The biting cold water splashed on his body, Shen Mingde shivered, and slowly opened his eyes. The torches were bright all around, and the basin of cold water regained some of his senses. He found himself tied to a ladder that had been lifted high and held up unsteadily by something behind it. A clammy wind blew behind his head, and he realized that his location was by the lake. A bareback man carrying an empty bucket was turning away. Only a woman in a red dress was left on the beach, standing slim under the ladder. Shen Mingde beat his spirits and squinted his eyes at this woman. She is slender and straight, with her hands crossed in front of her abdomen, looking gentle and virtuous. Wearing a red dress, the skirt swings in the wind. Enduring the pain in the back of his head, Shen Mingde vaguely remembered the night of the Yushugou celebration, and he seemed to have seen this red dress. The woman's face is as if it has been carved by the hand of a famous teacher. The tired tearful eyes that could not be covered by the pretty short ear-length hair added a bit of gloom to this goddess-like face. This tearful woman makes people feel pity, and they feel that the profundity is unreachable. Like a distant mountain, like a deep pool, I can't help but feel daunted. "That's Xiao Jing", Shen Mingde, whose brain broke free from the stiffness and numbness, slowly remembered the name.

Perhaps seeing that Shen Mingde was showing signs of sobriety, Xiao Jing first made a voice: "Mingde, don't get me wrong. I didn't want to come to see you, but an old believer convinced me. So I think maybe I should let you know something before Yamamira takes you away. ”

Shen Mingde opened his mouth slightly, but did not make any sound. From the situation where he was tied up and Xiao Jing stood peacefully in front of him, Shen Mingde already had an answer in his heart.

Xiao Jing wiped the tears from her face with a tissue, and said in a calm tone: "I am not here to show off to you as a winner, nor am I a liar to confess to you. Your sacrifice can save my life. So ......"

"Save yourself the politeness...... You have already colluded with ......" Shen Mingde mustered up his strength, and finally said half a sentence hoarsely.

"There's nothing to brag about. Whether it is you, me, or Zhou Tengfei, they are all 'chess pieces' in Chen Huaizhi's hands. Xiao Jing finished speaking, and seeing that Shen Mingde had no reaction, he continued: "There seems to be a genetic disease in our family. Although my mother and the rest of the family never talked about it, I knew that it would not be long before I would die like my father. I have a medical check-up every year, but the results show that I am healthy. Current medical technology is not yet able to detect diseases that will occur in the future, so I don't blame doctors. Tengfei knows me best, and he is the only one who has been with me to find a solution to this familial disease. His method was to find the lake. However, soon, our action to find the lake was noticed by Chen Huaizhi. He came up with a very tempting 'deal' ......"

Shen Mingde struggled and asked, "You do things for him, and he makes you immortal?" ”

Xiao Jing nodded and said, "Yes." However, the take-off mission failed. Called you while he was on the run from capture, hoping to talk to you and get your help when he sees you the next day. However, when he realizes that there is no hope of escape, he sends you a password. It's '9950.' that you later used as a distress message. Then Tengfei called me again. To protect me, he didn't want me to be directly involved. Ascendas asked me to send you an encrypted computer file, and you'll understand when you look at it. I opened the file with that password, and the contents were pretty much the same as the information we got. That's when I had another idea. Why should I wait for Chen Huaizhi's 'handout'. Why don't you help Chen Huaizhi complete the 'sacrifice' task and gain 'immortality' yourself? ”

Shen Mingde asked weakly: "You can see the lake from the beginning?" You know how to see the lake, why didn't you tell me in the first place? ”

"It's thanks to you that you can see the lake," Xiao Jing continued: "The way to see the lake is very simple to say, but it is a very difficult state of mind to find. It can only be effective through bootstrapping. In fact, initially, I thought Yang Guangcheng was the best choice. I was turned out to be wrong. When I was chatting in your study that day, I understood what Tengfei meant when he said to me, 'Only Shen Mingde can do this'. ”

Shen Mingde asked: "You arranged to take us into the mountains and forests, see our aunt, and find the sixth uncle?" ”

