Chapter Thirteen: The Nightmare Arrives

  Su Tong took a closer look, and suddenly remembered that this thing was probably seen in the afternoon when he fell on Qingyuan Mountain. After getting up and dusting himself off, he saw that this small sculpture had been partially exposed from the soil, cutting his palm in the process. At the time, he had dug it out to take a look, but his ankle hurt badly, and Wang Li pulled him away to change shoes and hurry down the mountain, causing him to forget about the incident. Now, seeing it appear in his own bathroom, Su Tong bent down to pick it up, looking at the clothes he had just taken off and thrown on top of the washing machine to be washed, wondering if he had casually put this small thing into his pocket at the time, and then dropped it on the ground when he came in to take a bath and change clothes.

  But since it's already been picked up, looking at it is still quite cute, and the craftsmanship is delicate, so let's just keep it. The phone rang continuously in the living room outside, Su Tong couldn't think about it anymore, holding the small sculpture with one hand and wrapping the towel tightly around her body with the other, running out of the bathroom barefoot, putting the small sculpture on the small craft shelf next to the TV, hastily answering the phone.

  It was Su Tong's mother who called, and Su Mama's voice sounded a bit anxious.

  "Tongtong, what just happened? I called you and it rang once before connecting, but then you didn't say anything. I tried to talk to you but you wouldn't respond, so I had to hang up and call again. But no matter how many times I called, you wouldn't pick up! What were you doing?! Mom was worried sick!" Su's mom asked anxiously.

  Su Tong took his phone and looked at it again, then said to Su's mom: "No, I was just taking a bath, fell asleep in the bathtub, heard my phone ringing and woke up, ran out, didn't answer any calls before."

  "Look at you, how can I be at ease? You're already so big, and yet you can still fall asleep while taking a bath. How long have you been in there? If you sleep too much, you'll catch a cold, and who will take care of you when you're alone?!" Su's mother loved him deeply, but her words were sharp with worry. In her heart, she was concerned about Su Tong, but the words that came out of her mouth sounded like criticism. "Especially your job, other people are safely sitting in their offices, while you're running around everywhere for interviews all day long. You really don't even have the right to get sick!"

  "Alright, alright, mom, I know, I've learned my lesson and it won't happen again! You can rest assured!" Su Tong had no choice but to use his childish charm to placate her. He thought about how he had woken up in the bathtub earlier with icy cold water, not knowing how long he had slept for. Earlier, when he rushed out wrapped in a towel to answer the phone, he hadn't even noticed what time it was. "Mom, you should also go to bed early, at your age, don't stay up late like others!"

  "It's only a few points, not even nine o'clock, what sleep am I sleeping? There's still one more episode of TV drama to watch later!" Su's mother said somewhat inexplicably. "However, your grandparents are all ready to go to bed and have already gone back to their room. Otherwise, if your grandmother hears that you're not taking good care of yourself, she'll grab the phone and educate you for a while!"

  Su Tong let out a short, awkward laugh and sat down on the sofa to glance at his watch from the side. It wasn't even 9 o'clock yet! He calculated that from the time he had gotten into the bathtub after filling it with water until now when he rushed out to answer the phone, only about ten minutes had passed.

  But in just over ten minutes, why did the water in the bathtub become icy cold? Not to mention that it's now a warm and sunny season, the temperature in the house is not low at all. Even if it were the coldest winter month, the indoor temperature would still be fine. How could a pool of hot water turn completely cold in just over ten minutes?

  Of course, she couldn't express such doubts to her mother over the phone, lest her parents worry even more and be unable to put their minds at ease. On one hand, there were the elderly, on the other hand, there was an only daughter; when Su's father and mother had decided to move back to their hometown to take care of the elderly, they too had gone through a period of inner struggle. Su didn't want them to worry, and usually she was also used to being as independent as possible, sharing good news but not bad.

  After hanging up the phone, Su Tong first found her pajamas and changed into them, wrapping herself in a large bath towel. With some unreasonable thoughts popping up in her mind from time to time, she felt goosebumps rising on her arms. After changing her clothes and tidying up the bathroom, she returned alone to the bedroom.

  Sitting on the edge of the bed, she didn't know if it was the fact that the hot water had turned cold in just a few minutes that made her feel a little timid, or if it was the quietness of the room at night that easily brought up some unpleasant memories. Su Tong's mind kept flashing back to the terrifying scene from the previous night, she didn't know if it was a dream or reality. She glanced at the semi-transparent curtains behind which the window was dark and empty. The image of the abandoned house on Changqing Mountain that afternoon also appeared in her mind, and she shuddered again. She decided that for safety's sake, she would sleep with the lights on tonight. Although it didn't have any practical significance, at least it could give herself some courage, which wasn't bad.

