Chapter One Hundred Ten: Rising Waters

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Xu Yang’s words elicited varied reactions from the group, casting a heavy awkwardness over the atmosphere. After a long silence, Hou Qiankun forced a smile and said, “Alright, alright, it can’t be that Third Brother hired someone to assassinate our nephew Qiutong, can it?” He looked at me with a chuckle.

I understood his glance immediately and sneered inwardly—this was a subtle way of giving Ghost-Faced Zhang an escape route. I nodded in agreement. “Yeah, I don’t hold any grudge against Uncle Zhang. Besides, if he wanted to kill me, why bother with assassination? I’m not that easy to catch!” I smiled deliberately to ease the tension, though inwardly I vowed that once I got out of this cursed place, I would sever all ties with these fellows.

My concession eased the mood considerably. Seeing that I, the party involved, wasn’t pressing the matter, no one else dared to offend Ghost-Faced Zhang.

“Let’s figure out how to move forward. Time’s running out,” Ghost-Faced Zhang said, lighting another cigarette and taking a couple of puffs, evidently less tense than before.

Hou Qiankun, sniffling, also lit a cigarette. It seemed these two found their “spiritual nourishment” in smoking.

“Let’s check the spot where we climbed out just now,” he suggested.

Suddenly, before Hou Qiankun finished his cigarette, he stiffened abruptly, eyes wide open in shock. After a moment, he glanced at Ghost-Faced Zhang. Both their faces drained of color.

“The water... it’s rising!” Wanhua Tong trembled, face pale and frightened. “We can’t leave—can’t leave!”

His words hit me like a thunderclap, sending chills down my spine. If the water from Qinglong Lake above us was rising and flooding down, wouldn’t we be doomed?

While we stood there stunned, Ghost-Faced Zhang didn’t hesitate. He rushed to the tunnel entrance above the coffin, clicked his tongue, stomped his foot, and frowned. “It’s sealed.” Bending down, he grabbed the stone slab blocking the entrance and with a creak, he forced open the heavy slab weighing over two hundred pounds, then crawled inside. Hou Qiankun followed quickly, with Dragon King Iron Crutch Liu trailing behind.

The sound of water inside the cave grew louder. I was too frightened to stand.

“Still not moving? Waiting to be fish food?” Old Lover grabbed my arm roughly, almost sending me tumbling. My arm throbbed painfully.

I shot her a cold glance. She snorted, “What are you looking at? Your little lover’s given up on you.”

Only then did I notice that Meng Ya, that woman, had already crawled ahead. I sighed deeply—such is the fickleness of the world. Stretching my stiff legs, I hurried to the tunnel entrance and crawled in.

“Third Brother, everyone’s here,” Hou Qiankun whispered. Ghost-Faced Zhang didn’t say much; he climbed up to the entrance and pushed the stone slab back into place with a loud creak, trapping us underneath.

“It’s over, it’s over,” Wanhua Tong muttered incessantly like a monk chanting a funeral sutra, driving everyone crazy. “No way out this time. We won’t survive until the water recedes. Fourth Brother must already be dead.”

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His morbid chanting irritated me beyond words, but I held back from arguing.

“Stop mourning or I’ll shut you up for good,” Ghost-Faced Zhang said in a low, hoarse voice. Instantly, the “old monk” went silent.

“Second Brother, turn on the flashlight and lead the way. I’m sure there’s a drainage point along this tunnel.”

“Okay.”

Hou Qiankun answered and pulled out flashlights from the gear, turning one on after another—none lit up.

“Out of all these, only four still work. The batteries aren’t bad though.”

Ghost-Faced Zhang didn’t reply but frowned, looking carefully at everyone and then at me. His grotesque face twisted into a strange expression that gave me goosebumps.

“What? What are you doing?”

He said nothing and threw a flashlight to me. “You three stay at the rear. With your two bodyguards’ skills, they’re enough to protect you, the useless one.”

I cursed him silently and glanced at Old Lover Meng Ya. I was shocked again—her face was pale beyond usual. Normally, her skin was very fair, almost as if she had a pervasive vitiligo. Now she was utterly bloodless, drenched in cold sweat.

“What’s wrong?” I reached out to touch her face gently.

“Slap!” She slapped my hand away. “Don’t touch me.”

Her action infuriated me. If it weren’t for Old Lover pulling me back earlier, I might not have gotten in here at all. Yet, despite our past intimacy, she completely disregarded me. My goodwill was met with coldness. Then, thinking it over, maybe I was the fickle one. I sighed and swallowed my anger.

Ghost-Faced Zhang ignored us and looked at the others with a click of his tongue, clearly annoyed. After a pause, he frowned. “Second Brother, you’re agile. Stay in the middle of the group with Old Seven Sha. Don’t let the useless one die in here.”

Though he didn’t specify who was useless, everyone knew he meant the recently injured, plump Xu and the overweight Wanhua Tong. They obediently slunk behind Dragon King and Hou Qiankun.

“Cripple, we’ll go up front. If anything happens, I’ll handle it and keep the line steady.” He steadied his long knife and cleared his throat. “Time’s tight. Move out!”

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As the heavy sound of rushing water echoed above the stone slab, our group moved through the tunnel. Not far ahead, the tunnel suddenly lowered, forcing us to bend over to proceed. Further on, it dipped even lower, so low we had to crawl, though the tunnel remained wide enough to avoid crowding.

The cave was damp, with water dripping from above, soaking me thoroughly. I sighed, feeling utterly helpless.

Just as I exhaled, a cold breeze brushed my neck. I instinctively turned but saw nothing—only two beams of flashlight. I realized that Meng Ya and Old Lover, who should be protecting me, had crawled ahead. Looking back, it was Xu Yang and Wanhua Tong behind me, while I was trailing at the rear of the middle segment. Besides Meng Ya and Old Lover, Hou Qiankun and Dragon King were in the middle. The order hadn’t changed.

I thought to myself I should quicken my pace. Having Meng Ya and Old Lover nearby would raise my chances of safety. I shook off the damp sleeves, steadied my breath, took a deep breath, and sped up.

The deeper we crawled, the more water covered the floor, becoming thicker and stickier, eventually turning into a viscous slime. It clung to my body like mucus. The flashlight’s beam reflected oddly off it, and the smell was foul—a mix of rotten eggs and some peculiar metallic stench that made me nauseous.

I held my breath and quickened my pace until I caught up behind Meng Ya. Gasping, I frowned, thinking how exhausting this was. I was already close to my limit and now this added suffering.

“Big Sister, I know you’re skilled, but could you slow down a bit?”

I expected her to tease me, but she ignored me completely. I sighed; she must be mad at me. I shivered and said, “Don’t be angry... If there’s any score to settle, we can do that after we get out. Right now, we’re all in the same boat. Neither you nor I can fly away.”

She paused but remained silent, continuing to crawl forward.

I was puzzled. Despite the dire situation, her temperament would normally provoke a retort. Not a word. Could it be that my voice was too faint to hear because I was gasping for air?

I adjusted my breathing and said, “Meng Ya, stop holding a grudge. Whatever debts there are, we’ll settle them later. For now, we’re grasshoppers tied to the same string—you won’t hop away, and I can’t fly.”

She stopped for a moment but still said nothing, pressing on ahead.