Chapter Sixty-Four - Surviving the Catastrophe

As my body plummeted downward, I felt a sensation that could only be described as weightlessness, or perhaps the thrill of flying—a sensation cherished by many parachuting enthusiasts, a pride in soaring through the heavens. Regrettably, no matter how much I yearned to experience such feelings, they remained elusive to me. Unlike those parachutists, there was, in truth, but one crucial difference: I had no parachute.

Without a parachute, there was no rush of descending flight, no euphoria of conquering the sky—only boundless fear and the chilling dread that my body would be reduced to nothing. I cannot say how long I tumbled through the air, drifting in and out of consciousness. The sensation was fleeting; whenever I felt myself slipping into oblivion, the biting wind would jolt me awake, and worse yet, gnarled branches jutting from the cliffside would occasionally slash at my arms, legs, and waist, leaving not only a numbing cold but also sharp, searing pain.

Thus I fell, like a tormented wraith cast from the world of the living into the eighteen levels of hell, enduring punishment upon punishment. Perhaps this was the suffering I was fated to endure, for one who has died more than once must surely suffer more, mustn’t he?

The fall was swift, my jumbled thoughts flickering in the briefest instant—just as the sorrowful face of Su Xin appeared in my mind, my back suddenly struck something with a heavy thud. A wave of warmth enveloped me almost instantly, and before I could even wonder if this was what death felt like, a searing pain in my back sent me into unconsciousness...

“Water... water...” I moaned, lips parched, as I slowly awoke from my stupor. It was as if I had entered a world painted in yellow. Dazed and bewildered, I struggled up from the sand-strewn ground and gazed about. This was a realm of sand—a desert world—the sky, the air, the earth, all shrouded in a golden haze. Endless dunes stretched before me, the scorching sun beating down, and all I could think of was how desperately I needed water.

“Am I... am I dead? Where is this place?” I stared blankly around—aside from the whisper of wind and sand, I heard no sign of any living thing. It was as if I were the only soul in this boundless desert, a loneliness so profound it struck fear into my heart. I could not help but shout into the emptiness, “Is anyone there? Anyone at all...”

My voice echoed far into the distance, reverberating through the desert. Exhausted, I trudged onward, the merciless sun wringing sweat from my body in endless torrents. I was convinced I had died; only in death could one feel such isolation, only in death could everything seem so unreal. Surely, after falling from that cliff, it would be impossible to find myself in a desert so vast and empty.

“Is it water you want?” Suddenly, after what seemed an eternity of numb trudging, a silvery, bell-like voice sounded beside my ear—a voice so familiar! I looked up with a start and saw before me a radiant, pure maiden, holding a water flask, appearing from thin air. And this angelic figure was none other than Su Xin, the woman I loved most in all the world.

“Do you want water?” she laughed sweetly, raising the flask so that glistening drops fell to the sand below.

In an instant, grass sprouted at her feet, flowers unfurled, saplings arose one after another. As I stared, dumbstruck, she paced gracefully toward me, swinging the white flask with an enchanting smile. “Would you like some water?” she asked softly.

I nodded blankly, as if caught in a dream. I did not know where I was or what any of this meant, but I knew that as long as Su Xin was here, this place would be paradise—my own heaven.

She placed the flask in my hands. Flustered, I raised it to my lips and drank greedily. The cool, sweet water gushed forth like a fountain, washing away all thirst and heat in an instant. All I could feel was warmth, a soothing comfort suffusing my entire being.

I drank and drank, and at last, feeling full, I moved to lower the flask—when suddenly, another woman’s voice sounded by my side.

“Not enough, not enough—how can that be enough? Drink more, drink more...” As her laughter rang out, my hands seemed no longer my own; stiffly, I kept pouring water into my mouth. Though I was full, I could not stop, nor set down the flask. Distressed, I glanced to the side—and the sight made me gasp in terror. The speaker was none other than Chu Qitong, dressed in black with a mischievous grin. She had seized Su Xin’s arm, leading her farther and farther away from me.

“No, no!” I wanted to scream, but no sound came from my throat. My water-filled mouth kept swallowing, unable to stop. As Su Xin’s figure finally faded into the endless desert, I closed my eyes in utter despair...

Gulp, gulp... When next I became aware, I found I was still drinking water. Panic-stricken, I flailed my limbs, trying to shake off the flask. But when I opened my eyes, there was no flask, no desert at all! I was completely surrounded by water, as if immersed in a lake. Only then did I realize that everything before this had been but a dream.

A dream? Then I’m still alive? The thought filled me with such elation that I frantically swam upward. Though I was a competent swimmer, I had swallowed so much water, suffered from lack of oxygen, and my strength had not yet returned, so my ascent was slow. Even so, at last I broke through the surface and drew my first breath of fresh air!

Panting, I realized that swimming had drained the last of my strength, and I nearly fainted from lack of oxygen. It’s true what they say—one’s potential for survival in desperate moments is astonishing. In that critical moment, I fought my way to the surface and clawed my way back from death.

Darkness still enveloped me. I knew I couldn’t have been underwater for long—surely, it was the act of swallowing water in my dream that had jolted me awake. My back still throbbed with pain—a reminder of the impact from my fall into the water.

As I gradually regained my strength, I examined my surroundings: utter blackness, not a sound, a silence so deep it was almost frightening. Then, suddenly, a flicker of firelight caught my eye to the right. Overjoyed, I wasted no time and swam toward it.

I hadn’t gone far before my feet touched solid ground. Evidently, the place I’d fallen into was only a pool, not a lake. I crawled onto the bank, trying to recover my depleted energy, but soon a chill seized me. Then, in a flash, I burst out laughing. “Ha! Heaven really is watching over me. Knowing I was freezing, it dropped me into a hot spring—how lucky can I get?”

It was only after clambering ashore that I realized the water lapping at my feet was warm. Only then did I understand: I’d fallen into a hot spring. Had it not been for the spring, with my body so numbed by cold from the fall, I surely would have died in icy water. It was this pool that restored my body’s warmth and gave me a chance to escape death’s clutches.