Chapter 313: A Water Ghost in the Xi River, Time to Subdue Demons?

In the morning, Ning Fei was playing with the little ones.

Yesterday, he had fed Little Fox a bit of Monkey Wine. Little Fox had always loved fruit, and she found this fine brew made from a hundred fruits completely irresistible. After drinking the Monkey Wine, she drifted off into a light, tipsy sleep.

However, there was only one gourd of Monkey Wine. Ning Fei planned to save it for himself and drink it slowly.

Right at that moment, Village Chief Qin Zheng suddenly knocked on the doors of Qingfeng Temple.

Ning Fei opened the door and saw the village chief looking deeply troubled. A hint of confusion flashed across his own face.

It had to be known that in Qinshan Village, Village Chief Qin Zheng was the sky itself. There was no problem he couldn't solve.

Now, he wore a grave expression, looking as though he had encountered a knot he couldn't untangle.

Ning Fei was still live-streaming at the time, and the netizens watched silently.

"Village Chief, did something happen?"

There was a stone table and chairs in the courtyard. Ning Fei poured a cup of Shanyin Tea to entertain Qin Zheng as he asked.

Qin Zheng sighed and nodded. "Something did happen."

"Yesterday, Liu Dabao's kid went swimming in the Xi River and almost drowned. He's still in the hospital receiving emergency treatment."

Hearing Qin Zheng's words, Ning Fei frowned.

"Liu Dabao's child? Liu Xiaobao? That doesn't seem likely."

Qin Zheng nodded again to confirm. "It's true."

"Liu Xiaobao is the strongest swimmer among all the kids in the village, isn't he? I remember there was a swimming competition for the children a couple of years ago, and didn't he take first place?"

Qin Zheng took a sip of tea, seeming to ponder something. "Yeah. Liu Xiaobao is a great swimmer. He's swum in that river for years without a hitch, but then yesterday, tragedy struck."

"If Liu Dabao hadn't gone looking for him, the kid might have lost his life."

"It was that serious?" Ning Fei asked in confusion. "What exactly happened?"

Qin Zheng hesitated for a moment. Seeing that Ning Fei was still broadcasting, he quickly decided it didn't matter. "Liu Dabao said he saw a dark shadow underwater. It was about the same size as a child, and it swam extremely fast."

"There were also bruises on Liu Xiaobao's ankles. Clearly, something grabbed him with tremendous force to drag him under, preventing him from struggling free."

Ning Fei's expression gradually turned serious at those words.

He murmured, "A water ghost?"

Legends of water ghosts were widely circulated in rural villages.

According to the tales, they were underwater creatures that looked like apes, mostly found in wild water sources like mountain ponds and reservoirs.

In the water, a water ghost's strength was several times greater than a human's. They would grab anyone who fell in and drag them to the bottom, drowning them.

Many adults in the villages loved to use the legend of the water ghost to frighten children.

It was just unexpected that something like this had actually happened now.

Watching this unfold, the netizens also felt a bit nervous.

"What is a water ghost?"

Doubt rippled through their minds.

Qin Zheng nodded.

"Yeah. The story is spreading through the village now. Everyone's saying it's an ominous sign. People are panicking."

"I've already sealed off that side of the Xi River, and I'm not letting the kids go over there."

"Sigh."

Ning Fei understood the village chief's difficult position.

The Xi River was considered the mother river of Qinshan Village. The people here relied on the Xi River for a lot of their livelihoods.

"Did you come to me because you want me to get rid of the water ghost?" Ning Fei asked.

"How could I? If that thing really exists, going into the water would be incredibly dangerous. Am I the kind of person who asks others to risk their lives?" Qin Zheng retorted.

He wasn't wrong. Whenever there was any danger in the village, Qin Zheng always led the charge. He would never seek someone else out just to pawn off a dangerous task.

"I came to you because I was hoping you could hold a ritual by the Xi River. We don't have a shaman in the village, and after thinking it over, you're the most suitable. After all, this is an orthodox Daoist temple with a proper lineage, so everyone trusts it," Qin Zheng added.

So that was it.

Ning Fei understood.

It wasn't exactly that the village was helplessly superstitious; some of these rituals were just part of Huaxia tradition.

For example, when sacrificing to rivers and lakes, the difference between tradition and superstition was simple. Tradition meant tossing chicken, duck, fish, meat, and a pig's head into the river while holding a ceremony on the shore.

Superstition meant throwing virgin boys and girls into the lake as offerings for the Dragon King.

