The gluttonous little boy is four and a half years old, and even the wealthy family kneels down and

Yun Zi'ang, carrying Yun Tianlin, walked to Xiao Jin's side. "Little Aunt, were you scared?"

"What's the situation now?"

Xiao Jin first glanced at Yun Tianlin and said softly with concern, "Tianlin, don't be afraid, it's all fake."

As she spoke, she reached out and took Yun Tianlin's small hand, shaking it gently. "Xiao Jin is here. Xiao Jin will protect you."

Yun Tianlin, his eyes red and sobbing uncontrollably, looked pitifully at Xiao Jin.

Seeing this, Xiao Jin took off the jade pendant around her neck and stuffed it into Yun Tianlin's hands, saying, "Hold my little jade pendant for a while, and it will warm up soon."

Yun Tianlin stared blankly at the white jade in his palm, feeling a warm sensation, and couldn't help but shed tears again. "I...I didn't lie, someone was trying to capture me underwater."

"Xiao Jin believes in you," Xiao Jin said, extending her small, pinkish-white fist and gesturing twice. "Xiao Jin will go down and catch that bad guy in a bit, give him a good beating, and avenge you!"

"Mmm!" Yun Tianlin nodded with a pitiful look, and muttered softly, "I miss my mom."

"We'll see Auntie when we get back to the hotel in a little while," Yun Ziang comforted her, taking the towel handed to him by a staff member and wrapping it around Yun Tianlin.

"Zi'ang, my great-nephew." Xiao Jin reached out and tugged at Yun Zi'ang's wet sleeve. "Quickly tell the people on the shore not to go into the water, and call all the boats back."

Upon hearing this, Yun Zi'ang didn't hesitate. He turned and shouted to the workers on the shore who were still organizing the rescue: "Bring people back! Bring all the boats to shore! Don't go back into the water!"

There was a commotion on the shore. The staff looked at Yun Ziang with some hesitation, clearly not recognizing him.

"Hey, my words don't carry any weight anymore," Yun Zi'ang said, immediately calling Yun Ziqian with the phone that the staff had just handed back to him.

As soon as the call was answered, before Yun Zi'ang could even speak, Yun Ziqian's voice rang out first.

"Where are you?" Yun Ziqian's voice was steady on the other end of the phone, but he spoke much faster than usual. "I heard there was an accident at the lake, someone fell into the water?"

"Brother, come quick." Yun Ziang looked around and lowered his voice, "Tianlin fell into the water, but he was pulled out and is okay. But the safety officer also fell in, and it looks like there's something in the water."

"You should first notify the person in charge here to have everyone evacuate to the shore immediately and stay away from the lake."

"Okay, I'll be right there, wait for me," Yun Ziqian said hurriedly before hanging up the phone.

Yun Zi'ang put Yun Tianlin down, squatted down, looked Xiao Jin in the eye, and asked in a low voice with concern, "Little Miss, what exactly is down there?"

"Could it be... a water ghost?"

"I can't say for sure." Xiao Jin shook her head, her gaze still fixed on the lake. "That thing hasn't left yet; it's still underwater. It's not coming out, but it's not leaving either."

Yun Zi'ang felt a chill run down his spine.

When he was swimming in the water, he felt that the bottom of the lake was so dark that he couldn't see anything. At the time, he thought it was because the water was too deep. Now, thinking back, the bone-chilling water temperature itself was eerie.

Why is the water so cold during the dog days of summer, like it's the twelfth lunar month?

"We absolutely cannot have any more problems," he said, his face grim. The company had just run into trouble a few days ago, and now one of its subsidiaries was in trouble. Even he knew that this would definitely have a huge impact on the company.

The roar of an engine grew louder as a black minivan screeched to a halt beside the lakeside path. The door opened, and Yun Ziqian strode out, his face ashen.

The project manager immediately rushed forward, sweat beading on his forehead, and stammered, "Mr. Yun, you're here! It was just an unexpected accident. A tourist's child fell into the water, and the safety officer went down to rescue him but also ran into trouble. The person has been pulled out now, and we're currently..."