  Wrapped himself tightly in a quilt, lying on the bed, Su Tong looked at the ceiling lamp and thought to himself, this night, he fell asleep on the sofa, and again in the bathtub, just now he remembered so many things that made his hair stand on end, it's possible that tonight he won't be able to sleep.

  But a few seconds later, drowsiness swept over her again without warning. Su Tong felt that she was lying in her own bed wrapped in soft and warm blankets one second before, and the next second, she was standing on a strange small road. The road was a kind of compacted earth path, very narrow, only enough for one person to walk. On both sides of the road were large areas of green rice fields, with the wind blowing gently towards her face, feeling very comfortable and pleasant. The rice fields on both sides also swayed lightly in the breeze, like gentle green waves.

  Su Tong looked at the lush green rice fields, then looked up at the blue sky and white clouds, suddenly feeling her mood especially cheerful, as if she was about to float away. A voice in her heart reminded her to move forward, that there must be even more beautiful scenery waiting for her ahead.

  Su Tong walked forward with a light and quick pace, unaware of how long she had been walking. The road was empty, without another soul in sight. It seemed as if the whole world had quieted down, leaving only her behind. She almost forgot her own name, and didn't have the slightest curiosity about where she was. Her heart held only one thought: to keep moving forward. She vaguely felt that there was a goal she needed to reach, something she had to find, but this feeling was shallow and hadn't clearly surfaced in her mind.

  I don't know how long I walked, but the road in front of me gradually changed. The road became wider and wider, and finally turned into a Y-shaped fork in the road. Su Teng walked to the intersection, looking left and right, but didn't see any signs. The two roads seemed identical at first glance, but upon closer inspection, they were slightly different. One road was the same as before, with green rice fields on both sides. The other road was similar up close, but in the distance, it seemed to be a meadow filled with colorful flowers of various colors. Behind the meadow was a forest, and even though no birds could be seen flying overhead, Su Teng could hear the distant chirping of birds.

  Although the green rice fields are also beautiful, looking at them for a long time will eventually make people feel a bit bored. Su Tong stood at the crossroads and hesitated for a moment before walking towards the fork in the road with flowers and trees.

  But just as her foot had just stepped on that fork in the road, the road suddenly cracked open, and a seam appeared in the middle of the road. The originally sturdy dirt road collapsed instantly, turning into a 2-3 meter wide deep pit. The mud on both sides of the pit continued to collapse downwards, making the pit expand and deepen, as if there was a bottomless black hole underneath. The thin layer of soil that had been covering it was now fragmented and crumbling apart.

  Su Tong was getting scared, and hastily retreated a few steps back, fearing that the road beneath his feet would also sink in. Fortunately, the expansion of the deep pit stopped at the fork in the road and did not extend in this direction. Even so, the road must have been impassable. The only choice was to continue along the road with rice fields on both sides. However, the incident at the fork had swept away Su Tong's relaxed mood, and she began to feel a little frightened, wondering where she was and where she was going. As she walked forward, would there be other hidden dangers? So she came up with an idea - to turn back and return to the place where she started, maybe that was the safe place.

  She turned around and walked back, but didn't expect that after just a few steps, many thorns suddenly emerged from the ground in front of her, with sharp thistles covering the crisscrossing strips of paper, making people dare not to approach.

  What to do, the road back is also impassable! Su Tong was getting anxious, she quickly turned around to take a look at her surroundings, afraid that behind her would be the same as in front of her, and she would be trapped in this vast thorny thicket. Just by looking at the branches and thorns, she could almost imagine that if she rashly tried to force her way through the thicket, the result would definitely be being scratched all over until she was covered in blood.

  The path behind was impassable, and it seemed as if something in the darkness was forcing her to move forward. Su Tong looked at the scene before her and finally realized this point. She trembled inwardly while turning around, taking small steps with caution, not daring to run again. Even taking a slightly larger step made her feel afraid, fearing another unexpected situation would arise.

  After walking for a long time, the temperature around her seemed to be slowly rising as well. Su Tong didn't know how much longer she needed to walk or where the end was. She only knew that if she had any intention of retreating and turning back, thorny brambles would grow on the road, and if there happened to be a fork in the road ahead, choosing the wrong path would cause long cracks to open up on the ground, sometimes with flames spewing out, which was very frightening.

