After several days of silence, the candlelight flickered in the simple hut, illuminating Xu Yuehuai's thin but determined figure.
She gripped the test tube tightly in both hands, her eyes shifting between solemnity and hope. Each time the solution was mixed, she murmured to herself, "Just a little bit more, just a tiny bit more." Beads of sweat appeared on her forehead, but she never stopped moving her hands, as if the weight of the entire world was pressing down on that tiny test tube.
"Sister, are you alright?" Bei Ye's voice came through the gaps in the wind and rain outside the door, tinged with worry. He didn't push the door open directly, knowing that Xu Yuehuai needed absolute focus and tranquility at this moment.
"I'm fine, Bei Ye. Did you find out anything in the village?" Xu Yuehuai asked.
“The villagers are tight-lipped, but I can sense their fear and despair. However, I believe the truth will eventually come to light.” Bei Ye’s answer revealed an indomitable spirit. He turned and left to continue his search.
On the other side, Bai Yu sat quietly on the roof of Xiao Cui's house, constantly observing the surrounding situation.
Finally, that decisive night arrived. The sky was covered with dark clouds, and lightning flashed and thunder roared, as if even the heavens were cheering for this battle.
Xu Yuehuai stood in front of the simple house, looking at the antidote in her hand, her eyes shining with an unprecedented light.
"It's time," she murmured to herself, resolutely stepping into the rain and heading towards the cursed ancient well.
"elder sister!"
"Xiaoyue!"
Bei Ye and Bai Yu noticed her actions almost simultaneously and quickly followed.
But Xu Yuehuai simply waved his hand, signaling them not to follow.
Beside the ancient well, Xu Yuehuai carefully opened the bottle of antidote; the clear liquid shone brightly in the night.
She took a deep breath and slowly poured the antidote into the well. At that moment, time seemed to stand still.
Rainwater and the antidote mingled together, slowly seeping into the bottom of the well, as if performing a silent ritual.
"May this antidote cleanse all impurities and bring new life," Xu Yuehuai prayed silently, closing her eyes.
When she opened her eyes again, she saw that the rain was gradually subsiding, and a faint rainbow was appearing on the horizon. She smiled, a smile of relief and hope.
The next morning, as the first rays of sunlight pierced through the clouds and shone upon the land, the villagers were astonished to find that the water in the ancient well had become as clear as ever, and the withered crops had miraculously come back to life overnight, their lush green leaves gleaming with the luster of life under the sunlight.
"The crops have come back to life!"
"It must be a god descending to earth to save our village!"
"The plague is gone, and the crops are thriving!"
The news quickly spread throughout the village, and villagers flocked to the ancient well, some in awe, others weeping with joy.
Xu Yuehuai, Bei Ye, and Bai Yu stood outside the crowd, silently observing everything. Their hearts were filled with both the joy of success and anxiety about the future.
“We’ve taken the first step,” Xu Yuehuai turned to her partner, “but the real challenge has just begun. How can we convince everyone on this land that the power of love and freedom is stronger than any outdated conventions?”
Bei Ye agreed, saying, "We must not only heal this land, but also heal people's hearts."
Bai Yu gently patted Xu Yuehuai's shoulder and said tenderly, "Don't forget, you're never fighting alone."
Xu Yuehuai, Bei Ye, and Bai Yu, like the brightest stars in the night sky, pierced through the heavy gloom, illuminating this land shrouded in despair. Their figures moved through the shadows, solely to unravel the layers of mystery surrounding the poisoning incident.
With his keen intuition, Bei Ye sensed something unusual.
Li Er, a seemingly ordinary villager, is taciturn and rarely argues with others, yet in Bei Ye's eyes, he hides an unknown secret.
So Bei Ye began to approach Li Er slowly and subtly, almost imperceptibly. Every step he took seemed so natural, yet it was full of hidden meaning, as he tried to capture the subtle changes in Li Er's behavior in the mundane details of daily life.
"Brother Li, how are the crops growing lately?" Bei Ye asked with a smile, but his eyes gleamed with a look of inquiry.
Li Er looked up, his eyes flickered for a moment, then returned to his usual dullness, simply nodding slightly without saying anything more.
Meanwhile, Bai Yu slipped into Li Er's house like a ghost. He moved with lightness, like a feather in the wind, silently traversing every corner of the room.
Finally, in a dusty cellar, Bai Yu's gaze was drawn to a pile of unopened poison and several diaries detailing the poisoning plan.
These cold pieces of evidence, like a sharp dagger, pointed directly at Li Er's heart.
When Xu Yuehuai, Bei Ye, and Bai Yu gathered together and faced this irrefutable evidence, their hearts were heavy.
A few faint rays of moonlight barely illuminated a corner of this ancient village. In front of a dilapidated hut on the edge of the village, three figures stood quietly. Their breath condensed into white mist in the cold air, only to quickly dissipate into the invisible darkness of the night.
"Are you ready?" Bei Ye asked in a low voice.
Xu Yuehuai and Bai Yu nodded, and they quietly approached Li Er's residence.
As the distance shortened, the tension and unease in the air intensified, as if even the wind held its breath.
"Squeak—" A piercing sound broke the silence of the night as Bei Ye pushed open the long-neglected wooden door.
Inside the room, Li Er sat alone at a dilapidated wooden table, staring blankly ahead, as if the whole world had nothing to do with him.
Xu Yuehuai stepped into the room first, clutching her diary tightly in her hand, as if it were the sole reason for her trip. She gently placed the diary on the table, the soft sound breaking the deathly silence in the room.
"Brother Li, we've found some things. We hope you can explain them to us."
Li Er's body trembled slightly, as if struck by some invisible force. He slowly raised his head, his gaze shifting between the three people before finally settling on Xu Yuehuai's face. Those once vibrant eyes had now lost their luster, leaving only endless weariness and despair.
"Why? Why did you do this?" Xu Yuehuai's question exploded in Li Er's ears like a thunderclap.
Li Er lowered his head, his hands clenched into fists, his knuckles turning white from the force. His voice was hoarse and trembling: "I just wanted to make the village better, I just wanted those women to stay! But I didn't expect... my actions would only make things worse." Tears welled up in his eyes, but he didn't let them fall, as if he had exhausted even the strength to cry.
Bei Ye stepped forward, his eyes filled with complex and profound emotions, a mixture of disappointment and sympathy for Li Er.
“Brother Li, you could have been a good person. But your obsession and inferiority complex led you down this path of no return.” His words were like sharp blades, piercing Li Er’s heart.
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