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墨書 Inktalez
The crowd surrounded us, their eyes sharp and predatory, ready to pounce. This was how it was with the Chinese; they would turn on their own.
With the Yellow Witch's subordinates leading the charge, they pushed me and A Li to the edge of the riverbank. One more step back, and we would plunge into the water below. Yet, they still hesitated, wary of me. Each held a sharp weapon, glinting blades pointed directly at A Li and me.
On this dismal night, the dim moon hung in silence, shrouded in a veil of injustice. Behind us flowed the rushing river and the dense Cedar Forest; in front stood a group of our own—men driven by malice, their eyes narrowed, teeth clenched, blades drawn, pressing forward with hostility.
This lie was mine, yet A Li had to suffer alongside me. Guilt washed over me as I glanced at A Li, who met my gaze. One of her hands quietly clasped mine, giving a gentle tug backward—an unspoken suggestion to swim across the river.
Entering the water without knowing what lay beneath was unwise, especially with creatures like Shui Lai Tou lurking below. They might be waiting for us to have no escape before striking.
Were these brutes somehow clairvoyant? Had they anticipated our rift here? Had they bided their time along the way, waiting for us to walk into their trap?
“Be sensible and hand it over! We’ll spare your lives!”
“Hand it over now!”
“Give it up!”
The encirclement tightened around us as Third Granduncle Master ’s men watched from the sidelines with cold indifference. His specialty was using others as pawns to achieve his own ends.
Anger surged within me. Damn it! Even if I were to die today, I wouldn’t let them have their way!
I tightened my grip on A Li's hand, and as we locked eyes, we both jumped up, performing a backflip in mid-air before plunging into the water with a splash. I quickly turned off the flashlight.
Even through the river, I could clearly hear the chaos above us. Waves of curses and accusations rolled in one after another, followed by several splashes as others jumped in after us. By this time, A Li and I had already swum about ten meters away. Occasionally, lights flickered chaotically above us, but it wouldn’t be easy for them to catch up.
Relying on my memory from before we entered the water, we swam towards the northwest. Here, the river formed a large fork; the general direction of the current flowed westward first, then descended about twenty to thirty meters before splitting into two branches—northwest and southwest—like two winding jade ribbons scattered throughout this dense Cedar Forest.
Thus, as long as we initially swam westward with the current, we could veer north after passing the fork and continue downstream. However, this route would take us much longer and waste time. It would be best to swim northwest right from the start, which would align us perfectly along the diagonal of a triangle.
The gauze wrapped around our bodies was specialized waterproof material, so we didn’t worry about infection; we just needed to swim with all our strength. To avoid getting separated, I held onto A Li's hand tightly without letting go. Yet despite this precaution, trouble still found us.
After passing the fork in the river, swimming became much easier. The sounds of our pursuers gradually faded away; they must have been scattered in the turbulent waters at the fork. I didn’t dare let my guard down and swam for about a mile before confirming there were no more splashes behind us. Only then did I turn on the flashlight.
I turned to look at A Li—and instantly felt a jolt of fear that made my heart race. A wave of nausea surged up from my stomach and burst out of my nose—my beautiful companion had transformed into Bai Niang Niang, while A Li had become Shui Lai Tou?!
Her clothes were still intact, but her skin had shriveled like that of a dried pig's belly, hanging loosely with her hairline receding to reveal a scalp tinged with a sickly yellow-white hue. Her eyes were an unsettling mix of yellow and white; her pupils bulged unnaturally like an upright football, resembling snake eyes that sent chills down my spine… Fortunately, her legs—or rather her tail—hadn’t mutated yet; she still had two hands on either side that remained pale as moonlight and delicately shaped like lotus roots.
Could it be… that my blood was ineffective? No way!
Suddenly it hit me—damn it, Yellow Witch! She must have feared I wouldn’t be able to protect A Li’s life or that I might break my promise; thus, she tampered with things during the bandaging process and used A Li as her pawn! Damn it! The most treacherous thing is a woman’s heart! If I see that old hag again, I’ll make sure she pays!
A Li seemed completely unaware of her transformation; having escaped danger, she smiled at me playfully. Her smile sent shivers down my spine—oh my! Truly, a beauty’s smile brings eternal spring; an ugly person’s smile brings eternal decay.
A Li couldn’t have transformed earlier or later but chose this moment to do so right after entering the river. Could it be that there was some kind of catalyst for mutation in this water? I couldn’t help but shudder at the thought; if more of her kind came after us later on, I quickly signaled for A Li to head ashore.
As we reached the shore, it was fortunate that it was night. I urged A Li to conserve electricity, so I only turned on a flashlight, trying my best not to look at her peculiar face. At that moment, I heard some commotion behind us. Turning around, I saw several heads gradually emerging from the river not far away; Liu Zi and the others had caught up with us after all. We couldn’t afford to delay any longer, so we dashed into the Cedar Forest to the west, running desperately following the compass in my hand.
As we ran, I suddenly thought of a blockbuster Hong Kong film from the late 80s and early 90s—A Chinese Ghost Story. There’s a scene where Ning Caichen, who knows the true identity of Nie Xiaoqian, pulls her along as they flee through the woods, evading the pursuit of Heishan Laoyao.
History is always astonishingly similar. Who would have thought that thousands of years later, I would also have the fortune to be fleeing with a half-human, half-demon woman in this moonlit Cedar Forest? With A Li’s classic “Ah ah ah” echoing in the background, it felt like yet another classic was being born.
The reason I still had the leisure to think about these things was entirely to distract my attention from A Li. I thought of the beautiful Wang Zuxian’s face and then Shui Lai Tou’s face… My goodness! It truly is a case of comparing people to people and finding oneself wanting; not every man has Ning Caichen’s luck!
“Don’t run! Damn it, stop!” The voices behind us were getting closer. Just then, A Li suddenly tripped. I looked back and was startled—it was her hair!
A Li’s hair was already long, tied up in a ponytail, and now it seemed to be reaching her ankles. I hurriedly helped her up and kicked back at the weeds behind us: “It’s just some grass.”
A Li scratched her scalp: “ Brother Qian Yi, my hair feels heavier and heavier.”
Fearing she might continue to touch it, I quickly grabbed her hand. Thankfully, her hands were delicate and soft: “Your hair is wet; of course it will feel heavy! Let’s go; they’re catching up!” While saying this, my eyes kept darting away from A Li’s strange face, and my flashlight accidentally fell to the ground. Given the peculiar circumstances, A Li didn’t suspect anything.
We continued running frantically, but for some reason, my sense of direction became increasingly clear. It felt as if I had been here before—not just once but multiple times. Could it be that we had already entered the territory of Wan Poison Palace?
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