"I understand." Yun Ziqian interrupted him, his gaze sweeping over the crowd before he walked straight toward Yun Ziang and the others.

Upon closer inspection, it became clear that Yun Ziang was soaking wet, his T-shirt clinging to his body. Yun Tianlin, wrapped in a towel, huddled in his arms, his face pale and his shoulders trembling. Xiao Jin stood beside him, her brows furrowed tightly.

"How are you? Are you alright?" Yun Ziqian squatted down and reached out to touch Yun Tianlin's cold face, his tone unusually anxious.

"He's fine, he just swallowed some water and got a fright." Yun Zi'ang wiped the water droplets from his face, leaned close to Yun Ziqian's ear, and whispered, "Brother, something's wrong. Xiao Jin said there's something in the water."

Xiao Jin looked up at Yun Ziqian, her usual smile gone: "Ziqian, there's something wrong with this lake. The things at the bottom are rotten; no one should get close anymore."

"And this isn't a problem that just started today," she added, pointing her little finger to the lake. "It's been at the bottom for a very, very long time; the yin energy has all sunk to the bottom."

Yun Zi'ang paused for a moment, then scratched his head: "That's not right. This resort area has been under construction for several years, and I've never heard of any accidents happening in the lake before. How come something like this suddenly happened today?"

Yun Ziqian frowned, his gaze fixed intently on the center of the lake.

The water surface glistens and appears calm and harmless, but no one can say for sure what lies beneath.

He suppressed the turmoil in his heart, stood up, and said, "Let's not talk about this now. You're all soaking wet, and you'll catch a cold if you stay out in the wind. Let's go back to the hotel and change our clothes. We can talk about the rest when we get back."

He turned to the person in charge behind him and ordered in a deep voice, "Immediately seal off the lake area, bring all tour boats to shore, evacuate all tourists, and forbid anyone from approaching the lakeside. Bring security personnel over to guard the area; if anything happens, I will hold you responsible."

"Yes, yes, I'll take care of it right away!" The person in charge felt like he had been granted a pardon and quickly turned around to make the arrangements.

Yun Ziang carried Yun Tianlin, with Xiao Jin following beside them, and the group first drove back to the hotel attached to the resort area.

After taking a hot shower and changing into clean clothes, Yun Tianlin's complexion improved slightly, but he still tightly clutched the longevity jade that Xiao Jin had given him, refusing to let go.

Not long after I sat down, there was a knock on the door.

Yun Mingyue rushed over and saw her son sitting on the sofa with red eyes as soon as she entered the door. Her eyes instantly welled up with tears.

"Tianlin!"

"Mom!" Yun Tianlin's nose tingled, and he rushed over to bury himself in her arms, his little mouth pouting as tears streamed down his face again.

"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, Mom is here." Yun Mingyue hugged him tightly, gently patting his back, feeling extremely sorry for him.

She looked up at Yun Zi'ang, "What happened? How did you end up falling into the water?"

Just as Yun Ziang was about to speak, the door was pushed open again, and Yun Ziqian walked in, followed by the project's vice president.

"Brother, how's it going over there?" Yun Ziang asked immediately.

"It's all sealed off, and everyone has been evacuated." Yun Ziqian sat down on the sofa, his expression still grave. "I just went through the early project files and asked the old man who was in charge of the exploration back then, and I learned something."

He paused, his tone becoming more serious: "After acquiring the land, we conducted geological surveys. The geological team used sonar to scan the bottom of the lake and said there was a large area of ​​irregular square structures directly below the center of the lake, like some kind of old foundation or old stone wall. Some people said that there might be an ancient site underneath and suggested that it be reported for investigation."

"And then what happened?" Yun Mingyue asked, frowning.

"Later, it was dropped." Yun Ziqian tapped the table with his fingertips. "At the time, Lü Zong was in charge of the project. He said he was afraid of delaying the construction period and affecting the pre-sale permit, so he suppressed the matter. During the development, the center of the lake was deliberately bypassed, and the bottom of the lake was not disturbed at all. To the outside world, it was said to be a natural lake."

