Go all out

Chapter 44: The Big Fish

Since I couldn’t open the door, I still needed to find something to defend myself with—what if a water ghost came up? Luckily, when I came out, I was carrying a backpack. Of course, it didn’t contain any talismans for exorcism, let alone a peachwood sword—I don’t know how to use those anyway. It only held some funeral paraphernalia. I pulled out a red string from inside, Generally speaking, water ghosts seek a substitute to possess—a human body to continue living through. I wrapped the red string around my little finger, tying a knot after each loop. I had to wrap it three times in total, then tucked the other end into my pocket. This way, the water ghost wouldn’t be able to possess me. Of course, this is just one of the few methods I know. I haven’t actually tested whether it works yet—all I can do now is hope it does. While Yang Yun was fighting that water ghost, I noticed that patches of water curtains swimming against the current had reappeared in the distance. At that moment, it looked as if some transparent figures were frantically swimming toward us, accompanied by eerie splashes. My heart skipped a beat, and I quickly scanned the area—only to feel my heart sink. The whirlpool that Zhang Qiang had just dealt with reappeared, and the sound of fists pounding came from beneath the boat. I could clearly feel the boat swaying, as if countless people were shaking it violently. It seemed this water ghost had really set its sights on me. But fear wouldn’t do me any good now. These water ghosts are like fish—they’re helpless out of the water. As long as I don’t touch the water, no matter how many water ghosts are nearby, I’ll be safe standing on the boat. Right now, there’s nothing I need to do. I just have to wait for Zhang Qiang to successfully recover the body and for Yang Yun to drive away the water ghost with supernatural powers lurking in the thick fog. After that, we’ll just leave. Fear won’t help at all—all I can do is wait. Time ticked by second by second. I followed the straightened chain along the boat’s side with my eyes. Underwater, the chain was still moving constantly. It had already been three or four minutes since this second attempt began. In another four or five minutes at most, Zhang Qiang would resurface again due to running out of breath. I suspected this second attempt would likely end in failure as well, I felt a bit worried. Zhang Qiang had said there were many skeletal remains down there—this place was a veritable graveyard—so the search certainly wouldn’t be easy. All our hopes now rested on the third attempt. However, less than a minute later, I felt the boat shake violently. To my surprise, the chain connecting us to Zhang Qiang underwater had been struck by something, and the flame of the second candle suddenly flared up, threatening to engulf the entire candle. Startled, I quickly looked down into the water and saw a huge whirlpool in the distance—the kind that appears when a large fish swishes its tail. After a single ripple, it returned to calm. Could there be some kind of supernatural fish? I didn’t have time to think about it—I had to find a way to protect this burning candle. Now that it was ablaze, if the flame burned out before Zhang Qiang emerged from the water, he’d most likely never make it out alive. But how could I protect the flame? If I put it out, Zhang Qiang would likely die instantly. If I let it burn, the fire was too intense—I estimated it would burn the candle to the ground in less than a minute. I shouted at Yang Yun through the thick fog, “Zhang Qiang’s water lantern has caught fire!” The next moment, a muffled thud echoed from within the thick fog, followed by a maniacal laugh: “Hmph! Think you can get away? Leave it for this old man!” Boom! The sound of an explosion rang out again. My heart raced with panic—it seemed Yang Yun had met his match and couldn’t escape. “Do you really think you can go up against a Ghost Officer after less than two hundred years of cultivation?” Yang Yun’s cold voice rang out, “Haha! The water is my domain. I don’t care if you’re a Ghost Officer or not—today, I’m going to devour your Yin Essence,” “Hmph, quickly slit the rooster’s throat at the bow and protect Zhang Qiang’s water lantern,” Yang Yun’s cold voice rang out again from inside, Upon hearing this, I hurried to the bow, pulled a dagger from my backpack, grabbed the struggling rooster by the neck, and slashed viciously. Splatter! The rooster let out a wail, Blood spurted out, instantly turning the river water below crimson. The water ghosts who had been rowing the boat just moments ago immediately swarmed forward, each one like a water spirit, frantically