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墨書 Inktalez
During this time, I felt both relaxed and tormented. The relaxed part was that I spent almost all day lying in bed, while the torment came from needing someone to help me get up every day; otherwise, I would end up sweating profusely from the effort. With a broken rib, even the slightest movement of my upper body caused intense pain.
During my time in bed, Li Xin came to visit me once. It was an afternoon, and I was alone in the Rest Cabin. Shunzi and Jiao Ba had gone to play cards with Big Guy. To pass the time and forget those terrible memories, entertaining myself seemed like the best option.
In the Rest Cabin where I was staying, only the three of us remained; everyone else was gone—some had died, while others had moved over to Big Guy's place. Looking at the empty beds in the Rest Cabin made it feel rather desolate.
When Li Xin arrived, I was lying in bed reading a boring comic book that belonged to Shunzi, which was also used to kill time at sea. When Hatch opened, I was surprised to see her. "It's you? What made you think of coming here?" As soon as I said that, I felt quite rude.
"What's wrong? Am I not welcome?" Li Xin replied as she sat down across from me.
"Oh no, not at all! Don't misunderstand; I'm just a bit surprised. I heard from Jenny that you were sick a few days ago. Are you feeling better?"
I intentionally glanced at Li Xin's arm, but unfortunately, she was wearing a long-sleeved jacket, so I couldn't see anything. Although Jiao Ba said there was little chance of anything being wrong with Li Xin, I still had my doubts. After all, everything seemed to happen all at once; it felt too coincidental.
"I'm fine; just a bit under the weather. How about you? Still unable to get up?" Her tone remained neutral, but I had already gotten used to it.
"I can get up; it's just a bit painful. Tell me, you’re not here to laugh at me, are you?" I shifted up slightly to lean against the headboard. This girl had never been on good terms with me; why would she come to see me today? It felt a bit out of character for her, and I was somewhat taken aback.
"Don't flatter yourself; I'm not that bored. I'm just here to check on you. If your injuries are serious, how are we supposed to salvage the Wreck? Right?" Li Xin surprisingly flashed a smile—a captivating and alluring one at that.
For a brief moment, I was stunned. Did she really smile at me? And with such an enticing smile? Thank goodness I hadn't been drinking; otherwise, I might have thought I'd misjudged the situation.
That said, if we were talking about beauty alone, Li Xin could easily rival Jenny. In fact, she possessed a unique charm that many women have. If it weren't for her somewhat cold personality, I believed this woman could captivate many men. As I gazed at her beautiful face, I found myself unwilling to blink.
"What are you looking at? It's not unfair to call you a rogue." In less than half a minute, Li Xin returned to her usual cold demeanor.
I pretended to cough and said, "Ahem, if someone has a pretty face, isn't it meant for others to admire? What’s the matter? Afraid of being looked at? If you're scared, then don’t come out." I shot back at her without much kindness.
Suddenly, Li Xin smiled again. She stood up and said, "Looks like you're in pretty good spirits. As long as you're alive, that's what matters. Alright, I won't waste any more time with you. I'm leaving." Before I could respond, she turned and walked out.
Since that day, she hadn't come back to the Rest Cabin to see me. I had no idea what her sudden visit meant, and I couldn't be bothered to ask. It was better to keep my distance from her; I didn't want to deal with her temper when it flared up again.
After lying in bed for a week, I could finally manage to get out. In the mornings, I would go out on deck to soak up some sun, take a nap around noon, spend the afternoons reading comics, and go to bed early at night.
Three meals a day consisted of fish and meat, accompanied by some frozen vegetables and canned goods. Although it was quite nutritious, it still made me feel nauseous since everything except the fish was not fresh.
But thinking about it, after being at sea for so long, having food and drink was already a blessing. I had to thank the Bearded Man; he had saved all of us on the ship.
On the tenth night, Jiao Ba showed me a new discovery related to that jade pendant. After dinner, we returned to the Rest Cabin for some casual chatting. Now there were just the three of us in the Rest Cabin, exchanging nonsensical remarks.
In the midst of our chatter, I suddenly said to them both, "Could one of you accompany me outside for a bit? I haven't been out in ages; I'm going stir-crazy."
Jiao Ba understood immediately and said, "Sure! I'll take you up on deck for some fresh air and to enjoy the beautiful night view of the sea. Shunzi, do you want to join us?"
