Upon stepping into the infirmary, Fang Hau's gaze shifted to Zixin, noticing the unusual scarlet hue covering his eyes. Tilting his head, he probed, "My oh my, it seems you two had some alone time. Mind telling me what happened?"
Zixin's gaze locked onto him, their eyes momentarily flashing with lights. He sighed, shifting his gaze at the table up front as he said, "Nothing that you wouldn't know of. What's even the point of asking if you're already aware?"
Fang Hau chuckled, replying, "It allows me to probe deeper, after all, I wasn't there to witness it, was I? And not only that, but it also enables me to act innocent, although it's ineffective when the opposing side already knows that I know."
Stepping further, Zixin takes his seat, his thoughts drifting: What should I do now? There's basically nothing left to do for now but wait… A waiting game, huh? Perhaps I could explore my own thoughts or deepen my understanding of what I already know through introspection. On second thought, I sound weird.
His gaze darted around, landing on Hope, who sat quietly, her eyes closed as she took a rest.
That whole occurrence must have cost her quite a bit of stamina. Sigh, how did she even manage to do that? Hmm… wasn't it because of Fang Hau's aid? Upon a sudden reminder, Zixin's gaze shifted to Fang Hau.
Fang Hau noticed it waited, never parting his lips. Zixin asked, probing, "Earlier, Hope had managed to drive me unconscious and send me to a world over which she had full control. I'm telling you this because I assume you understand the inner workings of it."
Fang Hau's pupils dilated, his body dispersing violently.
Pop
With a sudden burst, his figure vanished, popping like an inflated balloon. But soon enough, it managed to reform–not as a human but as a talking piece of paper.
"Even if you wish to learn more regarding it, your current level of comprehension of abilities would hold you back. And I cannot teach you more than you require, for every extra step I take would only lead you to ruin further." He paused, his body popping again and reforming into a quill, and continued, "Trust me, I have seen the worst possible future that this world is heading towards, and you are but one of many variables that have to be in a perfect state to maintain the most reasonable victory."
"Are you implying that the Blessed Land of Isolation will have to face a catastrophe?" Zixin asked, his eyes narrowing.
The pen shook its body and wrote in the air, "No, peace is all that will be until either of the three Untouchables begins with their master plan."
The pen paused before continuing, "Just remember that they are not enemies."
The pen popped again, emitting purple smoke that condensed and formed his human self.
"You can forget this conversation ever happened. The words I have spoken wouldn't matter until much later." Fang Hau said before leaving the two in the infirmary.
Zixin cast a glance at Hope and said, "I've made up my mind, I'm willing to 'lend' my ability but not 'give'. Does that seem reasonable to you?"
Hope nodded, standing back up and dragging Zixin along.
…
Street lamps lit the lively paths as crowds of Hunters and civilians strolled, forming a river of humans, each movement creating a wave coursing throughout the path.
How lively, they must have had a good hunting session. Sigh, walking in a crowd isn't for me. Hope commented internally, her head drooping down.
Fortunately for them, the crowd subsided, opening a clear path before them. Without a moment's hesitation, Zixin stepped forward, heading towards Xiaoshop.
But right as his foot landed, three Hunters blocked his way. His lips twitched, his eyes narrowing. Upon lifting his gaze, he was met with the sight of a man with bulging muscles. He wore a confident smirk on his face, and with his dark red eyes and hair, he appeared like a threat.
Scanning a little further, two more Hunters stood beside him–a pair of twins. Their short black hair covered their eyes while they each held a sword in either their left or right hand.
Zixin tilted his head, his thoughts rushing like a flood: Ugh, this is irritating. I just cried a few hours ago, and now three Hunters came this way to block me? Is a fight inevitable? I suppose running away is an option, but… what would happen to Hope? She can run really fast, but I don't know if that's fast enough to outrun a Hunter.
He sighed, probing, his voice cool as a breeze, "It seems you three need something from me. However, I am quite busy,y so if you would kindly tell me, it would help us all."
