Man in the Well

The people in the room immediately fell silent, and Xiao Lin became so panicked that his fingertips tightened.

When did Ah Yan stand outside? How much did he hear?

He was afraid that A Yan would think he was plotting something behind his back, and he was even more afraid that his denial just now would chill the other person's heart.

Xiao Lin's thoughts were in a tangled mess, and he was looking at the group of subordinates who had let the cat out of the bag when the person outside the house simply pushed open the door.

"Master Si, you're back?"

Su Manyan walked in with a normal expression, his eyes immediately falling on Si Ji, who was standing in the crowd. After not seeing him for a month, the half-grown boy had grown taller, and his skin was a bit darker than before, probably due to being exposed to the wind and sun.

Si Ji raised his hand and rubbed the back of his neck, his tone a little uncomfortable: "Yes...A Yan, I just arrived."

Su Manyan looked at the people standing around him. They were all busy with their own things. They secretly raised their heads to glance at him, but as soon as their eyes met, they hurriedly looked away.

She raised her eyebrows with a suspicious smile: "What's wrong with everyone? Did Ah Yan disturb you?"

"How could that be possible! Where does that come from?" Xiao Lin quickly raised his voice to reply.

He put a smile on his face, put his hand on Su Manyan's shoulder, and half-pushed him out: "That kid Si Ji said he missed Brother Yan Zhao so much that his eyes almost turned red just now. He was embarrassed. Let's go away first and let them have a good reunion."

This skill of telling lies with open eyes has really been practiced to perfection.

Everyone in the room could only watch the two of them leave the door with resentful eyes.

Su Manyan felt Xiao Lin suddenly approach, his warm palm against her shoulder, causing her to unconsciously straighten her back. He lowered his head again and whispered something in her ear. His moist breath brushed against her neck, making her wince.

As for what he said, she didn't hear it clearly. She was too close, and her brain had already stopped working again.

It was not until the whispers in her ears stopped that she realized that Xiao Lin had taken her out of the house and the distance between them had returned to normal.

Su Manyan couldn't help but see that he was trying to get her out of the way. She immediately crossed her arms and complained unhappily, "I haven't even said hello to Si Ji yet. Why are you in such a hurry to pull me out?"

Xiao Lin stiffened his neck and yelled, "You really have to say hello to Si Ji? I haven't seen you for a month, and I didn't know you two were so close?"

Su Manyan rolled his eyes at him and turned away.

Xiao Lin relied on his tall stature to block her and said, "Hurry up and tell her!"

Su Manyan was both angry and amused by his pestering, but she was helpless.

The two of them walked along, joking and playing, until they turned a corner and bumped into a bald monk. The monk looked very kind, with a round face, thick lips, and thick earlobes, giving him a somewhat blessed appearance.

The monk was twirling his rosary beads in his hand. When he saw Su Manyan and the other man, his eyes suddenly became deep, but he still had a gentle smile on his face. He clasped his hands together and bowed: "Amitabha, young donor, we meet again." As he spoke, his eyes were clearly on Su Manyan.

The two of them politely returned the greeting, and then Su Manyan pointed at himself in surprise: "Have we met before?"

"Yesterday in the square, I glimpsed you all from afar. Meeting twice in less than a day is fate."

"I didn't notice it yesterday. I was really rude."

"That's good, that's good."

Xiao Lin subconsciously protected Su Manyan behind him and couldn't help asking, "Does the abbot have anything to say?" He didn't want to make malicious assumptions about the monks, but this monk seemed to be looking for A Yan on purpose to talk, so he couldn't help but be more cautious.

The monk was still cheerful and not annoyed at all. When he looked at Xiao Lin, his smile deepened and he nodded implicitly, as if he was satisfied.

"Nothing, nothing, I'll take my leave now."

This person came and left quietly, leaving behind two people with their heads full of doubts.

"Did Your Highness see this monk yesterday?"

"No impression."

Su Manyan frowned.

"Why, have you really seen it?"

"Just now he said he had no impression of me, but when he looked at me, I felt that he looked familiar. Maybe I have really seen him before?"

"We are in the same temple, so it's not unusual for us to meet each other."

Su Manyan thought it made sense, but there was something odd about the monk's expression and words, which made her more suspicious. With that in mind, she stopped worrying about it.

The two walked out side by side. Xiao Lin touched his nose and asked casually, "Ayan, did you hear anything when you were outside the house just now?" After that, he secretly glanced at her expression.

"Did His Highness say anything?" Su Manyan raised her head, her clear eyes looking at Xiao Lin, innocent and pure, "Ayan didn't hear anything." "Oh, I see."

"What did His Highness say?"

"Nothing, but I told Si Ji that my injury is almost healed, and I have to thank you."

"Why say such strange words between Your Highness and A Yan?" Su Manyan responded gently, his tone full of understanding.

Xiao Lin secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, he didn't hear it, otherwise he really wouldn't know where to start to comfort her.

"Humph, you black-hearted person, you pretended I didn't hear you."

