Chapter 4: The Rescued Woman

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Nie Mo only felt that the further he fell, the heavier the hot air became, and he could see nothing. He did not know how long he had been falling; he felt that this time he was truly doomed. The image of his grandfather flashed in his mind, becoming increasingly blurred. When he felt his body heavily plunge into the water, his mind suddenly cleared for a moment. His head broke the surface, gasping for air. Just as he felt a surge of joy in his heart, he heard a loud noise not far away. He knew it must be the giant lizard, and he quickly submerged into the water.

He took two steps back and, upon closer inspection, saw an opening covered by lush leaves. It was easy to miss if one wasn't paying attention. The woman's voice was coming from below. Nie Mo shouted into the opening, "Hello, is anyone there?"

"There is someone up there, can you help me get up?" A desperate voice echoed from the hole

Nie Mo stood there, contemplating for a moment. After all, staying here would lead to death sooner or later, regardless of what lay ahead; it was worth a gamble. With this thought, he calmed his mind, tightened his grip on the knife in his hand, first extended one foot to step inside and tested the ground, then kicked his leg a bit, finding nothing unusual, before finally walking in.

Soon, Nie Mo thought of the two monsters fighting in the water. Hmm, perhaps it was one of their blood that stained the water this way. He believed that the cyclops lizard was likely no match for the enormous black monster, and it was probably its blood. He had originally intended to take a sip of water, but now he felt a bit reluctant to do so. Never mind, finding water in this forest is not difficult.

At that moment, he heard a terrifying scream. What was it? His heart raced again. Swim quickly; he exerted all his strength to paddle. Then he felt a series of massive tremors in the water. He dared not look back, only knowing to swim forward with all his might

Nie Mo looked at the dense forest, unsure of his exact location in the Jiu She Mountain. He had been walking for nearly an hour. Apart from the trees and flowers, there was nothing else in sight, and he was now very hungry and in search of something to eat

Climbing ashore, Nie Mo collapsed onto a rock, no longer willing to move, closing his eyes to enjoy the long-awaited sunlight. After a long time, he finally opened his eyes and sat up, exhaling forcefully. He began to laugh, the thought of returning home suddenly surged within him, thinking to himself, weren't they asking me to go up the mountain? I've stayed on this mountain for a few days; let's see what they have to say when I go back.

He turned his head to look at the place he had just entered, lost in thought. The several caves he had passed through left him perplexed, as he could not comprehend everything that had transpired here. Just as Nie Mo was about to turn his head, he seemed to see something. He suddenly stood up, and upon closer inspection, he saw an eye—very large and round, glowing with a chilling green light, approaching him through the mist. A massive figure appeared about ten meters away from him; it was a gigantic lizard with only one eye, its size at least exceeding that of two tigers, its entire body a fiery red, continuously flicking its long tongue.

At this moment, Nie Mo felt somewhat sentimental. He gave a bitter smile and thought to himself, when a person knows they are nearing death, their thoughts multiply. "Grandfather, you must take good care of yourself in the future," Nie Mo said with a touch of sadness. If it were not for the current situation, he would never have such an expression; he had always been a person of strong will.

He glanced around at the environment and found that towering ancient trees surrounded him, with lush green grass underfoot. The sun was directly overhead, indicating it was noon. The pool of water he had just escaped from appeared so calm, yet he still felt lingering fear from the previous perilous situation. At that moment, he suddenly noticed that the water was red. This was strange; although he hadn't paid attention to its color when he swam up, he was certain it had not been this color.

After walking for a while, he realized that the short knife on him was missing, knowing it must have fallen into the water. It was truly a pity to think about it; such a fine knife, and now he had nothing left, except for a set of tattered clothes.

Nie Mo quickened his pace and soon reached the 'end' of the river, where he leaped onto a large rock. He intended to make the one-eyed giant lizard fall into the deep pool below. Although this idea was quite dangerous, he had no other choice.

