Chapter 128: Manning’s Search
After Chu Feng brought a rabbit from the modern world to the otherworld, he brought another rabbit back from the otherworld to the modern world. This rabbit also survived, but its mental state was clearly not good—barely arriving before it had a bad case of diarrhea.
Looking at the listless rabbit in the cage, Chu Feng said, “This rabbit probably won’t last much longer.”
Illya nodded and said, “Looks like it, but at least it’s alive.”
Chu Feng nodded in agreement. “Yeah, it’s already much better than bleeding from all seven orifices at the start. As long as it doesn’t die, it’s fine.”
Illya gripped the spirit stone in his hand, thinking: once he finished absorbing all the energy from the Witch Stone, his power should grow further. If his abilities kept improving, he could provide better protection for the rabbit. That way, it wouldn’t be long before they could travel between the two worlds with ease.
A few days later, after their experiment reached a certain stage, Chu Feng went to find Manning.
Manning looked at Chu Feng in surprise. “You want to take me to the sea—?”
Before he finished the sentence, he lowered his head, muttering to himself: Does he want to sleep with me? There were plenty of people in Crescent Village who wanted to sleep with Chu Feng—it shouldn’t be his turn.
Chu Feng noticed Manning’s embarrassed expression and was briefly confused. Then something clicked, and he awkwardly clarified, “No need to sleep with anyone. Illya will protect you. But there’s still some risk.”
He briefly explained the experiment: although the rabbit they brought this time hadn’t died, it was still in a poor state. After all, people and rabbits were not the same.
Manning nonchalantly raised his head, eyes glowing. “As long as I get to go to the other side of the sea, I’m not afraid.”
Chu Feng looked at him and took a deep breath. “You might die.”
“It’s fine. Just getting to see the other side of the sea is worth dying for,” Manning replied, utterly unfazed.
Chu Feng thought to himself: Manning really yearns for that world like it’s paradise. Yet in that world, there are actually a lot of people jumping off buildings out of despair. People in this world really don’t know how lucky they are.
Manning said longingly, “Can I have a real hot pot meal over there? Then I could die without regrets.”
Chu Feng responded, “That’s all it takes to satisfy you? One hot pot? Well, I’ll do my best to make your wish come true.”
Chu Feng considered himself a decent boss—he should at least fulfill such a small request from his employee. After all, in the modern world, ability-users individuals had starting salaries in the millions. A hot pot meal, even an indulgent one, would only cost a few hundred yuan.
Manning asked in confusion, “Boss, why did you choose me? Is it because of my ability? What do you need me to do?”
Chu Feng said calmly, “I want you to go over there and use your ability to help me find my parents.”
Manning’s eyes widened in shock. “Wait—Boss, you and your parents are… separated?”
Chu Feng nodded. “You could say that.”
Manning suddenly remembered that he had once said Chu Feng’s parents and siblings were all alive and well. Based on the way Chu Feng and Illya had reacted, it seemed the truth might be more complicated than it appeared.
Cautiously, Manning said, “But… my detection range is limited. I’m afraid I might not be much help.”
Chu Feng nodded. “It’s fine. Illya will help.”
Illya took Manning’s hand and channeled a surge of spiritual energy into him. Manning suddenly felt as if the entire world had changed. He could now see the bloodline thread of the Lan Hu—it clearly pointed toward the capital.
Chu Feng looked at him. “Well?”
Manning nodded. “It should be possible.”
With Illya’s assistance, even over long distances, he could still sense the general direction.
Chu Feng nodded. “Then go speak with Hall. Tell him I’ve given you a secret mission—you’ll be leaving Crescent Village and heading to the capital.”
“Alright, got it!” Manning said joyfully.
Three days later, Chu Feng brought Illya and Manning to the modern world.
Manning had barely arrived at the villa when he was struck with dizziness and rushed to the bathroom, where he stayed for over an hour.
Chu Feng glanced at Illya. “Is Manning okay?”
Illya lowered his head slightly. “Nothing serious—just some diarrhea.”
Chu Feng blinked. The rabbit he brought back last time also had diarrhea. He thought it was because it was, well, a rabbit. But apparently people weren’t much different!
“Is he going to die?”
Illya thought for a moment. “Shouldn’t. He’s taken medicine already. When I checked on him just now, he still wanted to go out for a good meal.”
Chu Feng frowned. “He’s this sick and still wants to go out to eat? Why?”
“To fill an empty stomach,” Illya said with a shrug.
Chu Feng sighed. “So… it’s like enjoying a final feast before dying?”
“Well, if Manning really wants to, then let’s go eat.”
Better to feed him well so he’d have the energy to work.
Chu Feng took Illya and Manning to a high-end buffet.
Illya had already gotten used to buffets, but it was Manning’s first time. He was completely overwhelmed by the decor and the variety of food.
Chu Feng glanced at him. “Calm down.”
Manning nodded sheepishly. In his haste, he grabbed just a few random items.
Chu Feng looked at the pile of steamed buns in front of him, speechless.
You came to a place like this and got a plate of buns? Might as well have taken him to a bun shop.
Several nearby guests chuckled quietly when they saw Manning’s plate full of buns.
