Chapter 66.2: The Second Layer

Li Zhuiyuan explained what had just happened to the others. All three wore shocked expressions and were visibly rattled.

Then, from their recounting, Li Zhuiyuan discovered something unexpected—their dreams had been interconnected.

They had each been bitten by a small white snake, nothing else connected them, yet somehow, they had shared the same dream.

This realization ignited a blazing curiosity in Li Zhuiyuan as he gazed once more at that first step.

This thing was truly valuable. It could move in water, and if he could tame it, mastering it in conjunction with Wei Zhengdao’s Black Book, he might control Dead Sinkers far more smoothly.

After all, Dead Sinkers usually lurked near water. Even if they came ashore, they'd naturally return to it.

“Xiaoyuan, want me to help you crack open that first step?” Runsheng asked, reading his thoughts perfectly.

Tan Wenbin asked nervously, “Wouldn’t that release more of them? What if they bite us again?”

Xue Liangliang theorized, “If that were the case, we wouldn’t have been bitten by just one. We’d have been swarmed. My guess is, once someone’s been bitten, they develop resistance. A second bite might actually have the opposite effect and wake us with pain.”

Tan Wenbin let out a breath. “So this thing won’t work on us anymore?”

Liangliang replied, “Even if it does bite us again, it’s like a mosquito bite. We’d notice and swat it away.”

Tan Wenbin then asked curiously, “Liang-ge, why did Xiaoyuan say yours turned black?”

“I have no idea,” Xue Liangliang said, equally puzzled.

Tan Wenbin clicked his tongue. “Guess that’s the perk of being a live-in son-in-law.”

Li Zhuiyuan glanced at him. “You want in too?”

“Huh?” Tan Wenbin scratched his cheek awkwardly. “Well, someone’d have to want me first.”

“You could always ask the Zhou family.”

“Zhou family?” Tan Wenbin’s eyes lit up. “Another underwater town like the Bai family?”

“Class monitor Zhou Yunyun’s family.”

Tan Wenbin: “…”

Li Zhuiyuan didn’t tell them the full story about Uncle Qin, mainly because Liu Yumei still had to stay at Grandpa’s house.

That night, if Uncle Qin hadn’t taken on the Bai family town alone, Xue Liangliang wouldn’t have qualified as a son-in-law.

The truth was, the Bai family hadn’t been looking to take in a husband—this wasn’t even a matter of abducting someone as a captive spouse. What they wanted was simply a reproductive partner.

And they were extreme about it—not just “keep the child, not the father,” but discard both father and child, keep only the daughter.

Bai Family Town had only the Bai Family Matron. Neither local records nor the interiors of the town’s houses ever mentioned Bai sons or Bai patriarchs. Where had all the men gone over the centuries?

Tan Wenbin envied Liangliang’s fate, but such a fate couldn’t be replicated. The normal outcome was more like “pleasure followed by immolation.”

This also hinted at something else. After the Ding family banquet, Liu Yumei had told him about the Qin and Liu family histories, including why she, an old woman, still had the confidence to defy those people.

Li Zhuiyuan believed she hadn’t lied, but she likely hadn’t told the whole truth either.

That was, the Qin and Liu family legacies might have taken a different path altogether. One could see signs of this in how Yu Shu treated Granny Liu—with reverence.

It matched Granny Liu’s usual style: flaunting her wealth openly while hiding her true capabilities just as casually.

“Xiaoyuan?” Runsheng’s call pulled him from his thoughts.

Li Zhuiyuan pursed his lips. If he was tempted, then it was time to act.

“Runsheng-ge, we don’t have the right tools.”

“That’s easy.”

Seeing Li Zhuiyuan give the nod, Runsheng dove straight back into the water.

Li Zhuiyuan could swim too. The west side of Grandpa’s house bordered a small river. For a time, he avoided all other waters, even grew averse to fishing. But the area around Grandpa’s house felt safe, and that’s where Runsheng taught him to swim.

He’d learned it, yet when in danger, he still instinctively relied on Runsheng to pull him out. The guy was just that good in water.

If Runsheng ever learned Uncle Qin’s trick of giving himself gills on the spot, he’d be the next Uncle Qin.

Li Zhuiyuan and Xue Liangliang stood, shining their flashlights toward Runsheng. Not so much to help him see—the man seemed not to need eyes underwater—but more for their own peace of mind.