Mr. Shen laughed. I don't have that much of a penance. Xiao Jing didn't mean to joke, she just said very plainly: "Although these are all guides for you, all people and things are true." After the two of us failed to find the lake, I think it was enough to pique your interest. So, the opportunity revealed the clues of the sixth uncle. After that, we inquired about the story from Aunt Zhou Tengfei, in fact, every villager in Yushugou knew it. There is also the rumors of the sixth uncle, and the lyrics of that minor key are not secrets. However, all this information combined to establish the concept of a 'mysterious lake' in your mind. I took you to the celebration in Yushugou Village, but what happened later in the drama school, and what I heard happened in the hospital, was not in my plan. However, I need to admit that Wang Yajuan and her parents are indeed a play arranged for you by the actors I invited. That night, after we escaped from the drama school, you suspected Zhou Tengfei. So I think the method of using the disappearance of Tengfei as a bait has failed. However, what Gao Bowen said to me that night made me think of a way to keep you looking for the lake. As an ordinary person, you can not estimate Zhou Tengfei's life or death, but you can't not care about your own life. If you are asked to use the 'scratches' on your wrists as a sign of 'ghost chasing', you have a reason to continue looking for the lake and a source of more fear. So, after you sent me home, I hired three drama actors overnight, and then started rehearsals in that deserted village at the foot of Dafeng Mountain. Because of the danger of landslides, just a few years ago, the city government had moved the people of Fengyan Village. That deserted village was discovered by Tengfei and I during an expedition. I used the plot from that long novel to write the lines for the actors and instructed them to rehearse there. When you called the next day, I really had a cold. Later, when you said you were going to visit me, it was probably because I was a thief. I actually promised you. It takes more than two hours to drive back to the city from Fengyan Village. The distance is probably more than ten or even twenty minutes longer than returning to the city from Yushugou. So, I can only choose the closest to myself and the farthest from you to meet the place. That is the North Gushan Hospital in the North District. In order to buy myself more time, I also commissioned you to buy a cup of 'bubble tea'. I don't think you're going to refuse a 'patient' request. With this method, in addition to the time of queuing, I also change your route. Once you've bought your tea, you can't get over the clear ring road, but have to cross the city center during rush hour. ”

At this time, Shen Mingde seemed very excited, and he used all his strength to scold Xiao Jing for being a liar. However, Xiao Jing said indifferently: "I'm not the only liar around you. I guess, you've never met Yang Chuan's father, Yang Guangcheng. That person called himself Yang Guangcheng only in front of us. However, on the hospital's visit records, he appeared as Yang Chuan's uncle, Li XX. It seems that the person 'Yang Guangcheng' has never appeared in the hospital. In the hospital, that person had never entered Yang Chuan's ward. That person seemed to know that the believers would come to kill Yang Chuan, so he would wander around the door of Yang Chuan's ward every night when he didn't know where to go during the day. It's like waiting for that moment to come. The day you found the lakeside village, I fell into the lake. While hiding from the believers, I met Zhou Tengfei, who was being held in his house. In order to convince you that Zhou Tengfei was in the village, I pinned his mobile phone to the statue of Shanmiluo. At that time, I also got a message. Yang Chuan later also fell into the lake and became a qualified sacrifice. If the sacrifice is not used within seven days, the believer sends someone to 'harvest' the head of the sacrifice. The night you were in the hospital was your last day. That pretending Yang Guangcheng called you to go to the hospital, and it seemed that he knew this. I don't know what he's looking for you. What I need to tell you is that the person who was killed that night was not Yang Chuan, but just another patient in the same ward as him. It was because Yang Guangcheng, who was pretending, had never entered the ward, so he didn't know anything about the location of Yang Chuan's hospital bed. At that time, he probably really thought that Yang Chuan was killed, or maybe he just did enough in front of you. When will he see the lake, we will have to ask ourselves in a moment. At present, the believers of the whole village are arresting him all over the mountains. ”

Shen Mingde asked: "Where is Yang Chuan?" Where did you go afterward? Why is it coming back? ”

