Chapter 133
Chapter 133
What Village Chief Li said was more or less the same as what Xia Sheng and the others had learned from the written report.
It wasn’t until after the meal that Master Quede finally spoke. “Where did the earlier girls go missing? Please take us there so we can have a look, Village Chief.”
Village Chief Li agreed. After telling his wife to clear away the dishes, he led the group to the reservoir.
“We don’t know how the earlier girls disappeared. We only know that the policewoman fell into the water and vanished at this spot.
“The several sorcerers from the Special Management Bureau who came before also disappeared mysteriously while investigating around here. I imagine that Water Ghost must be hiding somewhere nearby.”
Master Quede nodded. “Leave things here to us. You’re only flesh and blood, so you’d better head back to the village and lie low for now.”
The village chief seemed somewhat afraid of ghosts and monsters as well, and immediately nodded. “Then I’ll head back first. Please be careful.
“I’ve heard that these evil creatures have the strongest Yin Energy at night, and their power is at its peak then too. Come back early and get some rest. I’ll have my wife prepare rooms for you.”
“All right.”
After giving his reminders, Village Chief Li left with his cane.
Xia Sheng’s gaze lingered on him for a long while. Master Quede walked over to her side and asked, “Is there something wrong with that village chief?”
Xia Sheng shook her head. “It seems like some kind of spell has been cast on him. I can’t see his life history.
“If he’s gone this far to hide his past, then this matter is probably connected to him somehow. But we’ll have to investigate first before we know for sure.”
While the two of them were talking, a team member suddenly shouted from not far away, “Captain Shen! Master Quede! There seems to be a corpse over here on the shore!”
Hearing that, everyone hurried over and saw that a shriveled, purplish hand was sticking out from the mud by the reservoir.
Master Quede’s gaze sharpened, and he immediately organized people to dig up the body.
The corpse hadn’t been buried very deep. In just a few minutes, they had already unearthed the whole body.
It was a woman’s corpse. Shen Zhuoyang recognized who she was. “This woman seems to be the policewoman who went missing not long ago.”
Li Ziheng said, “If that’s the case, then the Water Ghost plaguing this area should be somewhere nearby.”
Shen Zhuoyang nodded gravely, then turned to the others. “Split into teams of two and search separately. This Water Ghost killed several Special Management Bureau members before, so it’s probably no weak opponent.
“If you find it, don’t attack directly. Remember to call me and Master Quede over first so we can combine our strength and deal with it together!”
“Yes!”
After receiving the order, everyone scattered and began their search.
Xia Sheng carefully examined the female corpse on the ground and discovered that it seemed she had died after all the fresh blood in her body had been drained.
She narrowed her eyes slightly, thoughtful.
During a lull in his search, Li Ziheng glanced back. When he saw that Xia Sheng was still standing where she was, his disdain for her deepened.
So this woman really was just here to mooch off the reward!
If it were anyone else, even if they were only trying to sponge off the reward, they’d at least put on a show and pretend to help search. But this woman was actually just standing there doing nothing!
She really was brazenly confident!
There was no way he would let someone like that come out on top and take the biggest reward.
He had to be the one to kill this Water Ghost. That million-yuan reward would be his too!
With that thought, Li Ziheng withdrew his gaze and continued searching.
Seeing that Xia Sheng was still standing in place, Master Quede asked, “Little Fellow Daoist, aren’t you going to look for that Water Ghost?”
He was starting to suspect that Xia Sheng was standing here without moving because she thought Shen Zhuoyang and the others could handle this matter on their own.
But didn’t he remember that before they came, Little Fellow Daoist had said Shen Zhuoyang and the others might all die here, which was why she came along in the first place?
So why did she look so calm and leisurely now?
Xia Sheng said, “The thing killing people isn’t a Water Ghost. If they keep searching like this, all they’ll find in the end is a scapegoat.”
Master Quede didn’t understand. “Other than a Water Ghost, what else could drag people into the water and drown them?”
“None of these people drowned. They were drained of blood and died. The thing that killed them was probably an Eight-Eyed Mangui, something with habits very similar to a Water Ghost.”
Master Quede considered himself broad in experience and knowledge, yet even he found the term “Eight-Eyed Mangui” somewhat unfamiliar.
“What exactly is an Eight-Eyed Mangui?”
Xia Sheng explained, “An Eight-Eyed Mangui, also called a Water Guest, is a ghostly creature that lives in water. Its habits are similar to a Water Ghost’s, but the way it kills is different. It likes to feed on human blood and can take human form. If it catches someone, then while drowning them, it will bite into their blood vessels and suck them dry.
“This thing is extremely cunning and can conceal its own aura, so it’s very difficult to find.”
Master Quede frowned, still wanting to ask more, when a team member shouted from not far away, “Captain Shen! Master Quede! We found the Water Ghost!”
At that, Master Quede and Xia Sheng both turned toward the voice.
On the other side of the reservoir, the team members on Li Ziheng’s team were shouting to them.
At their feet lay a severed Water Ghost hand that had been chopped off.
In the water, the Water Ghost thrashed and shrieked nonstop, as if trying to escape.
Li Ziheng had originally wanted to keep the credit for himself, but after his teammates found the Water Ghost and called the others over, he couldn’t help grinding his teeth in frustration.
He glanced in Xia Sheng’s direction. Seeing both her and Master Quede hurrying over, and worried that Xia Sheng would snatch the achievement away from him, he immediately raised his peach wood sword and jumped straight into the water.
The moment they saw Li Ziheng jump in just like that, the Special Management Bureau team members all panicked, and Shen Zhuoyang barked even more sharply, “Li Ziheng! Get back here!”
Underwater was the Water Ghost’s home turf. For Li Ziheng to impulsively charge in like that was no different from walking into a tiger’s den. He was practically rushing to his death.
But Shen Zhuoyang’s warning ultimately came a moment too late. By the time he shouted, Li Ziheng had already vanished beneath the surface.
Shen Zhuoyang’s heart leapt into his throat. No longer caring about anything else, he also jumped straight into the water.
Seeing the two of them enter the water one after the other, Master Quede grew worried. “Little Fellow Daoist, you said these two might die here. Is this the moment you meant?”
Xia Sheng nodded.
Master Quede was extremely anxious. “Little Fellow Daoist, these two are both promising talents of the Special Management Bureau. They can’t just die here. Please, I ask you to save them!”
“I’ll naturally save Shen Zhuoyang. As for Li Ziheng…”
Xia Sheng had originally been about to say she would let Li Ziheng suffer a bit more down there, but Master Quede took it as her not wanting to save him and hurriedly said, “I know he offended you today, but he’s not actually a bad person. Please save his life.
“As long as he comes back alive, I’ll make sure he gives all his savings to you as payment!”
Xia Sheng raised a brow. “Are you sure he’ll listen to you?”
Master Quede nodded and guaranteed, “He has always respected me, so I believe he will listen to what I say.
“And he’s not the sort who can’t tell right from wrong. If you save his life, he’ll definitely do everything he can to repay you.”
“Fine.” Xia Sheng replied casually, then threw a Talisman onto the surface of the water.