Nie Jiuluo’s cave was located in the mid-upper section. To conserve power, Yan Tuo temporarily suspended his propulsion device, utilizing the water current while kicking his fins to slowly ascend to Nie Jiuluo’s side.
He first examined her throat area. Compared to Sun Zhou’s “missing arm,” her injury appeared minor and had already healed. Due to her naturally fair complexion, the newly grown tissue showed little contrast with the surrounding skin.
She was breathing, albeit very slowly, reminding Yan Tuo of the “turtle breathing” often mentioned in cultivation techniques. Legend had it that by regulating one’s breath like a turtle’s, one could achieve longevity and immortality even without food or water.
Several practical questions flashed through Yan Tuo’s mind.
How should he get her out? Should he cut her from this membrane? That probably wouldn’t work—she might not be able to breathe if removed.
Then should he take the membrane with her? But he couldn’t act rashly. She might not survive without water, and if she were to shrivel up immediately upon leaving the water, that would be disastrous.
Yan Tuo carefully reached out, pressing and probing along where the flesh membrane connected to the cave wall. He wanted to test if the membrane could be easily pulled or torn. The result was disappointing: though soft and quite elastic, it showed no sign of yielding to brute force.
What about trying a knife?
Yan Tuo drew the diving knife from his arm. This type of knife was standard frogman equipment, capable of killing fierce water crocodiles and quickly cutting through highly resistant ropes.
He positioned the knife tip between the membrane and cave wall, stabbing in forcefully before slashing downward.
To his utter surprise, it was ineffective. Though the sharp blade seemed to create an opening, the cut sealed itself at a speed almost imperceptible to the naked eye.
Supreme softness yet supreme hardness, supreme flexibility yet supreme strength—was this Nüwa flesh truly impenetrable?
Yan Tuo’s mind buzzed.
What did this mean? If there was no way to break through, would Nie Jiuluo be eternally trapped in this cave, becoming a living statue?
The pressure gauge and timer continued their countdown, but Yan Tuo couldn’t care less. His heart pounding violently, he avoided Nie Jiuluo’s body and frantically continued testing the knife, repeatedly attempting to tear at the membrane with his hands. In his heated frenzy, he suddenly sensed an enormous shadow looming over him.
Yan Tuo shuddered, his blood running cold.
This chill finally cleared his mind.
The underwater journey had been relatively peaceful until now, with only negligible plankton-like creatures—not even slightly aggressive waterfowl. But this massive shadow, moving slowly towards him…
Optimistically, it could be large seaweed drifting by, but how likely was that?
Yu Rong’s words suddenly echoed in his ears.
“Listen, the ravine isn’t an artificial lake. It’s not home to small fish and shrimp. What if there’s some prehistoric giant crocodile…”
Yan Tuo turned his head with near-rigid movements.
It was a snake.
Or perhaps more accurately, a giant python—pearly white, with scales that gleamed like polished iron. And incredibly, this snake had two heads…
Yan Tuo’s mind went blank, his entire body freezing.
Though Nie Jiuluo’s position was already in the mid-upper section of the cave, this snake had descended from even higher. Its body arched, looming from above. Though its approach was slow, the silent menace was more terrifying than any sound, as if it might swallow him whole at any moment.
Then he saw clearly—it wasn’t one snake with two heads, but rather two snakes with their lower bodies intertwined, their tails hidden in a cave above. What chilled him even more was that both snake heads bore faces resembling humans.
Human-faced snakes? Did such creatures exist? Perhaps they did—after all, the world was full of wonders.
He’d heard of human-faced spiders, and supposedly Japan had human-faced carp that were protected by the government.
The safety line at his waist suddenly tightened, but Yan Tuo remained motionless, fearing any movement might provoke the giant snakes to attack.
Legend said Nüwa had a human face and snake body. Though some claimed the snake was merely Nüwa’s mount and guardian beast. Could it be that when Nüwa’s physical form collapsed, these snakes remained as eternal guardians?
He instinctively felt the snakes had emerged because of him. He had been frantically trying to destroy the membrane containing Nie Jiuluo—which, from another perspective, was part of Nüwa’s flesh.
Would the snakes become enraged and devour him? His size would hardly be a challenge for them. However, Nüwa had always been associated with creation and the protection of life. Perhaps, following their master’s nature, there might be a slim chance of survival.
Yan Tuo’s hand loosened, and the diving knife fell straight to the river bottom.
After what felt like an eternity of deathly silent eye contact, the snake bodies slowly began to withdraw. The human faces on the two snake heads wore expressions of sorrow as they moved further away, separated by rippling water, making one question whether this scene was reality or illusion.
From the moment Yan Tuo entered the water and cave, Yu Rong had been inexplicably anxious.
His going into the river wasn’t so bad—the river surface had no “lid,” so if anything went wrong, he could quickly surface, and she and Que Cha could assist from the shore. But entering the cave was different, especially going forty minutes deep.
