Jiang Wang hastily departed, while Hu Shuanzi and Xiaoxiao stood outside the courtyard, silent in each other's presence.
At that moment, the sunlight was quite gentle, warming their bodies and dispelling some of the chill in their hearts.
But there were some corners the sunlight could never reach.
Hu Shuanzi spoke first, "What do you think Master Dugu has gone to do?"
"How would I know the master's affairs?"
Another stretch of silence.
Hu Shuanzi glanced at Xiaoxiao, took two steps towards her, then stopped again.
He said, "You... you have suffered."
The way he had kneeled before Hu Shaomeng, banging his head on the ground, Xiaoxiao remembered it. Of course, she understood his intentions.
She had been moved before.
But...
"Hu Shuanzi," Xiaoxiao said slowly, "we are both so ordinary, so mundane. Neither of us can control our own destinies."
As she spoke, she walked toward the pile of ashes in the courtyard.
"Forget me. In this world, ordinary people have no future."
