The vine spirit, seeing Mu Anxiao's speechless expression and then looking at Xiao Yi, who was fast approaching, moved aside of its own accord.
After the vine spirit moved away, Mu Anxiao turned her gaze back to Xiao Yi. "I didn't expect you to be such a wealthy ant spirit." As she spoke, she glanced at Xiao Yi's money pouch again.
"These coins were saved before I was driven out by my master," Xiao Yi replied truthfully, stopping in front of Mu Anxiao.
Mu Anxiao was unaware of Xiao Yi's past. Hearing her say this, Mu Anxiao became curious about her history. "Have you been following Mo Juan for a long time?" she asked, not forgetting to glance at Wang Hu, who had given her incorrect information.
Wang Hu hadn't expected Mu Anxiao to ask so many details. Her gaze made him feel a bit awkward.
"Not exactly," Xiao Yi responded truthfully.
Mu Anxiao frowned slightly. "What do you mean? Explain it clearly."
"This..."
"I like妖怪 who are honest with me. If you're not honest," Mu Anxiao said, glancing again at the money pouch clutched in Xiao Yi's hand, "no matter how much you offer me, I won't trust you."
"Before, I followed my master, but my master didn't trust me and always... attacked me with harsh words. So, in my opinion, I merely stayed in that palace; I have no relation to my master. This time, my eagerness to contribute and enter the palace is purely because..." Xiao Yi's eyes darkened. "It's purely because I don't want to live in my original form anymore. I want to live as a human."
"That's why you wanted to flatter Mo Juan," Wang Hu stated bluntly.
Mu Anxiao glanced at Wang Hu, who had finished her sentence for her, then stared at Xiao Yi for a few seconds before saying, "Wang Hu, I have a plan."
"What?" Mu Anxiao's sudden statement caught Wang Hu off guard.
Mu Anxiao: "When we go back, you'll say that... Xiao Yi cooperated with you to find me." She thought this would allow Xiao Yi to explain things to Mo Juan.
Xiao Yi was stunned.
Wang Hu was taken aback. "Why should I? It was clearly me..."
"Wang Hu," Mu Anxiao's tone turned cold.
Upon hearing this, Wang Hu felt a hint of fear towards Mu Anxiao. "Why do you have to do this? I..."
"Even if Ouyang Ye knew that you were the one who found me, he probably wouldn't give you any reward," Mu Anxiao guessed, based on her understanding of Ouyang Ye.
As expected, the moment Wang Hu heard Mu Anxiao say this, his expression froze. "You... you really know my master. He truly won't reward me, he won't even say thank you."
"She will," Mu Anxiao said, pointing at Xiao Yi.
Xiao Yi's eyes lit up.
Wang Hu glanced at Xiao Yi, still hesitant.
Mu Anxiao looked at Wang Hu's indecisiveness with a calm expression. She thought for a moment and deliberately said, "Now that Xiao Yi is considered my subordinate, if you are not kind to her," she said, "then as the person involved, I will not be righteous towards you."
"What do you mean by that?" Wang Hu was confused.
Mu Anxiao smiled faintly. "Twist the truth. Tell Ouyang Ye that this matter... has nothing to do with you."
"You're threatening me," Wang Hu exclaimed in surprise.
"Threatening you," Mu Anxiao repeated, nodding in admission. "Yes, I am threatening you, since you are being indecisive."
"You..."
"Ouyang Ye keeps you by his side only because you are useful. But think about... how he would treat you if he knew you were useless," Mu Anxiao interrupted, her expression calm. "You should know the outcome better than I do."
"..." Wang Hu began to think, prompted by Mu Anxiao's words.
Mu Anxiao crossed her arms and continued, "Of course, if she turns out to be a liar," she intentionally glanced at Xiao Yi, "I can help you turn the tables."
"How would you do that?"
As Xiao Yi listened to the conversation between Mu Anxiao and Wang Hu, she felt uneasy.
"It's simple. Be my witness again, say that you found me in advance. Then," Mu Anxiao turned her face towards Xiao Yi, "you'll have no losses and can expose her. Why not?"
Wang Hu hadn't expected Mu Anxiao to think so thoroughly. Listening to her, he saw the solemn expression on Xiao Yi's face and smiled faintly.
When Xiao Yi heard Mu Anxiao's words, she couldn't overcome her inner conflict. "You don't trust me."
"I never said I don't trust you," Mu Anxiao replied, looking at Xiao Yi again. "It's just that I like to keep a backup plan. If you change your mind, I won't... lose everything."
"You..."
"Since I can say these harsh words upfront, it means I have already begun to trust you. I hope," Mu Anxiao smiled, "that nothing I've said will come to pass."
"...." Xiao Yi was speechless.
Then, Mu Anxiao shifted her gaze back to Wang Hu. "I will tell Ouyang Ye myself... that you all found me. You don't need to say anything." She could tell that Wang Hu was reluctant to lie, so she made arrangements for him.
"Alright." Wang Hu was finally persuaded by Mu Anxiao.
The wolf demon smiled, "I also like to keep a backup plan."
Hearing this, Mu Anxiao glanced at the faces of the wolf demon and the vine spirit and said, "Later, you two will follow behind me. Absolutely do not speak to Ouyang Ye."
"It will be a long time before we see Ouyang Ye. How about..."
"He's here," Mu Anxiao interrupted, turning her head to look in the direction of the city gate.
Wang Hu hadn't sensed Ouyang Ye's demonic presence. Hearing Mu Anxiao say this so suddenly, he was truly startled. He quickly followed Mu Anxiao's gaze towards the city gate.
At this moment, Xiao Yi, after a moment of thought, quietly asked, "Can I say that my master asked me to find you?" She fixed her gaze on Mu Anxiao's profile.
".." Mu Anxiao paused for a few seconds. The moment she spotted Ouyang Ye, she softly replied to Xiao Yi, "It's up to you how you want to say it."
"You won't be angry, will you?" Xiao Yi wanted to clearly see Mu Anxiao's thoughts.
"What's there to be angry about? Say whatever you want. This way," Mu Anxiao glanced towards Ouyang Ye, who was walking towards them, "you can also infiltrate better."
"Thank you." Xiao Yi suddenly felt a little touched.
Mu Anxiao, oblivious to Xiao Yi's state, focused on Ouyang Ye. "...."
Ouyang Ye recognized Mu Anxiao at a glance. "What happened to you?" he asked, stopping in front of her.
Xiao Yi looked at the doting gaze Ouyang Ye cast on Mu Anxiao and realized how important Mu Anxiao was to him.
Seeing Ouyang Ye stop in front of Mu Anxiao, the vine spirit and the wolf demon were frightened and hid behind Wang Hu.
Wang Hu sensed the fear of these two and, without a word, shielded them behind him, awaiting Ouyang Ye's questioning.