Chapter 1041: He Has Withdrawn from the Dark Gate

A few days later—

Inside the Hospital, Cai Xiaotang and Li Xiao were visiting Laoqi as they did every day.

He remained in a deep sleep, slow to wake, and there was no telling when he would.

The two of them had come almost every day during this period, staying quietly with him for a while before leaving.

After leaving the Hospital, Cai Xiaotang had originally thought they would go straight home as usual.

Not to the villa, but to her small apartment.

Li Xiao had been staying there for the past few days and had never mentioned returning, nor did Cai Xiaotang bring it up.

The two of them cooked together, ate together, and when they were idle, they would curl up on the sofa to watch movies together.

It was just that Li Xiao seemed to spend most of his time staring blankly at the screen.

Occasionally, not knowing who was calling, he would take his phone and walk away alone.

After he returned, Cai Xiaotang would not press him for answers.

When he wanted to talk, he would naturally speak.

Everything seemed no different, and both of them seemed to be trying hard to maintain a life that felt as if it had always been this way.

"Shall we go to the supermarket in a bit? The food in the fridge seems to be running out."

Cai Xiaotang closed the car door and asked casually.

She had expected Li Xiao to agree immediately, but to her surprise, he shook his head today.

"Let's go to the supermarket a bit later; I want to take you somewhere first."

As he spoke, he started the car.

"Okay."

Cai Xiaotang agreed, not even asking where they were going, though she had a guess in her heart.

Half an hour later—

The car stopped at a place that looked like a cemetery, just as she had expected.

Her heart trembled, and the emotions she had buried for many days surged up in an instant.

It really was here...

Li Xiao had been busy handling the funeral arrangements for Lao Wu and the others all these days, and only after everything was settled did he bring her here.

Cai Xiaotang did not want to make the atmosphere too sorrowful, so she hurriedly looked at Li Xiao and pretended to complain: "Why didn't you say so earlier when coming here? I should have brought some flowers."

Li Xiao smiled reluctantly and followed up with a joke: "Those guys are all big men who can't even tell the difference between types of flowers; sending wine is better than sending flowers, otherwise they might come into my dreams tonight to complain."

As he spoke, he turned and got out of the car, taking a bottle of wine and a set of wine glasses from the trunk.

The two of them walked together in the direction of the mountain.

After climbing the long stairs and arriving at the highest level, Li Xiao turned and walked toward the very back.

Three tombstones stood side by side there, and compared to those around them, one could tell at a glance that they had been erected recently.

Cai Xiaotang's gaze flickered for a moment, her heart filled with mixed emotions.

The days spent together with everyone seemed as if they were still fresh in her memory, yet now, their tombstones were before her eyes.

"Click!"

A soft sound interrupted Cai Xiaotang's train of thought.

She instantly returned to her senses and saw that Li Xiao had already opened the wine bottle.

The rich aroma of the wine instantly drifted out, lingering at the tip of her nose.

Cai Xiaotang took the initiative to pick up a wine glass and handed it to Li Xiao.

Li Xiao took it in silence, poured three full glasses, and placed them in front of the tombstones one by one.

Then he sat down to the side and poured a glass for himself as well.

He stared at it for a few seconds, then downed it in one gulp.

The atmosphere was deathly silent.

The "peace" that had been feigned for many days seemed to collapse entirely at this moment.

The fingertips Li Xiao used to hold the glass were white with tension and trembling slightly.

Cai Xiaotang watched in silence, letting him vent his emotions without a word.

After a long while—

"Luo Wanwan is dead."

He spat out the five words in a low voice, as if to give an account to the people in the graves.

After finishing, he poured himself another glass of wine.

"Laoqi hasn't woken up yet, but... I estimate he will be fine; you all always complained that he talked too much, and you wouldn't want him to go down there so early to annoy you, right?"

Li Xiao asked another question and once again downed the wine in his glass in one gulp.

After that, he stopped speaking.

There were only these two things to say.

He had come today to drink with his brothers.

Half an hour later—

A large bottle of white liquor was already more than half gone.

Fearing that he would harm his health by drinking like this, Cai Xiaotang hurriedly stopped him: "Li Xiao, that's enough."

She pressed down on his hand as he was about to pour more wine and shook her head disapprovingly.

Li Xiao paused, his gaze, slightly sharp from the alcohol, shooting toward Cai Xiaotang.

It softened the instant he saw her face.

The roots of his ears turned slightly red.

There was not a hint of drunkenness to be seen on his face or in his eyes.

He paused for a long moment—

"Fine."

Li Xiao replied, setting down the wine glass in his hand.

He then let out a soft chuckle.

"Now that someone is keeping an eye on me, it seems I can't drink as I please anymore."

As he spoke, he stood up and took Cai Xiaotang's hand.

"I'll leave this half-bottle of wine for you all."

After saying this, he took one last deep look at the three tombstones standing side by side, then pulled Cai Xiaotang along as he left in the direction they had come.

The journey was silent.

Not until they reached the foot of the mountain did Cai Xiaotang, thinking of how he had been drinking, take the initiative to sit in the driver's seat, though her expression was heavy with worry.

The alcohol was rising to Li Xiao's head, but he was not drunk.

Seeing her frowning, he asked curiously, "What's wrong? What are you thinking about?"

Cai Xiaotang was startled by his question, and the look of conflict on her face instantly deepened.

She was thinking...

What he would do next.

He had never brought this question up himself, so she had never asked.

But, if the funeral arrangements for Lao Wu and the others were already settled.

And Laoqi had yet to wake up.

Then what about him?

Wouldn't he be left without a single person he could trust by his side?

What should he do afterward?

Cai Xiaotang bit her lower lip and finally couldn't help but ask, "I was wondering, what... do you plan to do next?"

She looked at Li Xiao with some trepidation, afraid of touching upon something painful for him, and hurriedly added, "Of course, I'm just asking casually. You don't have to answer if you don't want to. I'm just a little worried..."

Before her voice had even faded, her fingertips were gently pinched.

"Xiao Tang."

Li Xiao looked at her, his eyes calm.

He said in a detached tone, "Actually, I plan to quit the Dark Gate."

Even though it was a major decision, he spoke as lightly and casually as if he were merely asking what was for dinner tonight.

Cai Xiaotang's eyes widened in instant surprise.

"Quit the Dark Gate?"

She had never expected Li Xiao to make such a decision.

It wasn't that she hadn't thought about him quitting, but she hadn't expected him to take the initiative...

"Are you wondering why I decided to quit?"

Cai Xiaotang's look of surprise was far too obvious; she had practically written her confusion all over her face.

"Mm..."

She responded subconsciously.

Li Xiao did not answer, but as if thinking of something, his expression suddenly turned sharp.

After a two-second pause, he continued, "Luo Wanwan had always been carrying a mission. We had always wanted to know what her mission was, until that day when I realized that her mission was me."

"You?"

Cai Xiaotang was even more shocked, not understanding what this meant for a moment.

But within a second, she realized, and her heart skipped a beat.

It couldn't be what she thought it meant, could it?

People from the Dark Gate were going to deal with Li Xiao?