Chapter Fifty-Eight: Clues

I pondered for a moment, gazing at the surface of the Heavenly Lake. "Uncle Master, in my opinion, we shouldn't be so reckless, ignoring everyone's lives just to insist on going down into the lake. Why don't we observe for a while and see how things develop? What do you think?"

Ghostface Zhang, upon hearing this, wore an expression of utter disdain. "I thought you had a brilliant idea."

I cursed under my breath. I thought, this guy is the third master of the renowned Nine Gates of the Capital, the famous Ghostface Zhang, and if even he has no solution, what could I possibly do?

I sat with Ghostface Zhang on the cliff for an indeterminate length of time, until the moon hung high in the sky.

"Why aren't you back in the tent sleeping?" Ghostface Zhang glanced at me with evident annoyance.

I looked behind me and, sure enough, everyone else had returned to their tents and was already deep in dreams.

Suddenly, the sound of rustling branches and leaves reached our ears. I turned to look and saw it was the "Black Cloak."

"Why are you here?" Ghostface Zhang said coldly. "Are you here to watch me make a fool of myself?"

Black Cloak chuckled. "What, has the formidable Master Zhang finally run into something he can't handle?"

Ghostface Zhang snorted at the jibe and turned away, giving a look as sour as a peddler without a knife to cut his sugarcane.

Black Cloak clearly noticed his displeasure and, turning to me, came over and sat down at my side.

Ghostface Zhang snorted again, got up, and said coldly, "I won't disturb your little romance," then stalked back to his tent without another glance.

Black Cloak gave a teasing smile and nodded. "If Master Zhang wants to join us, I don't mind."

Ghostface Zhang disappeared into his tent without responding.

The two of us sat at the edge of the cliff in silence, the atmosphere growing awkward.

"You, you... what are you doing here?" I stammered.

She hesitated for a moment before smiling. "Nothing really. I told you, I'll protect you along the way."

I laughed at her words and teased, "What, are you here to rekindle old feelings?"

To my surprise, Black Cloak laughed—a sweet, melodious sound, entirely unlike what one would expect from a woman with the air of an assassin.

"You brought your bodyguards with you. How could I dare reminisce with you?"

I feigned a scan of our surroundings. "Look, it's just a couple of our crew. If you're willing, how about we settle things in the woods over there?" I grinned wickedly, pointing to the dense forest behind us, and reached out to wrap an arm around her slender waist.

Black Cloak gave a haughty snort at my suggestive joke but didn't pull away. Composing herself, she said, "Quit fooling around. I actually came to talk business."

I sighed helplessly. "See, with you, it's always business. I can't even find an excuse to reminisce, your mind is all work and nothing else."

She stuck out her tongue—though only half her face was visible, it was undeniably cute. "Then I'll get right to it."

I nodded.

"You all saw the dragon in the water just now, didn't you?"

"Yeah, you saw it too?"

Black Cloak nodded, then sighed. "I really don't know how your supposed team strategist, 'Kaleidoscope,' could be so useless. From now on, just call him 'Bottomless Pit.'"

I almost laughed aloud. Kaleidoscope had nearly been scared out of his wits earlier, practically burying his head in his lap. No wonder Black Cloak called him a bottomless pit—so much for being the Sixth Master of the Nine Gates; the title was truly undeserved.

"You brought all those scientific instruments. Why not just use them to figure out what's really going on?"

I nodded. The implication was that this dragon was nothing but a phantom. I grinned. "You say that as if you know the truth. Why don’t you reveal it, then?"

Black Cloak hesitated, as if weighing her words, then shook her head. "No, I’m an outsider. No one would believe me anyway. Even if you did, the others wouldn't."

"Well..." I paused. She had a point—coming from her, the story would be hard to accept. "Then what do you suggest?"

She smiled slyly, leaned close to my ear, and blew a couple of mischievous breaths before whispering, "Tomorrow, tell Ghostface Zhang to use Kaleidoscope's instruments to test the climate and conditions underwater. You go down and measure it yourself."

I shivered. "Are you trying to get me killed? Feed me to the dragon?"

"Just trust me. I won't harm you," she replied, pulling back and giving me another smile.

I did trust her. If she had wanted to hurt me, she could have done so easily long ago. I nodded. "Alright, I'll go along with you this time." As I spoke, I stroked her back, just as I had before.

"If you keep acting like a scoundrel, I’ll get angry," she joked, but made no move to stop me.

I laughed, "You know, every time you show up, you make me daydream. Aren't you afraid I'll go mad from unrequited love?"

"Oh, with your thick skin, you think you're at risk of that?" she retorted.

I was mortified. When did I become the shameless one? According to her, I was no different from those notorious rakes, Ironcrutch Liu and Fat Lin.

"If you keep on, I'll have to show you just how thick-skinned I can be," I threatened, half in jest.

But just as I finished speaking, a single crystalline tear slid down her face from under her hood. She wiped it away and sighed. "You’re still the same as ever. You haven’t changed, Meng."

"Uh..." I was dumbfounded. I didn't understand at all. "What are you talking about?"

"Ah?" She started, looking at me. "Nothing, nothing at all."

I wondered if she had let something slip. This "Meng" could be a codename, or perhaps a forgotten memory of mine. But I truly remembered nothing.

"What is this 'Meng'?"

She said nothing, simply gazing blankly ahead.

"Hey, don’t just sit there in silence."

Still, she remained motionless, eyes closed, as if in meditation.

"Say something?"

"There’s nothing more to say. I have to go." Suddenly, with the abruptness of a foreigner losing her temper, she stood up to leave.

I grabbed her shoulder and pushed her down to the ground. At that moment, an inappropriate thought flashed through my mind—the position was rather... indecent.

Her hood slipped back a little, revealing more of her face. As I had expected, her features were striking—delicate chin, high nose, and skin as smooth and fair as fresh tofu. Though only half her face was visible, it stirred the imagination.

Pinned beneath me, Black Cloak clearly felt the awkwardness of our position. She managed a wry smile and teased, "What, can't restrain yourself again?"

"You're the first gift I've received on this trip," I joked. "It's been days since I had any fun. Since you've come to me yourself, how could I say no to such a treat?" I pretended to reach for her clothes.

"You... shameless!" she replied in a coquettish tone, almost as if she were flirting, yet she didn't resist. Instead, she pressed herself against me.

"What, can't wait any longer?"

With a proud snort, she wrapped her arms around my waist and pressed her lips to mine.

My mind was electrified. Oddly, my first sensation wasn't one of overwhelming pleasure, but a strange familiarity—this woman, this feeling, it was as though we had been here before.

"Well? Remember something?" she whispered seductively, her breath hot against my ear, her tongue tracing lightly along it.

"Tell me, what was our relationship really?" I asked.

She looked at me, smiling. "No relationship at all." She pushed me away, giving a bitter laugh. "I've told you everything I needed to. If you do as I said tomorrow, you'll be fine." With that, she vanished into the night.