Chapter 164

The three rode their horses silently through the last stretch of desolate road, finally arriving at the entrance.

The massive, seemingly cleaved mountain pass, like the gaping maw of hell, exuded a chilling, deathly aura. The dark red rock walls were twisted and grotesque, and charred wood and broken rubble littered the ground, with the faint outlines of burned-out building foundations still discernible. An indescribable stench, a mixture of aged ash, decay, and a faint, almost imperceptible, bloody smell, filled the air, making one want to vomit.

Sheng Xuan was the first to nimbly dismount, landing silently. His hand immediately rested on the hilt of his sword, his sharp gaze sweeping over the desolate ruins like a hawk's. His entire body was tense, filled with vigilance.

Xiao Qiyun also dismounted immediately, then turned around and reached out to help Su Zhelan, who was hurriedly dismounting.

Su Zhelan staggered when her feet landed, not because her legs were weak, but because of an almost instinctive tremor stemming from a deep-seated fear and hatred.

His face was frighteningly pale, his breathing was rapid, but his gaze was fixed on this familiar, unforgettable place of nightmares, as if it were nailed to the spot.

Even though it was now just ruins and scorched earth, those painful memories overwhelmed him like a tidal wave. Every charred stone, every twisted carving, silently screamed out the cruelty and despair of the past.

His gaze, almost without hesitation, swept past the broken wreckage and landed directly on a huge, dark pit deep within the ruins. The pit's edges were jagged, as if it had been forcibly carved out by something, or perhaps it resembled the remains of some kind of altar.

Su Zhelan broke free from Xiao Qiyun's support and walked step by step toward the deep pit. His steps were somewhat unsteady, yet unusually firm, as if he were being guided by invisible threads.

Sheng Xuan and Xiao Qiyun immediately followed closely behind, one on the left and one on the right, their eyes fixed on Su Zhelan with deep concern.

Su Zhelan walked to the edge of the pit, stopped, and looked down. The pit wasn't as bottomless as she remembered; it was only about two people deep, with withered branches and leaves piled at the bottom, emitting a smell of earth and decay.

He stared blankly, his brows furrowed, his eyes filled with confusion and a surging pain.

Why……?

When he and his sister were thrown in, the pit seemed like a bottomless abyss, slippery all around, covered with wet, sticky moss and some kind of disgusting slime.

At the bottom of the pit, countless things seemed to writhe and hiss... The cold, slippery touch of a venomous snake brushed against his ankle, while the excruciating pain of the venomous insects gnawed at his bones... His sister's shrill cries still seemed to echo in his ears... He desperately tried to climb up, his fingernails tearing and bleeding, but he slipped and fell again and again... Why did it not seem so deep now? Not so... insurmountable?

Was it his memory that deceived him? Or... did the extreme fear and despair at the time amplify everything?

As he was immersed in these cruel memories and confusion, Sheng Xuan and Xiao Qiyun held their breath and dared not make a sound to disturb him, for fear of interrupting the crucial memories that he might be recovering.

However, the next second, Su Zhelan's actions terrified the two of them—

Su Zhelan's eyes glazed over, as if she had made up her mind, and without warning, she lifted her foot to step into the dark pit!

"Su Zhelan! What are you doing?!" Sheng Xuan reacted with astonishing speed, almost shouting, his voice distorted! He pounced forward like a cheetah, grabbing Su Zhelan's waist tightly and dragging him backward away from the edge of the pit with all his might! The enormous force caused both of them to stagger back several steps, almost falling over!

Xiao Qiyun also acted instantly, grabbing Su Zhelan's arm with such force that Su Zhelan's wrist bones ached! His expression also darkened unusually, his eyes sharp as knives: "Su Zhelan! Calm down!"

Su Zhelan was held tightly by the two men. He struggled for a moment, but found he couldn't move at all. He suddenly raised his head and looked at Sheng Xuan, whose face was filled with shock and disbelief. His eyes were empty and resolute, almost obsessive. His voice was hoarse but unusually clear:

"Let me go." He paused, his breathing rapid. "I need to go down... to find my sister's remains."

These words were like a thunderclap, exploding above the desolate ruins.

Sheng Xuan held Su Zhelan tightly around the waist, feeling the body of the person in his arms trembling slightly due to excitement and pain. He then glanced at the dark, ominous pit.

The next second, Sheng Xuan gritted his teeth and pulled Su Zhelan back with even more force, pressing her firmly to the spot. At the same time, he released his hand without hesitation!

