The constant swing between good and bad had driven me to the brink, especially the smell of stagnant water that emerged at this final juncture. I was both terrified and furious, and the hand gripping Geng Wei’s back started to sweat lightly. Fortunately, Tang Minghao arrived just in time to take over for a while, so I handed Geng Wei to him and forged ahead to scout the path.

The stone steps climbed relentlessly upward. I couldn't say how long we walked, rotating carrying Geng Wei among the four of us big men several times until finally, our legs felt utterly weak. Then, the smell finally became clear: it was the normal scent of lake water. Thank heavens. A huge wave of relief washed over me.

Glancing at the golden lid and the few other odds and ends we carried, at least this trip hadn't been in vain, despite the sheer terror of it.

No more monsters appeared, and we climbed unimpeded. The stone steps began showing signs of dampness; without a doubt, we were approaching the water source.

Sure enough, less than ten minutes later, we actually saw murky water—outside the steps, beside the exit, a thin stream trickled past. Beyond that, there was a small pool, with water slowly flowing down from a slightly higher elevation. The stream then gracefully traced a thin line across the exit before flowing away.

Everything was utterly silent and peaceful; nothing seemed amiss.

Naturally, we had to move upward. Seeing the water flow smoothly at the slightly higher spot, I hoped there wouldn't be any hidden traps or mechanisms. May the heavens not play a cruel joke on us now. I silently offered a prayer, instructing everyone to check their diving gear. Tang Minghao and Xu Zhiwu took the golden lid and the rest, while Old Li and I, supporting Geng Wei, submerged and slowly began swimming up.

It’s hard to articulate the feeling—a mix of tension and fear. With every upward movement, I was grateful we hadn't encountered any monstrous fish, yet I worried about unforeseen accidents waiting around the next bend.

Slowly exiting the small pool, the lake water above became even murkier, interspersed with fine, white particles. They resembled the insects that had previously coated Geng Wei entirely and chewed up his joints. It was only a resemblance; looking through the diving mask, my vision seemed blurry, and I couldn't be sure, but I prayed relentlessly that it wasn't those things. Please, not them. We were exhausted and completely depleted of fighting spirit; we couldn't withstand even a minor attack from any creature.

Now it was my turn to be grateful for the military service that once annoyed me to distraction, because Tang Minghao, unable to speak, directed our movements solely through hand signals only we understood.

Geng Wei, known as a 'Water Ghost,' was now entirely reliant on us, which was somewhat disheartening to see.

Yanzi was fine; she wasn't delicate and actively swam over to help whenever possible.

The white impurities grew in number, making the entire water body opaque. When Tang Minghao moved his hand, large clumps of white material swirled around him, and the same happened near me.

A very bad feeling began to spread. Could it be that we had just left the wolf's den only to enter the tiger's mouth? "Everyone, be extra cautious!" I signaled to Old Li and Tang Minghao more than once. They acknowledged understanding, and Xu Zhiwu also sensed the looming wrongness, instinctively drawing close to me. And Old Li, well, Yanzi was naturally by his side.

The water ahead was now so thick that I couldn't see anything more than a meter away—only vast, indistinct shapes, gray and dark.

Fearing it was a dead end or some massive whirlpool, I quickly signaled Tang Minghao to turn back. But Tang Minghao didn't even look at me; instead, he swam toward it with renewed vigor, not forgetting to urge us to speed up and follow.

I hesitated for a moment, looking at Old Li. After a brief pause, Old Li said we had no choice but to follow him.

In less than a minute, Tang Minghao reached the area. He was steadying himself on something and waved at us triumphantly, stirring up even more white debris. I could only vaguely make out his silhouette, so I strained my eyes, paddling over while supporting Geng Wei with Old Li.

Up close, I finally saw it clearly. That grayish-black mass appeared to be a colossal stone wall, stretching out of sight in both directions, seemingly endless. There were faint patterns etched upon it, though I couldn't be certain if they were natural or man-made. As I lightly touched it, a shower of the white material detached and floated around my mask. Upon closer inspection, they were indeed those same insects, but their bodies were stiff—they were dead. Even so, I couldn't help but feel a creeping fear.

The water grew darker, to the point where I could barely see Xu Zhiwu beside me. Tang Minghao extended his hand toward me, repeatedly signaling for me to swim upward along the stone wall. I complied, and then he repeated the gesture for Old Li.

Ascending further, I could feel the water pressure slowly, subtly easing, which made supporting Geng Wei slightly easier.

The stone wall was only about three or four meters high. Swimming up along it, the view suddenly opened wide. There were very few white insect carcasses, and the water became clear again.

Crossing over the stone wall, what greeted our eyes was unmistakably a cluster of buildings, complete with streets and bridges—an entire city.

My heart soared with ecstasy! Wasn't this the ancient city beneath Lake Fuxian? We had made it to the bottom of Lake Fuxian! We could go back now! I nearly shouted—we were finally out, truly out! It was real; I pinched myself several times through the thick diving suit—it hurt. It wasn't a dream, no! I had finally endured and overcome this! I, Luo, could finally sleep soundly, eat, and—well, chase beautiful women—though the military strictly forbade that, as long as I was alive, wouldn't there be opportunities? Haha...

