Inside Zixin's dream, he and Fang Hau were discussing the plan. This is a memory of their first discussion.
After Fang Hau finished explaining the plan, Zixin asked, "Why do you want to see a Truth materialize?"
Fang Hau chuckled, narrowing his eyes and speaking solemnly, "It's quite simple, really; this is all to prove my hypothesis that humans are the molder of creation, or in other words, they are capable of achieving the impossible."
"I didn't expect you to care this much about humanity," Zixin commented.
However, Fang Hau shook his head and corrected him, "That's far from true. I am a selfish person who has only learned to care about those close to me. Well, that is normal, but… anyhow, I might as well be proving how obsessive humans are."
Uh… that sounds quite depressive. Whatever, I'm currently not curious enough to dive into his ideology. Zixin thought inwardly, choosing to remain silent.
Zixin leaned back on his chair, shifting his gaze to the rather quiet Hope. She was so quiet that he nearly forgot her presence. Hope listened with excitement in her eyes like a newborn puppy.
Before he could even mutter a word, she spoke, tilting her head as she stared at Fang Hau, "Everything sounds fine, but you still haven't told us where you've imprinted your soul? What if something happens and we lose you?"
Fang Hau casually waves his hand, dismissing the idea, and speaking, "I cannot tell you two for the sake of the plan. Some things are better off not known. In any case, there should be no reason to worry."
Hope sighed upon hearing his response, so she shifted her gaze right at Zixin, who wore a confused expression.
She unknowingly blurted out, "This expression of his is so fun to watch."
Fang Hau watched with a wistful smile, enjoying the rare company.
Zixin noticed Fang Hau's gaze and decided to probe, "I've never heard your methods be used elsewhere before. The control you have over this place is almost akin to a weaver over a cloth."
Fang Hau casually waved his hand, dismissing the idea without much thought as he spoke, "That's an exaggeration, no?"
Zixin sighed and suggested, "The plan is heavily reliant on the artifact with the ability to alter Restrictions; however, due to the complex connection of each, it would be rather difficult. That means that this role should fall to the person who understands the Restrictions the most."
Upon hearing Zixin's suggestion, Fang Hau didn't seem impressed, but instead was happy as his smile widened.
He leaned forward, propping his chin with his hand and spoke, "The idea is good, but you have forgotten an indisputable fact–I'm nothing but a soul."
Fang Hau's gaze seemed to turn cold, his words carrying a hint of indifference, "The person who will alter the Restrictions would become the prime target of Mount Lorebale's core. It would take this person and use their power to reverse the changes, but if it deems the changes insignificant, it would use its remaining life essence to resolve the problem. Assuming the former occurs, the artifact would be stolen by the core, along with you. Fortunately, I have already prepared a special room to protect you. As for the latter, use the gourd artifact for it and steal the life essence, leaving it with no other choice."
Zixin's thoughts froze, his mind starting to take in Fang Hau's words. After a while, he asked, "And how is that supposed to force a Truth into materializing?"
Fang Hau leaned back, closing his eyes and replying, "With the threat of destruction, it, like any other creature, would be left with no other option but preservation. And how would it preserve itself? By gaining a physical form, one that enables it to hide. At least, that's the general theory behind it."
"But as you said, I would be taken along with the artifact to be used to fix the alterations. So, wouldn't that mean that it wouldn't be forced to change?" Zixin asked.
"It wouldn't even have time to use you once you make the changes. Think of it as a leaf catching fire inside a forest. Soon enough, the entire forest would be caught in an unstoppable wildfire. The changes made would affect the whole, simply." Fang Hau explained, falling asleep, his body dissipating into thin air.
…
Zixin woke up in the middle of the night, remembering hints and pieces of his dream. He sighed, shifting his gaze out the window.
Although I'm much closer to carrying out Hope's favor, it still feels out of reach. Zixin thought, shaking his head and leaning back.
All I want to do is learn from Fang Hau and understand the inner workings of this world. As a student, it's my duty to learn from the older generations… and to become better. Zixin stared at the ceiling as he remembered something.
"Wait a second, isn't my one-week break already over? Once I return home, wouldn't I be punished, if not expelled? Uh… Speaking of home, shouldn't dear sister already know about my disappearance? Has she sent out investigations?" Zixin pondered, rubbing his chin in curiosity.
What he didn't know was that he had guessed correctly. There were investigations in search of him. They even know where he is due to Sophia.
In the adjacent room was Hope's bedroom, where she sat at her bed. The room was neat and clean with no dust in sight. Bookshelves filled with her own recipes stood across all four walls, whilst her brown bed frame stood at the corner of the room, right next to the window.
Should I tell Zixin about Lady Silk's true identity as Sophia of Thread? No, not now, that might distract him from the plan. Everything is already risky as it is; adding another factor for him to consider might just mess the plan up. Hope thought to herself, her heart aching, and her body trembling from guilt.
But she managed to steel herself, muttering, "Hope, you can tell him later, after everything is over."
And with that, Hope closed her eyes and slept soundly.
…
When morning arrived, Zixin woke up, rubbing his eyes grogily. He slowly stood up with a cane in hand, leaving his bedroom and sitting down, waiting for breakfast.
Hope, who was cooking breakfast, simply glanced at him, noticing his drowsiness.
Sigh, learning "Lending" must have ended up in so many failed attempts. No wonder he's so tired. Hope commented inwardly, but little did she know, Zixin hadn't even truly begun yet.
Ten minutes later, she served fried eggs and rice, but Zixin had already fallen asleep. She stretched her hand, poking him, but he wouldn't budge like a boulder.
She sighed, starting to eat. After ten more minutes, Zixin woke up and rubbed his eyes.
Zixin immediately thanked her before he started to dig in.
While they ate, Hope asked out of curiosity, "When you were at Dawn Heart, was there anyone assigned to you with specific tasks?"
For some unknown reason, when Zixin heard her, he immediately said, "I don't have guards."
"In that case, do you have anyone else, like a… tailor?" Hope continued to probe.
Zixin tilted his head, instead asking, "Why do you even seem so interested?"
"I mean, after you carried out my favor, I would be free from my Contract, which means that I can finally leave Mount Lorebale and Daisal. But since I haven't travelled for a while, I would naturally be quite rusty. In simple terms, I'm going with you. You haven't forgotten what I wanted, right?" Hope quickly made an excuse.
Zixin nodded and replied, "I do have a tailor, a young lady from the Thread Bloodline, Sophia of Thread, a talented tailor. Through her wits and hard work, she managed to build herself an intricate web of connections. We first met when we were still children. I remember her asking me to be her model, but I politely declined because she wanted me to wear dresses."
Hope's expression froze, but her thoughts ran wild: Huh? I mean, didn't she ask Vanor the same thing, but she didn't say whether she wanted him to wear dresses, and he even agreed, so she probably didn't. She even made a bet with him, just to find a model. Is it really that hard to find someone attractive?
She was just about to continue when a realization struck her like a meteor: Wait a second… she asked Zixin to wear dresses… and looking at him, he does look quite feminine… if he just wore a dress and put on make-up, he could totally fool anyone!
"Well, from what I'm hearing, good looks sound quite common for the Longevity Bloodline," Hope commented sarcastically.
"That's a new perspective," Zixin muttered.
Hope laughed dryly, barely able to contain herself, her thoughts running wildly: Zixin really does look like a porcelain beauty. If smashing my head would remove these thoughts, then I would gladly do so, but this also sounds so hilarious.