Master of Kaidan
Chapter 47 This is a Trial

Chapter 47: Chapter 47 This is a Trial

Feng Xue had already tested the effectiveness of the cardboard box. Even though he knew about the peculiar characteristics of the cardboard box in advance, once Xiyao Chen crawled into it, he would momentarily perceive the box as an ordinary object that didn’t strike him as odd at all until he began to consider where Xiyao had gone and remembered he had a box, at which point he would slowly start to realize that Xiyao might be hiding inside it.

And all of this transpired under the premise of Xiyao continuously moving inside the box.

In other words, as long as the cardboard box wasn’t fixedly watched, even if the person inside the box kept moving it around, it wouldn’t be detected as anything suspicious.

As for the scenario where Xiyao might take all his possessions and flee, Feng Xue had also considered it. Though he called them all his possessions, Feng Xue had secretly hidden some pages every night when he went out, including "Dismantling Holy Mother," placed in different locations both inside and outside the city. Even if Xiyao were unexpectedly captured or even fled with the money, he still had the opportunity to rise again.

About two hours after Feng Xue went to the garbage dump, Xiyao, who was hiding in the cardboard box, became a bit restless. Even though sitting hugging her knees was more relaxed than squatting or sitting cross-legged, not moving for two hours still made her body quite uncomfortable.

Gently moving her body, Xiyao felt a strong urge to get out of the box and lie down for a while, but she ultimately resisted.

In fact, this required significant willpower, which ordinary people facing unheard-of dangers would find difficult to muster.

But for Xiyao, or perhaps for most junior and senior high school students, this was not a problem at all because despite staying up until one or two in the morning, these students must forcibly wake up before dawn the next day and rush to school; however tired they were, they could only catch a brief nap during the short ten-minute break (if not shortened by professors dragging their lessons) and had to be wide awake when the class bell rang.

Even though most of them were unaware of the survival stress that not getting into a good high school or university could bring, they did indeed possess such willpower.

During high school, it could even be said that this was the time when many people’s knowledge, perseverance, experience, and physical fitness were at their peak.

As a child considered a paragon by others, even if Xiyao had some minor hobby not quite acknowledged by her family, she was, of course, a good student who complied with the unhealthy practice of insufficient sleep, utilising her usual perseverance meant this minor issue was no longer a problem.

"Maybe I should sleep for a while..." Suddenly, such a thought emerged in Xiyao’s mind, and then it irresistibly began to take root.

It wasn’t because she was particularly tired or overly fond of sleep, but rather that the time inside the box was exceedingly dull.

The novels had already been torn into colored loose pages, and when she ran away from home, she couldn’t bring the mobile phone that had been confiscated. Now, apart from daydreaming and sleeping, what else could she do, pick up a remote-control toy for self-entertainment?

With this thought, Xiyao shuffled her feet slowly, moving along with the cardboard box to a corner of the room, then leaned her body against the wall.

Feeling the stable touch behind her, she slightly adjusted her posture, pulled out the trousers she had taken off from under her skirt and folded them into a square to sit on, and then pulled out a small object to put in her mouth to prevent talking in her sleep. She then bound her wrists with hair ties and hugged her knees—though the restraints could be easily broken by a gentle force, they at least ensured her legs wouldn’t stretch out and leave the box while sleeping.

After completing all these preparations, Xiyao, with her hair spread out, tilted her head and slowly drifted into sleep—though the position was indeed uncomfortable, for a student who needed to catch sleep at any chance, she had tried even more unnatural sleeping positions.

...

Unaware that Xiyao had fallen asleep while the crowd flooded into the garbage dump, Feng Xue deployed Golden Finger and rapidly filtered through potential elements needed, all the while worried about the girl’s current situation.

Before entering the scene, he had noticed one thing: today, the staff from Cross Sword Union sweeping the garbage dump had significantly decreased compared to last time.

Although it might be due to the different exit he was in this time, he still couldn’t help but suspect whether the remaining people had gone to search for Xiyao’s whereabouts.

In fact, this adventure was not just a compulsory choice, it was also a trial for Feng Xue towards Xiyao. Otherwise, he could have temporarily taken Xiyao out of the city. Relying on Xiyao’s excreta as bait, he could have diverted the nearby omens within a short time, thus securing a relatively safe area temporarily.

But he also understood that this was ultimately not a sustainable solution.

The impression he had left on Xiyao was already quite profound. Although not unforgettable for life, as long as she wore that four-dimensional skirt, she would never forget the person who had made it.

So, the next step was simply to send Xiyao back home.

However, before that, Feng Xue had to confirm that Xiyao was genuinely a trustable companion.

This is not to say that Xiyao was untrustworthy, but sometimes those who are fully trusted can more easily hold one back. Although, for now, Xiyao’s performance wasn’t like those brainless idol drama characters who should run but don’t, and even drag the protagonist to die with them, people ultimately have a dual nature.

When there was no danger, Xiyao was quite reliable, but that didn’t mean she would still be reliable under mental stress and anxiety.

If at a critical moment her emotions collapsed, then Feng Xue would truly have cause to cry without tears.

"Wow! Is it really ’not possible’?!" Suddenly, a card with the element of "Invalid" appeared in his vision, interrupting Feng Xue’s deep thoughts, and he shifted his attention back to the litter scattered all over the ground —

Regardless of how Xiyao’s situation turned out, this was probably his last garbage day in this landfill area, so he had to collect as many local expressions as possible!

...

"How long have I slept?" Waking from a slight headache due to a slight lack of oxygen, Xiyao quickly recalled her current situation by the sense of restriction in her body. She raised her hands, carefully moved her numb limbs and buttocks, spit out the small object in her mouth, then carefully shifted her body to look outside through the holes on the cardboard box.

Day and night were the only indicators of time in the landfill area. With the light inside the room, Xiyao couldn’t determine how much time had passed, but a slight hunger in her belly told her that it was probably not a short period. However, why hadn’t Feng Xue returned yet?

At this moment, Xiyao suddenly felt that sleeping had been a terrible choice, as it made her completely lose track of time.

How much time had passed?

Three hours?

Five hours?

Or perhaps, a whole day?

"He didn’t abandon me, did he?"