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墨書 Inktalez
The next morning, after I had breakfast, Xiao came over to find me, carrying a box. It was the reward from Jiao Zhi Hong.
I glanced at the box; it was about the size of a regular shoebox. My first reaction upon seeing it was to instinctively think it contained Renminbi. I smiled as I took the box and said, "So much money! Jiao Zhi Hong is really generous!"
However, as soon as I held the box, I sensed something was off because it felt too light. I opened the box and saw half a tattered Monk Robe inside, along with a damaged copy of Buddhist Scriptures.
I carefully examined the two items inside the box. The robe was so worn that I couldn't discern much about its origin, but the Buddhist Scriptures were intriguing. They contained a wealth of teachings from various Buddhist sects, ranging from basic concepts to more profound philosophies—exactly what I could use right now. However, a significant portion of the text was missing, which diminished its power considerably; it was quite unfortunate.
Satisfied, I took both items out and kept them close to me. This reward from Jiao Zhi Hong was even more to my liking than Renminbi. Curiously, I asked Xiao, "Do you know where these things came from?"
"I actually do!" Xiao's face lit up with nostalgia as he slowly explained, "About a month ago, there was a major flood here. A fishing boat accidentally got swept onto a deserted island, and the boat was wrecked on some rocks. The people on the fishing boat called us for help, and Boss Horn sent over a dozen people to rescue them; I was one of them."
"When we arrived at that deserted island, we found those fishermen hiding in a cave. These two items were discovered there!"
"Were there no other items in the cave?" I frowned, sensing that there must be secrets hidden on that island; these relics from the Buddhist sect couldn't have just appeared in that cave for no reason.
Xiao shook his head and said, "We searched that cave thoroughly but didn't find anything else!"
I stroked my chin thoughtfully; they were ordinary people and might not see certain things. It seemed necessary for me to visit that deserted island myself.
Resolute in my decision, I immediately picked up my Demon-Subduing Staff and said to Xiao, "Xiao, I'm going to that deserted island. Find a boat to take me there!"
A smile spread across Xiao's face as he nodded and replied, "Master Jiang, our boss guessed you would want to go to that island, so he already prepared a boat for you!"
I furrowed my brow at Xiao's words, suddenly feeling as if I had fallen into Jiao Zhi Hong's scheme. Seeing my expression, Xiao quickly explained, "Master Jiang, to be honest, there have been some strange occurrences near that isolated island. Our boss has been wanting to invite a master like you to take a look, and it just so happens that we ran into you!"
"Our boss said that if Master Jiang is willing to go to that isolated island, he would give you this envelope as your reward!" Xiao said, pulling out a thick envelope from his pocket. Red bills peeked out from the opening, containing ten thousand Renminbi.
I reached out to take the envelope. Considering the money, I decided not to hold a grudge against Jiao Zhi Hong. Under Xiao's guidance, I walked toward the dock. On the way, I asked, "Xiao, what strange things have been happening near that isolated island?"
"That island used to be fine, but recently, fishing boats have been mysteriously capsizing there. According to the fishermen, they saw Water Monsters in the water at the time. These Water Monsters look very much like humans, with heads and limbs, and they are quite strong. Just a dozen of these Water Monsters managed to overturn their boats," Xiao paused to swallow before continuing. "What's even stranger is that although more than ten fishing boats have capsized, no one has drowned in the river. Those overturned boats often reappear at the dock after a few days; aside from the food and supplies on board being missing, nothing else has been lost."
"We were busy fighting for territory with the Evil Insect Master for a while and didn't have time to deal with this matter. Now that the Evil Insect Master has been driven away, Boss Horn finally wants to invite you to see what's really going on!"
I nodded, gaining some understanding of the situation regarding the isolated island and forming some guesses about the water ghosts Xiao mentioned. Whether my assumptions were correct would require a visit to find out.
"Practicing Buddhism means doing good deeds every day!" This phrase was something I had read in a fragmented copy of Buddhist Scriptures, and I resonated with it. If I could help the fishermen resolve the issues on the isolated island, it would count as doing a good deed and serve as part of my own cultivation.
After more than ten minutes, I followed Xiao to the dock and saw two fishing boats moored there. Many fishermen stood on the dock as if waiting for us.
"The master has arrived! The master has arrived!"
I didn't know who shouted first, but all the fishermen turned their gazes toward me. Each of them looked at me with sincere goodwill and respect.
"Please help us drive away those Water Monsters! We can't dare fish there until they're gone. If this continues, we won't have anything to eat!"
"Please help us!" The fishermen pleaded one after another. A few particularly emotional fishermen even knelt on the ground and bowed deeply to me in reverence.
"Uncle, wake up! I'll do my best to help you drive away those Water Monsters!" I rushed over to help them up. As soon as I approached, more and more people knelt down and bowed to me, making my head spin.
"Everyone, step aside! The Master is getting on the boat!" Seeing that I was overwhelmed, Xiao quickly pushed the fishermen aside and led me onto the ship.
Xiao helped me onto the boat but did not follow. He scratched the back of his head awkwardly and said, "Master Jiang, I'll be on that boat behind you, so I won't be on the same one."
I was taken aback by Xiao's words. It was then that I noticed the fishing boat I was on had only a captain and three crew members, while the boat behind us had at least a dozen people aboard.
The captain beside me saw the confusion in my eyes and explained, "Master, to deal with those Water Ghosts overturning fishing boats, we usually prepare two boats to set sail together. One boat carries food as a sort of protection fee for the Water Monsters, preparing for the possibility of being overturned. Only by doing this can we ensure that the other boat can operate smoothly. Our boat is loaded with food, so we don't need many people."
"I see!" I nodded, understanding that their actions were driven by necessity. This approach wasn't a long-term solution; if the Water Monsters harbored any ill intentions, everyone on this boat could end up dead in the water, turning into Undead.
As the fishing boat left the dock and headed toward the lonely island, I stood at the bow, gazing at the distant water surface and muttering to myself, "I need to meet those Water Monsters and see what they are all about!"
(End of Chapter)
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