Wú Chuān subconsciously criticized himself. What was he thinking? Matching couple items? She was just a little girl; having such thoughts was improper.
At this moment, following the gaze of the man opposite, the little girl also looked at her wrist. A chain bracelet had appeared there. It looked old and ancient, somewhat similar to the chain she had just seen that could grow freely, but it was clearly much smaller.
She instinctively looked behind her and found that the floating bridge she had just crossed had disappeared. Further ahead, she could see nothing.
Wú Chuān was very familiar with the scene of a floating bridge disappearing, so he wasn't surprised at all.
He simultaneously thought that the reason the crevice in the mountainside behind him hadn't closed was likely waiting for the very situation that had just occurred. It was probably prepared specifically for this little girl to enter the space within the mountainside.
However, as the one who arrived first, he felt obligated to tell her about the situation inside in advance, playing the role of a guide.
At the same time, he also noticed that the material of the chain bracelet on the little girl's hand was no different from his own bracelet; both were formed from chains. But while his bracelet was a proper bracelet, the one on the little girl's hand should more accurately be called a bracelet, possessing much greater flexibility and softness than his.
Wú Chuān felt he should greet the little girl and get acquainted. After all, he was a boy and an older figure, so taking the initiative to greet her was appropriate and would appear more gentlemanly.
Just as he was about to speak, the little girl suddenly shouted, "The water is starting to rise again."
The little girl seemed flustered and instinctively ran towards the crevice in the mountainside in front of her.
Wú Chuān hadn't been paying attention to the water surface. When he had arrived here via the floating bridge on the water, the water surface had remained unchanged.
Hearing the little girl's cry, he couldn't help but look at the water. He discovered that the water was indeed beginning to spread.
Although the speed wasn't particularly alarming, the water level was not far from the shore. In this short period, the water flow was visibly about to breach the bank.
Despite the intimidating appearance, Wú Chuān wasn't as panicked as the little girl and didn't flee. He also realized that after entering the space within the mountain, water would definitely follow. And once inside, if his prediction was correct, the crevice in the mountain would close, just as before.
This would turn the interior into a completely sealed space. If the water level rose too high, their situation inside would be quite dire.
Even if a crevice were to appear again on the opposite side, he had already circled the rocky shore. The water surface around the desert island was clearly connected. This meant the surrounding water flow would rise synchronously. Even if a new crevice appeared, the water flowing into the interior wouldn't drain out through the new crevice. Instead, due to the rising water outside the mountain on the other side, it would flood into the sealed space through the newly formed crevice.
In such a scenario, entering that interior sealed space might not be a wise choice.
Wú Chuān realized he should quickly pull the little girl back and prevent her from rashly entering the interior space.
However, before he could take action to pull the little girl, he felt a hand grab his arm from behind. Then, a force pulled him forward, almost before he could react, and he was dragged into the crevice of the mountain.
If Wú Chuān hadn't adjusted his body in time, he would likely have stumbled and fallen.
He realized it was the little girl returning. Perhaps seeing that he hadn't followed her inside, she thought he was frozen in fear by the rising water and, without a word, pulled him inside.
Despite the little girl's seemingly delicate build, the strength in her hands was astounding.
Wú Chuān tried to break free several times, but it was completely useless. He remained firmly held by the little girl, rushing forward at her pace.
Not long after, they had run a considerable distance inside.
The little girl showed no intention of observing her surroundings, focusing solely on pulling the unfamiliar man behind her forward to escape the rising water.
"This isn't a solution either. I need to tell her the true situation inside, so she doesn't rashly assume that going inside will solve everything without knowing the facts," Wú Chuān thought. As he did, he said, "I've already been inside before. It's a sealed circular space. Rushing in now under these circumstances is not safe."
Hearing the stranger speak so suddenly, the little girl paused. She then stopped, turned to face him, her expression clearly anxious. She seemed to want to speak but couldn't utter a sound.
Due to the rapid pace at which she had pulled him, stopping abruptly caused Wú Chuān to surge forward due to inertia. Fortunately, the little girl held him firmly, halting his forward momentum just in time, preventing him from crashing into her or the black mountainside.
Wú Chuān saw that the little girl seemed about to speak, but for some reason, she couldn't.
Her face turned completely red.
"What's going on? Can she not speak? Could she be a mute girl?" he wondered to himself.
The little girl was also anxious. This hadn't happened before; usually, the more urgent the situation, the easier it was for her to speak. This time, she didn't know what was wrong.
She knew this couldn't go on. She gradually calmed herself and tried to speak again, asking, "Are... are... you... telling... the... truth?"
Wú Chuān heard the little girl finally speak, but her words were halting. He immediately understood what had happened. She had been trying to speak all along, but the urgency of the situation had prevented her, causing her face to turn red.
She likely had a speech impediment and stuttered, and in severe cases, found it difficult to speak promptly.
Just as Wú Chuān was about to respond, the little stutterer paused for a moment and continued, "Did... did... you... really... go... inside?"
"Are... are... you... not... lying... to... me?"
Wú Chuān waited for a moment, confirming she had expressed everything she intended to convey. Then, he nodded and replied, "I am truly not lying to you. In fact, before I met you, just like you, I reached here from the depths of the water using a floating bridge formed by iron chains and vines."
"It's just that my position was in that body of water on the opposite side. After I reached the shore, I saw a crevice in the mountainside on the other side, similar to the one we just entered. I followed that crevice inside and saw the reality of the situation: a sealed space."
He saw a look of confusion appear on the little girl's face, so he immediately asked, "You don't quite believe me, do you? You think my story is contradictory?"
The little stutterer nodded and said, "Yes... you... you... must have... seen... me... come... up from the water... via the floating bridge... constructed... by iron chains and vines... that's why you're saying... this... You... can't... make... me... believe... what... you're... saying."