Chapter 98. Yes, smile like that.

Hugong softly spoke.

“Songhua.”

“Yes? Yes, Master.”

Songhua, who had not expected to be called, was flustered and at a loss for what to do.

“I’m sorry. I said I would tell you, but I haven’t been able to. Today is the last day. From now on, don’t peek at me at night.”

Songhua had developed a bad habit because of Fanhang.

What a hassle. Besides, at her young age, it’s important to get a good night’s sleep, but she couldn’t sleep deeply and kept peeking at him every night, which was not good.

“...Yes.”

“Ahem...”

Her response was not very satisfactory.

It seemed that a serious explanation was needed to persuade her.

“Don’t take this lightly. It’s for your own good, but in the first place, it’s a bad thing. I also have my privacy. Because of you, I can’t... do... strange things... and... I’m worried... Yes? Anyway... Did you understand? If you do this tomorrow or the day after, I’ll send you back to the main house, so remember that.”

“Yes, Master.”

Songhua understood and smiled.

She felt more at ease than from his earnest words. Considering her master’s cultivation, it was time to break this habit.

After Songhua left,

Hugong checked the connections of Heavenly Fragrance.

He removed the connections of the four elders of the Yin Ying Gate and the two sparrows he had tested initially. The only one left was the ‘Fifth Reverser.’

He opened the window. A cool breeze blew in.

Hugong soon flew out beyond the window.

He had been waiting for night to fall.

With no people around and the world’s scents fading at night, the Heavenly Fragrance became even more intense. It was easier to detect, and he could quickly cover a wider area.

How long had it been?

Almost an hour had passed.

After quickly circling the Hejin and Hezhou areas from south to east, his breathing had become much coarser than before.

Hugong inwardly clicked his tongue.

‘Should I say pitiful or commendable?’

“Shall we take a break?”

“No... I... I’m... fine... fine...”

Nangong Yan, panting heavily beside him, barely managed to finish his sentence.

When they took off from the window, he had shouted,

“Let’s go together!”

With that, Nangong Yan had jumped off the roof with great enthusiasm and followed closely behind. Hugong had adjusted his speed to keep Nangong Yan from falling behind, but it still ended up like this.

‘It’s a good experience to see the bottom of oneself, I suppose.’

“Being fine is impressive. Let’s go a bit faster then!”

“Yes? Yes... Good... good...”

Nangong Yan looked like he was about to cry, so Hugong laughed.

But Nangong Yan had no time to look at that smile.

***

He looked like a middle-aged man. He was inside a room. He looked pitiful. He was huddled in a corner of the room, burying his face.

Was he crying?

Was he hurt?

He looked sad.

After a while, the door opened, and a woman entered.

The woman, in her early thirties, was alluring and had a beautiful figure. Her eyes and the corners of her mouth exuded a mysterious charm.

“What are you doing?”

The woman asked as she sat at a table in the room. Her gaze was directed out the window beside the table. It was dark all around, and there was no scenery to speak of, but she gazed vaguely.

There was no response. The woman asked again.

“What are you doing?”

It was the same question she had asked just now.

“I’m... just... shaking.”

The middle-aged man mumbled inaudibly.

“Haven’t you eaten?”

“I have. I ate a lot. I ate two.”

“Then why?”

“I keep thinking about it.”

“Who?”

“The Great Master of Tianhua Library.”

“Did you meet him?”

“Yes, I saw him today.”

“Did he see you?”

“He saw me. He saw me. He looked at me. I was surprised.”

“Did he recognize you?”

The woman’s gaze shifted from the window to the middle-aged man. The man still had his head buried, and her delicate brows were slightly furrowed.

“Yes, it’s definitely him. He came close to me.”

“Oh...”

“I didn’t want to be near him, but I couldn’t avoid it. He kept coming closer. He pretended to pass by, but he kept coming closer.”

“You must have been scared.”

“Yes, I was scared. I almost trembled. I didn’t want to brush past him, but I did. It was strange. If I turned my body or acknowledged him, I felt like I would die. No, I would have died.”

“You were lucky.”

The woman laughed.

“Yes, I was lucky.”

“Why did you go there in the first place?”

“I just wanted to take a look. I wanted to see the daughter of the Nangong family’s head. I had to eat. I wanted to see her first.”

“How did she look? Was she beautiful?”

“I can’t remember. Her face doesn’t come to mind.”

“Why?”

“Because of Fanhang.”

“Who is Fanhang?”

“The Great Master of Tianhua Library is Fanhang. He’s filled my mind.”

The woman nodded as if in agreement.

“Hearing this, I’m curious. I want to see him too.”

“He’s a remarkable guy. He’s scary. You’ll be surprised if you see him. But he’s also strange.”

“Huh?”

“There were many others who had undergone Reversal. Four of them. I survived because of them. If I had been alone, I would have been the target. I would have died.”

“What a strange thing.”

The woman tilted her head and continued.

“Don’t do that anymore. There are only a few days left. The Spirit Ling will come soon. Lady Yan will also come soon.”

“Yes, Lady Yan is coming. Lady Yan, Lady Yan, Lady Yan... Lady Yan won’t be tasty.”

“Endure until then. The world will be surprised soon.”

“I know. Hugong is dead. Because he’s gone, my mind is so at ease.”

“Yes.”

