Chapter 13: Discovering the Spring

Qin Nian was focused solely on finding the mountain spring. All she could think about was walking faster—wild vegetables were the last thing on her mind.

Geng Feng’s laughter drifted in the wind:
“Xiao Nian, slow down a bit. If you see any wild veggies, dig them up.
That way, even if we don’t find the spring, we won’t come back empty-handed.”

Qin Nian thought of yesterday’s empty basket and smiled too, but she didn’t slow down much.

The farther they went, the steeper the mountain became, and the path turned increasingly rugged. Eventually, there was no trail left—just thorny underbrush.

Geng Feng stopped picking vegetables too. Striding ahead, he pushed through the brambles to clear a path for Qin Nian.

He kept his feelings for her hidden, too afraid to let her know. Even his care for her was subtle and quiet.

They climbed once again to the spot where they had hunted wild boar.

Qin Nian wiped the sweat from her forehead and pointed deeper into the mountains.
“Yesterday, I heard the sound of water coming from that direction.”

Geng Feng didn’t believe there could still be a spring on this mountain, but he didn’t want to dampen her spirits.

“Xiao Nian, you must be tired. Let’s rest a bit before going farther.”

He unstrapped his water pouch and handed it to her.

Qin Nian took it, pulled out the stopper, and drank like she had the last time. Climbing really made her thirsty.

Seeing her drink the water, Geng Feng finally relaxed. She truly hadn’t taken Tang Xiaomei’s words to heart.

Qin Nian handed the pouch back, and Geng Feng accepted it.

Qin Nian was a determined girl. If she wanted to find a spring, she would keep walking deeper into the mountain—it was going to take a while.

Geng Feng decided to save the water for her. How could anyone climb a mountain and not get thirsty?

He was parched too, but didn’t take a single sip.

After resting for about a quarter of an hour, they resumed their trek. They climbed for another half hour until they reached the spot where Qin Nian had heard the sound of running water the day before.

“Yesterday, I was afraid there might be wild boars nearby, so I climbed up on that rock and sat there. That’s when I heard the sound of spring water.”

Geng Feng said, “Let’s climb up and rest there again.”

The two of them clambered onto the large rock, sat down, and chatted while the mountain breeze blew around them.

Qin Nian got a little excited and told Geng Feng the story of Zhuo Wenjun and Sima Xiangru.

Geng Feng could read and had studied before, but he had never heard such a touching tale—it moved him deeply.

Surprised, he looked at her and asked,
“Where did you hear that? Who told you such a beautiful story?”

Of course, Qin Nian couldn’t say she read it in her previous life. She smiled and replied,
“Doctor Zhou traveled a lot when he was young, met many people, and read many books.
When I was learning medicine from him, he’d tell me stories from his travels during his downtime.
This one was one of them. He told me so many—when I have time, I’ll share more with you.”

Geng Feng enjoyed listening.
“Xiao Nian, tell me another one now—we’re just resting anyway.”

Qin Nian thought for a moment and said,
“Alright, then let me tell you about—”

Before she could finish, she suddenly heard the sound of rushing water.

Her eyes lit up, and she turned to look at Geng Feng.

He had heard it too, and jumped up excitedly.
“Xiao Nian, that’s really the sound of a spring!”

He had thought he knew this mountain like the back of his hand and was convinced that all the springs had dried up in the drought. He’d only come along to keep Qin Nian company.

“Geng Feng, listen carefully. Which direction is the sound coming from?”

Geng Feng focused for a moment, then pointed southeast.
“Over there. The sound’s coming from that direction.

Come on, let’s go find it!”

Hearts pounding with excitement, the two young people leapt down from the rock and began climbing southeast.

The mountain slope grew steeper and steeper. After pushing forward more than 300 meters, the path turned nearly vertical.

Every step was a struggle, and the brambles were thick and thorny.

Qin Nian’s face got scratched in several places. She was gasping for breath, and sweat poured down her face like rain.

No wonder the villagers never went beyond halfway up the mountain when foraging—especially on an empty stomach. There was no path at all. It was too steep.

Fortunately, Geng Feng was a hunter and used to this kind of climb.

Worried she might fall, he gripped Qin Nian’s hand tightly and pulled her up with all his strength.

Finally, after the grueling climb over one more ridge, a mountain spring appeared before their eyes.

Water flowed from more than a dozen narrow cracks in the cliff face, winding down toward a small pool not far from a cave opening.

Qin Nian was the first to react. She laughed aloud and ran toward the spring.
“We found it! We really found the spring!”

Geng Feng followed close behind, also laughing in delight.

But then, something strange happened.

The spring that had just been bubbling a moment ago suddenly began to recede—and vanished in an instant.

Qin Nian was stunned. She froze in place, not knowing what to do.

Sensing her fear, Geng Feng stood beside her, gripped her hand, and said softly:
“I’m here. Don’t be afraid.”

Geng Feng was only three years older than Qin Nian, but at this moment, he stood beside the girl he liked like a fearless mountain spirit, gently reassuring her:
“Don’t be afraid.”

Qin Nian wasn’t actually scared—just shocked by the strange and eerie scene.
She wasn’t truly afraid. After all, she had her dimensional space and had even prepared herself to bring Geng Feng into it if necessary.

“What just happened?”
She collected herself and turned to look at Geng Feng with confusion.

Geng Feng shook his head.
“I’ve roamed these mountains for years, but I’ve never seen anything like this.
It’s okay. When the strange becomes familiar, it loses its power. Come on, let’s go back.”

The scene had been unsettling. Cautious by nature, Geng Feng decided they should return in case there was danger. Once home, he could ask his parents—maybe the older generation would know what was going on.

Qin Nian shook her head slightly, deep in thought. Suddenly, she remembered a short video she had seen in her past life.

She broke into a smile.
“Geng Feng, I think I know what’s going on.
If I’m right, that spring we saw is what’s known as a ‘shy spring.’ It’s formed by a combination of surface rainwater and an underground river.
Although it hasn’t rained for three years and there’s no surface water seeping through the mountain cracks, the underground river hasn’t been affected at all.

It’s just like the village wells that tap into the underground water table—this place taps into an underground river.
When the water level in the underground river rises high enough, it gets pushed to the surface through the cracks.
But here’s the thing: this kind of spring is sound-sensitive. If there’s a loud noise or vibrations, the water level can drop rapidly, and the spring disappears.
We were so excited earlier and shouted loudly—those vibrations probably made the water recede immediately. That’s what must’ve happened.”

“That’s incredible, Xiao Nian! How do you even know this?”

Qin Nian had to credit Doctor Zhou again. She said he told her about it many years ago, when she was very young, and she didn’t believe it at the time—she’d thought it was just a funny story.
If not for seeing this exact phenomenon with her own eyes today, she wouldn’t have remembered it at all.

To test Qin Nian’s theory, the two of them sat off to the side to wait.

It was deep in the mountains, very quiet. Occasionally, birds chirped in the treetops, but that was it.

After waiting for more than half an hour, they once again heard the sound of flowing water.

Excitement lit up their faces. They exchanged a glance but said nothing—not a word, not even a movement.

Soon, a pool of spring water reappeared before their eyes.

Qin Nian couldn’t help but marvel:
“This is amazing.”

Geng Feng nodded.
“It really is.”

Their voices were soft, no loud talking, and this time the spring didn’t vanish—it remained.

Geng Feng slowly approached the spring, then gently crouched down beside it.