Chapter 33

Su Xinge quickly and cautiously took two steps back, reflexively trying to shield the two behind her. Just as she turned her body to the right, a sharp scream erupted from her left, followed immediately by the heavy splash of something hitting the water.

Su Xinge spun around. The area outside the fence was empty. She bolted out of the gate, but the two who had been behind her were nowhere to be seen. The scream from a moment ago felt like a hallucination; the person was gone, yet the sound echoed in her heart for a long time.

With no one in sight to the left or right, the only possible explanation was that they had fallen into the lake.

Su Xinge stared anxiously at the water, trying to pierce its dark depths. Beneath the surface was only more darkness, and the lake, which had been splashing violently moments ago, settled into an eerie stillness within a few heartbeats.

Before her mind could even process the situation, her body acted.

She snatched up a large stone from beside the fence and hurled it toward the far side of the lake. Splash! The water churned, and the commotion drew all the nearby monsters toward the sound. Immediately after, she leaped lightly into the water where the scream had originated and dove in.

Under the surface, Su Xinge struggled to keep her eyes open. In the pitch blackness, there was only more blackness; she saw nothing. She reached out desperately, clawing at the water to find something—anything—but her hands came back empty.

After several breaths, the water began to surge. She sensed monsters closing in on her position through the [unauthorized copy]vibrations. Struggling, she scrambled back onto the shore.

Once away from the water’s edge, she finally forced her heart to settle so she could think. The situation was clearly wrong. If someone had fallen in, there should have been some sign of a struggle, yet the surface had flattened out without a ripple. It was no longer realistic to dive back in; she hadn’t found them the first time, and the odds of a second attempt being successful were infinitesimal.

Su Xinge wiped the water from her face and stood up, staring at the lake as if she could burn a hole through it. While searching the area, she replayed the scene in her head. In her panic, she had jumped in without thinking; looking back now, she felt a chill of delayed terror. The stone distraction couldn’t have worked perfectly; she had no idea what had actually diverted the monsters’ attention away from her.

But surviving didn’t bring her any joy. The two of them had vanished as if into thin air. A massive void opened in Su Xinge’s heart. Since transmigrating, the first person she had met was Lin Yuxuan. Because of Lin Yuxuan, she had found a goal and the motivation to keep living. They had done everything together; now, it felt as if a single coin had been forcibly snapped in half. A crushing guilt filled her—if only she had made Lin Yuxuan enter the fence with her.

As the sky turned from a hazy grey to bright daylight, Su Xinge refused to give up. She searched again and again, desperate to find a miracle on that unchanging surface.

She didn’t understand why she had transmigrated. If none of this had happened, perhaps Lin Yuxuan would have lived a few more years, rather than losing her life so early because of Su Xinge’s seemingly well-intentioned actions. Though An Le was an Awakened, she was currently mindless; falling into the lake with Lin Yuxuan meant their chances of survival were practically zero.

Su Xinge paced. Lin Yuxuan had clearly been a distance away from the water, yet she had vanished before her eyes so quickly and silently. Moreover, An Le’s speed and strength were markedly different from before—her power seemed even to eclipse Su Xinge’s own.

The sun grew hotter. Su Xinge’s wet clothes were clinging to her uncomfortably. She took off her pitch-black jacket, wrung it out until no more water dripped, and spread it over the fence to dry in the sun.

She stared at the lake for a long time, waiting for a miracle. She waited until her clothes were dry, until the sun began to set, until the sky turned from white to red to orange, and finally to a dim half-stretch of blue-black. After waiting for nearly unauthorized copya full day, she didn’t wait any longer. she stood up and put on the jacket hanging from the fence.

She retraced the path she had taken, passing through the green woods. Some of the branches she hadn’t fully severed earlier had snapped back to block the way. Su Xinge didn’t bother using her blade to hack at them this time; she simply pushed the branches aside with her hand, letting her blade drag on the ground with a harsh, scraping sound.

She walked extremely slowly, as if her empty wake were still waiting for someone. The water in her boots hadn’t been fully drained, leaving a trail of wet prints on the ground with every step.

Passing through the woods and reaching the large stone by the middle of the lake, Su Xinge’s body and soul both came to a halt. Her gaze fixed on a spot near the rock and stayed there for a long time.

A cool breeze blew past, beckoning Su Xinge’s spirit back to her body. She looked up and was startled: floating on the surface of the lake were the bizarre corpses of numerous monsters, their deaths looking horrific.

A rare change in expression crossed Su Xinge’s face. What… happened here?

She followed the direction where the corpses were most concentrated. The further she went, the more floating bodies appeared. Su Xinge quickened her pace; something must have happened up ahead. An indescribable spark of hope flickered in her heart. She moved faster, her blade cutting through the air as if screaming some hidden defiance.

