Chapter 23: Another Confession Session

Lin Xue abruptly lifted her head; her beautiful eyes were red and swollen, with crystalline tears still clinging to her face.

Watching Xu Feng, whose expression changed faster than turning the pages of a book, she found herself momentarily at a loss for how to react.

Just a moment ago... hadn't he been crying even more sorrowfully than she was?

The courtyard gate creaked shut, completely sealing off the disturbances of the outside world.

Xu Feng, who had been sobbing his heart out just a moment before, was now leaning against the door panel. He fished a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and took a deep drag. There was not a trace of grief left on his face, only the relaxed satisfaction of a scheme successfully executed.

Lin Xue stood in the center of the courtyard, still maintaining the pathetic, frightened-deer posture she had held moments ago. With tear tracks still wet on her face and her red, swollen eyes staring blankly at Xu Feng, her mind struggled to process the sudden shift.

"You... you just now..." She held her breath for a long time before she could find her voice, forgetting even to hide the linguistic habits of her Japanese upbringing.

"What about me just now?" Xu Feng exhaled a ring of smoke, glancing at her sideways with a mischievous smirk. "Was my crying not sorrowful enough? Or was my performance not convincing enough?"

Lin Xue’s face turned scarlet in an instant—this time not from shyness, but from anger.

It was only now that she realized the majority of the genuine, heartfelt tears she had shed earlier had been coaxed out of her by this very man!

She stepped forward and delivered a light, frustrated blow to his chest with her small fist: "You liar!"

Xu Feng didn't dodge, letting her strike him while laughing even more heartily. "A liar? If it weren't for a liar like me, could today’s mess have been resolved so easily? We might have both been branded as spies and bound for the afterlife by now."

He paused, withdrawing his smile, and looked at her with rare seriousness, his eyes carrying a hint of approval. "But to be fair, your reaction today was quite sharp, and you cooperated well. Especially that final crying scene—the tears came right on cue. You have a real talent for it."

Praised by him like this, the annoyance that had just flared up in Lin Xue dissipated into thin air.

She lowered her head, rubbing her still-red eyes in embarrassment.

In truth, she knew in her heart that Xu Feng was right. Had it not been for his series of dramatic maneuvers—alternating between violence and tenderness, acting and deception—the consequences would have been unimaginable.

This man, although he sometimes appeared to be a scoundrel, possessed a sharper mind and more ruthless methods than anyone she had ever met.

"The ground is cold. Let’s go inside." Xu Feng snuffed out his cigarette and gathered the pile of game in the courtyard. "We had a good haul today. I’ll make you something delicious tonight to help you recover from the shock."

Once inside, Xu Feng began to process the catch with practiced efficiency.

His technique was skillful—skinning, disjointing, and deboning—all done in one smooth motion. The new wood-chopping knife moved nimbly in his hands.

Lin Xue silently brought a basin of clear water to help him wash the processed meat.

The atmosphere in the room felt peculiar. The previous tension and deliberate distance had vanished, replaced by an unspoken, indefinable rapport.

It was as if, after the joint battle they had just fought against the outside world, the connection between them had been drawn much closer without them even realizing it.

As Xu Feng worked, he calculated his next steps.

Today’s commotion had temporarily resolved the crisis, but it had also thoroughly offended Wang Erhu.

That boy was the type to hold a grudge for a lifetime; he wouldn't dare act openly, but he would certainly resort to underhanded tactics in the shadows.

This dilapidated courtyard was drafty and offered no real security; it might keep an honest man out, but not a villain. It had to be renovated as soon as possible.

And the matter of building a heated brick bed also needed to be put on the agenda.

[Lin Xue’s favorability +10]

Xu Feng’s movements and thoughts faltered. The abrupt sound in his mind took him by surprise, though he quickly decided it was only natural.

This girl, it seemed, was not entirely hard-hearted.

Dinner was sumptuous as ever. Xu Feng’s culinary skills were nothing extraordinary, but he was generous with the ingredients.

A large pot of braised rabbit meat, stewed until it was tender enough to fall off the bone, filled the room with an appetizing aroma. He also used venison to make several meat pies, toasted to a golden brown and sizzling with grease.

Lin Xue ate slowly, chewing in small, delicate bites.

The earlier terror and her subsequent breakdown had left her with little appetite, but seeing the expectant look in Xu Feng’s eyes, she forced herself to keep eating.

"You weren't angry that I exposed your leg earlier, were you?" Xu Feng asked casually while gnawing on a rabbit leg.

Lin Xue’s cheeks flushed again, and she shook her head.

She knew that under the circumstances, it had been the most direct and effective solution.

Xu Feng nodded and changed the subject. "But honestly, I’m quite curious."

