I was about to overlap the two jade pendants.
Abe Ichinan did not stop me. If anything, she seemed even more eager than I was, a glint of greed showing in her eyes.
I suddenly gave up, placing her jade pendant back on the table and putting mine away.
"Why not give it a try?" She seemed somewhat dissatisfied with my last-minute retreat.
I shook my head. "We can't try it, because neither of us knows what the outcome will be."
She looked a little disappointed.
"You weren't the one who killed Zhuanghe and the others' original bodies. You tried to kill them afterward because you took this jade pendant from them. You were silencing them."
Her expression turned cold again. "You can see it that way. Even if I hadn't gone looking for them, they would have come looking for me, especially Zhuanghe. He dreamed of taking this jade pendant back. They simply weren't capable enough. Otherwise, I would have been the one being hunted."
"You clearly had the power to kill them. Why play such a brain-dead game as invading dreams?" That was what I could not understand.
She shook her head. "With that IQ of yours, I seriously wonder whether you were only there to make up the numbers at Unit Nine."
My face went pale, then green. This woman really did not leave anyone any dignity when she spoke.
What was wrong with my IQ? I did not think there was anything wrong with it.
"If I hadn't played that little trick, how could I have alerted Unit Nine? And if Unit Nine hadn't been alerted, how could I have drawn out the other jade pendant?"
"You knew all along that the other jade pendant was at Unit Nine?"
She sneered. "Not only did I know the other jade pendant was at Unit Nine, I knew it was in the hands of that Shu fellow. I originally thought he would give it to Xie Yi. That would have made it much harder to take from him. He's a difficult one to deal with. Who knew they would actually put you in charge of this case and even hand the jade pendant over to you?"
Her target was the jade pendant in my possession.
And in her eyes, I was just a brainless weakling.
No brains, and my combat ability was trash too.
Was I really that useless?
If Duan Hongbin and the others were here, things would be different. I would definitely make her pay and show her why flowers were so red.
But now, I was alone.
Damn it. It seemed I really depended too much on those three. Without them, I truly was nothing.
No wonder Old Shu had sent Fatty to protect me.
"Still, there's one thing I admire about you: you've got guts." She smiled at me. It was rare to see her smile, but that smile was filled with endless mockery.
"You actually dared to be alone with me."
She looked as though she had me completely in her grasp.
I felt miserable. Was I really going to become fish on the chopping block this time, left for her to carve up as she pleased?
I looked at her coldly. "The thing is right here. If you've got the ability, come and take it."
I took out the Twin Fish Jade Pendant and held it in my hand.
She frowned, apparently not expecting me to stand my ground so firmly.
My legs trembled slightly, but I could not back down now. If I showed even the slightest fear, she would see right through me.
I said calmly, "Since you've been watching me all this time, you can't possibly know nothing about my situation, can you?"
She nodded. "Of course I know. You have several powerful helpers, but I heard they've already been sealed away by that dead fat man. I'm actually curious. Why would they do that to you? They clearly know that everything you have depends on those companions of yours, yet they sealed them away at such a critical moment."
I said nothing. In my opinion, she was simply trying to drive a wedge between us.
"You really don't believe it? Do you think they truly care about you? Forget everything else—do you know why that Old Shu handed such a precious thing over to you in this case?"
I shook my head. She said, "Let me tell you. They were after the jade pendant in my hands too. The role you played was nothing more than bait. They used you to fish, and I was the big fish. But they never imagined that I could take you into this alternate space right under that dead fat man's nose. This is my territory. In this space, I am the ruler."
I smiled disdainfully. "Is that so? Do you really think you can do whatever you want in this space? Do you really think your alternate space can completely cut us off from the outside world?"
My words put a look of shock on her face. She knew I was not just talking nonsense.
"Fatty, come out!" I called.
Then Fatty's sleazy figure appeared beside me.
At first, I had not known Fatty had followed me. Back then, I had been truly desperate. If we really fought, I definitely would not have been her match. Although Fatty had said Old Shu wanted him to tell me to believe in myself—that I had given those three guys their abilities, so I surely possessed the same abilities as them, perhaps even stronger ones.
