Chapter 111: I Want a Man

Li Lan didn’t know why Shui Miao had asked her to come down into the dry well’s stone cave, and her mind felt a bit chaotic.

When Wang Xiaomi took out a pistol and stood guard, Li Lan finally realized the seriousness of the situation and immediately became alert. “Xiaomi, where did you get the gun? How come this dry well is so huge? And what exactly is down here that’s so terrifying?” she asked in a flurry of questions.

“We’ll talk about it later. Let’s check the cave first and see how much water has accumulated inside,” Shui Miao said, holding a large miner’s lamp that illuminated the cave as brightly as daylight.

Light could also be a weapon. The creatures living deep in the darkness for so long would definitely struggle against such intense brightness. Ever since their last visit to the dry well cave, Shui Miao had asked Wang Xiaomi to purchase several high-powered miner’s lamps and had even run over two hundred meters of electrical cables down the well for continuous recharging.

The three of them entered the cave. In just a few days, the cave blocked by large rocks had already filled with half a meter of water. The air smelled unusually fresh and sweet, as if merely inhaling it a few times could quench one’s thirst and invigorate the spirit. This spring water was vastly different from ordinary tap water. It was rich in spiritual energy—legend had it that over a hundred years ago, people from Jing Shui Village could cultivate the Dao just by breathing the scent of this spring. One could only imagine how potent the spiritual energy in this water truly was.

“Let’s set it down here.”

Shui Miao scanned the cave. There were several cages and traps set around, specifically designed to catch small creatures. None of the mechanisms had been triggered, suggesting the creatures hadn’t appeared yet. This time, Shui Miao had brought a large steel cage—not a trap, but something he had prepared for himself.

After Li Lan and Wang Xiaomi placed the cage down, Shui Miao immediately climbed inside.

“Li Lan, Xiaomi, you two go back up. I’m completely safe inside this cage. I’m going to stay here for several days to cultivate my energy. Don’t worry about me or bring me food—I’ll come up on my own when I’m done.” His purpose in coming down into this dry well cave was to use the spring water to refine his inner energy. In a bathtub, the water was too little and got dirty too quickly. Here, the water was abundant, fresh, and the cave was quiet—perfect for focused cultivation to slim down and return to his original form.

“That’s impossible! What if those creatures come and attack you? What if they throw rocks at you? At least take the gun! And you can’t just skip eating!” Wang Xiaomi insisted, offering her pistol.

Shui Miao hesitated, accepted the gun, then shook his head. “I’ll be fine, don’t worry. Now that I have the gun, you should be even less worried. If you keep coming down, it’ll only distract me. Those creatures are incredibly strong—they can easily lift hundreds of pounds. You wouldn’t stand a chance. So please, stay up there.”

He hung his backpack inside the cage and placed the pistol inside.

The cage was extremely sturdy, made of thick steel bars. Shui Miao had no concerns about the timid creatures attempting to mess with him.

Despite his insistence, Wang Xiaomi remained uneasy.

Seeing Shui Miao settle into a meditative posture and close his eyes, Wang Xiaomi had no choice but to leave with Li Lan.

Li Lan felt slightly disappointed—was the only reason Shui Miao had brought her down here just to help carry the cage?

After Li Lan and Wang Xiaomi left, Shui Miao immediately began circulating his spiritual energy and adjusting his breath.

Soon, he entered a deep state of cultivation.

Back on the surface, Wang Xiaomi, Li Lan, and Xiao Tudou went to the monitoring room to discuss further plans.

Concerned for Shui Miao’s safety, Wang Xiaomi decided to go back down into the cave with Li Lan to set more traps. Only by capturing the creatures could they ensure Shui Miao’s safety during cultivation.

Though Li Lan had never seen the creatures, she agreed—Shui Miao’s safety was the priority.

Xiao Tudou, too afraid to go back down, agreed only to operate the hoist from above.

With no objections, Wang Xiaomi sprang into action.

First, she dragged down another 300-meter cable to power more solar lamps, which would illuminate the cave and help spot the creatures. Then, she brought down over a dozen large steel traps that had previously remained unused—they were all being deployed now.

※※※

Cultivating in the quiet cave, Shui Miao felt the spring water’s effects were excellent, leaving him relaxed and refreshed. After only a short while, while in deep concentration, he suddenly heard a faint sound from above. He quickly looked up and saw four glowing green eyes peering down at him from a crevice in the rock wall.

The creatures!

Shui Miao immediately grabbed the gun and aimed upward.

