"I don't know. When the nurse came to make your bed just now, I was wondering the same thing. However..." Old Li’s word for "however" had only half left his lips when Xu Zhiwu’s voice sounded from the doorway: "Xiao Luo! That’s great, you haven’t wandered off."

He walked in as he spoke, and seeing Old Li, he seemed slightly surprised. "Are you Li Zeng? Hello, I'm Xu Zhiwu. Oh, right... why haven't you been discharged?"

Now it was our turn to be surprised. How did he know Old Li's name? And what did he mean by asking why Old Li hadn't been discharged?

"I..." Old Li clearly didn't know how to respond to this unexpected visitor. He could only extend his hand for a handshake while saying, "Forgive me, may I ask who you are..."

Xu Zhiwu suddenly realized, "I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Xu Zhiwu. I’ve heard about the glorious deeds of you and Xiao Luo for a long time."

Old Li quickly offered a few polite remarks.

Xu Zhiwu exchanged a few pleasantries with him, and before explaining how he knew Old Li, he urgently turned and asked me, "Are you alright? Don't go anywhere, just hide quietly in the hospital. The Japanese side is putting on a lot of pressure right now."

How did he know about the situation with the Japanese side? I looked at him doubtfully: "How do you know so clearly?"

"Laughable. Why wouldn't I know? Xiao Luo, who do you think has the capability to let you hide comfortably in the hospital? It’s me—you see." Xu Zhiwu said this with a rather smug air.

Hearing that, I did recall that he had mentioned having some influential connections. I hadn't paid it much mind, but I never expected it to come in handy so quickly. I kept thinking, how could such a big issue suddenly result in me just being told to stay put in the hospital, not needing to go anywhere or report to the organization? So that was it!

I immediately thanked Xu Zhiwu. Unexpectedly, he waved his hand: "Don't thank me yet. I don't help people for free. You have to agree to one condition..."

A condition? Old Li and I exchanged glances. "What condition?" I asked.

"Let’s get the ugly part out of the way first. If you don't agree, then I'm sorry, the most I can do is ensure you have a quiet day hiding in the hospital today. As for tomorrow or later—that I can't promise." Xu Zhiwu's expression was shrewd and resolute as he spoke. It was clear that whatever condition he proposed, I had no room to haggle, much less refuse. Otherwise, tomorrow I would be preparing to eat prison food. If his condition wasn't too harsh, I decided to agree; if it was excessive, we could negotiate.

"Tell me your condition first," I said, trying to keep my composure.

Xu Zhiwu grew serious: "I need your assistance in finding the second Golden Eye Silver Pearl."

So, it was about that. I thought it would be some difficult matter. "Fine," I answered without hesitation.

Xu Zhiwu’s face lit up. "That’s excellent. In a couple of days, once the heat dies down, you will immediately come with me... You’ve already agreed; there’s no backing out now."

Did I have a choice? I couldn't help but offer a wry smile: "I won't back out."

Only after hearing my firm affirmation did Xu Zhiwu start detailing how he had pleaded with people, how difficult it had been, and the risks he had taken to secure this chance for me to stay in the hospital instead of facing interrogation.

I knew he wasn't lying, and I thanked him repeatedly.

"Forget it, no need to thank me. This is a transaction. Our transaction. I help you, and you help me find the Golden Eye Silver Pearl. Understand?"

I could only offer another bitter smile.

After Xu Zhiwu finished his torrent of words, he finally had a moment to turn back to Old Li, asking where he was from and how he ended up accompanying me to Mount Qiangbako. Old Li answered vaguely, focusing on the non-sensitive points.

Once the serious business was settled, and it was confirmed that I had to help Xu Zhiwu find the Golden Eye Silver Pearl once the situation cooled, the three of us chatted idly for a while. Xu Zhiwu subtly and vigorously tried to foster a closer relationship with Old Li. Old Li, always measured and steady, responded politely but kept his guard up until he understood Xu Zhiwu’s intentions.

Xu Zhiwu’s demeanor left me feeling confused and conflicted. When he was setting the terms, he acted like a shrewd, calm businessman; if the condition didn't suit him or meet his goal, he could instantly turn hostile and uncaring. Yet, regarding the matter with the villagers Ni Qiong, he was easily manipulated by a few words from Ni Qiong, bouncing around like an eager puppy. For example, regarding the second Golden Eye Silver Pearl, Ni Qiong merely mentioned it casually, and Xu Zhiwu rushed over to insist I must go with him to find the thing. But God only knew if a second Golden Eye Silver Pearl even existed.

Despite all this, all I could do was smile bitterly. If I didn't want to get tangled up with the Japanese and face an international lawsuit, I had no choice but to go searching for that second Golden Eye Silver Pearl whose existence was entirely unknown.

Xu Zhiwu chatted until it was time for dinner before leaving. He certainly wouldn't be used to hospital food, and I had no reason to press him to stay. As he left, he repeatedly reminded me not to forget my promise, warning of the dire consequences if I reneged. It was an undisguised threat, and no matter how much I disliked it, I had no choice but to accept—the taste of interrogation wasn't pleasant.