"You stay here!" Sheng Xuan's voice was firm and unquestionable.

Before he could finish speaking, Sheng Xuan gave Su Zhelan and Xiao Qiyun no time to react. He suddenly turned around and leaped into the dark pit!

"Hey!" Xiao Qiyun's shout came a step too late.

Sheng Xuan's figure was quickly swallowed by the shadows at the bottom of the pit, leaving only a dull thud and the sound of several stones rolling down the kiln.

After a moment of silence, Sheng Xuan's voice came from below, tinged with suppressed panting, yet exceptionally clear: "It's alright! It's just soft mud and rotten leaves down there! Su Zhelan, come down! I'll catch you!"

He tilted his head back, stretched out his arms towards the pit opening, and stared intently at Su Zhelan's pale and shocked face. "Jump! Trust me!"

Su Zhelan had no idea that Sheng Xuan would impulsively jump down first. Looking at Sheng Xuan's determined and trusting eyes as he looked up from the bottom of the pit, and feeling the undeniable strength of Xiao Qiyun gripping his arm, the anxiety and obsession in his heart seemed to be abruptly interrupted by this sudden action, and a crack appeared in his heart.

Xiao Qiyun frowned, his gaze quickly sweeping between Su Zhelan and Sheng Xuan at the bottom of the pit. He was clearly very dissatisfied with Sheng Xuan's unauthorized actions, but the situation was already as it was.

He said to Su Zhelan in a deep voice, "In that case, be careful." He released his grip on Su Zhelan's arm, but his muscles remained tense, ready to deal with any unexpected situation at any time.

Su Zhelan took a deep breath, glancing one last time at Sheng Xuan's outstretched, steadily waiting arms, arms that seemed capable of bearing all his weight and unease. Without further hesitation, he closed his eyes and leaped downwards!

The feeling of weightlessness lasted only a moment.

The next moment, he fell into a firm and warm embrace. Sheng Xuan's arms caught him steadily like iron hoops. The huge impact made both of them stagger. Sheng Xuan's feet sank deep into the soft and slippery mud at the bottom of the pit, but he held Su Zhelan tightly and did not let him suffer any bumps or bruises.

"Caught it!" Sheng Xuan's voice rang in Su Zhelan's ears, carrying a hint of relief and barely perceptible pride, his warm breath brushing against Su Zhelan's earlobe.

The bottom of the pit was dimly lit, the air was damp and cold, and filled with a strong smell of decaying leaves and soil, as well as a deeper, indescribable stench of old decay.

Su Zhelan's feet made a squelching sound as they stepped on the soft, sticky mud.

Xiao Qiyun appeared at the edge of the pit, blocking some of the light and casting a shadow. He looked down at the two people at the bottom of the pit, his voice steady: "How is the situation? Any abnormalities?"

Sheng Xuan still had her arm around Su Zhelan's waist, cautiously glancing around.

The bottom of the pit was more spacious than it appeared from above, filled with a thick layer of rotten leaves and black mud. The pit walls were indeed covered with slippery moss and some kind of dark, dried stains, and some scattered fragments that looked like small bones and broken pottery shards could be seen.

"No movement yet!" Sheng Xuan replied, looking up. His voice sounded somewhat muffled in the pit. "It's just that the mud and rotten leaves are very thick, and it smells terrible!"

Su Zhelan had recovered from his brief dizziness and gently nudged Sheng Xuan's arm, signaling him to let go. Sheng Xuan reluctantly released his grip but remained close by.

Su Zhelan steadied himself, his gaze urgently scanning the bottom of the pit. Painful memories, suppressed for many years, surged forth like a tidal wave, almost suffocating him.

Ignoring the nauseating smell and sticky mud, he began to trudge and search the bottom of the pit, his fingers tearing away layers of decaying leaves without regard for the filth. His eyes were filled with madness and despair, and he muttered unconsciously, "Where... Sister..."

Seeing him like this, Sheng Xuan felt an overwhelming pang of heartache and quickly followed, clearing away some obstructing debris while anxiously reminding him, "Su Zhelan, slow down! Watch your step! Don't rummage around with your hands, be careful of broken bones or... or something else..."

Xiao Qiyun watched the commotion below intently from above, his eyes deep in thought.

