novelaction 273
273
chapter273
The water was icy cold. Gu Xinglan tentatively sank her feet in and found that the temperature was alright.
The surrounding cold air was even colder than the water in the pool.
"Uncle Yuan! You can't do that!"
The people who rushed over from inside the passage saw that Gu Xinglan had already stuck out one foot, and their faces trembled. They jumped directly to Li Yuan's feet and hugged Li Yuan's calf tightly.
The commotion startled Gu Xinglan, who quickly withdrew her foot.
He just tested the temperature. Putting aside the right or wrong of saving the man, he sensed an unseen force driving the old man away, as if he knew the old man wouldn't go into the water and was about to pack his bags and leave.
"Third Master finally has a servant he likes, and you're just trying to make him unhappy..."
With tears welling up in his eyes, Li Zhuang clung to Li Yuan's leg, refusing to let go no matter what.
"Was it Third Master who sent you here?"
Upon hearing this, Li Zhuang's tears welled up in his eyes, his expression trembled for a moment, and he said with an awkward smile, "How, how could that be? I just saw that Third Master was too sad."
“You’ve only been in the third branch of the family for less than a day, and you’re already spouting nonsense. If you keep lying, you’ll be punished too.”
When it came to punishment, Li Zhuang dared not utter another word, and could only wink at Gu Xinglan.
It was as if he was saying, "Look at you, I told you to go into Third Master's room but you wouldn't. Now look what's happened, he's really coming to settle accounts with you."
Gu Xinglan splashed into the cold water pool and swam away.
He had just tested the water with his foot. Since his feet were already cold from the floor, the water temperature seemed okay, but his upper body, specifically his heart area, felt hot.
A sudden chill swept over him, and he gritted his teeth, smiling as he looked at the people on the shore.
"Old man, look at me, I know I'm wrong and I can correct my mistakes, isn't that the greatest virtue?"
Saving a life is more meritorious than building a seven-story pagoda. He saved a life; let's see if his life is stronger or if the water is stronger.
Originally, Li Yuan hesitated when he thought of the sickly Li Jianbai.
Since the incident at the police station has already happened, and Li Jianbai is happy, he might as well go with the flow and give him a symbolic scare, which will also make the third branch of the family feel indebted to him.
I just didn't expect this kid to be so ungrateful.
Seeing that the person underwater could still laugh, Li Yuan snorted coldly.
"Alright, then you stay here and get up whenever the bell rings outside." With that, he left.
Li Zhuang, who was being held by the calf, was accidentally kicked against the cold wall, which made him shiver.
Once Li Yuan has completely left.
"Hey, what are you trying to do?!"
Li Zhuang spoke with a tone of disappointment and frustration, glancing at the person in the water several times.
Gu Xinglan swam underwater first, then swam back up, and said with a smile, "You should go out too."
It is indeed cold here, but it's not unbearable once you get used to it.
Li Zhuang stomped his feet several times and cursed the person in the water for being ungrateful.
"You're just a stubborn mule! Stubborn! Stubborn to the end, and then you'll be discarded like a used millstone!"
He did nothing wrong, so why is he being treated like a used tool?
"Brother Zhuang, that's not how you use idioms."
"Fine, fine, I'm leaving. Go play by yourself." Seeing that the person in the water still had time to care whether he was right or wrong, Li Zhuang laughed in exasperation and turned to leave.
He was the only one in the sewer room.
Gu Xinglan raised her head slightly and looked at the two stone eyes above.
A huge stone tortoise hangs from the ceiling.
The turtle's body was covered in moss, it was hard to tell whether it was blood or moss, the color was dark and cold, with deep grooves and lines, its head was slightly sticking out, its open mouth was sharp and big, as if it wanted to swallow the people in the pool in one gulp.
The chains hanging down from the tortoise shell stunned Gu Xinglan.
This water room is probably quite old.
The Li family has an unknown history, but it certainly didn't just spring from a rock.
He picked up his phone from the shore and took a picture of it. Just then, a message popped up on the screen.
Goodness gracious, the Li family's 2G internet speed is incredibly fast in this water room.
He clicked to check the messages, and it didn't lag at all.
It was Li Jianbai who said he would send someone to release him.
Gu Xinglan immediately made a video call.
It was especially slow over there; even after the call connected, the screen kept choppy, and the people inside were almost kicked off the screen.
It wasn't until Gu Xinglan laughed twice that everything returned to normal.
Li Jianbai doesn't seem to be good at making videos; the camera is specifically pointed at his chin.
His chin was too thin, not like a man's, but his slightly protruding cheekbones and brow bones, as well as his sharply defined nose, all indicated that he was a man.
"Come on up, it's cold inside. I've already sent someone over."
The tone of the voice coming from the phone was anxious, and it didn't sound fake. Gu Xinglan thought about it again and again. Was his relationship with Li Jianbai really that good?
"It's alright, look, there are even small fish in the water."
Gu Xinglan smiled and scooped up the fish with one hand. The fish escaped. He held the phone high in his right hand, submerged himself in the water, and then emerged from the water to show the person in the video the small fish he was gently holding in his left hand.
"Isn't it cute, little koi fish?"
This cold water pool should be connected to the outside world. The temperature is not as cold as on the shore. There is a special air supply on the shore, so the water here is warmer than on the shore.
If there's anything intimidating about this place, it's the dim lighting and the turtle on the ceiling reflecting the shimmering water, making it seem as if the turtle is really about to eat him.
The environment is more stressful than the water here.
Now that he's video chatting with Li Jianbai, those vague, eerie feelings have disappeared.
Li Jianbai, a hundred meters away, sat on the sofa.
Her slender legs, exposed to the sunlight, appeared even more frail.
It's worlds apart from the legs of the person waving in the water in the video.
Li Jianbai didn't know what to say, and his hand slowly tightened around his phone.
Finally, he slowly said, "Swim a little further in."
"Yes, keep swimming in this direction."
The environment in the video grew darker and darker until the shaky footage stopped, and the sound of dripping water could be heard coming from it.
Is this the place?
"Yes, you turned on the switch."
Li Jianbai felt like coughing several times, but he was able to suppress it strangely. He kept drinking water and staring straight at his phone screen.
A "snap" sound came from inside, and the space brightened up, with a soft yellow light shining on the surface of the pool water.
Wow, this place is so beautiful!
A series of surprised gasps came from the phone.
Li Jianbai's eyes flickered, and he knew he was envious. His gaze shifted several times before finally dimming, and he said in a hoarse voice, "You can still control the temperature, but that place is definitely locked."
[When was this built? There's even classical Chinese writing on it.]
“In the last century, when the army was about to invade, several monks carried this stone tortoise for three days and three nights before finally reaching the mountaintop and burying it in the ground,” Li Jianbai said slowly, his voice light and airy. “Later, it was dug up and a temple was built here.”
[What about the temple?]
"The temple was abandoned and no one worshipped there. The land behind it was bought and was originally going to be demolished, but it was turned into the current water room, a place for future generations to reflect and introspect..."