After eating, Old Li and I analyzed the situation carefully and found that aside from his desperate desire to find the Golden Eye Silver Pearl and make a name for himself, Xu Zhiwu really seemed to have no other motives. There was nothing inherently detrimental to me in his plan.

"Let's take it one step at a time. For now, the best thing is just to keep you out of jail," Old Li said.

I understood that logic, but my heart still felt uneasy. After a period of aimless worrying, finding no better solution, I decided to meet whatever came with steadfastness: I’d sleep and see how things developed tomorrow.

The night passed without incident.

I woke up early the next morning. By definition, my situation was akin to house arrest. But strangely, no one was monitoring me—at least not openly. I tried walking outside the hospital, and no one questioned me, which made me inwardly delighted. I quickly ran out and devoured two baskets of steamed soup dumplings before returning to the ward.

Old Li’s health was actually recovering, but he was just trying to shirk his duties by staying put. Seeing that I could casually go out to eat, he was quite displeased: "How come you can go out for breakfast, but I still have to hide in the room pretending to be sick?"

Since no one was questioning me, the situation wasn't as serious as I thought, and my spirits immediately lifted. I put on a look of disdain and replied to Old Li: "That’s an issue of character. My character is better than yours."

...The morning hours passed quickly, and still, no one came to monitor me. Of course, being a disciplined comrade, I obediently stayed in the ward, passing the time by shooting the breeze with Old Li about everything under the sun.

At noon, I went to the cafeteria to get food. A patient seemed to recognize me and was whispering behind my back, saying I was the one who killed the Faceless Demon. Hearing this, I realized I was something of a celebrity now and couldn't help but feel a little puffed up.

The afternoon was spent similarly, chatting with Old Li, and in the evening, I called a familiar friend for a chat. Suddenly, I realized this kind of life wasn't bad at all. Although I was still technically a suspect, I had freedom of movement and didn't have to endure those damned morning exercises every day.

Two days passed like this, and I gradually started to feel restless and bored, especially having to spend all my time with Old Li, a rough man who wasn't much of a talker. Once we finished discussing serious matters, if we tried to chat about other things, he’d run out of steam. Even when I gently tried to guide the conversation starting with his hometown, he would answer in a few words and then seem to have nothing more to say.

"Mm, Xinzhou is quite famous." "Maoshan is in our area." "I have relatives who are genuine Daoist disciples, but I am not one." "Mm... yes... that's right..."

His answers were almost always this brief and to the point. I gradually grew uninterested and stopped trying to force conversation.

On the third day, someone finally arrived. Though he was someone I wasn't particularly thrilled to see, I couldn't afford to offend him, and besides, life had been so dull, his visit was a welcome diversion. Thus, when I saw him appear at the doorway, I greeted him enthusiastically: "Big Brother Zhiwu, why have you come? Please, come in, come in." I was currently lying lazily on the bed, listlessly counting how many people walked past our ward. He was the twenty-third.

Xu Zhiwu nodded, greeted Old Li, and sat down on the edge of my bed, his expression grave: "Xiao Luo, this is bad. Something big has happened."

Having something happen was good; at least it meant an end to the boredom. My interest immediately piqued, and I asked, "What is it?"

"The Laba family has been burgled," Xu Zhiwu said, his face dark.

"Oh..." I didn't grasp the severity of the situation; burglaries were common occurrences. So I replied lazily, "Is everyone alright? As long as the people are safe, that's what matters."

"It’s not about whether the people are alright, Xiao Luo. Be serious. The problem isn't as simple as you imagine. The thief ransacked the Laba home, but stole nothing—for two consecutive days... Moreover... according to the forensic investigator friend of Laba who checked the scene, there was more than one thief, more than one group of thieves." Xu Zhiwu said.

"What?" I was genuinely startled. "Did they have some treasure that the thieves were targeting?" The moment the words left my mouth, I thought of the Laba family's treasures. What else could it be besides the Golden Eye Silver Pearl!

Indeed, Xu Zhiwu confirmed, "Treasure? What treasure? Nothing but the Golden Eye Silver Pearl!"

Mentioning the Golden Eye Silver Pearl immediately made me tense: "It wasn't stolen, was it?"

"No, thankfully Laba hid it well." Xu Zhiwu sighed worriedly after speaking. "I’m afraid the people who came weren't ordinary thieves. Look, the Laba family is affluent. If it were a common thief, they could have easily pocketed any random ornament in the house, and it would be worth a good sum. But for two days straight, everything in his house remained untouched, except for being turned upside down and the placement of objects being slightly moved."

That clearly showed they weren't after gold or silver treasures. Laba had just obtained the Golden Eye Silver Pearl, hadn't he? Obviously, this was what the thieves wanted.

However, Xu Zhiwu couldn't have missed such a simple deduction. He immediately brought up the matter, saying he suspected someone was after the Golden Eye Silver Pearl.

I nodded, indicating I understood.

"Xiao Luo, you don't understand, you don't understand. These thieves all have backgrounds. They aren't as simple as you imagine," Xu Zhiwu said, sounding somewhat anxious.