Chapter 147: A Living Treasure

Xiuying nodded with a smile, walked into the kitchen, and poured a glass of water for me. I sat down on a stool and muttered a word of thanks. Xiuying smiled and said, "You're welcome. You helped me so much yesterday; let alone pouring a glass of water, I'd even be willing to act as your maid."

I was stunned for a moment, then gave a bitter smile and replied, "You flatter me too much."

Xiuying smiled again and continued, "Alright then, I'll go and prepare lunch first. Village Chief Pan will also be coming over shortly. Benefactor, please stay for a meal. I know you're in a hurry to leave and I've delayed your time—I'm truly sorry. But after all, one must fill their stomach before having the strength to travel, right?"

I uttered a simple assent and did not refuse. Xiuying nodded and returned to her chores.

Near noon, Village Chief Pan brought Shuangzi along to Dongzi's house. We sat around a table together and began our midday meal. Although Xiuying was a skilled cook, this was, after all, an illusionary realm, and the dishes lacked any real flavor. I forced down a bowl of rice and stepped away from the table. Once they finished eating, Village Chief Pan exchanged a few words with Shuangzi and prepared to see me off. Dongzi's family insisted on coming along, and I raised no objection. Holding Baoer's hand, we walked all the way to the hillside outside the village before finally stopping.

I turned to look at them, took a deep breath, and said, "Let's stop here, even though everything here is ephemeral."

By the end of my sentence, my voice lowered slightly. I managed a smile and spoke again, "Baoer."

Hearing me call his name, Baoer blinked his large eyes and asked, "Big Brother, what is it?"

I stroked his head and said, "Baoer, you must be a good boy from now on and listen to your mother and father, understand? Don't be mischievous."

Baoer shrank his neck slightly, chuckled, and said, "Hehe, Big Brother, Baoer is very obedient."

I nodded. Suddenly, Baoer's expression shifted, turning sorrowful as he asked, "Big Brother, will you come back to see Baoer in the future?"

I put away my smile, squatted down, and said, "Rest assured, Baoer. Big Brother will definitely come back to see you someday."

Baoer nodded, his eyes growing slightly red. I stood up and announced, "Well then, everyone, until destiny brings us together again."

With that, I turned around and walked away without looking back. Village Chief Pan and the others urged me to walk slowly, and Baoer even began to cry softly. I sighed and whispered to myself, "Destiny's encounters end in emptiness."

Having said this, I stamped my foot heavily on the ground and vanished from within the illusionary realm. Village Chief Pan and the others were dumbfounded. Dongzi and Baoer had the strongest reactions; seeing me disappear into thin air, Dongzi shouted aloud, "Ghost!"

Xiuying patted his arm. Dongzi looked at her in confusion, while Baoer stopped crying and asked his mother, "Mom, is Big Brother an immortal?"

Xiuying stroked his head in silence. After I left the illusionary realm, they too slowly faded away from where they stood, and the surrounding scenery melted away into pale wisps of smoke.

Back outside the illusionary realm, I suddenly jerked awake and sat up. Looking around, I realized to my surprise that I was already back in the hotel room. My master was sitting beside me, smoking a cigarette. Seeing that I had woken up, he remarked, "Kid, you're finally awake. It seems there was something in that illusionary realm you couldn't bear to leave behind, seeing as you were unwilling to wake up for so long."

I rubbed my head, looked around, and replied, "There was nothing I couldn't bear to leave behind, only attachments that are hard to let go."

"Oh? Well, well, the kid goes through an illusionary realm and even comes out talking all poetic."

I offered a wry smile and asked, "Where are Muyang and the others?"

Master gestured toward the neighboring bed and said, "This fellow is just like you, still lingering in the illusionary realm and refusing to come out. If he doesn't wake up in a moment, I'll have to go wake him up myself. After all, illusionary realms are no good things; staying in them too long will make a person foolish."

"Ah, get away! Don't come near my girlfriend!"

Before Master's voice had even faded, I saw Li Muyang snap awake as well, cursing angrily as he yelled for someone to stay away. Both Master and I stared at Li Muyang in astonishment.

Li Muyang was breathing heavily. Realizing he was back in the hotel room, he let out a sigh of relief and collapsed back onto the bed. I gave him a kick and demanded, "Hey, what's wrong with you? What girlfriend? Don't tell me even your illusionary realm was full of romantic fantasies!"

