"Don't be afraid," Nie Rougang murmured, sitting beside her and pulling her close. "Uncle's here."
She buried her face against his chest, arms locked tightly around his neck.
"I saw something," she whispered shakily. "A monster… I really did. This isn't the first time I've seen it. Last time you said it was an illusion, now I saw it again… what was that monster?"
Her voice quavered. She had seen it clearly—a black shape near the edge of the pool, crouched low, dark and wrong, as if it had been drinking the blood from the floor.
Nie Rougang frowned.
"There's no monster," he said firmly. "The hot spring hasn't been cleaned yet. There's water grass growing near the edge. You read it wrong."
Water grass?
Song Yue lifted her head slowly, blinking up at him.
"Black… water grass?"
"Yes," he replied without hesitation. "That's all it was."
She hesitated, then nodded slowly, though unease still lingered in her eyes.
"Then why is your leg bleeding?"
