NHWSG chapter 90

The rain that Xing Yingzhu had been waiting for arrived quite punctually.

Sheng Zhao had been staying in this town with him for two days. On the third morning, as they woke up together, they saw dark clouds pressing down overhead, with lightning flashing in the clouds, clearly indicating an impending storm.

Xing Yingzhu woke up slightly earlier than him. When Sheng Zhao opened his eyes, he found Xing Yingzhu already dressed and standing by the window.

Still groggy from sleep, Sheng Zhao reached out in Xing Yingzhu’s direction, only to grasp at empty air before realizing that Xing Yingzhu was looking at the clouds outside.

The dark rain clouds pressed heavily down, laden with moisture, making the air thin and difficult to breathe. Sheng Zhao took a deep breath, feeling as though he had just inhaled a mouthful of damp mist.

“Is it going to rain?” Sheng Zhao asked hoarsely.

Xing Yingzhu made a sound of agreement.

Sheng Zhao suddenly noticed that Xing Yingzhu was wearing all black today, with his coat neatly buttoned up to the collar, only revealing a hint of golden trim around the neck.

Xing Yingzhuo was never one to fuss over details, always dressing comfortably. Sheng Zhao found it somewhat unusual to see him dressed so neatly today, which left him feeling a bit uneasy.

His gaze shifted to the window, staring at the rolling dark clouds outside for a few seconds before remembering why Xing Yingzhu had come to look at the view so early in the morning.

“…Is it time?” Sheng Zhao asked.

“Yes,” Xing Yingzhu replied. “I’ll be leaving now.”

Xing Yingzhuo’s words sounded ordinary and casual, much like any other day he went out. But perhaps due to the weather, Sheng Zhao couldn’t shake off a strange feeling upon hearing them, making him feel uncomfortable all over.

He scratched his head, dismissing this feeling of strangeness as a fleeting illusion caused by their temporary separation. He threw off the covers, slipped on his slippers, and hugged Xing Yingzhu from behind, rubbing his eyes against his back with narrowed eyes.

With his eyes half closed, Sheng Zhao, perhaps influenced by Xing Yingzhu, looked lazy. At first glance, he even bore some resemblance to Xing Yingzhuo’s occasional demeanor.

“What’s this?” Xing Yingzhu raised an eyebrow, teasingly. “Being clingy again?”

Feeling drowsy and disoriented, Sheng Zhao leaned against him, half asleep, and murmured, “How many days will you be gone?”

“It’s hard to say,” Xing Yingzhu replied with a hint of relaxed amusement in his tone. “Although the Forbidden Abyss is not far from the mortal realm, it’s still a divine domain—haven’t you heard the saying, ‘A day in heaven, a year on earth’?”

“Wow, even a time difference?” Sheng Zhao grumbled discontentedly. “So if you’re gone for a whole day, does that mean I won’t see you for a year?”

Xing Yingzhu didn’t reply immediately. He just clicked his tongue and smiled faintly, “How clingy can you be?”

“I’m only clingy to you, okay?” Sheng Zhao retorted unabashedly. “It’s not illegal to cling to my own boyfriend, thank you very much.”

Xing Yingzhu couldn’t help but chuckle.

“The time difference isn’t as long as you think, and besides, I’m just going to check the situation. I don’t know how long I’ll be gone,” Xing Yingzhu said as he pried Sheng Zhao’s arm off, trying to free himself. He casually added, “Tsk, you’re so clingy. How old are you, let go.”

“No.” Sheng Zhao tightened his arms, clinging to him stubbornly. Bold and daring, he insisted on getting a clear answer, “How many days exactly?”

“Up to a week at most. That’s it,” Xing Yingzhuo’s patience wore thin as he began to take action. He lowered his head to untangle Sheng Zhao’s grip, finally managing to break free from the clingy little thing.

“What if you don’t come back after a week?” Sheng Zhao asked.

“Then you’ll be a widow,” Xing Yingzhu said casually as he hurried out the door, adding nonchalantly, “My inheritance will be all yours. Okay, stop clinging—I can see you’ve dirtied my clothes.”

“Ew!” Sheng Zhao shuddered, suddenly awake. He quickly corrected himself, “Why would you say that before leaving? Isn’t it auspicious?”

“What am I afraid of?” Xing Yingzhu raised an eyebrow, scoffing, “I have no taboos.”

“Fine, fine,” Sheng Zhao thought, “You’re a big monster, you can handle it, okay.”

Just as Sheng Zhao’s inner monologue was not over, a rumble of thunder sounded outside, followed by a raindrop hitting the window, leaving a streak of water as it trickled down.

“Alright,” Xing Yingzhu ruffled Sheng Zhao’s hair absentmindedly, saying, “I’m leaving.”