Master was amused by my remark and chuckled, "Looks like it's all the fault of puberty!"

Li Muyang looked at Master and me with an awkward smile and muttered, "Right, right, right, it's all puberty's fault."

Hearing Li Muyang shift the blame onto puberty, we laughed once more. Li Muyang sat up and asked, "By the way, weren't we fighting the Assassination Organization just now? How did we end back in the hotel?"

Hearing this, I was taken aback as well. This was precisely what I had wanted to ask Master. Master leaned back in his chair, stubbed out his cigarette, and calmly explained, "The Assassination Organization suffered a devastating blow, and the three Wei brothers were wiped out by me. However, Wei Wutian managed to escape, but I couldn't be bothered to chase him down, so I simply brought you two back to the hotel."

Once Master finished his brief explanation, Li Muyang and I finally understood and nodded simultaneously. I glanced around the room again and asked quizzically, "How long did we spend in the illusionary realm? Where are Sister Yu and Xiangfang?"

Master smiled and replied, "Only three hours. Xiangfang woke up from the illusionary realm very quickly and has already returned to the Taoist Association branch to handle the aftermath. As for that Sister Yu you mentioned, she's truly a rare character—she insisted she wouldn't leave, and even declared she wanted to come back to Chongqing with us. Tell me, isn't that absurd?"

Master spread his hands in helpless exasperation. Li Muyang and I exchanged smiles and leaned back against the headboard. Master was about to speak again when he paused, made a silencing gesture, and whispered, "Speak of the devil, and here she comes. Sigh."

No sooner had his voice trailed off than Sister Yu walked in carrying several bags of takeout boxes. The moment she caught sight of Master, her smile bloomed like she was looking at her most idolized dream. She hurried over, placed the food containers on the table, and announced, "Dinner is here, dig in!"

With that, Sister Yu even opened a portion for Master and handed it to him with a beaming smile. Master awkwardly accepted it and muttered a word of thanks, which only made Sister Yu beam even brighter. Li Muyang and I got out of bed, opened our respective food boxes, and began to eat. After the meal, Master immediately intended to book flight tickets, leaving Sister Yu dumbfounded. She protested, "Senior, you're leaving already? So soon? I'm coming too, I'm coming too!"

As Sister Yu continuously shook his arm, Master glanced at us and offered a bitter smile. I shrugged. Master then conceded, "Alright, alright, fine, come along, will you be happy now? Oh dear, my dear young lady, can't you just stay put for once? Why must you tag along? We aren't idlers, you know—following us is dangerous."

Sister Yu shook her head and declared, "I'm no delicate heiress; I can protect myself. Besides, it's not like I've never encountered dangerous situations before, and aren't I standing here safe and sound?"

Master shook his head, sighed, and said, "Fine, whatever. I'll book four tickets then. Just don't end up regretting it and crying to come back later."

Hearing Master's consent, Sister Yu jumped up in delight, utterly ecstatic. That afternoon, we rushed to the airport, boarding the final flight of the day. Upon landing at Jiangbei Airport, I finally caught the familiar scent of my hometown. I had assumed we would head straight home, but Master announced we needed to stop by Li Xin's place first. With no objections, we hailed a cab and headed toward Liberation Monument Tower.

The twenty-second floor was Li Xin's office area. We took the elevator up to the designated floor and walked with familiar ease into Li Xin's office. Li Xin was seated at his desk staring at the computer screen. Hearing the commotion, he raised his head in suspicion and, upon seeing us, instantly sprang to his feet. With a wide smile, he exclaimed, "Senior, impressive! You resolved the matter with Wei Wutian and the others so quickly. I just saw it on the computer; the news has already spread throughout the circles. There are headlines like 'Mysterious Figure Single-Handedly Defeats the Assassination Organization's Five Elements Masters,' and even 'Lone Hero Storms the Assassination Organization.'"

Master was startled. "What's going on? How long has it been, and the news has already spread?"

Li Xin nodded. Master walked over, stared at the computer screen for a long while, and pointed at a username, asking, "Who published this? The name looks so familiar."

"Oh, this is the president of the Taoist Association branch over in Henan, a man named Xiangfang. Many of the reports regarding Wei Wutian and the Assassination Organization were published by him. Besides, his Taoist Association has a deep-seated grievance with the Assassination Organization, so it's hardly surprising that he would post something like this."