Chapter 117 Going Down the Well

Xue Minglan's scarlet eyes stared at the bottom of the well, as if wanting to burn through the thick darkness.

"There must be something fishy going on at the bottom of this well!" He gritted his teeth, his voice suppressing his excitement, "Maybe... there's another world!"

Chen He withdrew his cold gaze from the deep well mouth and fell on his tense profile.

"I'll go down and take a look."

Her voice was calm, as if she was talking about something very ordinary.

"What?!" Xue Minglan turned his head suddenly, almost unable to believe his ears, "Chen He, are you crazy?!"

He grabbed her wrist with such force that it seemed as if he was going to crush her bones.

"There's no telling what's down there! What if there's a secret passage or... or some poisonous insect or beast? How can you possibly go down there?!"

Guyu, who was standing by, was already frightened out of his wits. Upon hearing this, his legs went weak and he almost collapsed to the ground.

"Miss...! You absolutely cannot do that!"

Guyu cried, her voice trembling, "It's too dangerous! Let this servant go! Or let Second Master Xue..."

Chen He gently broke free from Xue Minglan's hand, but her eyes still looked at him firmly.

"Xue Minglan," she said each word with unusual clarity, "Do you believe me?"

Xue Minglan's chest heaved violently, and the anger and worry in his eyes were intertwined, almost bursting out.

He stared at her intently, his clear yet bottomless eyes seemed to have a magical power that could see through all his irritability and anxiety.

After a while, he squeezed out a few words from between his teeth.

“…Of course I believe it.”

He said these three words with great difficulty, but with a hint of determination that he himself was not aware of, a desperate throw of the dice.

The corners of Chen He's lips curved up imperceptibly, then disappeared in an instant.

"Just trust me."

She turned sideways to avoid his burning gaze, and her voice returned to its usual cold tone.

"The well mouth is not spacious. I am thin and weak, so it is easier for me to go down and explore than for you."

"You stay up there. If anything happens, you can come to my rescue in time."

This sounded reasonable, but Xue Minglan still felt a tightness in his chest.

Let her go into danger alone? He couldn't do it!

But Chen He's eyes did not allow for any discussion.

Chen He sneered inwardly. In this new life, who could she truly trust? She had to see for herself. She didn't trust anyone else.

She said no more and turned to walk to a corner of the courtyard, where there were piles of miscellaneous items that she had asked Guyu to "accidentally" bring when she entered Jingsi Garden.

Soon, she pulled out a bundle of beef tendon ropes that had been prepared long ago and tanned using a special technique. They were thin and tough but extremely strong.

Guyu looked at the bundle of ropes, his eyes suddenly widened, and he screamed in surprise.

"Miss! This...this rope...when did you prepare it?"

Could it be that the young lady had already anticipated that... this would be used?

Chen He just smiled faintly and did not answer. Under the dim light of the lantern, that smile seemed a bit mysterious.

"Be prepared, and you'll always be safe."

Xue Minglan looked at the rope, then at Chen He's calm profile. The nameless anger in his heart rose again, but was suppressed by a deeper feeling of powerlessness.

He knew he couldn't stop her.

Once this woman makes a decision, nothing can change it.

He took a deep breath and snatched the rope from her hand, his voice hoarse.

"I'll do it!"

He carefully checked every inch of the rope to make sure there were no flaws before walking up to Shen He.

In the dim light, his tall figure almost completely enveloped her.

He lowered his eyes and looked at her slender waist with a complicated expression.

He stretched out his hand, and his movements were much gentler than he had imagined. He carefully wrapped one end of the rope around her waist several times and tied a knot that was firm but not uncomfortable.

The cold rope touched his skin, and Shen He's body trembled slightly.

His fingertips inevitably touched the soft flesh on her waist, which was slightly rough and calloused, but extremely hot.

Shen He did not dodge, but just looked at him quietly.

Xue Minglan rolled his Adam's apple and tied the other end of the rope tightly around his equally strong waist.

He did not say anything extra, but showed his determination through actions.

If we have to go down, we should bear it together.

"Hold on tight." His voice was deep, carrying an unquestionable command. "If anything goes wrong, make a sound immediately and I'll pull you up right away."

Chen He gave a soft "hmm" as a response.

Xue Minglan no longer hesitated. He knelt on one knee at the edge of the well, one hand tightly grasping the rope connecting the two of them, and the other hand carefully holding Chen He's waist and gently picking her up.

His arms were strong and steady as a mountain.

Chen He held the hexagonal lantern tightly in his hand, and with his other hand he tightly grasped the rope around his waist, feeling the steady force coming from Xue Minglan.

The cold air from the wellhead grew thicker, mixed with the stench of rotten earth, blowing towards us, almost swallowing up the flame of the lantern.

"Don't be afraid."

At the moment she was about to be put into the well, Xue Minglan's voice, with a hint of hoarseness and tenderness that he himself had not noticed, sounded in her ears.

Chen He's heart trembled slightly.

Then, she was slowly lowered into the bottomless darkness.

The light from the lantern cast swaying shadows on the wall of the well. As she descended, the circle of light became smaller and fainter.

Her figure was swallowed up bit by bit by the thick darkness.

Above the wellhead, only Xue Minglan's body, tense as a bow, and Guyu's eyes, wide open with fear, were left.