Yi Wansan’s throat went dry as he slowly backed away.

Perhaps it was Luo Ren’s reply, “almost there,” that gave him confidence. Though he felt nervous, he was far from falling apart.

If Luo Ren said they were almost there, then they must be. What he needed to do was wrack his brains to stall for time—dirty tricks, nasty moves, shameless tactics—whatever it took.

Yi Wansan laughed dryly, the flesh on his face trembling uncontrollably beneath the bandages.

—”Qing Shan, don’t be impulsive. Everything can be discussed. We can talk this through.”

—”Weren’t you supposed to get married today? Where’s the bride? Has the… wedding banquet finished?”

Qing Shan ignored him completely, staring straight at him, approaching step by step. Yi Wansan suddenly tripped and stumbled. Looking down, he saw the well pulley’s rope trailing on the ground.

When he looked up again, Qing Shan’s face was filled with murderous intent, poised to strike…

In desperation, Yi Wansan shouted: “Stop right there!”

Qing Shan was startled, and instinctively, he paused.

“Do you know who I am?”

Qing Shan frowned, narrowing his eyes to look at him.

Yi Wansan’s eyes were wide open, and his entire demeanor was quite intimidating. Qing Shan couldn’t figure him out: “Who are you?”

To buy time, Yi Wansan deliberately paused for a few seconds, until Qing Shan’s expression grew impatient and his gaze began to shift, only then did he speak.

“I’m your cousin Cao Tudun’s friend! Is this how you treat me? Where are your manners…”

As expected, Qing Shan knew he was making it up. Without wasting more words, a growl rose from his throat as he lunged directly at Yi Wansan.

Yi Wansan turned and ran.

Before he could take more than a few steps, he suddenly felt a gust of wind above him. Yi Wansan instinctively lowered his neck. In that instant, Qing Shan flew right over his head, his hands viciously grabbing at Yi Wansan’s shoulders, then landing directly in front of him, blocking his path.

Yi Wansan stopped abruptly. His clothes were torn, and his shoulder blades burned with pain. Qing Shan’s throat made a growling sound as he turned around with a sinister smile.

Damn it! Where was Luo Ren? He knew Yi Wansan couldn’t fight, especially against someone like Qing Shan who carried a cursed scroll!

Yi Wansan’s legs trembled, and the flashlight in his hand shook continuously as he stepped backward. Suddenly, his calf bumped into the edge of the well.

In this momentary distraction, Qing Shan had already pounced on him, one hand gripping his shoulder, the other locking around his throat, pushing him toward the well. Yi Wansan’s feet left the ground, his back slamming hard against the well pulley. Qing Shan’s face filled his vision, and in that moment, a chill swept through him.

It was over. He was going to die.

If he had known, he wouldn’t have followed. Now he would pay with his life.

To hell with it. Since he was going to die anyway, if he couldn’t take Qing Shan down with him, he could at least inflict some damage.

At this life-or-death moment, that reckless ferocity from Yi Wansan’s days on the streets was fully unleashed. He scratched, bit, kicked wildly, and pulled Qing Shan’s hair. The wooden pulley frame behind him creaked ominously, about to collapse…

Yi Wansan suddenly grabbed a length of rope.

Finally, a weapon! I’ll strangle you!

His throat was locked in Qing Shan’s grip, his vision darkening, barely able to breathe. Relying on touch alone, he roughly knew where Qing Shan’s neck was. Without hesitation, he wrapped the rope around it and pulled with all his might…

The wooden frame suddenly splintered, losing its support. With nothing behind him, he fell toward the well. After falling just a meter or two, he suddenly stopped, and the grip on his throat loosened.

What happened? Had Luo Ren and the others arrived?

Yi Wansan opened his eyes. In the dim light of the flashlight that had fallen outside the well, he saw Qing Shan’s face right in front of him.

How to describe it? Qing Shan’s hands and feet were braced against the walls of the well, with the rope tied around his neck, and the end of the rope tightly gripped in Yi Wansan’s hand. Thanks to this length of rope, at that moment, he truly looked like a giant pendant hanging from Qing Shan’s neck, his body swaying in the not-so-spacious well.

In Qing Shan’s eyes, a trace of barely noticeable fear flashed by.

What was wrong? What was he afraid of? Wasn’t it just a well?

Yi Wansan’s body twisted again, and his gaze caught the glimmering, oil-black surface of the water at the bottom of the well.

In a flash, a thought suddenly sprang into his mind.

The cursed scroll was afraid of water!

Son of a bitch, so you do have something you fear!

Yi Wansan was instantly invigorated. With one hand gripping the rope, his other hand struck Qing Shan’s face, then pulled his hair and ears, kicking him fiercely.

After all, Qing Shan’s hands and feet were all braced against the well. Every spot he could hit was worth hitting! Once Qing Shan got out of the well, who knew what would happen?

