Chapter 44: Truth and Illusion

"Xiaoli, what is it you want to discuss with me? Speak!" Seeing Xiaoli's serious demeanor, Chu Feng returned to the table and sat down.

"Uncle, this is no trivial matter. Before I tell you about it, you must first answer a question for me!" Xiaoli fixed her gaze on Chu Feng. "Uncle, the way you look now—this can't be your true face, can it?"

"Haha, you certainly have a sharp eye!" Chu Feng chuckled, walked to the washbasin stand by the door, and swiftly washed off his disguise. In front of Xiaoli, there was no need to hide his real appearance.

"Oh?"

Seeing Chu Feng reveal his true face, Xiaoli stood up in surprise, walked over to examine him closely, and said, "Uncle, you really hid yourself well! Your looks may not be extraordinarily handsome or imposing, but your features are all in their proper place. You have a dignified presence—a true man indeed! Not bad, not bad!"

Now Xiaoli could clearly see that Chu Feng was actually her peer, only two or three years older. Yet, perhaps because "uncle" slipped so easily from her lips, she had not changed the way she addressed him.

"Haha, you still have time to critique my appearance? Looks are born with, what's there is what's there—I don't really care." Chu Feng shook his head. "So, what is it you want to discuss? You can tell me now?"

"Wait! Now I've seen your true face, but you haven't told me your background! What is your name, where are you from?" Xiaoli asked seriously.

Had this interrogation happened half an hour before, back when they first met on the street, Chu Feng would never have answered—he would have simply walked away. But now, deep down, Chu Feng regarded her as a younger sister; he was willing to lend her thousands of silver without compensation—why not tell her his real name?

"Chu Feng."

As he spoke, Chu Feng wrote his name on the table.

"Chu Feng? Why does that name sound so familiar?" Xiaoli frowned, then suddenly slapped her forehead. "Ah, how foolish of me! I should have guessed it was you! You are the Chu Feng whom the Terror Gate is hunting!"

"That's right! Over half a month ago, in that small grove, you saw with your own eyes as I killed the second son of the Xiong family," Chu Feng nodded.

"Uncle, you really are no ordinary man! You killed the fourth and fifth tigers of the Xiong family, and yet you're still alive and well? You must have quite the background!" Xiaoli grew excited.

"Enough with the nonsense! Do you actually have something to say or not? If not, I'm leaving!"

"Don't!" Xiaoli quickly stopped Chu Feng, lowering her voice. "Let me be brief. I have something of immense value in my possession. I'll let you use it, and in exchange, you let me stay by your side or help me find a way to survive. When the day comes that I can protect myself, you return this treasure to me, agreed?"

Seeing her mysterious air, Chu Feng stared at her and asked, "You just said you can't repay the thousands of silver I gave you. Now you claim to have something priceless? Are you telling the truth or just making up stories to fool me?"

"No, no, who would lie to you? If I do, may I be unlucky for life!" Xiaoli swore. "If you agree, I'll have a place to settle down, and you'll gain an opportunity! Truly, I'm not boasting."

"Where is this priceless item? Show it to me first!"

"It's not with me now—it's hidden in a very secret place outside the town. It's not difficult to retrieve."

"Haha, you're trying to fool me!" Chu Feng shook his head. "If you really had something so valuable, you wouldn't be so destitute, unable to repay a few thousand silver. How do you explain that?"

"Uncle, it's precisely because the item is so valuable that I don't dare take it out. That's why I'm so down and out. If I did, I'd have died a hundred times already!" Xiaoli shook her head. "I understand well enough that in the world of martial arts, possessing a treasure means inviting disaster."

Chu Feng considered this explanation; it seemed plausible. "How far is the place where it's hidden?"

"Not far! Once we're out of town, it won't take half an hour to reach."

"Very well. Take me there now, and let me see this item. If it's truly as valuable as you say, I won't take advantage of you for nothing. But if you're deceiving me, your uncle has a temper!" Chu Feng said, his face stern.

"Haha, you'll see soon enough. Let's set off now!" Xiaoli said, packing up the half-eaten roast chicken, and immediately left with Chu Feng.

After leaving the tavern, Chu Feng immediately carried Xiaoli on his back. The injury to her leg, while not grave, still slowed her down considerably.

"Xiaoli, if that item turns out to be worthless, be careful—I might toss you into a deep ravine!"

Carrying Xiaoli, Chu Feng strode swiftly toward the outskirts of the town.

"Don't worry! I only fear it's so valuable you won't recognize its worth! Now, turn right and take that small path," Xiaoli directed from Chu Feng's back.

...

