"In the 'Valley of Great Sorrow,' Wu Xingxue was somewhat surprised.
"Um," Xiao Fuxuan responded.
Wu Xingxue said softly, "He really went."
His expression was unclear, but one could hear a hint of regret.
Ning Huaishan sneakily glanced at the city lord of his house, his expression turning somewhat sheepish, "I was wrong, City Lord. I shouldn't have said those words to Doctor Wusheng. He hadn't planned on going; it's my fault, stirring things up without thinking."
His feelings towards Doctor Wusheng were very complicated, filled with resentment and pity. Now, they had all moved on from the past, yet only Doctor Wusheng was still struggling alone on that path.
Thinking this, he felt a sincere guilt and clasped his hands in honest admission of his mistake.
His temper was both awkward and impulsive; he had always been one to stir up trouble in the past. After causing trouble, he would regret it and would always threaten Fang Chu not to tattle, while quietly cleaning up the mess. Only when everything was sorted out would he dare to face the city lord.
If he couldn't fix the situation, he would go and admit his errors nervously. Every time he apologized, the city lord would lean against the door and say, "Where did you go wrong? You didn't do anything wrong. How about I bow to you as an apology?"
Oh,
Just thinking about it made Ning Huaishan's scalp tingle.
He was prepared to endure it again, but then he heard his city lord say, "You're right."
Ning Huaishan "..."
He opened his mouth and looked up, only to hear his city lord say leisurely, "Indeed, it's your fault."
Ning Huaishan "Ah"
Wu Xingxue "What ah, if you hadn't said those extra words, Doctor Wusheng would already be on his way to a better life in the next world."
Ning Huaishan "..."
Ning Huaishan was completely confused, his expression gradually becoming puzzled.
His city lord's response was damn strange.
When something is abnormal, there must be a demon involved.
Ning Huaishan looked helplessly towards the Heavenly Lodging with a somewhat pleading gaze. Somehow, he had come to rely on the Heavenly Lodging to control his city lord at critical moments.
But it was useless; the Heavenly Lodging didn't even glance at him.
Ning Huaishan looked back anxiously, and Wu Xingxue gestured with a tilt of his chin, whispering, "Go."
Ning Huaishan looked in the direction indicated by the chin—six rooms, four corridors, a pavilion, a tall tower, all encircling a very deep cold pond.
Where was he supposed to go?
Ning Huaishan silently stretched out his hand, shielding it with his sleeve, and pinched Fang Chu fiercely.
Fang Chu "..."
Fang Chu might have been in pain, his fingers twitched, and he turned to ask, "What are you doing?"
Inside, Ning Huaishan rolled his eyes and transmitted a message through his pinching fingers, "Help me, what else could I be doing? You better help me understand, the city lord asked me to go where?"
After a while, Fang Chu transmitted back, "You're asking me, who am I supposed to ask?"
Ning Huaishan was desperate.
In this ever-changing world, even Fang Chu had started to abandon him.
He felt a bit sour in his heart.
When Ning Huaishan looked up, Wu Xingxue's gaze was sweeping over him and then lightly landing on Fang Chu, probably noticing the small movements and guessing they were secretly transmitting messages.
This made Fang Chu even less likely to help him.
Fortunately, the city lord still left him a bit of a way out, plainly saying, "Go to that room and shut the door to reflect on yourself."
Ning Huaishan bowed his head and said "Oh." However, inside he was scratching his head in frustration. His city lord, forgetting past events, could still accurately hit his sore spot. He could endure physical pain, but not the torment of confinement.
Asking him to reflect on himself was worse than letting him bleed a little with a couple of slashes.
Moreover, the city lord never had this habit before.
Ning Huaishan moved his lips silently, resigning himself. But as he looked up, he saw the city lord's complexion turning pale again under the daylight, the previously faint trace of color seemingly suddenly fading.
He was startled.
Below, Ning Huaishan said, "City Lord, your fingers..."
Wu Xingxue's exposed fingers had turned blue again, even though they had been fine just a moment earlier.
Fang Chu also stared at that spot, and after a moment, he took the initiative to send a message to Ning Huaishan, "Didn't they say the City Lord's tribulation period was going smoothly?"
Ning Huaishan replied, "That was my guess; with Heavenly Lodging helping, I thought it would go smoothly. I didn't expect this."
Fang Chu sent another message, "Also, about Heavenly Lodging..."
He paused, seemingly too surprised to know where to begin.
Ning Huaishan thought to himself, I understand your surprise. You weren't here, but I was the one enduring all this alone.
But he pretended to be calm and said, "You mean how Heavenly Lodging would help the City Lord through his tribulation period."
Fang Chu was silent for a moment, then replied, "Yes."
Ning Huaishan played coy, "That's a long story, I'll tell you about it slowly later."
Fang Chu "..."
More than explaining to Fang Chu, Ning Huaishan was worried about Wu Xingxue's condition. He stared at Wu Xingxue's fingers and asked, "City Lord, how can it get cold so quickly?"
As he spoke, he could even feel a chill slowly spreading in the courtyard, making him shiver.
If it had gotten to this point, wasn't it not only not alleviating but actually getting worse?
Ning Huaishan turned pale at the thought.
Wu Xingxue glanced down, tucked his fingers into his sleeves, and said, "It's fine, it won't interfere with things."
