Chapter 010: The Ghostly Realm and the Fairyland (1)

The rope had loosened, and the sobbing in the room also ceased. Daylight broke, and the wife got up as if nothing had happened to prepare breakfast. The three of them ate calmly; those who needed to go to school did so, and those who had household chores attended to them. Only the door to the main room was tightly shut, with an octagonal table quietly placed beside that deep opening, the loose rope on the table leg remaining still.

Zhang Lianyi was almost eager to enter the hole, as if he had completely dispelled his concerns. It seemed he had long since lost the awareness of such worries, so one could say he had finally found an excuse to support his descent into the hole. In any case, he was prepared to go down, or rather, he was destined to do so.

The darkness at the bottom of the cave seemed boundless and profound, yet in the far distance, there was a faint yellow light. Vaguely, in the illuminated area stood a solitary white figure, exuding a chilling aura. However, in Zhang Lianyi's eyes, it was not so; he only felt that the silhouette was so frail, so lonely, and so desolate, that although it stood still and motionless, it was breathtakingly beautiful. In Zhang Lianyi's mind, a scene suddenly appeared: a peerless beauty, with bright eyes and white teeth, exuding grace, skin as delicate as snow, yet in Zhang Lianyi's eyes, it was not so; he only felt that the silhouette was so frail, so lonely, and so desolate, that although it stood still and motionless, it was breathtakingly beautiful. In Zhang Lianyi's mind, a scene suddenly appeared: a peerless beauty, with bright eyes and white teeth, exuding grace, skin as delicate as snow, nestled in his embrace, singing softly, allowing him to shower her with tender love and affection.

Indeed! How could I not have thought of that? Zhang Lianyi turned around to find a rope, and casually brought over a lantern from the kitchen to tie it up, then quietly lowered it into the hole. He passed by his wife and children twice, yet completely failed to see them. His movements were silent and incredibly swift, while his wife and their son and daughter remained utterly still, as if frozen in place, almost like... four ghosts existing in different times and spaces. He passed by his wife and children twice, yet completely failed to see them. His movements were silent and incredibly swift, while his wife and their son and daughter remained utterly still, as if frozen in place, almost like... four ghosts existing in different times and spaces

The faint glow of the lantern flickered, growing deeper, yet it never extinguished. Zhang Lianyi strained to widen his eyes and look down, and he saw what appeared to be a pair of snow-white hands emerging from the darkness at the bottom of the cave. Those hands gently took the lantern, then quickly retracted, and in an instant, both the lantern and the hands vanished from sight

"Put the lamp down and give it a try." A voice devoid of any emotion came from behind.

Zhang Lianyi's body stiffened, and he fell backward, gazing up at the sky. Beneath the snow-white gauze robe, although there were still strands of black hair, beneath the cloud-like long hair was a face that was starkly skeletal and chilling.

The opening is already large enough to accommodate an adult to crawl through, but it is very deep, making it clearly impossible to jump down. Moreover, in such a long-closed underground space, would one suffocate if they rashly descended? A sudden clarity surged in Zhang Lianyi's mind.

Zhang Lianyi, no longer young, suddenly felt a surge of strength coursing through his body, his blood boiling with excitement. He strode forward, as if he had stepped over the seemingly infinite darkness in a single stride. Before him was the lantern he had just lowered with a rope; under the flickering light, beside a slightly decayed massive coffin, a captivating woman slowly turned around, her hollow eyes gazing at him from less than a foot away.

He turned around and discovered that the Eight Immortals table, which was originally leaning against the north wall, had been moved behind him, with one end of the rope tied to the leg of the table. Who moved the table? Who tied the rope? Can the weight of a table support its own weight? He did not think; he had already lost the power of thought and even the courage to think. He was simply eager to enter that hole to take a look, as if he was certain that there would be an ethereal paradise and a captivating woman waiting for him inside. He did not think; he had already lost the power of thought and even the courage to think. He was simply eager to enter that hole to take a look, as if he was certain that there would be an ethereal paradise and a captivating woman waiting for him inside

The table remained utterly still, for at some unknown moment, his wife and their two children had all taken their seats on the tabletop, watching him—her husband, their father—gradually disappear into the hole.

The opening rapidly expanded, and a chill emanated from it, permeating the entire room. A woman's crisp laughter echoed clearly in the air, yet the four individuals in the room seemed completely oblivious.

The woman's laughter gradually faded away, replaced by a series of echoing sobs, delicate, helpless, lonely, sorrowful, desperate, and bleak. Zhang Lianyi seemed to see his wife trapped in a dark and desolate cavern, crying in despair, her swollen eyes filled with expectation—she was hoping for him to rescue her!