Li Family Daughter

Chen Mo felt a chill of terror. His heart hammered wildly.

Hadn't Old Master Li been summoned by the Red Lantern Attendant to light a lantern and scout the way?

How had he ended up here?

Was it because the Red-Robed Attendant had let him go in the end? He'd returned far too quickly...

Fortunately, Chen Mo was no longer the frail, feeble boy he'd been half a month ago. Though his qi and blood still hadn't reached the strength required for the Skin Refining Realm, he was only one step away. His Fuyang Saber Technique had become a force to be reckoned with, and paired with the Mysterious Yin Hand, he could hold his own even against a martial artist who'd just entered the Skin Refining Realm.

Having strength in his hands gave Chen Mo courage.

"Old Master Li, I'm Chen Mo. I came to your home to buy Qi and Blood Pills. If I've disturbed you in any way, please forgive me."

Old Master Li stared at Chen Mo expressionlessly and said nothing.

A gust of sinister wind suddenly swept by, lifting the tangled hair that covered half the old man's face and revealing a pair of gray-white eyes.

Even his pupils were white.

It was horrifying.

Chen Mo jumped, instinctively retreating two steps as his hand reached for the saber at his waist.

After half a month of training himself to the bone in the Fuyang Saber Technique, Chen Mo had developed the muscle memory to reach for his saber whenever trouble arose. But after feeling around his waist, he realized something was wrong.

Where's my saber?

He looked down... and saw he hadn't brought it.

With no time to think, Chen Mo scanned his surroundings and immediately snatched up a brick from the ground, gripping it tightly. Then he backed away to a safer distance, warily on guard.

Old Master Li glanced at the brick in Chen Mo's hand, then suddenly bared his teeth in a sinister grin. "Young brother, you want Qi and Blood Pills?"

Hearing Old Master Li speak put Chen Mo somewhat at ease. "I know the Li family doesn't receive strangers. My brother, Xie Dong, has already gone in to announce my arrival."

Old Master Li smacked his lips, speaking in a hoarse, low, and strange voice. "They killed my daughter. I hate strangers. I only sell Qi and Blood Pills to people I know..."

Chen Mo could hear how much the old man despised strangers and hurried to explain. "My brother, Xie Dong, has visited the Li family several times before and knows the people here. He isn't a stranger. Old Master Li, would you sell me some Qi and Blood Pills?"

Old Master Li said, "I'm a businessman. Of course I'm willing."

Chen Mo relaxed a little. "Then please name your price, Old Master Li."

Old Master Li pointed into the well. "I don't want silver. You need only pull my daughter out, and I'll give you Qi and Blood Pills."

Chen Mo glanced at the ancient well, instantly on guard.

Had the old man been leaning half his body into the well just now, trying to pull out his daughter?

But when they'd been on the street earlier, Old Master Li had tried to stop Goddess Hong Deng's sedan, demanding that she return his daughter...

At the thought, Chen Mo felt a surge of unease. Forcing himself to stay calm, he asked, "What happened to your daughter?"

Old Master Li's face remained expressionless as he said darkly, "My daughter had a hard life. Someone pushed her into the well. I'm old, my body's no longer nimble. I can't walk well or climb down. Young brother, if you're willing to help me pull her out, I'll not only give you Qi and Blood Pills, I'll even give you the secret recipe!"

Not only Qi and Blood Pills, but their secret recipe too!

That was a priceless treasure.

Chen Mo was sorely tempted.

Most people would have agreed on the spot.

But Chen Mo found the scene before him deeply unsettling.

Never mind how Old Master Li had returned—Ma Tie had vanished for some unknown reason, too. And Qiulan, who'd gone to buy meat... still hadn't come back. Even Xie Dong, who'd gone into the Li home to announce their arrival, had been gone a long time, yet for some reason still hadn't come out.

Out of caution, Chen Mo said, "I can't promise you yet. I'll take a look first."

"My daughter's right there in the well. I can still hear her cries for help. Hurry up. Don't make me wait too long. I don't have much time left. I don't have much time left..." Old Master Li spoke woodenly, then wandered away as if his soul had left his body, muttering over and over:

"Pull her out... My daughter. The Qi and Blood Pills will all be yours."

"Don't make me wait too long. I don't have much time left. I don't have much time left..."

He walked on, muttering to himself.

After only a few steps, he disappeared into the thick fog and was gone.

Had Old Master Li really just left?

Curious, Chen Mo tightened his grip on the brick and cautiously walked to the ancient well. He leaned over and peered inside.

The well was roughly five or six zhang deep, its sides built from neatly fitted marble blocks. They were exceptionally smooth and covered in slippery red moss. The water at the bottom was still as a mirror, reflecting Chen Mo's face.

There was no sign of Old Master Li's daughter.

Chen Mo leaned over the rim and stared inside for a long while, but still couldn't find her.

The more he thought about it, the more wrong everything seemed.

"This place isn't right. I need to get out of here."

Chen Mo looked around, weighed his options, then quickly headed in the direction Old Master Li had gone.

The fog was thick on every side, making it hard to see.

After only a few steps, Chen Mo came upon a towering wall blocking his path.

"How can this be? Old Master Li clearly went this way just now!"

"An illusion?"

Chen Mo planted both hands against the wall and shoved hard. It was solid as could be. He then swung the brick against it several times. Clang! Clang! The sharp impacts rang out.

It was a real wall!

Now Chen Mo truly felt afraid.

He knew he'd likely encountered something uncanny. He could feel adrenaline surging through his whole body.

Suppressing his panic, he hurried back the way he'd come to the ancient well, then ran in another direction. But after only a few steps, he ran into another tall stone wall. He struck it with the brick. Clang, clang.

He returned to the ancient well and tried running in the other two directions. Both paths were blocked by stone walls.

East, south, west, and north—all solid walls.

There was no way out.

The gate to the Li family's old residence had vanished. So had the two lush, flourishing camphor trees. The road he'd taken to get here was gone.

Chen Mo was terrified.

"Have I run into a Ghost Wall?"

Whoosh!

Chen Mo drew a deep breath and forced himself to calm down, his thoughts racing.

"Who's trapping me in this Ghost Wall? Old Master Li? Is he trying to trap me here until I die? But Old Master Li was clearly alive just now. Could he know some kind of evil sorcery? If I don't pull his daughter out, I can't leave?"

Chen Mo thought the reasoning made sense:

The key was Old Master Li's daughter...

With that in mind, Chen Mo didn't hesitate. He immediately leaned over the well and looked inside.

The ancient well was utterly quiet. Its water was like a mirror, reflecting Chen Mo's face. It also reflected the sun overhead.

There was nothing else out of the ordinary.

But Chen Mo knew the key to breaking the Ghost Wall lay in this ancient well.

He tried repeatedly to leave, but stone walls kept blocking his way. At last, he returned to the well and stared fixedly into its depths.

Before long, the sun slanted westward and sank below the horizon.

A full moon climbed into the sky, its reflection appearing in the well and overlapping with Chen Mo's face.

Darkness settled completely around them. A sinister wind rustled through the air.

But Chen Mo kept staring into the well, motionless.

Suddenly—

Plop!

Bubbles rose from the water below.

"There really is something down there..."

Chen Mo's heart lurched. He widened his eyes and peered into the depths.

Before long, a steady stream of plop, plop sounds emerged as bubbles rose one after another.

In the next instant, a pale woman's face, its skin peeling, suddenly surfaced. Her eyes met Chen Mo's.