Chapter 86: Truth and Falsehood

Dinner stretched late into the night. Zhao Zheng and Ye Luo, both ordinary men, were the first to succumb, falling fast asleep on the sofa. Soon after, even Ghost was out cold, leaving only myself and Niu Dali to continue our drinking contest.

Chen Ying’en, after two glasses of red wine, had stopped. Someone needed to stay sober at headquarters, and as the captain, she had no choice but to shoulder that responsibility.

“Qin Feng, come on, one more. I refuse to believe you can outdrink me,” Niu Dali challenged, taking a swig straight from the bottle of baijiu before his head hit the table and he passed out.

I burst out laughing, my vision blurred with drunkenness, and lit a cigarette.

Smoke curled upward, twisting and drifting above me like a dance. For a moment, I thought I saw Mu Xiaochen smiling—a gentle, warm smile.

At that moment, a faint, delicate fragrance wafted by. Chen Ying’en sat down beside me.

“You’ve been inside the Nether Rift, haven’t you?” she asked.

I nodded.

“I knew it. People who’ve been there always carry its scent. I want to go too, but my superiors won’t approve it,” she murmured quietly. Clearly, she’d known about the Rift for some time.

I exhaled a thick plume of smoke, my voice rough. “It’s just a matter of time.”

“What’s it like in there?” she couldn’t help but ask.

I stubbed out my cigarette, rose to my feet, and said, “You’ll know when you get there. For now, it’s better not to find out. At least you can still enjoy this near-paradise.”

With that, I stepped out into the night. The sky was deep and dark, a scattering of stars shining overhead.

…

In room 1808 of the Junyue Grand Hotel, Chi Yun lay with her eyes closed, soaking in a bath filled with bubbles. Soft music drifted around her, but her heart remained restless.

Suddenly, she slid down, submerging her head beneath the water. She stayed under until her lungs burned for air, and only then did she sit up, gasping desperately.

Her damp hair clung to her face as beads of water slipped down. She wiped her cheeks and pushed her hair back, her eyes red and swollen.

“Damn bastard. It’s been eight months—where on earth have you gone?” Chi Yun choked out through her tears.

Longing cut like a knife, leaving wounds that never healed. What she thought was a casual physical relationship had, without her noticing, crept into her heart as well. When he left, he took her heart with him.

Back then, it was late winter. Now, it was already autumn, and still there was no trace of him.

Just then, a chill ran through her. Something felt off.

She turned her head and saw a shadow on the frosted glass door, slowly drawing near.

Her heart pounded as she scrambled out of the tub, pulled on a bathrobe, and twisted off the showerhead to wield as a weapon.

Suddenly, the bathroom light flickered, electricity crackling. The shadow on the glass door warped, and the temperature in the bathroom plummeted, turning icy cold.

Chi Yun’s face turned pale—this was no human.

If it had been a person, she wouldn’t have been afraid, but a ghost was another matter entirely.

The lights flickered more rapidly. She thought she could hear eerie laughter in her ears.

With a snap, the light went out, plunging the bathroom into pitch darkness—she couldn’t even see her own hand.

A sudden breath brushed her ear.

She screamed, every hair on her body standing on end, and flailed wildly with the showerhead.

But then she found herself frozen by an unseen force, and in the darkness, a hand landed on her waist.

“Qin Feng… you bastard! If you don’t show yourself now, I’m about to be violated by some lecherous ghost!” she cried out, body tense with despair.

“You missed me so much—I had to come find you,” a drifting voice sounded by her ear.

She froze. That was Qin Feng’s voice. Instantly, tears streamed down her face. “Qin Feng, are you dead? How could you die?”

“Killed by your longing,” he replied.

A large hand reached out to wipe her tears away.

Suddenly, she could move again. She spun and threw herself into my arms, sobbing uncontrollably.

The embrace was just as she remembered—faintly smelling of tobacco, warm and familiar.

Wait—wasn’t he a ghost now?

At that moment, the light flickered back on.

Chi Yun looked up from my arms, staring blankly at me. Then she reached out and stroked my beard.

Her expression changed rapidly from tearful to fierce.

“You bastard!” she shouted, pounding my chest with her fists.

I stepped back, then pulled her down with me into the bathtub.

We sank into the water together. Soon, I pulled her upright and pressed my lips fiercely to hers.

Before long, the water in the tub was rocking wildly.

With a plaintive cry, Chi Yun went limp against me.

It took a long time before she regained her strength. She fished a pack of cigarettes from my pocket, lit one for herself, then popped another into my mouth.

She didn’t ask where I’d been. She just looked at me, fingers brushing my now-long beard.

