Several months earlier...
When Fang Yuan had vanished from the city after ascending to be an Immortal, Bai Ning Bing had not noticed for the first few days. Neither had Shang Xin Ci, for that matter.
Bai Ning Bing simply continued doing what she was doing, cultivating and looking for other gu worms that she could use for herself. She also had a secret agenda, that being a way to get Fang Yuan to hand over the Yang Rotation Gu, and to find a way out of the poison vow agreement she had made with him.
Despite looking in the markets for a Yang Rotation Gu, she was disappointed to learn that only the other half of the Yin Rotation Gu that was used to transform her could turn her back. Getting another one wouldn't be of much help. As for an alternative method that could change her back to being a man, there was none.
She didn't notice Fang Yuan's absence the day he vanished nor the day after either. She assumed that he was either in closed-door cultivation, refining gu worms, or just buying something.
It wasn't until the third day, when Shang Xin Ci wandered into the hotel where they were staying, that Bai Ning Bing even began to really notice that Fang Yuan wasn't there."
"Ah, Lady Ling Ding Ching, do you happen to know where Teacher is?" Shang Xin Ci asked.
"There's no need to call me 'Lady'," Bai Ning Bing said. "You can go ahead and call me 'Sir' if you must, or just call me by my name."
Shang Xin Ci was a bit taken aback by this remark. "Ah, well, do you know where Teacher is?"
"No, I don't happen to know. I haven't seen him recently. Why?"
"Well, we were supposed to have a lesson scheduled for yesterday afternoon," Shang Xin Ci said, "and he didn't show up. And not today either. So I was just wondering if there was anything bothering him or he had to reschedule due to some other reason."
"Well, I don't know anything about that," Bai Ning Bing answered.
That would normally have been the end of it. However, Shang Xin Ci decided to take a seat right next to her.
During this time, Bai Ning Bing had been meditating and had only opened one eye in order to speak with Shang Xin Ci. She had not invited Shang Xin Ci to sit down either.
However, the girl had simply decided to make herself at home and plop herself down next to her. Bai Ning Bing had half a mind to kick her out; however, she realized that that would likely cause more trouble for her later on that it was worth.
"It's never happened before that he hasn't shown up for a lesson," Shang Xin Ci said, folding her hands across her lap. "And you haven't seen him either. La-Sir Ling Ding Ching, do you think that something has happened to Fang Yuan?"
Bai Ning Bing snorted.
"I doubt that anything could happen to him without us knowing. He's probably just lost somewhere or the other. There's no way that he would just leave without warning. He must be somewhere in the city," she answered.
"I've asked around about him," Shang Xin Ci said, "and yet he hasn't shown up. Even the beggars of the Beggar Sect haven't seen him recently."
"He's likely just focused on some project or the other," Bai Ning Bing said, dismissing her worries.
Shang Xin Ci hadn't spoken much to Bai Ning Bing before then. However, right now it was the two of them alone, and Shang Xin Ci was not doing anything else.
All Shang Xin Ci really knew of the latter was that Bai Ning Bing and Fang Yuan seemed to be close, moving together as a pair all the time. She didn't know if the relationship had that kind of status yet.
"Ah, Sir... have you happened to know Fang Yuan for quite a while?" she asked, curious.
"I've only known Fang Yuan for two or three years," Bai Ning Bing answered. "And because I know him so well, I'm not worried about something happening to him. Just think about it logically. He is a Rank 5 Gu Master. Who could possibly take him on? If anything had happened, it would have been detected all over the city. Not to mention he has a Purple Thorn Token. Who would dare mess with him?"
"Oh... yes, all right," Shang Xin Ci said. She could read the room somewhat and noted Bai Ning Bing's frosty attitude towards her and said, "All right then, I will be taking my leave." It was easy enough to know when you weren't welcome.
Bai Ning Bing simply went back to meditating and pretended like Shang Xin Ci wasn't there as she left. Ordinarily, if an esteemed guest were to come into your house, it would be normal to offer them sweets or beverages. Bai Ning Bing did no such thing.
With that, Bai Ning Bing thought that that would be the end of things.
Fang Yuan would just stumble through the door at one point, and if he got to know that Bai Ning Bing was at one point worried about him, he would probably even mock her for doing so.
Only, that wasn't what happened.
Days passed, and it was no longer three days of not seeing Fang Yuan. It had been nearly two weeks.
"Lady Ling Ding Ching," Shang Xin Ci said as she walked in yet another time.
Bai Ning Bing was eating dumplings, and she pushed the tray towards Shang Xin Ci and invited her to sit.
"So you haven't heard a word of him either?" Bai Ning Bing asked.
Shang Xin Ci shook her head. Fang Yuan hadn't been at the last lesson, so they hadn't scheduled the next one - but lessons were around once a week so this was very odd of Fang Yuan.
Shang Xin Ci wasn't just getting mildly anxious now. She was genuinely worried as to why Fang Yuan was not there. For that matter, yesterday Wei Yang had even dropped by and asked Bai Ning Bing where Fang Yuan was, only to receive a negative answer from her.
By this point, even Bai Ning Bing was slightly apprehensive regarding the situation.
Only thing was that she wasn't concerned for Fang Yuan's safety.
Could it be that Fang Yuan ran away just so that he wouldn't have to pay back his debts? He still owed Bai Ning Bing quite a bit because of their Poison Vow Gu because he had lost the Rank 5 Frost Lance Gu and had not yet returned it to her as well as some other things. They had somewhat put a pin in that conversation but it was far from over. He still owed her quite a bit.
Knowing what a scoundrel Fang Yuan was, maxing out his debt and running away so he could never be found again sounded like exactly the sort of thing he would do. He wasn't just in debt to her, but to some people in Shang Clan City as well. By running away he could rid himself of all of those obligations. Not to mention the debts that he owed the Gu Yue Clansmen. All of that would be erased if he just walked away!
Even worse, Bai Ning Bing might be implicated with some of his debts given how close they were in other people's eyes. The Gu Yue Clansmen could do nothing to her, but those within Shang Clan City could certainly cause her trouble! It wasn't just Shang Xin Ci and Wei Yang who had come to visit her asking about Fang Yuan, two of his creditors had also visited as well.
The more she thought about it, the more annoyed she got at Fang Yuan for up and vanishing.
But there were two problems with this theory.