Ji Feihua sneered. "So you were pretending all along!" He loosened his grip on Hu Xiaotian's throat. Hu Xiaotian coughed repeatedly, his body slumping against him again. Ji Feihua could do nothing about it; in their present circumstances, they simply could not separate.
Neither spoke. Both silently weighed their own thoughts. Shrewd as Ji Feihua was, he wondered, Could he have discovered my true identity? Impossible! I've never exposed myself in all these years. How could he have noticed? Could Hu Xiaotian be some pervert with a penchant for the cut sleeve? Does he like men?
Hu Xiaotian broke the awkward silence first. "It feels like three days and three nights have already passed."
Ji Feihua ignored him.
Hu Xiaotian continued, "Don't you find it strange? Neither of us is using a breath-holding technique, yet we don't feel like we're suffocating."
"Perhaps the environment forced you to make a breakthrough," Ji Feihua said.
Hu Xiaotian looked at the Blue Skull on his head. "Could there be something strange about that skull?"
"What's strange about it?" Ji Feihua asked.
Hu Xiaotian shook his head. "I don't know. When I wore it, did you notice any unusual changes in me?" Remembering how Ji Feihua had turned into a transparent, glowing figure after putting on the skull, Hu Xiaotian could not help thinking of himself. He had worn it for three days and three nights earlier. Had he looked the same in Ji Feihua's eyes? If so, Ji Feihua must have seen him from head to toe as well. In that case, neither had lost out; they were even.
"I didn't notice any changes in you," Ji Feihua said.
"That's odd. I didn't feel anything unusual either. It was just like wearing a helmet. Do you feel anything special?"
"This skull seems to