Xiao Jing then spoke in a voice as flat as a machine: "I don't want to waste sacrifices. Instead of cultivating sacrifices from scratch, it is better to use Yang Chuan, a ready-made one. So I went to the hospital to meet him. All those who soak in the water of this lake will initially experience physical discomfort, nightmares, insomnia, colds and fevers, etc. I didn't just lie to you on the day I got sick. But because I'm prepared, I know how to deal with it. But Yang Chuan was different, he was frightened by nightmares and physical discomfort. After talking to Yang Chuan, he chose to trust me to help him. After that, I took him to the lake. Surprisingly, those believers were very stubborn. They only admit that Yang Chuan is a sacrifice of Zhou Tengfei. As for me, I need to find my own sacrifice to complete the sacrifice. They plan to keep me in this village just like they did with Zhou Tengfei. Later, Zhou Tengfei, who had successfully sacrificed himself, volunteered to stay in the village as a hostage, so he released me back. Immediately after, Chen Huaizhi approached me and offered to cooperate with me. The content of the cooperation is very strange, and it is intended to use me to control you, Shen Mingde. Under Chen Huaizhi's coercion and temptation, I still agreed. He asked me to leave the city for a while and report my dreams to the people he appointed every day. At the same time, according to his instructions, I will call you and send you the contents of the phone call to me after Chen Huaizhi's person wrote it. Later, the frequency of phone calls gradually increased. Until finally, they arranged for my 'disappearance'. ”

Shen Mingde asked: "What is Chen Huaizhi's purpose?" ”

Xiao Jing continued: "Kill his father, Chen Yongyi. That's something I've only learned recently. Chen Yongyi is selfish and cruel. Ever since he had attained 'immortality', he felt that his offspring were no longer necessary. Not only that, but he also had to take power from his own son at all times. He didn't kill his son Chen Huaizhi himself, even if he was very merciful. And Chen Huaizhi is very smart. Living in the shadow of his father, he understood the truth early on that 'I would rather be ashamed of Adou than be a famous overlord'. Therefore, he always shows people as a kind of 'rich second generation' who eats and waits for death. He secretly investigates the secrets of the lake, and uses the help of Takayama Apricot to obtain 'immortality'. In the years that followed, he gained Chen's trust very low-key. However, he was full of hatred and fear for Chen Yongyi. At the same time, he expressed disdain for his father who would only use this 'magic' to make money. The business is still in Chen's hands. Only by killing him again can Chen Huaizhi make great progress. ”

Shen Mingde asked in disgust: "Then what does he want?" ”

"Country" Xiao Jing continued: "If I was not wrong about the last conversation with him. Chen Huaizhi wanted to build a country united by religious beliefs. Hehe, how can a little sparrow like me understand his ideal of a 'big man'? However, your appearance, which should have been ours, did him a great favor. Chen Huaizhi is a person who understands people's hearts very well and is also very good at using them. In the few minutes we had spoken to Chen Yongyi on the night of the Yushugou celebration, he had a plan. After that, he came to me with a police record. Just after Zhou Tengfei and them disappeared, you called the police for help. The police then called me to verify the matter. In order to prevent police access, I made up a story. I told the police that Zhou Tengfei was divorcing me recently, and maybe he had eloped with a junior in the past two days. I used these words to prevaricate the police, and as a result, these became the levers for Chen Huaizhi to threaten me. If I don't cooperate with him, he'll show you this police record. As smart as you, Shen Mingde, I guess you can see through my tricks at a glance. I didn't directly agree to his request, but shirked and said to think about it. I didn't want to be restrained by others, and at that time, I still pinned my hopes on Yang Chuan. However, in the end, things took a turn for the worst, Yang Chuan became a sacrifice for Zhou Tengfei, and I was almost detained in the village. That night, I started having nightmares on a backdrop. In desperation, I called Chen Huaizhi and agreed to accept the cooperation. ”

Shen Mingde closed his eyes in despair. If he had expected Xiao Jing to let him go when he was just awake, and he was still looking for an opportunity to escape when his limbs had just regained consciousness, but after hearing these words, he almost lost hope and courage. The emotions of being deceived, teased, and taken advantage of flooded his mind. How many times has Shen Mingde thought that his flexible brain and analytical skills had saved him from danger in business and interpersonal relationships. This time, however, he felt like a complete failure. The sense of failure and shame shattered his self-esteem, and it seemed that even running away and surviving became a torture. After a while, Shen Mingde squeezed out the word "continue" from between his teeth. He wanted to continue listening, not out of curiosity, but to hide the strange emotion of pain.

