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墨書 Inktalez
As I passed through the narrow passageway, the water level grew shallower, and it was only after stepping onto solid ground that I truly felt the stability beneath my feet.
The journey so far had been relatively smooth.
However, I felt a sense of unease creeping in, a subtle anxiety that was steadily increasing.
Suddenly, debris tumbled down from the cliffside. I glanced up but saw nothing unusual, which eased my mind a bit.
This place was completely sealed off; if a collapse were to occur, we would undoubtedly perish.
After navigating through this section, light began to filter in from deeper within, though it was faint and unclear.
At that moment, I heard the sound of rain pouring down, the raindrops as large as beans, pooling on the ground beneath us.
"It seems like it's been raining for days," said Mud Man. Fat Ma complained, "Just got out of the water, and now we have to get drenched again."
Unintentionally, small stones rolled down from the cliff, and we all quickly dodged them.
After a brief moment, we managed to avoid any harm.
"Strange!" Brother Jiang spoke up.
Hearing his voice, I looked at him in surprise. It was then that I noticed it too—the rumbling sound that seemed to resonate through the ground, causing it to tremble slightly.
"It's the sound of water," Mud Man shouted.
"How could there be water here? It's just mud!" Fat Ma exclaimed in disbelief.
I was about to respond when I saw a massive silver Water Dragon charging toward us from the Gorge ahead, moving at an incredible speed.
We froze. The real danger was that as the flood rushed in, the cliff began to collapse. The rocks were no longer small; I couldn't help but think that if one of those fell on someone, it would be fatal.
We immediately turned to retreat, but it was too late.
The enormous Water Dragon engulfed us completely, and I was slammed against the cliff wall, my head spinning from the impact.
Instinctively, I bit down on my oxygen mouthpiece. The current was fierce, and I was pushed down further, becoming slightly more alert.
I searched for any sign of the others, but I couldn't see any of them.
The Gorge continued to crumble around me as I dodged falling debris.
But I wasn't quick enough; a falling rock struck my head, leaving me dazed and disoriented.
I struggled to get up. At this point, the Gorge had been blocked by fallen stones, trapping me in between. I couldn't see any trace of the three of them; they might have been separated.
I felt utterly drained, my head pounding. My body began to sink uncontrollably toward the bottom of the water. I reached back to touch the back of my head and found a small hole; I had been hit hard enough to create a wound.
With great difficulty, I managed to turn myself around. Blood floated past my eyes. Damn it! The bleeding wouldn't stop! I pressed my hand against my head.
The pain sharpened my awareness.
I fumbled through my bag and pulled out a medical bandage, wrapping it around my head as best as I could.
Although my mind was clearer, I felt increasingly weak.
The underwater searchlight tied to my head flickered on and off.
My eyes were becoming heavy, and I sank to the bottom of the water, my limbs spread out. I thought to myself, let me just wait to die! I didn’t know how long it had been, but in my daze, I seemed to see workers building a dam, many laborers toiling away as the river rushed wildly.
At that moment, the dam was already taking shape.
Standing by the river were two people looking at blueprints, their backs turned to me. Curiosity piqued, I wondered which river they were constructing a dam on. I wanted to approach and ask, but two guards blocked my way.
I looked at them in surprise, and they looked back at me with equal astonishment.
"Who are you? What are you doing here? Why are you wearing a veil in broad daylight?" one of the guards asked.
A veil? I instinctively touched my face and indeed found one there, but I did not remove it. Instead, I offered a brief explanation.
Then I asked, "Which river is this? What dam is being built?"
The guard looked at me with slight disdain and replied, "This is the Dujiangyan Dam being constructed under Governor Li's supervision."
When the name "Dujiangyan" reached my ears, I immediately realized this was on the Min River.
I was internally shocked. Had I crossed over? I blurted out without thinking, "Is Governor Li Li Bing?"
"Be quiet," the guard snapped. "You cannot speak his name so casually."
I quickly put on a smile and apologized, and only then did the guard's attitude soften somewhat.
The guard said, "Governor Li has been in Shu for several years, overseeing the construction of this dam."
"Governor Li is a good official," another guard added.
I glanced again at the two men standing by the river and asked, "Excuse me, sir, who is the other person besides Governor Li?"
The guard looked at me as if I were a country bumpkin and replied after a moment, "You don't know? That's Governor Li's son! Young Master Li has been exceptionally talented since childhood. I heard he participated in the design of the Dujiangyan project."
