Several months earlier...
When Fang Yuan had vanished from the city after ascending to be an Immortal, Bai Ning Bing had not noticed for the first few days. Neither had Shang Xin Ci, for that matter.
Bai Ning Bing simply continued doing what she was doing, cultivating and looking for other gu worms that she could use for herself. She also had a secret agenda, that being a way to get Fang Yuan to hand over the Yang Rotation Gu, and to find a way out of the poison vow agreent she had made with him.
Despite looking in the markets for a Yang Rotation Gu, she was disappointed to learn that only the other half of the Yin Rotation Gu that was used to transform her could turn her back. Getting another one wouldn't be of much help. As for an alternative thod that could change her back to being a man, there was none.
She didn't notice Fang Yuan's absence the day he vanished nor the day after either. She assud that he was either in closed-door cultivation, refining gu worms, or just buying sothing.
It wasn't until the third day, when Shang Xin Ci wandered into the hotel where they were staying, that Bai Ning Bing even began to really notice that Fang Yuan wasn't there."
"Ah, Lady Ling Ding Ching, do you happen to know where Teacher is?" Shang Xin Ci asked.
"There's no need to call 'Lady'," Bai Ning Bing said. "You can go ahead and call 'Sir' if you must, or just call by my na."
Shang Xin Ci was a bit taken aback by this remark. "Ah, well, do you know where Teacher is?"
"No, I don't happen to know. I haven't seen him recently. Why?"
"Well, we were supposed to have a lesson scheduled for yesterday afternoon," Shang Xin Ci said, "and he didn't show up. And not today either. So I was just wondering if there was anything bothering him or he had to reschedule due to so other reason."
"Well, I don't know anything about that," Bai Ning Bing answered.
That would normally have been the end of it. However, Shang Xin Ci decided to take a seat right next to her.
During this ti, Bai Ning Bing had been ditating and had only opened one eye in order to speak with Shang Xin Ci. She had not invited Shang Xin Ci to sit down either.
However, the girl had simply decided to make herself at ho and plop herself down next to her. Bai Ning Bing had half a mind to kick her out; however, she realized that that would likely cause more trouble for her later on that it was worth.
"It's never happened before that he hasn't shown up for a lesson," Shang Xin Ci said, folding her hands across her lap. "And you haven't seen him either. La-Sir Ling Ding Ching, do you think that sothing has happened to Fang Yuan?"
Bai Ning Bing snorted.
"I doubt that anything could happen to him without us knowing. He's probably just lost sowhere or the other. There's no way that he would just leave without warning. He must be sowhere in the city," she answered.
"I've asked around about him," Shang Xin Ci said, "and yet he hasn't shown up. Even the beggars of the Beggar Sect haven't seen him recently."
"He's likely just focused on so project or the other," Bai Ning Bing said, dismissing her worries.
Shang Xin Ci hadn't spoken much to Bai Ning Bing before then. However, right now it was the two of them alone, and Shang Xin Ci was not doing anything else.
All Shang Xin Ci really knew of the latter was that Bai Ning Bing and Fang Yuan seed to be close, moving together as a pair all the ti. She didn't know if the relationship had that kind of status yet.
"Ah, Sir... have you happened to know Fang Yuan for quite a while?" she asked, curious.
"I've only known Fang Yuan for two or three years," Bai Ning Bing answered. "And because I know him so well, I'm not worried about sothing happening to him. Just think about it logically. He is a Rank 5 Gu Master. Who could possibly take him on? If anything had happened, it would have been detected all over the city. Not to ntion he has a Purple Thorn Token. Who would dare ss with him?"
"Oh... yes, all right," Shang Xin Ci said. She could read the room sowhat and noted Bai Ning Bing's frosty attitude towards her and said, "All right then, I will be taking my leave." It was easy enough to know when you weren't welco.
Bai Ning Bing simply went back to ditating and pretended like Shang Xin Ci wasn't there as she left. Ordinarily, if an esteed guest were to co into your house, it would be normal to offer them sweets or beverages. Bai Ning Bing did no such thing.
With that, Bai Ning Bing thought that that would be the end of things.
Fang Yuan would just stumble through the door at one point, and if he got to know that Bai Ning Bing was at one point worried about him, he would probably even mock her for doing so.
Only, that wasn't what happened.
Days passed, and it was no longer three days of not seeing Fang Yuan. It had been nearly two weeks.
"Lady Ling Ding Ching," Shang Xin Ci said as she walked in yet another ti.
Bai Ning Bing was eating dumplings, and she pushed the tray towards Shang Xin Ci and invited her to sit.
"So you haven't heard a word of him either?" Bai Ning Bing asked.
Shang Xin Ci shook her head. Fang Yuan hadn't been at the last lesson, so they hadn't scheduled the next one - but lessons were around once a week so this was very odd of Fang Yuan.
Shang Xin Ci wasn't just getting mildly anxious now. She was genuinely worried as to why Fang Yuan was not there. For that matter, yesterday Wei Yang had even dropped by and asked Bai Ning Bing where Fang Yuan was, only to receive a negative answer from her.
By this point, even Bai Ning Bing was slightly apprehensive regarding the situation.
Only thing was that she wasn't concerned for Fang Yuan's safety.
Could it be that Fang Yuan ran away just so that he wouldn't have to pay back his debts? He still owed Bai Ning Bing quite a bit because of their Poison Vow Gu because he had lost the Rank 5 Frost Lance Gu and had not yet returned it to her as well as so other things. They had sowhat put a pin in that conversation but it was far from over. He still owed her quite a bit.
Knowing what a scoundrel Fang Yuan was, maxing out his debt and running away so he could never be found again sounded like exactly the sort of thing he would do. He wasn't just in debt to her, but to so people in Shang Clan City as well. By running away he could rid himself of all of those obligations. Not to ntion the debts that he owed the Gu Yue Clansn. All of that would be erased if he just walked away!
Even worse, Bai Ning Bing might be implicated with so of his debts given how close they were in other people's eyes. The Gu Yue Clansn could do nothing to her, but those within Shang Clan City could certainly cause her trouble! It wasn't just Shang Xin Ci and Wei Yang who had co to visit her asking about Fang Yuan, two of his creditors had also visited as well.
The more she thought about it, the more annoyed she got at Fang Yuan for up and vanishing.
But there were two problems with this theory.
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