devouring the chicken’s blood. Seeing no one below but the water splashing wildly, my scalp prickled with dread, Just then, for some reason, the water spirits that had been frantically scrambling for the blood suddenly scattered in all directions. As I was wondering why, a massive fish’s mouth burst out of the water—it looked about the size of a washbasin. That enormous mouth swallowed all the chicken blood, then sank back to the bottom, leaving behind a huge whirlpool before slowly disappearing. I was completely stunned. With a mouth that big, this fish must weigh two or three hundred jin. It’s practically a supernatural creature. Chicken blood was still dripping from the bow, though not as much as before. The water demons that had scattered moments ago surged forward once more. Their frenzied behavior was just like piranhas encountering fresh meat. And perhaps the fish’s sudden appearance here gave Zhang Qiang underwater a chance to turn the tide, because I noticed the flames suddenly shrink, returning to their original state—a small wisp of fire—before mysteriously extinguishing on their own. I froze—what was going on? Instinctively, I looked up at the water’s surface. In the glare of the bright light, I saw a large pool of blood suddenly surge up from the water, followed by a carp weighing a full two or three hundred jin, belly-up, breaking the surface. A shiny iron hook was still lodged in the fish’s head, and one end of that hook was clutching a hand. As the head broke the surface, Zhang Qiang reappeared, still gasping for breath. His face was expressionless, without a trace of fear. With one hand coldly pulling the chain and the other gripping the body-retrieval hook, he dragged the massive fish toward us, I stood there speechless. A fish this big must have been incredibly powerful underwater, yet Zhang Qiang remained completely unfazed. I thought that even if I hadn’t helped just now, he would almost certainly have killed a fish before the water lantern burned out. Zhang Qiang pulled himself up using the chain, and I hurried over to lend a hand. Together, we strained to haul the huge fish onto the boat. The boat rocked slightly as such a massive fish was lifted aboard. The fish’s eyes were still staring at me, but it was already lifeless, It had been hooked to death by the body-retrieval hook, I was stunned. I’d never seen a fish this big before. However, there was no spark in its eyes—it was still a long way from becoming a spirit. This made me even more puzzled and curious. If a fish like this were to become a spirit, just how big would it be? Five or six hundred jin? I didn’t dare to think about it any further. “It’s quite an unexpected windfall,” Once the danger had passed, Zhang Qiang, in a rare moment, let a faint smile slip across his face. Indeed, a fish this big would fetch at least several thousand or even ten thousand when sold. If we came across someone who knew its value, twenty or thirty thousand wouldn’t be out of the question. It certainly was a windfall. “I’ve already seen the woman’s skeletal remains. But it’s strange—there’s a coffin in this charnel pit, and her bones are right on top of it,” Zhang Qiang said solemnly as he pulled the body hook out from the fish’s head, “A coffin? What coffin?” I was genuinely taken aback when I heard this. How could there be a coffin underwater? “There’s a water zombie inside that coffin,” Zhang Qiang said. I took a deep breath. A water zombie—when I’d been chatting with Zhang Qiang earlier, he’d mentioned getting the better of by one. They’re considered a particularly powerful type of zombie. I smiled wryly to myself; it seemed my luck wasn’t very good today. “You don’t understand what lies beneath the water. There are many things—or creatures—in the water that you could never imagine. If you ever get the chance, I can take you to see them for yourself,” As he said this, Zhang Qiang’s expression took on a meaningful look. I hurriedly waved my hands. “Let’s just skip that. For a novice fortune-teller like me—unless I become a Level 2 or Level 3 fortune-teller—going with Zhang Qiang to ‘see what’s out there’ would be way too dangerous.” “This water corpse probably doesn’t want the woman’s remains to leave. I suppose her remains have become this water corpse’s wife or concubine,” Zhang Qiang continued. “What should we do then?” I was speechless and helpless inside. This water corpse must be from the Qing Dynasty—they were always known for abducting young women, Zhang Qiang paused thoughtfully, then fell silent. He frowned as he gazed into the thick fog, gave a sharp snort, and without another word, flung the corpse hook in his hand straight into the fog,