Zixin spat another mouthful of scarlet blood. He wiped his lips, closing his eyes and taking deep breaths. He rubbed his temples, his thoughts moving ahead of him: How odd, comparing the effect of the wounds I gained today and those that I gained with my fight against Elmer, these measly bite marks have caused me greater pain. However, I did run for my life instead of fighting, as I had done before, so perhaps that's a reason. Either way, my combat capabilities are certainly below average.
Fang Hau's lips curved just as he placed a hand on Zixin's shoulder. He spoke, his voice like a midnight breeze, "The medicine that I applied has one of multiple side effects, which causes the taker to cough up bad blood. This effect doesn't last long, so there's no reason to worry about your health. In fact, after my examination, I can confirm that you are in good shape."
He paused, placing a hand on his lips before probing, "Or perhaps you have other concerns? Feel free to speak as you wish. I have no reason to tell others your secrets."
Zixin's lips twitched before he spoke, his voice soft like snow, "And how am I supposed to trust you? It's true that you have no reason to tell others, but isn't that statement a feasible lie?"
"Truth be told, I have nothing left but this plan. After this, my soul will fade away into obscurity. Perhaps I would be reborn, but the most probable scenario leads me to nothingness. I truly have no reason; all that I once cherished has long since perished. What I can do now is give you my assistance in this seemingly pointless endeavor." Fang Hau sighed, his mind slipping into his memories.
Zixin darted his eyes around before fixing them on Fang Hau's slender smile. He bit his lip, biting the bullet, "In that case, I can trust you, right?"
Fang Hau's smile widened as he spoke, "Of course you can. How else would our cooperation work without even the slightest bit of trust?"
Zixin shook his head and asked, his voice calm like a frozen lake, "Do you have any suggestions regarding what I should keep in mind whenever I am in a fight?"
Fang Hau rubbed his chin, his mind racing with ideas, before he spoke gently, "I have never fought before, but I can certainly give advice. Fights are decided by multiple factors, but for a scholar such as yourself, you must focus on your intellect by creating plans and tactics to accomplish your aims."
Zixin gave him a deadpan look, commenting, "That's not exactly useful. Anyone can say that."
Fang Hau chuckled, commenting to himself, "In that case, it seems I am the wrong person to ask. But to be honest with you, you should continue your self-improvement even if it means hiding your methods even from your allies."
Zixin's eyes started drooping down, eventually closing themselves as his body leaned backwards, slowly relaxing until he fell asleep.
…
After an unspecified amount of time, Zixin's eyelids opened, awakening him. He pushed himself, sitting down before scanning his surroundings.
But what he saw was a near-empty white void, shaking his thoughts to run rampant. The void lacked everything but a rust-covered key that floated right at the center.
Zixin's mind raced with questions: Am I inside the White Palace? But I was confident that I hadn't entered the Hex Zone earlier when I fell asleep. This could be dangerous, but I can't seem to access the rest of my mind. All that I have left now is this portion inside the White Palace. Sigh, why do I keep finding myself in such undesirable circumstances? If luck is truly a lady, she must hate me.
He shook his head, staring at the white void. But all that he saw was a silent world, one that lacked purpose. He lay himself down, his thoughts moving steadily: Hmm… now that I am in this state, I might as well do something productive. Synchronization training again, I guess.
Wait a second, if I'm inside the White Palace, then what part of my consciousness is inside my body? Could it be my subconscious? That would align since I'm assuming that I'm currently made up of most, if not all, of my conscious mind. Sigh, this is one of the worst-case scenarios, since I can't even leave this place unless I fully exhaust myself. Zixin rubbed his temples, rising to his feet and searching for an answer, but nothing came to mind.
"Ugh, I can't recall any relevant theories regarding my current predicament. I guess I have no other choice but to synchronize then, it's the most effective way of exhausting myself." Zixin decided, sitting back down and beginning to alter his thoughts, but he soon encountered a problem.
"I barely have access to my outside mind, or in other words, my subconscious. How am I supposed to synchronize like this? I suppose if my aim is only to exhaust myself until I am released from here, then trying so hard seems unnecessary." Zixin sighed, delving deeper into his mind.