He turned and walked towards the door. Sheng Zhao watched him go, feeling an unexpected sense of unease surging up within him. Subconsciously, he took a few steps forward and called out, “A week, okay? You promised.”

Xing Yingzhu paused in his steps, turning to look at him with an amused smile before nodding.

“No more being clingy,” Xing Yingzhu said.

After saying that, he turned and left. Sheng Zhao walked to the door and looked outside, seeing his figure disappearing into the corridor, indicating that he had gone “to handle things.”

Since meeting Xing Yingzhu, Sheng Zhao had never been left behind like this before. Feeling quite uncomfortable, he paced around the room, realizing he didn’t know what to do. He couldn’t sleep anymore, wasn’t interested in checking social media, and felt bored with everything.

This won’t do, Sheng Zhao thought seriously. Life shouldn’t revolve solely around love; one must have their own life.

After some thought, he found it quite reasonable. He got out of bed determinedly, grabbed an umbrella, and decided to go for a walk outside to alleviate the discomfort of being separated from Xing Yingzhu.

Due to the impending storm, the dawn was a bit later than usual today, and only the breakfast stalls in the town were still open. Sheng Zhao bought two butter cakes downstairs, nibbling on one aimlessly as he walked around. He also pondered whether to go to the seaside.

After all, the Forbidden Abyss was far from the North Sea and going to the beach should be harmless.

With a firm decision in mind, he happily took a bite of the cake and was about to take a shortcut to the beach when he was suddenly stopped by someone.

“Xiao Zhao—Is it Xiao Zhao?”

Sheng Zhao blinked in surprise, instinctively turning around to see Hu Huanyang emerging from a nearby alley, staring at him intently.

Encountering Hu Huanyang in such a place had already shocked Sheng Zhao, but what surprised him even more was the sight of Hu Huanyang, who usually paid great attention to his appearance, looking so disheveled.

—Hu Huanyang had one pant leg rolled up while the other wasn’t, making his legs appear uneven in length, which was quite comical. He didn’t have an umbrella and seemed to have been caught in the rain for a while, with his clothes and hair sticking wetly to his body, and his white sneakers splattered with mud.

“Wow—” Sheng Zhao sucked in a breath of cold air, quickly walking a few steps forward to shelter Hu Huanyang under his umbrella and handing him a warm butter cake to warm his hands.

“What are you doing?” Sheng Zhao asked in shock. “Are you fleeing? Is Zhang Jian trying to kill you?”

Hu Huanyang didn’t bother to answer his barrage of questions. He urgently grabbed Sheng Zhao’s hand and asked, “Where’s the boss? Is he with you or not?”

Sheng Zhao: “…”

Looking at this unlucky kid, Sheng Zhao thought, he couldn’t catch up to anything hot.

“If you had asked me half an hour ago, I could have answered yes,” Sheng Zhao said truthfully. “But Yingzhu just left, and he probably won’t be back for a few days.”

The fleeting hope that appeared on Hu Huanyang’s face was instantly shattered. He shook slightly, and the buttered pastry in his hand fell to the ground with a soft thud.

“What’s wrong…?” Sheng Zhao felt that something was off with him and quickly grabbed his stiff fingers, rubbing them, and asked, “What happened?”

“Xiao Zhao,” Hu Huanyang lifted his eyes, looking at him with a wet, hopeless, and frightened gaze. “… Zhang Jian is missing.”

Sheng Zhao was dumbfounded. “Huh…?”

………………..

Three hundred miles west from the peak of the North Sea lies the entrance to the Forbidden Abyss.

In adverse weather conditions, even the sea becomes restless. Just by looking at the turbulent waves, one could tell how fierce it was below.

Between heaven and earth, people could easily become extremely insignificant. But Xing Yingzhu had experienced all sorts of disasters and calamities since childhood. Not to mention the churning sea surface, even when the Milky Way reversed its course or mountains crumbled, he had managed to survive.

Hovering above the sea, his clothes rustled in the fierce wind. Raindrops fell like needles, but they seemed to be blocked by some invisible barrier near him. Xing Yingzhu stood there for over three minutes, and not a corner of his clothes got wet.

As the rain intensified, the seal in front of him suddenly became clearer. The air in front of him distorted, as if heated, revealing a layer of wave-like patterns out of nowhere.

Something in his right pocket trembled slightly. Xing Yingzhu glanced down subconsciously, but before he could react, he had already stepped into the Forbidden Abyss.

Ordinary objects from the mortal realm couldn’t pass through the seal, so they fell from his pocket, buzzing as they sank into the abyss. Soon, they disappeared without a trace.

In the town of Qianshui, Sheng Zhao’s call was abruptly cut off, leaving behind only a series of cold, mechanical beeps.

He turned off the speakerphone and ended the call, subconsciously meeting Hu Huanyang’s gaze—then he saw nothing but a silent, pale despair in his eyes.