"Hmm? This place has been preserved better than I intended." A soft, calm voice echoed throughout the hot spring.
Upon hearing this voice, a sudden chill ran down Zixin's spine. He bit his lips, opening his eyes and staring straight at the source of the sound. Zixin frowned, his expression showing his annoyance.
Fang Hau tilted his head as if to ask what he had done wrong. He waved his hand, sitting down at the edge of the pool, letting his cloudy feet sink. However, his feet remained dry, untouched by the splashes. After all, how could a soul be wet?
Fang Hau chuckled and inquired, "How's the water temperature? Is it to your liking?
This bathing house has been isolated over time. Only when you stepped into its vicinity did it begin to flow once more."
"How… did you manage that? That must have required the use of Restrictions, and that also has a steep price." Zixin asked, his gaze hardening.
Fang Hau raised his finger, pointing at the ceiling before speaking, "To put it simply, the Restrictions placed throughout the Chamber were meant to further exhaust the remaining life essence within Mount Lorebale. But it did come with the cost of waiting for a member of my Bloodline to arrive. It was rather convenient for the price to be something that I had been planning for beforehand, so you could only guess how delighted I was."
Zixin listened as he leaned back, sealing his eyes shut. Fang Hau's eyes momentarily dilated before regaining his composure once he shook his head.
"You don't seem to mind my presence. Why is that? Isn't bathing a private process?" Fang Hau probed, propping his head on his hand.
Zixin remained silent for a short while, occasionally letting out a few sighs here and there.
Just as Fang Hau sighed, he spoke, "If I were the type of person to bother with every minute detail, it would only end up with me overthinking meaningless topics, wasting my time. I already do this often, so it really wouldn't be productive."
He added softly, "There's no reason to feel embarrassed either."
Fang Hau chuckled and spoke, "Perhaps you're not affected by me, but what if it was someone else here, maybe… Hope?"
Fang Hau's smile immediately faded the moment he noticed Zixin's silence–he had fallen asleep.
He propped himself up, shifting his gaze towards the exit, and muttered in a daze, "Today's bath looks good."
His gaze fell, before snapping himself back awake and floating towards Zixin. He floated above him, observing his injuries, and after some checking, left.
…
After Zixin finished bathing, he walked out with a calm expression. He immediately headed to the storage room where the wolf corpse was stored.
On his way, he came across a black cat. He paused, staring it down, and as though it understood him, the cat's blue eyes stared back. However, the staring contest lasted less than a minute when the cat suddenly tilted its head before rushing to him.
Zixin's lips twitched, instinctively jumping up the moment the cat ran. When he landed back on the ground, he looked back but saw no cat–it had disappeared.
Where did it go? Forget it. Zixin shook his head and took a step forward, but the moment his foot landed, a realization dawned on him.
Huh? Wait, why is there even a cat in Fang Hau's Chamber? Where did it come from? It can't be the formation since that's made for humans. Zixin paused, rubbing his chin and falling into deep thought.
With his curiosity piqued, Zixin turned around, following the trail the cat left behind before its disappearance.
"Sigh, I was planning on heading back to the storage room for the wolf, but… my curiosity always gets the better of me." Zixin's gaze fell, his steps coming to a halt once he reached the spot.
Zixin shook his head, deciding to head back, but just as he did, the cat appeared again.
With confusion written on his face, Zixin scanned the surroundings but found nothing. How did the cat appear without making a sound?
Is Fang Hau messing with me? Perhaps there are multiple identical cats, and this one is different from the one before. Zixin nodded, ready to ignore the cat, but an idea came to him.
He crouched down, stretching his hand and petting the cat. The cat meowed, smiling gleefully.
Strangely, a voice came out–a soft, feminine voice, "You're indeed much better than Fang Hau."
Zixin's expression contorted into a frown, his thoughts racing fast: This… no, after using Snowdrop on the Wolf Lord, I gained a deeper understanding of the so-called "animal language," so I suppose it's not odd to understand it,t but… it really did speak human words, right?
Zixin was in disbelief, but after pondering over it, he managed to barely accept this fact.
Then, is it a monster? It can't be since there's no way Fang Hau would allow one to enter. After a process of some quick thinking, Zixin chose to simply observe for the time being.
The cat spoke again with a hint of respect, "Only a few humans have ever caught a glimpse of my presence. You're one of the fewer whom managed to see my truest form. But you still fail to decipher my true identity. You're indeed strange, staring too long at the doll-face of yours makes me feel dizzy."
Hmm… I never expected that Fang Hau kept such a talkative pet. Huh? Did it just call me ugly? Zixin's thought, commenting inwardly.
Noticing Zixin's odd expression, the cat chose to divulge more, "My true form is a gourd, the gourd that Fang Hau has shown to you before. An artifact capable of storing and absorbing life essence."
It continued, "After several years, I managed to gain my current form, a body built from flesh and bones."
That's certainly a lot to take in. Wait, can't I ask it to translate "Lending" with? Zixin's eyes flashed with silver light, his excitement ready to be unleashed, but he would soon be disappointed by the cat's reply.
"Unfortunately, I can't. I can only gain power through my own efforts, or in layman's terms…"
"Absorbing life essence…" Zixin finished the cat's reply.
Zixin sighed, tilting his head as he asked, "So, why did you appear all of a sudden? Do you need something from me?"
The cat fell silent before it turned around and spoke, "May we change settings? Having a conversation regarding such important matters in the middle of a hallway bothers me."
Zixin nodded, getting to his feet and following after the cat.
A short while later, the cat halted its tracks, turning its body and staring straight into the white wall.
The cat meowed, "Only members of your Bloodline can gain access to this room."
Zixin gave the cat a confused look, asking bluntly, "And how am I supposed to gain access?"
"Hold your Heart."
He sighed, closing his eyes and moving his thoughts into a whirlpool, and splitting them apart, but at that moment, the whirlpool fell into chaos, causing him to fail. On his second attempt, he calmed down, making sure to place his full attention on the task at hand. And just as he expected, he entered the Hex Zone and the White Palace.
His gaze shifted, landing on his Heart–a rusted key. He reached out, taking hold of the key.
Suddenly, his body began to glow brighter and brighter, illuminating the hall.
Once the light dissipated, the wall before him vanished into thin air, revealing a hall that led to a wooden door.
After a moment's hesitation, Zixin stepped forward, heading straight until his steps came to a stop, standing before the wooden door.