"No thanks, Lao Ba. You go with Brother Yi; I’m feeling a bit tired and want to take a nap," Shunzi replied with a smile.
"Alright then! I'll help this disabled person out," Jiao Ba said as he reached out to support me. I swatted his hand away. "No need for that; I can walk on my own."
We stepped out of the cabin one after another. Since I was moving slowly, Jiao Ba ended up walking ahead of me. Once we reached the deck, he leaned closer with a mischievous grin and whispered, "Brother Yi, do you have something you want to say?"
I nodded and said, "Well, I suppose you're clever. I want to see those two jade pendants and find out what new discoveries you've made."
Jiao Ba looked around like a thief, then whispered to me, "Follow me, Brother Yi."
He led me from the bow of the ship to the stern, and I was panting heavily, drenched in sweat. The wound in my abdomen throbbed painfully; thankfully, I had a strong physique. Otherwise, an average person would have collapsed by now, Dominant Pet Black-Bellied Consort.
Jiao Ba found a hidden spot at the back of the ship and stopped. He glanced left and right, truly embodying the typical tomb raider's behavior—always on alert.
"What the hell are you looking at? Hurry up," I said, struggling to endure the cold sea breeze that chilled me to the bone.
"Shh, keep it down, Brother Yi." Jiao Ba slowly pulled out a piece of black cloth from his pocket. After unfolding it a few times, I saw that it wrapped two half pieces of jade pendants. I picked one up and confirmed it was indeed the Phoenix Pendant from before.
"You've been hiding this all along?" I asked him with a glance.
"Of course! Where else could I hide it? Even when diving, I stashed it in my Diving Suit," Jiao Ba replied proudly.
I scoffed and said, "Didn't you say you made a discovery? What is it?"
Jiao Ba gave me a mysterious look and said, "You just need to put the jade pendants together to find out."
"Damn it, what kind of creepy look is that?" I cursed at him before picking up the other half of the pendant. When I brought the two halves together, I was stunned—completely dumbfounded. I could hardly believe what I was seeing; it was simply incredible.
As the two halves of the jade pendant joined together, what had been a green pendant slowly transformed into a brilliant red hue that shimmered softly.
In the center of the pendant, the phoenix changed to a golden color. What amazed me most was that this golden phoenix seemed to soar back and forth along the edges of the red area as if it had vibrant life within it, leaving me utterly awestruck.
"Beautiful, simply beautiful," I couldn't help but praise. The phoenix seemed almost alive, and I felt as if I could still hear its call.
"Hard to imagine, right?" Jiao Ba's words disrupted my thoughts.
I casually separated the two jade pendants, and as they parted, they slowly returned to their original state, turning a dull green. They looked quite ordinary, and the phoenix was in two halves, resembling a dead bird. On the surface, it appeared to have no value at all.
"Oh my god, what on earth is going on?" I stared blankly at Jiao Ba, unable to believe what I was seeing.
Jiao Ba shook his head gently and said, "To be honest, Brother Yi, I don't know either. When I first saw it, I was just as shocked as you are now. I almost screamed. I've never encountered such a jade pendant before, nor have I heard my family mention anything about such a strange piece."
"You don't understand either? It seems figuring this out is going to be difficult." I felt a bit frustrated. What could this extraordinary object possibly represent?
Jiao Ba stroked his chin and said, "I've been looking through my grandfather's notes these past few days. He mentioned similar jade pendants, but compared to this one, there are significant differences. The main point is the phoenix inside; I've seen jade pendants turn red before, but I've never seen one where the phoenix looks so lifelike. It's truly eye-opening."
I shot him a glare and said, "What you just said amounts to nothing. In the end, it's still pointless. Can you clarify the identities of those two female corpses now?"
Jiao Ba suddenly chuckled and said, "Although I don't know what this Phoenix Pendant is called or why it's so magical, I do have some understanding of the identities of those two corpses. As I mentioned before, they were likely meant to be buried with someone. Now it seems that’s correct."
"I don't need to explain what this Phoenix Pendant signifies; I've already told you before. But after it merged back together, I realized that its owner must have been someone from the palace. This conclusion comes from seeing the complete phoenix on the pendant. The phoenix pendant has a hierarchy, which suggests that its female owner held a very high status in the palace."
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