"I'm communicating with bees," the wolf demon said.
"I heard; he chose the location," Mu Anxiao replied. She peeked towards the courtyard gate. "Are you feeling particularly disappointed?"
"A little, but I've already thought of a way to make the flower demon give up," the wolf demon said, then sat opposite Mu Anxiao.
Mu Anxiao smiled faintly. "I knew your brain wouldn't disappoint me." As she spoke, she picked up the red string again.
This time, the wolf demon looked at the red string tied to Mu Anxiao's wrist. "You truly forget the pain once the wound heals." He then glanced at Mu Anxiao's red, swollen fingers and sighed.
"How do you think this thing can be taken off?" Mu Anxiao was eager to hear about Jia He and the soul spirit from Feng Qishi, but the red string's constraint prevented her from using certain magic. So, to be safe, she absolutely had to untie the rope.
"Could this be the red string of a matchmaking thread?" the wolf demon asked, noticing the red string was made of a completely different material than ordinary ropes.
Mu Anxiao raised her head and met the wolf demon's eyes upon hearing this.
The wolf demon frowned. "Why are you looking at me? Just answer the question."
"Stop talking nonsense. Can you untie it or not?" Mu Anxiao said impatiently.
"This is..." the wolf demon said, staring at the red string for a few seconds before a realization dawned on him. "Didn't Ouyang Ye tie this for you?"
"Can you untie it or not?" Mu Anxiao insisted, choosing not to reply to the wolf demon.
This time, the wolf demon gave a wry smile. "Since he tied it for you, I won't interfere in your affairs."
Hearing this, Mu Anxiao's eyes lit up. "Does that mean you can untie this red string?"
"No," the wolf demon replied honestly.
Mu Anxiao's face fell. "Then why did you say so much useless talk?" she said, standing up. "I'm truly impressed with you."
"Why do you want to take this off? If he finds out, he probably won't be happy," the wolf demon worried for Mu Anxiao, considering Ouyang Ye's insidious and vengeful nature.
"Unlike you guys, I'm not cowardly," Mu Anxiao said, casting a sideways glance at the wolf demon before walking around the table and chairs towards the kitchen.
The wolf demon then turned his head to watch Mu Anxiao's retreating back, contemplating his own abilities and Mu Anxiao's words. He felt he had no right to speak further.
In a moment, Mu Anxiao tiptoed and stopped outside the kitchen. As she peeked inside, she noticed Xiao Yi's back looked unusual. After a moment's thought, she stepped over the threshold and walked in.
There, Xiao Yi was staring blankly at a rope.
Then, Mu Anxiao cautiously approached Xiao Yi and accidentally glanced at the rope in Xiao Yi's hand. She whispered, "Isn't this the rope tied to the wolf demon?"
"Mm," Xiao Yi didn't react immediately.
Seeing Xiao Yi's lack of response, Mu Anxiao continued, "Why are you holding this rope?" She felt... Xiao Yi's feelings towards the wolf demon seemed unusual.
"This is..." Halfway through her sentence, Xiao Yi sensed something was amiss and slowly turned around. She met Mu Anxiao's eyes directly. "What are you doing here?" she asked, feigning ignorance, her heart filled with apprehension.
"This rope..."
"I just thought this rope could be used to make delicious food, so I kept it," Xiao Yi quickly interrupted, fearing Mu Anxiao might overthink.
Mu Anxiao smiled faintly. "I didn't say anything, why are you so nervous?" she asked, her gaze locking onto the rope again. "Are you particularly good at untying ropes?"
Xiao Yi blinked, confused. "What do you mean by that question?"
"Just answer me," Mu Anxiao said, looking up and meeting Xiao Yi's eyes again. "Are you particularly good at untying ropes?"
"What's so good about untying ropes?" Xiao Yi retorted.
Hearing Xiao Yi's confident words, hope instantly ignited in Mu Anxiao's heart. "That's wonderful," she said, directly extending the hand tied with the red string in front of Xiao Yi.
Subsequently, Xiao Yi stared blankly at the red string on Mu Anxiao's wrist, exclaiming in surprise, "This belongs to the master."
"Yes, please untie it for me," Mu Anxiao appreciated Xiao Yi's directness.
However, the moment Mu Anxiao spoke, Xiao Yi refused her request. "No, I can't untie this for you."
"Why?" Mu Anxiao grew annoyed.
Xiao Yi said seriously, "Since the master tied this for you, it means the master must have his reasons. If I untie it privately and the master finds out, he will surely be angry."
"You care so much about your master's thoughts," Mu Anxiao sighed helplessly.
"The master's thoughts do not allow any demon or spirit to touch them. If they do, the consequences are unimaginable. Therefore," Xiao Yi pursed her lips and continued, "I can help you with anything, but this... I cannot."
"Then at least tell me how to untie this rope?" Mu Anxiao intended to pry for information.
Xiao Yi frowned, completely unwilling to fall for the trap. "I've already said no, why are you... like this?" Her gaze became particularly cautious.
Seeing Xiao Yi's complete refusal, and thinking of the wolf demon's similar fear of Ouyang Ye, Mu Anxiao let out a faint sigh. "You and the wolf demon are quite alike," she said, turning towards the water vat.
Xiao Yi, seeing this, quickly asked, "What are you doing?"
"I'm thirsty, I'm going to drink some water. Am I going to jump into the vat and drown myself?" Mu Anxiao said, stopping in front of the water vat.
"If you hadn't said it, I would have thought you were going to do something rash," Xiao Yi stated plainly.
Mu Anxiao sighed. "You are truly naive," she said, lifting the wooden lid covering the water vat with one hand and picking up a water ladle with the other. She muttered to herself, "I must untie this rope." After speaking, she scooped up a ladle of water and drank.
Xiao Yi didn't know what Mu Anxiao was trying to do. However, she knew that if Mu Anxiao was doing this, she must have her reasons. Helplessly, Xiao Yi pretended not to have heard anything and looked down at the rope in her hand again, saying, "This rope can be used to tie firewood."
"It's too short," Mu Anxiao said while drinking water.
"That's true. Then I'll think of something else," Xiao Yi said intentionally, to prevent Mu Anxiao from misunderstanding her feelings for the wolf demon.
Mu Anxiao: "..." She lowered her head, staring at the rippling water surface, her brow furrowed slightly.
Xiao Yi looked at Mu Anxiao's silent back, curious. "What are you doing?" she asked, tucking the rope into her waist and walking towards Mu Anxiao.