Nie Mo left the pool, feeling quite cheerful as he walked into the forest, feeling invigorated. It was only then that he remembered his injuries. Upon inspecting his body, he found that he had no wounds at all; his skin was smooth and unblemished. This was strange, he muttered to himself, wondering how all his injuries had healed. He recalled that during the battle with the giant lizard, he had not felt like someone who was seriously injured. What was going on? Reflecting on what he had done earlier, he thought of the water he had drunk. Could it be that the water had some miraculous healing properties? If that were the case, it would not be surprising, considering that the cave could give rise to those monstrous creatures; the water must be extraordinary as well. How could all his injuries have healed? He thought again about the battle with the giant lizard, realizing he had not felt like someone who was gravely wounded. What was happening? He recalled what he had done earlier and thought of the water he had drunk. Could it be that the water had some miraculous healing properties? If that were the case, it would not be surprising, considering that the cave could give rise to those monstrous creatures; the water must be extraordinary as well.

As he gazed at the water source, he fell into despair. The water flowed from a large hole high up on the cliff wall, and the current was strong; even if he managed to climb up, he would not be able to enter that hole. So he simply sat down, took out the two remaining steamed buns from his bag, and looked at the river not far away, uncertain whether the water was drinkable or how warm it was. Why bother with such questions? After all, he might die here sooner or later, so what was there to fear? He walked over to a lower area, cautiously dipped his hand into the river, and found that it was not hot at all, but rather warm, even cooler than the temperature of a hot spring. He decided to sit down again, took out the two remaining steamed buns from his bag, and looked at the river once more, still unsure about the water's drinkability or temperature. Why worry about it? He might die here eventually, so what was there to fear? He approached the river again, found a lower spot, and tested the water with his hand, discovering it was pleasantly warm, even cooler than a hot spring. He filled a jug, tilted his head back, and drank nearly half of it before starting to eat the steamed buns.

Nie Mo did not think much, stood up, and felt a slight tremor on the ground. The one-eyed giant lizard ran over again. He quickly ran in the direction of the flowing water, intending to lead the giant lizard there. Several times, the giant lizard's large mouth was less than one meter away from him.

After a moment of silence, the woman's voice finally came through, "It should be about six or seven meters, but I can't be sure; the light is very dim"

The one-eyed giant lizard lunged at Nie Mo with its mouth wide open. Just as it was less than a meter away from him, Nie Mo quickly jumped in another direction, causing the giant lizard to miss its target. Unable to regain its balance, the lizard's half body went over the large rock and was about to fall into the deep pool. However, the one-eyed giant lizard simultaneously swung its long tail back. Nie Mo suddenly felt his body suspended in mid-air, realizing something was wrong, but it was already too late. He fell straight into the pitch-black deep pool along with the giant lizard.

What he did not expect was that the water was not pitch black; there was light. Although the water was somewhat warm, he could still endure it. The presence of light indicated that there must be a place leading to the outside. Soon, he found the source of the light, and his instinct for survival urged him to swim forward with all his might. After swimming for a short while, a fiery red object swam towards him. Oh no, Nie Mo lamented; it was that cyclopean lizard. In this water, wouldn't he be even more quickly doomed?

Upon hearing the woman's voice, Nie Mo felt the vine tighten, and he nearly lost his balance. After finding his center of gravity, he pulled the vine up with all his strength

Nie Mo pondered for a while, looked around, and began to search for some relatively long vines. After nearly an hour, he finally found enough vines to connect them to a length of seven or eight meters. If he had a knife, he would have completed it much earlier. He tugged at them with force and felt that it should be fine

When Nie Mo saw the large river before him, his joy instantly diminished by half, for it appeared to be merely a vast pit. "Damn it," Nie Mo cursed, "Why is it still a hole after walking around?" However, upon further reflection, the presence of water suggested the possibility of finding an exit. He approached and noticed that the river was emitting steam, yet strangely, he did not feel that this place was any warmer than the previous cave. Standing there, he kept watching the flow of the river, and suddenly, he discovered that the river seemed to have vanished, leaving only darkness ahead, which astonished him greatly.

He jogged along the river and, upon reaching a large rock, looked down. A chill ran through his body; it turned out that the river suddenly plunged vertically into a massive deep pool at this point. It seemed very deep, and below was pitch black, rendering everything invisible, exuding an indescribable sense of eeriness and terror. He glanced once and did not wish to look again, as his mind conjured the image of a large water monster perhaps watching him from that dark abyss. At this thought, he couldn't help but shiver; what to do? It seemed he was at a dead end once more. He glanced once and did not wish to look again, as his mind conjured the image of a large water monster perhaps watching him from that dark abyss. At this thought, he couldn't help but shiver; what to do? It seemed he was at a dead end once more. Nie Mo walked upstream again, hoping to find some glimmer of hope there.

