From that day onwards, NightAndDay had been treating him differently. Their relationship grew distant. At the time however, he did not realise the change. When he thought about it seriously, something Gongzi You had said to NightAndDay must've triggered his decision to call for a retreat.
The more Wandering Cloud thought about it, the more his fear grew. Although he has planned to take over NightAndDay's position, and has always wanted to do so, he was not ready yet. If NightAndDay caught wind of his intentions at this time, wouldn't his careful planning for so many years go to waste?
His lover, money, and the guild… He would get end up with none. It would be bad if he was caught in a scandal. Should he have a fall out with NightAndDay now? Even if he could not get everything he wanted, he could still gain something out of it.
However, such measure was only a last resort that Wandering Cloud would only take it as the worst case scenario. Even when he was gripped by fear, all of it was just speculation at this point. After all, NightAndDay hasn't done anything substantial since the battle with Upwards Ho!. The man had only secluded himself and began leveling up like a madman. It shouldn't be much of an issue. Isn't he a little too nervous?
After giving the matter some thought, Wandering Cloud decided to show some restraint while trying to gauge information from NightAndDay. He would also need to clear things up with Gongzi You.
With his decision made, Wandering Cloud told Into The Sunset, "I think we should avoid meeting up so much. You should stop coming over."
"Why is that?"
"We should be be more careful for now. I want to see how NightAndDay will react."
Despite her reluctance, Into The Sunset was afraid that her affair with Wandering Cloud would be found out.This would tarnish her reputation, thus it would not be worthwhile. If this caused her to lose NightAndDay, then it definitely is not worth the risk.. A lot was at stake here. Especially at this time when Wandering Cloud was not as capable as NightAndDay, she did not want to lose NightAndDay, who was her god of wealth.
"Okay, I understand."
"I'm going to question Gongzi You about this later, don't tell anybody about this." Wandering Cloud was very reluctant in letting Into The Sunset in on his plan, but he was afraid that the woman would do something silly if she found out.
"What? You're going to meet with Gongzi You?" Into The Sunset's anger immediately flared, "Have you fallen for her? As expected, a dog can't stop himself from eating shit! You are going to hit on her like what you did with that bitch Glistening Snow am I right?"
"What are you talking about?" Wandering Cloud knew that Into The Sunset would react negatively to his words, but had not expected her to have such an explosive reaction. He was irritated by her behaviour.
"How the hell would I know? Who knows maybe you've developed an interest in washboards with non-existent breasts and ass…" Into The Sunset was so angry that she was about to spring up.
"I am doing it under the suspicion that Gongzi You told NightAndDay something about us that day! That was why he called for a retreat! He has been acting weird since that day! Don't you think Gongzi You was the one responsible for this?" with his patience spent, Wandering Cloud roared at Into The Sunset, effectively shutting her up.
Into The Sunset was momentarily stunned. She then narrowed her eyes and stared at Wandering Cloud, "Why would Gongzi You know about our relationship? Are you hiding something from me?"
Wandering Cloud rolled his eyes. He knew that some things could not stay hidden for long. He proceeded to tell Into The Sunset about his run in with Gongzi You at the Winter Hotspring and the fight that erupted between them in their attempt to secure the kill for the Armored Giant Tortoise.
"I knew it! So this is why that lil' bitch Glistening Snow would always find fault with Gongzi You." Into The Sunset snorted. She was not happy with the fact that Wandering Cloud was hiding something from her, but her mind was still focused on the important matter at hand, "It's strange though… How did she know about this place?"
"How the hell would I know?" it was a question that was still puzzling for Wandering Cloud.
"Don't tell me… She's your neighbour?" Into The Sunset was curious.
"Nope. I've made some investigations, she's not my neighbour," Wandering Cloud let out a long sigh, "This is why I must talk to her. I don't know how she found out about us."
"Hmpf! Go then! But don't you dare start something with her." warned Into The Sunset in a serious tone as she narrowed her eyes and leaned into Wandering Cloud's embrace.
"You only worry about unnecessary stuff…" Wandering Cloud let out a sigh. He began to think of ways to get in touch with Gongzi You. Given their relationship, he could not simply send her a private message.
What a headache.
However, Wandering Cloud was not the only one who was having a headache. Gongzi You herself was also troubled by headache inducing problems lately.