Watching the safety line’s coil gradually disappear into the water as time passed, she couldn’t help complaining to Que Cha: “What if there’s some prehistoric giant crocodile in there…”
Que Cha replied, “Yeah, one bite and he’d be gone.”
Yu Rong glared at her. This was exactly what she feared: pulling back only to find an empty rope end—that would be tragic.
Rustling sounds came from nearby as Jiang Baichuan appeared again. Previously, his foraging grounds had mainly been in the Black and White Ravine, where life was more abundant than this side of the water. But these past few days, this side had become more appealing due to people offering food.
Getting food handed to you was always easier than hunting for it.
Fortuitously, Sun Li and the others had just delivered supplies earlier, and knowing Jiang Baichuan frequently appeared here, they had included some relatively fresh meat and bones.
Yu Rong rummaged through the supplies, found a lamb leg, and tossed it over.
Delighted with the lamb leg, Jiang Baichuan dragged it aside to feast.
Que Cha stared at the pitch-black cave entrance and had a sudden thought: “Hey, you know how Kuafu Seven Fingers has seven exits, but one was never found? Could this ravine be it?”
Yu Rong frowned. “I doubt it. What kind of exit would this be?”
Que Cha grew excited. “No, think about it—the Di Xiao don’t die easily, right? They can even regrow their heads, so they definitely can’t drown. They could be carried by the current to the Yellow River and then to the sea. If they get fished out and revived, that counts as an ‘escape route,’ doesn’t it?”
Yu Rong glanced at her. “Isn’t that route too risky? It’s not that easy to get fished out. Besides, floating in the water, they’d just be unconscious masses of flesh. There are plenty of flesh-eating fish in the water.”
Before they could be carried to safety, they’d likely be devoured by schools of fish. And even if they did make it out and were lucky enough to be retrieved, without Nüwa’s statue to transform them, how long could the Di Xiao survive in the light?
Que Cha pondered this. “That’s true.”
Speaking of “flesh-eating fish” in the water, Yu Rong grew anxious again. Looking at the time, forty minutes had passed.
Yet the safety line continued to feed into the water.
Yu Rong swallowed hard, growing restless. “Why is he still going deeper?”
Logically, if Yan Tuo had turned back, the rope should have stopped moving.
Que Cha was also getting nervous. “Did he discover something down there?”
That was possible. Yan Tuo should understand the importance of time—if he hadn’t returned at the scheduled point, he must have found something.
Yu Rong urged Que Cha: “Get the fire started first. After being in there so long, he’ll be frozen like an ice stick when he comes back.”
Que Cha acknowledged and began unloading wood pieces from the small cart while Yu Rong kept watching the safety line and checking the time, repeatedly licking her lips anxiously. He couldn’t go any deeper—though it seemed like just a few extra minutes, a dead propulsion device was the least of their worries. The real concern was the air tank. Without the ability to breathe underwater, every minute could be fatal.
Noticing Yu Rong’s troubled expression, Que Cha grew worried. “Should we… pull him back?”
Yu Rong smiled bitterly. Yan Tuo had gone so deep—walking normally, one could cover three to four kilometers in an hour. It might be slower underwater, but still at least two to three kilometers. She wasn’t King Kong—how could she single-handedly pull a grown man submerged in water from two or three kilometers away, against the current? That was pure fantasy.
Just as anxiety was making her forehead sweat, the safety line shuddered once and finally stopped moving.
Yu Rong sighed in relief and turned to instruct Que Cha: “Start heating the soup too. It should be ready when he comes out.”
As she spoke, she stood up and began slowly reeling in the rope.
While pulling, she felt a slight tension.
Yu Rong’s heart jumped. To confirm, she gave it another hard pull.
Still taut!
They’d been careless—the rope had stopped, but he wasn’t coming back. Could something have happened?
Yu Rong’s face suddenly went pale. She quickly wrapped the safety line around her shoulder and neck, leaning back with all her might.
Que Cha, who was building the fire, saw this and was startled. “What’s wrong?”
Yu Rong didn’t answer. After a while, the rope loosened slightly—he must be returning now.
Coming back only now? Yu Rong’s voice cracked: “How long has it been?”
Que Cha quickly checked her watch: “Fifty-two minutes.”
Fifty-two minutes—disaster! On a forty-minute one-way trip, Yan Tuo had deliberately extended it by twelve minutes. Even if he could hold his breath for four minutes, what about the other eight?
Without propulsion or assistance pulling, Yan Tuo would surely die!
Yu Rong shouted at Que Cha: “Forget the fire, come help pull!”
Que Cha rushed over in two quick strides to help Yu Rong pull the rope. Her heart trembling and arms shaking, she felt the rope loosen before she could even exert much force.
Standing still and pulling wouldn’t work—Yan Tuo was on his return journey, so the rope would naturally slacken, and…
Que Cha reminded Yu Rong: “We need to pull in the same direction as him for it to be effective, right?”
Standing on the shore, their pulling direction formed an angle with Yan Tuo’s return path. As they’d learned in middle school physics, this would disperse the force.
