SES Chapter 159 Part 2

With a roar, he kicked Qingshan’s hand off the wall, then lunged upward, wrapping his legs around the man’s body and dragging him down. He even bit at Qingshan’s other hand for good measure.

Qingshan lost his grip entirely. Both of them plunged straight into the well.

When they hit the water, a huge splash erupted.

For a brief, ridiculous moment, Yiwansan felt disappointed — Luo Ren hadn’t arrived in time to see his grand, heroic moment. If this were a movie, this would’ve been the slow-motion shot, he thought before sinking.

Luo Ren, meanwhile, really had been driving like a maniac — speeding through red lights, not caring about tickets since the car was registered under Uncle Zheng.

At the edge of the town, Yan Hongsha and Mu Dai jumped out first to ask about Yiwansan’s whereabouts. Once Luo Ren made sure Ya Feng was tied up tight, he shoved her into the back of the car and locked it.

By the time he got out, Yan Hongsha was already sprinting up the mountain path, shouting, “Over here! This way!”

Luo Ren followed fast. After a short run, they reached an abandoned courtyard, where a faint light glimmered near a well.

A flashlight lay on the ground.

Yan Hongsha rushed to the edge, peered in — and nearly lost her footing. Luo Ren thought she’d slipped, but then realized she hadn’t.

The ground itself was trembling.

Something inside the well was violently pounding against the walls. The vibrations made the earth shudder.

Luo Ren grabbed the flashlight and shone it down. The water below was churning white. Something — someone — was thrashing below, but he couldn’t make it out.

He asked sharply, “Yiwansan’s down there?”

“I think so!” Yan Hongsha said breathlessly. “I heard him earlier — from this direction!”

That was all Luo Ren needed to hear. “Move,” he ordered.

Before anyone could react, he handed the flashlight to Mu Dai and dove straight into the well.

A huge splash followed. Mu Dai leaned over, shining the light down, but the darkness swallowed everything. The water roiled, the walls shook — and then, gradually, it all went still.

The silence was terrifying.

Mu Dai’s back went cold. No, it’s fine. He’s fine. Luo Ren can swim, she told herself.

She held her breath and leaned farther down, flashlight trembling in her hands. Cao Yanhua and Yan Hongsha crowded around her. The well wasn’t wide — the three of them pressed shoulder to shoulder, their voices echoing off the stone.

Cao Yanhua’s voice trembled. “Where’s Luo Ren? Where’s Brother San?”

As if in answer, something suddenly broke the surface — a swollen, corpse-like head bobbing up from the darkness.

Cao Yanhua screamed, “A ghost!”

In his panic, he shoved hard — Mu Dai lost her grip, and the flashlight fell into the well with a splash.

Below, Luo Ren couldn’t see much either. Everything was chaos — only by touch did he realize there were two people under the water. The stronger, more muscular one had to be Qingshan.

He couldn’t see, but he could fight — twist, grapple, lock, pull. Maybe it worked; maybe Qingshan’s xiongjian-fueled strength was simply spent. Suddenly, the pressure vanished. Luo Ren caught hold of Yiwansan and hauled him toward the surface.

Just as they broke through, something heavy smacked down from above — Luo Ren jerked his head aside, and the object struck Yiwansan right in the forehead.

It was the flashlight.

Luckily, it was just a small hand-sized one — any larger, and Yiwansan would’ve had a hole in his skull.

Luo Ren remembered giving that flashlight to Mu Dai. Couldn’t even hold onto it, huh? He sighed inwardly. Well, she’s my girlfriend. I’ll let it slide.

He wiped the water from his face and shouted upward, “Drop a rope! Pull Yiwansan up! And throw down glow sticks!”

Mu Dai quickly grabbed Yan Hongsha’s tactical pack, ordered Cao Yanhua and Hongsha to get the rope ready, and cracked two waterproof glow sticks, tossing them down into the darkness.

Luo Ren tied the rope securely around Yiwansan’s shoulders and waist, tugged to signal the team above, and then took a deep breath before diving back under.

The glow sticks burned with a cold, pale light. In their eerie glow, Qingshan floated motionless, skin white as wax, limbs outstretched, eyes wide open.

Luo Ren swam over, pressed a hand to his chest — no movement.

The Xiongjian’s gone?

Still, he couldn’t risk it. He drew his dagger, sliced his palm open, and watched the blood under the glow. Instead of dispersing in the water, it formed fine red lines that stretched toward one direction — only to break apart just before reaching something unseen.

That’s where it is.

Without hesitation, Luo Ren pushed off the wall, dragged Qingshan up, and braced his feet against the well’s side to keep him above the water. “Send down another rope!” he shouted.

The rope dropped. Luo Ren tied it around Qingshan the same way and called up, “Water bag — and everyone’s blood. Now.”

No further explanation was needed; they all understood.

The water bag came first. Luo Ren took it, bit the seal open, drew a deep breath, and dove again. Above, the faint glimmer of light rippled through the water — then droplets of blood began to fall from above.

Watching blood fall through water was strangely mesmerizing. Each drop, dark brown in the dim light, hit the surface and spread, stretching into a fine crimson line before it shattered apart.

A second drop. A third. Each one formed the same thin, straight streak. But then, with the fifth drop, the lines curled together — swirling into the faint, majestic outline of a phoenix.

Now!

Luo Ren yanked the water bag tight over it, sealing it under the surface, and kicked upward, gasping for air.

When he looked up, he saw the moon — a thin silver crescent. And just beneath it, leaning over the edge of the well, was Mu Dai, her eyes wide and bright with relief.

Like two stars.

Luo Ren smiled at her from below.

Up top, Yan Hongsha and Cao Yanhua were busy with Yiwansan and Qingshan, both half-drowned.

“How’s Brother San?”

“Not dead! His arm might be broken, though. What about Qingshan?”

“Not sure. He’s not breathing. Still not breathing!”

“Chest compressions! Mouth-to-mouth — breathe, breathe, breathe!”

Luo Ren exhaled, braced himself against the wall, and started climbing up. Mu Dai lowered the rope to help him, and he was out in no time.

Yiwansan was groaning, half-conscious. Cao Yanhua was pounding on Qingshan’s chest, shouting, “Wake up! Come on, wake up!”

None of them knew proper first aid. Luo Ren gave a weary laugh, about to step forward, when Qingshan suddenly coughed hard and rolled over, spewing water.

Yan Hongsha turned back to Yiwansan in a rush. “How are you feeling? Your arm might be broken, but that’s okay. Anywhere else hurt?”

The bandages over Yiwansan’s face had come loose; his swollen face looked worse than ever. He lifted his broken arm, winced, then raised the good one to touch his forehead.

A massive lump had already formed there.

He groaned, “Right here. Hurts like hell…”

Yan Hongsha started to say, “That’s from when—”

But Luo Ren cut her off sharply. “He hit it down below.”

Or maybe from the flashlight, Cao Yanhua thought guiltily, nodding quickly. “Yeah, yeah, he hit it — Brother San, you’ve got one hard head.”

Mu Dai coughed softly. “Mm. He hit it.”

Yan Hongsha nodded. “Right, he hit it.”

Hit it?

Yiwansan finally remembered — when Qingshan first fell into the water, he’d thrashed like a wild beast, nearly breaking Yiwansan’s bones with every collision.

The memory alone made him furious. He’d wanted to be heroic, and instead he’d nearly been beaten to death.

He glanced over at Qingshan, who was still on his hands and knees, coughing up water, and without a second thought, Yiwansan kicked him hard.

“That’s for slamming into me!”