madnovel Chapter 213 The Underground River at the Bottom of the Well
Chapter 213 The Underground River at the Bottom of the Well
He withdrew his consciousness and hid himself even deeper in the ruins.
Time passed little by little.
The moon moved from east to west, then sank back down. As the sky began to lighten with the first hint of dawn, the six people by the well began to move.
Two people jumped down from the height and switched places with the two people at the wellhead. The movements were swift and decisive, clearly indicating that they had practiced countless times.
The guards changed shifts. But the fifth-tier enemy inside the well didn't move.
Li Xiaoyao watched as the six fourth-tier players changed shifts and returned to their posts, and his heart sank slightly.
The people of the Paradise of Reincarnation were more cautious than he had imagined. They guarded this well so meticulously that not a drop of water leaked out.
As dawn broke, people began to move about the streets, and breakfast vendors pushed their carts past the alley entrances, their shouts echoing throughout the area.
The six people by the well remained motionless, like six statues.
Li Xiaoyao silently slid down from the rooftop and retreated into the depths of the alley.
A direct assault won't work, nor will a sneak attack. He needs another approach.
Back at the inn, Li Xiaoyao had just opened the door when he saw a jade slip on the table.
His pupils contracted slightly—the room was protected by a restriction; who could put the jade slip in without triggering it?
He probed the jade slip with his divine sense, and found only one sentence: "Beneath the ancient well lies an underground river, which leads outside the city. At midnight, three miles east of the city, under the old locust tree."
The signature is a golden pupil.
Li Xiaoyao crushed the jade slip and stood by the window for a long time.
Who exactly is this person? Why are they helping him? How much of what they say can be trusted? But if what they say is true...
There's an underground river at the bottom of the well leading out of the city, so there's no need to go in through the well opening.
Midnight. Three miles east of the city. Under the old locust tree.
Let's take a gamble.
.....
Three miles east of the city, under the old locust tree.
At midnight, the moonlight was like water.
When Li Xiaoyao arrived, there was no one under the old locust tree. The tree canopy blocked most of the moonlight, and the shadow of the tree spread out on the ground in complete darkness.
He stood at the edge of the tree's shadow and waited for a moment.
"You've arrived."
The sound came from the treetops. A young man with golden eyes jumped down from the branches and landed silently in front of him.
"Where is that underground river you mentioned?"
The young man didn't answer, but turned and walked towards Yongning City. Li Xiaoyao followed.
The two walked for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn before stopping at the foot of the city wall. The city wall here was old and dilapidated, with weathered and peeling bricks revealing the rammed earth underneath.
The young man squatted down, reached out and felt around the base of the wall for a while, found a loose brick, and gently pulled it out.
Behind the bricks, a hole the size of a fist was exposed, and a damp wind blew out of the hole, carrying a fishy smell.
"Go in from here and walk down thirty feet to reach the underground river. Follow the underground river upstream to reach the bottom of the ancient well." The young man stood up and dusted off his hands.
Li Xiaoyao looked at the hole: "Do the people of the Paradise of Reincarnation know about this passage?"
"I know," the young man said, "but they can't get in."
Why?
"Because there's something in the underground river." The young man looked at him. "Three hundred years ago, that Golden Core cultivator raised a fish in the underground river."
Li Xiaoyao frowned slightly.
The young man added, "It was a guardian spirit beast he created using the methods of the primordial immortal path. For three hundred years, that fish has been swimming in the underground river, guarding that key."
The people of the Paradise of Reincarnation tried to enter through the underground river three times, and all three times they perished inside. Two fourth-tier beings died, and one fifth-tier being severely injured.
Li Xiaoyao was silent for a moment: "What's the strength of that fish?"
"In the water, it's at the peak of the fifth rank." The young man paused, "but it only recognizes the successors of the Primordial Immortal Path."
Li Xiaoyao's heart stirred. The Primordial Immortal Path. He remembered the incomplete cultivation manual in his arms.
"How do you know so much?"
The young man smiled but did not answer. He took out a fist-sized bead from his pocket and handed it to Li Xiaoyao.
The beads are blue-green, with a faint shimmering effect on their surface.
Li Xiaoyao took it and probed it with his divine sense—a gentle, ancient aura was sealed inside the bead, carrying the unique charm of the primordial immortal path.
"This is a keepsake from the fish's owner," the young man said. "Take it into the water, and the fish won't hurt you."
Li Xiaoyao looked at the bead in his hand, then at the young man: "Who exactly are you?"
The young man remained silent for a long time. Moonlight shone on his face, making his golden pupils shine like two inextinguishable lamps.
"I'm the same as you," he said softly. "I come from outside. I have a system. But my system... is broken."
"broken?"
"It dumped me into this world and then abandoned me. It didn't give me any tasks, rewards, or tell me what to do."
The young man looked down at his hands. "I've been searching for years to find a way to repair them. Then I discovered that this relic might hold what I need."
He looked at Li Xiaoyao, his golden pupils reflecting the moonlight: "I'm not helping you. I'm helping myself."
Li Xiaoyao stared at him for a moment, then carefully put the bead away.
"What's your name?"
The young man thought for a moment and said, "Just call me Candle."
Li Xiaoyao nodded and didn't ask any more questions. He walked to the cave entrance, squatted down, and his figure began to change.
His body became supple and slender, like a snake. He slid silently into the cave and disappeared into the darkness.
Zhu stood at the cave entrance, gazing into the darkness, and remained silent for a long time.
Then he turned around and walked towards Yongning City.
underground river.
Li Xiaoyao slid out of the cave and fell into the water. The water was cool, but not bone-chilling. He sank to the bottom and swam upstream against the current.
The underground river was wider than he had imagined, and the stone walls on both sides were covered with glowing moss, which made the river water appear as a dark green.
The beads were slightly warm in his hand.
After swimming for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the river ahead suddenly widened. The current also became rapid, cascading down from the cracks in the rocks overhead, forming a small waterfall.
Li Xiaoyao poked his head out of the water. Behind the waterfall was a cave with a faint light inside.
He climbed ashore and held the bead up in front of him.
The cave wasn't large; in the center was a stone platform, on which sat a jade box about the size of a palm. The surface of the jade box was covered with runes, identical to those on the sensing stone.
Li Xiaoyao walked over, reached for the jade box, and suddenly stopped.
The water surface is moving.
It's not water; there's something underwater.
He slowly turned his head.
A huge head rose from the water. It was a fish, entirely black, with scales as thick as armor.
Its eyes were golden, just like the candle's. The fish watched him quietly, showing no intention of attacking.
Li Xiaoyao held the bead and slowly picked up the jade box.
The fish's eyes followed the jade box, and the moment the box left the stone platform, it suddenly opened its mouth—not to bite him, but to let out a low whimper from deep within its throat, like a sigh, or perhaps a sigh of relief. Then it sank into the water and disappeared without a trace.
Li Xiaoyao put the jade box into his storage ring and swam back to the exit along the underground river.
When I crawled out of the cave, the sky was already turning white.
The candle is gone.
The bricks at the opening were resealed, as if no one had ever touched them.
Li Xiaoyao stood beneath the city wall, staring at the storage ring in his hand, remaining silent for a long time. Then he turned and walked towards the outside of the city.