Taking a deep breath, Lin Xiao approached the well, peering into its depths. The darkness seemed to stretch infinitely, but there was no turning back now. He had chosen to help, to see this mystery through to the end.
Lin Xiao carefully descended into the well, using the same rope he had before. As he reached the bottom, the familiar surroundings of the cave greeted him.
The eerie glow from the bioluminescent fungi still clung to the damp walls, casting ghostly shadows across the cavern.
The makeshift altar with its scattered offerings remained untouched, and the water that once trickled down the cave walls still formed small, stagnant pools on the ground.
Everything seemed exactly as it was when he first explored the cave.
Except for one thing: the mysterious woman. She stood in the center of the cave, her presence commanding the space.
The dim light barely illuminated her figure, but Lin Xiao could see her clearly, her ethereal form contrasting against the dark, cold stone. She looked at him with an expression that was hard to read—calm, but with an underlying intensity that made Lin Xiao uneasy
The mysterious woman's calm yet intense gaze lingered on Lin Xiao, making him feel uneasy. "Follow me," she instructed, her voice echoing softly in the cave.
Lin Xiao, fully in control of his character's movements and speech, responded, "I've been here before. I've searched every nook and corner and found nothing. Are you saying this place leads to the heart of the village?"
The woman didn't acknowledge his words. She simply repeated with hollow eyes, "Follow me," like a braindead NPC stuck in its loop.
Lin Xiao sighed, feeling a mix of frustration and resignation, and began to follow her. The woman moved with a slow, deliberate pace, leading him toward the passage he had noticed during his previous exploration.
The passage was narrow, its walls close enough to brush against his shoulders as he walked. The air grew colder, the dampness seeping into his bones as the light from the cave entrance faded behind them.
The passage twisted and turned, a winding path that seemed to go on forever. The only sound was the soft, almost inaudible footsteps of the mysterious woman ahead of him.
The walls were rough, occasionally catching on Lin Xiao's clothes as he squeezed through tighter sections.
Despite the eerie silence and the oppressive darkness, Lin Xiao kept his focus on the woman's figure, the only guide through this labyrinth.
After what felt like an eternity, they reached a dead end, a solid stone wall blocking their path. The mysterious woman stood still before the wall, her back to Lin Xiao. For a moment,
he wondered if this was another dead end, but then she began to chant. The words she spoke were strange, foreign, and filled with a power Lin Xiao couldn't quite grasp.
They reverberated in the confined space, creating an unsettling vibration that Lin Xiao could feel deep in his chest.
As she continued her chant, the wall before them began to shift. The stone groaned as if awakening from a long slumber, and slowly, a door began to materialize where the solid wall had been.
It was as if the stone itself had bent to her will, revealing a hidden passage that had been concealed from view.
Lin Xiao stared at the door, disbelief etched across his face. "What is this? Is this the path to the heart of the village?" he asked, his voice tinged with a mix of awe and suspicion.
The mysterious woman nodded, her expression as unreadable as ever. "Yes, this is the path. You can go in, but please be careful," she replied, her tone flat. "I won't be able to go in with you."
Lin Xiao studied her face, searching for any sign of the emotions he had seen from her in the temple—fear, anger, even desperation—but there was nothing. Her eyes were devoid of feeling, like a blank canvas that gave away nothing of what she might be thinking or feeling.
It was unnerving. He felt like he was looking at a stranger, not the mysterious woman who had led him this far. But there was no turning back now. With a final glance at her emotionless face, Lin Xiao steeled himself and stepped through the door.
The air grew heavier the moment he crossed the threshold, as if the very atmosphere was pressing down on him. The passage ahead was dark, the walls closing in even tighter than before. There was no going back, only forward.
Lin Xiao took a deep breath and steeled himself to move ahead, but just as he was about to step forward, a voice echoed from behind.
"Wait!" The mysterious woman's voice rang out, urgent and clear. "Come back!"
Lin Xiao hesitated, caught off guard by the sudden change in tone. He turned around and retraced his steps, emerging back outside the door. The woman stood there, her expression slightly different this time—almost as if she was struggling with something.
"What's up? Why did you call me back?" Lin Xiao asked, his voice edged with curiosity and a hint of irritation.
The woman looked at him, her gaze intense. "I just have one request," she said, her voice softer now, almost pleading.
"What is it?" Lin Xiao replied, feeling an odd sense of foreboding.
"Please… don't kill the people inside," she said, her words hanging in the air like a dark cloud.
Lin Xiao's eyes widened in shock. "What do you mean, 'kill the people inside'? Does that mean I have the ability to kill them?" He was baffled, trying to make sense of her words.
But before he could ask anything further, the woman's form began to dissolve into mist, her features blurring until she completely vanished from sight. Lin Xiao stood there, bewildered, her cryptic request echoing in his mind.
The door loomed ahead, and now it carried an even heavier weight. He had no idea what awaited him on the other side, but one thing was certain: whatever it was, it was going to be far more complicated than he had imagined.