The warehouse, though seemingly chaotic, held a hidden world within.
The back door was concealed inside a shipping container, making it virtually impossible to find unless one knew its precise location.
Emerging from the back door led to a road lined with two Santana cars.
Feng Shu opened the door and got into one of the cars. I remained rooted to the spot, watching Sister Ying board the other, a wave of indecision washing over me.
With a determined grit, I decided against Feng Shu's car and walked over, pulling open the passenger door of Sister Ying's vehicle.
The moment I settled into the seat, Sister Ying looked somewhat surprised, but she didn't say much. She immediately started the car and accelerated, pulling away with a press of the gas pedal.
"Sister Ying…"
"Xiao Fei, I don't have much time," Sister Ying interrupted me. "I know you must have many questions, but I truly don't want you to get entangled in this. It's very complicated, and frankly, I'm still completely in the dark myself."
I glanced at her profile. She sighed, then turned her head to meet my gaze. "I've lost my memory... I'm trying to find it now, but someone is preventing me from doing so. Who is it? And why are they doing this? I have no idea."
She paused, then continued, "This is all I can tell you."
I took a deep breath and said, "Sister Ying, I can help you."
A faint smile touched her lips upon hearing this. "I appreciate your sentiment, but you can't help me with this."
"I..."
"If you really want to help me..." Sister Ying changed tack. "You can help me look for something."
"What is it?"
"The Lily Mirror."
I blinked in surprise, and before I could say another word, she slammed on the brakes, bringing the car to a sudden halt at a crossroads. "I can only take you this far. Be careful on your own."
Seeing this, I quickly asked, "Sister Ying, if I find the Lily Mirror, how can I contact you?"
Sister Ying hesitated for a moment, then took a business card from her pocket and handed it to me. "When the time comes, you can contact this person... Remember, don't seek him out unless it's absolutely necessary."
I took the card and nodded solemnly before getting out of the car.
Only after the Santana disappeared from sight did I fully regain my senses.
Although I had many more things I wanted to say to Sister Ying, this was not the right time.
A sense of disappointment washed over me. I looked at the simple business card in my hand and slipped it into my pocket.
When I returned to the hotel, Wang Yang was already waiting in my room. He looked anxious upon seeing me. "How did it go? Did you find her?"
I nodded.
"You found her?" Wang Yang's face lit up. "Where is she?"
"She's gone."
"Where did she go?"
I shook my head. "I don't know."
"You don't know?!" he exclaimed, his voice rising, utterly bewildered.
After a moment, he asked, "Did you two talk about anything?"
I sank into a chair and looked at him. "Someone is hunting her... she was shot, so we didn't have much of a conversation."
"Hunting her?" Wang Yang frowned, a thought seeming to dawn on him. "It must be those people! Is she alright?"
"She should be," I replied.
Wang Yang breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good. If something happened to her, I'll never know the whereabouts of my father and grandfather..."
Seeing how concerned he was for Sister Ying, I felt a surge of warmth.
"Did you ask her about that matter?" Wang Yang inquired.
"I didn't ask... but she did tell me some things." I recounted what Sister Ying had told me.
After listening, Wang Yang licked his lips and lit a cigarette. "Based on what you've said, your earlier speculation should be correct."
I gave a wry smile. "I still find it hard to accept that Sister Ying is immortal. She was shot right in front of me earlier, and she bled a lot. She was also very weak, not at all like..."
"What is your definition of immortality?" Wang Yang asked.
I didn't quite grasp his meaning.
"Immortality doesn't mean you can't get hurt," he said. "It's very possible that her ability requires special conditions to trigger, like reviving after a few days of death, or activating the moment her heartbeat stops."
I said, "If that's the case, what if..."
"What if her body was burned?" Wang Yang finished my sentence. "I've considered that possibility before... There are only two scenarios: either no one has ever done that to her, or even if she was reduced to ashes, she could still revive."
I still couldn't agree with Wang Yang's theories. Sister Ying seemed like a normal person in front of me, showing no signs of anything extraordinary.
All of this was still speculation, as I hadn't personally witnessed Sister Ying resurrect before my eyes.
Perhaps only when I truly saw it with my own eyes would I accept this reality.
"No!" Wang Yang suddenly grew tense.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"She can't be harmed!" Wang Yang exclaimed. "I can't let anything happen to her..."
As he spoke, he stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray and turned to leave the room.
I asked him where he was going, and he replied, "I'm going to find her. I can't let her fall into their hands."
Just as I stood up, he had already left the room.
I had intended to follow him, but after some thought, I dismissed the idea.
I felt that Wang Yang might not be able to find Sister Ying even if he went out, and given Sister Ying's abilities, it was unlikely those people could capture her.
If it weren't for my presence today, Sister Ying wouldn't have been exposed at all. In a way, I had caused her trouble.
I lay on the bed, gazing at the ceiling, a smile creeping onto my lips.
Today, I finally understood. When Sister Ying left Guangling back then, she had prepared so much for me.
Before, I had thought she was just setting me up to take the blame, but now it seemed that wasn't the case.
...
Wang Yang had been gone for two days with no word. He didn't have a phone, so it was impossible to contact him.
Yang Hanxue was unaware that Wang Yang and I had tracked him that day, so his attitude towards me remained the same as before.
After another day at the hotel, Yang Hanxue主动 approached me, asking when I planned to return to Guangling.
This was somewhat unexpected. I had assumed he would be reluctant to go to Guangling, but it seemed I had been mistaken.
"Regarding the Five Elements Double Dragon Casket you mentioned, I've had people inquire about it these past few days. The mechanisms of such caskets are very ingenious, and opening them will require careful preparation," Yang Hanxue said.
Hearing his words, I finally understood. It was indeed as Wu Tingxiu had said; this man had an extremely strong interest in lock-picking.
"Let's make our preparations, and we can depart tomorrow. However, before we go to Guangling, I need to make a trip to Yanjing," I said. "Do you mind, Foreman Yang?"
He chuckled. "Please don't keep calling me 'Foreman Yang.' Just call me by my name. I have nothing pressing on my end. Since you're going to Yanjing, I'll accompany you."
"Thank you for your trouble."