Xiao Jing didn't pay attention to the other party's feelings, maybe she didn't see the other party's feelings. She turned her head to look at the village in the distance behind her, and continued, "Time is running out. Later, Chen Huaizhi told me personally in order to gain my trust. Judging from our reaction to infiltrating the Yushugou Drama School, Gao Bowen really regarded you as Chen Yongyi's person. At the same time, after many temptations, Chen Yongyi also thinks that you are Gao Bowen's 'leader'. Therefore, Chen Huaizhi gave up the original plan for Zhou Tengfei, and instead used you to use the 'discord plan'. Chen Huaizhi got all the details of what we have been going through these days from me. After that, he thinks that 'Uncle Six' seems to be a decoy that is extremely attractive to you. So, he gives you a key and tempts you into the underground vault located in the Yongning Recovery Home. Don't worry, listen to me. Although the nursing home is managed by the city government, Chen Yongyi's relationship with the city's elites is very delicate. It is also unknown whether those people have been corrupted by Chen Yongyi. Even I suspect that they have also gained 'immortality' through Chen Yongyi. Nursing home basements have a huge area where facilities such as refrigerated storage rooms at the medical facility level can be installed. Chen Yongyi's 'business' is wide-ranging, including illegal trafficking in human organs. Those sources of organ procurement are the 'sacrifices' that are brought here. In the eyes of those villagers, the 'sacrifice' was not considered a believer. Except for a small number of 'sacrifices' left behind by Yamamira, the rest of the people who came out of the lake alive were mutilated by the believers. After the dismemberment, only useful organs were left, and the village of Yushugou was used as a transit point, and then sent to the cold storage of the rehabilitation home. The rest of the stumps were thrown down the well in the village, and it is said that they would drift down the underground river to a place called the 'burial ground'. The surgical skills of the believers were so good that no one knew how they learned them. It may have been practiced through years of cooperation with Chen Yongyi. Therefore, the underground chamber of the recovery home is Chen Yongyi's heart. It's a 'treasure trove' that can be opened with a key. But you did, why? Because Chen Huaizhi helped you. He knew all the obstacles and mechanisms. As soon as you enter that underground chamber and stay in it for a while, his plan will succeed. Everything you see there, everything you read doesn't matter. What Chen Huaizhi wants is the surveillance video that you 'sneak into' there. That night, you destroyed all the internal generators. But what you didn't expect was that the underground chamber also had an independent power supply device. Chen Huaizhi then handed over a detailed piece of evidence of Chen Yongyi's theft and sale of human organs to the police through me. It won't be long before Chen Yongyi will be charged for illegal organ trafficking. However, after looking at the surveillance, he could only suspect that you did all this, and that Gao Bowen instructed you to do it. ”

Shen Mingde asked: "Is he afraid that Chen Yongyi will confess everything?" ”

"There's no need to worry," Xiao Jing continued: "A few days ago, Chen Yongyi was secretly arrested by the police. At the time, he still had a sense of hope. He counted on his son, and Chen Huaizhi would save him. So, he will grit his teeth and hold on for a while. Due to the suddenness of the incident, Chen Yongyi did not have time to arrange the next work. So he put the 'command' in the hands of Chen Huaizhi. In the following days, in order to consolidate his position, Chen Huaizhi eradicated the 'bloody and bloody wind' caused by dissidents. Chen Huaizhi finally planned to use Gao Bowen to erase Chen Yongyi once and for all. He arranged for my 'disappearance' while also observing your reaction. Judging by the results so far, you haven't let him down. ”

"What's wrong with Gao Bowen? What will happen to Chen Yongyi in the end? Although he already had an answer in his heart, Shen Mingde still seemed to get a certain result from the other party.

Xiao Jing's tone was a little uncertain, and he said, "Gao Bowen thinks that you are Chen Yongyi's person, maybe out of revenge, he will report the matter of your torture to those believers. Soon after, Chen Yongyi will be completely killed by the believers and will never be resurrected. But judging from Chen Huaizhi's words, it may not be so simple. Because for a person like Gao Bowen, who has a deep city, revenge should not be the only reason that drives him to kill. Mingde, do you remember the little tape recorder that Chen Huaizhi gave you on the day of the torture of Gao Bowen? Although I don't know the details afterwards. However, according to Chen Huaizhi, that small tape recorder was the 'prop' that forced Gao Bowen to attack Chen Yongyi. And the content of the recording that day is evidence that the believers will eventually execute Gao Bowen. ”