As a group of people left the lake, a whirlpool suddenly appeared in the center of the lake.
All the lake water was sucked into the whirlpool.
In just a moment, all the water in the lake disappeared, not even a drop was left.
A cave suddenly appeared in the center of the lake bottom.
A young boy, covered in mud, crawled out of the cave.
He turned around and looked around, then climbed ashore in a daze.
Before he could catch his breath, clear water suddenly gushed out from a cave at the bottom of the lake.
In less than a cup of tea, the lake water in front of him returned to its original clear and calm state.
The young man looked at the scene in front of him and his eyes widened in fear.
Soon, he seemed to have thought of something and ran away in panic.
…
Su Xiaoxiao and others were looking for treasures as they walked.
Lin Dongdong was walking at the end, and was suddenly bumped by someone, and cried out in pain.
"Oh, who is so blind?"
“S-sorry!”
The boy met his eyes and apologized profusely.
Lin Dongdong looked at him covered in mud, then looked down at his clothes.
I couldn't hold back my tears.
"Wuwuwu, I just washed myself clean. After you bumped into me, I got dirty again." Lin Dongdong cried and wiped his tears: "Xiaoxiao, I am not clean anymore, wuwuwu..."
Hearing the sound behind them, everyone stopped in their tracks.
Su Xiaoxiao turned to look at Lin Dongdong, and the corners of her mouth twitched fiercely.
How come Lin Dongdong cries more than her elder brother?
"If you think it's dirty, why don't we go back to the lake and wash it before we go too far?"
"good!"
Lin Dongdong nodded and stopped crying immediately.
The boy heard their conversation and waved his hand quickly.
"Don't... don't go to the lake, the water there will eat people!"
"The lake water eats people?" Luye frowned and looked at him: "Young man, what nonsense are you talking about?"
"I'm not talking nonsense. What I said is true. My companions and I were drinking water by the lake when a large amount of mud suddenly gushed out of the water.
We were nauseated and just about to leave when a whirlpool suddenly appeared in the middle of the lake, sucking us all in with immense suction. There were five of us in total, and I was the only one who managed to crawl out.
After saying that, the boy grabbed the corner of his clothes.
He seemed to have recalled something terrible, and his eyes were filled with fear.
However, Shikano didn't believe what he said and sneered.
"Oh, brother, your story is quite good. If we hadn't been by the lake just now, I would have believed your story."
"I'm not making up stories. Everything I said is true. And... and I was drinking water by the lake just now, and I didn't see you. When did you appear?"
The young man frowned slightly, realizing that something was not right.
Su Xiaoxiao stared into his eyes and saw that his expression didn't seem like he was lying at all.
"You just said you crawled out from the bottom of the lake?"
"Yes!" the young man nodded firmly. "There's a hole at the bottom of the lake, and I crawled out from that hole. Don't go over there, it's really dangerous!"
Su Xiaoxiao touched her chin and fell into deep thought.
Just now, their group of twelve people stayed by the lake for a long time.
Except for the four people she and Lu Lian met when they just came out of the dense forest, she never saw anyone else after that.
If the boy did not lie, then there was only one possibility.
Thinking of this, Su Xiaoxiao put down her hand and looked at the boy in front of her without blinking.
"When you climbed out of the lake just now, did you take a good look around?"
The boy nodded blankly: "Yes, what's wrong?"
"Is the environment around the lake different from what you saw before at the lake?"
Su Xiaoxiao's question reminded the boy.
He widened his eyes slightly and swallowed nervously.
"Yes...it's really different. When my friends and I were drinking water by the lake, the lake was surrounded by green trees. But when I climbed out of the lake, the trees around the lake had become much balder."
"It's not that he's gone bald. The lake you drank from is not the same lake you just saw."
"What?"
The boy's eyes widened.
I feel like I understand it, but it seems that I don’t understand it completely.
The others reacted the same way as him, all looking at Su Xiaoxiao with a confused look on their faces.
"Xiao Xiao, what did you mean just now? I didn't understand. Please explain it more clearly."
"I have a bold guess. The lake where we drink water is connected to the lake where they drink water. For some reason, the lake water has a gravitational pull, sucking him into the lake where we drink water."
"What? The two lakes are connected, and they can even eat people? This... this is too fantastical, isn't it?"
Luye widened his eyes in surprise, his eyes filled with complex emotions.
He became more curious about the lake and wanted to find out more.
But at the same time, after hearing the boy's description, he felt fear for the lake again.
Most of the other people's reactions were similar to his.
Only Lu Lian frowned slightly and fell into deep thought.
Mu Yansong noticed her abnormality and couldn't help asking, "Aunt, did you find anything?"
"It's not a discovery, it's just a rumor I remembered."
Lu Lian quickly collected her thoughts and looked up at everyone.
"It's said that every year, some of the people who come to the Teng Snake Secret Realm stay here permanently. A few years ago, the royal family organized a team of fifteen people to investigate here.
But in the end, only one person left here alive.
After that man left, he went crazy. No matter what he was asked, he just said that there was a lake in the secret place that ate people without leaving any bones.
The emperor sent for a royal physician, who found him to be in good health, without any injuries, except that his internal energy had been drained."
"You... you're saying that the lake we just passed by will eat people and suck... drain their internal energy?" Lu Ye touched his dantian. "It's over, it's over. My internal energy will be drained away too, right?"
"Why are you panicking? We went into the water together, and our internal energy is still there. Could it be that only yours was drained away?"
Lu Lian glanced at him with disapproval.
When Luye heard her say this, he felt a little relieved.
"That's right. If we have to drain it, we should drain everyone's inner strength together. That way, I'll feel balanced."
Lu Lian clenched her fists and tried hard not to slap him.
Mu Yansong looked at her and felt that she had not finished speaking.
"What else?"
"This incident did have a follow-up. Last year, someone drank water from the lake, and not only did their internal energy not get drained, but their Dantian actually became stronger. Later, some speculated that the water on both sides of the lake was different. One side was devouring, while the other could strengthen one's physical fitness."
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