Yusuf Zuck’s hometown in Shandong Province, also known as the City of Springs, is the largest capital city in the country and the only one without a subway, due to the numerous springs scattered beneath it.
As a Shandong native, Yusuf was particularly familiar with the provincial capital.
Three days later, having arranged everything, Yusuf took Ruth Wilcox and Ember Vance to the famous southern area of Longquan Temple, where there was a large park called Bai Mai Spring Park.
The secret passage that Old Huang had told him about was located at Longquan in his hometown’s provincial capital, one of the springs in Bai Mai Spring Park, deep beneath the lake. Only by finding the right spring and diving into it could one secretly enter the Dragon Gate.
Of course, the risks were immense; ordinary people, and perhaps even Innate masters, might not necessarily succeed in passing through, as the spring was full of deadly traps.
"Are you only taking the two of them?" Yusuf met Old Huang in the park, who might have been concerned, so he waited for him there specifically.
"Yes," Yusuf nodded and replied.
"I want to know, how did you knock them out? And how will you ensure their safe passage underwater?" Old Huang frowned as he asked.
Yusuf shook his head, bowed respectfully, and said, "Senior, please don’t make things difficult for me anymore!"
Old Huang’s eyebrows suddenly raised. Yusuf was going back on his word, but if he really knocked the two women out, they would probably die at the bottom of the water.
"Enough, enough. But you must remember to keep this secret!" Old Huang let out a long sigh.
"I will. But, senior, there’s something I don’t understand, and I’ve forgotten to ask you!" Yusuf suddenly looked at Old Huang, "How do you always know so much about my physical condition? Why?"
"I guessed," Old Huang replied indifferently.
"That can’t be?" Yusuf said, not believing him.
"Don’t overthink it. Get ready to go in. Also, I want to tell you that this secret passage may not last for many more years!" Old Huang pointed to the water surface as he spoke.
"Why?" Yusuf asked, perplexed.
"There comes a time when waters deeplete. Each year the water level is significantly dropping," Old Huang sighed.
"Oh, if the water depletes, then when I come back from the Dragon Gate, I will indeed take care of the matter I promised you!"
"It’s alright if you can’t manage it. Just try to protect yourself. This old man is leaving. Be careful," Old Huang said no more, and after giving Yusuf a bow, he left with long strides.
Ruth Wilcox and Ember Vance burned three sticks of incense in the temple and bowed several times before the trio enjoyed a full meal in the city area and supplemented themselves with some necessary dry food.
At night, the two, now changed and carrying oxygen bottles, were led by Yusuf as they jumped into the lake and quickly dived down.
The three were linked by chains, Yusuf was afraid that in case of an accident they might be swept away by the current, so he kept them connected.
Honestly, Ruth and Ember were a bit afraid, but they also trusted Yusuf.
At the bottom of Bai Mai Spring, there were many springs surging upward, large and small, the larger ones resembling black holes, and the smaller ones only the size of a fist.
The spring Old Huang had mentioned was among the hundred springs, located to the northwest. The spring wasn’t large, seemingly less than a foot in diameter, funnel-shaped with fine sand all around.
When Yusuf reached the edge of the spring, he stretched his fist into the spring’s opening.
There was a pushing force inside since the spring water was gushing upwards, thus the force was significant.
Yusuf then firmly held each of the women’s hands, signaling them not to be nervous, and then he plunged his head into the spring’s opening.
Although the spring’s eye was less than a foot in diameter, its surroundings were soft with sludge and fine sand, so Yusuf Zuck easily probed most of his body into it.
With a "gush" sound, a moment later, Yusuf Zuck exerted his strength and squeezed his entire body into the spring’s eye, then the chain was pulled taut, emitting a clicking noise.
"I’ll go next." Ember Vance was daring, and after hugging Ruth Wilcox tightly, she became the second to dive in.
When the chain was pulled taut again, Ruth Wilcox also mustered the courage and resolutely entered.
The water below became murky but then cleared up immediately, returning to its original state after just a few breaths.
At the same time, in a pitch-black tunnel, where one couldn’t see their hand in front of them, Yusuf Zuck struggled forward as if crawling through an intestine, a great water pressure ahead making it necessary for him to constantly dig his ten fingers into the walls of the tunnel, inching his way forward bit by bit.
As for Ember Vance and Ruth Wilcox, who were behind him, they nearly floated up, unable to control their bodies.
If it weren’t for the chain linking them, they would have long been flushed out by the water pressure.
Yusuf Zuck knew he didn’t have much time and couldn’t delay for too long, but in this pitch-black tunnel, he couldn’t even extend his telekinesis, seeing nothing, so he could only crawl forward on instinct.
Finally, after nearly half an hour of crawling, Yusuf Zuck suddenly felt lighter as a larger space appeared, and a sucking force directly pulled him out.
It was still pitch dark inside.
The chain linked Ember Vance and Ruth Wilcox to him, so like Yusuf Zuck, they too were suddenly dropped into a pitch-black unknown. Of course, they all felt like they were still in water, as if they had fallen into a well.
Yusuf Zuck, using the strength of the water current, quickly grabbed Ember Vance and Ruth Wilcox’s arms, then tightly embraced them.
The water flowed in a spiral, pulling downwards, large and turbulent. Yusuf Zuck guessed this must be an even larger underground spring’s eye, so he tightly protected the heads of Ruth Wilcox and Ember Vance as the three of them kept spinning in the rapid current, until they were completely sucked in moments later.
Not knowing how much time had passed, although Yusuf Zuck suddenly woke up, a fear was born from his heart—he had passed out.
He hugged the two women tightly, finding they were still there; only... they were motionless, their bodies ice-cold without a hint of response.
Yusuf Zuck shivered all over and when he reached out to touch the oxygen masks on the two women, he found that their oxygen tanks and masks had long been lost somewhere! Googlᴇ search N0velFire.ɴet
"Ember, Ruth..." When Yusuf Zuck opened his mouth, a mouthful of sand was flushed straight into it.
He didn’t know what to do.
However, just then, the rapid spinning suddenly stopped, and a pushing force emerged, even allowing Yusuf Zuck to see a faint light—though dim, it was light!
"Hu—" The pushing force grew stronger and after a dozen seconds, the three of them were flushed out by the water pressure.
"Woosh—" As soon as he was flushed out, Yusuf Zuck suddenly jumped out of the water, bringing one woman in each hand to the surface. It seemed to be a cave with a faint glimmer of light.
Without the mood to observe where he was, or whether there were any dangers nearby, Yusuf Zuck quickly laid the two women at the water’s edge.
"Don’t die, I won’t allow you to die..." Yusuf Zuck inverted the women to drain the water, while also constantly pressing on their chests, as gushing streams flowed from their mouths and noses.
With a "puff," Ember Vance was the first to come to, with a large amount of clear water and sand flowing from her nose and mouth, also violently coughing.
"Ruth, Ruth." Ruth Wilcox was weaker and had not even gone through the transformation with the "Innate" droplet, so after Yusuf Zuck performed artificial respiration several times, there was still no response from her!
"The Innate droplet, yes, the Innate droplet." Yusuf Zuck frantically reached his finger into Ruth Wilcox’s mouth, quickly dripping in the Innate droplet!
Ember Vance got up with support, her face covered in tears, anxiously watching Ruth Wilcox.