Originally a Pair, Now One

I frowned when I thought of Purple Clad. She had promised to help me find Abe Ichinan, but was this black-robed figure really Abe Ichinan?

It was hard to connect the woman I had seen in the apartment earlier with him.

However, when he asked me if I wasn't afraid of him killing me, I had truly felt the killing intent emanating from him, a strong, potent killing intent.

But I wasn't worried, because when I got out of the car, Fatty had told me that if I was in danger, he would arrive immediately, as he had already placed a tracker on me.

This thing must have been given to him by the Ninth Bureau.

It was just that Fatty said he wasn't a member of the Ninth Bureau, only sometimes doing odd jobs for them and taking money for it.

I was a little curious how much money he had charged the Ninth Bureau for sealing my companion and protecting me and Xu Qiuyan this time. One hundred thousand, two hundred thousand, or more? I didn't think the Ninth Bureau lacked money.

When the black-robed figure saw Fatty, he seemed a little surprised. Although I couldn't see his features, I was sure he was scrutinizing Fatty.

"You damn Fatty, it's you?"

I was stunned. They knew each other.

Fatty puffed out his chest, revealing his round belly. He gently stroked his nearly bald head with one hand, a smile on his face, looking just like a Bodhisattva enshrined in a temple.

"We meet again. Come, let me see if you've improved!"

Fatty and the black-robed figure had definitely fought before. Judging by their conversation, Fatty seemed to have the upper hand.

I asked Fatty, "Is he Abe Ichinan?"

Fatty said he didn't know anyone named Abe Ichinan, but if Abe Ichinan was a woman, then this black-robed figure before me was indeed a woman.

Fatty didn't recognize Abe Ichinan, and neither did I. Even if this black-robed figure was a woman, it didn't necessarily mean she was Abe Ichinan, right?

"Damn Fatty, I advise you not to meddle in other people's business." The black-robed figure was getting angry.

Fatty shrugged it off, "I take people's money to solve their problems. What can I do? Buddha Lord here has to do what he's paid for, so I can only do things for others."

"Hmph, then let's see if you have the ability!" The black-robed figure snorted coldly and raised his hand. Four figures appeared in the field. Although it was my first time seeing ninjas with my own eyes, they were not uncommon in movies and TV shows.

The four ninjas, holding gleaming samurai swords, lunged at Fatty. My heart leaped into my throat, but the blood in my body was faintly boiling. While worrying about Fatty, I clenched my fists, wanting to rush up and help.

"Stay put and just watch. Buddha Lord can handle this." Fatty was full of confidence. His movements suddenly became agile and swift. A folding fan appeared in his hand, and then I heard the sound of metal clashing.

His fan actually had an iron frame.

However, the fan was only his defensive weapon; his real offensive weapon was himself.

His speed was truly astonishing. He was like a giant ball that directly sent the four ninjas flying.

As the ninjas were sent flying, they were also struck heavily by the folding fan. The four of them fell to the ground and couldn't get up.

"That's it?" Fatty's disdainful gaze swept over the fallen ninjas. His gaze then turned to the black-robed figure.

The black-robed figure was silent for a few seconds, then said, "Didn't you want to talk to me alone?"

This was clearly directed at me.

I glanced at Fatty. He shrugged, looking indifferent.

I said to the black-robed figure, "We can talk, but you have to prove you are Abe Ichinan first."

The black-robed figure replied with a single word: "Good!"

With that, he reached out and lightly wiped his face. The misty aura that had been concealing his face completely dissipated, revealing a delicate woman's face. However, her extremely beautiful face was exceptionally cold.

It was the woman I had seen in the apartment.

"Are you really Abe Ichinan?"

"That's right, she is Abe Ichinan, a top talent among the younger generation of the Abe Family."

Purple Clad appeared beside me at some point. Fatty looked at Purple Clad with a complex gaze. Purple Clad made a face at Fatty, who rubbed his nose. "Strange, you don't have any malevolence on you!"

I was a little confused. "What do you mean?"

