“Rumble—!!!”
The muffled thunder was like some ancient beast imprisoned deep within the earth’s core, letting out an unwilling roar. The deafening sound pierced through the long-rotted walls, making the tiny loft tremble violently with it, as though it might fall apart at any moment beneath the fury of heaven and earth.
Outside the window, it was no longer a stretch of continuous drizzle, but a torrential downpour. Bean-sized raindrops, mixed with wild wind, lashed at this village long since soaked through with despair like countless icy whips. Between heaven and earth, all that remained was a gray-black expanse whose boundaries had been blurred by the curtain of rain.
Bai Yu held his breath, hiding his body completely within the shadow behind the window lattice. Leaving only a crack almost impossible to notice, he stared fixedly at the two eerie figures in the center of the courtyard.
Xiaoxi’s parents—those two walking corpses occupied by pure-black eyes—were standing motionless in the heart of the raging storm. They held no umbrellas, allowing the ice-cold rain that carried the “Mountain God’s” curse to madly wash over their bodies. Their faces still wore those stiff, uncanny smiles, their arms spread wide, as though embracing some grand baptism.
Bai Yu’s pupils contracted slightly. He noticed that, under the scouring of the rain, the faint vitality that had originally belonged to humans was being stripped away from the two of them at a terrifying speed, replaced by an icy deathly stillness. In their eye sockets, already black as an abyss, an even denser darkness seemed to be slowly flowing, sliding down their bloodless cheeks along with the rainwater.
They were not “bathing.”
They were “charging.”
A cold thought surfaced in Bai Yu’s mind. This pair of parents were like two “base stations” planted by the “Mountain God” within this household, while this never-ending rain was the source of energy that maintained their “operation.” Whenever thunder rang and the rain intensified, it was the moment they replenished their energy and reinforced the curse.
No wonder Xiaoxi had specially warned him never to come out when it thundered. Perhaps even she herself did not know that it was not merely because it was dangerous, but because the “parents” at that time were “monsters” closest to the essence of the “Mountain God.”
Bai Yu did not dare keep watching. He feared that his spying would be noticed by those two monsters currently communing with heaven and earth. Silently, he retreated to the darkest corner of the room, leaned against the cold wall, and slowly sat down, trying hard to calm his heart, which was pounding violently from fear and weakness.
He repeatedly turned over in his mind the “last words” he had obtained from the desk.
The Drowned Saintess—her tears had turned into well water, the only “antidote” in this cursed land.
The Mountain God—it had polluted the village with plague and eternal rain. It hated that purity belonging to the Saintess and was trying to drown it.
Two utterly opposed supreme powers had reached some strange balance within this tiny village.
Bai Yu was walking along the razor’s edge where these two great powers clashed. He had to find that well and drink the “Saintess’s Tears” that could repair the soul. That was his only hope of survival. And to do that, he first had to escape from this cage watched over by two “monsters.”
That night, Bai Yu did not sleep at all.
He sat quietly in the darkness, listening to the wind and rain outside the window howl like ghosts and wolves, listening to the sounds of the two walking corpses downstairs returning indoors with stiff, heavy steps after their “charging” ended. He pushed all his senses to their limits, like a leopard lying dormant in the dark, patiently observing, analyzing, waiting for the opportunity that belonged to him.
After an unknown length of time, when the sky outside the window shifted from deep ink-black to a hazy fish-belly white, the violent storm that had raged all night finally gradually subsided, once again turning into a drizzle fine as cow hair.
“Creak—”
The sound of a door opening came from downstairs. Immediately after came those two stiff, heavy footsteps, slowly heading outside.
Bai Yu immediately went to the window. He saw Xiaoxi’s parents, just like yesterday, walking expressionlessly out of the courtyard and merging into the ranks of villagers moving numbly through the rain. They seemed to have some fixed “work” they needed to complete.
The opportunity had come.
He took a deep breath, sorted out his somewhat chaotic thoughts after a sleepless night, then pushed open the door and walked down the stairs.
Xiaoxi was sitting alone on a small stool in the main room, swinging her two little legs, still humming that eerie nursery rhyme.
“…Build a new house, marry a new bride, the outsider makes the wedding clothes…”
“Good morning, Xiaoxi.” Bai Yu’s voice carried the hoarseness and weakness of one who had just recovered from a serious illness.
“Big Brother Bai Yu, you’re awake!” When Xiaoxi saw him, she immediately stopped humming and jumped down from the stool, a brilliant smile appearing on her face. “Did you sleep well yesterday? Did the thunder scare you?”
“It was all right, just a little noisy.” Bai Yu walked to her side and found a stool to sit on as well. As though asking casually, he said, “That nursery rhyme you were singing just now was really nice. Can you sing it for Big Brother again?”
“Sure!” Xiaoxi had no suspicion at all. She immediately cleared her throat and, in that crisp voice carrying a hint of childishness, sang it once more from beginning to end.