Little did she know, Su Manyan had heard everything clearly. When Si Ji and the others misunderstood her relationship with Xiao Lin, she felt a little embarrassed, but was also glad that Xiao Lin had explained it clearly.

She understood that he was probably anxious to distance himself from the matter because he was afraid that others would misunderstand him and give Su Manyan a bad reputation. But they were not together in the first place, and their current relationship was indeed not that of lovers.

On the contrary, she wasn't angry at all, and even felt that this was the most appropriate way to handle it. She was only angry that this black-hearted man didn't understand her at all, wasn't honest, and was worried that she would be angry.

Alas, it seems that this brave and warlike King of Mobei has a long way to go.

Su Manyan sighed quietly in his heart.

After dinner, Xiao Lin went to the Heavenly King Hall again, and Su Manyan and the others stayed in the Zen room to rest. Feeling bloated from dinner, she said hello to everyone and went for a walk around the Zen room to help digest the food.

To conceal his presence, Xiao Lin had settled in a secluded guesthouse. At night, the lights in the temple's backyard were few and dim, with only a few lanterns dangling from the eaves or lurking in the grass, emitting a faint glow. Accompanied by the distant chimes and a cold breeze, Su Manyan felt an inexplicable chill permeating the surroundings, a chill that seemed almost eerie.

She was frightened and everything in front of her was dark. She just wanted to go back to the meditation room as soon as possible.

Walking along the path trampled by passers-by, the lanterns along the way flickered, and the shadows on the ground were stretched out very long. It looked like a giant following him. Su Manyan was frightened by his own shadow.

She walked for about a cup of tea, stopping and starting, and when she saw the completely extinguished lantern for the third time, she had to admit that she was lost.

The weeds were so overgrown all around that she couldn't tell which fork in the road she had taken. If it weren't for the sound of bells ringing in the distance, she would have thought she had walked into the wilderness. But the place was so desolate that she couldn't tell where the bells were coming from.

Remembering the advice she had been told since she was a child, "If you get lost, just stay where you are and wait," she simply sat down on the ground, counting on her fingers, hoping that someone would pass by.

Of course, it is not something you can expect.

After waiting for so long, her patience wore thin. The night grew darker and darker like ink, and anxiety made her feel uneasy. She always felt that a pair of eyes were staring at her in the dark.

When the fear in her heart exceeded the critical value, she could no longer bear the suffocating feeling brought by the panic. She screamed, stood up and ran forward desperately.

The more she ran, the more frightened she became, scaring herself as if a living creature was chasing her relentlessly. Su Manyan's breathing grew louder and louder, and in her panic, several blurry images flashed through her mind. It seemed as if she was also running away in a panic, with the environment filled with ghost lights.

The world spun around, her senses dulled, her head felt light and heavy, and a wave of dizziness washed over her. She felt like she was falling...

With a dull "thump", Su Manyan fell into a deep pit.

The pain all over her body made her suddenly sober up. She knew she had fallen into a pit. It was pitch black and she couldn't see her hand in front of her face. She looked up and saw only darkness. She guessed that the pit was not shallow.

A thin layer of water had accumulated at the bottom of the pit, soaking her clothes thoroughly. She reached out and touched the pit wall; it was cold, like brick.

This is... falling into the well?

"A-choo!" Su Manyan sneezed, feeling so cold. The well water was bone-chilling. Her leg had been injured and she couldn't stand. Most of her body was submerged in the water, and the biting cold seeped right into her flesh, making her teeth chatter.

She reached out to the side, trying to find something to hold onto, but the back of her hand bumped into something hard. She touched it carefully, first coming across a thin layer of fabric, then moving upwards, only to find the hard surface, the fabric hanging here and there in patches.

She exerted a little force, and with a "snap", the thing in her hand broke into pieces.

An absurd and horrifying thought popped into my mind—this was a corpse.

She suddenly let go of her hand and screamed, nausea rising in her throat. Su Manyan shuddered and shrank back until her back touched the cold wall of the well, and her sobs gradually died down.

She hugged herself tightly, closing her eyes and burying her face in her arms, crying and mumbling something to distract herself. She didn't know how long she had been trapped, and she was almost numb from the cold. She thought her hands and feet might have turned blue from the cold. Trapped in this bottomless well, she felt pain, cold, and fear. Who would come to save her?

Eventually, she couldn't hold on any longer...

If she died like this, how could she be willing? She still missed this world.

Whether it was the original world or this treacherous place, there was her sister Yun Que who got along well with her and always loved to tell her some fresh gossip; there was Si Ji who was clumsy but attentive, always assigning easy tasks to her; there was Yan Zhao who was harsh in words but soft-hearted, and never left her out when preparing medicine.

And then there was Xiao Lin. He was the best gift the world had ever given her… It felt like her life was meant for him. Their lives were tied together, their hearts were glued to one another, and she couldn't find anyone more to her liking than him.

If there was another chance, she would definitely ask about the words she heard that afternoon. Why wouldn't two people who love each other decide to stay together forever now?

"Danger! Danger! The host's health continues to decline! Triggering 'Rescue Operation'! Please make your choice."