Facing the deep pool, figuring out the path forward was a knotty problem for the three of them. For Zhang Yuqiu and Hou Dayong, it presented no real issue, but for Wang Jue, the depth of the water, the existence and length of any underwater tunnel were matters of life and death. After some discussion, they decided that Wang Jue would wait by the edge of the pool while Hou Dayong and Zhang Yuqiu paired up to scout the situation ahead.

Hou Dayong jumped into the water with a plop, circling the pool to inspect it. He discovered an exit, slightly larger than a water bucket, at the bottom, and swam back up to report to Zhang Yuqiu. Zhang Yuqiu took off her jacket, smoothly unfolding the crumpled piece of paper given to her by Li Taiming for another look. It was still completely blank; the words “Nail of the Soul Stake” had vanished without a trace. She tucked it back into her pocket and asked Wang Jue to hold it on the shore.

Wang Jue noticed her peculiar movements but said nothing. He quietly folded her clothes and held them close, watching as the two figures submerged one after the other. After a burst of churning water, the pool returned to a deathly stillness. Guessing they had swum far enough, Wang Jue took out Zhang Yuqiu’s clothes, retrieved the crumpled paper from the pocket, and studied it under the light of the torch for a long time. Seeing no script, he recalled the concept of invisible ink and walked over to a torch. He carefully held the paper over the heat radiating from the flame, and sure enough, the characters soon began to appear.

“Nail of the Soul Stake?” Wang Jue read the three words, furrowing his brow deeply, desperately dredging his memory for anything connected to those terms. But no matter how hard he thought, he could find no answer, no associated information whatsoever. Zhang Yuqiu could read it, but Wang Jue couldn’t decipher its meaning. Even after cracking the petty trick of the blank paper, he had no way to link those words to rescuing Xiaoyu and Xiaoshu. This was precisely why Li Taiming had only given the note to Zhang Yuqiu. Of course, Wang Jue was unaware of all of Li Taiming's machinations.

While Wang Jue was deep in thought, a voice drifted from behind him: “‘Nail of the Soul Stake’ is an implement of torture ensuring that an immortal body never finds final rest—it is more formidable than the Man-Eating Nether Worms. The worms merely consume the physical form; their souls can return to the Sea of the Departed or enter reincarnation. But the Nail of the Soul Stake is different. Those pinned upon it have their souls forever locked within the spike, forever denied any chance of rebirth.” Wang Jue spun around. The speaker was none other than Li Bingyu, who moments ago had been weeping by the candlestick before turning hostile toward everyone. Judging by her tone, the aggression was gone. Wang Jue inwardly sighed: A woman’s heart is a deep ocean; this woman’s disposition shifts instantly, from hostility to cooperation, making her utterly unpredictable.

“How did you get here?” Wang Jue asked coolly.

“That question isn't important. What is important is that you are puzzling over the meaning of those characters on the note—am I correct?” Li Bingyu smiled slightly at Wang Jue, an expression in her eyes both profound and mysterious, betraying a thread of sincerity yet laced with three parts cunning. Wang Jue found himself unable to trust her fully, nor able to dismiss her completely. In short, she was a mercurial woman whose true intentions remained perpetually veiled from others.

Seeing that she knew something of the note’s secret, Wang Jue pressed on, “What do these words mean? Will they help us rescue Xiaoshu and Xiaoyu?” Upon hearing his question, Li Bingyu turned her head aside and replied, “Why should I tell you what Zhang Yuqiu chooses not to disclose?”

Oh, great! Wang Jue wryly thought to himself: This woman is truly exceptional. Prying any useful information from her lips would likely prove no easy task!