Then a voice buzzed through the water from the fourth level below, tinged with amusement. "You've never been to the outside world. How do you know he's the best-looking man in the world?"
Zhen'er had sunk to the fourth level by then and replied, "I can feel it."
When she reached the fifth level, she could see silhouettes moving within patches of light that resembled cave entrances. Another voice emerged. "You can feel who's the best-looking man in the world just by instinct?"
Zhen'er replied, "Su said the man who makes you feel most comfortable is the best man."
As she passed the sixth level, no voice came from it. Instead, the woman on the third level spoke again. "How comfortable? Bring him here and let me see."
No voices came from the levels farther down, and Zhen'er said nothing more either. Her movements grew a little more cautious as she drifted gently down to the bottom of the Abyss.
Directly ahead stood a tightly shut gate. Light flickered through its openwork panels, while the surrounding darkness was so deep it seemed capable of swallowing everything.
There were eaves outside the gate and steps beneath them. The layout and construction were crude, yet the whole towering structure had an imposing grandeur that made anyone standing before it seem tiny.
Zhen'er climbed the steps. Bubbles rose like pearls from the muddy grime she trod on, and where her feet pushed it aside, a metallic sheen showed beneath.
Reaching the entrance, Zhen'er gently pushed the gate open. Flickering flames of several different colors immediately flashed toward her, gathering and scattering like mischievous children teasing someone.
The space beyond the gate was spotless and gave off a dim metallic luster. The empty chamber was small, with an uneven metal wall only twenty feet