The entire ruins were deathly silent, except for Su Zhelan's rapid breathing, the gurgling sound of the silt being stirred, and Sheng Xuan's low, worried reminders echoing in the pit, sounding exceptionally clear and causing a great deal of tension.

Su Zhelan frantically searched the bottom of the pit with his bare hands for a long time, his fingernails filled with black mud and rotten leaf fragments. His fingertips were even cut by the edges of some hard stones or bone fragments, and blood seeped out and mixed with the mud, but he was completely unaware.

His breathing became increasingly rapid, and his eyes were filled with despair and madness. He kept repeating his sister's name in a hoarse and broken voice.

Sheng Xuan followed closely beside him, anxious but not daring to forcefully stop him. She could only keep clearing away large obstacles for him, anxiously urging him in a low voice, "Su Zhelan! Slow down! Your hand!... Don't do this... Let's go upstairs and think of a solution, okay?"

Xiao Qiyun above also frowned, his sharp gaze sweeping over every corner of the pit, as if assessing the risks or searching for some kind of clue.

Suddenly, Su Zhelan stopped moving abruptly.

He stood frozen in the center of the pit, as if he had been immobilized, his chest heaving violently. A faint glimmer of light suddenly flashed in his empty, desperate eyes, which were covered in mud.

He slowly raised his head, his gaze unfocused, as if piercing through the thick mud and decaying matter to see a scene buried deep in his memory. His lips moved silently, as if recalling, or perhaps calculating.

Then, extremely slowly and unsteadily, he turned in one direction—to one side of the pit wall, which looked no different from the rest of the place, covered with slippery moss and grime.

He began to walk, his steps unsteady yet unusually firm, one step at a time, counting very softly:

"……one two three……"

Sheng Xuan was stunned, looking at Su Zhelan's strange behavior with confusion. He subconsciously wanted to go forward to help him, but was stopped by an extremely stern look from Xiao Qiyun above.

Xiao Qiyun's gaze followed Su Zhelan's steps closely, his eyes deep, as if he understood something.

Completely absorbed in his own world, Su Zhelan was oblivious to the reactions of the outside world. He moved with difficulty through the sticky mud, relying on an almost instinctive memory etched deep into his soul by immense pain.

With his sixth step, his toes touched the wall of a pit. The rock wall there seemed to be slightly concave, covered with a thicker layer of slippery, dark green moss.

Su Zhelan stopped. He looked down at the spot, his body began to tremble uncontrollably, as if he were seeing an extremely terrifying scene. His face turned ashen, and he even stopped breathing.

“It’s here…” he let out an extremely faint, blood-stained sob, his voice filled with indescribable fear and pain, “…it’s here…”

Before he finished speaking, he suddenly bent down and desperately began to dig at the mud under the rock wall with his hands!

"Su Zhelan!" Sheng Xuan exclaimed, no longer caring about anything else, rushing over and grabbing his wrist, "Don't rush! I'll dig with you!"

His voice was urgent and carried an undeniable force, but he didn't forcibly pull him away. Instead, he squatted down and began to diligently clear the mud with his other hand. "Let's do it together! Be careful!"

The two dug away the thick, foul-smelling mud, handful by handful, revealing a damper, darker layer of soil beneath. Su Zhelan's fingers dug frantically, seemingly oblivious to the pain and filth.

Suddenly, Su Zhelan's fingertips touched something different from the soil—hard and cold!

His movements abruptly stopped, and he froze on the spot as if struck by lightning. Trembling, he very slowly and carefully cleared away the dirt around the object with his hands, which were covered in mud and blood.

It was a… pale, thin finger bone, covered in black mud. The bone was delicate, belonging to a young child.

Time seemed to stand still at that moment.

Su Zhelan stared blankly at the mud-covered bone in her hand, her pupils contracting violently, and her breathing completely stopped.

“…Ah…” A suppressed, seemingly tearing cry from the deepest part of the soul finally broke through the throat, but it was so faint that it was almost inaudible.

He suddenly curled up, clutching the cold finger bone tightly in his palm and pressing it against his chest, as if trying to warm it with his own body heat. He huddled into a ball, trembling silently and violently in the cold, filthy mud.

Sheng Xuan's hand was still frozen in mid-air. He looked at the small white bone in Su Zhelan's palm, his eyes instantly reddened, and his throat felt like it was being choked by something, unable to make a sound.

He could only subconsciously reach out and clumsily and gently wrap his arms around Su Zhelan's violently trembling shoulders, trying to provide a meager bit of support.