded for this. Thinking of such good fortune, it began to anticipate Mu Anxiao's reply.
However, Mu Anxiao had never considered what Hei Qi was saying. The events of a year ago had become blurry in her mind, and she couldn't even recall the demons and people who had been with Ouyang Ye at the time. So, hearing Hei Qi speak now, she was truly somewhat bewildered.
Still, considering Ouyang Ye's actions in recent days and his ruthless, wicked methods, her heart skipped a beat. Then... she suddenly remembered the vine spirit that Ouyang Ye had forcibly taken away.
"Killed them all? Even... the ones he treasured most... killed them? Is that right?" She inexplicably began to worry about the vine spirit's safety.
Upon hearing this, Hei Qi seemed to find a glimmer of hope and became excited. "Yes, they were all killed. Even... his most capable assistant at the time did not escape this misfortune."
"All because of me?" Mu Anxiao pointed at herself, realizing... the vine spirit probably hadn't escaped this misfortune either!
Hei Qi nodded. "He believed they caused your death, so... he took action." As it spoke, it slightly lowered its eyelids. "Therefore, please save me."
"I can save you, but you have to listen to me," Mu Anxiao said calmly. She suppressed her 'longing' for the vine spirit, her expression and demeanor returning to normal.
Hei Qi looked at Mu Anxiao's sudden return to normalcy and realized... its words had indeed had no effect.
It seemed it had no choice but to compromise. "Alright, tell me what you want me to do," it said with a resolute expression, completely won over by Mu Anxiao.