Chapter 010: The Depth of the Well is Cold

I used to hold the incense in my hand, walking in circles around the room, but no matter where I stood, the smoke showed not the slightest sign of drifting. Cold sweat poured down my forehead; this was truly contrary to all reason

You guessed correctly, this room has indeed been tampered with by me. Previously, you almost managed to escape. However, just now, I have employed a different method.

Upon revisiting the room, the girl's footprints had completely vanished without a trace. The floor inside the room remained as dry as ever, showing no signs of moisture whatsoever

Looking back, I saw a mud-brick house behind me, with a thatched roof. In front of me was an open doorway without a door, through which I could see the wooden tables and chairs inside.

I have been toiling for half a day, feeling both exhausted and hungry. I searched the entire house but found not a single morsel to eat. This cursed place is both eerie and strange, driving one to the brink of despair

I am still haunted by the experience I just had, which was truly bizarre. That door was clearly right there, yet I could not see it at all from inside the room. What on earth is going on here?

I have never seen such a deep well before

I wanted to call out to her, but found that no sound would come out. The girl had long hair that covered her face, her head hung low, and she was not wearing any clothes, her bare body continuously dripping with water, wet and glistening, with droplets splashing onto the bluestone ground, making a pattering sound.

Leaning over the well and peering inside, I felt a chilling draft rising up from the depths, causing me to involuntarily shiver

I glanced around, and the place I found myself in was quite a large courtyard, surrounded by a wall covered in moss and climbing ivy. The courtyard was empty, with only grayish-black soil, devoid of any weeds, and there were no noisy insect sounds, making it eerily quiet

It is truly too cold

Perhaps I was simply too tired, after continuously regulating my breath for ten counts, I unexpectedly fell asleep. In a daze, I seemed to open my eyes and then saw a girl with long hair moving back and forth in front of me

Firstly, if one encounters strange occurrences during a burial or while transporting a corpse, it is highly likely that one's mind has been confused or trapped in an illusion. At this moment, one should employ breathing techniques to regulate their breath, thereby adjusting their state of consciousness.

I circled around the octagonal well a few times, and suddenly I recalled the girl I had seen in a haze, drenched all over with water. Looking at this well again, an inexplicable sense of strangeness arose within me

I was initially full of confidence, but when I turned for the sixteenth time, my head collided with the wall with a bang, causing a sharp pain that made me see stars, and I nearly fell over.

I picked up the bundle of rope, estimating it to be at least several dozen meters long. I tugged at the rope, which seemed to be tied very securely. Leaning over the well opening, I looked down into the well for quite a while, then took one end of the rope and slowly lowered it down.

In other words, this person kept circling within a five-step radius until the moment of death. At that time, my uncle concluded that this person had encountered a "ghost wall".

Alas, this method has failed

I stared at the doorway, feeling an impulse to go in and take another look. In the end, reason triumphed over curiosity; if I went in and couldn't get out, I would only end up starving to death inside.

I got up from the ground and was about to ask him what his purpose was in capturing me, only to find that the person had disappeared, and the chair was empty.

I held the incense, and with each step, my heart raced more and more, cold sweat pouring down. This damned illusion, does it not only affect a person's eyes and senses, but can it truly cause a displacement in space?

Time continues to pass. I am imprisoned here, unable to see day or night, only aware that the candles on the candelabrum have been replaced by me no less than twenty times. Starving and thirsty, my entire being is beginning to dehydrate, and my consciousness is becoming dull and blurred

Until the rope was fully extended and taut, it was then pulled back up. Upon inspecting the end of the rope, it was found that approximately ten meters were wet. From this, one can roughly estimate the depth of the well. Regardless of how deep the water is, the dry portion of the rope alone is nearly twenty meters.

I was so frightened that my face turned pale, and I hurriedly searched the entire house, but that person had truly vanished, disappearing without a trace

The so-called "ghost hitting the wall" generally refers to the phenomenon of losing one's sense of direction while walking at night or in the countryside, resulting in walking in circles and, in severe cases, being unable to find a way out until death. Two years ago, we received a report of someone who died of fright while walking at night. Upon examining his body, we found that within a five-step radius of where he died, there were numerous footprints, all made by him.