The man at the front laughed and spoke, "Just think of us as hired fighters. Some merchants said they held a grudge against the Longevity Bloodline for a while now, and after learning of your whereabouts, they sent us three. So be prepared to be squashed like meat paste!"
Zixin's expression froze, his eyes a dull reflection of the man. His lips parted, muttering, "Blind."
His gaze drifted, landing on Hope's mischievous smile. His expression returned to normal, but just as it did, he gave her a deadpan look.
Swoosh
The air currents resisted, but soon faltered as the man chopped down at Zixin. Reacting prematurely, his body ejected force on his feet, jumping backwards and dodging the strike.
Crash
Dust clouds formed as the man's hand shattered the ground below, sending rubble flying.
Hope smirked, taking her chance as she screamed with all her heart, "Vanor!"
The man laughed, shouting, "Hahaha, calling Vanor out, what a bunch of fools. You who—"
Suddenly, a streak of light flashed in an instant, and before anyone even knew it, the man's head had been buried beneath the ground.
Vanor stood atop the man's body, glaring at everyone except Zixin and Hope.
"Well… Um—"
Another streak of light flashed, and just like before, the Hunted who tried to speak was buried beneath the earth.
The remaining Hunter kneeled, but another streak of light flashed, deciding his fate.
This time, however, after the man was buried, a large, bird-like claw made by lightning remained on Vanor's arm before promptly dissipating.
Letting out a heavy sigh, he strolled forward, asking Hope, "Are you doing well? It seems this bunch was trying to harm you two."
Waving her hands, Hope dismissed Vanor's worry, replying, "I'm fine, just a little surprised that's all."
Turning his head, his gaze locked onto Zixin, speaking, "Be careful next time, these types of incidents aren't uncommon. And if they said anything particularly important, don't mind using the information to extort them."
Extortion is a crime. Why would I do that? Hmm? Wait a second, I feel like I've done worse… Oh, murder… it was for self-defense, so that doesn't matter. I just have to hope that no one from the Instigation Bloodline ever finds out. Zixin thought before nodding, thanking Vanor and leaving with Hope.
…
Half an hour later, they both arrived at Xiaoshop. Upon entering the workshop, Zixin headed towards Xiaoxiao's office, halting his tracks once he saw it.
Stretching his arm, he pushed the door open, meeting with Xiaoxiao, who wore an exhilarated expression.
Xiaoxiao smiled, telling them, her voice cheerful, "The blueprints are pretty much already completed now."
Zixin spoke as well, "I've decided to 'lend' instead of 'give'. I hope you're fine with that."
"That sounds reasonable. I could work with that." Xiaoxiao said whilst rubbing her chin.
Xiaoxiao spoke, informing them, "For now, I should tell you about the base design of the artifact. To put it in layman's terms, the base design is a small spherical object with a small window where you could place your ability. Once you've given it your ability, the artifact should start forming itself on its own."
Zixin's gaze drifted, noticing the small mechanical toy from before. Noticing his gaze, Xiaoxiao explained, "Oh, that's a part of my ambition."
"It's apparently a prototype." Hope spoke from the side.
"My dream of free manual labor!" Xiaoxiao spoke confidently, almost comically.
Noticing her words being ignored, Xiaoxiao shifted her gaze, observing Zixin and Hope, commenting with a grin, "You two seem closer. Did something happen?"
"By definition, yes," Zixin replied, casting a glance at her.
"You two are already at the bed stage?" Xiaoxiao probed.
Hope waved her hands, speaking, "You misunderstood; neither of us has any interest in such."
…
Outside the Xiaoshop, Zixin asked Hope, "So, how did you know that Vanor would come out and save us?"
"He courts me, so I made sure to keep track of his hobbies just in case I would coincidentally be in a sticky situation. And apparently, today was the day he went out and got scammed on purpose." Hope explained, taking a seat.
Zixin's lips twitched, and Hope elaborated, "Huh? I actually don't know why he does that, but probably for you know, reactions? Because it's fun."