Chapter 8 The Truth of the Matter

  Silence, still silence.

  Inside the house, I still didn't dare to look at Xuyan. Xuyan was still staring tightly at me. I didn't know what to say, facing these strange and bizarre things, I really had nothing to say.

  "Why aren't you saying anything?" Ah Li reminded me.

  "Huh?" I lifted my head and said casually, "The weather is really great today."

  "Is the weather good today?" Xu Yan also casually asked.

  "It's fine as long as it doesn't rain," I replied.

  "Oh." Xu Yan uttered an "oh".

  The first conversation ended here.

  The fox beside me glanced at me and then looked at Xu Yan, furrowing its brow.

  "Am I interrupting your conversation?" Ah Li forced a smile and asked me and Xu Yan, "Or should I go out for a while?"

  "Stop!" Xu Yan and I shouted in unison.

  Maybe we both know that if Ali goes out at this time, there will be nothing for us to talk about.

  "That's good." Ah Li found a chair and sat down, "Then I won't go out, I'll be the light bulb for you two here."

  The raccoon dog said, and then two hands pulled its mouth, also looking at me.

  It was unclear how long the three of them had been silent before Xu Yan finally spoke up.

  "A Li, didn't you go collect the spirits of the dead?" Xu Yan asked A Li.

  "Ah, right! I almost forgot about this." Ali hastily took out the black gourd from her body, "This is what your husband collected for you."

  A Li said as he looked at me.

  "So many?" Xu Yan took the black gourd in her hand and said after weighing it.

  "Your husband is still somewhat useful," Ah Li said with ill intentions.

  "Thank you." Xu Yan smiled faintly and said to me.

  "You're welcome, you're welcome..."

  "Of course, no need to thank me." Before I could finish speaking, Ah Li took over, "This is your daughter's nutrition supplement, as a father he should fulfill this responsibility."

  "Daughter?" I muttered, steeling myself.

  It wasn't until Ah Li mentioned my daughter that I came to my senses and realized it was time to get to the bottom of things.

  What's going on between me and Xuyan anyway?

  What's wrong with my daughter?

  What's with that strange dog and old turtle?

  What's going on with all these things happening?

  These questions have been hidden in my heart. Ah Li promised me that after seeing Xuyan, she would tell me the truth about what happened. It's time for her to tell me the truth now.

  "I want to figure out what's going on here." I raised my head and looked at Xu Yan and Ah Li with great sincerity.

  Xu Yan turned her head to look at A Li: "You didn't tell him?"

  The raccoon dog shook its head.

  "Old Turtle Grandfather didn't tell him, and I didn't say anything either. We thought it would be better for you to tell him, at least to his face." Ah Li explained to Xu Yan.

  Xu Yan nodded slightly.

  "Where would you like to start listening from?" Xu Yan looked at me and asked.

  "Daughter?" I muttered under my breath.

  "Alright." Xuyan said to me, "You come with me, Ali, you too."

  Xu Yan said, already standing up. Strangely, she didn't walk towards the door, but instead walked in, all the way to the bedside.

  I don't know what she wants me to see, there's nothing on the bed except for a quilt.

  I slowly followed up and quietly waited for Xu Yan's next move.

  Xu Yan reached out and lifted up the bedding on the bed, then took down a board from the bed.

  "What's going on? How can there be a hole?" I saw a shiny hole on the bed.

  "The entrance of the secret room." Xuyan said to me, "My daughter is inside."

  "Hide the child inside?" I was stunned for a moment. But thinking that a child who eats corpses is definitely not a normal child, I felt relieved.

  "This is also an unavoidable thing, we are afraid that others will find out and do it this way." Ah Li explained a few more sentences to me.

  "Come in with me." Xu Yan said to me, then she was the first to enter the secret room.

  I and Ah Li also did not hesitate, quickly followed Xu Yan into the secret room.

  After entering the secret room, I found that although the light in this secret room was a bit dim, under the lamp light, it could still be seen that the decoration of this secret room was much better than the outside house, at least it looked very warm.