“Fell in the water, fell in the water, Granny Moon fell into the river. The fish are crying, the shrimp are jumping, Grandpa Water God opens his eyes. Build a new house, marry a new bride, the outsider makes the wedding clothes. Light the red candles, climb into the new bed, sleep straight to the middle of the water…”
Bai Yu listened quietly. Every word was like a tiny carving knife, cutting cold marks into his heart. Looking at Xiaoxi’s innocent face, it was difficult to connect her to this horrifying nursery rhyme filled with the meaning of death and sacrifice.
“It really is nice.” Bai Yu smiled and clapped, then feigned curiosity as he asked, “But Big Brother doesn’t quite understand. Why does the ‘outsider’ have to make ‘wedding clothes’? Is it to make a bridal gown for the bride?”
Hearing this question, Xiaoxi tilted her head and thought for a moment. A trace of confusion flashed through those clear eyes, one even she herself did not notice.
“I… I don’t know either.” She shook her head. “That’s how Mother taught me to sing it. She said that if our village wants to stay lively forever, we have to keep building new houses and marrying new brides. That way, Grandpa Water God will be happy and won’t send another flood to drown our home.”
“And the last line?” Bai Yu continued to guide her. “‘Sleep straight to the middle of the water’ sounds… a little cold.”
“No, it won’t!” Xiaoxi immediately retorted. “Mother said that’s a blessing only the luckiest people in the village can enjoy. If you sleep in the middle of the water, you can turn into a fish and stay with Grandpa Water God forever. You’ll never get sick again, and you’ll never be hungry again.”
Turn into a fish…
Bai Yu’s heart sank. This explanation was clearly a lie fabricated by the “Mountain God” to make the villagers accept and perpetuate this terrifying “tradition.” And Xiaoxi, as the only existence in this village who seemed to still retain “childlike innocence,” had long since been soaked through by this lie, even regarding it as a kind of “blessing.”
It was almost impossible to directly awaken her. He had to change methods.
“So that’s how it is.” Bai Yu showed a look of sudden realization. “Then your village’s Grandpa Water God must be very powerful. Then… are there any other stories in your village? For example, are there any stories about very beautiful fairy sisters?”
He skillfully steered the topic toward the “Saintess.”
“Fairy sisters?” Xiaoxi’s eyes lit up for a moment, but then dimmed again. She shook her head somewhat dejectedly. “No. Mother said there’s only Grandpa Water God in our village, no fairy sisters. She said fairy sisters are bad people. They fight with Grandpa Water God over territory and make all our houses collapse.”
The Mountain God had actually erased even the existence of the “Saintess” from the villagers’ memories and slandered her as a “bad person.”
The expression on Bai Yu’s face remained gentle. He knew that now was not the time to correct Xiaoxi’s understanding. That would only arouse her wariness and aversion.
“I see. That really is a pity.” Bai Yu sighed, then changed the subject. Covering his stomach, he softly let out an “ow.”
“Big Brother Bai Yu, what’s wrong? Does your stomach hurt again?” Xiaoxi immediately leaned over nervously.
“It’s nothing.” Bai Yu waved his hand, but he made his face appear even paler. “It’s just… I’ve stayed in this house for too long, and it feels a bit stuffy. I want to go to the backyard for some air. Maybe that’ll make me feel better.”
“The backyard?” Xiaoxi froze for a moment. She subconsciously glanced toward the back door, a trace of hesitation flashing in her eyes. “But… it’s raining in the backyard too. And Mother won’t let me play by the well in the backyard. She said there… are water ghosts that will drag disobedient children down.”
The well!
Bai Yu’s heart suddenly jumped, but the expression on his face did not change in the slightest.
Suppressing the excitement in his heart, he continued in that weak tone, “It’s fine. I’ll just stand under the eaves by the back door for a little while. I won’t get rained on. Besides, with such a brave child like Xiaoxi here, no water ghost would dare come out, right?”
This perfectly timed praise was clearly very effective on Xiaoxi. She immediately puffed out her small chest and said proudly, “Of course! I’m not afraid of water ghosts! All right, Big Brother Bai Yu, I’ll go with you! But you absolutely can’t go near that well!”
“It’s a deal.” In his heart, Bai Yu silently said “thank you” to that unknown senior.
Under Xiaoxi’s “supervision,” Bai Yu slowly walked to the wooden door leading to the backyard. He pushed it open, and an air even colder and gloomier than the front courtyard rushed toward him.
The backyard was not large, paved with bluestone slabs. Because it had been scoured by rainwater all year round, the gaps between the slabs were filled with slippery moss. In the corner of the courtyard stood a locust tree that had long since withered, its twisted branches reaching toward the gray, overcast sky.
And in the very center of the courtyard, the ancient well Xiaoxi had called a “forbidden place” stood quietly there.
