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墨書 Inktalez
After examining the corpse, we found ourselves at a dead end, leaving us with no choice but to search for clues at the reservoir.
After a hasty dinner at the village chief's house, I, Ruo Yu, Lu Yao, and a villager familiar with the mountain paths—appointed by the chief—set off towards Meishan Reservoir under the cover of night.
Meishan wasn't particularly high; the reservoir was built at the foot of the mountain, so it didn't take long for us to arrive.
All six of us were young, and as we walked along, our laughter eased our fears somewhat. Before we set out, I had drawn a Talisman for each of them, which gave me a bit of confidence.
The Talisman was simply something I had drawn with my middle finger dipped in blood; it couldn't be considered a true Talisman, but it still held some effect against Ghostly Spirits.
Although I had never studied Feng Shui or anything similar, I noticed that the dense trees by the reservoir exuded a heavy, lingering aura that seemed trapped within.
A gust of wind swept through, causing an involuntary shiver to run down my spine.
Lu Yao appeared somewhat frightened as well, but in an effort to prove himself, he bravely walked ahead of me. I instructed Ruo Yu to bring up the rear.
This way, if anything unexpected happened, we could respond in time.
Lu Yao pointed to some items left by the edge of the reservoir and took a closer look. I followed suit.
In the grass lay a toppled incense burner and offerings of fruit and Cattle and Sheep. It was clear that Liu Po Po had some skills after all.
Yet, it was puzzling why she had suddenly fallen into the water and drowned.
As a breeze passed by, Lu Yao shivered and sighed, "If this matter isn't resolved thoroughly, I'm afraid there will be more incidents in the future."
I nodded in agreement, saying, "Since the higher-ups have sent us here, they must be expecting us to resolve this matter thoroughly."
I walked to the edge of the reservoir and dipped my hand into the water; it was colder than I had imagined.
After a thorough search, we found nothing significant. I suggested, "It seems we won't uncover anything tonight. Since everyone has traveled quite a distance, why don't we head back early and rest? We can conduct a detailed inspection of this area tomorrow."
We were assigned to stay in the abandoned ancestral hall at Village East. However, just to be safe, we divided into three groups for shifts.
Estimating that the first half of the night would be uneventful, I assigned Ning Jie and Ren Yi to the first shift. Ruo Yu and I would take the second half.
After a tiring journey, I felt that I had barely closed my eyes when someone shook me awake.
Lu Yao trembled as he spoke, "Ling Feng, Mao Master went out to relieve himself and hasn’t returned yet."
I asked, "Why would he go so far just to use the restroom?"
Lu Yao replied, "Who knows! I noticed Mao Master hadn’t come back after a few minutes, so I looked around but couldn’t find him. Even when I called out, there was no response."
My drowsiness vanished instantly. "Quickly wake everyone up! Pair up and head out to search. If we lose one of our own, how can we expect the locals to trust us?"
Lu Yao understood the seriousness of the situation. My first instinct was to check the reservoir.
Ruo Yu and I moved quickly and rushed toward the edge of the reservoir.
The moonlight was cold tonight, with a half-moon hanging on the branches, casting shimmering reflections on the water's surface, glowing with an eerie silver hue.
As we reached the edge of the reservoir, we saw a figure walking into the water, which was already up to his chest.
I shouted, "Mao Master, stop!"
Ruo Yu leaped into the water, and I followed suit.
Fortunately, both of us were good swimmers. We managed to pull Mao Master up onto the shore, one on each side.
The midnight wind blew through, causing the shadows of the trees to dance like clawing ghosts.
I couldn't help but shiver. Damn, it was freezing!
This wasn't a reservoir; it was clearly a frigid pool.
Suddenly, Mao Master, who we had pinned down to the ground, sat up straight. With a swift motion of his arms, he broke free from our grasp.
Then he recklessly walked back toward the water.
I knew how strong Ruo Yu and I were; even if Mao Master were a robust man, there was no way he could easily escape our hold like that.
Seeing him about to step back into the water again, Ruo Yu and I exchanged glances. We couldn't resort to force against Mao Master; if something went wrong, it would ultimately be our fault.
Ruo Yu lunged forward, tackling Mao Master to the ground, using his weight of over two hundred pounds to pin him down firmly.
Mao Master emitted a sound that was almost inhuman, “Awooo…”
Ruo Yu wrapped his limbs around Mao Master’s, restraining him like an octopus. “Ling Feng, hurry up and take action!”
I quickly bit my middle finger and pressed it against Mao Master’s forehead. Then I began to recite the Six Character Mantra.
At first, Mao Master struggled fiercely, nearly breaking free from Ruo Yu’s grip several times. However, as I increased the frequency of my chanting, Mao Master’s agitation gradually subsided.
Eventually, he lost consciousness. Ruo Yu gasped for breath and said, “I’ve truly witnessed what it means to be utterly exhausted.”
I panted as well and replied, “This is the result of being possessed by a ghost; otherwise, where would such strength come from?”
Just then, Lu Yao arrived with a group of people, their flashlight beams flickering chaotically and making my head spin.
I waved my hand. “We’re over here!”
Ren Yi called out to us, drenched and surprised. “Did you guys go into the reservoir?”
I nodded. “How else could we save him?”
I added, “You all need to get Mao Master back quickly; we don’t want him to catch a cold.”
Ren Yi and Lu Yao crouched down, preparing to carry Mao Master back.
A loud splash interrupted my words and shattered the silence of the night.
Lu Yao shone the flashlight into the water and suddenly shouted, “Ning Jie, where’s Ning Jie? Wasn’t she just with us?”
Ren Yi looked around in a panic. “She was right here just a moment ago. Where did she go?”
I couldn’t afford to hesitate any longer and jumped back into the water, swimming towards the spot where I had seen the splash.
Ning Jie seemed to have lost consciousness, sinking like a heavy stone without any struggle.
I quickly turned Ning Jie over, trying to swim back, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t move. It felt as if something was pulling me down; I desperately swam towards the shore while it dragged me deeper into the water.
Seeing me going in circles like a ghost trapped in a wall, Ruo Yu jumped in after me and plunged into the water.
When Ruo Yu resurfaced, I immediately felt a sense of relief.
With both of us working together, it became much easier. By the time we managed to pull Ning Jie up, she was already unconscious.
At that moment, I didn’t dare to delay any longer. I called out to Lu Yao and Ren Yi, each of them carrying one of us as we hurried away from the reservoir.
Ruo Yu and I lagged behind. Ruo Yu quietly tugged at my sleeve and gave me a knowing glance.
I followed Ruo Yu's gaze and noticed a distinct mark around Ning Jie's ankle.
The purple bruise stood out sharply against her fair skin.
I whispered, "Did you find anything underwater?"
Ruo Yu shook his head. "It was too dark down there. When I dove in, all I found was a clump of water plants."
I understood Ruo Yu's intention; he was afraid that if we spoke out, it would shake the morale of our team.
Today truly started off poorly. We found nothing and two personnel fell into the water!
It was incredibly frustrating!
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