"It's Lü Zong again?" Yun Mingyue's face immediately turned cold, her tone filled with undisguised displeasure. "Just how much has he been hiding? He dared to conceal such a huge hidden danger!"

"Not the foundation."

Xiao Jin, who had been sitting quietly to the side, suddenly spoke up.

Everyone turned to look at her.

Xiao Jin sat cross-legged on the sofa, her little hands on her knees, looking very serious: "That's not an old house down there, it's an entire tomb."

"It's a very, very large tomb, surrounded by stone walls on all four sides, and topped with a square stone seal. The lake came later; the tomb was already here before the water flooded it."

She paused, then said, "I thought it was strange when I was looking at it from the Ferris wheel. This lake is surrounded by mountains on all sides, with the water converging in the center. According to the layout of a dragon in the plains, it's a natural dragon's lair."

"But such a good place, the air down there is unclean, gloomy and heavy, as if it has been sucked dry by something."

"I didn't understand at the time," Xiao Jin looked up at everyone, her words clear and distinct, "but then I realized, 'The people who built the tomb deliberately chose this location.'"

"Place the tomb in the very center of the dragon's lair, using the earth's energy from the lair to nourish the evil energy within the tomb. Over time, the things beneath will become increasingly malevolent."

The room fell silent instantly.

Yun Ziang opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything for a long time.

He originally thought it was just a drowned ghost, but unexpectedly it brought up an ancient tomb, and even a dragon's lair to nurture evil spirits, which sounded more outrageous than a novel.

But looking at Xiao Jin's serious little face, and remembering what Tian Lin and the safety officer had said, he couldn't find any reason to doubt it.

Yun Ziqian's expression also changed.

He initially thought it was just some unknown obstacle at the bottom of the lake, at most the ruins of an ancient village, but he never expected it to be a tomb.

"You mean..." His Adam's apple bobbed as he looked at Xiao Jin, "that thing down there came from the tomb?"

Xiao Jin nodded emphatically, her little face showing a hint of seriousness: "Yes. It didn't come out before because its energy was all at the bottom of the lake, and it wasn't the right time. Today, there are more people on the lake, so there's more energy, which lured it out."

"What do we do then?" Yun Zi'ang asked. "We can't just leave it like this, can we? Will the resort even be able to stay open? After what happened today, all the tourists must have heard about it, and someone will have to come and investigate tomorrow. Besides, who will dare to come here to play in the future?"

Xiao Jin frowned and thought for a while, then suddenly looked up at Yun Zi'ang: "Zi'ang, could you find a way to get a small boat tonight? I'd like to go to the center of the lake."

"What?!" Yun Zi'ang's eyes widened. "Are you crazy? You've been causing such a ruckus during the day, and you want to go to the middle of the lake at night? That thing down there could easily pull us both down with one hand. I'm not doing that!"

"Xiao Jin has a solution!"

Xiao Jin got off the sofa, turned around and took out a bundle of red rope from her bag. The red rope was strung with bright yellow copper coins. She held it and shook it. "This is the soul-stabilizing money that Master left for me. Ordinary evil spirits can't get close to me. As long as it's tied with rope, it won't be dragged into the water."

Xiao Jin paused, then added, "Xiao Jin needs to make sure she knows which direction the door to the tomb is located. The way the door opens will affect the solution."

"If the door faces the 'life' position, it can be sealed back up; if the door faces the 'death' position..."

As Xiao Jin spoke, she suddenly slumped her shoulders and sighed heavily. The adults immediately understood.

Yun Zi'ang still tried to struggle, "Then have someone drain the lake, that way we can see everything clearly!"

Yun Mingyue hesitated for a moment, "Such a big lake, it would take several days to drain it."

Yun Ziqian remained silent, as if he were weighing something in his mind.

Xiao Jin gripped the rope, pouting in dissatisfaction, "I'm the oldest among us!"

"You all have to listen to me! I'm your little auntie, after all!"

Looking into Xiao Jin's clear eyes, which revealed a seriousness, Yun Ziqian made up his mind, "Okay, I'll go with you."

Yun Zi'ang gasped, staring at Yun Ziqian in astonishment, "Brother?!"