Chapter 2

Chapter 2

After the photos were taken, Ling Ling went up and knocked on the door. A moment later, her parents came out and greeted us warmly.

“Oh, welcome, welcome! It’s deathly hot outside, come in and enjoy the air conditioning.”

After dinner, Ling Ling proudly told us that her family had bought a new yacht this year. We could stay on the boat tonight and sail to the middle of the lake to spend the night.

“But be careful, we can’t sail into the Devil’s Triangle area. That place is terrifying.”

The so-called Devil’s Triangle referred to the Laoyemiao Waters, where numerous shipwrecks had occurred. On the worst day in recorded history, thirteen ships sank in a single day.

The most famous of these was a shipwreck involving the Japanese army during the invasion of China.

In 1945, the transport ship Kobe No. 5 was filled with gold, silver, and treasures looted from our country. It was heading down the Yangtze River toward the sea to return to Japan, but when it reached the Laoyemiao Waters of Poyang Lake, the ship suddenly sank. None of the two hundred people on board survived.

The Japanese Navy stationed in Jiujiang refused to give up and sent an elite diving team to Laoye Temple. Unexpectedly, the entire team of over thirty divers vanished after entering the water. The only person who returned had lost his mind.

After the war, the Nationalist Government was unwilling to let the vast wealth on the shipwreck vanish just like that, so they brought in a professional salvage team from America.

This team, the most professional diving squad in the world at the time, also disappeared into these mysterious waters.

These were all real historical events. Although media reports suggested it might be related to the complex local currents and climate, Lou Qianqian and the others had seen me catch ghosts with their own eyes, so their minds immediately jumped to the supernatural.

“Ling Ling, I’m scared. How about we don’t go out on the lake? Let’s just stay at your house for a few days.”

Ling Ling, however, didn’t take it seriously.

“What are you afraid of? We have Master Qiao with us; she’ll protect us.”

“Besides, there’s already someone waiting for us on the boat.”

Ling Ling glanced at me and said with a blush, “Jiang Haoyan and his roommates are here too!”

The yacht was quite large, with six full rooms. When we arrived, Jiang Haoyan and his group were already on board. Everyone was excitedly looking around. I entered Jiang Haoyan’s cabin, and he closed the door, took a deep breath, and grabbed my shoulders.

“Qiao Moyu, I like-”

“I like this room too.”

“You move out, I’m staying here.”

The other cabins all had narrow single beds, but this room had the only double bed. The window was large, and the view was exceptionally good.

I lunged forward, snapped the lid of Jiang Haoyan’s suitcase shut, and pushed it to the door.

Hmph, this kid was clever, picking the biggest one as soon as he arrived. What’s your status? Don’t you know the best things should be reserved for the Sect Master?

Jiang Haoyan’s hands hung awkwardly in mid-air. After a moment, he let out a melancholy sigh and resignedly dragged his luggage to another room.

“Qiao Moyu, I hate that you’re such a blockhead.”

A group of young people gathered together, boisterously drinking and chatting until it was unknowingly midnight. They continued to play around, but I couldn’t hold out any longer and went back to my room to sleep alone.

When I returned to the room, Ling Ling had already fallen asleep.

She didn’t have a high tolerance for alcohol; after two bottles of beer, she was lightheaded. She occupied half the bed, sleeping sprawled out.

I pushed her aside a bit and then lay down next to her, quickly falling into a dream.

I was on a wooden raft approaching a small island. The raft moored at the shore, and I stepped onto the beach. My soles sank into the soft sand; the sensation was incredibly realistic.

Standing on the beach was a strange man.

He had silver hair and a cold, detached brow. His deep pupils seemed to hold a vast ocean of sorrow.

“Qiao Moyu-”

He reached his hand out toward me.

“Marry me. Stay here and keep me company.”