Infinite Flow: An Invitation from World B

Chapter 112 Black Stone

Once back on the ground, Liu Jia realized that her arms were completely exhausted and were shaking uncontrollably.

The two sat at the entrance of the courtyard and rested for a while before they could barely recover.

After quickly treating their wounds, the two continued their journey towards the last spring.

—Mingcheng Eye, a lake located in the center of the village.

The two walked along the path toward the center of the village, and encountered nothing unusual along the way.

The calmer things were, the more uneasy they felt, as if something was following them.

It was already past midnight when we arrived at Mingcheng Eye Lake.

A thick fog suddenly rolled in over the lake, so thick that you couldn't see your hand in front of your face.

Liu Jia discovered that even Jian Yu, who was next to her, could only be seen as a blurry shadow.

The fog carried a cold, fishy smell, along with a rotten odor.

Even a single breath makes my throat feel tight.

A dilapidated wooden boat was moored by the lake, its hull riddled with cracks, as if it might fall apart at any moment.

Jianyu brought the drawing close to her eyes, repeatedly checking the last position, before frowning deeply.

She said to Liu Jia, "The spring is at the bottom of the lake, and you can only get there by boat to the center of the lake."

I'll go down to find the spring; you stay on the boat and help me pull the rope.

Considering the potential greater dangers in the water, Liu Jia felt she couldn't handle it.

Jianyu then took the initiative to accept the task of going into the water.

Jianyu took a long rope out of her bag, tied one end around her waist, and handed the other end to Liu Jia.

"We'll agree on a code. I'll pull the rope, and you'll pull it back."

Pull twice, then release the rope. Be careful not to do it the wrong way, and don't let go.

After speaking in short sentences, he took off the basket and then removed an outer garment.

She poured the remaining jade fragments into her clothes, wrapped them up, and slung them diagonally across her body.

The two boarded a small wooden boat one after the other, the planks creaking.

Due to the thick fog that had rolled in, the two lost their bearings for a time.

Before long, many small black stones appeared on the lake surface in front of the small boat.

These stones floated densely on the water's surface, appearing and disappearing in the thick fog.

"It seems we're almost there."

Jianyu glanced at the drawing and noticed that there were indeed many small black dots around that mark.

The two paddled toward the pile of black rocks, but only when they got closer did they realize...

Those weren't black stones at all; they were human heads wrapped in black cloth.

Liu Jia gripped the rope tightly, her face pale.

"Sister, be careful! The lake is teeming with evil spirits!"

She helped Jianyu and carefully made her way to the side of the boat.

The small boat rocked as if it might capsize at any moment, and a creaking sound came from the bottom of the boat, which was particularly jarring.

Jianyu nodded, chose a quiet spot with few people, took a deep breath, and slowly entered the lake.

The lake water was icy cold, barely reaching my knees, when I felt a strange suction force.

It felt like something was pulling at her legs from the bottom of the lake.

She gritted her teeth and continued to sink until the lake water reached her chest before stopping.

Jianyu grabbed the rope and pulled hard.

This was to tell Liu Jia that she was preparing to dive down.

Liu Jia received the signal, slowly lowered the rope, and kept her eyes fixed on the lake.

The fog was so thick that only the shadow of the rope in the water could be seen; Jianyu's figure was nowhere to be seen.

The surroundings were eerily quiet, with only the sound of the lake water rippling and the rustling of ropes.

Apart from that, there was no other activity.

Liu Jia's heart was in her throat, and she gripped the rope in her hand tighter and tighter.

After diving down, Jianyu discovered that the heads floating on the lake were because their feet were tangled in hemp rope.

The other end of the rope was probably a stone.

The lake was pitch black, and to avoid bumping into the corpses, Jianyu chose to dive vertically.

But once she got down there, she suddenly felt that the visibility and brightness had increased significantly.

At the bottom of the lake, there were many corpses, arranged irregularly, their heads all upside down in the silt.

At the same time, Jianyu also saw the spring that was about the size of a bowl.

The spring is just the right size to fit a person's head.

Seeing this, Jianyu understood, and she quickly pulled the rope.

However, it was soon discovered that the other end of the rope was very light, and no one was pulling the rope at all.

Liu Jia's back was already soaked with cold sweat.

Shortly after Jianyu entered the water, strange noises began to emanate from the surface.

Upon closer listening, Liu Jia discovered that it was the sound of teeth grinding.

Not long after, the rope was suddenly tugged, very lightly, but very clearly.

Liu Jia's heart tightened, thinking that Jian Yu was about to come up, and she quickly began to pull in the rope.

But the rope felt very light when pulled, as if it had no weight at all, like pulling an empty rope.

Her heart skipped a beat, and she sped up the process of pulling in the rope.

In the end, all that was left in his hand was a piece of rope with jagged ends; something had bitten through it.

"Sister! Sister!" Liu Jia shouted, but her voice echoed in the fog and there was no response.

She panicked and leaned over the side of the boat, looking into the lake.

The fog was too thick; we couldn't see anything.

Just then, she felt the ship rock slightly.

Looking down, I saw many heads floating on the lake, and the black cloth covering the heads was gone.

A dense mass of heads, eyes wide open, mouths agape, faces covered in lake water and mud, drifted slowly toward the small boat along the lake's surface.

Some of the heads had their eyes closed, while others had their eyes open, their gazes empty, yet they seemed to be staring at her.

Tiny bubbles were still rising from its mouth, and there was a grinding sound; a fishy smell wafted over.

Liu Jia was so frightened that she trembled all over and slumped on the boat, too scared to move.

She could only stare intently at the floating heads, which were getting closer and closer, almost touching the hull of the small boat.

Just as she was filled with terror, the rope beneath her feet was suddenly pulled downwards.

The force was so great that she had no time to react and was pulled out of the small boat.

With a "plop," he fell into the lake.

The lake water was icy cold and instantly submerged her head.

She struggled desperately to surface.

But she felt something grab her ankle tightly and drag her to the bottom of the lake.

Just as she was about to suffocate, a hand suddenly grabbed her arm and pulled her forcefully towards the surface of the water.

She struggled to the surface, gasping for breath, and saw that it was Jian Yu.

Jianyu's hair was wet and her face was covered in mud, but she still clung tightly to her arm.

"Don't struggle, follow me." Jian Yu lowered her voice, pulled her along, and slowly floated to the surface of the water.

As Jian Yu gently pulled her calm down, Liu Jia realized that the floating heads were right beside them, but they didn't come any closer.

Jianyu pulled her along, keeping her standing.

The two men kept their heads above water and their bodies upright as they slowly swam toward the shore.

Liu Jia also imitated Jian Yu, standing upright with her head sticking out.

Sure enough, the severed heads simply floated around them without making any further moves.

After finally swimming to shore, the two collapsed onto the ground.