Half an hour's journey was neither far nor near. Chu Feng, now at the fourth stage of body refinement with the strength of a rhinoceros, could cover a thousand to two thousand li in a day; even carrying Xiaoli, he moved with astonishing speed.

In half an hour, Chu Feng had run nearly one hundred and fifty li. Along the way, they crossed a river, climbed three hills, and passed through dozens of small and large groves.

All the while, the rain poured down in torrents, soaking both Chu Feng and Xiaoli to the skin.

"Uncle, you really are as strong as an ox—running so far without even getting flushed or winded!"

Lying on Chu Feng's back, Xiaoli felt quite comfortable—it was even steadier than riding a horse.

"Are we almost there?" Chu Feng asked as he sped along a rugged mountain path.

"Yes, just ahead, beneath that big tree!" Xiaoli's voice was filled with excitement.

A few breaths later, Chu Feng reached the base of the tree and set Xiaoli down.

Chu Feng surveyed the surroundings. It was an ordinary hill—such hills numbered in the hundreds or thousands around the outer towns of Hengshan.

Xiaoli looked around, then hurried to a large stone three yards away. "Uncle, the item is under this stone. Lift it up!"

"Oh? Isn't it risky to keep something under a stone—won't it get crushed?"

Chu Feng was skeptical but approached the stone. With a burst of strength, he lifted the heavy stone, weighing over two hundred catties.

Once the stone was moved, the ground revealed only the imprint it had left—there was no sign of any priceless item.

"Where is it? I see nothing," Chu Feng said.

"That's impossible! How can it not be here? Did I remember the wrong spot? No, it should be right here!"

Seeing the empty space beneath the stone, Xiaoli was shocked, her expression changing as she muttered, "Impossible, impossible!"

"Xiaoli, don't panic! Maybe you really misremembered? This hill has plenty of trees and stones—it's possible to get the location wrong." Chu Feng comforted her, though he was also quite tense inside.

Suddenly, Xiaoli ran to the tree and pointed at the trunk. "Uncle, look, this is the mark I made before—it's definitely the right tree! The stone directly in front of this mark is where I hid the item. How is it gone when I lift the stone?"

"Perhaps another stone rolled down from the hill, knocking this one aside and scattering whatever was underneath? Or maybe someone else lifted it and took the item?" Chu Feng considered various possibilities.

Hiding something in a hill like this was both safe and unsafe; aside from accidents like a landslide or mudflow after a storm, there was always the chance someone might stumble upon it.

"Ah! I know I didn't get the location wrong—how could the item be gone? Why am I so unlucky?" Xiaoli was so anxious she was almost in tears.

"Xiaoli, what exactly is the item?" Chu Feng asked.

"It's a book—a powerful manual! It's not large, about the size of an ordinary secret manual." Xiaoli grew more anxious, pacing around the tree like an ant on a hot pan.

Boom!

Right then, thunder rumbled overhead. Lightning flashed, rain poured, and the entire hill was bathed in purple light.

"Ah!" Chu Feng sighed. "Xiaoli, let's go back."

"Go back? We haven't found the item—are we just going to leave?" Tears welled in Xiaoli's eyes.

"Do you think it can still be found?" Chu Feng shook his head. "A storm is coming. This hill isn't stable—there could be a mudslide. If you don't leave now, it'll be much harder later!"

As he spoke, Chu Feng moved in front of Xiaoli, crouched down, and said, "Come on, I'll carry you back."

"Uncle... you... you still want to carry me back?" Xiaoli was deeply moved, hardly able to believe it.

"If I don't carry you back, should I leave you here for the wolves? Hurry, get on!" Chu Feng said.

"Uncle, we didn't find the item, you ran so far for nothing, and now you're carrying me back again—you... why don't you scold me?" Xiaoli remained standing, asking earnestly.

"Why would I scold you? You're already upset enough. If I scold you, wouldn't that be rubbing salt in your wound? Enough talking, get on!"

Xiaoli still stood there, staring at Chu Feng.

"Xiaoli, what are you looking at? Have you gone silly?" Chu Feng barked.

"Uncle, I really didn't misjudge you—you truly are a reliable person!" Xiaoli's expression changed, growing mysterious.

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

"I mean, the item isn't under that stone at all—it's over there!" Xiaoli suddenly smiled and ran to the other side of the tree.

Seeing Xiaoli's actions, Chu Feng immediately understood. "Well done, Xiaoli—so you were testing me just now? If I'd scolded you, abandoned you, or left you here alone, would I have failed your final test?"

"Hehe, that's exactly it!" Xiaoli nodded, stopping not far from the other side of the tree.