At that time, I was shivering from the cold, and I could hardly speak clearly. I had no energy to ask why a few pieces of clothing could save my life. Han Zong took out a rope and tied it around my waist: "In a moment, I will lower you down. When you get close to the water's surface, you will see the female corpse. Remember, you must enter the water from behind her. You can't face her. If you do, it's over for you." "Once you're in the water next to the corpse, reach your hands under her armpits and hold her from behind. No matter how much she struggles, don't let go. Hold on until I pull you out of the water." "If you can retrieve that corpse, we win. Otherwise... well, just get ready and go down!" As I followed Han Zong's instructions and grabbed the rope to descend into the well, I couldn't help but shiver. I clearly didn't want to open my mouth, but my teeth were uncontrollably chattering, and my hands gripping the rope felt almost numb, as if I could barely hold on. Han Zong shone a flashlight down from above the well and kept reassuring me: "Just hang in there, you're almost at the water's surface." The previous times I had been close to the well, the water inside had been rising, but this time, I didn't know what was happening. The water level was dropping, and after a while, I still hadn't reached the water. If this continued, the rope might not be long enough. Han Zong shouted from above: "Can you touch the water? If not, come back up!" "Lower me down!" I had little time left, and I couldn't keep trying to get closer to the female corpse in the well. Han Zong lowered the rope twice more: "You're getting close to the water... don't look down..." By the time I heard "don't look down," it was too late; I had already seen the female corpse floating in the water. The corpse seemed to be standing upright in the well, her face turned towards the mouth of the well, her hair spread out like black algae, sealing the well tightly. When my gaze fell on the pale face surrounded by black hair, the corpse suddenly opened her eyes. She clearly wasn't looking at me but at the rope in my hand. Before I could react, the rope above my head snapped in two, and I fell into the water, holding onto half of the rope.聊天GPT-4o miniAt that time, I was shivering from the cold, and I could barely speak. I had no mind to ask why a few pieces of clothing could save my life. Han Zong took out a rope and tied it around my waist: "In a moment, I'll lower you down. When you get close to the water's surface, you'll see the female corpse. Remember, you must enter the water from behind the corpse. You must not face her. If you do, it will be the end for you." "Once you are in the water next to the corpse, reach your hands under her arms and wrap them around her from behind. No matter how much she struggles, don't let go. Hold on until I pull you out of the water." "If you can retrieve the body, we win. Otherwise… never mind, just get ready and go down!" As I followed Han Zong's instructions and grasped the rope to lower myself into the well, I couldn't help but shiver. I clearly didn't want to open my mouth, but my teeth were chattering uncontrollably, and my hands gripping the rope felt numb, almost unable to hold on. Han Zong shone a flashlight down from above and kept reassuring me: "Hang in there, you're about to reach the water's surface." In previous attempts, when I got close to the well, the water inside was rising. This time, though, I didn't know what was happening; the water level was dropping. The rope had been going down for quite a while, and I still hadn't touched the water. If this continued, the rope might not be long enough. Han Zong shouted from above: "Can you touch the water? If not, come back up!" "Lower me down!" I didn't have much time left, and I couldn't keep trying to get close to the corpse in the well. Han Zong lowered the rope two more times: "You're getting close to the water… don't look down…" I heard the warning "don't look down" too late; I had already seen the female corpse floating in the water. The corpse seemed to be standing upright in the well, her face tilted towards the well opening, her hair spread out like black algae, sealing the well tightly. When my gaze fell on the pale face surrounded by dark hair, the corpse suddenly opened her eyes. She clearly wasn't looking at me but at the rope in my hand. Before I could react, the rope above my head snapped into two pieces, and I fell into the water, gripping the half of the rope.
The icy well water nearly made me lose consciousness, and I involuntarily opened my mouth, allowing the water to rush in. I felt a chill spreading from my heart, my vision darkening, and my mind lost the ability to think. I could only desperately follow Han Zong's instructions and flail my arms in the water. The well was not wide to begin with, and there was barely enough space for two people to face each other. After just a few strokes, I bumped into the arm of the female corpse. I didn't have time to consider whether I had embraced the corpse from behind; I reached forward under her armpits with both hands and used all my strength to pull her into my arms. When I pressed against the corpse, a chill ran through me—I had indeed embraced her from the front. At this point, I couldn't push her away even if I wanted to; I could only stare into the corpse's grotesque face as I watched her blood-red lips part. Terrified, I shut my eyes. Unexpectedly, the corpse spoke, "Do you want to take me out? The consequences of taking me out are something you and that old ghost above won't be able to bear." I was so frozen that I could barely speak, but I managed to nod, indicating that I wasn't afraid of any consequences! The corpse supported my arm and lifted me up, allowing my head to emerge from the water. "You need to say it with your own mouth," she insisted. Once I was out of the water, I finally caught my breath, but before I could speak, I heard Han Zong shouting from above, "Don't agree to her!" I clearly heard Han Zong trying to stop me, yet I trembled as I said to the corpse, "I accept whatever consequences there are." "Good!" The corpse raised her hand, and the rope hanging from me shot straight out of the water, standing upright in the well. She said, "That person above, pull us up with the rope." Han Zong sighed helplessly and grabbed the rope, pulling me and the corpse toward the well opening. The corpse leaned close to my ear and said, "When we reach the top of the well, I'll need to borrow some of your yang energy. If you're drained of all your yang energy, that old ghost above can only pull out a corpse. If you can't hold on or change your mind, you can let go, and I'll fall back into the well. After that, don't come looking for me again; if I see you again, I will definitely kill you." As I nodded, a sudden sound like shattering stone echoed in my ears. When I turned my head to look, large shards of ice were cascading down the well walls like snow.
Did the ice on the well wall break? As I turned my head again, I saw several vermilion runes appearing around the well wall. The female corpse softly said, "When my true form emerges, the runes will block me. Now, it's time for me to borrow your yang energy; if you can't hold on, just let go!" Before I could respond, her lips pressed against mine, and I felt the last bit of warmth in my body being drawn out by her. I nearly lost consciousness from the cold. Desperately, I intertwined my fingers tightly, fearing that if I let go even for a moment, the female corpse would fall into the water. If I could still speak, I would definitely tell her: Hold on to me! That female corpse seemed indifferent to whether she wanted to leave the well or not; she showed no intention of holding me. I only felt her growing heavier in my arms, her body slipping down like a fish, and she even wrapped her legs around my waist. I finally managed to stabilize the female corpse, but then I heard her whisper in my ear, "Why go through this? If you bring me out, you might end up suffering even more." Han Zong was shouting from above, "Xiao Jiu, let go! She must have a great karmic burden; if you save her, it could lead to your doom!" With my last bit of strength, I shouted, "I want revenge!" Just then, there was a loud explosion from the edge of the well, and the eight stones that formed the well's edge shattered simultaneously. Large and small stones fell from the sky as if to fill the well. A stone the size of a fist hit my head, and blood poured down my forehead. Everything I looked at turned blood red, and I could barely muster any strength in my limbs. I didn't know where the strength came from, but I shouted, "Grandpa, pull me out! I accept whatever fate awaits me." "Ah—" Han Zong sighed deeply, then suddenly yanked the rope, pulling me and the female corpse toward the well's mouth amidst the falling stones. I had no idea how many times I was hit by the stones before Han Zong pulled me out of the well. I looked up and smiled at Han Zong before losing consciousness while still holding the female corpse.