Qing Shan endured the beating, his eyes bloodshot with anger. If it had been just him, he probably could have climbed up quickly, but with such a heavy person hanging from his neck and under attack from the front, his progress was somewhat impeded.

As the well opening came into view, Qing Shan’s eyes grew murderous…

From not far away, Yan Hong Sha’s voice suddenly rang out: “Yi Wansan? Yi Wansan!”

Yi Wansan was overjoyed, feeling as if every limb was filled with tons of strength—never in history had he found Yan Hong Sha so likable!

He strained his neck to shout: “Here!”

The main group had arrived, and he felt relieved. No, he had to do something heroic, to show Luo Ren and the others how he, someone who couldn’t fight, had overcome the cursed scroll! It would just mean swallowing some water—he had grown up by the sea, after all!

Yi Wansan let out a great roar, kicking one of Qing Shan’s hands that was braced against the well wall. Taking advantage of Qing Shan’s momentary pain, he climbed upward, wrapping his legs around Qing Shan’s body, forcefully dragging him down while biting his other hand.

As expected, with the center of gravity suddenly lost, they fell straight down into the well, embracing each other.

As his body hit the water surface, splashing up water, Yi Wansan felt somewhat disappointed: Luo Ren and the others had come too late. At this moment, at least one face should have peered over the well to witness his heroic moment—if this were a movie, there would be a slow-motion shot here.

Luo Ren had indeed lived up to Yi Wansan’s expectations, speeding all the way, even running several red lights. After all, the car was registered under Uncle Zheng’s name, so he wasn’t worried about penalty points.

Arriving at the entrance to the township, Yan Hong Sha and Mu Dai jumped out first to ask about Yi Wansan’s whereabouts, while Luo Ren made sure Ya Feng was securely bound before dragging her into the back of the car and locking her in.

As he got out of the car, Yan Hong Sha had already darted toward the small path leading to the back of the mountain, screaming for him to follow closely: “Here! Here!”

Luo Ren quickly followed. After hurrying for a while, he saw a faint light from an abandoned courtyard by the path.

It was a flashlight thrown on the ground.

Yan Hong Sha reached it first, supporting herself at the edge of the well, almost losing her balance. Luo Ren initially thought she had slipped, but as he approached, he realized that wasn’t the case.

The well was shaking.

It was as if something below was violently colliding with the walls, causing even the ground to tremble slightly.

Luo Ren quickly picked up the flashlight and shone it down. Below, white waves were churning in the water, and there seemed to be people in the waves, but it was unclear.

He asked Yan Hong Sha: “Is Yi Wansan down there?”

Yan Hong Sha couldn’t say for sure: “I think I heard his voice, from this direction…”

That must be it. It seemed he had been pulled into the well. Luo Ren’s face darkened: “Move aside.”

Before Yan Hong Sha could understand what was happening, in a blur, Luo Ren had handed the flashlight to Mu Dai, then braced himself against the well edge and jumped straight down.

Another huge splash. Mu Dai quickly held the flashlight to shine down, but in the darkness, it was hard to see clearly. At first, there were still splashing and violent tremors of the well walls, but gradually everything calmed down. The water surface rippled gently, covered with white foam.

This calmness was terrifying.

Mu Dai’s back grew cold as she thought: No, it can’t be. Nothing will happen. Luo Ren can swim.

She held her breath, shining the flashlight, trying to lean down as far as possible. Cao Yanhua and Yan Hong Sha also crowded around. The well opening wasn’t large, and with the three of them so close together, it was almost airtight, even their words producing echoes.

Cao Yanhua trembled: “Where’s my Brother Luo? Where’s my Brother Sansan?”

As if in response to his words, there was suddenly a splash from below, and a swollen, mummy-like head surfaced.

Cao Yanhua screamed: “Ghost!”

The scream was one thing, but his hands instinctively pushed outward. Mu Dai’s arm was shoved, causing her to lose grip on the flashlight, which fell with a clang.

After Luo Ren entered the water, everything was chaotic. Only through physical contact could he tell there were two people underwater, and the one with strong muscles and powerful limbs must be Qing Shan.

Though he couldn’t see, it didn’t hinder his attack. He twisted, released, locked, and pulled. Perhaps it was effective, or perhaps the cursed scroll’s power had truly reached its limit. At some point, that force suddenly withdrew. Luo Ren quickly supported Yi Wansan, helping him surface first.

Before he could see clearly how badly Yi Wansan was injured, something suddenly crashed down from above. Luo Ren instinctively turned his head, but with a loud clang, the object hit Yi Wansan squarely on the forehead. Fortunately, this flashlight was only a small, pocket-sized one. If it had been any larger, it might have split his head open.

He vaguely remembered giving the flashlight to Mu Dai. How could she not even hold onto a flashlight? Luo Ren wanted to grind his teeth, but then thought: After all, she’s my girlfriend. Let it go.