  Just as she was getting more and more terrified, her nerves stretched to the breaking point, and just when it seemed like they might snap at any moment, something in front of her finally changed. Su Tong could hear the gentle sound of running water, and the scorching air began to carry a cool breeze that caressed her face. Her heart leapt with joy as she felt a turning point was near, and her footsteps quickened as she hastened towards the front.

  What was once a beautiful and lush green rice field has gradually disappeared, replaced by vast expanses of grassland. In the distance, there is a small hill that isn't very high, with no vegetation covering its surface, exposing dark rocks. A thin stream flows from the top of the hill, forming a small waterfall, which flows into a small pool below. The rushing water crashes into the pool, creating a pleasant sound and splashing up tiny droplets of water. The cool sensation is even more pronounced now. Su Tong had been frightened by the inexplicable heat on the way here, but seeing this scene, he couldn't help but walk towards the water's edge, squat down beside the pool, and reach out to touch the water in the pool. The water was very cool, icy even, making him feel comfortable, and it was also extremely clear, allowing him to see all the way to the bottom of the pool at a glance.

  The water in the pool was not deep, and it's estimated that if Su Tong stood up straight, the water wouldn't even reach her thighs. The surrounding area was made of dark-colored stones, and at the bottom of the pool, there seemed to be some tender green aquatic plants swaying gently with the impact of the waterfall. And then there was something else that caught Su Tong's attention right away.

  That was a red fruit that Su Tong couldn't even call by name, somewhat resembling a peach but smaller, with a bright red color. Seen from across the pond, it seemed extremely thin-skinned and juicy, very tempting.

  If it were an ordinary day, Su Tong would have had a very normal question: why was there such a bright and beautiful unknown fruit growing under the water pool with only stones and aquatic plants? But now, her brain seemed to be out of control, all rationality, all common sense, like steam, evaporated, disappeared, and she only had one thought in mind, that is, no matter what, she must get that fruit!

  She leaned over the edge of the pond, stretching out half her body, and put her hands into the water, hoping to touch the bright red fruit. However, even when she stretched her arms to their limits, she still couldn't reach it, which made Su Tong's heart feel extremely anxious. She didn't care about anything else, so she simply got up, stepped into the pond, took a deep breath, held it in, bent down and submerged her face in the water, stretching out her hands to search for the bottom. While resisting the buoyancy, she tried hard to stretch out her hand, and her fingers slowly closed around the red fruit. Only then did she manage to grasp the fruit in her palm. She plucked it lightly, and the red fruit was picked as if it had no roots at all, effortlessly taken into her hands. Su Tong didn't dare use force because the red fruit looked too delicate, and she was afraid that her rough movements would damage the fruit, making all her efforts go to waste.

  Su Tong's heart was racing, she could hardly contain herself, if not for being in the water and unable to open her mouth, she would have stuffed the red fruit into her own mouth by now. Originally, her desire to get it had been urgent, but now that the fruit was already in her palm, the urge to swallow it became even more uncontrollable.

  But when she stood up straight, picked the red fruit out of the pool and brought it to her mouth, just as she was about to savor a bite, something unexpected happened. The originally plump and full red fruit withered away at an unbelievable speed visible to the naked eye the moment it touched Su Tong's lips, shrinking smaller and smaller, its color dulling from a bright red that could be described as dazzling to a dull gray, with wrinkles covering its surface until it shrunk to the size of a peach pit in Su Tong's palm, looking like a pile of ash from burnt paper.

  Su Tong was still in shock when the paper ash suddenly ignited again, and the scorching temperature burned her palm.

  Su Tong let out a loud cry and sat up in bed, his forehead covered in sweat. He panted heavily for a while before finally coming to his senses. He looked towards the window and saw that outside, the sky had already lightened, although it wasn't particularly bright. The morning light filtering through the curtains made the light from the overhead lamp seem less harsh.

  It's already morning.

  It's okay, it was just a nightmare, as long as I'm awake, everything is fine. Su Teng let out a sigh of relief and stabilized his mind, which had been dazed from the nightmare that had just awakened him. This night, because of that strange dream, he felt like he hadn't slept at all, but rather like he had gone out for a night on the town, with every part of his body feeling exhausted.

  What time is it now? Su Tong wiped the cold sweat on her forehead with one hand, and stretched out the other hand to touch her phone by the pillow. When her hand touched the bed sheet, a sharp pain made her instinctively take a breath of cold air, then she pulled her hand back and opened her palm in front of her face.

  In her palm was a sparkling water bubble.

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