Chapter 24
A hazy figure suddenly appeared in the forest, and everyone was on guard. The sound of stepping on water continued, getting closer and closer.
My heart was beating nervously, and my eyes were fixed on the scene ahead. Besides worrying about myself, I was also worried about my companions who were not around.
Suddenly, something with a fierce wind passed through the gap between the three people and nailed to the tree trunk behind them with a "whoosh".
"What is that?" Yao Si asked, cautiously moving closer to the tree trunk. She'd thought it was a knife or an arrow from its speed and momentum, but when she got closer, she realized it was just a rock.
A lizard, its claws bared, was pinned against a tree trunk by a rock. "Judging from its posture, it must have sneaked up behind us, ready to attack us..." So, were the people coming here to help them?
"Everyone, take a defensive stance. We won't move yet. We'll wait for them to come over before we start moving." As soon as Jiang Zouwei finished speaking, Ying Zhao, Yao Si, and Jiang Zouwei stood back to back, forming a three-legged stance. This gave them a wide field of vision, a safe back, and allowed them to attack or defend. It was perfect for this situation.
Although the mysterious man's actions just now objectively saved them, the presence of such a skilled person in such a place was unsettling.
The vague figure was getting closer and closer, and the sound of dripping water that had just disappeared seemed to reappear, dripping into my heart one by one, like a countdown clock with a swinging pendulum.
"Judging from the shape of this shadow, it should be a woman, but she behaves calmly and seems to be very familiar with this place, as if she is the permanent resident here." Yao Si stared at the black shadow and expressed his opinion.
After waiting for a long time, there was no response. Yao Si did not get discouraged and continued to talk to himself, "Could it be some kind of ghost or god, or some wild spirit in the mountains and forests? Maybe a powerful and beautiful goddess? But it's amazing, I always feel that she won't hurt us!" Yao Si muttered to himself.
She muttered to herself for a while, and as the figure got closer, she sensed something unusual in the atmosphere and fell silent unconsciously.
The mysterious man finally walked to the shore and stopped. The moonlight above his head suddenly emerged from behind the clouds. The watery moonlight shone over there like a spotlight, falling on the mysterious man. The white mist around him also dissipated a little, allowing everyone to see the true appearance of the person opposite.
After seeing it clearly, Jiang Zouwei's eyes suddenly widened, and he ran over with a few leaps, "Wandi!"
Jiang Zouwei ran over to hold Wan Di's arm, and then hurriedly felt around to see if there was any injury. Yao Si and Ying Zhao also ran over at this time, and everyone supported each other to get ashore.
Jiang Zouwei took off his clothes and put them on Wandi. He wiped the water droplets on Wandi's face with his soft, dry palms. "What's the matter? Are you in danger over there?"
Wandi shook her head. "There's no danger, but we didn't find anything either. I felt like it was in the water, but the clues suddenly stopped there."
Once they were sure there was no danger, everyone felt relieved. There was no rush to find something, and they couldn't afford to lose their lives.
"Man Di..." Yao Si was about to say something when he heard Ying Zhao suddenly say.
"By the way, Wandi, Wen Xue hasn't come back yet, and we didn't take any action just now because you were not there. What should we do now? Should we go look for her? She hasn't been seen for such a long time, maybe she encountered something." Ying Zhao said worriedly. This place is already full of dangers, and it is even more terrifying after the sun sets.
Wandi suddenly became serious and said, "Let's go."
"Hey, do you need to change your clothes? It's easy to get sick if they're wet." Jiang Zouwei asked.
"No, I'm going to go in the water again after I find Wen Xue." Wan Di gathered Jiang Zouwei's coat and said, "Your coat will be enough."
"Okay, let's go now without further ado."
Everyone immediately headed towards the area Ji Wenxue had previously assigned. Surprisingly, the higher they went in this direction, the higher the altitude and the lower the temperature. The cold wind was one thing, but it was also obvious that the further they went, the more ice cubes could be seen floating on the water pools along the way.
"This direction is close to the snow-capped mountains, and the water also comes from the snow-capped mountains. Although it is cold, it is very clean and rich in nutrients." Mandi looked up as he spoke. He could only see a limited part of the night sky, like looking at the sky from the bottom of a well.
As soon as everyone arrived, they quickly launched a carpet search, but even after carefully searching every corner, they still found nothing about Ji Wenxue's whereabouts.
"People don't disappear out of thin air. If they're not found anywhere else, it seems they must be under the water that we haven't searched for." Wandi said, looking at the green water in front of him.
So where is Ji Wenxue, the woman everyone is worried about? Let's go back a few hours.
