Zhou Jinbai seemed not to notice Lin Xingwan's embarrassment. He directly raised his hand and gently tapped her nose, speaking in a voice filled with helplessness and heartache, "If we hadn't come any sooner, what would have happened to my wife?"
His words carried a multitude of his helplessness and pain.
Heaven only knew how Zhou Jinbai had endured these past few months.
He dared not sleep, fearing that dreams would bring him visions of her tragic death. Yet, he yearned for sleep, hoping to dream of her.
Such contradictory and fearful emotions had been tormenting him.
Zhou Jinbai had once disbelieved in love suicides, considering them mere ancient legends.
But now, if he hadn't learned that Lin Xingwan was still alive, Zhou Jinbai might have already ended his own life.
Before she reappeared, he should have been able to bear loneliness.
But after she appeared, he realized that the loneliness he had once taken for granted was like an invisible knife, slicing him inch by inch.
Lin Xingwan listened to Zhou Jinbai's words, unsure of what to say.
Moses, standing not far away, couldn't help but ask Jia Yanzhen beside him, "Mr. Dongfang's wife looks so ordinary. I didn't expect Mr. Dongfang to love her so deeply. It turns out that in this world, love can truly transcend everything. Mr. Dongfang and his wife are simply soulmates."
Jia Yanzhen cast an incredulous gaze at Moses, even wondering if his elder brother had ever been a man who liked ordinary women.
Moreover, his elder brother had even higher standards!
The reason why his elder sister-in-law appeared so plain was simply because she was wearing a mask!
However, Jia Yanzhen didn't want to explain so much to the foreigner. He simply nodded, "Yes, yes, yes, my elder brother and elder sister-in-law are soulmates."
"Now that elder sister-in-law has been found, shouldn't we be heading back? It's late at night, and the weather is very cold. If we stay any longer, we'll all freeze into popsicles."
Jia Yanzhen glanced at his arms, covered in goosebumps from the cold. He couldn't bear the temperature here for another moment.
"Let's go back," Zhou Jinbai said, holding Lin Xingwan's hand. His grip was not light, as if he were afraid Lin Xingwan would run away.
Lin Xingwan, however, shook her head. "I don't want to leave yet. Helian Diejin hasn't been found, and I don't want to go back. When I woke up, Helian Diejin wasn't there. I suspect Helian Diejin was washed away somewhere by the water. She might have already woken up, so I think we must find her before she escapes. This woman has committed countless evils. If we let her go back, it would be like letting a tiger return to the mountains."
Zhou Jinbai listened to Lin Xingwan's words.
But Zhou Jinbai said, "Don't worry. On our way here, we've already had people block all the surrounding exits. Helian Diejin can't possibly escape. You go to a safe place first. Once we find Helian Diejin, you can decide how to punish her."
However, Lin Xingwan did not heed Zhou Jinbai's words. Instead, her gaze fell upon the cave before them.
The cave was dark and gloomy, giving the impression that something within was watching them.
In any case, the cave felt quite eerie.
"Let's check out this cave first. I have a strong feeling that Helian Diejin is very likely hiding in this cave. If Helian Diejin isn't in this cave, then I won't look for her anymore, and I'll let you all search. But right now, I really want to go in and see."
As Lin Xingwan said this, she tore off the mask she was wearing right in front of everyone.
The mask designed by Duan Muxing for Lin Xingwan was actually not unattractive. However, when she was with Zhou Jinbai and his companions, she appeared quite ordinary.
But when Lin Xingwan's true appearance was revealed to everyone, it was still breathtaking.
Was this not a fairy descended to earth?
Could such beauty truly exist in this world?
In short, after seeing Lin Xingwan's true appearance, all the surrounding villagers wore expressions of shock. They had never imagined that Lin Xingwan wore a mask, let alone that her beauty was so extraordinary.
As for Zhou Jinbai, upon seeing the face he had longed for day and night, his heart was suddenly overwhelmed by a tempest. He embraced Lin Xingwan again, his voice filled with deep grievance, "Wife, no matter what happens in the future, don't leave me again, okay? I am your husband. I hope that no matter what difficulties we encounter, we can solve them together!"
Zhou Jinbai's words only deepened the guilt in Lin Xingwan's heart.
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."
Lin Xingwan didn't know what else she could say besides apologizing.
This time, Zhou Jinbai held her even tighter.
However, before anyone could react, Lin Xingwan felt a sharp pain in the back of her head.
It turned out that Zhou Jinbai had forcefully tapped the back of her head with his hand. The force was not enough to break her skull, but it was certainly not light!
Lin Xingwan even felt her head ringing.
"I'll forgive you this time, but there won't be a next time!" Zhou Jinbai's tone still carried a hint of petulance, but Lin Xingwan knew that she had made a significant mistake. Zhou Jinbai could forgive her because he loved her more than she loved herself!
That was why he chose to forgive her at this moment!
"I understand. It won't happen next time. There won't be another incident like this."
After Lin Xingwan spoke, Zhou Jinbai finally let her go.
"Alright, now let's head into the cave and see what's inside."
Thus, the group walked into the cave.
Behind them, one of the villagers suddenly seemed to recall something and said, "Could the person we're looking for also be hiding in the cave? Why don't we go into the cave and look? If we find them, there's a reward of 500,000!"
"But that cave is cursed. If we go in, won't we be cursed? Everyone who came out of that cave in the past met a terrible end!"
"We don't believe in such superstitions anymore. Besides, several people I know came out of the cave and nothing happened. In my opinion, you're just too superstitious. I don't care anymore. For 500,000, I'm going in to search!"
"I'll go too, I'll go too! I'm not afraid of poverty, so why should I be afraid of death?"
...
In an instant, the villagers became as excited as if they had been injected with adrenaline!
They followed Zhou Jinbai and the others into the cave. After all, if they were truly unlucky, there were so many people to share their misfortune with, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
After about four to five minutes, Lin Xingwan and the others had all entered the cave.
The cave was pitch black, requiring flashlights for illumination. The further they went, the narrower the path became.
Initially, three people could walk side by side, but eventually, only one person could proceed at a time.
Zhou Jinbai held Lin Xingwan's hand tightly, as if afraid she would get lost.
Ahead of Zhou Jinbai, Xuan Zhu and Xuan Yin were scouting the way.
After all, they were both valiant and skilled fighters, capable of handling any danger they might encounter.
"There seem to be footprints here."
Suddenly, Xuan Yin said.
Zhou Jinbai and Lin Xingwan stopped and turned their gaze to where Xuan Yin was shining his flashlight.
Indeed, there were footprints, and they were becoming increasingly clear.
Mainly, as they ventured deeper, the environment became more humid, and the ground was soft mud. Over time, this mud might have smoothed over all traces, but because of the short duration, the footprints had not completely disappeared.
"These footprints appear to be from two people, one deeper than the other. These two people must have walked in one after the other."
Xuan Zhu quickly analyzed.
Lin Xingwan, however, was greatly surprised. "Perhaps it's the girl who recently went missing, and Helian Diejin."
Although Lin Xingwan didn't know why she suspected this, she strongly suspected that these two women had entered the cave. Otherwise, how could she explain these two sets of footprints?
Zhou Jinbai remained silent but inwardly agreed with Lin Xingwan's assessment.
"However, the path ahead is becoming increasingly narrow, and we don't know what will happen ahead. Young Master, why don't you and Young Mistress retreat and wait for us outside? Once we familiarize ourselves with the terrain here, we can come in?"
Although they were unaware of the cave's structure, to Xuan Zhu and the others, this mountain was not large. Even if they scouted the entire cave, it shouldn't take too long.
Just as Zhou Jinbai was about to say something, Lin Xingwan spoke, "Why don't we go a little further in? I still want to see inside." Lin Xingwan was not usually stubborn, but the thought of personally avenging her enemy made her heart surge with excitement.
She had done so much and sacrificed so much, with the sole purpose of allowing her mother to rest in peace and for the wicked woman Helian Diejin to receive her just desserts. She absolutely could not back down at this moment.
After all, she had faced death so many times before, so what was one more?
Otherwise, even if she died in the future, Lin Xingwan wouldn't know how she could face her mother.
"Alright," Zhou Jinbai nodded, and the group continued to walk further inside.
However, after walking for about ten minutes, not only did the temperature inside the cave continue to drop, but they could also hear the sound of flowing water.
"There's a waterfall ahead."
Suddenly, Xuan Yin's voice was filled with surprise. At the end of this narrow path, there was a waterfall, something no one could have anticipated.
Moreover, this narrow path suddenly became very wide, capable of accommodating everyone present!
They all looked at the waterfall with astonishment. Even without flashlights, there was a hole above the waterfall, and moonlight poured down into it.
It was as if it were a hidden paradise, and the moonlight made the waterfall appear incredibly sacred.
"The footprints disappear from here, but people couldn't possibly disappear from here. Either they jumped into the waterfall, or... there's some mechanism here that we don't know about."
Xuan Zhu's tone was filled with certainty, and he analyzed it logically.
After he finished speaking, everyone felt that Xuan Zhu's analysis was very reasonable.
Zhou Jinbai, however, fixed his inquisitive gaze on the waterfall and said, "Based on my guess, they must have jumped into this waterfall. Otherwise, there wouldn't be any other mechanisms here. And even if it's a waterfall, the current isn't very strong. It looks more like a tomb."
Zhou Jinbai's words caused everyone to look at him with suspicious gazes.
A tomb?
What on earth? This was beyond their comprehension.
Zhou Jinbai seemed to understand their lack of knowledge and patiently explained again, "When I was traveling before, I saw a tomb that was intentionally built to resemble a waterfall. The waterfall was actually just to block the path of those who came after, to avoid disturbing those buried there. They deliberately made everyone believe that the waterfall was the end, but beyond the waterfall lay another world! Of course, I only thought of this after seeing this waterfall."
After Zhou Jinbai finished speaking, Xuan Yin said, "Young Master, I'll jump over and take a look first."
Zhou Jinbai glanced at Xuan Yin, thought for a few seconds, and then nodded, "Alright."
So, Xuan Yin walked to the forefront and unhesitatingly leaped into the waterfall.
For him, he had already guessed that there would be a path behind the waterfall.
"No, don't jump! It's dangerous..."
Before Jia Yanzhen could finish speaking, Xuan Yin had already disappeared from everyone's sight. For some reason, at that moment, Jia Yanzhen felt suddenly incredibly nervous. His body moved uncontrollably, and he rushed behind Xuan Yin, trying to grab him.
Unexpectedly, Jia Yanzhen only managed to grasp a corner of Xuan Yin's clothes, but it quickly slipped from his hand.
Jia Yanzhen, filled with anger, couldn't help but say to Zhou Jinbai, "Big Brother, we don't even know what this waterfall is like, and you just let Xuan Yin jump down? Are the lives of these servants really that worthless to you?"