At first, Tan Wenbin didn’t follow suit. Then he glanced down and saw the flashlight still hanging from his chest—he’d only lost it in the dream, not reality.

Still, he hesitated. Best to conserve battery for now.

A sense of unease crept over him. Xiaoyuan had his own indispensable role. Runsheng was invaluable. Even Liangliang was highly useful. But himself? Aside from lightening the mood during low morale… he didn’t contribute much.

He didn’t even know the chemical composition of a stalactite.

Team outsiders always ended up being phased out, no matter how much nostalgia held them in place.

He needed to do something—maybe take over Liangliang’s campus-side businesses to earn money for Xiaoyuan, or apply to Jinling Police Academy?

Lacking proper tools, Runsheng fetched a rock and began hammering away underwater at the first step.

It was hard to exert force underwater, but Runsheng seemed to know how to work around that instinctively.

Eventually, the first step cracked. Shards resembling jade floated up.

Tan Wenbin swallowed hard. “Is this stuff valuable?”

Li Zhuiyuan answered, “It’s jade, but the most basic kind. Not worth much.”

“Oh.” Tan Wenbin nodded, giving up the idea of collecting any. But he still glanced up the stairs, resolving that if they found anything valuable later, he’d be sure to grab it.

Xiaoyuan and Liangliang might be indifferent to money, but someone had to shoulder that vulgar burden.

Once again, the most direct approach might not be the best—but at least it worked.

Li Zhuiyuan figured others had probably been here before, but most were likely drowned or washed away by the Yin miasma.

Even if someone had broken through it, they probably fled in fear.

Not like the four of them—who, upon discovering a trap, dismantled it and took it home. Even bandits weren’t this thorough in looting.

When the step cracked open, a swarm of worms scattered. But they seemed able to sense who had developed resistance—they didn’t approach any of the four. Even Runsheng, right in front of them, they avoided.

Still, these creatures probably couldn’t survive long outside this environment. Xue Liangliang’s unique nature had merely accelerated the process. Once removed from their host conditions, they would naturally die. Some things just couldn’t sustain themselves in the wild.

Runsheng surfaced, holding up a jade seal.

“Xiaoyuan, here.”

Li Zhuiyuan took it, shone his flashlight on it.

There was an inscription at the base—not a four-character seal, just one word.

“Yong?” Li Zhuiyuan read aloud.

Tan Wenbin glanced at Liangliang. “What’s that mean? Neutrality?”

Liangliang shrugged. “You believe me if I say I don’t even recognize that character?”

Tan Wenbin didn’t.

Liangliang, half-laughing, said, “You’ve got to have the family education for this. Xiaoyuan’s the one who knows these things.”

Li Zhuiyuan explained, “This is Wanzhou, also known as Wan County. There’ve been signs of prehistoric settlements here. In history, the only known reference to ‘Yong’ here was the State of Yong during the Shang and Zhou eras. It was destroyed in the Spring and Autumn period by Qin, Chu, and Ba.”

Tan Wenbin’s eyes lit up. “So this is a treasure from that era?”

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head. “I’m not sure. The craftsmanship… and the style of the skirt on the Woman Opening the Gate statue… feel more Qin or Han.”

Xue Liangliang asked, “You can’t be certain?”

Li Zhuiyuan said, “I can recite texts. But that’s not enough for ancient artifacts or architecture.”

Liangliang speculated, “Maybe someone later discovered remnants of the State of Yong here and built this place over it?”

Tan Wenbin blinked. “Is that even a thing?”

Liangliang explained, “Happens all the time. Like how many tourist sites are rebuilt exhibition halls based on ruins. Same concept.”

Li Zhuiyuan gently shook the seal. Jade was prized for its clarity—but this piece was almost gelatinous, with tiny granules inside. Snake eggs, likely.

Those snakes had hatched from this seal. Normally, they’d stay dormant like this, only awakening under certain stimuli or triggers.

So… did hatched snakes return to lay new eggs?

Was there a fixed quantity per cycle, or some special trigger?

From what he could tell, Runsheng’s smashing had destroyed their host environment. The eggs inside wouldn’t hatch anymore.

“Runsheng-ge.”

“Yeah.”

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