Chapter 454: No Choice

Fatty went to Jude Kao's camp and swiped two rifles. I stopped deliberating; he led the way, and we all set off immediately.

Going over the mountain took much longer than going underground. Fortunately, Fatty had been this way before and knew the tricks. He led the way without saying a word, and I didn't even have a chance to tell him my true identity.

I had never seen Fatty like this, and I couldn't help feeling even more uneasy. His way of hurrying seemed to show he was very anxious, but when he told me the whole story, he didn't seem that urgent. Could he really be hiding something from me? I didn't dare ask, so I just kept my head down and moved forward. Crossing the ridge opposite the lake brought us to a place I'd never been. Fatty led us downhill, saying there was a shortcut. We climbed down into a valley, and Fatty jumped into the grass. He was instantly swallowed up by it.

I hadn't expected the grass to be so thick; it seemed impossible. I imitated Fatty and jumped, plunging through the grass and tumbling down—beneath it was a hidden passage.

"Found by the young man, pretty awesome, right? This is an ancient hidden passage. Above the valley, they used huge logs to build a wooden walkway, but it's been so long that it's all covered by grass. Originally it would have been easier to walk up there, but the grass is too thick. Down here, the grass doesn't get sunlight, so it doesn't grow as well, making it easier to walk, and it's flatter. The end is near the entrance."

Sunlight came through some gaps above, so it wasn't too dark inside. The ground was covered in rocks of all sizes. It wasn't really that easy to walk, but it was better than hanging off a cliff.

"From here, go in a dozen miles. I've marked the way. Then we go up, and we'll be near the big tree at the entrance," Fatty said. "It gets damp ahead. Let's rest here; after resting, we won't stop until we reach the entrance."

Everyone sat down. Fatty winked at me: "Third Master, a word in private." I followed him further in, to where a large boulder lay crosswise. We climbed over it, and he crouched down.

I didn't know what he was up to, so I crouched too. He suddenly grabbed my face and pulled at it, hurting me so much I almost cried.

"What are you doing?" I cursed.

"Tianzhen, your original face was pretty good looking. Why make yourself look like your Third Uncle?" Fatty whispered.

Startled, I said, "How did you figure it out?"

"With your lousy disguise, even if others couldn't tell, I could," Fatty said. "Did you think I was really confused when you talked to me? I'm sharp as lightning. I've known the whole story for a long time."

"Then why didn't you say it earlier? I never had a chance to tell you," I said, and then I told him about Xiao Hua's plan.

"Hell, you didn't tell me, and I didn't know your plan, so of course I had to play along. And you have no idea—that doctor of yours has a thing for your Third Uncle, right? When she was taking care of me, she treated me like a tree hollow. Even when I wasn't dreaming, she'd talk to me. I was half asleep, and she annoyed me to death." Fatty glanced over there. "You know what she said? So damn cheesy. I consider myself the cream of the saccharine crop, but her infatuation with your Third Uncle made my teeth ache from the sweetness. If I weren't really too tired and could still fall asleep listening, I would have strangled her first. She said she thought you'd changed. I didn't know what was going on, so I just went along."

I felt a bit relieved hearing that. Just as I was about to speak, he waved for me to stop. "No need to say more. You just know I know who you are. Let me ask you something, and you have to answer."

"What?"

"That Hua'er Ye, do you trust him?" I wondered why he asked, but nodded. "He's helped me a lot. I think he's trustworthy."

"Have you checked his background? Is he really your childhood friend?"

"I'm sure of that. What's wrong?"

"Have you seen old photos of the Nine Gates?"

I shook my head; I really didn't know about that. "Just tell me straight. What's suspicious?" Fatty paused before saying, "Nothing. Maybe I'm being paranoid. I just think this guy giving you this kind of advice isn't very reliable."

Seeing that Fatty didn't seem to be lying, I said, "But at that time there really was no other way. Otherwise I wouldn't have been able to come and save you."

"Some difficulties aren't necessarily as hard as others say," Fatty said, then waved. "But still, thank him. Pretend I never asked. We don't have time to overthink. Let's get things sorted first."

Remembering my own worries, I asked, "You didn't lie to me about Poker-face and the others, did you? I always feel you're not telling the truth."

Fatty patted me and said, "If I wanted to harm you, I would have done it long ago. Why wait until today?" That was true, but Fatty had fooled me more than once. I said, "Not harming me doesn't mean you won't play tricks."

"Tianzhen, you don't understand." Fatty pointed behind. "You trust everyone, pour your heart out to anyone you meet. I'm different. These people behind us—I don't trust a single one."

"What does that have to do with trust?"

"It's very relevant," Fatty said. "What I saw in that mirror was a lot more than what I told you guys. But I can't talk about it now. You need to find a chance to be alone with me for a longer time."

I glanced behind and saw Pibao and Sister Ya both looking our way, seeming curious. "See?" Fatty said. "No one here trusts anyone; they're all watching each other." His words made me uncomfortable. Fatty continued, "Originally I didn't want to expose you, but we're taking this road, not climbing the crevice. I have to warn you: from the moment you entered this mountain, don't be surprised by anything that happens."

"Will anything strange happen?"

"Anything could happen here," Fatty said seriously. "The eerie aura of this Zhang Family Ancient Building affects many things. No matter what happens, don't be surprised."