What if…

Out of a million-to-one chance, she craved that tiny “one.”

Reaching the end of the lake, Su Xinge stopped. The roadside was still empty, with no sign of human activity. Her mood plummeted from the clouds to the abyss; the crushing disappointment following the hope swallowed her whole. Without Lin Yuxuan, no matter how strange the cause of these monsters’ deaths was, it had nothing to do with her. Su Xinge lowered her eyes and walked straight toward the path leading back to the safe house.

Arriving at the safe house, Su Xinge knocked on the door in the pre-arranged rhythm. A moment later, the outer door opened. Xiang Tiange quickly led her inside, remarking, “You’re finally back! I’ve been waiting behind this door for ages.”

Su Xinge nodded dully, then replied politely, “Thank you.”

As they walked through the passage, Xiang Tiange pulled out her keys and said, “Hurry up and check on Lin Yuxuan and the kid. They’ve been sleeping since they got back. We have no idea what’s going on with them.”

Su Xinge stopped dead, her eyes widening. “They’re back?” she asked in disbelief.

Xiang Tiange sighed. “They’ve been back a while. But they fainted after saying just a few words. We only know you guys went out to find An Le. Later, when you didn’t return, we even went out to look for you, but we couldn’t find you.”

Su Xinge didn’t listen to the rest. Hearing only the first half of the sentence, she accelerated her pace and rushed forward. Suddenly left behind, Xiang Tiange hurried to keep up. “So, back to my question—where on earth did you go? We couldn’t find you anywhere.”

Su Xinge, moving like the wind, answered casually, “The other side of the lake.”

Reaching the inner door, Su Xinge paused and looked back, her eyes unable to hide her frantic impatience. Xiang Tiange, taking her time, remarked, “No wonder. I can’t believe you guys actually fought your way through that path.” As she spoke, she unlocked the door.

The door opened. Su Xinge didn’t step through immediately, but asked, “Are they really in there?” Her voice still held a trace of uncertainty, fearing this was all a dream.

Xiang Tiange walked inside and replied, “Right where you slept last night.”

Hearing the confirmation, Su Xinge bolted toward her destination. Entering the room, several concerned gazes fixed on her at once. Su Xinge spoke quickly: “I’m going upstairs first. We’ll talk about the details later.”

No one moved to stop her or ask questions, letting her rush past. Su Xinge’s black trench coat was buttoned meticulously, but her soaked soles and disheveled hair betrayed her urgency.

She crossed the hall and flew up the stairs, taking them three or four at a time. She crossed the second-floor hall and entered the corridor. Approaching the room, she slowed her pace and stepped lightly. She knocked three times; receiving no response, she slowly pushed the door open.

The sky wasn’t entirely dark yet, but a candle was already lit inside. Two people were lying on the bed—the smaller form on the outside was clearly An Le, and the one on the inside was Lin Yuxuan.

Su Xinge took small, silent steps toward them, only to see the figure on the outside sit up suddenly. Su Xinge stopped in her tracks. The person on the bed rubbed her eyes [unauthorized copy]and called out in a soft, sweet voice, “Sister Su?”

Su Xinge didn’t dare answer at first. She asked cautiously, “Lower your hands so I can see you.”

An Le was still sleepy, but she lowered her hands and blinked groggily, looking around. “Where is this? How did I change places while I was sleeping?”

Seeing An Le’s eyes had returned to their normal color, Su Xinge felt relieved. She took two steps forward. “It’s okay. This is the second floor. I came to see you. How is Sister Lin Yuxuan sleeping?”

An Le turned her head, then got out of bed to make room. “She’s still sleeping.”

Su Xinge moved closer to Lin Yuxuan, but she didn’t let her attention leave An Le entirely; she kept part of her focus on the girl. She scanned Lin Yuxuan meticulously, confirming there were no wounds or the scent of blood. Only then did she feel truly at ease, the void in her heart instantly filled. A smile spread across her face uncontrollably.

Just then, Lin Yuxuan’s eyelashes fluttered, and she opened her eyes. Seeing this, Su Xinge asked, “You’re awake? Are you okay?”

Lin Yuxuan raised a hand slightly to rub her forehead, frowning. “Why is your face so dirty? And you smell so bad.”

Su Xinge hadn’t expected those to Read on BaiLianTales be the first words she heard. She replied, “You look the same, and you’re calling me out?”

Lin Yuxuan snapped to full consciousness, sat up straight, and looked Su Xinge over. Then she said in shock, “Did you go into the water too?”

Su Xinge pouted. “Why else do I smell like this? It was to find you.”

She hadn’t expected she would actually do such a thing, but whenever it came to Lin Yuxuan, her brain was always a step behind her body. If it were right now, with her mind clear and sharp, she wouldn’t have the courage to jump into that lake for anything.