Hearing Ouyang Ye's sudden 'rebuke', Mu Anxiao and Hei Qi both fell silent.
Just like that, a quiet atmosphere instantly filled the room.
Ouyang Ye looked down at Mu Anxiao's startled expression, and smiled, "I wasn't talking to you, I was talking to him. Don't be scared." He softened his tone.
Mu Anxiao coughed dryly again and said, "If your subordinate wants to speak, let him. You didn't have to do that." After speaking, to prevent Ouyang Ye from suspecting, she took another bite of the flatbread.
This time, Hei Qi dared not speak.
"You're really going to such lengths," Ouyang Ye suddenly said.
Mu Anxiao was completely bewildered, "How have I gone to such lengths? What you're saying..." She said, moving the flatbread away from her mouth, then glancing at Feng Qishi, who had looked up, she continued, "What you're saying, I don't quite understand." She looked back at Ouyang Ye.
Ouyang Ye paid no mind to Mu Anxiao's gaze towards Feng Qishi, and said in a low voice, "For him, you've even resorted to 'consciousness healing'. And you say you haven't gone to great lengths."
"I..."
"This consciousness control and consciousness healing are the two most spirit-energy-consuming spells. You've gone this far for him, Mu Anxiao," Ouyang Ye said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes, "I truly don't know what to say to you."
"If you don't know what to say, then don't say it." Mu Anxiao smiled faintly.
Ouyang Ye's face hardened.
Seeing this, Mu Anxiao hurriedly withdrew her smile, and then... found herself in an awkward predicament. But for Feng Qishi's 'life safety', she had to force herself to converse with him, "What have I done to you now? Why... did you put on a long face again?"
"Do you know what kind of sorcery I've cast upon him?" Ouyang Ye retorted.
Upon hearing this, Mu Anxiao's nerves immediately tensed, "What... did you do to him?" Her tone became stiff.
Ouyang Ye looked at Mu Anxiao's sudden change with a calm expression and let out a cold laugh.
"What do you mean by that laugh?" Mu Anxiao, consumed by tension, completely lost her composure, her attitude becoming very rigid.
"You ask what my laugh means? The moment I said that, you became anxious. It shows," Ouyang Ye said, clearly jealous, "your feelings for him are indeed deep." With that, he turned and swiftly moved in front of Feng Qishi.
Watching Ouyang Ye's swift 'maneuver', Mu Anxiao's eyes widened, "What do you want to do?"
"I hate seeing you care about him the most. Now," Ouyang Ye said, reaching out and grabbing Feng Qishi's neck, "I'm really curious, if he dies, will you go mad."
"You dare," Mu Anxiao gritted her teeth.
At the same time, the dark energy lingering within Feng Qishi was so terrified that it froze in place.
"You're angry now." Ouyang Ye's lips curved upwards, his face still full of jealousy.
"If I killed your subordinate, how would you feel?" Mu Anxiao intentionally tried to make Ouyang Ye empathize.
Unexpectedly, Ouyang Ye merely said coldly, "If you want to kill him, then kill him."
"You..." Uttering a word, Mu Anxiao suddenly remembered what Hei Qi had told her not long ago. Her eyes immediately darkened, "Yes, your humanity was extinguished long ago."
"For you, even if humanity is extinguished, so what?"
"That's your business. Don't drag me into it." Mu Anxiao really didn't want to be involved with Ouyang Ye and tried to distance herself.
Unexpectedly, after Mu Anxiao finished speaking, Ouyang Ye laughed.
Mu Anxiao frowned and remained silent.
Over there, Feng Qishi, enduring the pain throughout his body, looked up and glared at Ouyang Ye's face, saying coldly, "If you have the guts, kill me. Stop threatening Mu Anxiao." As he spoke, he reached out and grabbed Ouyang Ye's arm.
Hearing this, Ouyang Ye shot Mu Anxiao a glare, then looked back at Feng Qishi who was 'straining' to protect Mu Anxiao, and smiled, "Initially, I thought your survival posed no threat to me. Now I realize," he tightened his grip on Feng Qishi's neck, "things might not be as simple as I thought."
"Kill me," Feng Qishi growled.
Ouyang Ye nodded, "Alright. Since you want to die so badly, I'll fulfill..."
"His master has a very good relationship with Yuan Xian." Mu Anxiao hastily interrupted Ouyang Ye.
Upon hearing this, Ouyang Ye instantly cast aside the thought of killing Feng Qishi, "A good relationship, what does that have to do with me?" he asked, still looking back at Mu Anxiao.
Feng Qishi frowned tightly.
Mu Anxiao took a step forward and said, "It has nothing to do with you. But I know," she glanced at Feng Qishi, then looked back at Ouyang Ye, "if his master finds out you killed him because of me, then I... will be finished."
"You're looking out for yourself," Ouyang Ye confirmed in a low voice.
Mu Anxiao nodded, saying firmly, "Yes, I am looking out for myself. Besides, he and Gu Yan are almost at the point of cooking the rice. Why... do you have to take things this far? You..."
"You're forcing my hand." Ouyang Ye interrupted.
Mu Anxiao was momentarily speechless and said, "How have I forced your hand? Can you speak without being so angry? Is that interesting?"
"'Is that interesting?'" Ouyang Ye repeated, continuing with a cold laugh, "Your kindness towards him has surpassed how you treat others. Haven't you noticed yourself?"
"We're partners," Mu Anxiao said intentionally.
"I think your relationship has gone beyond just partners," Ouyang Ye said coldly, once again tightening his grip on Feng Qishi's neck.
Mu Anxiao glanced at Ouyang Ye's actions and realized that if she tried to explain further, she would only provoke him. To prevent things from escalating negatively, she had a flash of inspiration and said, "You seem to be unusual with Gu Yan too."
"I... with Gu Yan..." Ouyang Ye was incredulous and immediately released his hand, "Mu Anxiao, don't spout nonsense and make baseless accusations."
"You're allowed to gossip about me, but I'm not allowed to gossip about you? What kind of logic is that?" Mu Anxiao blabbered.
Ouyang Ye pretended not to understand, "Gossip... Mu Anxiao, what nonsense are you talking about, you..."
"Gossip means talking nonsense," Feng Qishi said weakly.
Upon hearing this, Ouyang Ye shot Feng Qishi a fierce glare, "You two really are in sync."
"Aren't you and Gu Yan quite in sync too?" Mu Anxiao said deliberately.
"If you continue talking nonsense, don't blame me if I really kill him."
"He's currently suffering from a severe poison. If you kill him now," Mu Anxiao thought of a new tactic, "it won't look good, will it?"
"Why wouldn't it look good?" Ouyang Ye immediately took Mu Anxiao's words to heart.
Mu Anxiao said calmly, "You have your status in the demon realm. If you were to snap this frail Feng Qishi, who is suffering from a severe poison, the demon lords over there..." She smiled, "Your reputation for a lifetime might be ruined."
"You..."
"Of course, the reason I strive for cultivation is because I want a good reputation. If you ruin your own reputation, why would I follow you? It would be better..." Mu Anxiao interrupted, looking at Feng Qishi with a pained expression, and continued, "It would be better to just follow him."
"You... what you're saying isn't entirely unreasonable." Ouyang Ye said in a low voice.
"Since you know I'm right, then..." Mu Anxiao deliberately pointed at Feng Qishi, "Let's begin."
Feng Qishi resisted with his entire body, his brow furrowed.