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墨書 Inktalez
Not far from the west end of the village, there stood a dilapidated Land Temple in the fields, which had long ceased to be a place of worship in response to the call to eradicate feudal superstitions.
Now, it had become our secret base.
Previously, when Er Gouzi was bitten by a fish while trying to catch a bird, it scared the adults terribly, and he certainly received a good beating for it.
But at the age of nine or ten, when children are often shunned even by dogs, who cares about a couple of spankings? He had already forgotten the pain after healing.
“Do you know? Last night I discovered a huge secret…” I said, deliberately lowering my voice to sound mysterious.
Er Gouzi, being the most impatient of us all, quickly leaned in and asked, “Ling Feng, what’s the secret?”
I straightened up slightly and, seeing the curiosity in the eyes of Mouse and Monkey, I solemnly recounted everything that had happened last night without missing a word.
With a dramatic tone and a convoluted story, my narration was as engaging as a tale told by a seasoned storyteller on the radio.
The others were left speechless, and I felt quite proud of my performance. However, just as I finished speaking, Er Gouzi and the others burst into laughter, rolling on the ground. They thought I must have watched too much Journey to the West and was just dreaming while sleepwalking at night.
I snorted in annoyance and turned to leave. I hated that feeling of having spoken the truth only to be laughed at; it was truly frustrating.
Kicking at the dirt beneath my feet with my head hung low, I felt Er Gouzi's arm drape over my shoulder. “Ling Feng, what kind of person do you think I am? We believe you. There really is a Fish Monster in Qingshan Lake that eats men…”
The others erupted into laughter again. Unable to contain my anger any longer, I shouted, “If you don’t believe me, fine! But one day you’ll regret it. Don’t come crying to me later when I didn’t warn you.”
Seeing that I was genuinely upset, Er Gouzi and the others tried to stifle their laughter and comforted me. “Alright. We believe you. We’ll make sure to tell our parents to be careful.”
Finally calming down, I realized that perhaps my earlier anger had made me sweat even more. Going to Qingshan Lake was out of the question; first because Er Gouzi had just gotten into trouble there, and second because that Fish Monster was indeed strange.
“Qingshan Lake is off-limits for us. But we can still play by the stream at the entrance,” I suggested.
The others seemed eager for some fun and quickly nodded in agreement. After all, if anything went wrong, they had me—the oddball—to take the blame.
We deliberately swam downstream for a while, moving away from the village, until we found a bottomless deep pool. A few of us took off our shorts and, like mermaids, jumped into the icy water with a splash.
The sensation was even more refreshing than breaking into a sweat and drinking ice-cold beer.
Haozi was somewhat competitive, especially with me. Since our last swimming competition was canceled due to Er Gouzi's incident, he provocatively looked at me and said, "Ling Feng, are you brave enough to have another contest?"
I couldn't stand that look on Haozi's face. Besides studying, when had he ever beaten me? Even in academics, we were like the first and second from the bottom—one always last and the other second to last.
"What are we competing in? A diving contest?" I asked, wiping water off my face.
Haozi's eyes darted around. "This pool is too wide; swimming isn't possible. Let's see who can hold their breath underwater the longest."
"And what's the wager?" I asked with a smile.
Haozi replied confidently, "The loser has to help the winner finish all their summer homework."
I slapped my palm against Haozi's raised hand as a gesture of agreement.
The referees would be Er Gouzi and Monkey.
"One, two, three... go!"
I took a deep breath and pinched my nose as I dove underwater.
Since it had been sunny lately, the water wasn't flowing too fast, so it was relatively clear at the bottom. I kicked my legs continuously to maintain balance while looking through the surface at Er Gouzi and Monkey, who appeared distorted like reflections in a funhouse mirror.
My original strategy was to conserve energy by floating in place until Haozi couldn't hold on any longer, then I would surface. However, underwater, I faintly heard a weak crying sound, reminiscent of a cat in heat. My curiosity got the better of me, and I looked around.
Through the murky water, I noticed some movement behind a patch of aquatic plants at the bottom of the pool. Without thinking too much about it and relying on my good swimming skills, I dove deeper. As I pushed aside the swaying plants,
I locked eyes with a pair of blood-red eyes staring back at me, glowing with an eerie light. Startled, I opened my mouth to scream, releasing a stream of bubbles that floated up through the water.
I instinctively covered my mouth, my legs desperately kicking as I tried to swim upwards.
But as soon as I turned, a sharp pain shot through my ankle, something piercing into my flesh. I didn’t dare look back; I focused all my energy on my legs, trying to reach the surface.
Yet, despite the proximity, I could see the rolls of fat on Er Gouzi's belly above me, and no matter how hard I struggled, I couldn't break free.
My chest felt like it was about to explode; I knew I couldn't open my mouth, or I'd drown. All I could do was endure the suffocating sensation.
Suddenly, a powerful tug at my ankle pulled me down rapidly.
I fought against my fear and turned to look behind me. There, a thin creature resembling a monkey, about sixty centimeters tall, was gripping my ankle and dragging me into the water.
Its red eyes glinted with a bloodthirsty light as it coldly glanced at me and then grinned, revealing uneven sharp teeth.
Could this be the legendary water ghost?
Images of the water ghost described by the village elders flashed through my mind—commonly known as the Water Monkey.
It was said that the Water Monkey possessed immense strength in the water but was weak on land.
The pressure in my chest grew heavier; I felt like my scalp might burst from the strain. Out of nowhere, a surge of determination hit me, and I kicked fiercely at the Water Monkey with my other foot.
The creature was quick to react, retreating just out of reach with its long arms while its sharp claws remained firmly latched onto my ankle.
I cried out in pain, forgetting that I was underwater as icy lake water filled my mouth with a foul taste.
My consciousness began to fade; my body floated limply in the water. Looking up at the sunlight filtering through the surface was strangely beautiful.
Though the sun blazed overhead, at least it felt warm. I thought to myself: if I survive this ordeal, I'll never act so arrogantly again!
Seeing that I had stopped struggling, the Water Monkey swam closer to me. As it hovered nearby, I couldn't help but curse inwardly: Damn! How could something be so ugly?
His eyes bulged out of their sockets, and the top of his head seemed to have been struck by a heavy hammer, leaving a large dent. With a sharp, monkey-like face, he bared a set of thin, pointed teeth at me.
I could almost smell the foul stench of rotting flesh emanating from the water ghost's mouth.
Even though my consciousness was hazy, I couldn't help but vomit up last night's dinner.
The water ghost paid no mind, opening its mouth wide as it lunged for my neck.
In the moment I closed my eyes, I thought I heard a piercing scream and saw a flash of pale yellow light.
Within my mind was a sense of tranquility and peace.
Could it be that I was dead?
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