Free Web NovelChapter 315: Chapter 165: A 10-Year Dream (Part 2)
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In a pavilion hung with white silk banners, a cold wind blew, causing them to flutter.
A woman in white robes was so chillingly serene, she hardly seemed alive.
Her fingers gently plucked at the zither strings, the melody mournful, each note a sob.
As footsteps drew near, she reached out and stilled the strings.
An ethereal voice, as if from another world, came from her lips:
"Have they settled in?"
"Yes."
The old man nodded slightly.
"My Lady, we shouldn’t have let them stay."
"It’s fine. Rather than get endlessly entangled with them, it’s better to let them have a peaceful night’s rest."
"Yes."
The old man nodded.
The woman suddenly asked again,
"Where are our guests?"
"I don’t know for now, but I expect they will start arriving one after another tonight."
"Good."
The woman sighed softly.
"I have waited for this day for a long, long time...
"So long that I thought I might never see it in this lifetime."
"Whatever My Lady wishes to do, no matter how long it takes, we will accomplish it."
The woman fell silent, finally letting out a soft sigh.
"If it were him, it would have been much faster."
"But he... is dead."
The old man said softly,
"My Lady, he died because he trusted others too easily.
"So, you must not follow in his footsteps...
"That man who arrived tonight, he looks like a smooth-talking charlatan. You must not, under any circumstances, interact with him."
"...So you’re saying he’s very handsome?"
"..."
Could the phrase ’smooth-talking charlatan’ really be interpreted that way?
The old man grew anxious, a faint sheen of sweat appearing on his forehead. After a moment’s thought, he said:
"He... he’s just a glib-tongued brat. You are innocent and naive. If you were to meet him, you would inevitably be deceived."
The woman let out a light laugh, her voice like that of an ethereal bird, yet filled with sorrow.
"Elder Nong, you needn’t be like this.
"In this life... I will not be deceived."
"Yes."
Elder Nong nodded, but he still felt uneasy. However, since the matter was settled, there was no point in saying more. All he could do was worry inwardly and prepare to be on high alert.
Suddenly, a gust of wind seemed to blow through.
The woman and Elder Nong looked up at the same time.
The smile had vanished completely from the woman’s face, while a vicious smirk appeared on the corner of Elder Nong’s lips.
"The guests have arrived."
"Go, then. Invite them in, one by one."
The woman slowly closed her eyes.
Elder Nong bowed, picked up his lantern, and turned to walk out.
His pace was unhurried, yet every step held a hidden secret. He seemed to move slowly, but he was actually moving with incredible speed.
In the blink of an eye, he had vanished.
Only the woman remained. She gazed at the white silk banners in the pavilion, her eyes unfocused. With a soft sigh, she took an Elixir Pill from her robes and silently placed it in her mouth.
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In the room, Fang Shuwen picked up the teapot and poured a cup of tea.
The water for the tea had just been boiled. It wasn’t brought by Elder Nong; they had brought the water themselves. There was a kettle in the room, and they could boil water by lighting the charcoal.
He pushed a cup of tea in front of Long Qingzhi.
Long Qingzhi glanced at it and quickly shook her head.
"If I drink any more, I won’t be able to sleep tonight."
"Not being able to sleep might be for the best. This place feels a bit off, so it’s good to be on alert tonight."
Fang Shuwen smiled faintly.
"Huh?"
Long Qingzhi’s eyes widened.
"It feels off? Then why did we come here? Wasn’t that old man against us staying?"
"Because I don’t know what exactly is wrong with this manor."
Fang Shuwen chuckled.
"I doubt we’re such hot commodities that the entire Northern Domain wants us dead,
"but there are far too many people who want us dead right now.
"Besides, running away isn’t always the answer.
"So instead of avoiding it, I’d rather come to this ’place with a problem’ and check it out.
"If the trouble here has nothing to do with us, great. We’ve just scored a good place to sleep.
"But if it *does* involve us, it’s better to seize the initiative than to passively wait for danger to find us."
Long Qingzhi thought about it carefully and had to admit that what Fang Shuwen said made a lot of sense.
"So, in a little while, I’m going to go out and scout around."
Fang Shuwen said,
"You stay here in the room. Fang Dabao will protect you."
"But... but didn’t the old man say not to go outside, no matter what we hear?"
"...And why should I listen to him?"
Long Qingzhi thought about it and realized Fang Shuwen really didn’t have any reason to listen to the man.
She could only nod in resignation.
"Alright then. I’ll wait for you in the room."
"Don’t worry. If I confirm there’s no problem, or that the danger has nothing to do with us, I’ll come back.
"If you get tired, just go to sleep. You don’t have to wait up for me."
He’d said it casually, but Long Qingzhi blushed upon hearing it, letting out a barely audible "Mmm."
Fang Shuwen froze, suddenly realizing his words had sounded a bit too intimate.
But trying to explain would only make things more awkward.
So he simply said no more.
As the night deepened, Fang Shuwen didn’t linger in the room. After making sure no one was coming, he gave Fang Dabao a quiet instruction and slipped out of the room.
Fang Shuwen was no longer the novice he once was. With the Electric Light Divine Movement Technique at his command, his Lightweight Technique was now among the best in the world.
With a flick of his body, he was on the roof.
His eyes swept across the manor, and he saw that the front hall was brightly lit.
’People?’
Fang Shuwen’s eyes narrowed. Soundlessly, he made his way outside the hall.
Finding a suitable corner, he peeked inside and saw five people sitting in the hall.
