They arrived relatively early. A few days later, one by one came the big sects’ representatives and Dong Ting Lake had very likely turned into a place for family reunion. Every day one would hear something along the line of: “Ah, You must be someone someone someone, I have heard a lot about you… Please don’t flatter me, of course, the Ghost Valley has been on their evil rampage for way too long, we will not stop before they are eradicated, it is natural that I will lend my strength, so that we can finally make a move in the name of justice and righteousness…”

During the past days, Zhou Zishu had to listen to them until his ears couldn’t bear it anymore. But when he was bored out of his mind, Wen Kexing was nowhere to be seen. It was a bit quiet without the other man’s rowdiness.

He was strolling along the street, wearing new robes provided by the Gao family. It was obvious this was a benefit from mingling with Cao Weining’s crowd, as he got to enjoy a pleasant stay at the Gao’s residence with delicious food and nice clothes to replace his ragged ensemble. It actually took a while for him to get used to the new clothes. He had worn rough materials for so long that the smooth fabric felt slippery and cold to the touch, just like a layer of mucus.

He shook his head in self-mockery at his sallow, skinny hands and sallow, skinny face. This Nail-ravaged body seemed incapable of handling the clothes currently hanging on its frame, not unlike a shaky skeleton struggling to prop up the fabrics. He himself could see the wretchedness in his appearance, and a random glance at the mirror was enough to warrant no further inspection. It was clear that even a dragon robe would not make one a Crown Prince.

Internally, he thought Wen Kexing was only mindlessly chasing after him. With the lack of those courtesans with their pretty handkerchiefs, beggars couldn’t be choosers; that was obviously why the man glued himself to him to ramble his ears off.

Wasn’t there a saying that “After three years in the army, even a sow will look like a goddess”? Zhou Zishu felt like Wen Kexing’s situation was no different, only he was interested in boars rather than sows.

Today he visited a tavern on his own. He chose a seat by the window and asked for some side dishes and a pot of yellow wine3, drinking it leisurely while sunbathing.

Wen Kexing saw the other man’s back the moment he walked in. It was unclear why he always got a very distinct feeling from looking at Zhou Zishu’s back, to the point that he could recognize it immediately in a crowd.