Chapter 11: 11 Moon in the Well

11 Moon in the Well

The night grew deep, and the travelers in the temple each entered Dream-Entering.

There were also those who tossed and turned, finding it hard to fall asleep.

Tang Zhao absolutely refused to admit that he was scared, that he was too frightened to sleep after hearing a story; that was something only children did. He would rather admit he was "delicate" and not used to sleeping in this dump.

The hay on the ground was too thin; lying on it, he could still vaguely feel the cold hardness of the ground, which made his waist and back ache.

Or perhaps he was hungry. After all, he hadn't eaten dinner.

In short, he was scared, hungry, and uncomfortable; despite being exhausted, he simply couldn't sleep.

He sat up abruptly, and Tang Zhao wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

The temple was extremely quiet; Sui Feng and the thin, pitiful children were sleeping very soundly.

Feeling stifled, he stood up from the hay pile and walked to the doorway.

There was a huge moon tonight, and the moonlight shone in through the window like light gauze covering the ground. Looking out the window, the moonlight was like water, the courtyard like a silver lake, and the withered trees and wild grass were the water weeds within.

"Sparse shadows slanted across the clear, shallow water..."

After reciting this line, Tang Zhao walked out the door and took a full breath of the cold, clear wind.

The dead of night was the time for wild thoughts, especially with such beautiful moonlight.

Tang Zhao felt troubled; the fright from hearing the story was a small matter, as most of his anxiety came from worrying about the road ahead.

Just as he had said before, he could no longer study, so what was he to do in the future?

Or rather, he was twelve years old this year, had no family left, his family fortune was completely gone, and he didn't even have a place to stand; what was there to say about the future?

He did have plans and dreams, but setting aside those grand words, all he had was himself under the moon and the shadow at his feet.

"Why worry about having no path before me, when the bright moon illuminates the journey ahead."

Tang Zhao muttered to himself.

But the bright moon, now entangled with things like Yin Ghost and disasters, could barely look after itself, so how could it illuminate my journey?

The wind rose again.

Tang Zhao pulled his collar tight, took a box from his bosom, and opened it.

Broken Glasses.

These glasses were likely the only pair in the world; he had never seen them in good condition, because they were already a broken remnant when he first saw them.

Although broken, they were the only memento left to him by that elder.

He had previously said to Tang Zhao: "Logically, this is my only connection to that world, and I should take it with me. But you are my only connection to this world, so I still want to leave it to you. Keep it; maybe your future 'cheat' will depend on it?"

Tang Zhao had previously placed the glasses before his grave. But when he decided to leave his hometown, he took them back as a keepsake.

Also taken along were a few small things from when his parents were alive; those were also mementos left by his kin.

Although he intended to leave traveling light, if he didn't even keep these few things to weigh down his chest, wouldn't he be too light?

Lighter than drifting duckweed, he didn't know how he would ever Rooting.

At this moment of looking up to Look at the bright moon, he could only repeatedly stroke his cherished old belongings to add a bit of courage to himself.

"Give me strength, Chen Zong!"

Mimicking Chen Zong, he placed the glasses on his nose, then immediately took them off and pushed them onto the top of his head.

They were too badly broken; it made him dizzy.

Shaking his head, Tang Zhao felt as if he were seeing stars.

They were truly golden stars—there was light!

What was that?

Tang Zhao focused his eyes to look; a corner of the desolate garden was faintly glowing with a golden light, completely different from the moonlight.

Did it look like a dry well?

Dark night, desolate garden, dry well...

He remembered a story, some-some-zi or other? Killed in a well, then crawling out along the well's mouth...

"Slap—"

Tang Zhao hit himself: "I'm crazy, why am I scaring myself?"

He had been afraid of ghost stories since he was a child, yet he couldn't help but want to listen, and even more, he couldn't help his curiosity. This kind of bad habit had to be curbed, especially since he couldn't let anyone know.

It seemed Sui Feng already knew.

The bizarre event was right before his eyes; while his legs were trembling, he couldn't help but want to go and see.

