Chapter 122: Riddler, Get Out of Gotham

Chu Fei plunged into darkness.

When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in the middle of an ocean. Countless waves surged into his nose and mouth, suffocating him. Given his strength, he shouldn't have needed to swim to move freely in the water, yet he found himself completely powerless, unable to tap into even a sliver of his spiritual energy. It felt as if he had eaten a Devil Fruit and been tossed into the sea to fend for himself.

Then, a hand reached out and pulled him from the depths.

Chu Fei gasped for fresh air and turned his gaze to his savior. It was a faceless figure, shrouded in black shadow, its gender and species impossible to discern.

"Buddy, what kind of performance art is this?" Chu Fei couldn't help but ask; the sight before him was truly absurd. He remembered the black box hitting his face, followed by an inexplicable arrival in this place and an equally inexplicable rescue by this faceless entity.

"Do you know who I am?" the faceless figure asked. The voice offered no clues as to whether the speaker was male or female.

"A spirit inside the black box?" Chu Fei ventured.

The figure didn't respond, instead walking directly across the surface of the water. Chu Fei hurried after it. "So, who are you, and where is this?"

Ignoring his questions, the figure countered, "What is your name?"

"Don't you know?"

"I know. I'm asking if *you* know."

Chu Fei hesitated. "The most handsome man on Dragon-Sound Mountain?"

"...Ah-Li really has trained a disciple just as narcissistic as herself."

Chu Fei’s beautiful master’s full name was Nangong Li. Hearing the nickname "Ah-Li," he was startled. "You know my beautiful master?"

"I've known her for over a hundred years."

"A hundred years? What do you mean? Is my beautiful master that old?" Chu Fei looked at the faceless figure. "And I haven't been able to contact her lately. Do you know where she is?"

The figure remained silent. Chu Fei couldn't help but curse under his breath. Damn it, riddlers need to get out of Gotham!

"If you won't answer my questions, I'm leaving," Chu Fei said, acting out of spite. He didn't believe for a second that this person had dragged him here only to have nothing to say.

"You run from one place to another, but you remain yourself. You cannot escape from your own body." The figure finally spoke.

Chu Fei latched onto the point. "I'm still in my body? Does that mean my consciousness came here, or am I dreaming?"

He hadn't had a single dream since he first dreamt of this black box as a child. Could it be that because one of the dragon eyes had closed, it triggered this dream? If so, why had his master never mentioned it? If she had hidden it intentionally, why give him the box when he left the mountain, along with instructions on how to open it? There were too many unanswered questions.

"Think of it however you like." The faceless figure pointed to a tear in the void ahead, its tone growing heavy. "If you wish to open Pandora's Box, step inside. You don't belong here."

Chu Fei stared at the eerie rift, clenching his fists. "What's inside?"

"Everything you want to know." The figure warned, "You don't have much time left."

Time for what? To change his fate, or time left in the dream? Chu Fei couldn't fathom it, so he stepped forward into the rift. He was desperate to know what lay behind it. The identity of the faceless figure, the reason for his master’s disappearance, and the connection between the black box and fate itself—perhaps all the answers were hidden there!

*BOOM!*

A sudden, blinding white light engulfed him. The scorching glow swallowed his form like a wild beast, evaporating everything he could perceive.

When Chu Fei opened his eyes again, he was back in the real world, met by the worried face of Nuannuan.

"Chu Fei, did you have a nightmare?"

"Did you pull me back?" Chu Fei sat up abruptly, looking at her. He was so close! He was just about to see what the hell was behind that rift!

"What do you mean, 'pull you back'?" Nuannuan tilted her head, looking puzzled.

Chu Fei knew that in her current state, even if she had pulled him back, she couldn't explain it. Besides, it might not have been her doing. He shook his head. "It's nothing. How long have I been asleep?"

"It's already noon," Nuannuan said, sounding aggrieved. "I wanted to come in and sleep with you last night, but the door was locked."

He had locked the door to study the black box. It wasn't because he was worried about Shen Miaoyu and the others knowing, but because he feared he might accidentally draw them into danger. As it turned out, his decision had been correct.

"Wait, if the door was locked, how did you get in?" Chu Fei realized something was wrong.

Nuannuan pointed to the open window. "I climbed in while they weren't looking."

"Don't do such dangerous things next time," Chu Fei said, rubbing her head. "I won't lock the door anymore."

"Okay!" Nuannuan nodded, nuzzling against him like a tame kitten.

"Chu Fei, what's this?" She pointed curiously at the black box by the bed.

Chu Fei picked it up and inspected it again. The dragon eye was still completely closed, meaning his experience last night wasn't an illusion. If Nuannuan hadn't pulled him out, perhaps the first stage of the dream simply ended there. To continue, he would have to make the remaining six dragon eyes close one by one. And to do that, he would have to make his other fiancées fall completely in love with him, just as Song Yalan had...

At this thought, he glanced at Nuannuan. Wasn't she already right here? If he were to...

*SMACK!*

Chu Fei slapped himself. What was he thinking? Even if he was a shameless opportunist, he couldn't lay a hand on a child!

"Chu Fei, why did you hit yourself?" Nuannuan reached out to rub his face, looking heartbroken.

He grabbed her hand. "It's nothing. I just... remembered something happy."

Even if he were to pursue Nuannuan, he would have to wait until she reached adulthood, or at least until she understood the concepts of liking and love. Otherwise, what would be the difference between that and grooming a minor?

After arriving in the living room, he found that Meng Ziyi and Shen Miaoyu had already left for the Chu Group. Zhou Mi happened to be heading out to shop and asked if he wanted to join. With nothing better to do, Chu Fei agreed, thinking it would be a good chance to take Nuannuan out.

The three of them put on masks and drove off, narrowly missing Nie Ke'er, who had come to fulfill a promise. In the other car, besides Xixi, there was an old man acting as a chauffeur—an expert sent by the Martial Alliance to protect them. The old man was still nagging Nie Ke'er to return to the Imperial Capital.

Nie Ke'er’s gaze, however, lingered on Chu Fei’s car. From that brief glance, she thought she saw Zhou Mi in the same car as a man. Could that man be the "Mr. Backside"? But they were all wearing masks, and she couldn't be sure.

She said, "Uncle Huang, find someone to help me investigate someone."

"As you wish, Miss Ke'er."

"Everyone is an idiot, so why is there anything worth fighting over?"

"Huh?"

"I said, everyone is an idiot, so why fight over anything?"

"Then... we won't fight?"