Okay, I see it

Just as Nie Mo was feeling somewhat melancholic, it seemed that there was a sound coming from the nearby woods. Without hesitation, he slowly walked towards the forest. As he got closer to the trees, he faintly heard a sound that was not that of an animal; it seemed to be a human voice, and a woman's at that. How could there be anyone in this deep mountain? Although he could not figure out what was happening, he still proceeded forward. As he stepped into the dense underbrush, Nie Mo suddenly felt one of his feet give way. If he had not instinctively grabbed hold of a vine, he would have fallen.

He did not expect that this giant one-eyed lizard, despite its large size, was also very fast. It quickly turned around and chased after him. As it turned, its tail swung violently towards him. Nie Mo jumped suddenly to evade it and rolled forward, tumbling several meters. He suddenly realized that his body felt no pain. What was going on

After a while, Nie Mo Jin, unable to contain his curiosity, turned his head to take a look behind him. Just that one glance nearly made him hold his breath; he gulped down several mouthfuls of water, his eyes wide in disbelief. It turned out that not far from him, two monsters were engaged in a fierce battle. He could not see clearly, but he distinctly saw a red figure, undoubtedly the giant lizard, and another entity resembling a massive black shadow, the nature of which he could not discern. The piercing cries added to his desire to survive.

Nie Mo did not think much about it; regardless of who the other person was, since he had encountered them, he decided to save them first. However, he did not have a knife at the moment, and the entrance was covered with leaves, making it impossible to see what the situation below was. He shouted again, "Don't panic, I will find a way to save you. Can you estimate how deep this hole is?"

"Damn, what kind of bizarre place is this that such strange monsters appear?" Before Nie Mo could finish his words, the one-eyed lizard rushed towards him at great speed, having emerged from the mist. It was truly strange; he had not seen it while he was there with the books. There was no time for him to think further; he quickly grabbed a short knife and ran in another direction. Although he might eventually meet his end, he certainly did not want to become a meal for this monster. He had not seen it while he was there with the books. There was no time for him to think further; he quickly grabbed a short knife and ran in another direction. Although he might eventually meet his end, he certainly did not want to become a meal for this monster

Nie Mo had not yet regained his senses when the one-eyed giant lizard charged over with a roar, as if it were quite displeased that its previous attack had failed. Filled with rage, it opened its massive jaws and lunged at Nie Mo. He rolled over and jumped away with all his might, but to his surprise, although the giant lizard was long, it was incredibly agile. It could use both its mouth and tail; when its jaws missed, its tail swung out simultaneously. Caught off guard, Nie Mo let out a muffled grunt as he was struck several meters away, feeling a surge of intense pain in his body that quickly subsided.

He inserted the knife into his belt, leisurely waiting for this final struggle. The one-eyed giant lizard stared at the creature standing on the large rock, motionless, as if challenging its authority. Angrily, it shook its massive body and charged towards Nie Mo. Nie Mo's heart trembled incessantly, wondering if he could succeed.

Nie Mo felt as if he could see nothing in front of him, as if a thick fog enveloped him. Nevertheless, he did not stop his pace. Before long, he seemed to hear the sound of flowing water. Water! He felt a surge of joy in his heart, for he knew that if there was water, there might be a way out. Ignoring his injuries, he quickened his steps. The fog gradually thinned, and he caught a glimpse of a river, the sound of the flowing water deafening.

After getting ready, he looked around once more. The nearest thick tree was several meters away. If he tied one end of the vine to that tree, the length of the vine would not be sufficient. It seemed he would have to pull the woman up himself; a woman shouldn't weigh too much. Thus, he held one end of the vine, threw the other end down, and shouted, "Do you see the vine? I will pull you up."

The dawn was just ahead; when his head broke the surface of the water, the feeling of rebirth was simply indescribable. There were still nearly one hundred meters to the shore, and although he was somewhat physically exhausted at that moment, he gritted his teeth and swam on.