Chapter 823: Hesitation

Bai Kou didn't covet what He Pu had left for Xu Huo, at most she was a bit curious. It just so happened that she passed by District 001 on business, so she went to take a look using the method He Pu had once taught her. But the moment she touched the item, she knew it was a fake.

The facts were right before her eyes. He Pu had used this trick precisely to guard against her.

There was nothing more heartbreaking than that.

Xu Huo could understand her mentality. He Pu, who was like both a father and a friend, hadn't even informed her when he died of illness. Most of the items he left behind had gone to a complete outsider with no connection to him. On top of that, he'd left behind a special puzzle that completely excluded her. It was only natural for her to feel unbalanced.

As if reading his thoughts, Bai Kou sneered, "You think I actually care whether he lives or dies?"

"That's for you to decide." Xu Huo said flatly.

Bai Kou paused for a second, then said, "If I kill you, whatever he wanted to do will all be for nothing."

"Not necessarily." Xu Huo spoke as if they weren't discussing his own life or death. "The reason secrets are secrets is that the fewer people who know them, the better. If the key to 001 is just something between me and He Pu, it's only natural not to tell you."

He looked at her. "What does it have to do with you? Why must you know?"

Bai Kou couldn't answer. No matter what she said, Xu Huo would come out on top. After a moment, she sneered, "People with sharp tongues usually don't live long."

"He Pu is the only point of intersection between us. The reason we're sitting here having this conversation is also because of him." Xu Huo added. In other words, if not for him, what else would there be to talk about?

"That's true." Ripples surged beneath Bai Kou's feet, churning faster and faster like black water, spreading outward and soon drowning Xu Huo's feet. "But right now, I hate hearing words spoken in his defense."

"I'm just stating facts." Xu Huo made no attempt to leave this mental space, calmly watching her. "Liking to pry into other people's secrets isn't a good habit."

Bai Kou stood up. "In your next life, become a teacher."

The moment she finished speaking, she melted entirely into black water, merging into the surging waves on the ground before vanishing from sight.

At the same time, a spiraling staircase rose beneath Xu Huo's feet, carrying him out of the black water's range. He opened doors three times in succession on the staircase, but all he saw were enormous metal chains. Even on the third try, the zipper before him had reached the height and size of a mountain.

With this level of mental intensity, trying to "open doors" at his own pace would likely be very difficult. So he turned around and picked up the energy cannon Bai Kou had given him, saying with a smile, "This thing should be able to blast through your mental range, right?"

Footsteps appeared behind him, but before he could turn his head, black water climbed up along his legs, and wherever it covered, all mobility was completely lost. Xu Huo stood in place, hearing the footsteps draw closer behind him, then felt the weight in his hands lighten—the other party had taken the energy cannon barrel from him.

Ordinary items were completely useless against Bai Kou, whose killing intent had flared up. Xu Huo hurriedly pulled out the "Only-Mind Door" before the rising black water could cover his raised arm, pushed it open, and stepped through.

A strange force rapidly peeled the black water off his body, and he passed through the "Only-Mind Door" because of it. However, he didn't return to the ancient castle from Bai Kou's mental space. Instead, he entered a gigantic gear workshop.

Faced with infinitely magnified gears, he wasn't even as large as the corner of a single gear. Countless gears of this size interlocked with one another, forming a massive world, and within this world, he was as small as a speck of dust.

This was Xu Huo's first time using the "Only-Mind Door." Based on its introduction, it was a special item capable of crossing space. However, how exactly it crossed over, whether the space it traversed was real or something special like a mental space, was unclear. He'd used the item to test its effects.

Seeing Bai Kou appear in the distance, he felt the item worked quite well.

But she wasn't in as good a mood as he was. She laughed in exasperation. "You're really something, actually using my mental space to test your item!"

Xu Huo chuckled. "If I didn't do that, I might have been killed. Cut me some slack."

"But killing me right now won't do you any good. Why not consider rescheduling?"

Bai Kou's expression turned serious, and she said with extreme sincerity, "I really want to kill you."

"Being so highly regarded by the little princess of Platinum Eye, I'm deeply honored." Xu Huo took another look at the isolated space hidden within her mental world, then said, "Once you've calmed down, let's go out. It's about time for a meal."

Bai Kou closed her mental space with a face full of disgust. "I don't have that kind of good fortune to be the little princess of Platinum Eye."

Xu Huo indicated he understood. "At least you have a deep connection with Platinum Eye."

Bai Kou couldn't even be bothered to acknowledge him. She said to the approaching Mr. Dong, "Send the meal to my room."

Mr. Dong also wore a grim expression.

Xu Huo was about to head upstairs too. Seeing the Painting Woman and the others standing on the second floor looking over, he smiled and said, "I'll wash my face and be right down."

Without Bai Kou, the dining table was quite harmonious. After the meal, the Painting Woman dragged Yan Jiayu off to show off her shopping skills, and Xiao Yuan followed Xu Huo to the study.

The little girl bustled around as soon as she entered, pouring water for him and wiping down the table.

"You don't need to do these things. Mr. Dong will take care of them." Xu Huo said. "District 011 has schools. Tomorrow I'll take you to handle the enrollment procedures."

Xiao Yuan said nervously, "But I want to follow you, teacher..."

"Go to school first." Xu Huo said. "Don't call me teacher anymore. From now on, you're my niece in name, and you'll use your own name."

Xiao Yuan understood the difference very well. She nodded with some disappointment and left the room without saying anything more.

A while later, when Mr. Dong came, Xu Huo had him activate the special space within the ancient castle. Only after ensuring no outsiders could spy on them did he take out the syringe found in the puppet's arm.

The pale green liquid looked quite soothing, but holding it, he couldn't feel confident about injecting it.

High returns meant high risks. He wasn't worried that the potion contained poison, or that it wasn't an S-version Potion, because even if either of those possibilities came true, the risk would be low. On the contrary, if this was an S-version Potion that Dr. Wu had tampered with, the risk would be much greater.

Dr. Wu wasn't a mere pharmacology expert. Placing the S-version Potion there had ulterior motives, and it was hard to say whether he might have used the potion to plant a hidden plot point.

However, verifying the potion was also difficult. First, there was the question of when, where, and how to take the potion out, and even a single drop carried considerable risk. Second, with Dr. Wu's level of knowledge, ordinary pharmacology experts wouldn't necessarily be able to decipher it. Dr. Deng, who currently lived in the spider pavilion behind, wasn't trustworthy. And as for the Game Government, there was no news of a Perfect Potion yet. If the Game Government had invested in production, there would surely be traces left behind.

Placing the syringe on the table, Xu Huo began to think through the possible consequences and countermeasures.

"Sir, a guest has arrived." Mr. Dong appeared behind him.