Ji Wenxue searched the area diligently, bending down to touch each suspected object, but unfortunately, she found nothing. She wanted to continue searching, but when she looked up at the sky, she realized she had no choice. The agreed time was approaching, so she decided to write down the possible objects she had spotted and prepare to meet up with everyone else to share information before making any plans.
When we went back, the temperature here became lower, but there was more water. The road that Ji Wenxue had just walked on was now covered by water.
The water was green and cold, like a piece of cloth covering the land, and there was no place to step. And because she didn't know the depth of the water, Ji Wenxue, who was not a good swimmer, didn't dare to jump in and swim back.
After standing there hesitating for a while, he tried to make a canoe, but since it was made of the trunk of a nearby tree, it sank straight into the water when he put it on the surface.
"What a broken water! It can't even hold up a boat." Ji Wenxue took a few steps back and complained. Fortunately, she ran fast. If she had been slower, she would have been lowered down with the boat.
The most frightening thing is that the water seems to be as cunning as human nature. The boat is fine when it is just placed on the water, and there is nothing unusual when people step on it. But as soon as you start paddling and the boat starts moving, it will sink all of a sudden.
It's like a water monster.
While still racking her brains for a solution, Ji Wenxue suddenly noticed something unusual. From a distance, the water surface here suddenly began to freeze.
Freeze? Ji Wenxue thought, because she was busy looking at wood, finding sticks, making a canoe... She was so hot that she was sweating and didn't feel the cold.
But the water surface is indeed frozen, and now it looks like a large ice rink.
Walking on ice?
Although there were dangers, it was still a way out. And as time passed, Ji Wenxue became anxious, fearing that she would not be able to return and would make everyone worry.
She poked the ice with a stick and felt that as long as she was careful, it could bear the weight of a person. Ji Wenxue immediately took action, stepping forward cautiously on the ice. She felt like she was walking on thin ice, and her breathing was frozen.
Walking on the ice, she didn't know whether it was because there were too many ice cubes here, or because the heat in her body had subsided after a while of rest. In short, it was not until this moment that Ji Wenxue felt the biting cold. The cold wind that blew from time to time was more like a sharp knife.
As they reached the middle of the water, something unexpected happened. Two large fish, unknown species, were fighting underwater. The fight was intense and dark, and although Ji Wenxue had been silently praying in her heart, the fierce battle underwater still affected her above.
With a "bang", the ice cracked and Ji Wenxue fell down with a "plop" before she could react.
Without thinking too much, she finally managed to straighten her hands and feet, but before she could swim to the surface, the big fish suddenly rushed towards her. Ji Wenxue had no choice but to paddle her hands and feet quickly and swim to the other side.
The vicious fish behind her pursued her relentlessly, but Ji Wenxue just kept swimming. By the end, she had lost track of her direction. The vast, unfamiliar waters seemed endless. With no companions or help, her only hope was to swim. Swim desperately, without stopping.
The distance she swam was actually far beyond Ji Wenxue's average level, but with the support of her will to survive and her strong body, Ji Wenxue didn't even have time to feel tired.
But physically, Ji Wenxue's speed had slowed down compared to the beginning. That was why, when the evil fish suddenly sped up again, Ji Wenxue found it difficult to leave it behind.
My movements slowed down, and the fatigue in my arms and legs could no longer be ignored. The abominable fish continued to advance at an alarming speed.
Just as the vicious fish was about to open its mouth to attack, Ji Wenxue was entangled in a pile of water plants. Ji Wenxue almost thought of her last words in an instant, and indignantly grabbed another handful of water plants.
Unexpectedly, the evil fish suddenly left as if it had seen some terrible monster.
Confused, Ji Wenxue continued to struggle with the weeds. Whatever the reason, the most important thing now was to get away quickly. The weeds were too strong, tangled and twisted, harder to untie than a nine-ring chain. As Ji Wenxue untied them, she felt a surge of blood rushing to her forehead.
In the end, I couldn't get it untied, so I just swam down and dug, pulling the water plants up by the roots, and carrying them with me as I went.
I was finally able to move, but I didn't know the direction. Although there was a little light, I could barely see clearly.
After looking around, she found one direction that was very dark. It was impossible to see what was in that area. It looked like a dangerous place. Ji Wenxue quickly ruled out this direction and chose the opposite direction - the one that looked crystal clear and shining.
Gathering immense passion and strength to survive, Ji Wenxue determined the direction and swam towards it. However, the bright light that seemed so close at that time seemed impossible for her to reach no matter how hard she swam.
She was physically exhausted and had difficulty breathing in the water. The exit was so close yet she could never reach it... Ji Wenxue felt her hands and feet getting heavier and heavier, her lungs felt stuffy and painful under the water pressure, and she tried her best to keep her eyelids open but couldn't help wanting to close them.
Before I lost consciousness, I seemed to see someone swimming towards me anxiously...
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