“When that time comes, I’ll be able to eat the daughter of the Nangong family’s head. But now, I can’t remember her face. Why can’t I remember? That beautiful face? No, I know. It’s because of the Great Master of Tianhua Library.”

Gui Ouling lifted his head, which had been buried.

A terrifying smile was on his face.

His face then changed.

He looked young and like a scholar. His appearance was neat but also had a sharpness to it.

The woman smiled.

“So that’s what you look like?”

“No, I just look similar to the Tianhua Library kid. I was too scared to see him fully. But I know. Once I eat him, I won’t be scared anymore. I want to see his calm eyes turn fearful. After his distorted expression passes, he’ll wither. I’m looking forward to it. I’ll laugh in front of him. Hehehehehe!”

“Awesome.”

Gui Shiling laughed and continued.

“I’m going. Good night.”

***

The day passed quickly.

In the afternoon, Meng Yanmeng and Zhi Yungai visited briefly, and in the early evening, there was a report from Qibidan Hun. There were no special incidents or significant progress.

As evening approached, Hugong prepared to go out, and Nangong Yan immediately followed like a shadow.

“Are you going out now?”

Hugong nodded.

“Yes, I plan to go out early today. I want to go further.”

“Then I’ll go too.”

“Why don’t you rest, Nangong? Your complexion...”

“Haha, I’m fine.”

Due to the heavy use of internal energy and overexertion, Nangong Yan’s skin was rougher than yesterday. However, there were signs of improvement after just one day, and Hugong inwardly smiled.

‘Yes, smile like that.’

Unlike Xiaoye, Nangong Yan was always quiet, so Hugong had rarely spoken to him despite seeing him many times. His overly refined personality made his expression always stiff and confined, but now it seemed a bit more relaxed. Even though his skin was worse, his expression was brighter, which was a good sign.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes.”

After half an hour, they crossed the southwestern Xiajun.

Today, Nangong Yan was more relaxed.

Because of the different time, today they stopped more often and adjusted their running speed compared to yesterday.

‘Yesterday was really...’

He thought he was going to die. He had always been proud of his lightness, believing he wouldn’t be outdone by any young generation in the martial world, but last night’s experience made him more humble.

When they returned at dawn, he felt nauseous, and his legs were trembling. Thanks to that, he felt more at ease today. Maybe it was because he had shown a ridiculous appearance. After displaying all kinds of embarrassing behavior, his mind felt lighter, and his body felt lighter too.

It was as if something that had been trapped inside him had been released. It was a strange feeling, and it seemed more than just a feeling. Was this what his father had hoped for? To see him fall and let go?

Looking at the Great Master, it felt strange. Despite lacking formality, his movements were free, sometimes appearing thoughtless and sometimes perfectly planned.

He would laugh with Tiankongdan and then give a disdainful look to Meng Yanmeng, the branch leader of the Alliance. It was impossible to figure out what kind of person he was.

Nangong Yan’s thoughts ended there.

Suddenly feeling a void beside him, he turned to see the Great Master standing a considerable distance behind, frowning.

Nangong Yan approached but didn’t ask, waiting quietly.

The Great Master tilted his head.

“Huagushan?”

“Yes?”

“Let’s go.”

Nangong Yan was puzzled by the sudden mention of Huagushan but followed immediately as the Great Master took off.

They had already entered the Hejin area.

Hugong was certain.

The faint foul smell spreading in the Heavenly Fragrance was Huagushan. Although Huagushan was commonly used in the martial world, it was mainly by the evil sects or those who dealt with poisons.

Huagushan was needed by those who wanted to erase traces.

While quickly passing through Hejin, he listened to the voices of people walking at night. Most were trivial conversations, but then he heard:

“Damn, that smell. It was so pungent that I thought my nose would bleed.”

“I know, kid. Did you see it?”

“What?”

“A piece of clothing.”

“Idiot, what are you trying to say?”

“The axe suddenly disappeared.”

“Don’t you know him? He’s probably rolling around in some gambling den or tavern. The clothes are common.”

Passing by the conversation, they found it in a sparsely populated area on the outskirts of the village.

In the bushes behind a small road.

“Ugh!”

As they entered the bushes, Nangong Yan pinched his nose and took a step back. Only then did he understand what the Great Master meant by Huagushan.

‘But how...’

It was a considerable distance. How could he have found this place so accurately? It was truly remarkable.

“Hmm...”

Hugong examined the scene closely through his Lingyan Eye and let out a hum. He saw not only tiny pieces of clothing but also bone fragments that hadn’t completely decomposed.

“Is he fearless or careless?”

It could be both.

The scene was slightly beyond common sense.

Sprinkling Huagushan meant erasing traces. After using it, the ground should be plowed or covered with soil to clean it up. It wasn’t much work.

This was more like laziness or a form of play.

Even sprinkling Huagushan.

It resembled the person.

The one who had wandered around the Tianlong Grand Banquet, saying no one could see him, acting as if he had become a great being.

Hugong thought this was enough.

There was nothing more to investigate. Whether it was him or someone else, he decided to focus on this area tonight.

“Nangong.”

“Yes.”

“Let’s circle around this area.”

“Yes!”

Nangong Yan responded with strength.

Until now, he had wondered why they had to dart around in all directions and what the point was, but finding the traces of Huagushan made him understand.

The Great Master was someone who could find things.

*

That night.

The old woman was terrified.

She was overwhelmed by fear.