He set down the half-eaten rabbit leg and looked at Lin Xue earnestly. "The Japanese women I’ve seen are indeed not very tall, and their legs aren't exactly straight. How is it that you... look so different from them?"

This was a question Xu Feng had wanted to ask for a long time. Previously, he had simply assumed she was an exception and hadn't paid it much mind. But today’s events forced him to re-examine Lin Xue’s uniqueness.

This was no longer a simple exception; it was an "anomaly" that could serve as evidence.

Lin Xue’s fingers tightened around her cornmeal bun. After a moment of silence, she answered in a low voice: "It... it is a matter of genetics."

"Oh?"

"My family was a well-known noble clan in Kyoto, though we have since fallen from grace."

Lin Xue’s voice was soft, as if she were recounting a distant tale. "My father was exposed to Western culture very early on and held very enlightened views. He believed that the Japanese people were short because of their diet."

She looked up at Xu Feng. "That is why our family was different from others since I was a child. When other children were still eating rice and pickled vegetables, my father required us to drink milk and eat beef every day. Our household even hired a Western-style chef."

"Furthermore, I have practiced kendo since childhood and later studied medicine. I have some understanding of human anatomy and nutrition, and I pay great attention to exercise and maintaining my physique. That is why... why I appear a bit different from most people."

This explanation was logical and flawless.

Nobility, Westernized education, diet, exercise—every link fit perfectly.

Xu Feng nodded, seemingly accepting the explanation. "I see. Your old man was a sensible fellow."

He picked up the rabbit leg again and continued to gnaw on it, as if the topic were closed.

The room returned to silence, save for the sounds of chewing and the crackling of the firewood.

However, Lin Xue felt a sense of unease.

She could sense that although Xu Feng had stopped questioning, the gaze he cast upon her was deeper than before—like an ancient well capable of drawing in all of a person’s hidden thoughts.

She knew that she had still withheld the truth.

Once Xu Feng finished his rabbit leg, he wiped his hands and pushed the remaining half of a meat pie toward Lin Xue.

"Eat it. Look at how thin you are; you’d blow away in a gust of wind."

His tone was flat, but Lin Xue detected a different undertone.

She shook her head. "I’m full."

Xu Feng didn't force the issue; he took back the pie and finished it in a few bites.

Then, he began to clear the dishes in silence.

When he had finished tidying up and sat back down across from her, the atmosphere in the room shifted entirely.

The previously warm, tacit understanding had vanished without a trace, replaced by a heavy, oppressive weight.

Xu Feng lit a cigarette. The fire from the tip flickered in the dim light of the oil lamp, reflecting off his sharp-featured face, making his expression unreadable.

"Lin Xue." He suddenly spoke her name.

Lin Xue’s heart jumped, and she instinctively straightened her back.

"Do you really think this matter is over just like that?"

Lin Xue looked at him, confused.

Xu Feng exhaled a cloud of smoke; through the haze, his eyes were as sharp as blades. "A man like Wang Erhu—you hit him, humiliated him, and made him lose face in front of the whole village. Do you really think he will just let it go?"

Lin Xue’s face turned pale as she recalled the venomous look in Wang Erhu’s eyes at the end.

"He suffered a loss today, so he certainly won't dare to act openly. But in the shadows? Poisoning, arson, digging traps... which of those dirty tricks is he incapable of?"

Xu Feng’s voice was cold. "Our courtyard doesn't even have a decent wall. Do you think we can defend against that?"

Lin Xue’s heart sank. She had only thought that the crisis was resolved, never considering the subsequent retaliation.

"I’m not asking you these things to scare you." Xu Feng’s tone became suddenly grave. "I want to tell you that from this day on, we are two grasshoppers tied to the same string. If one prospers, both prosper; if one suffers, both suffer."

He snuffed out his cigarette and leaned forward slightly, his eyes locked onto Lin Xue’s, giving her no chance to evade.

"Therefore, I need to know everything. Everything about you."

"I believe what you told me earlier. But I also know that isn't the whole story. You are hiding an even greater secret. A secret... more dangerous than the identity of 'whether or not you are a spy'."

Lin Xue trembled, as if struck by lightning. She looked at Xu Feng in disbelief. How... how could he know?

"Don't look at me like that." Xu Feng’s tone was uncompromising. "I spent so many years on the battlefield, crawling out from piles of the dead. Whether a person carries the scent of killing, whether they have secrets, or whether they are being sincere or deceitful—I can tell at a single glance."

"Lin Xue, I will ask you one more time, and this will be the last."

His voice seemed to resonate from within his chest, every word striking Lin Xue’s heart.

"If we are to continue living this life, I must know the whole truth. Who are you really? Why did you appear in this mountain valley alone? And why... were you being hunted?"

He deliberately emphasized the word "hunted."

In that moment, Lin Xue’s psychological defenses crumbled completely.