Chapter 182
Fan Xiaoxiao was stunned after hearing the person's voice.
Huh? This voice sounds like Boss Gu's.
"Fan Xiaoxiao?"
The person called her name again, and this time Fan Xiaoxiao heard it clearly; it really was Gu Zhongtai's voice.
She suddenly opened her eyes. A person standing not far away had just stopped and lit a candle. The dim candlelight illuminated the person's face. It was none other than Gu Zhongtai, whom she hadn't seen for two days!
"Boss Gu!"
Fan Xiaoxiao wanted to stand up from the pile of books, but unfortunately she had been squatting for too long and her legs were getting numb. As soon as she moved slightly, her legs felt a tingling and numb sensation.
Fan Xiaoxiao gasped, her movement of getting up froze in place. When Gu Zhongtai turned around, he saw her with a furrowed brow, leaning against the wall behind her, trying to straighten up but unable to.
What's going on here?
Gu Zhongtai raised an eyebrow with a hint of amusement, walked up to her, squatted down, and handed the candle in his hand towards Fan Xiaoxiao.
The sudden light and heat made Fan Xiaoxiao feel a little uncomfortable, so she raised her hand to shield her eyes. However, the fear and unease in her heart were almost driven away by Gu Zhongtai's beam of light.
"Gu Zhongtai".
Fan Xiaoxiao called Gu Zhongtai's name again, but as soon as she moved slightly, she felt a sharp pain in her foot, and the pile of books fell down with a clatter, tripping her and causing her to fall forward as usual.
The expected pain did not occur. Gu Chongtai held up the candle in one hand and supported Fan Xiaoxiao's shoulder with the other.
The moment she was helped up, Fan Xiaoxiao felt that Gu Zhongtai's hand was completely cold, and even through her clothes, it made her shiver.
Looking up, she noticed that Gu Chongtai's slightly curly hair was loose down his back, and he was wearing only a simple robe over his shirt. She reached out and touched Gu Chongtai's arm, only to find that he was also cold to the touch.
Why are you so cold?
Gu Zhongtai took a small step back and freed Fan Xiaoxiao from the pile of books.
"I detoxified myself in the Xuanbing Cave. There are snow-capped mountains over there, so naturally my body was covered in ice."
Fan Xiaoxiao was slightly taken aback. Yes, Boss Gu should be detoxifying. But why was he here at this moment? Could it be...?
Fan Xiaoxiao tightened her grip slightly: "You've heard about what happened in Tianshan?"
Gu Zhongtai stared at Fan Xiaoxiao for a few moments, puzzled. A few strands of hair fell down beside his face as he did so. "What is it? Didn't you blow the silver whistle and ring the mountain bell today?"
Fan Xiaoxiao loosened her grip and then sat down on the ground with a long sigh.
"Today, the people from the imperial court disguised themselves as an old woman and lured me out of the town. I asked the Tianshan Sect to protect me, but I didn't expect that they were all beginner disciples, which resulted in them being seriously injured and almost dying."
She briefly recounted the events of the day, then, feeling it wasn't enough, added, "However, before I went out, I specifically instructed the person to look for Sang Lan'er and the Heavenly Venerable, but for some reason, these few novice disciples came instead..."
As she finished speaking, Fan Xiaoxiao's voice weakened considerably. She looked at the flickering candlelight in Gu Chongtai's hand and suddenly fell silent for a moment.
What is she doing? Is she trying to justify herself? In truth, she bears some responsibility for the injuries sustained by those novice disciples. If she hadn't been so overconfident, if she hadn't been so delusional as to think she could capture a Dark Pavilion assassin with the cunning of an ordinary person…
Fan Xiaoxiao pursed her lips, her head drooped down little by little, her hands on her knees slowly clenched into fists, and her teeth bit down hard on her lower lip.
She took a deep breath, barely managing to keep her voice from trembling: "Gu Zhongtai, I'm useless. I almost made an insignificant person die for me."
She always knew that this world was different from her own, where life and death could be decided in an instant. That's why she could cling to the Heavenly Venerable and Gu Chongtai without any psychological burden.
She thought she was safe now, but she never imagined that her momentary lapse in judgment could kill a complete stranger.
She desperately wanted to live, but she didn't want to extend her life by killing a complete stranger.
How do you know that this is your responsibility?
Gu Chongtai's green eyes darkened slightly as he looked at the top of Fan Xiaoxiao's head, his face expressionless. Fan Xiaoxiao was slightly taken aback, then looked up at his eyes, which were as green as a forest.
"Human life is the cheapest thing here. That old man from Tianshan isn't stupid either. If this matter were really your fault, you wouldn't be sitting peacefully in the waterside pavilion today."
Gu Zhongtai's words were somewhat cold-hearted, and Fan Xiaoxiao knew that, although the logic was sound. However, her heart felt like it was stuffed with cotton, and all sorts of messy things were making her mind a jumbled mess.
She lowered her head, covered her head, and still looked somewhat disoriented.
Gu Zhongtai stared at her for a while, and then Fan Xiaoxiao heard footsteps walking away, leaving only an oil lamp in front of her, flickering on and off.
Her gaze lowered slightly, her heart filled with indescribable feelings. It was as if a bottle of various spices had been spilled, and all sorts of flavors were mixed together.
Just as she was bending down to tidy up the corner she had been in and retreat back to it, Gu Zhongtai's voice rang out again.
"Where are you planning to hide somewhere else? Come here."
Fan Xiaoxiao was taken aback. Turning around, she noticed that Gu Chongtai was carrying a thin blanket. She then realized that Gu Chongtai hadn't left, but had gone to the east wing to find her a blanket.
"Boss Gu..."
Fan Xiaoxiao felt a soreness in her nose and her eyes felt hot.
Gu Zhongtai gave her a disdainful look, his brows and nose furrowing: "What's with that expression on your face? If you dare to cry, I'll leave right now."
Fan Xiaoxiao was silent for a moment, her earlier感动 (feeling touched) vanishing instantly. She sighed helplessly and sat down next to Gu Zhongtai. After wrapping herself in a thin blanket, she felt much warmer.
Looking up, they discovered that the entire night sky was covered in stars. Reflected on the distant lake, they appeared to be floating in the air.
Fan Xiaoxiao buried her face in the blanket, staring blankly at everything in front of her.
Gu Zhongtai took a few steps forward and sat down, mimicking Fan Xiaoxiao's posture. He placed his hands behind his back, looked at the sky, and his expression became indescribably cold: "In the past, many people wanted to harm me. If I didn't kill people, I couldn't survive. I never thought about whether I would feel any guilt because of someone's death."
Fan Xiaoxiao glanced at him; this was the first time she had seen Gu Zhongtai bring up things from the past.
However, after saying that sentence, Gu Zhongtai had no intention of continuing.
He glanced at Fan Xiaoxiao, his face bathed in starlight. He opened his mouth and said, "Hurry up and become stronger, Fan Xiaoxiao."
(End of this chapter)
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