It was an extremely old-looking bluestone well. The mouth of the well was covered in moss and unknown ferns, and several deep grooves left by years of rope friction could still be seen on the stone rim. Unlike the filth and deathly stillness elsewhere, a layer of white water vapor visible to the naked eye lingered around this well. That vapor carried a sacred yet sorrowful aura, keeping out even the Mountain God’s cursed rain and forming a small, unpolluted pure land.
Merely standing here and breathing the air within this pure land, Bai Yu felt a faint comfort spread through his torn soul.
He knew he had found the right place.
“Big Brother Bai Yu, we’ll just stand here, okay? We can’t go any farther.” Xiaoxi tugged at the corner of his clothes, pointed in the direction of the well, and reminded him with a serious expression.
“All right.” Bai Yu nodded. He leaned against the doorframe, pretending to be breathing fresh air, but his eyes were fixed tightly on that ancient well, his mind racing as he considered how he could drink the water from the well without alarming Xiaoxi.
Time passed second by second. Xiaoxi also seemed to find it a little boring and began playing hopscotch by herself under the eaves. Bai Yu knew he did not have many chances. He had to accomplish his goal before Xiaoxi’s parents returned.
He suddenly coughed softly twice again. This time it was even more violent than before, as though he were about to cough his lungs out.
“Big Brother Bai Yu!” Xiaoxi was immediately drawn over, looking at him worriedly.
“Cough, cough… I’m fine…” As Bai Yu coughed, he pointed at his throat and said hoarsely, “I’m just… a little thirsty… Xiaoxi, can you… can you help Big Brother get a cup of water from the main room?”
This was an extremely risky probe. If Xiaoxi refused or insisted on helping him back inside, then his plan would fail completely.
Xiaoxi looked at his pained appearance, her face full of conflict. She looked toward the main room, then looked at Bai Yu. Finally, she nodded hard. “Okay! Wait here and don’t run around, all right? I’ll be right back!”
After saying that, she turned, set her little legs moving, and ran quickly toward the main room.
Now!
The instant Xiaoxi’s figure disappeared behind the door, Bai Yu mobilized all the remaining strength in his body. No longer hiding it, he shot toward the ancient well in the center of the courtyard like an arrow loosed from the string!
It was only a dozen meters or so, yet he felt as though he had crossed a century.
When he finally rushed to the well and braced both hands against the cold, slippery rim, a wave of spiritual power filled with sorrow and loving kindness surged madly into his body through his palms!
He looked down. The water surface below the well was so clear one could see the bottom, forming a stark contrast with the muddy floodwaters outside. The well water was not deep, and at the bottom, he could even see some fine sediment flickering with a soft white light. The entire water surface emitted a layer of sacred radiance like moonlight.
He could feel that every drop of water in this well had been condensed from a holy soul’s endless tears and undying love.
By the well happened to be a wooden ladle that had long since chipped at the edge. Bai Yu picked up the ladle, scooped up a ladleful of well water that emitted a sacred glow, and without even looking, poured it straight into his mouth.
The ice-cold well water, carrying a trace of sweetness, slid down his throat.
“Boom—!!!”
In that instant, Bai Yu felt as though he had been placed within a warm ocean. That pure and compassionate power was like hundreds of millions of gentle hands, beginning to soothe, mend, and bind together his soul that had long since shattered beyond recognition. The tiny cracks like a spiderweb swiftly closed under the washing of this power. As for the several great main fissures that had almost torn him apart completely, though they still remained, the wounds at their edges that had been continuously leaking soul power were covered by a layer of gentle light, temporarily “sealed.” The agony that had seeped deep into his bones rapidly faded, and a comfort and clarity like being reborn arose within him.
His thoughts, which had become chaotic and sluggish because his soul had been shattered, regained their former clarity and sharpness at this moment.
Even in the depths of his soul, now somewhat repaired, he could once again sense that sleeping darkness, faintly in the extreme.
Hei Yan.
Although he still could not communicate with it or borrow its power, this feeling of reestablishing a “link” finally allowed his heart, which had been hanging in the air all this time, to settle back into place.
He drank ladle after ladle of this redeeming well water, feeling his strength rapidly recovering.
However, just as he drank the third ladle and was about to scoop up a fourth, a young voice filled with shock and sorrow, carrying a hint of sobbing, rang out clearly behind him like a thunderbolt from a clear sky.
“Big Brother Bai Yu…”
Bai Yu’s movements froze in an instant. He slowly turned around.
He saw Xiaoxi standing under the eaves by the back door. The clay bowl filled with water in her hands fell to the ground with a “crack” and shattered into pieces.
Her face no longer held its previous innocence and brightness. Those eyes that should have been as clear as a stream were now filled with tears. Reflected within those tears was Bai Yu’s figure, and also a mixture of betrayal, heartache, and a trace of ancient, weathered sorrow.
“You… why are you drinking… the Saintess’s… tears?”
One chapter today.