Because in Chen Zong's collection of stories, there were far more opportunities and strange tales than ghost stories. Having been immersed in them for years, Tang Zhao was inevitably infected.

Unknowingly, he walked to the edge of the well and took a look inside.

So bright!

The bottom of the well was actually bright; it seemed to be water, it seemed to be light, and it also looked like it was holding a full moon.

What was inside?

Tang Zhao couldn't help but lean over to look—

Splash!

The sound of something falling into water.

Tang Zhao froze for a moment and touched his head with his hand.

"My glasses! Ah—"

The glasses he treasured like his own life had fallen in. How could Tang Zhao stay calm? Subconsciously, he reached out to grab them, and then...

He plunged headfirst down.

Splash!

The sound of water rang out, and Tang Zhao emerged, dripping wet.

The well was not shallow, but the water was not deep; the bottom was full of sludge, so Tang Zhao hadn't been injured when he fell in, just exceptionally disheveled.

When Tang Zhao sat up, the water only reached his knees; he could have stood up if he wanted to, but a wave of bitterness filled his heart, and his legs felt weak, so he couldn't stand up for a moment.

The surrounding water was still sparkling, and being inside it, it felt even more wondrous. He had assumed there was a light source at the bottom of the well, but he hadn't expected the radiance to permeate every drop of water; the water itself was glowing.

He raised his hand to wipe the water from his face; the water was ice-cold.

Fortunately, it was just well water; his nose had been so sore, he had thought he was crying.

It was fine for now, he just couldn't get out.

The water droplets he shook off landed in the water, making a soft sound.

The soft sound slowly changed, turning into a loud roar.

Tang Zhao was horrified to discover that the surrounding water was moving.

With a whirlpool as the center, the entire well of water was rotating, the sound of water rushing loudly, filling his eardrums.

Immediately after, right before his eyes, a figure slowly emerged from the water.

As that figure rose higher and higher, Tang Zhao's mouth opened wider and wider—

In an instant, a woman with silver hair, golden eyes, Luse armor, and a Treasure Sword hanging at her waist floated quietly on the surface of the water.

Tang Zhao looked up in astonishment, at a loss for what to do.

The woman's hair and eye colors were so strange; if she were walking on the street, she would surely be considered a demon, but now, floating on the water's surface, stepping on the translucent ripples, draped in a layer of mist-like Micro Light, she was filled with an immortal aura and even divinity, leaving one shocked and captivated.

In a flash, Tang Zhao thought of the story he had told in the temple—

The golden axe, the silver axe.

The axe fell into the water, and an immortal maiden rose up.

That immortal maiden... probably had golden eyes, silver hair, Luse armor, and carried a Treasure Sword...

"You..."

Amidst Tang Zhao's hesitation, she spoke first:

"Young man, did you drop this golden Glasses, or this silver Glasses?"

She spread her hands, holding a pair of Glasses in each, one hand shining with golden light, the other shimmering with silver light.

Utterly absurd!

This thought flashed through his mind, then vanished.

Even though his deepest reason judged this to be an absurd hoax, he immediately sank into the reality before his eyes.

No matter how bizarre, no matter how preposterous, he had truly seen the immortal maiden he had fabricated.

Seeing is believing.

He could not help but believe it.

"I..."

For some reason, he almost cried again; he used his hand to fiercely wipe the water from his face and pleaded sincerely:

"I only want my own Glasses; please... please return them to me."

"You are indeed an honest person." She brought her hands together, and when she opened them again, both the gold and silver ones were gone, leaving only an ordinary pair of Glasses; she reached out naturally and put them on Tang Zhao.

Then, she smiled and said: "Your Glasses have been returned to you, so, see you next time."

As she spoke, her figure faded and underwent Disappearance bit by bit.

The radiance extinguished along with her.

All the light, the light in the water, gradually dissipated.

The water became ordinary water, and the well was an ordinary well.

The night was an ordinary dark night.

Tang Zhao was left all alone in the cold water of the abandoned well in the dark night.