Earlier, as she chatted with Baomei and gathered seafood along the shore, listening to the waves and the soft breeze, she had not been afraid.
Now, a sudden chill ran down her spine.
The lantern sat on a rock a short distance behind her. She wanted to fetch it, but her feet barely seemed able to move.
Her neck stiff, she glanced toward Baomei's house.
There was still no sign of Baomei returning.
She drew a breath and, on trembling legs, had just managed to reach the lantern when she heard the man's voice again-
"Y-young lady! Help, help... me!"
Lan Ying froze on the spot once more.
But this time, he had said a few more words, enough for her to be certain... h-he seemed to be a person, not a ghost!
She wanted to run, but her legs would not obey.
"Young... lady! I-I'm hurt..."
Those few additional words slowly brought Lan Ying back to her senses.
At last, she realized-someone was speaking!
An injured man was talking to her!
Not a ghost or a monster!
She looked toward Baomei's house again. Baomei still had not come back.
Summoning her courage, she raised the lantern a little higher and walked step by step toward the voice.
There was a huge reef rock there.
Behind it, she could dimly make out a man lying half-reclined.
But when Lan Ying extended the lantern toward him and saw his face-
She could not help sucking in a sharp breath, her heart skipping a beat.
He was soaked from head to toe.
His face was pale, his disheveled hair plastered to his forehead.
Yet his features were sharply defined, his brow prominent. Most captivating of all were his eyes, which looked an exceptionally pale amber in the soft yellow lamplight...
Merely looking