The creatures showed no fear, continuing to stare at him.

“Bang!”

He fired a shot, but unfortunately missed by a wide margin.

The gunshot startled the creatures, and they fled.

“Xiaoshui, what’s wrong?”

“Hold on, Shui Miao, we’re coming!”

Wang Xiaomi and Li Lan had been quietly setting traps, trying not to disturb him. Upon hearing the gunshot, they rushed over. Shui Miao stepped out of the cage, looking up at the crevice four or five meters above him, then at the two women. “Why are you still down here? It’s too dangerous! One of the creatures was right above me—I just missed.”

“Shui Miao, you can’t cultivate in peace until we deal with these creatures. We’re not leaving you alone,” Wang Xiaomi took the gun from him. “This pistol has strong recoil. Without training, you can’t hit anything unless you’re up close. Let me handle it.”

“Manager, don’t worry—we’ve both had training.”

Li Lan held a nearly two-meter steel rod. With that, she took off her clothes and began climbing.

Both women wore standard business attire—impractical for climbing—so they removed their blazers, leaving on white shirts and black skirts as they started ascending.

Wang Xiaomi quickly followed.

“I’m coming too!”

Shui Miao didn’t want to hide behind the women, so he climbed after them. But after only a few steps, he looked up and accidentally caught a glimpse under Wang Xiaomi’s skirt. His face flushed red with embarrassment, and he quickly backed down, waiting until they had climbed up before he tried again.

The rock crevice was wide enough for the creatures to squeeze through, and Wang Xiaomi and Li Lan had no trouble either. However, Shui Miao, now heavier, struggled to get through.

Helplessly, Shui Miao climbed back down and waited on the rocks below.

Five minutes passed…

Ten minutes…

Fifteen…

Shui Miao kept checking his phone, feeling time crawl—nearly twenty minutes had passed, and still no movement.

When half an hour had nearly elapsed, he finally heard sounds.

Wang Xiaomi and Li Lan emerged at the crevice’s mouth. Li Lan weakly called down, “Shui Miao… we… seem… to be… poisoned… we can’t come down…”

“Hurry up… the creatures… the creatures…”

Wang Xiaomi weakly waved at Shui Miao from the crevice.

“Creatures!”

Shui Miao’s heart leapt with alarm, fearing the creatures were behind them. He quickly climbed up to the crevice entrance and saw two small creatures standing quietly over ten meters away.

Upon seeing Shui Miao, the creatures turned and fled.

Shui Miao immediately grabbed Wang Xiaomi’s gun and fired rapidly into the narrow crevice.

“Bang! Bang! Bang!”

After the gunfire, both creatures collapsed, shrieking in pain but unable to move—they were clearly injured.

Shui Miao fired off all his bullets, and thankfully, the creatures were now immobilized.

Putting down the gun, he reached out to help Wang Xiaomi and Li Lan descend. But both were burning hot, their limbs limp and weak. With poor footing, it was extremely difficult.

Finally, he managed to pull Li Lan out of the crevice and hold her in his arms. Her body was limp like boiled noodles. To keep her from falling, Shui Miao had no choice but to hold her closely, struggling for over ten minutes before finally getting her down.

He gently laid the exhausted Li Lan on the rocks. Her clothes were disheveled, revealing some private areas. Without hesitation, Shui Miao adjusted her clothing before returning to help Wang Xiaomi down.

Unlike Li Lan, Wang Xiaomi, who harbored feelings for Shui Miao, leaned heavily against him. Their close physical contact, the accidental brushing of lips, caused a surge of heat in Shui Miao’s body, making him uncomfortably aroused. Though weak, Wang Xiaomi could feel his reaction. Her face flushed red as she whispered against his shoulder, “We… were poisoned by a plant… I feel… I really want… I really need…”

“Do you need water? I’ll get you some right away.”

Shui Miao responded quickly.

“No… I need… a man…”

Her voice was barely audible.

But Shui Miao heard clearly. His heart skipped a beat. “Xiaomi jie, not now, please—don’t joke around.”

“I’m not joking…” Wang Xiaomi struggled to look at him, her eyes filled with hazy affection. “Xiaoshui… I don’t blame you… take me…”

“How could that ever happen? Just hold on a little longer. I’ll get you both up and to the hospital.”

Shui Miao was stunned, unable to believe his eyes and ears. A plant in this cave that could cause women to become aroused? It was almost unbelievable. Was he really about to… have his way with Xiaomi and Li Lan?