The place Xi Yi mentioned was still quite far from that strange forest. After running all the way here, Sha Yi felt like it had taken nearly half an hour.
This was a hidden spot, separated by layers of dense trees, nestled deep at the very end of the grove. It was situated on an upward slope, close to the edge of the terrain.
At first glance, Sha Yi felt her previous assumptions had been completely overturned.
She had always thought this isolated island-like area was entirely flat, but this place was clearly much higher in elevation than where they lived. The ground, aside from being muddy from the recent heavy rains, didn’t even have a single puddle of standing water.
Moreover, the edge of this area, from her vantage point, was a shallow cliff. Below it, there was a small, gentle waterfall—not particularly large, with a slow flow and crystal-clear, shallow water. Framed by lush greenery around the rocky cliff and veiled in faint mist, it was an exceptionally picturesque sight.
Still, she couldn’t help but feel a bit worried. Typically, snakes would hide in such dense vegetation or water, especially after heavy rains—and this was a place teeming with giant snakes.
As she hesitated, Xi Yi, standing beside her, seemed to notice her concern. Smiling, he pointed at the mist rising from the water and said, “Don’t worry. Snakes could be anywhere, but they definitely won’t be here.”
“Why?” Surprised by his certainty, Sha Yi was curious.
“Come here.” Taking her hand, Xi Yi quickly led her to another spot, making several turns before stopping. Then, gesturing toward a water-filled stone depression in front of them, he said softly, “Put your hand in and feel it.”
It was a massive, bluish-gray stone vessel shaped like a clam shell, deeply concave inside, while its exterior resembled the wavy pattern of modern tiled roofs. It wasn’t placed flat on the ground but was instead supported by several thin stone pillars underneath. The base, damp from moisture, was covered in moss.
The upper surface was broad, thin yet deep, with a smooth interior that faintly glowed a pale yellow. The clear water at the bottom held tiny particles of yellowish-gray sediment. The entire basin was filled by water trickling down from a leaf-covered crevice in the rock above—several small but steady streams, silently cascading onto the stone surface inside.
It was impossible to tell how long the water had been flowing, but the basin was so full that it overflowed through a narrow gap on one side, spilling toward the cliff’s edge and merging with the small waterfall before finally pooling into a shallow pond below. The sound was faint, orderly.
The pond was clear, serene, and gentle. Encouraged by Xi Yi’s words, Sha Yi tentatively dipped her hand into the slightly misty basin.
What she felt was unexpected—her fingers met warm water.
She turned abruptly, looking up at the tall man, stammering, “The… the water is warm?”
Could it be… that there was a volcano underground? Was this a hot spring?
As if he had anticipated her shock, Xi Yi remained calm. He pointed again at the waterfall below. “The water there is even hotter. This spot still has a slight coolness, but down there, it’s completely warm. Ximang and I came here before. During the rainy season, this is the best place to bathe—water flows from above. Other times, when there isn’t enough cold water mixing in, only the waterfall and the pond are usable, but the temperature is higher, almost scalding.”
After a pause, he continued, “Most animals don’t seem to like warm water, and snakes dislike it even more. I came here when I was young, but back then, this stone basin was almost entirely buried in the soil. It wasn’t until many rainy seasons passed that it gradually emerged from the ground. The number of giant snakes also decreased—I don’t know why, but it’s good news. I’ve never seen a snake here, so don’t worry.”
Though completely reassured, Sha Yi couldn’t help recalling the strange forest they had passed through half an hour earlier.
When she had seen the mineral deposits in the tree hollows and roots, she hadn’t been entirely certain—part of her subconscious might have resisted believing that metal ores could appear in such shallow soil.
Generally, mineral deposits should lie at a certain depth. Like when they had searched for rock salt, it had been in a collapsed pit on a high slope. She could rationalize that as vertical crustal movement—likely an anticline, where the rock layer containing salt had arched upward, forming the elevated terrain and raising the mineral deposit.
Now, Xi Yi had mentioned that when he was young, this stone basin had been completely buried. Yet now, even its base was exposed. It was clear just how much soil had been washed away from this island-like land over the past decade or so.
Given her height, the massive clam-shaped stone reached her collarbone, meaning it was at least 1.4 to 1.5 meters tall. And judging by the uphill path they had taken, this area was significantly higher in elevation than the new settlement’s cave—enough to account for a considerable depth of standing water.
Yet despite the muddy ground, it didn’t sink. Even when Xi Yi stepped on it, there was no collapse. In such conditions, standing water would still reach his knees. Given his height of around two meters, the water depth would have to be at least 80 centimeters.
Combining the two measurements and accounting for some margin of error, the total would be around 2.5 meters. Factoring in the slope, it had to be at least three meters.
The mineral deposits in the strange forest were likely buried about two meters deep—that was the minimum. Trees in ancient times were massive, and if their roots weren’t deep enough, they’d be top-heavy and unstable, unable to survive. So, this reasoning made sense.
Lost in thought, she suddenly felt a faint warmth beneath her feet. When she looked down, Xi Yi spoke up, “The trees here are very tall, so sunlight doesn’t reach the ground. The warmth comes from below—it’s always been there. That’s why we never come here in summer.”
Natural geothermal heat—so it truly was coming from underground.
Combined with the dense moss she had seen on the exterior of the clam-shaped stone, Sha Yi was almost certain there was an active volcano beneath them.
Unfortunately, this wasn’t the modern era. Without testing equipment and lacking expertise, she couldn’t be 100% certain about the volcano. She could only speculate.
But even as speculation, she wasn’t going to take any risks.
No matter how pleasant the hot springs or how comforting the geothermal warmth, a volcanic eruption would be a tragedy.
Better safe than sorry.
Even if nothing unusual had happened so far—not even in the decade-plus Xi Yi mentioned—there was always the possibility of the unexpected.
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