His tone was typical of the demon lords of Night City, who pretend to be unbothered during their tribulation periods, but when he lowered his eyes, his expression seemed weary, as if he could not completely hide the hardship of the tribulation period.
Ning Huaishan turned to look at Xiao Fuxuan, "Heavenly Lodging..."
The usually reticent Heavenly Lodging raised his eyelids, furrowed his brows, and actually responded, "It's mostly a problem with this vessel of mine."
Vessel...
Ning Huaishan was taken aback, and then heard Fang Chu send a message, "It seems Heavenly Lodging is also having issues."
Ning Huaishan then realized and replied, "Hmm, it seems it's not the original body, and it does have some effects. Moreover, the celestial and demonic natures conflict."
The more he thought about it, the more he felt doomed.
If this tribulation period ends in mutual destruction, wouldn't it give that bastard Feng Xueli an undeserved advantage?
Thinking this, Ning Huaishan immediately rushed to Wu Xingxue and said, "City Lord, I won't reflect on Doctor Wusheng's faults anymore, I admit them. But let's wait until after the City Lord's tribulation period is over, otherwise, I won't be at ease."
Wu Xingxue, however, said, "You might as well reflect with peace of mind, you have Fang Chu."
Ning Huaishan "..."
That's true.
Fang Chu was always more stable, and in past tribulation periods, he was the one worrying about everything, truly able to handle it on his own.
Ning Huaishan pursed his lips, unable to argue.
The mistake was already made, and he couldn't hide from it. Ning Huaishan hung his head and walked towards the side room, looking back three steps at a time, muttering, "Fang Chu, it's all on you now, Fang Chu. If something goes wrong, I'll never let you off the hook."
But when he turned back, he saw that Fang Chu's expression was not looking good.
Ning Huaishan "..."
Was he really that reluctant to let me go?
Ning Huaishan was honest; when asked to reflect, he really sealed the room.
With a few bangs, Ning Huaishan's restrictions enclosed the side room, quieting the whole house into darkness, with no sound to be heard. Thus, it seemed that only three people remained in the vast courtyard.
Wu Xingxue withdrew his gaze from that corner and looked towards Fang Chu.
Fang Chu also happened to look over.
His gaze swept over the two and then quickly lowered, avoiding much eye contact, as usual, a subordinate who was obedient and unobtrusive.
Wu Xingxue didn't look at him much longer and asked, "What are you doing standing here?"
Fang Chu then looked up, his tone carrying a hint of worry,
"The City Lord's health..."
Wu Xingxue interrupted, "Didn't I just say it's fine, business as usual."
Fang Chu nodded and said, "City Lord, just give your orders."
Wu Xingxue waved his hand, "No need."
As the city lord, he always did things his own way and wouldn't explain everything. After speaking, he walked toward the house, turned his head as if he remembered something suddenly, and then spoke out loud, "Oh right, you go help me at the Sundry Books Pavilion."
Fang Chu raised his head, waiting for him to continue.
Even as Wu Xingxue hesitated and seemed lost in thought, Fang Chu gently reminded him, "City Lord."
Wu Xingxue then said wearily, "Never mind, it doesn't matter whether you take it or not."
Fang Chu moved his lips, seemingly wanting to persuade him. But in the end, he just lowered his gaze and said no more.
"I still need to seal myself for another day, you watch the outside. If there's anything, send a signal inside, but I won't hear it if you just knock twice on the window frame," Wu Xingxue muttered as he turned to enter the house. The next moment, there was a bang as the door shut tightly, and the prohibition, carrying a chilly frost, fell down.
Everyone in Yezhi City knew that when Wu Xingxue was at his peak, his energy would sweep through the area, immediately forming a layer of frosty ice.
However, this time when the prohibition fell, only a faint frost appeared at the corners of the doors and windows.
Fang Chu glanced at it, his face still showing concern.
He stood at the door for a while, then instead of going to his own room, he walked to the courtyard and sat down on a porch chair, as if guarding the door for his master.
As soon as Wu Xingxue closed the door, he leaned to the side and looked out through the carved gaps.
When his fingers touched the door, those bluish traces had already vanished, and the weary look on his face was gone.
If Ning Huai Shan, who specialized in disrupting others, saw this, he would certainly be stunned and exclaim, "Damn, he can really act."
It was evident that the twelve young disciples under the southern window of Xian Du had learned from the best.
Wu Xingxue's eyes remained uncollected as he watched Fang Chu in the courtyard, whispering to someone beside him, "His composure is quite steady. He wasn’t flustered even when I questioned him unexpectedly."
It is well-known that the structure of the Quebu Lou Pavilion is complex, resembling a formation with many stacked layers and buildings. It's a problem for outsiders who enter without a guide to even find a place, and they would certainly panic if suddenly given an order.
But Fang Chu's expression did not change; not a trace of hesitation or unease showed.
"Hmm," Xiao Fuxuan glanced at him, as if seeing through him, and opened the conversation for him, "But."
Wu Xingxue raised an eyebrow and smiled, a gleam in his eye, "But he couldn’t withstand the deception I used."
He flicked his finger lightly on the door frame and said, "The three words 'Sundry Books Pavilion' were completely made up by me."
He had asked Fang Chu to help him get something from the Sundry Books Pavilion, and Fang Chu's expression was unchanged, calmly waiting for what was next, not showing any signs of confusion.
But the thing was, there actually was no "Sundry Books Pavilion" at all.