Chapter Fifty-Nine: Concealment

The figure cloaked in black vanished into the night. As I watched her gradually disappear, an inexplicable sense of loss welled up inside me.

Returning to the tent, I found Mengya sitting inside her sleeping bag, deep in thought as if burdened by something.

“What’s wrong?” I walked over, gently patting her shoulder with a smile.

It seemed she had been crying. Her eyes were rimmed with red, and she wiped away the traces of tears at the corners. She waved her hand dismissively, “It’s nothing.”

Her expression was sulky, leaving me at a loss. Could it be she had witnessed my rendezvous with the woman in the black cloak?

As expected, Mengya coughed softly twice, shifted her tone, and forced a smile, “That person came again, didn’t she?”

“Yes.”

“You… you…” She choked up, her voice trembling. “What did you two talk about?”

“Uh…” I hesitated for a moment, then forced a casual smile. “Oh, we just talked about what happened during the day, and the dragon in the lake.”

“And then?”

“There’s nothing more. She went back.”

Mengya listened, uttering a bitter laugh. “I… I…” She seemed on the verge of saying something embarrassing but swallowed it back.

“What is it?” I was utterly confused. Mengya was usually forthright—what could possibly make her so hesitant now? Was there something she couldn’t tell me?

She looked at me, wiped her tears, and shook her head. “It’s nothing, really.”

My confusion deepened. Then again, she’d hidden plenty from me before; there was no way I could pry it all out at once. If she didn’t want to say it, so be it. With that thought, I nodded and lay down in my sleeping bag.

That night, the monstrous dragon in the celestial lake did not appear again. The tranquil night and exhaustion from yesterday let me sleep soundly. When I stretched, I found Mengya was already gone.

Stepping out of the tent, I saw everyone gathered at the cliffside platform, eating breakfast. Zhang, nicknamed “Ghostface,” was sprawled on a tree growing out of the cliff, smoking and admiring the view. Mengya spotted me and hurriedly called me over under a tree where breakfast was ready.

As usual, breakfast consisted of those “candle” biscuits, which I barely ate. To feel full, I drank several bottles of mineral water.

After breakfast, I recalled what the woman in the black cloak had told me last night and walked to the edge of the cliff. “Uncle, come over for a moment.”

Ghostface Zhang heard my call, glanced my way, and then took a last deep drag from what was essentially a stub of a cigarette, doused it against the tree, tossed it aside, and hopped over in a few quick bounds.

“What is it?” he asked coldly.

“You know the black cloak came last night. I got some clues from her.”

Ghostface Zhang paused, pondering for a moment, then nodded. “Go ahead.”

I was about to explain, but he raised a hand to interrupt me. “Hold on. Just tell me about the water pit. No need to share any ‘wild adventures’ or whatever.”

I nearly spat blood in his face. Did I look like such a sleaze, telling him about my adventures? This guy was clearly a closet pervert.

“She meant that the dragon in the celestial lake might not exist. Last night, it was dark and we might have seen an illusion.”

Ghostface Zhang looked at me, seemingly unsurprised. “And?”

“We brought plenty of equipment. Let’s conduct a proper survey today to see what’s really going on.”

He snorted, “Who do you think has the guts to dive now?”

“Uh…” I hesitated, scratching my head. “Then let me go down.”

“You?” My willingness to risk death seemed to amuse him. He disdainfully waved his hand, “Enough, what can you do?”

His words filled me with righteous indignation, but I couldn’t lash out, so I simply sneered, “Uncle, don’t be so quick to dismiss me. Let me try. I promise I’ll come back up.”

“What do you mean ‘try’? Speak plainly!”

I smiled, “The black cloak said I’d be fine. You can rest assured.”

Ghostface Zhang glared at me, “You trust that woman so much? Women are the most poisonous creatures in the world.”

I nodded. And, honestly, he had no room to talk. He’d met that ‘internet celebrity’ in Fat Lin’s gambling den, and who knows how many times he’d spent the night with her. When he left, he still lingered with her, acting all sentimental. Now he says women are poisonous? What nonsense.

Seeing my determination, Ghostface Zhang nodded and glanced at Wanhuatong, who was dozing under a nearby tree. He walked over and kicked him awake.

“Sixth, prep the equipment. We need to survey the underwater situation.”

Wanhuatong was startled, looking at Ghostface Zhang in horror. “Third Brother, you’re not asking me to go down, are you?”

Ghostface Zhang cast a contemptuous glance my way, “This young man here volunteered to test the waters.”

I spat, thinking how unlucky his words sounded.

Wanhuatong sized me up and down, chuckled coldly, and mocked, “You’d better think twice, Brother Qiu. Diving isn’t a joke. If you go down, no one’s coming to save you.”

I nodded with a sigh, “It’s fine. If I die in the celestial lake and become dragon dung, at least I’ll be remembered forever—no one will come after me.”

Wanhuatong laughed at me for a while, then nodded, calling his men to bring over the equipment. They responded and carried out several computer-like monitors and control panels from the tents, all looking quite advanced.

They handed me a vacuum-sealed inflatable raft, two plastic paddles, and placed a packed diving suit beside me as if pronouncing my doom, then walked away without a backward glance.

Wanhuatong nodded, took a steel marble-like object from a box and handed it to me, grinning, “Nephew, just take this sensor and circle the center of the lake, then put on the diving suit and go down to check the situation below. The suit has a pinhole camera.” He patted my shoulder, “Don’t worry. If you don’t come back, Uncle Wan will look after your store for you.” He even snickered slyly.

I thought to myself, he really doesn’t want me to come back. What a bastard. I cursed him silently.

“Wait!”

Just as I was about to set off, a woman’s voice came from behind. I turned to see Mengya.

Her face was flushed with anger. She looked at me, then at Wanhuatong who was still smirking, and pointed at me, shouting, “Why didn’t you discuss this with me?”

I was embarrassed, but her expression also made me feel indignant.

“Come here.” Mengya grabbed my hand and pulled me aside, away from everyone else. “Tell me, why do you believe everything the black cloak says? Do you even know if she’s good or evil? You trust her? Now you don’t even trust me, do you?”

I mumbled, “No, that’s not it. I do trust you. She said there’s no danger…”

Mengya turned away, snorting coldly, thinking for a moment. “Fine, I’ll go with you. If there’s any danger, at least I can help protect you.”

“That’s not necessary.”

Hearing me refuse, Mengya bit her lip and lowered her head.

Slap!

After a moment’s hesitation, she raised her hand and slapped herself hard across the face, then burst into tears.

“What’s wrong with you?” I asked.

She glared at me, as if mentally unstable, and shouted hysterically, “Fine! Are you satisfied now? Will you finally trust me?”

My heart twisted in agony. I sighed deeply and nodded. Later, I realized, had she truly died here, I might have regretted it for the rest of my life.