“Isn’t my beard sexy?” I joked.

She nodded, then shook her head. “Shave it off. It does make you look more manly, but… it’s too world-weary.”

“Then you do it,” I laughed.

Immediately, she scooped bubbles onto my beard and dug out a razor.

“Hey, where’d you get that razor? You hiding another man in here?” I teased.

“Nonsense. It’s for my underarms,” she glared.

“No wonder it smells,” I grinned.

She plunged the razor into the water in annoyance. I froze, quickly placating her. “Director Chi, steady hands! My happiness depends on it.”

“I should just castrate you. You’ve been gone for eight months, and I’ve been living just fine,” she said, retrieving the razor and carefully shaving my beard again.

I fell silent, content to let her take care of me.

Here, with her, I found a peace I couldn’t find anywhere else.

Soon, she set the razor aside, examined my face, and giggled. “All done. From a rugged uncle back to a pretty boy.”

By noon the next day, we sat together in bed, a breakfast tray between us laden with exquisite dishes.

“You’re not going to work?” I asked.

“No. Not today,” she replied, spearing a piece of meat and offering it to my mouth.

“The mighty Director Chi, skipping work just like that,” I teased.

“It’s lost its appeal. Soon, my uncle will transfer me to the legendary Ninth Bureau,” she replied.

I paused, mid-bite, and looked at her.

“My uncle’s in the army, has some influence. Transferring me to the Ninth Bureau shouldn’t be a problem,” Chi Yun explained.

“Honestly, living an ordinary life isn’t so bad,” I sighed.

“I don’t have a choice. Some man I know isn’t ordinary. I want to know more about what he does, to understand the dangers he faces,” she said.

I reached out and ruffled her hair.

She slapped my hand away, pinched my ear, and glared. “I’m older and more mature than you. Do you think I’m one of those naïve eighteen-year-olds you tricked into bed?”

I quickly begged for mercy and narrowly escaped having my ear twisted off.

“I’m just a kid, and now I’m hungry—want some milk,” I teased, rubbing my ear, eyes fixed on her.

She rolled her eyes, then pinched the soft skin at my waist.

After a round of laughter and play, we settled down to eat quietly.

On the TV opposite, the news was broadcasting.

“The World United Economic Summit has concluded…”

“Tensions in the Middle East continue to worsen. Early yesterday morning, a nuclear explosion occurred in the Kadara region, leaving a hundred-mile radius in ruins. The death toll is currently unknown.”

My hand stopped mid-motion, my gaze flickering.

A nuclear explosion—was it truly the result of war, or had something from the Netherworld invaded?

The program switched to entertainment news: “Today, renowned singer Lu Zhiruo attended her new song release conference. She announced that her single, ‘Solitary Smoke Over the Desert,’ would introduce an innovative musical style, expressing confidence that she would lead a new trend.”

I choked at this, coughing violently.

What the hell? Lu Zhiruo was trapped in the Stone Valley inside the Xiliang Nether Rift—when did she escape?

Immediately, I called Zhao Zheng and asked him to investigate Lu Zhiruo’s recent whereabouts.

Soon, Zhao Zheng replied with a message:

“A month ago, Lu Zhiruo and her cousin Lu Biyu traveled to Xiliang and were recognized by tourists.”

“Twenty days ago, Lu Zhiruo attended a promotional event for True Beauty Cosmetics, where she announced her upcoming single, ‘Solitary Smoke Over the Desert.’”

“Ten days ago, Lu Zhiruo held a fan meeting for a thousand people, performing ‘Autumn’s Fairy Tale.’ Attendees were captivated, claiming her singing had reached a state of pure, unadorned artistry.”

“Three days ago, rumors surfaced that a young master from the capital was madly pursuing Lu Zhiruo, covering ten miles with roses to win her smile.”

“Yesterday, Lu Zhiruo held the release event for ‘Solitary Smoke Over the Desert.’”

I lit a cigarette and narrowed my eyes in thought.

Ten days ago, I was still with Lu Zhiruo inside the Nether Rift, and afterward, she was trapped in the Stone Valley. Yet her public activities had continued uninterrupted for a month.

So which one was the real Lu Zhiruo?

If the one in the Nether Rift was fake, this one was real.

If this one was real, then the one in the Nether Rift was fake.

But during my time with her in the Rift, I noticed nothing amiss.

“What’s wrong? Do you like this superstar?” Chi Yun asked.

I chuckled. “No, I’m just interested in her secrets.”

“That’s the same thing,” Chi Yun said, feigning displeasure.

I soothed her with a smile, but inwardly I was determined—I would have to find out whether this Lu Zhiruo was real or not, whether she was human or something else.