Yu Rong understood immediately. After looking around, she rushed to the small cart, kicking and pushing until she managed to remove one of its wheels. Meanwhile, she let out a sharp whistle.
Nearby, Jiang Baichuan, who had just finished the lamb leg with satisfaction, tensed up and bounded over.
Yu Rong had no time for explanations. She cut the safety line, threaded it through the wheel, and while holding the rope end, wrapped it several times around Jiang Baichuan’s sturdy upper body, tying a secure knot.
Then, grabbing the wheel, she sprinted to the riverbank and jumped in with a splash. A whistle sounded from below, and Jiang Baichuan, as if receiving a command, perked up, front paws on the ground, throat rumbling, as he sprinted wildly along the riverbank in the opposite direction.
Que Cha watched in amazement, taking a moment to react before stumbling to the riverbank to look.
Yu Rong was treading water in the middle of the river, steadying the wheel like a steering wheel in her hands. The safety line running through the wheel was taut as a bowstring while continuously retracting, creating a straight line of white spray on the water’s surface.
Que Cha suddenly understood.
The wheel was for direction control, ensuring a straight line between Yu Rong and Yan Tuo so the pulling force would keep him on a direct return path without deviation. As for Jiang Baichuan, he served as a “boat tracker.” Now well-fed and muscular, with his transformed state giving him immense strength, his mad dash provided tremendous pulling power—far more effective than several Yu Rongs combined.
With the propulsion device at one end and their pulling at the other, they could help Yan Tuo “steal back” precious time!
About half an hour later, just as the safety line was about to wear through, Yan Tuo finally appeared.
He was still holding the propulsion device, but his posture showed complete exhaustion. Yu Rong released the wheel and splashed over to him, quickly removing his mask.
His face was bluish-purple—a few more seconds and his eyes might have rolled back.
Anger rose in Yu Rong’s heart, but before she could scold him, they were both pulled several meters away.
She had forgotten to whistle for Jiang Baichuan to stop, and he had sprinted too far to hear even if she did. Yu Rong used all her strength to cut the rope, and after spinning several times in the water with Yan Tuo, they finally stopped.
Yan Tuo gasped for air, dizzy, while Yu Rong, too exhausted to swim to shore, still managed to shout with vigor: “Don’t you know you’re supposed to return when time’s up? If it weren’t for the wheel and Uncle Jiang, you’d be dead, you idiot!”
Yan Tuo weakly raised his head to look at Yu Rong, and as he gazed at her, he suddenly smiled.
He said, “Yu Rong, I found A Luo.”
By the bonfire, wrapped in a large towel and shivering, Yan Tuo finished a bowl of hot mutton soup while recounting his underwater experience.
Yu Rong listened in amazement, growing excited by the end: “There’s such a place?”
It was thrilling—underwater caves, living statues, giant intertwined snakes—these were sights no amount of money or travel could buy.
Having followed Yu Rong around for half a year, Que Cha knew her temperament well enough to guess what she was thinking.
She poured cold water on Yu Rong’s enthusiasm: “Forget about it. You can’t hold your breath as long as Yan Tuo. If you went down, who would pull you back up? Who could command Old Jiang?”
True enough. Yu Rong deflated a bit, rubbing her hands by the fire—her hands bore deep marks from gripping the wheel so tightly.
After a while, she said, “Overall, it’s good news with mixed blessings, I suppose.”
Nie Er being alive was completely unexpected—it was amazing that Yan Tuo’s gamble had paid off.
But how could they bring Nie Jiuluo out?
She mused thoughtfully: “That snake… didn’t seem very aggressive.”
Yan Tuo nodded: “I feel like I did provoke it to appear, but it didn’t want to harm me—just… stop me, it seemed.”
Yu Rong gave him a sidelong glance: “If that is Nüwa’s flesh, it’s Nüwa’s remains, and that snake is like a guardian. There you were, tearing and cutting at it—think about it, what kind of action was that?”
Yan Tuo broke into a cold sweat.
Perhaps because the news of Nie Jiuluo being alive was so uplifting, even though they couldn’t bring her out yet and were at a loss for what to do, his mood remained positive.
Que Cha, who had been listening silently, suddenly spoke up: “Yan Tuo, you were wearing gloves the whole time, right?”
Yes, Yan Tuo glanced at his diving gloves tossed aside: “Of course, I had to wear gloves. Underwater, your fingers would freeze quickly without them.”
Que Cha said: “Did you try touching that Nüwa flesh without gloves?”
Yan Tuo’s heart stirred: “What do you mean?”
Que Cha: “Nothing really, I just think that if it is Nüwa’s flesh—the remains of a world-creating deity—it must have spiritual awareness. You were covered from head to toe, not showing an inch of skin. When you touched Nüwa’s flesh, pardon my bluntness, how would it know what kind of being you were? Then you started tearing and cutting like a bandit—how could you expect to forcibly take someone from her domain? Think about whose territory that is.”
“Maybe people can’t be taken by force from there—they need to be received. Those willing to leave with you will leave. Those who shouldn’t be taken by you won’t budge no matter what weapons you use.”