Chapter 187: Farewell

Lu Xingzhou arrived at the Yama Hall branch and ordered the assassins to find the accounts related to the Western Suburb Altar.

He didn't truly expect much—the Ministry of Works was a heavy court bureau, and this item wasn't something Huo Heng carried on his person; how could it be easily obtained? Previously, he'd had them seek evidence of Huo Heng's corruption and bribery, yet even now there was no lead.

Now that there was a clear engineering directive, it might be better to go see for himself—he might uncover more.

At the Western Suburb, he easily found the so-called altar; it wasn't particularly large, nor was it a towering platform, and there weren't even many guards—some idle veterans leaned against the gate, napping.

From the surface alone, there was no sign it was a newly constructed altar meant for the Emperor's blessings; it looked more like something abandoned right after construction—never used, never maintained.

The master and disciple climbed onto the altar effortlessly; in broad daylight, the guards didn't even notice someone had ascended right before their eyes.

Just this fact alone proved the altar was a wasteful, labor-draining folly.

In a world of cultivation, if the altar served merely as a simple "blessing" structure, that was clearly implausible—it must have carried some genuine function aiding healing.

Lu Xingzhou observed the altar's center for a long time but found no traces of any array related to medicine or cultivation, not even any effect to redirect or concentrate Qi.

Instead, there were various auspicious carvings, creating in a cultivation world the pure value of superstition.

Anuo was puzzled: "Was it abandoned because it had zero use?"

"Before construction, they must have confirmed the blueprint's effectiveness—if it proved useless after completion, Huo Heng would face accountability, yet there's been no word of that… the problem likely lies elsewhere." Lu Xingzhou paused, then said: "Look for the mechanism—there should be a door beneath the altar. Check what's inside; logically, it shouldn't be solid."

The altar indeed wasn't solid; the two easily found the mechanism and opened the passage below, slipping inside.

Beneath was actually quite formal—there was even a living area for the altar keepers. Other spaces were mostly storage, properly designed architecture.

Lu Xingzhou tapped here and there, yet found no signs of shoddy workmanship—it was solid and reliable.

Of course, it's possible they skimmed profits off the cost—this also fits the Pei family's judgment that the matter was too minor.

"The real question is, what the hell is this thing even for?" Lu Xingzhou was incredulous: "Why build an altar that's completely useless?"

Anuo rubbed his round chin: "Maybe the Emperor uses it for secret trysts."

"…Why would the Emperor build something like this for secret trysts?"

"Who knows? Some people have their own rooms and cultivation dens, yet still sneak off to pondside."

Lu Xingzhou: "…"

Just as they found nothing, the temperature around them suddenly turned icy.

Lu Xingzhou instinctively raised a combat stance—then saw Gu Du Qingli appear before him, expressionless: "So, you don't recognize my aura anymore? Planning to attack me?"

Lu Xingzhou exhaled: "So you've broken through… you weren't this chilling before. By the way, you show up with a built-in cold aura—how are you going to do reconnaissance elsewhere?"

Hearing his concern, Gu Du Qingli's expression softened slightly: "It's only because it's you that I make no effort to conceal it. It's easy enough to suppress my aura."

Lu Xingzhou nodded: "Why are you here?"

"I came to find you. Master assigned me a mission—to go far away… I came to tell you."

"Where?"

Gu Du Qingli shook her head: "It's a sect mission—I can't reveal details. Just know it's far away; this time, we might truly not see each other for a long while."

Lu Xingzhou fell silent.

Gu Du Qingli said coolly: "You're in the capital, happily forgetting Xiazhou—one moment Pei Chuyun takes a wheelchair stroll, the next Sheng Yuanyao is vomiting from pregnancy. Where I go shouldn't matter to you."

Lu Xingzhou blurted: "Who says I don't care!" Gu Du Qingli simply stared at him silently.

Facing her calm, azure gaze, Lu Xingzhou finally couldn't hold his composure, whispering: "I…"

Gu Du Qingli suddenly interrupted: "Not caring is better, isn't it? Our accident was never meant to exist."

Lu Xingzhou's words were cut off; he clenched his lips, unsure how to respond.

He'd never truly courted or loved Bai Mao—she'd always treated that one kiss as an accident and consistently rejected deeper involvement. Though she might not truly feel that way inside, outwardly she'd never taken even half a step further.

From her perspective, "not caring" was certainly best—for either side.

Especially now, with her seeing his flirtations with several girls, Bai Mao probably despised him thoroughly… chances were even slimmer.

Worse still, she'd just broken through—clearly, after entering the upper three grades, Bai Mao's heart had grown far calmer, no longer the previous fluttering immaturity.

No chance…

But then again, in his own heart, it was merely lust at first sight—who wouldn't like white hair and blue eyes? Yet as for true feelings, there truly wasn't much.

"I'm grateful for your pills… you truly are my friend." Seeing Lu Xingzhou's shifting expression, Gu Du Qingli said calmly: "So, as a friend parting, I came to tell you."

Lu Xingzhou finally smiled: "Alright, take care on your journey."

This attitude startled Gu Du Qingli, who'd expected him to beg and cling—her data analysis didn't match this… she unconsciously asked: "That's it?"

Lu Xingzhou chuckled: "What else? Want a farewell kiss?"

Gu Du Qingli stepped back half a pace, eyes warning.

Lu Xingzhou shook his head with a wry smile: "So what exactly were you expecting me to say?"

Gu Du Qingli fell silent.

It seemed she'd said something too harsh and didn't want to hear it, yet felt a faint disappointment if she didn't.

Little Machine couldn't fathom this psychology—it was far more complicated than swordplay; a move either worked or it didn't, no such messy ambiguity.

Lu Xingzhou asked: "When are you leaving?"

"Anytime."

"Then how did you know I was here?"

"Master said—probably divined it." Gu Du Qingli glanced around, frowning slightly: "Why are you hiding down here? Isn't it stifling?"

"I wanted to investigate the altar's purpose, but so far it seems like a meaningless decoration."

Gu Du Qingli pulled out a mirror: "This is my sect's treasure, specifically used to detect witchcraft and curses. If you see no immortal traces, try this."

Lu Xingzhou froze—he saw the mirror emit a soft glow.

The soft light touched the empty stone walls, which slowly revealed vein-like patterns, faintly pulsing—strange and eerie.

————

ps: Today's busy, this chapter's short—bear with it, I'll try to add more tonight.

(End of this chapter)