"She was born from a Nightmare. Most Nightmares carry a strong malevolence, but she has none at all. In fact, her aura is completely different from a Nightmare's."

Abe Ichinan's gaze towards Purple Clad was also very peculiar. After hearing Fatty's words, she seemed to understand something. "She's a Nightmare? A Nightmare generated through the Twin Fish Jade Pendant?"

I nodded. "That's right."

"Why, why is this happening?" she murmured. I didn't quite understand what she was saying.

I said to her, "Since you are indeed Abe Ichinan, let's talk."

"I'll only talk to you," she said.

I pursed my lips and glanced at Fatty. Fatty said, "Whether you agree or not is your business, it has nothing to do with me."

Purple Clad stood there calmly, also with an expression of detachment.

"Okay!" I nodded at Abe Ichinan. It was just a private chat, wasn't it? I really didn't believe she would dare to do anything to me. Besides, I didn't think I was completely defenseless in front of her.

"Follow me!" She beckoned, and I walked up to her.

She grabbed me and walked step by step into the river.

I was a bit bewildered. What was this? Drowning to death for love? We certainly had no romantic feelings for each other.

However, just as I was about to stop, I realized that we were no longer in the same place as before.

This is a secret chamber, dimly lit, with the only light source being an oil lamp burning on a stone table in the center.

Abe Ichinan and I sat facing each other, her eyes fixed on me with a sharp gaze.

"Where is this?" I asked subconsciously.

"Alternate dimension."

She said coldly, then reached into her clothes and took something out, placing it gently on the table.

Alternate dimension? The name sounded so familiar, I suddenly thought of a certain movie.

"This space is completely sealed. We can't get out, and no one can get in. It's just the two of us here. No one can hear what we say, not even that fat guy."

I chuckled, "You seem quite wary of that fatty."

"He's not a good person, so you need to be careful when you're with him. Don't get sold out and end up counting money for someone else," Abe Ichinan said.

She was clearly trying to sow discord between me and Fatty.

Fatty was sent by Old Shu to protect Xu Qiuyan and me. How could he possibly betray me?

However, when I clearly saw what she had placed on the table, I was stunned.

I quickly took out the jade pendant I had on me and compared it carefully with the one Abe Ichinan had placed on the table. They were exactly the same!

How could this be? If her piece was also a Twin Fish Jade Pendant, then it made sense that she used it to replicate Zhuanghe and the others.

But how could there be two Twin Fish Jade Pendants?

"Has no one ever told you that the Twin Fish Jade Pendants were originally a pair?"

Hearing her say that, my eyes widened. The Twin Fish Jade Pendants were a pair? It actually sounded plausible.

I reached out and picked up her piece, placing the two together and examining them closely. I couldn't tell the difference between them.

"So, creating replicas of Zhuanghe and the others, and then killing their originals, was your masterpiece?"

I looked at her and asked sternly.

She calmly shook her head. "No, by the time I got it, their originals were already dead."

I didn't quite believe her words. She rolled her eyes. "There's no reason for me to lie to you. The ones who truly killed their originals were their replicas. I obtained this jade pendant from Zhuanghe's replica. Compared to their originals, their replicas were much more violent and ruthless in their methods. This is also why their originals met their demise at the hands of their replicas."

"Why is that?"

Abe Ichinan gave a wry smile. "Before I saw the replica of Nightmare, I couldn't figure it out no matter how hard I thought. But after seeing her, I understood. The Twin Fish Jade Pendants are a pair, so there must be a distinction between yin and yang. Perhaps the piece I obtained replicates a violent and ruthless personality, while your piece replicates a relatively kinder one."

I remained silent, but I thought her explanation had some merit.

She continued, "Perhaps only when the two jade pendants are combined can they replicate someone exactly the same as the original, including their temperament and thoughts!" She proposed a hypothesis. It was a rather bold assumption, and I felt a genuine urge to test it. Was it truly as she thought?

Lost in thought, I slowly began to overlap the two jade pendants.