On the other side, as the wolf demon had predicted, they arrived at a small waterfall. What surprised Mu Anxiao was how rapid the water flow was. Narrowing her eyes, she grew curious about what lay above the falls. However, just as she was about to fly up, the wolf demon tightened his grip on her arm. She stiffened, reluctantly abandoning the idea, and turned to look at the wolf demon. She remained silent, waiting to see what he would say.
As expected, the wolf demon spoke immediately as Mu Anxiao turned her gaze to him, "An unfamiliar demonic energy."
"Unfamiliar demonic energy? What do you mean?" Mu Anxiao didn't quite understand his words.
The wolf demon glanced around, his expression tense. "If I'm not mistaken, any demon that comes here will have its demonic energy merge with the surrounding energy in a short time. But here..." he blinked, "there's a different kind of demonic energy."
"Jiong Ye and Zhao Mei'er," Mu Anxiao ventured.
The wolf demon frowned. "It's not one, but two. That means..." he said, slowly turning his gaze back to the water's surface, his eyes widening. "There's something big in there."
"If it's not Jiong Ye and Zhao Mei'er, who could it be?" Mu Anxiao, still not grasping the situation, pressed for details.
The wolf demon continued to stare at the water, his voice trembling. "It's not them." He pulled Mu Anxiao back a couple of steps.
It was then that Mu Anxiao sensed something was wrong. Taking his words to heart, she slowly turned to look. Mist had appeared above the water. "It's on fire," she whispered.
The wolf demon replied, "No."
"Then what is it?" Mu Anxiao was startled by the scene before her.
"I don't know. It could be a demon-eating beast, or perhaps... a herbivorous beast. In short, I can't identify the species," the wolf demon said, sweat beading on his forehead.
"A demon-eater... I'm not a demon, so it shouldn't eat me. In that case..."
"Protect me." The wolf demon quickly hid behind Mu Anxiao.
"You're certainly quick," Mu Anxiao remarked. Just as she was about to retreat with the wolf demon, cries of "Help!" reached their ears. She frowned. "Did you hear that?"
"A demon is calling for help. If I'm not mistaken, it's a female, and that voice..." The wolf demon twitched his ears, turning his head towards the nearby thicket. "It's coming from over there."
Listening to the wolf demon's analysis of the sound's origin, Mu Anxiao followed his gaze and turned towards the direction of the voice. "Are you sure?"
"Certain," the wolf demon confirmed with conviction.
"Then let's go," Mu Anxiao said, turning with the wolf demon and heading that way.
Within the woods, Xi'er sensed something amiss and quickly stopped, pulling Song Xi to a halt. Song Xi's expression also turned serious. "It's a demon-eating beast," he said, glancing towards the waterfall.
"The smoke... it's a demon-eating beast," Xi'er said, turning to Song Xi. "Husband, go find Master quickly."
"Me?" Song Xi looked surprised.
Xi'er was firm. "You go inform Master, and I'll find Mu Anxiao. We'll split up, it'll be more efficient."
"But that's a demon-eating beast. What if you get... eaten?" Song Xi began to worry about Xi'er's safety.
Xi'er's lips curved slightly upon hearing Song Xi's words. "Others may not understand my abilities, but you do. If I'm not mistaken, Jiong Ye should have gone there, and with Jiong Ye's involvement, I can guarantee Mu Anxiao is also there. If anything happens to her, both you and I will be in trouble."
"But..."
"No 'buts.' I'm going to find Mu Anxiao, you hurry..." Before she could finish, an explosion sounded from nearby. They both shifted their gaze towards the waterfall. "Not good," she said.
Song Xi frowned. "It seems I can't get out." He could no longer see his surroundings.
Xi'er understood that the situation wouldn't allow her to do as she wished. Helplessly, she abandoned her earlier fervent plan and gripped Song Xi's arm tighter. "We can only work together."
"My dear, I will protect you," Song Xi said, placing his other hand over Xi'er's.
Xi'er smiled faintly. "Don't worry, I'll be fine."
"Then I still need to protect you." Saying this, Song Xi removed his hand from Xi'er's, raised two fingers, and pressed them to his temples.
Xi'er looked on, puzzled. "What are you doing?"
"This way, I can see the path ahead through the mist and smoke," Song Xi explained. A flash of red light crossed his vision, and the mist and smoke dispersed instantly. The path ahead became clear.
Xi'er had never considered Song Xi's abilities. In her eyes, Song Xi had always been a man who needed protection. Every time they undertook a mission, she would assign him the simpler tasks. To think that he possessed such an ability, she looked at him with nothing but astonishment.
"You... can really see the path ahead?" she asked involuntarily.
Song Xi nodded and then led Xi'er forward.
Xi'er looked at Song Xi's responsible demeanor and then at the path ahead obscured by mist and smoke. She smiled wryly. "I didn't expect my husband to have such capabilities."
"I told you, I can protect you," Song Xi said, glancing back at Xi'er and quickening his pace.
Xi'er smiled again and then kept pace with Song Xi.
By the waterfall...
Mu Anxiao, temporarily ignoring everything behind her, stopped with the wolf demon before the thicket. Clearing her throat, she asked, "Who are you? Come out." With a wave of her arm, she dispersed the mist and smoke.
The wolf demon looked at this display in amazement. "You have this ability too?"
"What I can do far exceeds your imagination. Now, try not to be scared to death," Mu Anxiao stated unapologetically. She leaned forward and peered into the thicket, then smiled. "I knew it was you."
From within the thicket, Zhao Mei'er, her voice hoarse from calling for help, looked up at Mu Anxiao. She blinked. "Mu Anxiao, it's you." She scrambled to her feet.
Seeing this, Mu Anxiao quickly pulled back. "Can you not be so excited? You startled me," she said, stepping back with the wolf demon.
Zhao Mei'er pouted. "I was almost scared to death. Come, give me a hand." She extended her hand.
"Why should I give you a hand?" Mu Anxiao asked, deliberately placing her hands behind her back.
"I can't get out. Please, give me a hand." Zhao Mei'er's voice choked with sobs.