Oh! Suddenly, I recalled reading in history books that Li Bing had a son, although some people denied it, claiming it was fabricated to honor Li Bing and that he actually had no children.
But seeing it with my own eyes made me believe.
I humbly bowed to the guard and asked, "May I visit the governor?"
The guard, perhaps seeing my respectful demeanor, allowed me to enter and reminded me, "Don't be afraid! The governor is very kind to the common people."
I nodded in response and thanked him before following the riverbank.
The two men ahead were still engaged in serious discussion.
I didn’t stop immediately but overheard them arguing briefly about the construction site before they quickly fell silent.
Li Bing glanced at his son with an expression full of admiration.
However, Young Master Li seemed somewhat sullen. Li Bing patted his shoulder as if he sighed.
After a while, Li Bing walked away with the blueprints, leaving Young Master Li standing alone by the river, leaning against his back and watching the rushing waters.
I had many questions I wanted to ask him. My mind was filled with doubts about why there was an Underwater Tomb below Dujiangyan and what had happened with that Wreck.
I patted Li Young Master on the shoulder and then bowed my head respectfully. It was strange; how did I know these customs?
Li Young Master gently helped me to my feet, and when I looked at his face, it felt as if I had been pricked by a needle.
Something felt off all over my body, and I muttered, "Isn't this me...?"
In the next moment, Li Young Master vanished like air.
When I opened my eyes, I found myself staring at a sky full of stars.
I was lying on the water's surface. Surprised, I turned over, but to my astonishment, I didn't sink beneath the water. Where was I? Had I already...?
I reached down with my hand and felt something slippery glide past—a fish.
It was then that I realized I was surrounded by fish; they were supporting me in the middle of the river.
At that moment, I felt like a solitary boat on Min River.
Suddenly, I recalled that just moments ago, I had been beside Dujiangyan. Had I really seen myself? No way! It must have been someone who looked very much like me. Or perhaps this was all just a dream.
I dared not move too much because there were fish beneath me. So, I must not be dead yet! That thought reassured me in my mind.
Could it be that these fish saved me? That seemed to be the only answer.
But why would they save me? Just then, the school of fish parted to create a path in the water, and two fish swam around me, bobbing their heads.
With their big eyes wide open, they stared at me, and it seemed as if I could see laughter in their gaze.
Wasn't that Fat Ma who was going to eat those two fish before? I let them go, so could this be their way of repaying me?
It seemed as if they guessed my thoughts, diving excitedly in the water. Then they swam ahead, as if directing the other fish.
What a wonderful feeling! When I caught those two fish with Fat Ma, I sensed their uniqueness, and sure enough, now I had their help.
The Min River was now flowing more vigorously than when I first arrived. Perhaps Dujiangyan had released water to alleviate flooding.
These fish didn’t lead me to the shore; instead, they stayed in the water and moved forward.
One of the fish darted past me again, almost playfully.
At that moment, a cool breeze swept across the surface of the Minjiang River, refreshing and invigorating; it felt so real.
Suddenly, I thought about how Fat Ma and the others were doing, especially her. But then I reassured myself that since they had been taken away, they should be safe from harm.
With that thought, I felt a bit more at ease.
The countless stars above seemed to wink at me, yet I wondered about their fate.
They gradually guided me toward the riverbank. When we reached the diving area, I got in myself, causing the school of fish to scatter.
Only those two fish remained beside me, flitting around. I waved at them, and they finally dove into the depths. Moments later, they leaped out of the water in the center of the Min River, catching the moonlight and splashing silver droplets—so beautiful. A smile crept onto my lips as I watched.
I turned around and walked toward the shore. As I began to exert my strength, a wave of weakness washed over me.
My limbs felt heavy, and my head spun.
I found a tree and leaned down. Another wave of exhaustion hit my heart. Finally, I couldn't resist the harassment of trapped insects and fell asleep. I don’t know how long it took. In the haze, I heard someone calling my name... The voice was loud, distant, and familiar... But I was already asleep... The next day, the weather turned sunny, the sun was bright, and the light was very strong. I couldn't open my eyes because of the sun. I rolled over and felt a pain that almost made me cry out. I had no choice but to keep my movements unchanged and froze for a while. Then my stomach growled and I realized that I was hungry. Looking at the position of the sun, it should be Noon by now. The location at this time was Desolate Mountains and Wilderness, and I was thinking about getting something to fill my stomach. So I wanted to get up, moved a little, shouted out, and cursed: damn! It hurts so much! Be hungry first! So he leaned back against the tree trunk. Looking at the sky, hungry, carrying on.
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