He wiped the water from his face and shouted upward: “Lower the rope, pull Yi Wansan up. Light sticks!”

Mu Dai understood. She quickly took off Yan Hong Sha’s tactical pack, while instructing Cao Yanhua and Yan Hong Sha to lower the rope. She snapped two underwater light sticks and threw them straight down.

Luo Ren quickly wrapped the rope around Yi Wansan’s shoulders and waist, tugged on the rope to signal those above to start pulling, then let go. Taking a deep breath, he submerged again.

The cold flame of the light sticks burned quietly underwater, casting a cold and dim light. Qing Shan was pale-faced, his eyes wide open, limbs spread out, floating unconsciously in the water.

Luo Ren held his breath, treaded water to float up beside Qing Shan, and pressed his hand to Qing Shan’s chest.

No movement. Had the cursed scroll left his body?

Luo Ren dared not take chances. After pondering for a moment, he drew the dagger from behind him, letting the blade cut across his palm. In the cold light of the burning sticks, he saw the blood from his palm, which should normally diffuse in water, but at that moment, it formed into a straight line of blood drops, heading directly in one direction. As they approached something, they were scattered one by one.

The cursed scroll must be in that direction.

Without further hesitation, Luo Ren supported Qing Shan and forcefully surfaced, bracing his feet against the well walls to keep Qing Shan from touching the water: “Lower the rope.”

The rope trembled as it was lowered again. Luo Ren followed the same procedure, sending Qing Shan up. Looking up, he saw it was Mu Dai and Cao Yanhua pulling. He instructed them: “Throw down the water bag from the pack, and also, blood from each of you.”

No explanation was needed; they all understood.

The water bag came down first. Luo Ren opened it, took a deep breath, grabbed the water bag, and submerged again. Looking up from underwater, he could see the shimmering surface of the water, and then blood drops fell.

Watching blood dripping from above while underwater was a strange experience. Such a small drop, appearing almost brown in the darkness, splashed onto the water surface, scattering tiny blood droplets, and then instantly being pulled into a blood line toward one direction.

The second line, the third line, illuminated by the cold light, straight, toward a constant direction, but always dispersed into a blood mist at the end. Until the fifth line appeared, instantly forming a vague, indistinct outline of a phoenix.

This was the moment. Luo Ren clenched his teeth, covered the area with the water bag in his hand, sealed it underwater, then surfaced, gasping for air.

Looking up, he surprisingly saw the moon, a thin crescent. Beneath the moon, Mu Dai had been leaning over the well edge, anxiously looking down. When she saw him, her eyes brightened.

Just like two stars.

Luo Ren smiled up at her from the well.

Above the well, Yan Hong Sha and Cao Yanhua were busy tending to Yi Wansan and Qing Shan, in a state of panic.

—”How’s my Brother, Sansan?”

—”Not dead, not dead. His arm seems to be broken. What about Qing Shan?”

—”Don’t know, he doesn’t seem to be breathing. Still not breathing.”

—”Chest compressions! Mouth-to-mouth, blow, blow, blow!”

Luo Ren sighed, bracing against the well walls to climb up. After ascending just a couple of steps, Mu Dai lowered the rope. With her pulling force, Luo Ren quickly made it up.

Yi Wansan was moaning, already half-conscious. On the other side, Cao Yanhua was still supporting Qing Shan’s chest with one hand while frantically pounding with his fist, shouting: “Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!”

None of them knew proper first aid. Luo Ren smiled bitterly. Just as he was about to go help, Qing Shan made a choking sound and turned to the side to vomit water.

Meanwhile, Yan Hong Sha anxiously asked Yi Wansan: “How are you? How are you? Your arm seems to be broken, but don’t worry. Is there anywhere else that doesn’t feel well? Any?”

The bandages covering his head and face had come loose. Yi Wansan’s eyes and face were severely swollen. He raised his broken arm slightly, feeling nothing, then raised his uninjured arm to touch his forehead.

On his forehead was a large bump.

He said: “Just here, it seems to hurt particularly badly…”

Yan Hong Sha said without thinking: “That’s from just now…”

Luo Ren suddenly interrupted: “Hit it while down there.”

Was it from the flashlight? Cao Yanhua felt guilty and quickly nodded: “Yes, yes, hit it. Brother Sansan, your head is really hard.”

Mu Dai coughed lightly: “Yes, hit it.”

Yan Hong Sha caught on: “Hit it.”

Hit it?

Yi Wansan remembered. When Qing Shan first entered the water, he was like a ball that had lost its air, dragging Yi Wansan around and crashing violently, nearly shattering his bones.

Just thinking about it made him angry. He had wanted to be heroic, but the heroic scene hadn’t been witnessed, and he’d nearly been beaten to death underwater.

Glancing over, he saw Qing Shan lying beside him, still vomiting water. Rage rose from his heart to his gut. Without thinking, he kicked Qing Shan: “That’s for ramming into me!”