Mu Anxiao knew this fellow A Xue was no 'normal person'. Her words to Ouyang Ye earlier were meant to leverage his and the elder's status to establish some authority and better investigate the inner workings. Who would have thought, after all this circling and talking, it had achieved nothing.
In the end, she was even overtly mocked by this kid named A Xue. Stepping over the threshold, she braced herself for any mistreatment and followed.
Just then, the wolf demon and the vine spirit understood Mu Anxiao's intention. They exchanged a glance, without another word, they passed Ouyang Ye and followed Mu Anxiao’s steps.
Conversely, Wang Hu and Xiao Yi looked hesitantly at Ouyang Ye, who was looking at them simultaneously, and still dared not speak.
Ouyang Ye looked at Xiao Yi. "Go in. If anything happens, you know how to notify me."
"Master, aren't you going?" Xiao Yi asked.
Ouyang Ye thought of Mu Anxiao's behavior from earlier, his eyes sinking. "I'm not going. You go in," he said, shifting his gaze back to Wang Hu's face. "You come with me."
"I think I should stay," Wang Hu said softly, his attitude filled with caution.
"Why? Give me a reason."
"What if she tries to escape?" Wang Hu retorted. In fact, he also saw the problem with A Xue, and he had heard before that the demons cultivating here were all sycophants. If they angered Mu Anxiao and she left, Ouyang Ye would still send him to find her. This time, he had gotten lucky, coincidentally encountering Mu Anxiao. What if he wasn't so lucky next time? In short, in such a realistic situation, he chose to stay.
"She can't escape," Ouyang Ye said faintly. He seemed to have lost his edge after Mu Anxiao's actions, his entire demeanor appearing dejected.
Wang Hu didn't ponder this further and continued, "Master, she is Mu Anxiao, not an ordinary monster. This place," he gave a wry smile, "I'm afraid it can't hold her."
"When did you become so talkative?" Ouyang Ye said coldly.
Wang Hu flinched. "It's not that I'm too talkative, it's just... I'm speaking from my heart."
"You've only met her once. You speak as if you know her well," Ouyang Ye said angrily. "This time, I won't allow it."
"Master..."
"Xiao Yi, go," Ouyang Ye commanded.
Xiao Yi responded, "Yes," and left.
Then, Wang Hu watched as the large door closed, his heart sinking. "Master, if she escapes, please don't make me go find her." As he spoke, he looked up cautiously at Ouyang Ye's face.
Ouyang Ye asked, "Do you really think she will escape?"
"Intuition," Wang Hu simply summarized his thoughts.
Upon hearing this, Ouyang Ye glanced back at the door and said, "She won't escape." After speaking, he turned and vanished.
Wang Hu looked, also glancing at the door, then flew away.
A quarter of an hour later.
Mu Anxiao and the others followed A Xue to the entrance of a hall with a white roof. "What is this place?" the wolf demon asked.
Upon hearing this, A Xue turned, looking at them with disdain, and sneered, "All demons sent here by Master Ouyang must undergo devilish training."
"Demons..." the wolf demon repeated, glanced at Mu Anxiao, then at the arrogant A Xue before him. "Hey, kid, let me ask you a question."
"Speak," A Xue said with a cold face, completely different from before.
The wolf demon smiled. "Are you a demon?"
"..." A Xue's eyes flickered, then he said, "I have demonic destiny, and soon, I will be able to cultivate into a demon." After speaking, he suddenly glared at the wolf demon.
Seeing this, the wolf demon frowned. "What's with that look?"
"You have quite a lot to say, you demon," A Xue said, spreading his hands and conjuring a whip. "Looking at you, you're asking for a beating." As he spoke, he raised the whip.
The wolf demon snorted, and just as he was about to verbally suppress A Xue, Mu Anxiao turned to look at Xiao Yi, who had followed last, and asked, "Where is Ouyang Ye?"
A Xue frowned.
Xiao Yi said softly, "He left."
"Left?" Mu Anxiao repeated, turned around, surveyed the surroundings, and chuckled coldly. "He's quite quick to evade." Then, she turned back, her gaze sharp on A Xue, who was preparing to whip the wolf demon.
A Xue, meeting Mu Anxiao's sudden intense gaze, became even more arrogant. "What are you looking at?"
"Why did you bring us here?" Mu Anxiao retorted, stepping forward and glancing at A Xue's whip. "I see. You want us to watch your circus act."
"You..." Uttering a single syllable, A Xue's eyes widened, and he forcefully swung the whip towards Mu Anxiao.
Immediately after, as the wolf demon and vine spirit simultaneously cried out a warning, Mu Anxiao raised her hand and precisely caught the whip aimed at her. "A minor trick," she said, giving a strong pull, causing A Xue to release his grip.
"Are you alright?" the wolf demon asked with concern.
The vine spirit stared at Mu Anxiao.
"I'm fine," Mu Anxiao said, glancing at the vine spirit and the wolf demon, then glared at A Xue opposite her. "If I'm not mistaken, this place was once called Xiu Xian Sect, wasn't it?"
"How did you know?" A Xue asked, looking down at his own red and swollen palm.
"When we were outside the door just now, you must have heard everything I said to Ouyang Ye."
"Forgot," A Xue said faintly.
"Forgot? Then I'll tell you again. I have an irreconcilable enmity with your Xiu Xian Sect. If you dare to be arrogant in front of me again," Mu Anxiao said, folding the whip, walking to a stone, and forcefully striking it. She continued, "this will be your fate." With that, the incredibly hard stone split in two.
A Xue looked... and froze.
At that moment, a man in a black robe walked out from the hall and looked at Mu Anxiao. "You are Mu Anxiao, aren't you?" he said as he strode over.
Upon hearing this, Mu Anxiao retracted her whip, glanced at the man in the black robe, and asked, "Are you the elder here?" After speaking, she casually surveyed the demons hiding in various corners.
"Yes."
"How do you know my name?" Mu Anxiao asked, tucking the whip at her waist and walking forward.
A Xue voluntarily moved aside.
"Master Ouyang told me before you arrived, naturally," the man in the black robe stopped in front of Mu Anxiao. "So, I know you."
"What is your name?" Mu Anxiao asked, looking up at the man in the black robe who was a full head taller than her, and asked directly.
"Mu Xi."