Chapter Thirty: Beneath the Dry Well

Wan Tianze seemed to have grown immune to the shock on Ye Dong and the others' faces. He listened as Ye Dong continued, “When I learned there was an ancient tomb beneath the orphanage, I was just as stunned as you are now. My expression was exactly the same.”

Ye Dong murmured, “If the people at the orphanage knew there was such a tomb beneath their feet, I doubt they could keep their composure.”

Nianxue asked, “What happened afterwards? And Uncle Wan, how did you come to know these secrets?”

Wan Tianze resumed his tale. “The reason I know these secrets is all because of a fateful night twenty-three years ago. It was dark and windy, and I had just suffered a major setback in life. I was drinking alone by the sea, drowning my sorrows, when a wandering Taoist came up to me asking for a drink. I joked with him, ‘Even a man of the Dao likes to drink?’”

He chuckled, “‘Wine passes through as does water, worries follow the wind. Give me a good drink, and we’ll be good friends. Will you share your wine or not?’”

I found the Taoist amusing, and without thinking much, I gave him half my wine. Only later did I realize he was a hidden master.

Dabao laughed, “Next time we’re troubled, we should try Uncle Wan’s trick, see if we meet such a master.”

Uncle Wan shook his head with a bitter smile. “When we were half drunk, I confided my troubles to him, and he told me the orphanage’s secret. He said there’s a stone gate beneath the dry well, and beyond it a cold pool. Under the pool lies another gate, connecting to a warm spring. Cross the warm spring and, after landing, you'll see a corner of the ancient tomb.”

Nianxue pondered, “How did this Taoist know such details? Could he have explored the tomb himself?”

Wan Tianze replied, “Whether he’d entered the tomb, I can’t say. But before he left, he urged me to strive for control of the Star Orphanage, to ensure peace. He repeatedly warned that the place could be demolished, but never dug into. I must remember this.”

Everyone responded with a surprised “Oh!” and their minds spun with thoughts.

Ye Dong’s mind raced. “So Uncle Wan has his own tale of adventure. Who was this Taoist really? Who told him this story back then? Besides him and Uncle Wan, who else knows this secret?”

Wan Tianze continued, “I was in my prime then, full of youthful vigor and half drunk—brave enough to risk anything. After the Taoist left, I took a flashlight, climbed over the orphanage wall in the dark, and descended into the dry well alone.”

Everyone drew a sharp breath.

Dachun smiled wryly, “Uncle Wan, you really are bold. Knowing there’s a tiger on the mountain, yet you still climb.”

Wan Tianze smiled nostalgically. “Looking back, I was braver than I should have been. That was the spirit of my youth.”

Zhengzheng asked anxiously, “What did you encounter down there?”

Wan Tianze set down his teacup, his mind flooded with memories. After a long pause, he said, “Don’t let the dry well fool you—it holds vast mysteries.”

Everyone looked at each other, waiting for him to continue.

“In the well’s wall are four hidden stone doors, nearly impossible to find. I only managed to open them because the Taoist told me the method.”

“Four doors!?” The group’s eyes were filled with confusion. “Why four and not just one?”

Ye Dong wondered, “I always thought it strange that the police didn’t find the stone doors when they recovered Hua Hua's body. Now I see they were cleverly concealed. Even if they knew, opening them wouldn't be easy.”

He guessed, “Of the four doors, only one is real, the others are traps?”

Wan Tianze nodded. “Exactly. The four stone doors are extremely mysterious. If you try to force any of them, the mechanism triggers, and the consequences are dire.”

Liang Lingzhi smiled bitterly. “Whether the police missing these doors is good or bad, it’s hard to say.”

Wan Tianze took out a jade pendant—the one he often played with at home. “After finding the right door, you must insert this jade into the mechanism to open it.”

Nianxue examined the pendant, surprised. “Uncle Wan, is this the ‘Sea of Clarity’ jade from ‘Sea of Clarity Moon’?”

Wan Tianze’s eyes narrowed. “You’re quite perceptive, little one. Yes, it’s the Sea of Clarity jade pendant. I didn’t know its value then, only that the Taoist gave it to me as a unique key.”

Xiaobao asked quietly, “Is the jade worth a lot?”

Wan Tianze shook his head. “Not overly. Nowadays, similar pendants fetch around eighty million.”

Xiaobao was dumbfounded. “Money is just numbers to you people.”

Ye Dong murmured, “How odd—the Taoist not only told you the secret but gave you the key to the door. I think he meant for you to open it.”

Wan Tianze agreed. “Yes, that’s what I thought. After pushing open the stone door, I found a bronze bell with eight characters engraved on it: ‘One coin in, brilliance revealed.’”

Ye Dong was excited. “Did you have a coin?”

Wan Tianze smiled. “I happened to have a ‘peace coin’ my mother gave me as a child. I placed it in the bell, and the pitch-dark stone corridor lit up with a faint green glow.”

“Wow!” Several gasped. “That’s amazing!”

Wan Tianze continued, “Following the Taoist’s instructions, I walked about thirty meters down a prescribed route.”

Nianxue questioned, “Prescribed route?”

Wan Tianze explained, “Yes, only that route. Any deviation, and I’d have ended up like the desiccated corpses lining the corridor.”

“Corpses!?”

“Dry, twisted corpses piled along the corridor—it was truly unnerving. I really wanted to turn back, but curiosity won out, and I pressed on.”

Dachun muttered, “If one of them reanimated, this would be a tomb-raiding nightmare!”

Xiaobao whispered, “Uncle Wan’s courage is something else—his curiosity is higher than the heavens.”

Wan Tianze smiled softly. “After leaving the corridor, I found, just as the Taoist said, a clear pool. At the bottom, glowing algae illuminated the way. Thanks to that eerie light, I saw a warning carved into the wall: ‘Ghosts stay away, leave quickly!’”

Ye Dong guessed, “So there really is water beyond the stone door. Could Hua Hua’s death be related to this water?”

He asked, “What does ‘ghosts stay away, leave quickly’ mean? Isn’t it usually ‘living people keep away’ in the movies?”

Wan Tianze said, “Listen. I thought, since everything matched the Taoist’s words, I’d trust him a bit longer. Gathering my courage, I dove into the pool and, under the glowing algae, found another door! Even now, I remember how bone-chillingly cold that water was.”

The group listened, increasingly incredulous. Liang Lingzhi sighed, “This is an adventure worthy of treasure hunters!”

Ye Dong asked, “The water pressure down there must have been intense. How did you open the door?”

Wan Tianze pointed to the jade in Zhengzheng’s hand. “The jade was invaluable.”

Dachun grinned, “A real treasure for passing levels—player gear is truly something else.”

Nianxue scolded, “Dachun, don’t mess around.”

Wan Tianze waved it off with a smile. “It’s fine. After passing through the underwater door, I swam to the other side, where the water was so hot it peeled my skin. I held my breath and swam until I finally surfaced, only to find an entirely different world above.”

Ye Dong and the others frowned, listening intently.

Wan Tianze seemed agitated. “The place was a water cavern the size of a football field. On the shore stood a willow tree glowing with cold green light. Its branches shimmered and swayed, and the closer I got, the clearer I heard ghostly wails, as if someone was crying. The place was terrifying! Damp, cold winds blew through, and my feelings then—you can only imagine!”

At this, Dachun hugged Xiaobao’s arm tightly. “Good heavens! I’m scared out of my wits!”

Everyone’s eyes widened as Wan Tianze continued, “At that point, I knew the Taoist hadn’t lied. I gritted my teeth, went ashore, and carefully followed the path, hoping to find some antiques and make my fortune. You may not believe it, but I easily entered a stone chamber filled with calligraphy and paintings.”

Ye Dong speculated, “Could it be because you had the jade pendant? Perhaps it acted as a pass, keeping the tomb’s guardians from harming you?”

Wan Tianze fell into reflection. “That’s a good theory. Just as I was reveling in my luck, danger drew near. As I was about to leave with the paintings, something unforgettable happened.”

Everyone looked at him, eager. “What happened!?”

“From the depths of the chamber, three people emerged, wild-eyed and deranged!”