“We still haven’t figured out what her motive is…”
Bai Xiaoxiao glanced at Ning Qiushui unintentionally.
He had his head down, silent, as if preoccupied with something.
“In any case, we’ll have to rely on ourselves to gather the clues.”
“There’s still plenty of time today, so let’s check out the farthest location first. That way, the next few days won’t be as stressful.”
The three of them followed the directional signs through the dense forest until they arrived at Buhuo Well.
The well was nestled among lush green bamboo. Its mouth was covered in moss, surrounded by overgrown weeds. Other than a wooden sign planted nearby, there was nothing else around.
It looked like no one had been here in a long time.
The wooden sign described the well’s long history, including a brief retelling of what had happened during the great drought years ago—
The story of Ruan Kaihuang and Guangxiu.
“These villagers sure know how to remember a favor…”
Liu Chengfeng commented with admiration as he walked over to the well and peered into its water.
Ning Qiushui and Bai Xiaoxiao stood on either side of the wooden sign, quietly observing it for a long while.
“Any thoughts?”
Bai Xiaoxiao asked.
She was quite intrigued by this “newcomer,” Ning Qiushui.
His psychological resilience… even among those who had gone through the Blood Gate four or five times, he would rank among the very best.
“I have a very bad suspicion…”
Ning Qiushui said, his tone grim.
“Do you remember, when we first saw Hou Kong, he told us that if we encountered anything strange, we could go to the village’s Ruan shaman lady?”
Bai Xiaoxiao looked thoughtful:
“You mean… Ruan?”
Ning Qiushui nodded.
“Yes. Same surname. That Ruan shaman is very likely a descendant of Ruan Kaihuang.”
“What happened in this village back then definitely wasn’t as simple as the record makes it seem. The villagers must have hidden something crucial… the real truth.”
“Remember the clue the Blood Gate gave us? ‘The kind drained of blood turned into sweet rain…’ What if—just what if—the one who was chopped into pieces, Guangxiu, was actually the good guy?”
He was about to continue, but from the corner of his eye he caught a sudden change in Liu Chengfeng’s expression. Ning Qiushui instantly rushed to the well and grabbed Liu Chengfeng, who was just about to jump into the well!
“Liu Chengfeng, are you insane?!”
Ning Qiushui shouted.
But Liu Chengfeng didn’t seem to hear him at all. His eyes were vacant, his hands gripping the edge of the well tightly. He kept trying to squeeze himself inside, muttering over and over:
“So thirsty… I’m so thirsty…”
“Just one sip… let me drink… just one sip…”
Ning Qiushui was no weakling—his years of intense training gave him an exceptional physique—but even so, he was barely able to slow down Liu Chengfeng’s descent. He couldn’t fully stop him!
Liu Chengfeng’s upper body was already halfway into the well when Bai Xiaoxiao’s voice rang out from behind:
“Qiushui! Hold on a little longer!”
“Got it!”
Ning Qiushui gritted his teeth and practically used his body as a rope, pulling back the crazed Liu Chengfeng who was trying desperately to crawl into the well.
But even with all that effort, it was still no use!
Ning Qiushui felt that if this continued, he too would be dragged into the well by Liu Chengfeng!
If it were anyone else, Ning Qiushui would have let go long ago.
But back at the previous Blood Gate, when he was caught by the red-dressed female ghost on the third-floor corridor, Liu Chengfeng had risked his life to save him!
That’s why Ning Qiushui didn’t let go.
His teeth were almost grinding, his originally handsome face turned beet red, and every muscle in his body was straining to the limit!
Just as Liu Chengfeng was about to fall into the well, Bai Xiaoxiao finally took out an old, bloodstained copper mirror. She swiftly moved and aimed the mirror at the ancient well!
“Ahhh—”
A terrifying, mournful scream came from the pitch-black bottom of the well, and at the same time, Liu Chengfeng screamed in agony:
“Damn!”
“Little brother! Little brother, pull me up!!”
Without the restraint of the mysterious force, Ning Qiushui’s terrifying strength came into play. Liu Chengfeng, who weighed 160 pounds, was almost thrown out of the well by Ning Qiushui, who grabbed him by the waist!
He rolled several times on the ground, lying among a pile of fallen leaves, gasping for breath with a pale face!
Seeing that Liu Chengfeng had broken free, Bai Xiaoxiao put the copper mirror away.
As she did, Ning Qiushui noticed that several cracks had appeared on the already old copper mirror.
“Sorry…”
He said.
Bai Xiaoxiao, however, didn’t mind and replied:
“That’s how it is in the Blood Gates… One careless move, and you get caught. That’s why, the further we go in, the more we prefer to team up in twos or threes. If something goes wrong, there’s someone to help.”
As she spoke, her gaze slightly dimmed.
It was only for a moment before she hid it away.
But Ning Qiushui caught it.
He knew that Bai Xiaoxiao must have been thinking about her close friend who had died for love.
In this foggy world, having a close friend or a brother must mean a bond of life and death.
The sudden loss of such a companion would undoubtedly hit the other person hard.
But Ning Qiushui didn’t speak further. Instead, he looked at Liu Chengfeng, who was now lying on the ground. He seemed to have returned to normal but still looked pale and filled with fear.
“Big beard, what happened to you just now?”
Liu Chengfeng slowly turned his head, his face covered in cold sweat.
“I… I just took a look inside. It was originally a stagnant pool with nothing, but later… faces of dead people suddenly appeared in the water!”
“I wanted to escape, but my body couldn’t move!”
“Then, they climbed up from the bottom of the well, grabbed my hand, and started pulling me in!”
A cold breeze blew through the bamboo forest, sending a chill down their backs.
“But…”
Liu Chengfeng’s expression changed slightly.
“They seemed to have been burned by something afterward. When they were leaving, I saw a dead person holding something glowing, so I just grabbed it…”
Both of them’s eyes lit up at the mention of this:
“What was it?”
Liu Chengfeng opened his hand, revealing a broken wooden plaque tied with a red string. He casually wiped the disgusting stains from the plaque with his clothes and saw a large ‘Ruan’ character written on it!
“Ruan?”
“What is this?”
“Is this something important…?”
Liu Chengfeng said with a look of disdain.
Bai Xiaoxiao, however, smiled and said:
“It’s actually very important…”
“Getting this means we’ve just verified one of our earlier guesses.”
Liu Chengfeng was confused:
“What guess?”
Neither of them answered him.
“It seems that this Ruan shaman really has a big problem…”
Ning Qiushui said, suddenly glancing toward the deeper part of the bamboo forest. His expression changed, and he whispered:
“Quick!”
“Someone is coming! Hide!”
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