The sensation of choking on water and suffocation clamped down on me simultaneously, a truly agonizing experience. I coughed violently while draped over him, almost expelling my lungs. He used his feet to push me toward the edge of the pool, guiding me until I was sprawled at the bank, where he slapped my back rhythmically, helping me regain control of my breathing.

Water had flooded my eyes too, and I blinked rapidly several times before I could clearly make out the person beside me. It was Old He! After trekking across mountains and plunging through waters, I had finally found him here. I grabbed his arm, and tears immediately streamed down my face. All the accumulated grievances, the hardships endured on this journey, the yearning for my older sister—it all surged up like a flash flood from the depths of my heart, and I clung to him, sobbing uncontrollably.

He gently stroked my back and murmured softly, “Don’t cry. Your sister is well, right here. We are all safe.”

Only then did I remember to look around. It was still a cave, presumably within Mount Jingyin. Unlike before, there were distinct signs of habitation: electric lights were strung around the cavern walls, and a simple table with two chairs was set in the space. Snuggled close to the far wall was a makeshift bed where my sister lay.

“Sister…” I scrambled out of the water and rushed toward her. She slowly opened her eyes, gazing blankly at the ceiling of the cave.

Old He approached from behind me and knelt by my side, his voice low. “Did you bring the Gu-detoxifying medicine?”

The sad topic brought fresh tears, and I tearfully recounted everything that had just happened to him. He sighed, saying he knew it wouldn’t be that straightforward, and handed me a tube about half a foot long.

I took the tube, turning it over in confusion. He leaned in closer, explaining it was an oxygen tube and instructing me how to hold it in my mouth. Then, he told me my sister’s Gu poison must be neutralized before we could possibly leave this place. Two paths lay ahead: either trick Li Xiaohao into handing over the original antidote, or lure Bai Huajian in with deception. According to Li Xiaoshu, she was the one who actually planted the Gu, so getting her to lift the curse shouldn't be an issue.

This was what they called a twist of fate; one must experience things in life to truly mature, mustn't they? Holding the oxygen tube, I submerged back into the water. This return journey was far less taxing than the arrival.

Tricking them into giving up the antidote would likely prove difficult; they had clearly made that small vial into leverage against me. They wouldn't relinquish it easily until their demands were met. Luring Bai Huajian in, however, seemed a viable plan. Li Xiaohao had repeatedly pushed Bai Huajian and Hou Dayong to the front lines of his schemes, so having Bai Huajian take the lead fit his established pattern.

Lost in these thoughts, I unconsciously swam back to the entry point of the cave. I took a deep, long pull of oxygen, quickly removed the tube, tucked it into my waistband, slipped out of the tunnel mouth, and surfaced.

Seeing me take so long to emerge, Bai Huajian looked thoroughly impatient. “What the hell is going on in there? I thought you’d drowned.”

Heh, they really were using my life as an experimental subject. Following the script I’d just devised, I told her, “Once you dive in, there’s another passage on the other side. I didn’t scout where it leads, but there was plenty of air, and someone might be in there.”

“Fine, I’ll go with you.” Bai Huajian signaled to Li Xiaohao, then sank into the water with me, following the path I had just taken toward Old He’s location.

In truth, if she had just swum in with me initially, Old He would never have stood a chance against her. Now, the answer to that problem felt decidedly different.