In my excitement, I almost started gesturing wildly. As a result, my grip loosened, and half of Geng Wei’s body tilted, threatening to drop. Luckily, I reacted quickly and pulled him back. He was also utterly thrilled, grinning widely, teeth showing.

I had initially thought about taking the chance to explore this mysterious underwater ancient city, but my strength wouldn't allow it. After enjoying the moment briefly, I relied on Geng Wei’s directions to lead us back. He was intimately familiar with this place. Not long after, we swam out of the city's architectural perimeter. From a high vantage point, we could see the city walls lined densely with countless figures in white robes, leaning forward.

Recalling the white-robed figures who had forced us into the well, I wondered if they were their accomplices, or perhaps they should have been dead. Otherwise, they must be like those reanimated Qing soldiers on Mount Qiangba Ke. But regardless, at least for now, they seemed benevolent; otherwise, we might still be trapped in that dark, sunless water below.

Thinking of this, I quickly urged us to swim upward faster. If these white-robed figures could really move, we were in big trouble.

Geng Wei kept reminding us to slow down, saying that after spending so long deep underwater, we needed to ascend slowly to allow our bodies to adapt. Hearing this made me even more anxious. I could already see scattered specks of light in the distance, yet we had to proceed at a snail's pace—it was torture.

When we finally broke the surface, it was already evening. The distant sounds of car horns, the clamor of crowds, even the neon lights I usually despised seemed welcoming. What a beautiful human world, and how joyful these vulgar things made me feel! No more worrying about monsters of this or that kind, no more fear that I might die inexplicably in the next second.

Clambering onto the shore, I felt completely drained of energy. I staggered and collapsed onto the ground, though I didn't lose consciousness.

As soon as I fell, someone gasped, and then I saw a familiar young girl running over, anxiously checking my pulse and trying to pry open my eyelids. I had been squinting, but upon seeing her, I immediately snapped my eyes wide open to look at her. She seemed startled, let out another shriek, and then four or five men and women rushed over from somewhere, surrounding us in a flurry of chatter, after which one person broke away and ran off.

I felt momentarily dizzy. Was this like watching a movie? Where did all these people come from? What did they want? We still had a large quantity of gold; perhaps they were looking to take advantage of the situation!

But I truly had no strength left to even turn my head to check on Xu Zhiwu and Tang Minghao, who were carrying the gold. "Forget it. Being alive is what matters," I consoled myself. "With people coming and going here, they won't just rob us and then take our lives, right?" So, I simply closed my eyes, ignoring everything, wanting only a long sleep.

However, some people simply won't let you have your way. Just as my eyes closed, hovering between sleep and wakefulness, an extremely irritating figure appeared. She even had the nerve to take my hand, acting as if nothing was wrong, and asked, "How are you? Are you okay? You scared me half to death!" She even put on a show of being choked up. She truly was a fantastic actress.

I kept my eyes closed, intending to turn away, but the slightest movement felt too difficult, so I gave up and didn't open my eyes to look at her. I wanted to offer a sarcastic remark but couldn't be bothered to waste the energy. So, I let out two cold snorts as a response.

She made whimpering sounds, and tears dropped onto my face. "You must blame me," she said.

I remained silent. I was too exhausted even to feel anger toward her anymore. Her crocodile tears and affected behavior nauseated me.

"I only just found out about this. You must believe me, if Aunt Ma hadn't told me, I wouldn't have known..." Her tears splashed down my face, drop by drop. "Go cry somewhere else; don't dirty my face," I said coldly. It was a pity I couldn't summon the strength to raise my hand; if I could, I surely would have administered a few hard slaps without hesitation.

"Luo Lian, let me explain," she continued, sniffling.

I pressed my lips shut, refusing to acknowledge her further.

The fact that I didn't erupt in curses was already showing great restraint, yet she shamelessly refused to recognize when to stop, fabricating excuses beside me: "You have to believe me, I truly knew nothing about this. Zhaxi and the others never acted with my consent. How could I... how could I bear for you to suffer so much... sob..." She began to sob.

If this were before, perhaps seeing her tears, I might have softened and believed she was truly innocent. But now, after narrowly escaping death and finally reaching solid ground, the pain we endured couldn't be so easily washed away by these two drops of false compassion. Moreover, the thing I hated most in my life was deception; she had deceived me from start to finish, even hiding behind the guise of love during the process.

"No... Zhuoma Yangjin, I will never forgive you. Never." I opened my eyes, looking at her coldly, then closed them again, ignoring her.

Yes, the visitor was none other than the Princess of Guge—Zhuoma Yangjin.

"Luo Lian, you have to believe me, I really... didn't mean to..." Zhuoma Yangjin wept softly.

Then a girl came over and said something in Tibetan. She stopped crying, and immediately two people lifted me onto a stretcher. The others—Old Li, Xu Zhiwu, Tang Minghao, and Yanzi—suffered the same fate.