Zhou Xuan reached out to wipe away her tears, but stopped halfway through. After hesitating for a moment, he finally put his hand back and said, "I'm fine, you know that. Don't worry, I was just tired and a little exhausted. I'll be fine after that period of time. I'm perfectly fine now, and my body has recovered. It's just that my abilities are still only about 10% of what they were when I was in good condition!"
Hearing Zhou Xuan's words, Wei Xiaoyu felt relieved, but seeing Zhou Xuan reach out and then withdraw his hand, she was still saddened. Once in a safe and stable environment, Zhou Xuan would be a different person, someone who would no longer have any emotional entanglement with her!
Wei Xiaoyu was heartbroken and silently wiped away her tears. After a while, she suddenly smiled and said, "Zhou Xuan, what do you want to eat? I'll go out and buy it for you. Hmm, porridge would be best. I'll go out and see!"
Zhou Xuan saw that although Wei Xiaoyu had a smile on her face, her eyes were filled with even more sadness and helplessness. However, he was unable to eliminate this sadness and helplessness. Even if he had cultivated his ice energy ability to the highest level, he still did not have the ability to do so.
Just as Wei Xiaoyu was about to get up and leave, Zhou Xuan suddenly sat up, pulled the needle out of the vein in his wrist, and laughed, "No need, I'll go with you, let's get discharged right away!"
Wei Xiaoyu was taken aback and quickly said, "No, no, how can you be discharged? You need to stay in the hospital for observation and treatment. The doctors haven't even determined your condition yet!"
"Do I need them to diagnose my condition?" Zhou Xuan smiled and said, "Xiaoyu, don't you know? My abilities are the best doctors. Don't I know my own condition? Of course, it might be a serious illness for others, but for me, it's just like taking a nap. It's like I've worked hard all day, but after a good night's sleep, I'll be refreshed when I wake up tomorrow morning!"
Wei Xiaoyu was stunned, but then she saw Zhou Xuan remove the needle, jump off the bed and put on his shoes. However, these were hospital slippers and gowns, and his own clothes and shoes had been changed.
After a moment of stunned silence, Wei Xiaoyu confirmed that Zhou Xuan was alright. She immediately went to the inpatient department to settle the bill, then collected the clothes, shoes, and socks that had been stored. She waited for Zhou Xuan to change before being discharged.
Of course, while changing clothes, Wei Xiaoyu waited alone outside the ward. She thought about how Zhou Xuan had stripped naked in front of her at the bottom of the cave, and how she had spent many days and nights embracing him. Now, thinking back, she felt so nostalgic and sad. Once they were out of that desperate situation, Zhou Xuan and she were like strangers!
Zhou Xuan's physique is incomparable to that of ordinary people, so when he goes out to eat, he doesn't go to porridge shops, but goes to restaurants to have a big meal.
Wei Xiaoyu returned to her previous silent state, simply following Zhou Xuan and letting him do things.
Jiangbei is also famous for its dishes, especially steamed freshwater fish, which is fragrant, tender, and melts in your mouth, leaving a lingering aroma on your tongue.
While eating, Zhou Xuan noticed that the electronic clock on the wall of the restaurant showed 1:10 PM, Tuesday the 14th. He remembered that the day he and Wei Xiaoyu went up the mountain and into the cave was Friday the 6th. So it was confirmed that eight days had passed and they had stayed in that dark cave for eight days!
Zhou Xuan really didn't want to think about those days. Bread and biscuits were naturally no match for the feast here. However, Zhou Xuan had endured many such hardships before. He had eaten raw fish several times before, so this was nothing.
This time, his ice-energy ability was severely depleted, and his body was more stimulated. However, there were no monsters or anything like that at the bottom of the cave, so it wasn't too dangerous. The only problem was that he didn't know who the mysterious person who wrote him the letter was, which was a worry for Zhou Xuan.
After dinner, the two strolled around the streets for a while. Wei Xiaoyu asked, "Should we continue the investigation or go back to the capital?"
Zhou Xuan squinted and thought for a moment, then said in a deep voice, "Investigate!" After a long silence, he continued, "I believe that the person who has the same ability as me will definitely not let me go. If we return to the capital, he will definitely target my family and friends. He is in the dark while I am in the light, and we cannot afford to suffer this loss. Judging from the fact that he stole that crystal from my house, he definitely knows my situation very well, so I have no choice but to continue investigating. It is best to investigate in one go while my family is still unaware!"
Thinking back on this experience, Wei Xiaoyu felt worried!
"But... that person has the same abilities as you, can you handle them? Besides, we don't know who that person is, or where they are, so how are we supposed to find out?"
Zhou Xuan thought for a moment, then said thoughtfully, "I think that person thought we wouldn't be able to get out of there this time and were doomed, so he left without worry. This is an advantage for us. Let me think about how to continue the investigation..."
Looking back now, he did feel lucky. The most important thing was that the eleven thugs tied him and Wei Xiaoyu up with nylon ropes, which provided them with a life-saving tool to climb out of that cliff. Without those ropes, even if Zhou Xuan's ice energy ability was completely normal, he would not have been able to climb up. No matter how strong the ice energy was, it was impossible to transform and devour a ladder that spiraled up the cave wall!
This was something the person who framed Zhou Xuan hadn't anticipated; it was these two ropes that bound them that allowed them to escape!