"What a blockhead!" A voice devoid of emotion, like that of a corpse, echoed, "Just because you do not understand something does not mean it does not exist; it simply means you do not comprehend it."

I am extremely thirsty at the moment, my lips have already started to peel, and my eyes lit up at the sight of a well. However, this well is quite peculiar, as a large blue stone is pressed over the opening, and there are some talismans and paper money scattered around it.

Until the three incense sticks had burned out, I still had no clue, my body was drenched in sweat, and I felt as if I had been pulled out of water, collapsing onto the ground.

After traversing a winding and complex path, I found myself standing before a wall. Without hesitation, I took a decisive step towards the wall.

The only thing I can do is to try my best to conserve my strength and wait for my third uncle to rescue me. I found a spot against the wall, sat cross-legged, closed my eyes, and began to regulate my breathing

In our line of work, we are most sensitive to spirit money and joss paper. Look at this situation; this is not a water well at all, but rather resembles a grave!

At first, my attention was completely drawn to that girl, but after observing her for a while, I realized that her seemingly random movements actually followed a pattern

This is truly maddening! Later, I calmed down and came to understand that there is indeed something strange in this house, likely similar to the phenomenon known as "ghost wall." Having been in the business of handling the deceased for so long, I am not unfamiliar with "ghost wall."

Looking down, the well appeared pitch black; even with the moonlight tonight, the deepest part was completely invisible. After circling the yard, I found a large bundle of rope in a corner near the octagonal well. Upon closer inspection, I discovered that the other end of the rope was tied to a large locust tree outside the yard

This is the simplest and most practical method to break through the ghost wall. I have been trained by my third uncle, so it is not unfamiliar to me. Considering the size of this room, the range of the ghost wall is not particularly large. Logically, after turning nineteen times, one should be able to escape.

This is impossible, as it clearly contradicts my fundamental worldview

In our line of work, we often encounter many inexplicable strange occurrences, and this "ghost wall" is one of them. Of course, we also have our own unique skills in this profession, and my third uncle once taught me how to break the ghost wall.

About ten steps away from the house, I found a well. This well is constructed of stone slabs and has eight corners, which is referred to as an octagonal well, a rarity in our area. The stone slabs exhibit a dull gray color, clearly indicating that they are quite old

I opened my eyes wide, focusing intently on those footprints, making every effort to imprint them in my mind. The girl walked back and forth a few more times, suddenly lifting her head to glance at me. Although her face was completely obscured by her black hair, making it impossible to see her expression, my heart still skipped a beat, abruptly awakening from my daze

I lay on the ground with my four limbs in the air, gasping for breath. This deadpan face talks too much, acting all mysterious, just like a charlatan!

This has two functions in our line of work

I observed the entire room and then tried to find the center point of the room as accurately as possible. Standing there, I closed my eyes and turned around in circles ten times. Once I completely forgot the original direction I was facing, I took a step in the direction I was currently facing.

I noticed the footprints she left on the bluestone slab, which were very clear, forming a complex and orderly path

I paid little attention to many things, quickly closed my eyes, and organized the footprints I had just noted in my mind. Then I got up from the ground, starting from the first footprint, stepping on the places the girl had walked, retracing her path.

Secondly, one can use breathing techniques to reduce one's respiratory rate and heart rate, thereby minimizing physical exertion to the greatest extent possible

At the same time, the surroundings suddenly became clear, and a cool night breeze blew towards me. I blinked and saw only a bright moon hanging in the sky, its cold light cascading down upon me

She hung her head, her arms drooping, dragging her strange footsteps as she slowly walked around the room. The way she walked was extremely odd, and after a few glances, I couldn't help but feel a chill run down my spine

After taking three consecutive steps, turn your body 90 degrees counterclockwise, continue to take three more steps forward, and then turn 90 degrees counterclockwise again, proceeding in this manner.

I originally wanted to quickly escape from this dreadful place, but after taking a few steps outside, I couldn't help but turn back, using all my strength to push aside the bluestone that was blocking the well.

The so-called "adjusting breath" is a term taught to me by my third uncle. The key to the practice is to sit cross-legged on the ground, keep the back straight, relax the entire body, and then consciously control the breath, allowing it to reach a state that is deep, fine, even, and long, naturally and vibrantly.