Chapter 45

He wasn’t waiting for anyone.

"It’s almost Youshi."

Inside the Qing Wang’s Mansion, five or six charcoal braziers were still burning, making the air shimmer with heat. Water dripped from the corners of the room, icy and clear.

Standing guard outside the door, Hua Qiu didn’t quite grasp the meaning behind Gu Tingshuang’s words and asked, “Dianxia?”

Gu Tingshuang didn’t explain. He lowered his head, placed the book from his lap on the table, and raised his chin, signalling for Hua Qiu to come in. She stepped forward, wrapping him in a cloak and kneeling to fasten the ties at his chest.

Gu Tingshuang’s wolf-like eyes stared at her sharply, making her scalp tingle, almost making her want to turn away.

Hua Qiu, at twenty, was the eldest of the maids in the residence, now blossoming into a graceful young woman. Her slender figure and fair, delicate fingers could soften the heart, but Gu Tingshuang felt nothing unusual.

Instead, his mind wandered to another person, who had once knelt before him in the same posture and angle. That person’s face had been calm and gentle, with long eyelashes that lowered silently, as if absorbing all sound and light beneath their gaze.

“Dianxia?”

Hua Qiu finished tying his cloak and prepared to push his wheelchair, assuming he wanted his usual evening walk.

Gu Tingshuang raised his hand to stop her. “You can withdraw. I’ll go out for a walk on my own.”

“Dianxia, by yourself…” Hua Qiu hadn’t finished speaking when Gu Tingshuang raised a finger to lightly press it against her lips.

Behind them, from the shadowed corners of the room, dozens of golden-yellow eyes suddenly gleamed, looming ever closer.

Hua Qiu’s hair stood on end, almost about to loose a scream in terror.

Before she could utter a sound, Gu Tingshuang swiftly knocked her unconscious with the hilt of his blade.

The girl’s body collapsed softly, but he intercepted her fall with his sword sheath, and then casually pushed her aside. A wolf came forward, grabbing her sleeve and dragging her to the side of the room.

He wasn’t one to pity beauty. In his life, before he had even reached the age to understand love and youthful passion, the person who could have taught him such things had already left. To him, people were either to be killed or were simply uninteresting.

In the heavy snow, his wheelchair creaked as it moved forward.

It was already evening, and no one expected the Shizi to leave the manor at this time.

He hadn’t informed anyone to accompany him. The only ones following him were the two or three dozen wolves left in the room.

A golden-backed wolf reverted to its original form, trotting over and nudging his hand as if seeking commands.

The main gate was closed. At this hour, no one would be guarding it, as it was a dangerous task. But on the other side, the civil affairs hall was still open. Ning Shiting had left it so in case any celestial citizens sought aid during the severe snowstorm.

Gu Tingshuang chose that path.

He passed through the dark, deserted courtyard, arriving at the dimly lit hall. Inside, it was spotless, with everything neatly arranged. The desk where Ning Shiting usually worked was in perfect order, ink supplies put away, and only a few blank ledgers and a bucket of small slips remained.

Gu Tingshuang had seen these slips before.

On the Immortal Continent, civil affairs halls had a tradition: before beginning work, they would draw a slip. A favourable slip indicated that the day would go smoothly, without too many challenges. A bad slip warned of possible obstacles or malicious plots.

These slips were called "Fuli Slips," believed to be protected by the deity Fuli Dijun, and were said to be highly accurate, never failing.

With that thought, Gu Tingshuang casually drew one, slowly unfolding the paper in his hand.

At first glance, it appeared blank, but as he focused on it, characters gradually appeared:

Divination: Upright, seeing from above and below, the posture of a running wolf. All you wait for shall come to pass.

Gu Tingshuang glanced at it, then stuffed the slip back.

He wasn’t waiting for anyone.

.𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟.

At the edge of Xizhou City, the sound of people and construction slowly drowned out the wind and snow.

It was evening, and the camp began to light up with warm yellow flames, casting a glow over the icy landscape. In just one day, an ice fortress had risen from the ground, with trenches and windbreaks shielding against the storm. Fire and water elementalists worked together, extending protection to half of the main city near the island.

Some citizens of the Immortal Continent had come to find refuge, while others brought wounded or ill family members to seek treatment. Despite the late hour, the camp was bustling with activity.

The people of Qing Wang Mansion had chosen a quiet spot for Ning Shiting, giving him a chance to rest after a long day. Unlike other celestial beings who could draw on spiritual energy, Ning Shiting was a mortal, needing food and rest like any other human.

However, most of the supplies here were spiritual medicines and tools, and it was hard to find suitable materials to start a fire or cook. Even food was scarce. Before setting off, everyone had packed light, and Ning Shiting wasn’t the type to carry a loaf of bread with him.

