Until the moon climbed onto the branches.
More than half of the water in the pool had receded, revealing the muddy, damp bottom.
Looking at the pool, which was at least two *zhang* deep, Lin Yan finally spoke, as if realizing something.
"I once sent people to infiltrate this pool, but they found nothing. It turns out I was using the wrong method.
However, why did the water in this pool disappear out of thin air?"
Lin Qingge, who was crouching by the pool and observing, explained casually as she heard this.
"There might be a mechanism at the bottom or on the side wall of the pool. When the time comes, it will divert the water elsewhere through that mechanism, and after a period, it will pour the original water back.
This repeats on a yearly cycle."
In reality, this principle was similar to the ebb and flow of the tide. As for why it specifically chose to happen at night, it was likely to avoid attention.
But whether it was this disappearing pool or the intricately made Treasure Suppressing Pagoda, were these things truly from this era?
After the water in the pool had completely drained, Lin Qingge asked Leng Ningyue to bring her down.
Ignoring the sticky mud underfoot, Lin Qingge held up her torch and examined it carefully.
Seeing this, Wu Suowei and Lu Mingxuan also came down to help.
A moment later, Lin Qingge stopped in front of a stone door covered in moss.
No wonder Lin Yan's men found nothing when they infiltrated the pool. This pool was at least a hundred years old, and the thick moss had completely obscured the stone door.
"My lord, is the treasure of the previous dynasty hidden in here?
But how do we open this door?"
Yan Tinghao finished speaking and idly scratched the door with his sword tip.
However, Lin Qingge was staring intently at a spot in the lower right corner of the stone door, lost in thought.
"My lord, this..."
Lu Mingxuan, who also noticed that the moss in this area was clearly thinner than elsewhere, hesitated to speak.
Lin Qingge, somewhat stunned, took out a token engraved with the character 'Lin' from her embrace.
This was a token of imperial status left by her so-called brother.
Lin Qingge pressed the token in her hand onto the moss, which was thinner than in other places. With a 'click' and a rumbling sound, the stone door actually opened!
However, upon seeing this, Lin Yan did not rush in. Instead, he made a gesture of invitation towards Lin Qingge.
Understanding that he wanted her people to scout ahead, Lin Qingge rolled her eyes towards the sky and thought to herself:
"Didn't you say you'd only marry me and that you were devoted?
Did you throw all that to the dogs?"
Just then, she felt a cool touch on her hand.
Immediately after, a familiar, clear female voice sounded in her ear:
"I'll go with you."
Feeling instantly secure, Lin Qingge smiled and replied with a single word:
"Good!"
However, when Lin Qingge actually stepped inside, the cloying, sweet scent that hit her face was so strong she couldn't open her eyes, and her consciousness even became somewhat hazy...
Lin Qingge forced her eyelids open, trying to see the situation behind the stone door. Only then did she realize... she wasn't in the cave at all?!
Even more unbelievable was that she saw a ceiling with hanging crystal chandeliers!
Lin Qingge felt her movements becoming difficult. She laboriously turned her head and looked outside through the exquisite wooden railings.
It was a very cozy bedroom, with elegant pinks, romantic European-style furniture, and a pure white canopy bed adorned with blooming flowers...
What was going on?
Why, after entering the cave, had she ended up in a room with a distinctly modern decor?
And lying in a warm bed?
"Xingxing, come and see, your sister is awake!"
As she spoke, a pair of female hands gently lifted Lin Qingge and held her carefully.
Wait!
Held in someone's arms?
Lin Qingge was extremely shocked. She instinctively reached out, wanting to grasp a strand of soft, long hair that was fluttering in front of her.
But only then did she realize that her hands had become small and chubby, just like a baby's!
At this moment, she finally realized something was wrong.
She had entered a completely unfamiliar yet seemingly familiar room and had transformed into a baby?!
No wonder it took her so much effort to turn around. Those wooden railings were clearly the bars of a crib!
What in the world was going on?
Lin Qingge wanted to speak and ask, but alas, she could only utter indistinct 'yiyi' sounds like a baby.
The woman did not rush to pick her up. Instead, she softly asked to the side:
"Xingxing, do you want to hold your sister?"
The next moment, Lin Qingge felt her body lighten.
As if afraid of hurting her, who was still an infant, the person's entire body tensed up, and their movements were very stiff.
Perhaps because her body was too small, or perhaps because the other person was deliberately avoiding her, no matter how hard Lin Qingge strained her small head, she couldn't see the face of the person holding her.
She only knew that the hands holding her were exceptionally thin and delicate, and the person should not be very old.
In a daze, she felt a warm touch on her forehead.
Feeling as though she had been molested, Lin Qingge hadn't even had time to wave her small hands in protest when she heard the person say:
"Little Ge'er, grow up quickly so I can show you all the wonders of the world and chase all the handsome guys...
Ouch—!
Mom, why are you hitting me?"
"You dare to ask why your mother is hitting you?"
The woman's gentle demeanor instantly vanished, replaced by utter chaos.
However, in Lin Qingge's memory, she had never seen any recollection of her parents or relatives from her previous life.
Therefore, whether it was the woman's loving smile just now or the warm embrace, it all reminded her:
This was an illusion!
An illusion that felt as real as if it were happening.
And the reason she was having this illusion was likely related to the sweet scent she smelled upon entering the cave.
But she had to admit, this dream was beautiful.
Especially the immersive sense of familiarity, it was truly hard to break free from.
However, just as Lin Qingge decided to break free from the illusion, the surrounding scenery suddenly changed.
Not only was she no longer in a warm and comfortable embrace, but her neck was also being squeezed painfully by a strong arm.
At the same time.
A man's voice, laughing with extreme malice, came from above her head:
"Boss Lin, how have you been!"
"As long as you release my daughter, I will agree to any of your demands!"
Opposite them, a man whose appearance she couldn't see seemed to be confronting someone.
"Boss Lin, I want you to watch your own daughter die with me at the bottom of the sea, so you can taste the flavor of a broken family!"
"The business world is a jungle where the strong prey on the weak. Even if your company is taken over by me, you can still make a comeback with your accumulated experience.
Why resort to extreme measures and do something so illegal?"
"Make a comeback?
Hahaha—"
As if hearing the greatest joke in the world, the man holding the baby suddenly burst into frenzied laughter:
"Business can be restarted, but can my deceased wife and children come back to life?"
"They committed suicide because they couldn't bear the high-interest loan collectors showing up at our door. What does that have to do with me?"
"If it weren't for your constant suppression, Boss Lin, how could I have borrowed money from loan sharks to keep my business afloat?"
After listening for a while, Lin Qingge finally understood. It turned out that she, as a baby, had been caught up in an almost unreasonable act of revenge.