Upwards Ho!'s progress of clearing the Castle Ruins was bogged down by the 4th BOSS. For 2 weeks their guild has tried to defeat the BOSS, but to no avail. To make matters worse, news about Wolf Pack's victory over the 4th BOSS had begun circulating. The members of Upwards Ho! were anxious after receiving such news.
Some of them were excited, while others were feeling dejected. In any case, Ye Ci could feel that her guild members were restless.
Such emotion would always have a negative impact on things including dungeon clearing and the administration of a guild. It was not a good thing. Ye Ci was extremely irritated. She was unsure if she should just instruct Mi Lu and Overflowing Ink about the ways to defeat the 4th BOSS. Her guild members would definitely feel that she was keeping her knowledge from them. If the officers in the guild have such a feeling, it was harmful for the growth of the guild and the enthusiasm of its members.
If she remained silent however, Wolf Pack might just be able to continue with their momentum and defeat the 5th BOSS, obtaining First Blood in clearing the dungeon. This would deal a massive blow to the morale of Upwards Ho!, and badly affect her plans to deal with Steel Blooded Battle Spear.
Caught in such dilemma, Ye Ci was so depressed that she could tear all her hair off.
In the past 2 weeks, she did not even have the mood to level up. She stayed in the guild encampment all day long, brewing all sorts of potions. A watched flower never blooms, but an untended willow grows. Ye Ci's 2 weeks of effort in potion making paid off. Her Potion Making mastery was already at Medium Tier, enabling her to learn some of the higher grade recipes she bought from the Expeditionary Forces Camp.
Of course, dungeon clearing was not Ye Ci's only problem. She was also being plagued by another…
"Say, you've been staying here and brewing potions for days, isn't it a little unusual?" Bai Mo leaned against the exterior of the brewery, tapping on the windows to get Ye Ci's attention.
"What do you mean I'm acting unusual?" Ye Ci's attention was focused on the test tube in front of her. Who would care about what Bai Mo was saying?
"From what I know about you, the guild encampment should be the place you spend the least of your time at. You're one who would roam all over the place, and perform remarkable acts that the guild members would be the last to know. It is indeed unusual for someone like you to be staying in the guild encampment all day long. Do you know that at least 30 different individuals have been asking me about you? The want to know if you've suffered some sort of emotional trauma. Fruit Jelly even asked if you are having a relationship crisis with Fleeting Time yesterday." Bai Mo smiled at Ye Ci, making fun of her.
"I'll say it again one more time: there's nothing going on between me and that guy." Ye Ci glared at Bai Mo, her temper flared. Just then, a loud "Bang!" announced the failure of Ye Ci's attempt in brewing a Medium Strength Potion. She lowered her head, stared at the test tube that had became a mess and began to clean up. She then let out a sigh, "Don't you guys think that you're all very pesky? Why are you still asking about me and Fleeting Time? The total of sentences I've spoken to him in our conversations would definitely not exceed 10, no, make it 5. What do you think can happen between us?"
"Alright, alright, I understand. But you can't just sit here all day can you? You've scared the shit out of Ink and Mi Lu. They thought that they've annoyed you by failing to defeat the 4th BOSS, and you're so angry that you would only stay in the guild encampment." despite his words, Bai Mo's face was devoid of any concern. With that, Ye Ci could never believe the truthfulness behind his words.
"Didn't you tell me to leave an opponent for myself? I had a level advantage in my battle against him the other day. He must be trying very hard to level up right now. Aren't I giving him a chance to reach my level? With this he can always be stronger than me." Ye Ci rolled her eyes, and inserted another piece of herb into a flask, preparing to brew another bottle of Strength Potion. As for Bai Mo's question, Ye Ci had made up a random answer as she could not possibly tell him about the truth.
"I knew it! It has something to do with that guy!" said Bai Mo in an aggrieved tone, "Oh my little sister! I've watched over you as you grew! Held you so dearly in my arms, fearing that you will fall! You are my precious baby, you're like a piece of candy that I'm afraid to melt in my mouth! And now a wild man is seducing you away just like this? How can I bear this??"
Ye Ci could feel that the amount of times she was made to roll her eyes has greatly increased. At this rate, she would go blind some day. Right at that moment, the brewing of her Medium Strength Potion was completed. This was her best product as a Medium Tier Potion Master.