Zanxing turned around to see a white-robed young man approaching with a spear in the night.

In the misty drizzle, his posture remained elegant. He sat down beside Zanxing and looked at her with some suspicion: “What happened?”

“Nothing.” Zanxing said helplessly, “I had a nightmare and couldn’t sleep, so I came out for a walk. There’s nowhere else to go in Heishi City. I remembered that when I went to Yuega Mountain before, I still owed the dragon fish some feed, so I came to repay the debt.” She tilted the umbrella more toward Gu Baiying’s side. “How did you come out?”

He looked at Zanxing for a while, as if trying to discern the truth of her words. After a moment, he said, “The hairpin I gave you before had my Yuan Soul in it. Later in the Ten Thousand Killing Formation, the Yuan Soul was destroyed, but a trace remained and merged with the Yuan power in your body. I have some sense of your affairs. When I saw you leave Heishi City, I thought something had happened.”

“So that’s how it is.” Zanxing was somewhat surprised.

“Why don’t you use a rain-avoiding technique?” Gu Baiying moved the umbrella more toward Zanxing’s side, “What can this umbrella shield?” He had noticed back on Gufeng Mountain that Zanxing didn’t seem to like using illumination talismans or rain-avoiding techniques. Most of the time, she added fire when cold and clothes when hot, as if she preferred to experience the sensations of ordinary mortals.

“I’m used to being an ordinary person. Do you want to feed it?” Zanxing didn’t mind, pulling out another handful of demon pills from her chest and throwing them toward the dragon fish. This time, the dragon fish didn’t dive underwater. It lifted its head and swallowed all the demon pills in one gulp.

Gu Baiying was silent for a moment: “This is a fish?”

“Not just any fish – it’s a carp, and one that has leaped over the Dragon Gate.” Zanxing thought for a moment, “Speaking of which, we have a custom where if you make a wish to a carp, it will come true.”

“Make a wish?” Gu Baiying paused, seeming to remember something, and glanced at Zanxing: “I remember in your Chaos Hall, there’s a pool. They said you specially dug it for your consorts. They said if you place demon bones in the water and make wishes to them, your wishes will be fulfilled.” He snorted lightly, his tone especially displeased, “How thoughtful of you.”

Zanxing was stunned, then remembered the matter of Shui Jun in the hall. She didn’t know how much nonsense the lamp-blowing ghost had told Gu Baiying at the time. She could only explain seriously: “I didn’t dig that pool – he dug it himself. I only found out after he finished digging. I thought it would be troublesome to fill it back up, so I let them leave it there. The hall was quite empty anyway.”

“You also showed special regard for that sickly wretch, searching everywhere for spiritual herbs and pills to nourish his body.” He looked like he was bringing up grievances.

Zanxing: “He was coughing up blood daily in my hall. You would have found medicine for him too, otherwise your conscience couldn’t bear it – how frightening that would be.”

Gu Baiying sneered, his expression still displeased.

Zanxing said, “Don’t keep dwelling on it. That wishing pool Shui Jun dug – I threw quite a few demon pearls into it and made wishes by the pool daily.”

“What did you wish for?”

Zanxing looked at him: “I wish for your safety.”

He was stunned and didn’t speak for a moment.

“I thought, Hong Su is an ordinary person – even for the sake of the sect’s reputation, the Taiyan Sect would protect her, and the Chihua Gate people wouldn’t quibble with an ordinary young girl. But you were different. Those people would probably be delighted to see the fall of heaven’s pride. I wondered what kind of punishment you would face for letting me escape. Before I could fight my way back to the sect, you absolutely couldn’t have anything happen to you, you-you had to wait for me.” She chattered on earnestly, as if wanting to show him all her innermost thoughts without reservation, “So I wished to reunite with you soon.”

The young man lowered his eyelids. After a while, he said: “…What a fool.”

“What?”

“What could happen to me? I’m the Sect Leader’s direct disciple after all – he would naturally protect me.” his voice was especially clear in the cold, lonely rainy night, speaking indifferently. “Besides, even if he didn’t protect me, my cultivation is so high that they couldn’t do anything to me. You should worry more about yourself in the future.”

Raindrops fell on the paper umbrella, dripping down from the umbrella’s edge, rolling bit by bit into the soil beneath them.

Zanxing sighed and suddenly turned around, hugging him tightly.

Gu Baiying was stunned, somewhat bewildered by her sudden action. After a moment of confusion, he looked down slightly at the person hugging his waist with her head buried in his chest, refusing to let go, and asked: “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” Zanxing buried her face deeper. Gu Baiying loved cleanliness – his clothes were always clean and soft. She burrowed further into Gu Baiying’s embrace and said in a low voice: “I’m just a bit cold.”

The young man’s face reddened slightly. He hesitated for a moment, then reached out to encircle the shoulders of the person in his arms, holding her tighter. Clusters of warmth passed between them. His chin rested on top of Zanxing’s head, and his voice, feigning composure, came from above: “Mm… your Heishi City has daily rain – it is rather cold.”

Zanxing: “Then let me hold you a bit longer.”

He raised his eyebrows suspiciously: “Yang Zanxing, are you deliberately taking advantage of me?”

“Yes.”

“…You’re really honest.”

…

This rain in Heishi City lasted for a very long time.

At first it was just a fine drizzle, then it became a pattering light rain, and later it turned into a torrential downpour. The waves of the Mingming River looked several times larger than before, and Heishi City’s embankments seemed insufficient in height.

It wasn’t just Heishi City experiencing rain – other places in Duzhou were the same.

The curtain of rain seemed endless, as if someone had poked a hole in the sky. Great waters leaked down from the horizon, rushing eagerly toward the mortal world, covering and flooding all the land with overwhelming force.

Floods occurred everywhere.

As if overnight, raging torrents surged forth from all directions. They rampaged along their paths, destroying farmland and houses, vast and towering to the heavens.

In the Lixiu River of Pingyang Town, the river water was no longer peaceful as before. Opening the windows of the “Good Fortune” inn, one could see only a stretch of murky, turbulent waves.

The speed of building embankments couldn’t keep up with the rising water. Gufeng Mountain had lifted the restrictions at the mountain’s base, and the townspeople had already begun moving up the mountain. In special times, previous rules were all abandoned.

Hong Su sat in the courtyard of Mingxiu Courtyard, gazing at the persimmon tree in the yard.

This persimmon tree had originally grown well, but ever since Zanxing disappeared, the persimmon tree hadn’t grown well, bearing only a few scattered fruits. Now it didn’t even bear fruit. At first, Hong Su thought this was because of Zanxing’s departure, taking away the good fortune of this place. But looking at it now, it wasn’t just this persimmon tree – all the spiritual herbs and vegetation on Gufeng Mountain weren’t growing very well.

This had become especially obvious in recent years. She heard that when new disciples went up Gufeng Mountain to gather herbs, they couldn’t collect any good medicines anymore.

Hong Su heard other disciples in the sect chatting casually, saying it was because Gufeng Mountain now lacked sufficient spiritual energy.