  "Where is the child?" I glanced around the room a few times, but didn't see any sign of a baby.

  "Here." Xu Yan took two steps forward and stopped in front of a golden box.

  That trunk was half a person tall, the whole body was golden yellow, and the lid had some curvature. In this narrow secret room, it was particularly eye-catching. I also noticed this golden trunk early on, but I never dared to think that they would put the child in this trunk.

  And it's locked so tightly, doesn't that child need to breathe?

  My heart was full of doubts, and I walked past step by step.

  Xu Yan locked the trunk.

  "The child is inside." Xu Yan pointed at the box, her meaning was very clear, she wanted me to open it myself.

  I hesitated for a moment, then reached out and lifted the lid of the trunk.

  The moment the box was opened, I gritted my teeth and looked inside. As I lowered my head to take a look, there wasn't any child in the box, but only a white egg that looked like a chicken egg, yet it was about twice as big.

  Duck egg? Or goose egg?

  I thought about it and felt that this wasn't a problem I should be thinking about at this time.

  Damn it!

  Been fooled again?

  Are these two women taking one egg to play a trick on me?

  I couldn't help it anymore, and with a loud bang, I slammed the box shut. Turning my head, I glared at Xu Yan and A Li, with flames of anger burning in my eyes.

  "Is teasing people fun?" I shouted furiously at the two of them.

  "Who's fooling you?" Ah Li gave me a cold glance and snorted.

  "Where is the child in this? There's only a chicken egg here, don't tell me that this chicken egg is my daughter?" I said to Ah Li.

  "You're absolutely right." Ah Li said disdainfully, "This egg is indeed your and Xiao Yan's daughter, but she's not just any ordinary chicken egg."

  "I don't care what kind of egg it is! I'm poisoned now, dying soon, can you guys stop messing with me over an egg? Can this egg save my life? Is eating this egg going to cure my poisoning?" At this moment, I'd like to kick Ali to the ninth heaven, I was trying to rescue her with good intentions, got poisoned, and she's playing tricks on me instead.

  It's true that good people don't get good rewards, and being a good person doesn't pay off. From now on, I won't be able to do any more good deeds.

  "How can you be so cruel as to eat your own daughter? Are you even human?" Ah Li suddenly became ferocious, and it seemed that she was also about to lose her temper.

  "Alright." Xuyan pulled back A Li who was about to blow up, "A Li, you can't blame him for this matter, he still doesn't know the truth of what happened."

  "What's the truth of the matter? Is the truth you want to tell me just this egg?" I pointed at the box, and let out a bitter laugh.

  "Are you poisoned?" Xu Yan didn't answer my question, but instead asked.

  "He was bitten by a dog monster and poisoned by the venom of the seven-tailed snake." Ah Li explained to Xu Yan.

  "Oh." Xu Yan uttered a soft "oh", with a hint of disappointment in her eyes, "No wonder you suddenly came to find me with Ah Li."

  "I came to find you just to survive!" I said frankly, "A gentleman is open and aboveboard. Although I'm not afraid of death, I also can't die in such a mysterious way for no reason. I don't know what you're doing or who you are? So I don't care at all whether you're my wife or not! But I have to survive, so that's why I came to find you. Whether you can accept it or not, I've already spoken the truth."

  Sometimes making things clear is a very easy thing to do, at least it can make our subsequent communication more sincere.

  "I understand." Xu Yan listened to my words and didn't get angry, instead she forced a smile on her face, "This egg is indeed our daughter's, it's not a chicken egg, but a phoenix egg."

  "Phoenix egg? Another monster?" I was stunned for a moment, suppressing the anger in my heart, wanting to continue listening.

  "It's not a monster, it's a god." Ah Li said to me, "The phoenix is the god of the nine heavens, and it's an auspicious incarnation."

  "What's the specific situation? What's the whole story?" I asked with a blink of an eye.