Approaching slowly, he finally realized that the lake water was only green on the surface. Deeper down, it gradually transformed into a vivid, blood-like red. The water was clear, so clear that he could even see some unknown aquatic plants swaying beneath the surface.
“Waaahhh… waaahhh…” Suddenly, a piercing wail echoed across the lake. A boy was floating aimlessly on the water, crying loudly. Liu Dashao’s previously dazed mind was abruptly jolted awake by the boy’s mournful cries. The sound spread, expanded, and reverberated through the dark, cold space.
Listening quietly to the boy’s pitiful cries, Liu Dashao seemed bewitched as he slowly walked forward. Whether out of pity or something else, Liu Dashao felt an urge to embrace the child and stop his lonely weeping.
Thus, he unconsciously began walking toward the center of the lake, his steps mechanical, indifferent to the scenery around him. At that moment, his mind was occupied solely by that boy.
Splash… The lake water swayed as he walked, creating ripples.
In no time, Liu Dashao numbly reached the center of the lake. Without hesitation, he stretched out his arms and tightly embraced the boy.
As if sensing Liu Dashao’s embrace, the boy miraculously stopped crying. His dark, bright eyes stared quietly at Liu Dashao, and his mouth slowly curled into a genuinely happy smile.
Instantly, the night, which had been filled with piercing cries, rapidly fell into silence. It returned once again to that eerie, terrifying atmosphere, and the dark, ink-like water began swirling around Liu Dashao and the boy as if it were alive. In the haze, Liu Dashao remained completely unaware that something strange was beginning to shift from the boy in his arms…
Rippling gently, the water revealed no swimming fish. In front of him, something black appeared to be slowly moving—it looked like aquatic plants.
No! That wasn’t aquatic plants! It was human hair!
Liu Dashao stared blankly at the long strands of black hair submerged in the water, showing no reaction at all. The hair gradually extended, slowly approaching him, wrapping around his feet, then gathering and tightening, like a noose around his neck!
At this moment, the clear lake bottom was no longer visible. The color deepened like a painter’s palette, suddenly turning into a vivid red. If one had to describe it, it would be: the color of blood.
This immediately caused Liu Dashao’s mind to waver. His hazy consciousness rapidly became abnormally clear. What am I doing? Why did I come here to hug him? How did I end up in the lake? Looking closely, he saw his thighs already entangled with something resembling aquatic plants, his body firmly rooted in the deep water area, and the lake water had already reached his shoulders.
As if sensing Liu Dashao’s gradually awakening mind, the boy’s smile suddenly froze like ice. His innocent head rotated mechanically, like a machine, turning a full circle before locking his eyes on Liu Dashao. His lips curled slightly upward into an eerie curve.
His hands trembling uncontrollably, Liu Dashao’s eyes widened. His once clear and bright eyes were now filled with terror. The boy—who had repeatedly clung to him—now had blood flowing from all seven orifices, a thick red liquid. His lips still curled upward in that unnatural grin, continuously widening, as if the opening of his mouth would devour Liu Dashao alive.
“No… no… please, no!” His pale lips trembled in fear as Liu Dashao looked on, panic-stricken and trembling. Despite being terrified to the extreme, he remained completely paralyzed, his eyes wide open, helplessly witnessing the scene unfold.
At that moment, his hands had become the boy’s tools. No matter how hard he tried to throw the boy away, his arms remained locked around him, as if hugging a cold block of ice. No, it wasn’t ice—it was a demon, a terrifying demon. The black hair around his feet tightened more and more, as if growing from the lake itself, dragging him down relentlessly. More and more hair appeared, thickening, as if trying to pull both him and the boy into the depths below, never to return.
Watching the boy’s grotesque expression in front of him, Liu Dashao—who had completely lost control of his body—could only tremble in fear, his body displaying resistance and protest in the darkness.
“No… no… please…”
The viscous, glue-like lake water quickly submerged his shoulders, showing no sign of receding. Churning a few times, it rushed into Liu Dashao’s nostrils, creating an intense suffocating sensation in his body. His mind briefly went blank, and for a moment, his soul seemed to leave his body.
Seeing this, the little boy revealed a satisfied grin. His bluish-purple hand slowly lifted and pressed toward Liu Dashao’s neck.
“Boom!” At the exact moment the boy’s hand touched Liu Dashao’s neck, the entire space vibrated violently. The shock was so intense that the lake water beneath their feet was pushed outward in a two-meter radius around Liu Dashao, creating a dry patch in the middle of the lake.
Before Liu Dashao’s ears had even stopped ringing, he felt a chill on his neck. Then, the jade pendant hanging from his neck jumped out of his shirt, ruthlessly snapping the red string that had once bound it. It spun around and turned the side with the mythical beast pattern toward the boy’s outstretched hand.
In an instant, the jade emitted a brilliant white light, so intense that Liu Dashao’s eyes burned and tears streamed uncontrollably. Vaguely, he saw a giant beast leap from the jade pendant, letting out a deep, guttural roar.
Within the range of that white light, the boy’s hand froze mid-air. Then came a sharp cracking sound, like that of a ceramic shattering. It broke into countless black particles, disintegrating completely.
The cracks didn’t stop there—they spread continuously from front to back, eventually shattering the entire body of the little boy into the black waters of the lake.
At the same time, the strange jade pendant quickly faded from its dazzling brightness, returning once again to its original dull yellow appearance, resting back in Liu Dashao’s hand.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage