novelapdf Chapter 77 Water Infant
Chapter 77 Water Infant
The boats travel on the river, and a one-way trip takes seven or eight days.
Yang Silang and his three companions booked a cabin. The space inside was small and somewhat cramped, but it had the necessary beds and furniture.
When traveling, there are not so many formalities. This boat is not a dedicated passenger boat, but a dual-purpose passenger and cargo boat, which is the norm on this river.
The four of them first settled their personal belongings in the cabin, then went out of the cabin and stood behind the railing to enjoy the river scenery.
The mighty river surged on both sides, with undulating mountains on both banks, creating a magnificent landscape. The four of them marveled at the wonders of nature.
Yang and Wang were villagers. If it weren't for the natural disaster, they would never have left Huang County. As porters, they were busy carrying goods. Later, they were busy practicing martial arts. Except for the time when they were conscripted into the army, which was a long journey, they traveled by land.
Zhu Tong is a tall young man who has carried the hopes of his family since childhood. However, he spends all his time practicing martial arts and goes back and forth between his family's martial arts school and his home, making him a martial arts otaku.
The three of them were still quite excited about taking a boat trip on the river, but Ma Qianli, who had traveled to many places with the army, was a seasoned veteran.
At this moment, the boat captain came over and apologized.
"Distinguished guests, we had no choice but to urge you earlier."
"The river is not like the land, and the water is not safe either. There are some fierce and strange creatures. Therefore, we who make a living by the water must travel according to fixed routes and times to ensure our safety."
"It's not that I'm ignorant, but there are lives on this ship, and I dare not be careless."
He knew that these four men were all skilled in martial arts, and three of them were even martial arts scholars who had passed the imperial examinations and were going to take the martial arts exams. He couldn't afford to offend them.
Yang Silang and the others waved their hands, not taking it seriously; it wasn't a big deal to begin with.
The boatman was relieved, said sorry for disturbing him, and turned to attend to his own business.
"What dangers are there underwater?" Wang Daniu asked curiously.
Yang Silang and Zhu Tong looked at Ma Qianli together, and the latter had no choice but to explain.
"Hey... what's there to hide?"
"There are monsters in the river. I've heard from my comrades in the army that there are the most monsters in the border areas, and then there are more water monsters than land monsters."
"Look at how big and long this river is, it's not surprising that strange and ferocious creatures live here, is it?"
"It is said that several dynasties ago, a strange person appeared, established the Demon Extermination Bureau, cut down mountains and cleared rivers, killed and subdued a group of demons and beasts, and then established the rule of separating humans and demons."
"However, every time they hear about a change of dynasty, these monsters take advantage of the chaos in the human world to come out and cause trouble, stirring up endless bloodshed, which is very troublesome."
Yang Silang listened and pondered.
It seems that the Record of Encounters with Demons written by Guzhu Zi was also written at the end of a dynasty, when the world was in turmoil.
He couldn't become an official to save the people, so he could only indulge in nature; that makes sense.
Wang Daniu suddenly realized what was going on and angrily slammed his hand on the railing.
"Our village was flooded, and I heard it was caused by a several-hundred-year-old demonic dragon in the river near the village!"
"Once I've mastered martial arts, I'll capture it, skin it, remove its tendons, and steam it to vent my hatred!"
Ma Qianli's eyes widened upon hearing this, and he whispered.
"Brother... just think it to yourself, don't say it out loud."
"We can't beat them yet, can we?"
"The river is someone else's territory. Saying this is bad luck. Wouldn't the boat captain be terrified if he heard it?"
Wang Daniu grimaced upon hearing this, but finally stopped talking about the demonic dragon.
The group then changed the subject, discussing martial arts. After chatting for a while, they returned to their cabins, some practicing stances, others reading.
At noon, a servant brought in the food. The price for the cabin included meals for the group of several people. There were vegetables and meat, and the captain even gave them a pot of wine. Although the wine was bland, the vegetables were old and tough, and the meat was salty and hard, everyone was a warrior when they were out in the world, so they didn't care about such things.
After we've finished eating.
Everyone went outside the cabin for some fresh air.
Then I watched as the boat captain directed several boatmen to carry a tray and stand at the railing, preparing to pour it down.
On the tray is a golden-brown roasted pig, its aroma filling the air, along with fresh vegetables and a plate of steamed fruit made from rice and noodles.
Wang Daniu got angry and grabbed the boatman.
"What a mess you've made! We have such good food and meat, why waste it by dumping it into the river instead of letting us eat it? It's not like we're not going to pay you!"
The boat captain hurriedly waved his hand.
"Sir, you're mistaken."
"This delicious food isn't for humans, it's for the monsters below the river..."
"The rules on the ship state that the best rations are never prepared for us humans."
Wang Daniu was taken aback and muttered to himself.
"How is that possible?"
The boat captain didn't explain; he simply waved his hand, and the servants tipped over the trays.
Splash!
The tray of meticulously prepared delicacies was poured into the river and sank to the bottom without even a bubble.
The river water was clear. Yang Silang and his three companions waited for a while, but seeing that there was no movement, Wang Daniu grinned and was about to laugh a few times.
Zhu Tong suddenly tugged at his sleeve, pointed at the river, and stammered.
"Look...look quickly..."
Suddenly, the river water began to churn and bubble, as if it were boiling. At the same time, its color rapidly turned turbid and dark. A dozen large gray "fish" appeared beneath the boat, their bodies surrounded by rolling black waves.
The roasted pig that had sunk earlier was pulled back up, and the animals surrounded it, scrambling to eat it.
Yang Silang stared wide-eyed. This was no fish at all!
They looked like monkeys, but with grayish-white skin, webbed limbs, triangular sharp teeth in their mouths, and black waves all over their bodies, which were long hairs growing on their heads like seaweed swaying in the wind.
They use their hair to catch roasted pigs. The hair makes a cut in the pig's skin, and the whole pig is covered as if by a net. As these monsters swim and pull at the pig to feed, a large pig quickly melts away right before everyone's eyes.
This pig wasn't cooked according to human habits. It smells delicious on the outside, but it's actually coated with a thick layer of seasoning, and the bones and internal organs are still inside.
The monsters had excellent teeth and could even chew bones clean.
"Water baby!"
Yang Silang immediately realized that this was the Water Infant, a river monster recorded by Guzhuzi in the Record of Demon Encounters. It liked to drag people into the water, but was later driven away by a pageboy's urine. He didn't know if it was true or not.
Unfortunately, since Shuiying and the others seem to be getting along well now, he can't very well ask Wang Daniu to take off his pants and try it out.
Meanwhile, Da Niu and the others watched intently, sweat dripping from their foreheads.
The boat captain and his crew, however, wore expressions of joy, clasping their hands together and muttering incantations.
"Alright, Lord Water has enjoyed the offerings, this journey is safe."
A moment later, the water sprites dissipated, the river returned to calm, and the roasted pig, vegetables, noodles, and other items on it also disappeared.
Seeing the group's confusion, the boatman explained that a group of water monsters had been lurking in the river for countless years, and they enjoyed capsizing boats and eating people.
According to the old tradition, as long as you sail at a specific time during the day and prepare offerings, you can pass through safely.
But Shuiying also has her unruly moments, and that's when things get messy.
Yang Silang clicked his tongue in amazement upon hearing this, exclaiming, "Good heavens, even demonic beasts are charging tolls!"
In the following days, the boat captain prepared offerings several more times to appease several groups of local water monsters, including knife-winged fish, water locusts, and ghost mother greens.
At first, Yang Silang and the others found it quite novel, but later he inexplicably felt like he was visiting a floating zoo.
That noon.
Yang Silang finished his meal in the cabin.
Suddenly, they heard screams from the crowd outside, and at the same time, the boat rocked violently, as if a huge object was crashing into it underwater.
The boat captain's voice was filled with despair, his tone sharp and drawn out.
"Oh no! The water demon here has changed hands; it's not the same old face!"
"He dragged San'er down and swallowed him!"
"This thing doesn't eat pigs, it eats people!"
boom!
Yang Silang kicked open the cabin door and rushed out like the wind, with Zhu Tong, Ma Qianli, and Wang Daniu hurriedly following behind...