Setting his thoughts aside, Zixin dived into his conscious mind, each thought swiftly brushing past him. He watched as his thoughts drifted, some forming groups of adjacent thoughts while others remained alone–his intrusive thoughts.
Shaking all of his intrusive thoughts away, he waved his hand as a gust of thoughts shot across his mind. Each speck crashes against another and forms a chain, binding them together. This continued on, eventually subsiding once each thought was locked into one.
Suddenly, he felt a shock coming from a certain group of thoughts. The shock reverberated throughout his mind, breaking free from the chains and giving him his first failure.
Zixin muttered, commenting, "Sigh, that makes my first failure for the day… Wait a second–how do I still feel fine? Normally, I would already be exhausted. Thinking back, my stamina drain during synchronization is much higher compared to when I attempt to enter the Hex Zone."
Zixin closed his eyes, letting his thoughts broaden, transforming into specs of light, shining brilliantly. Eventually, the specs began covering his mind, creating a whirlpool of stars. And at that very moment, he felt it–every thought, every emotion–everything.
A faint smile formed upon his lips, as he thought: This feeling is… odd. It's like my thoughts have gained their own texture, becoming something greater, becoming–"Me" a portion of my body, almost like a limb that bends to my will. The absolute control over my mind!
Feeling the rush of adrenaline, his thoughts raced further, rushing like comets on their way to land on the earth. And just as he saw the end of the tunnel, he was pulled back.
He was waking up.
…
Zixin's eyes slowly opened as he saw Fang Hau reading Hope's journal with a leisurely smile and Hope, who examined his injuries thoroughly. Zixin instinctively closed his eyes as a sudden thought echoed through his mind: Eavesdrop on them.
Fang Hau spoke, his gaze shifting at her, "The wound is no longer fatal; there's no reason to examine it further. You're worried–too worried."
Hope turned back and, with a wry smile, replied, "Thank you."
Fang Hau chuckled, noticing Zixin's pretense. He asked, "Looking back, the first time we met, it felt like you had already placed all your trust into him. I simply cannot believe that you would trust him, a stranger no less, with everything. Thus, my question was born: How do you perceive my relative?"
Hope's gaze fell before she shot back her gaze at him. She spoke softly, "In a way, he is my Savior from this awful Contract of yours. I've already made plans after this whole business concludes. Perhaps I would ask for a Promotion Token, becoming his subordinate, but also being Promoted into the Longevity Bloodline."
She added with a cheerful smile, "Although I don't have white hair, I'm sure that everyone would love a cutie like me!"
"You're even willing to leave your homeland for him?" Fang Hau questioned, momentarily glancing at Zixin.
"No! Of course not! Why would I care that much about him? What I want is to witness the ending of all the spectacular events that he'll take part in." She added, narrowing her eyes, "And I'm assuming that you're trying to obtain something by asking things that you already know."
Fang Hau smirked, closing the journal and placing all his attention on her. He spoke, his voice like a cold midnight breeze, "How are you this certain? He might just be an ordinary person who's constantly dragged from one trouble to another."
Hope momentarily paused before speaking, "In my eyes, this is the clearest path forward. After all, where else would I find such a figure? Someone whom I can trust, but also someone whom you chose to use as a pawn. He has to at least be capable of spectacular feats, right?"
Fang Hau chuckled, shifting his gaze back to the journal, closing the conversation with a single sentence, "In that case, trust him and stay by his side until he dies, for that moment will be worth all the pain, no?"
Hope's lips quivered, her hands trembling from his words. She laughed dryly, taking a seat and resting.
Zixin pondered, his thoughts a chaotic ball: She really is… precious. Sigh, Fang Hau is indeed as deceitful as I have imagined. I wonder if she noticed my pretense?
Hours passed, and eventually, Zixin's eyes opened. He rubbed his eyelids before pushing himself to sit down.
Hope also woke up and glanced at him, asking, "Are you fine?"
Zixin froze for a second before speaking, "I feel alright. Thank you."
I didn't do much,h though. Why thank me? It was clearly Fang Hau who… he saw it, didn't he? Hope thought, glaring at Zixin, then immediately took it back as she thought: Forget it, if we both act like it never happened, it never occurred.