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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 137: Water Ghost
Here's what happened. That day, we found a Ferry Operator by the river. We wanted to take a boat downstream to observe the river closely, and also to inquire about some clues regarding the Ancient Fengdu Capital. After asking around, we still had no idea where the Ancient Fengdu Capital was located; we only knew that the old Fengdu County town had long been submerged.
So, Cao Qilong and I had no choice but to hire a boat and head downstream, hoping to use some Feng Shui knowledge to find a clue. It's known that ancient people built towns based on certain Feng Shui principles. Without the guidance of a Yin Yang Feng Shui Master, constructing a town could lead to major issues, like the recent viral incident known as the Wind Gate Village Incident.
However, our efforts were in vain. We couldn't see any clear patterns beneath the water. Following the Feng Shui of Wuling Mountain into the water, we could only roughly determine that the Ancient Fengdu Capital should be located near the old Fengdu County town.
As I gazed at the flowing river, my mood was anything but pleasant. I had delayed for a day above, while Lin Xiaoqi suffered another day in the Forgetting River. Every time I thought of this, my heart ached; it was not me who killed Talent Scout, yet it was because of me that he died.
As the sun set, leaving a golden hue along the riverbank, our boat reached Wuyang Village as darkness began to fall. The lights on the shore grew fainter, leaving only a single lamp swaying on our boat. The boat sailed into the middle of the river where the waves grew stronger, causing it to rock frighteningly. I felt nauseous—great! I was seasick. Leaning over the railing, I vomited up all my Instant Noodles from lunch.
Cao Qilong handed me a bottle of water. After finally regaining my composure, I realized something was wrong. The once visible lights on both banks were now completely gone; thick fog surrounded us. The previously bumpy boat was now eerily still in the water, with even the sound of the engine gone!
"Damn it! I'm not Conan! Why does trouble follow me everywhere? It's like I'm cursed!" I cursed loudly. Cao Qilong asked me, "Where's the Ferry Operator?"
The boat was narrow and long; we stood at either end while the Ferry Operator had been at the back operating the Diesel Engine. When Cao Qilong asked me about him, I realized that aside from a lamp hanging high at the stern, there was no sign of anyone.
"Ferry Operator!" I shouted loudly and pulled out my Copper Coin Sword and Spirit Talisman from my backpack. Cao Qilong also rummaged through his bag for something. I warned him to be careful since we were on water.
Cao Qilong nodded. Holding my Copper Coin Sword for slaying ghosts, I moved forward while Cao Qilong stood beside me with a stack of Spirit Talismans as we slowly made our way toward the stern.
At the back of the boat, besides a vegetable oil engine, there were various miscellaneous items piled up. When we reached there, we still didn't see anyone. Connecting to the engine were several shafts and belts leading to a propeller in the water; at that moment, a shadow was hunched over one of the shafts, continuously pushing something into the water.
This situation was too bizarre. Fortunately, having experienced much already and being somewhat thick-skinned, I called out to the shadow: "Ferry Operator?"
Hearing my voice, the shadow turned around to reveal a blackened face: "Oh, it's nothing; the propeller got tangled in some water plants, and I'm just clearing them out." After saying this, he wiped his face with his sleeve—greasy with oil—and went back to removing water plants from the propeller, pulling out large clumps and tossing them into the water.
It turned out to be a misunderstanding. Cao Qilong and I exchanged smiles, joking that each other was overly sensitive, and then we packed up our gear. As I was packing, I felt something was off, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it.
The Ferry Operator at the back of the boat told us it would be ready soon. Suddenly, a thought struck me, and I asked Cao Qilong, "How deep do you think the Yangtze River is?"
Cao Qilong looked at me in confusion. Seeing my serious expression, he could only reply, "It must be several hundred meters deep!"
After hearing his words, I instantly felt tricked. Where would we find water plants in this several hundred meters deep water? The Ferry Operator was suspicious! With that thought, I hastily pulled out all the gear I had just packed into my backpack.
At that moment, the boat began to spin in the water, faster and faster. Both Cao Qilong and I were thrown against the railing by the centrifugal force, causing pain in our backs; my already fragile ribs felt like they were about to break again.
The boat spun rapidly, and the surrounding fog thickened to the point where I could barely see Cao Qilong's face. With my left hand holding the Ghost-Slaying Sword and my right hand gripping the railing tightly, I shouted, "Activate Heavenly Eye!"
After the incident with the Earth Immortal, I had taught Cao Qilong how to activate Heavenly Eye. At this moment, I wasn't sure if he heard me, so I activated it myself. At the stern of the boat stood a woman in a white shirt with wet hair dripping water, completely unaffected by the boat's movement.
The female ghost had a beautiful face but was extremely pale, her skin as white as snow. I couldn't help but curse, "What use is it to be a beautiful phantom if you're dead?"
