The wind became gentle, and the night rain grew shy.

He turned around to look at Zanxing before him, his eyes filled with disbelief: “What did you say?”

Zanxing sighed: “My little Master Uncle, how are you so easily deceived? Never mind your doubts about my character; you even have great misunderstandings about my aesthetic preferences. Look at this hall, then look at their attire – do you think I would like that sort of thing?”

Seemingly shocked by Zanxing’s phrase “my little,” Gu Baiying’s face turned slightly red as he quietly scolded: “Don’t call me that randomly.”

Zanxing: “……”

His handsome brow furrowed with some confusion: “But they said…”

“Of course they were lying to you.” Zanxing answered without thinking: “Otherwise, think about it – did they ever tell you how they serve me? Have they ever dual-cultivated with me? They definitely wouldn’t dare fabricate such things.”

Gu Baiying coughed lightly: “What nonsense are you spouting?”

“Isn’t this explaining things to you?” Zanxing said, “Gufeng Mountain sect doesn’t allow dual cultivation – I remember this rule clearly. I wouldn’t dare break precepts even here in the Demon Realm’s Heishi City. Since they’re suddenly ruining my reputation like this, I naturally need to explain.”

Gu Baiying’s expression relaxed, though his tone was still somewhat displeased as he asked: “Then why did they lie to me?”

“I don’t know, probably to vent their anger at me.”

“Vent anger?”

“Now, everyone in Heishi City knows about your unclear relationship with that Fairy Putao from Xiangling Sect. During the Yuemo Mountain expedition, the Demon Elimination Army even used this matter to humiliate me, saying I was a toad wanting to eat swan meat. I’m still the next lord of Heishi City – how can I be humiliated like this? However you made them angry, naturally, they’d find a way to get back at you.”

Gu Baiying looked at her as if he’d seen a ghost: “I didn’t! I have nothing with her – I’ve barely even seen her a few times!” He emphasized again.

“See, now you know what it feels like to be slandered.” Zanxing spread her hands: “I have nothing with them either. They just help me decorate this hall in my daily life.”

Gu Baiying glanced at her: “But that man with the rope told me you usually play games with him using rope…” His expression was somewhat displeased, his gaze quite accusatory.

“Big brother, it’s just a cat’s cradle!” Zanxing cried out in injustice: “General Lan’s rope can become large or small. It was my first time seeing such a large cat’s cradle, so I just went to try it once. How can this be used to throw dirty water on me? But…” She looked at Gu Baiying suspiciously: “What did you think we were playing?”

Gu Baiying’s face reddened somewhat as he avoided her gaze: “Nothing!”

“I never thought you were this kind of Gu Baiying!” She followed behind him, shouting as if fearing the world wasn’t chaotic enough.

Gu Baiying couldn’t bear it anymore and turned to cover Zanxing’s mouth: “Don’t talk nonsense!”

Zanxing hadn’t expected him to suddenly turn around. Caught off guard, she stumbled backward. Gu Baiying’s gaze sharpened as he instinctively pulled her back. His spine hit the pillar behind him, and he couldn’t help but let out a muffled grunt.

The wind blew up his hair ribbon and also stirred the girl’s dress. Zanxing looked up and saw the young man’s smooth chin.

The clear bell sounds mixed with heartbeats, vibrant and full of life. Outside the window, the night rain made the candlelight flicker mysteriously and movingly.

He lowered his head slightly and spoke in a hoarse voice: “…Yang Zanxing.”

“Shh—” Zanxing said.

He immediately fell silent, only looking quietly at the person who had crashed into his embrace.

On this moonless, starless night, cold wind stirred the gauze curtains of the great hall. In the mist-like rosy clouds, Zanxing spoke: “Gu Baiying, did you hear any sound?”

The murmuring rain shattered sweet dreams. The young man’s beautiful, clear eyes focused on her: “What?”

“My bell rang too.”

He was stunned.

The woman extended one finger and pointed at her heart.

“Right here.”

……

The rain finally stopped at dawn.

Remaining rainwater rolled down from tree branches, splashing into puddles on the ground, sending up spray that fell on the glowing bones beside the caves like crystalline tears of the dead.

Mendong sat at the cave entrance, looking down at ants moving in and out of the doorway.

Meng Ying was drinking tea at the table. Seeing this, she looked into the distance. The sky had brightened, and the east was white. Heishi City, washed by the rain, appeared clean yet desolate in daylight.

“Has Master Uncle not returned yet?” Mu Cengxiao asked.

Mendong shook his head, almost going blind from watching, and said: “He hasn’t returned all night.” He sighed with a worried expression: “It seems he’s decided to become the eighth beloved consort of the Chaos Hall.”

“Why do you say that?” Mu Cengxiao was puzzled.

“He hasn’t returned all night. A man and woman alone together – what good could they be doing? Poor our Taiyan Sect’s little Master Uncle has fallen to the point of competing for favor and jealousy with the demons and monsters in Heishi City. This is even worse than being with that Putao from Xiangling Sect.” Speaking of this matter, Mendong beat his chest and stamped his feet.

Tian Fangfang was halfway through stretching when she heard this and became displeased: “Junior Brother, you’re wrong. How is that female disciple from Xiangling Sect better than our Junior Sister?”

“Even if she has a thousand faults, she doesn’t have seven beloved consorts.” Mendong said, “Yang Zanxing’s hall has quite a few people. You saw them – each one is good-looking and speaks enthusiastically. Our Master Uncle has that temperament – he doesn’t know how to please people, doesn’t know how to make girls happy, and can’t speak sweet words. Right now, he can still win Zanxing’s favor with his face and body, but as time passes and she gets tired of him, won’t he be neglected? Won’t he be bullied and squeezed out daily?”

Zanxing and Gu Baiying had just arrived and heard exactly this sentence. Gu Baiying kicked out expressionlessly: “How thoughtful of you to think so far ahead for me.”

“Master Uncle?” Mendong scrambled up from the ground: “You’re back?”

Zanxing looked at everyone in the cave and asked curiously, “Senior Sister, did you all get up this early?”

“More than that?” Mendong muttered quietly: “We waited for you two until midnight last night, who knew you’d only return this morning?” His scrutinizing gaze swept over Zanxing and Gu Baiying, and finally, he stroked his chin: “Did you two dual cultivate last night?”

Zanxing: “…..”

Gu Baiying angrily said, “Shut your mouth!”

Tian Fangfang came over, pulling Zanxing inside while saying: “Junior Sister, don’t listen to Mendong’s nonsense – children speak without thinking. Yesterday, we originally wanted to wait for you together in the Chaos Hall, but later the rain was too heavy. Xiao Shuang said you might return too late, so she had us go back first. Only Master Uncle stayed in the hall, waiting.” He turned his back on everyone and quietly asked Zanxing: “So Junior Sister, last night you two…”

Zanxing was helpless. She turned around, sat down at the table, and seriously explained: “Nothing happened last night. Gu Baiying and I talked for half the night. It was too late, so I let him rest in my hall. He slept in the outer hall, and I slept in the inner hall. Nothing – absolutely nothing happened.”