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墨書 Inktalez
Before setting off, no one knew how long the water cave was, and they were all terrified by the power of the "Revolving Tide." Although the Yellow Witch predicted a four-hour interval between two "Revolving Tides," no one could guarantee that they would successfully navigate the water cave within that time.
To withstand the next powerful surge of the "Revolving Tide," everyone tied three wooden boats together with Safety Ropes, linking them end to end. Therefore, when the first two boats capsized, the third had no time to react and was dragged down with them.
Although I had experienced a waterfall during my time in Mangshan, that incident was nothing compared to this one; it was on an entirely different level. The entire process of falling into the water left me dazed and stunned! The only thing I vividly remembered was the physical sensation.
After our boat plunged down, we were swept apart by the raging current, and everyone was thrown into disarray, unable to help one another. I felt as if countless fists were striking me simultaneously, forcing me downward. My ears buzzed incessantly, and my lungs felt like they were about to explode! The moment I opened my mouth, the torrent rushed in like a ferocious beast, making it even harder for me to breathe!
However, this painful ordeal did not last long. After about five seconds, we all crashed into the Big Green Pool below the waterfall like underwater explosives. Just as I plunged into the pool, I suddenly caught a whiff of a familiar foul odor mixed with a fragrant scent. I immediately recognized it as a combination of Xian Cao and herbs; when dissolved in water, it emitted a smell ten times stronger than in the air.
I shivered; could someone be deliberately masking the peculiar stench of Xian Cao with the scent of herbs? Could it be that the Illusionist who had repeatedly tried to sabotage us was hiding among Third Granduncle Master's group?
As these thoughts raced through my mind, I surfaced. The smell vanished instantly. Just then, Wang Meng suddenly popped his head out of the water behind me, while others surfaced at a distance from me.
I couldn't help but take a closer look at him; I had never noticed before how sharp his gaze was. He had a robust physique with well-defined muscles and appeared to be between thirty and thirty-five years old—most likely a former soldier.
What kind of motivation could drive a retired soldier to come to this place? If it were just for money—lots of money—that might make sense; after all, people are often drawn to wealth. But for someone like Wang Meng, that seemed unlikely. With his skills, he could easily find work that paid better and required less hardship. In this day and age, aside from us, who would be foolish enough to come here for such suffering?
In any case, I would need to keep a close eye on Wang Meng from now on. Even if he wasn't the Illusionist we were looking for, he was certainly not someone to be underestimated.
The six members of Third Granduncle Master had already reached shore and were assisting others and handling luggage. I glanced back and felt my heart race; the waterfall that had just cascaded down upon us hung from an almost vertical cliff ahead—a staggering height of over a hundred zhang and more than thirty meters wide—completely shrouding the cliff! Floating there, I could only feel the thunderous roar of waves crashing and white foam splashing everywhere; it struck me with an overwhelming sense of passion, shock, and awe that made me want to shout out: "The waterfall flows straight down three thousand feet; it seems like the Milky Way is falling from the heavens!"
In the face of nature, humanity's insignificance is hardly worth mentioning, like a drop in the ocean or a grain of sand in the desert. After billions of years of evolution, countless self-proclaimed intelligent primates have met their doom—some have gone extinct, others have mutated—while only the mountains, rivers, sun, moon, and stars remain indifferent, continuing their eternal existence.
The power of humanity to shake nature is akin to an ant trying to move a tree; it is a futile endeavor. Yet, there are countless individuals who recklessly throw themselves into such endeavors, seeking shortcuts and losing sight of the bigger picture. It is truly hard to say whether this is laughable or tragic.
At that moment, A Chen called out to me from the shore. Turning around, I realized that only Wang Meng and I remained in the seven-zhang square pool.
We had fallen into the water farthest from the shore. This place resembled the backside of a large mountain hollow, with towering and dense Cedar Forest on both sides. A river about ten meters wide wound its way through the middle, meandering deep into the dense woods.
Wang Meng floated beside me and said in a thick local accent, “Stop looking around; let’s get out! The water is cold!” I quickened my strokes to catch up with him.
On the riverbank, A Chen and Da Li had already extended a hand to each of us, while the others were gathered around a newly built campfire, drying their wet clothes and bags. The Yellow Witch and another subordinate were still nearby searching for dry branches to build another fire.
As I watched, I suddenly realized something was wrong. “Where’s A Li? Why hasn’t she come up?” Everyone exchanged puzzled glances and soon noticed that one person was indeed missing.
Just then, I felt something grab my calf—something that felt like a hand, and it seemed to belong to a woman. My heart skipped a beat. No way, could it be a water ghost? Then I thought, could it be A Li? Was that mischievous girl hiding underwater, planning to part ways with Third Granduncle Master and the others?
The more I thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. I shouted to those onshore, “I’m going over there to take a look!” Turning around to swim back, I felt that hand guiding me toward the opposite bank.
Perhaps this was what it meant to feel guilty; Wang Meng suddenly patted my shoulder, startling me so much that I broke out in a cold sweat and nearly cried out.
Wang Meng thought I was worried about A Li and flashed me a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, brother! I’ll help you look. If she’s alive, we’ll see her; if she’s dead, we’ll see her body!” He paused as if realizing something was off. “Uh… I mean… I’ll go check over there.” He swam toward the direction of the waterfall.
I didn’t dare swim too fast; instead, I pretended to search as I swam along. It took some time before I reached the middle of the river. In truth, my biggest concern was still Third Granduncle Master. Since I could guess that A Li had pulled off some trick like escaping through a golden cicada’s shell, that old fox must have figured it out too! Therefore, I needed to act even more convincingly. Was my swimming posture too stiff? Shouldn’t I be like those actors on TV who call out things like “A Li, where are you?” or “Don’t scare me!” as they search?
Taking a deep breath and adjusting my expression, I was just about to shout when Liuzi suddenly popped up beside me. He smirked and slapped me on the shoulder, saying, “Hey, don’t mess around! If that girl can hold her breath, let her hold it down there!”
The cool air I had just inhaled got stuck in my throat with his slap, making me choke and cough violently.
Liuzi leaned over to peek underwater, just in time to see A Li's head. One of her hands was gripping my leg, and her black hair spread out like seaweed. Bubbles were rising from below, indicating she was about to reach her limit.
Knowing that our plan had been exposed, I realized I couldn't escape now, but A Li still had a chance. However, judging by the way she was blowing bubbles earlier, she had already pushed her breath to the maximum. If she didn’t come up soon, it would be a dead end for her.
While I was lost in thought, Liuzi decided to play a trick and stepped on A Li's shoulder. The bubbles started rising even faster now. A Li reached up frantically, and in the chaos, she managed to grab onto Liuzi's pant leg, tearing it with a loud rip.
Panic surged through me as I quickly pushed Liuzi away and took another breath. Just as I was about to dive down to rescue A Li, Wang Meng suddenly shouted from the other side, “I found it! It’s right here!”
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