Upon hearing that I could see her, the female ghost winked at me and cheerfully asked, "The Ferry Operator has gone down to keep me company. But you are more handsome than him! Would you like to keep me company too? I'm so lonely! Do you think I'm dressed beautifully?"
I spat on the ground without caring about manners and shouted back, "I’m afraid you’ve rotted away from being submerged in water! How can you still be beautiful? I'll take care of you right now to prevent you from harming others on the banks of the Yangtze!"
The female ghost burst into laughter upon hearing my words. With a flick of her hair, she revealed her true form: her flesh had rotted away from being submerged in water, continuously leaking black liquid. A large hole had been eaten away by fish on her face, exposing half of her bony visage; one eyeball hung from its socket. Her hands and feet were mangled from being eaten by fish, and her body was covered in water plants.
"You refuse to walk the path to heaven and insist on barging into hell!" she said fiercely.
The boat spun like a washing machine's spin cycle. Besides the female ghost, I couldn't see anything else; I felt more dizzy than if I'd drunk two pounds of liquor. Regret surged within me; it seemed today would be my end! Initially, I thought this water ghost would be like other ghosts—at least scary—but instead found myself facing a vengeful spirit filled with resentment from drowning. The water here was not like solid ground; I couldn't even cast spells and could only be tossed around like a ragdoll by the female ghost.
At that moment, the boat could no longer withstand the pressure of spinning and split apart at its welded iron seams. It had been a while since I'd heard Cao Qilong speak; I had no idea what was happening on his side. Paper dissolves in water and cannot be used for spells.
How pitiful! My ambition was to uphold justice and capture all evil spirits in this world, yet here I was perishing in the waters of the Yangtze! Lin Xiaoqi, after I'm gone, you won't feel lonely anymore; we will exist together in that endless river of forgetfulness!
In a moment of random thoughts, I found myself in the water, my head spinning as if I had been struck by a pile driver. Meeting the water actually made me feel a bit more awake. The Ghost-Slaying Sword was long gone, and I had lost my backpack; I was left with nothing. Instinctively, I floated for a while and saw Cao Qilong not far away, struggling to paddle through the water.
A female ghost floated on the surface, watching me with interest as I drifted. She transformed into a beautiful woman, her face showing both pity and hatred.
I felt a surge of anger inside me; the rage boiled from my gut. I wouldn't be satisfied until she was utterly terrified.
I forced a smile and said, "Good sister, could you spare me? How about I accompany you to see the wonders of the human world?"
As soon as I finished speaking, I heard Cao Qilong cursing from nearby: "You pathetic coward selling yourself to ghosts, and you want to accompany a ghost to see the wonders of the human world? Are you trying to embarrass your family's Three Pure Ones? What would Lin Xiaoqi say if she knew? She'd be furious all over again! Damn it!"
I didn't respond but continued to smile at the female ghost. After hearing my words, she smiled brightly and said, "Little handsome guy, I will treat you well." As she floated closer to me, I had been waiting for this moment. I spat out a mouthful of Tongue Blood directly at her. Water is associated with Yin, ghosts are Yin, and this ghost was purely Yin in nature. My pure Yang Tongue Blood would deal significant damage to her. The female ghost let out a scream and flew backward.
Taking advantage of this moment, I quickly pulled out the jade pendant from my chest and chanted: "Clear Skies, Earth Spirit, with one incantation open the heavens, with two incantations split the earth, with three incantations summon the divine spirits and ghost generals from the ghost gate. First summon Niu Tou and Ma Mian, second summon the day and night wandering spirits... come forth before your disciple and reveal your might."
Although summoning the Yin generals would likely get me scolded again, in a life-and-death situation, there was no time to worry about that. However, before I could finish my chant, a large wave crashed over me, forcing river water into my mouth and cutting off my incantation. Clearly, it was the female ghost's doing. Cao Qilong was also chanting his command to summon the Yin officials, but his voice was much quieter than mine; it seemed he was thinking quickly.
But the female ghost wasn't going to fall for it again; each wave grew larger than the last, at least a meter high crashing down on me. Breathing became difficult.
Even with my Heavenly Eye open, I couldn't see where Cao Qilong was; all I could see was that the female ghost was about seven or eight meters away from me, looking furious as she said: "I initially thought you were handsome; even though you're just a little Yin-Yang master, that’s fine! At least I found you somewhat appealing! But who knew your heart was so cruel? I'll wait to see when you two die and come accompany me! Hahaha!"
I don't know how long it passed; my hands and feet gradually stopped responding. My body temperature dropped significantly, and I began to stiffen! I looked up at the pitch-black sky and murmured: "Xiaoqi, I'm coming." Then I completely lost consciousness.
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