Feeling a bit lost, Manning looked at Illya. “I…”
Illya didn’t care. “It’s fine. Ignore them.”
Manning nodded. “Okay.”
Then he devoured three meat buns in a row—and still wasn’t satisfied.
Seeing how much he liked buns, Chu Feng thought that once everything was done and it was time to send Manning back, he’d pack a few hundred buns from a shop for him.
Under Illya’s guidance, Manning eventually began sampling various dishes. The wide variety of food dazzled him. At first, all he wanted was buns, but when he saw so many delicious things, he was torn. His stomach simply couldn’t hold it all—and he felt deeply regretful.
After finishing the meal, Chu Feng took everyone back to rest for the night. It wasn’t until the next day that they began to rely on Manning’s ability to track people. Manning’s tracking power could give a general direction, but it could only determine the rough location for now — getting closer was still necessary to pinpoint the target.
Since this was the first time Manning was using his ability to search for someone, and in a completely unfamiliar place no less, he couldn’t help but feel a bit nervous.
Illya glanced at Chu Feng and said, “That direction… it seems to be toward the Capital. Chu Feng, you really are a rich guy!”
Chu Feng gave an awkward laugh. “Maybe.”
Maybe he really was supposed to be some rich young master — a scion of a powerful family. But now, money to him was just a number. Even if he were a second-generation rich kid, it would just be icing on the cake at this point.
Chu Feng brought Illya and Manning along for several space transfers and finally arrived at a film studio. He turned to Manning and asked, “You’re saying my sister might be around here?”
Manning nodded. “Yes.”
Originally, he had detected several people with blood ties to Chu Feng, but since spatial teleportation based on Manning’s direction could be slightly off at times, Manning had accidentally sensed Chu Feng’s sister during one of the jumps, so they came here first.
Chu Feng sat in a restaurant, where he saw a lot of excited fans holding signs. Manning said, “She’s here.”
Chu Feng watched as a female celebrity was escorted into a car by her assistant and couldn’t help but be stunned.
Manning shook his head and said, “No, that’s not her.”
But the moment Zhuang Feixue appeared, Manning saw a strong green thread of familial connection between her and Chu Feng — he was certain about their relationship.
Manning had never seen a celebrity before, and was curious about the lively support scene in front of him. “What are they doing?”
Illya propped his chin and said, “They’re welcoming a celebrity.”
Manning said excitedly, “It looks like a market festival, but way more festive.” He was amazed at how crowded it was on this side of the sea — completely unlike their own world, where it was rare to see this many people gathered together.
Chu Feng furrowed his brow. “It’s really her.”
Illya looked at him. “What’s wrong? You know her?”
Chu Feng smiled. “Zhuang Feixue… a big celebrity. Who doesn’t know her? It’s just, I know her — but she doesn’t know me.”
A lot of people liked his sister. Tons chased after her calling her “goddess.” Many celebrities in the entertainment industry crafted personas for themselves — Zhuang Feixue’s persona was that of a wealthy heiress. In the industry, she was one of those people that if she didn’t do well in acting, she could just go home and inherit a family business — the kind of person countless small-time actresses were jealous of.
Chu Feng chuckled and stood up. “Let’s go back.”
Illya looked at him, puzzled. “You’re not going to go meet her?”
Chu Feng shook his head. “No. She’s a celebrity — if I just walk up, I’ll be seen as a sasaeng.”
Illya tilted her head. “Sasaeng? What kind of food is that?”
Chu Feng shook his head. “Not a kind of food. Definitely not something good.”
Illya tilted his head and said, “Oh. So not delicious.”
Manning looked at Chu Feng. “Do we still need to investigate the others?”
Chu Feng shook his head. “No need.”
From here on, the investigation had little to do with Manning. Now that he had identified the person, all he needed to do was hire a detective agency to find the rest of the answers.
Though Illya had the power to keep them hidden, using it too often would risk exposure — and that wouldn’t be good.
Manning looked at Chu Feng and vaguely realized that his mission was now complete.
“Boss, are you going to send me back now?” Manning asked, a little reluctant.
Everything he had seen in the past few days had opened his eyes. All the strange and wonderful things had made him fascinated and unwilling to leave.
Chu Feng nodded. “Yes.” With Illya already being an unregistered person in this world, adding another would just make things worse.
Manning lowered his head and sighed, clearly disappointed.
Illya looked at Manning and said, “I can take you around to play for two more days before you go.”
Manning’s eyes lit up. “Really?”
Illya turned to Chu Feng.
Chu Feng felt the pressure of both their stares and sighed. If he said no, he’d basically be a heartless villain. Manning had taken a huge risk coming here, and had been having stomach issues every day. Sending him back so soon felt unkind.
Chu Feng sighed reluctantly and nodded. “Fine. Just keep a low profile.”
Recently, the competition to recruit people with abilities has been fierce. If they were discovered, it wouldn’t end well. Chu Feng preferred to quietly build his fortune.
Illya nodded. “Don’t worry. Manning looks more like a regular person than I do.”
Chu Feng took a deep breath and thought to himself, Yeah, Manning’s ordinary appearance does make him safer than Illya in many ways.
