After they finished their breakfast, Zixin quickly washed the dishes before heading to Fang Hau's Chamber along with Hope.
On their way, she commented, "You know, the Hunters have been making plans against the ever-growing wolf population. I've heard recently that they even made a squad or something."
Zixin didn't bother turning to her as he asked, "Does Fang Hau have something to do with it?"
The moment the words left his lips, Hope fell silent. She smiled, confirming, "You're on point as always. He ordered me to spread rumors and all that stuff, it was really annoying, you know?"
Fang Hau seems to have had a hand in nearly everything concerning this plan of his, yet it still feels as though it runs on luck. If I had never come here, who would have come? No one, and that means that Hope… Zixin's thoughts ran amok, his hands trembling slightly.
Noticing Zixin's weird expression, Hope turned back with a curious look.
Once their eyes met, Zixin snapped back to reality. He waved his hand, told her, "It's nothing, I was just pondering."
Hope swiftly withdrew her gaze and said nonchalantly, "If you say so."
Zixin darted around their surroundings, finding nothing out of the ordinary. Suddenly, a thought rose: How well does Hope even know of Fang Hau's history?
It was a question born from sheer curiosity, and thus, he asked.
Hope placed a finger on her lips, seemingly falling into deep thought. After a minute of utter silence, she spoke, "I did my fair bit of research, reading through whatever books and articles I could find, which recorded history from over eight hundred years ago. From what I found, I learned that he was a lonely person; it seems authority doesn't change this, doesn't it?"
She continued, "But somehow, through absurd luck, his sister passed away from an incurable disease, leading to his ascension to the throne."
Hope halted her steps, looking back at Zixin with a wistful look in her eyes. She tilted her head and said, "It's exactly because of his history that I felt suspicion, which soon would end up turning into curiosity. And so, I came to understand why my ancestors chose to take his hand, even at the cost of our freedom. It's a selfish wish, but isn't it interesting?"
She raised her hand, her palm wide open as if offering it to Zixin to take.
She spoke, her eyes full of confidence, "To witness something this grand come to fruition is an honor, and not only that, it's a privilege. You know me and what I want after all, right?"
Zixin fell silent, his thoughts clashing to produce ideas: The sudden death of Fang Hau's sister is indeed a suspicious point; however, he's most likely not involved in it. After all, although the Longevity Bloodline can be called loose, we still share the fundamental principle of believing in the importance of family.
Zixin sighed, shaking his head and reaching out to take Hope's hand. At that moment, time seemed to falter, freezing for just one second. Her touch was gentle, and her skin was smooth like fine jade. He couldn't quite recall whether it was his first time holding her hand, but either way, it would certainly become one of his most precious memories, whether he intended it or not.
Before he knew it, he was already inside Fang Hau's Chamber.
Fang Hau sat at his throne, his eyes emitting boredom. He let out a yawn, noticing the two before him.
Hope glanced at him before shifting her gaze to the black cat beside him. It let out a meow, looking at her with its round eyes.
Hope's smile widened, inquiring, "Oh? What's with this cat?"
Fang Hau floated out of his throne, momentarily shifting his gaze at the two holding hands. He quickly withdrew his gaze and explained, "If I recall correctly, you've seen it before. Either way, this is the Life Sealing Gourd, the artifact which would be used to steal Mount Lorebale's life essence."
Hope nodded, crouching down and stretching her hand out. She pet the cat, playing with it with no fear in her eyes. The cat purred, enjoying Hope's skillful fingers.
Zixin was snapped awake, shaking his head after recovering from his daze. He shot Fang Hau a suspicious look as he asked, "And why did you bring it out?"
Did he know that I entered his worn-down bedroom? Probably right? Zixin pondered, awaiting his response.
Fang Hau simply smiled, keeping his mouth shut as he watched Hope and the cat get closer. Not even a minute after they met, she was already hugging and cuddling around like it was her own.
"Hmm, why did you choose a cat as your body? Wouldn't there be a more suitable form?" Zixin asked, watching with intent.
Unexpectedly, the cat answered, "It's because it's both small and agile, perfect for my current self. And if I tried to use a body larger than this, it would be much harder to sustain."
Fair enough, everything has a cost. Sigh, I was hoping for a detailed explanation rather than a summary, but I digress. I can't exactly force it to speak. Zixin shook his head, listening in carefully.
After a bit, he shot a curious glance at Fang Hau.
However, Fang Hau seemed to have caught on, letting out a chuckle, speaking softly, "The stark contrast between the two of you is indeed fascinating. It seems the saying of opposites attract each other couldn't be any truer for both of you."
Silence descended, almost freezing time from the sheer awkwardness of Fang Hau's words. But it was quickly brought to an end once Zixin and Hope spoke in tandem, "I have no such interest!"
Fang Hau stared at their hands, nodding excessively in amusement.
Zixin sighed, noticing that he was still holding hands with Hope. A sudden blush crept in from his neck, but he quickly bit his tongue, distracting himself as he reluctantly withdrew his hand.
He turned around and headed for the storage room.
Once he left, Hope turned to Fang Hau, asking, "Do you know about Zixin's progress as a Holder?"
Fang Hau chuckled and replied, "There's only so much that I know; the most I could do is deduce it. But from the signs I've seen, it seems he's still learning the basics, or in other words, he's still at the starting point. There are far more challenges that must be overcome to even come close to finding the 'answers'."
…
On his way to the storage room, while he was walking in the hallway, Zixin thought of ways to convince the wolf.
Currently, the plan I have involves showing my "determination" to the wolf. There are two options on how to do it. The first is to keep returning over and over again. And the second is to stay as long as possible. The main goal of this is to slowly gain the wolf's trust. Zixin continued: Both have their pros and cons. By using the former, it would mean giving the wolf time to recover and gain its footing, but it would also give me time to rest. As for the latter, since it's continuous, gaining insight would be significantly faster compared to the former; however, it's incredibly exhausting. Strangely, though, there's a temporary fix to this problem, and that's called sleep. By falling asleep the moment my mind falls into exhaustion and waking up again when it has recovered, I could, in turn, continue faster.
But which one would be the most efficient? Time is of the essence, and risk must be taken, so it has to be the second one, no? I even have experiences to back it up. From the Wolf Lord's memories, wolves have an unnatural preference for seemingly stupid and mindless actions. That's even a reason as to why they can be hunted by Hunters. Not including the fact that highly intelligent wolves are few and far between, of course. At the end of the day, wolves are animals, and they can never overcome their animalistic nature; not even the Wolf Lord is an exception. Zixin thought, rubbing his chin.
Most importantly, I need to show my intelligence. Although wolves are animalistic, they still have some sort of intelligence, which is the key to building trust. Wolves respect intellect and strength, and since I really only have the former, I might as well use it to my advantage. Zixin let out an exasperated sigh. Coming up with plans has never been a habit of his, so it was quite exhausting just thinking of it.
Zixin clenched his fist as he thought: And the final step is to actualize the plan. What good is a plan without execution? When the time comes, and the wolf throws everything at me, I must keep a calm mind and adapt to my utmost capabilities.
As his thoughts slowed down, his steps halted, and he lifted his gaze, staring at the door before him.