Time ticked away, second by second. Everyone was watching the water vat.
Liu Ruyan looked nervous. "Why haven't they surfaced yet? Could they have fainted and sunk to the bottom?" she asked. "Village Chief Lin, shouldn't we go over and check?"
From the side, one could only see the surface of the water in the vat and strings of bubbles rising; there was no sign of anyone struggling. Liu Ruyan estimated that a minute and a half had already passed. For many, this was the limit of holding one's breath; past this point, the instinct for survival usually drove people to surface. Yet, none of the three children had emerged.
Chapter 73