Five seconds later, the wave tossed both Shuxiao and me into the air. In a flash, Shuxiao, quick-witted and nimble, let go of my hand, snatched hold of the passage mouth suspended in mid-air, performed a pull-up, and vaulted himself through.

I grasped at nothing, plunging into the water with a loud splash. Water erupted everywhere, and salty lake water gurgled straight down my throat.

Shuxiao lay prone at the passage mouth, peering down to ask, "Are you alright?"

The water subsided, and the lake surface smoothed back into tranquility. I swiped the water from my face and shouted up to him, "Fine! Now what?"

"Wait there, I’ll find something to fish you out." With that, Shuxiao vanished.

Hearing the phrase "fish you out," I couldn't decide whether to laugh or cry. Usually, if a friend took too long in the restroom, I’d sarcastically remark, "What's taking so long? I was about to go fish you out." I never expected today to be the day I’d actually need retrieving.

After a long moment, Shuxiao poked his head out of the passage opening again, calling, "Hey, you good down there?"

"Stop wasting time and haul me up," I emphasized the word "haul" heavily.

"Oh, hang on." Shuxiao retreated again, slowly lowering a bedsheet.

At first, I was puzzled about where he’d procured a bedsheet. As bugs, debris, dust, and cobwebs rained down from the fabric, the realization struck me: wasn't this the very sheet from the crime scene?

The thought of hauling myself up using something so filthy—pulled from a dusty, long-abandoned crime scene—made my scalp prickle.

"Hurry up! What are you waiting for?" Shuxiao impatiently urged when he saw me staring blankly at the sheet.

I had no choice but to steel my nerves. I gripped the dirtiest sheet imaginable, summoned all my strength, clamped my arms tight, and began scrambling upward like a monkey climbing a vine.

Clearly, my P.E. scores didn't match Shuxiao’s. The agile display he’d just put on would have earned him a bushel of flowers and eyeballs if any girls had witnessed it. My own climb, like an old ox dragging a broken cart, was a spectacle of awkwardness. Before I was even halfway, my strength gave out, and I started slipping downward with weak spasms.

"Are you okay? I’ll pull you up!" Shuxiao saw the situation deteriorating and changed his mind about letting me climb on my own. He bent over at the passage mouth, bracing himself and pulling back on the sheet.

"One, two, three… pull…" he grunted, slowly shuffling his feet backward, hauling me inch by inch up from the open air.

As I neared the passage mouth, I stretched my arms upward desperately, finally grasping the edge of the opening. I intended to vault up gracefully like he had done. However, my arms were too weak; I managed only half a pull-up, leaving my body dangling there in a stalemate.

Seeing I couldn’t hoist myself in, Shuxiao dropped the sheet and rushed forward, seizing my wrist to drag me up. Aided by his strength, I managed to brace myself on my elbows, and through a combination of yanking and pulling, I finally dragged myself into the passage.

This was the height of humiliation. If there had been a hole in the passage floor, I would have jumped into it right then. I never realized the disparity in our physical strength was so vast. He had made it look so easy with a mere 'carp leap,' flipping up effortlessly. Compared to that, I had made a complete fool of myself! Had I been here alone, it’s highly likely I would never have returned.

"Little brother, we’ve been through quite an ordeal together. Let me tell you something. It wasn't appropriate to say it back at the villa, but some Ghost Infants are benevolent. As long as that little one doesn't cause trouble or harm anyone, let’s figure out a way to raise him," Shuxiao suddenly declared.

I was still preoccupied with how to rescue Wang Jue, and he was delivering this speech, leaving me utterly confused.