“Gongzi, are you hungry?”

Hulu entered, carrying a lantern and a cup of hot water. “Gongzi, for now, please make do with this. I got some tea from the Immortal Chief’s residence. Drink it to warm your stomach. I’ll figure out something for food.”

Ning Shiting shook his head. “I’m not that hungry. I’ll manage. In any case, we’ll be heading back tonight, so I can eat then.”

Hulu placed the hot tea in front of him.

Ning Shiting lifted the cup to his nose, inhaling the fragrance, but didn’t drink. He merely held it to warm his hands.

He didn’t say anything, and Hulu stood there, confused about why he wasn’t drinking.

Lingjiao slipped in, noticing the situation, and quickly pulled Hulu aside, whispering, “You gave Gongzi something from the Immortal Chief’s residence? If the one sitting here wasn’t Gongzi but the Shizi or Wangye, you’d lose your head! We don’t harm people, but we must be cautious.”

Realising his mistake, Hulu felt guilty and quickly told Ning Shiting, “Gongzi, I didn’t brew the tea well. I’ll go make you another cup.”

“No need. It’s fine,” Ning Shiting replied.

Before Hulu could finish saying that there was nothing suitable to serve him, a chilling noise came from behind the ice house.

The magically fortified ice began to crack and fall, accompanied by the eerie sound of something forcefully striking it. The quiet around them made the noise even more unnerving as if the entire ice house was about to collapse.

Lingjiao shrieked and rushed out to check, only to scream again as he hurried back—"Ahhh, wolves!!!"

Ning Shiting stood and saw Lingjiao pale with fear, retreating frantically.

In front of him, a white wolf advanced calmly, squeezing its way into the narrow ice house. These ancient divine beasts once restored to their original forms, appeared massive and intimidating.

Recognising the two wolves, Ning Shiting softly called, “Yueya, Yinbian.”(1)

The two wolves quickly spotted him and squeezed in further, passing the terrified Lingjiao and Hulu to reach Ning Shiting’s side.

Ning Shiting asked, “Why are you here? Did Dianxia send you?”

He extended his hand, and the wolves, as they had done with Gu Tingshuang, gently nuzzled his hand with their enormous heads.

Then Ning Shiting felt a tug on his sleeve as Yinbian grabbed it, pulling him as if leading him somewhere.

Yinbian’s eyes had a slight problem. While the other ancient white wolves had pure golden eyes, Ning Shiting had noticed during a check-up that Yinbian alone had a faint white ring around its pupils—early signs of cataracts. Eventually, this might cause Yinbian to lose its sight.

Ning Shiting had prescribed eye drops and given the wolf its name, “Yinbian,” due to this condition.

Despite the wolves’ effort to move slowly and gently, Ning Shiting still stumbled as they dragged him along. Yinbian led the way, Yueya followed behind, and Hulu and Lingjiao, trembling with fear, chased after them.

Yinbian led Ning Shiting out, but not far, stopping behind the house.

In the snowstorm, Ning Shiting struggled to see clearly, so Yueya shielded him from the wind and nudged him, indicating he should look in the direction Yinbian was sniffing.

Ning Shiting focused and noticed something strange—where the ice house met the snow, a patch of dark liquid seemed to have been splashed, as if water had been poured on sand.

He quickly realized something was wrong: before they built the ice house, they had cleared all the snow. This unusual liquid appeared to be seeping directly into the ice.

Ning Shiting removed his gloves, crouched down, and gently touched the darkened part of the ice. The dark area had softened, turning into a slush-like consistency that couldn't even be grasped and quickly melted away.

He examined his fingertips, soon feeling a sensation akin to flames scorching his skin. It felt as if an invisible fire was creeping across his fingers, bringing sharp pain and burning heat in an instant. Ning Shiting frowned, and before he could react, Yinbian, the wolf, swiftly came over and tried to lick his hand. Luckily, Ning Shiting withdrew his hand just in time, stopping Yinggou's action. “No, I'm poisoned. Don’t worry, it's nothing serious,” he reassured the wolf.

Hulu hurried over, asking, "Gongzi, what is this substance?"

Ning Shiting replied, "It's Fire Dragon Saliva, a fire-based substance. This material is refined from the essence of Fire Dragon's saliva, something only accessible to prestigious immortal families. It can melt all kinds of ice and snow, even the most ancient and hardened ice."

"Why is something like this here?" Hulu asked, puzzled.

Lingjiao chimed in, "With the fierce snowstorm, using this stuff would destroy the ice shelter in just a cup of tea's time. Someone must be after Gongzi’s life."

Foot Notes

1. 银边 (Yín biān) means “Silver Edged”, it is also the name of an ancient prescription.