Old Zhang handed me the small bottle in his hand. I took it and looked at it, discovering it was filled with liquid.
I sniffed it. A faint scent of tulips made me feel a bit dizzy.
"This is Oblivion Water," Old Zhang said. "Once you drink it, you won't remember anything that happened in the past seven days."
I froze for a moment, never expecting such a thing to exist in the world.
"Did you give this to her?" I asked.
He nodded. "As you know, the fewer people who know about matters here, the better. When she wakes up, she won't remember anything at all."
I was still skeptical about the liquid in the small bottle but said nothing more.
"And the fatty who came with you, I hope you can give him the remaining Oblivion Water," Old Zhang said. "Also, I hope you will honor the promise between us."
I let out a breath and nodded. "Don't worry. Since my father promised you back then and he cannot fulfill it now, I will do it for him."
"That would be best," Old Zhang said. No hint of joy showed on his face. Perhaps he had long given up hope of breaking the curse.
Finding the fatty, I gave him the Oblivion Water. He drank it down without a word, not even asking what it was.
After drinking it, he looked at me groggily. "Brother Xiang, this is..."
Before he could finish, he fell straight down.
Old Zhang ordered people to send us back to Shuiwan Gully. By the time Fatty and Jiang Yue woke up, it was already past midnight.
Watching them wake up, I tentatively asked Fatty, "Fatty, have you seen Brother A Mu and his sister?"
"Who?" Fatty looked at me with a confused expression.
I paused and asked again, "Where were we during the day?"
Fatty frowned and patted his head. "Why is my head a bit dizzy? Weren't we on our way during the day?"
Hearing this, I looked at Jiang Yue beside me. She also seemed uncomfortable, holding a camera. After a moment, she asked, "Who moved my camera? Why are the films missing?"
Seeing that both of them truly remembered nothing, I was shocked. Does such a magical medicine really exist?
After resting for a night, the next morning, I said I wanted to go back. Both of them seemed a bit confused. Fatty was thinking about the treasure, and Jiang Yue wanted to find that village.
I quickly dealt with Fatty. After all, he wouldn't go against me for the sake of treasure. I said there was something important to handle in Guangling and we had to go back first.
Although he was reluctant, he agreed to my decision.
As for Jiang Yue, seeing that we both wanted to leave, she couldn't continue searching for the village alone. Finally, the three of us headed back.
When we returned to town, we found Taxi Driver Lao Li, and we drove back to Gui City.
On the way back, Lao Li casually said, "I thought something had happened to you. You were gone for ten days."
As soon as he said this, Fatty and Jiang Yue were stunned. "Ten days? We were only gone for three days, weren't we?"
I played dumb and feigned shock. Lao Li insisted we were gone for ten days and even produced evidence, the toll station receipt.
Based on the time on the receipt, Fatty and Jiang Yue were both dumbfounded.
"Perhaps we lost track of time in the mountains?" I suggested.
Jiang Yue said directly, "Impossible! Ten days, how could we possibly lose track of time?"
Fatty chimed in, "Exactly!"
Seeing them ponder over it, I made up a story. "Perhaps there's a possibility?"
They looked at me. "What possibility?"
"When I was a child, I heard the elders in the village say that many mountains have mountain gods. Some people who entered the mountains accidentally stepped onto the mountain god's territory, and a day inside would be a year outside..."
Fatty blinked, looking at me with disbelief. "No way?"
Jiang Yue seemed unsure.
"Why not? Maybe we really went into the mountain god's territory this time..."
The more I spoke, the more mystical it became. Fatty then firmly believed my words, while Jiang Yue, judging by her expression, seemed unconvinced.
However, the good thing was that neither of them pressed further.
Upon returning to Gui City, Fatty and I booked our tickets for the next day. Before leaving, I gave Jiang Yue my phone number and address, inviting her to visit Guangling when she had time.
She nodded. "When I have a chance to go to Guangling in the future, I will definitely look for you."
I smiled. "You're always welcome... Miss Jiang, actually, about your classmate's matter, I think you shouldn't continue investigating it."
"Why?"
"There are always things in this world that cannot be explained. You see, we were in those mountains for three days, and ten days passed outside. You experienced this yourself. If you continue to investigate and encounter something unbelievable again, what will you do then?"
She looked conflicted. "But pursuing the truth is my duty..."
"That depends on what kind of truth it is."
At this point, I said no more and advised her a couple more times.
Leaving Gui City, as soon as we returned to Guangling, a piece of good news arrived – Hong Yunpeng said he was going to marry Ni Li!
Coincidentally, the day Fatty and I returned, after tidying up at home, we were planning to go to Anyuantang. But Fatty insisted on going to eat something good.
So, the two of us went to the city center plaza. As we passed a wedding dress shop, we saw two familiar figures.
Through the shop window, Hong Yunpeng and Ni Li were trying on dresses inside. Both of them were beaming with happiness, as if they only had eyes for each other.
Fatty and I stood by the window, dumbfounded.
"What's this?" Fatty asked.
"Looks like they're getting married."
"Ah?!" Fatty exclaimed, "So soon?"
I chuckled wryly. "You think it's soon... Look at them, they look like they want to get married today."
"Yunpeng is something else!" Fatty said enviously. "I didn't realize Ni Li looked so beautiful in a wedding dress. Why didn't I notice when we were in the Philippines? Damn it, Yunpeng is lucky."
"What? Regret not pursuing her back then?"
"Regret my ass," Fatty said. "I don't want to be a stepfather."
"Can you not be so blunt? Believe it or not, I'll tell them in a moment?"
"Don't... I'm just saying." Fatty smiled.
"Alright, stop messing around. Say less when we go in."
I pulled Fatty along and entered through a side door, intending to catch them off guard.