But I could only listen to those words. At least for now, I could not do it. Aside from Eccentric Song's knowledge of human nature and psychological analysis, I did not even possess a tenth of Duan Hongbin and Chu Ge's abilities.
"Dead Fatty, why do you have to meddle in this? You're only taking someone's money. There's no need to risk your life for them, is there?" Abe Ichinan still seemed somewhat wary of Fatty. It felt as though he had left a shadow in her heart.
Fatty smiled. "You actually knew I was here? Impressive!"
I rolled my eyes at Fatty. "The smell on you is so strong, it would be impossible not to know." Fatty wore men's cologne. I did not mind the scent of perfume, but only on women. A man like Fatty, with such distinctive looks and a distinctive build, wearing perfume was downright nauseating.
I looked at Abe Ichinan. "Is your nose not working too well?"
She knew why I said that, but she only snorted coldly. Then, without warning, she smashed something hard against the ground. A cloud of smoke rose, and in the next moment, Abe Ichinan was nowhere to be seen.
Fatty and I found ourselves back on the riverbank.
"Fatty, what was that alternate space all about?"
Fatty rolled his eyes. "A trick to fool the eye. What alternate space? It was just an illusion. Still, Abe Ichinan really has some skills. After you followed her into the illusion, it took me nearly three minutes to get in."
"Could she have taken the jade pendant from me in the illusion?"
Fatty nodded seriously. "Yeah. An illusion is just a trick to fool the eye, like a leaf blocking your vision. But for her, she was still in reality. She was guiding you inside the illusion, leading you along according to her train of thought. If she hadn't been so overconfident and had made a move to seize your jade pendant the moment you entered the illusion, you probably would not have had any ability to resist."
"But she insisted on wasting so much time talking to you. Sigh, just like on TV—the villains always die from talking too much."
"Actually, that was a great opportunity just now. You should have been able to take the jade pendant from her, especially while mine was in your hands." I sounded somewhat regretful.
Fatty's answer left me speechless. "I was only paid to protect you. If they want me to snatch jade pendants, they'll have to pay extra."
I shook my head helplessly, then turned around and saw Purple Clad standing not far behind me.
She was smiling at me. Her smile was truly beautiful, especially those eyes that seemed able to speak. They were like a trap too, one filled with seduction.
"Your trouble is here. She might just latch onto you," Fatty said before laughing twice.
Why would she latch onto me? What did this have to do with me?
I said to Fatty, "Let's go back. Don't let Qiu Yan worry."
"Hey!" Just as I pretended to walk past Purple Clad, she suddenly called out.
I stopped. "Thank you for letting me see Abe Ichinan."
Purple Clad said, "You are the first person to truly see her real face."
I froze. "Does that matter?"
Some scenes from martial arts novels came to mind. Once a beauty's true face was seen by a man, she would refuse to marry anyone but him.
Could Abe Ichinan have such a cheesy rule too?
"Of course it matters. Abe Ichinan said that once she was willing to show her true face, the first person to see her voluntarily remove her veil would become her man. That is why she did not attack at the beginning. She wanted the thing in your hands, but she could not use force against you."
So that was why. It was not because villains died from talking too much, as Fatty had said.
"But why would she do that?" I truly could not understand why she had voluntarily removed the mist that concealed her face—her mysterious veil—for me.
I was not the kind of man everyone loved, nor was I so handsome that even mirrors would be jealous. Why had she done that?
Purple Clad glanced at Fatty. Fatty cleared his throat. "How would I know? Maybe a turtle saw a mung bean and they caught each other's eye. But kid, let me warn you: she is definitely not someone easy to deal with. And you're on opposing sides. Don't let beauty blind you. Besides, you already have someone in your heart. If you really want a mistress, she's still better than that woman!" Fatty pointed at Purple Clad. Rather than getting angry, Purple Clad smiled and nodded at me. She actually agreed with Fatty. What the hell was wrong with this woman?