However, even with this advantage, how can we continue our investigation? The clues on the mountain have clearly run dry since the deaths of those eleven people. If we were to investigate further, where would we even begin?
However, Zhou Xuan's ice energy ability has only recovered to 10%, and he can no longer use it recklessly like he did in the cave, as neither he nor his body can withstand it!
After hesitating for a moment, Zhou Xuan suddenly looked up at Wei Xiaoyu and said, "Xiaoyu, the fact that he doesn't know we're still alive is an advantage. Since he tampered with antiques, he'll obviously try to do something bigger in this industry, to reap huge economic benefits in the beginning. When I first gained this ability, I also started with the antique business. Only through this can you quickly make money. I think that person will definitely make a move in this industry. When we came here, didn't Director Fu have some information? This case itself was caused by counterfeit antiques. Now, we can only trace the investigation back to the antiques!"
"But if we're going to investigate from the perspective of antiques, where do we even begin?" Wei Xiaoyu was also at a loss, not knowing where to start.
Zhou Xuan stroked his chin and pondered for a while before saying, "That person doesn't know our current situation. If we want to start from the antique market in Jiangbei, we have to pretend to be buyers. Otherwise, we'll have to disguise ourselves so that he won't recognize us. Xiaoyu, do you know how to do makeup?"
"Makeup?" Wei Xiaoyu was surprised for a moment, then nodded and said, "I've learned it. It's a necessary course for reconnaissance soldiers. If we're going to do makeup, let's go buy some supplies now, then go to a hotel room and get our makeup done!"
Zhou Xuan nodded and said, "Alright, let's go buy the makeup supplies now, and then go to the antique market!"
Wei Xiaoyu smiled, not expecting such a situation to exist in a big city. So she took Zhou Xuan to the supermarket to buy some things. Zhou Xuan didn't know anything about makeup and didn't care. After buying what she needed, she went to the clothing section and bought two sets of clothes, inside and out. They were of average quality and each set only cost a little over a thousand yuan.
Volume 1, Chapter 349: Encountering the Enemy Again
The two then went to a hotel, booked a room, and reserved a five-day stay.
In the room, Wei Xiaoyu didn't rest. She immediately took out the things she had bought and started to do Zhou Xuan's makeup. She pasted a mustache on his face one by one, two mustaches on his lips, a small goatee on his chin, and a full beard on both sides of his face. He immediately looked rugged and majestic.
Zhou Xuan looked in the mirror for a while and had to admit he was impressed; even he himself hadn't recognized the person in the mirror. Wei Xiaoyu then handed him a pair of plain white glasses and said, "Put these on!"
After Zhou Xuan put on his glasses and looked at him again, he chuckled and thought, "He looks just like an unkempt professor!"
However, before Zhou Xuan could speak, Wei Xiaoyu said, "Zhou Xuan, since we're going to the antique market to look for clues, if we're going to pretend to be buyers, why don't you say you're a professor? That image is very convincing. Besides, you have special abilities, and you know the most about antiques. Even if you can't use your special abilities, you still know a lot about them, right?"
Zhou Xuan smiled and said, "That's right. I can easily pretend to be an antique expert. Although my special ability cannot be used to fight enemies, it is not difficult at all to detect the authenticity of antiques. When I first got this ability, it was far less than 10% of what it is now. Detecting antiques is no problem for me!"
Wei Xiaoyu smiled, then took the supplies and tools to the bathroom and closed the door tightly. It wasn't that Zhou Xuan had learned her makeup skills, but rather that she didn't want Zhou Xuan to see her make herself look ugly.
Women are different; even if makeup distorts their appearance, they can't be too ugly.
Zhou Xuan smiled and, taking advantage of the free time, quickly changed into the clothes Wei Xiaoyu had bought. They were all casual clothes, and when he put them on and looked in the mirror, he looked exactly like a rough and unkempt scholar or an artist.
Zhou Xuan had seen a famous TV director in the newspaper who looked similar to himself.
About ten minutes later, Wei Xiaoyu came out of the bathroom.
When Zhou Xuan saw her, he was stunned. The woman who came out of the restroom had a sallow complexion and looked to be in her thirties. She did not have even a fraction of Wei Xiaoyu's beautiful appearance. She was just an ordinary middle-aged woman!
Zhou Xuan was stunned for a moment before he could see a hint of Wei Xiaoyu's liveliness in her eyes. If he hadn't seen her walk in from the outside, he would never have believed that the person walking out now was Wei Xiaoyu.
"Do you still recognize me?" Wei Xiaoyu chuckled, a hint of smugness in her voice.
That silvery voice was indeed Wei Xiaoyu's. Zhou Xuan looked at his reflection in the mirror and knew that Wei Xiaoyu could transform him, but he didn't expect it to be so effective. Now, even if they went home, no one would recognize them!
The two joked and laughed as they left the room, took the elevator downstairs, and exited the hotel lobby. The receptionist seemed slightly surprised, as if she had never seen the two before. However, the hotel is open 24 hours a day, so it's not unusual for guests to come while she's not there. She glanced at them but didn't ask any further questions.
After leaving the hotel, Zhou Xuan hailed a taxi and asked, "Driver, do you know where the antique shops and antique markets are around here?"
"Yes, is that where you're going?" The driver nodded in reply. "Xinghua Street in the north of the city is the largest antique market in Jiangbei. Whether you're looking for the best and most expensive items, or the cheapest, you can find them there!"