"Village Chief, let me go take a look first. I don't believe there's a water ghost," Ning Fei said thoughtfully.

"Alright. I just wanted to talk to you about it, but whatever you do, absolutely do not go into the water. I saw Liu Xiaobao's condition. The bruises on his ankles were very deep. Whatever dragged him under had a massive amount of strength."

Having reached the heart of the matter, Qin Zheng wanted to take a drag from his dry pipe, but realizing he was in a Daoist temple, he set the pipe down.

"Don't worry, I know my limits."

Ning Fei smiled.

Qin Zheng quickly finished his tea and hurried away.

"A water ghost is also known as a water monkey. Many people claim to have witnessed this creature, but it's rarely ever truly found."

"To think there's actually a water monkey in the Xi River. No wonder the village chief is so nervous."

Ning Fei stood up and chatted with the netizens for a bit, evidently planning to go to the Xi River to investigate.

"Ning Guan master, do water monkeys really exist?" one viewer couldn't help but ask.

"Don't go! That thing is too scary!"

"Just think about it. You're swimming in a river or a lake, and a monster with immense strength is desperately trying to drag you under..."

"Stop talking, you're sending chills down my spine."

"What era is it? You guys still believe in this stuff?"

Ning Fei stood up. This time, he brought out the sharp sword that accompanied his Taichi Sun and Moon robe.

It was a precious sword, already sharpened and incredibly keen.

In this era, a sword was mostly used for performances or exercise; its offensive capabilities had gradually been forgotten.

Far too many better tools had replaced it.

For example, if he encountered a wild boar, Ning Fei could use his Sappanwood Bow. He was skilled in archery and could shoot it from a distance.

But in the water, the effectiveness of a bow and arrow would be drastically reduced.

Seeing Ning Fei take out the sharp sword, the netizens grew excited.

"Here it is! The Daoist priest is going to subdue demons!"

"Not gonna lie, it really gives off that vibe."

"Ning Guan master is awesome!"

"This scene is getting my blood pumping!"

"What monster dares to invade my Qinshan Village?! Come out and face your death!"

It was truly a dashing sight.

Wearing his Daoist Robe and carrying the sharp sword, Ning Fei walked out the gates of Qingfeng Temple and headed straight for the Xi River.

Little Dog stood at the doorway, seemingly wanting to follow him, but Ning Fei told him to go play on his own.

That water monkey thing might actually exist, and Ning Fei was worried Little Dog would be in danger.

The Xi River wasn't far away.

Normally in early spring, the Xi River would be bustling. There would be no shortage of people coming here to fish and play.

But right now, it was much more desolate. Only a few adults stood on the bank, apparently searching for something but too afraid to go into the water.

Village Chief Qin Zheng was there as well.

Spotting Ning Fei, Qin Zheng said, "You came too. We've been searching from the shore for half the day and haven't found anything. Old Zhang and the others even went into the water to look just now, looking out for each other, but there's still nothing."

"Village Chief, let me try," Ning Fei said. "I have a way."

With that, Ning Fei took out his live-streaming Submarine—the Bionic Carp.

Seeing Ning Fei pull out a carp, the village chief's eyes filled with confusion. Taking a drag from his pipe, he revealed a rare look of total bewilderment, like a man who hadn't seen much of the world.

Ning Fei directly tossed the bionic Submarine into the Xi River.

The Submarine immediately began to swim.

"What is..." Qin Zheng was dumbfounded. Several villagers also gathered around.

"It's a Bionic Carp I use for underwater broadcasting. It lets me see what's going on underwater, and it swims pretty fast, too."

Ning Fei brought up the video feed, allowing Qin Zheng to see the live footage of the Xi River's depths.

Qin Zheng's eyes lit up at the sight.

"What a treasure."

The Xi River was crystal clear, with exceptionally high visibility.

The underwater realm was a whole other world. Looking down, there were waterweeds, rocks, and embankments everywhere. The terrain was complex; no wonder the villagers couldn't find the water ghost.

The netizens also saw the underwater feed.

"Is there really a water ghost? Isn't that a bit ridiculous?"

"Maybe the kid just got a cramp, so it felt like someone was pulling him."

"That's a possibility."

"Didn't the village chief say the kid had bruises on his ankles?"

"He probably just bumped into a rock after getting a cramp."

Everyone chatted casually, feeling that the existence of a water ghost was unrealistic.

But then, something completely unexpected happened.

When the bionic Submarine rounded an embankment and turned right, everyone clearly saw a dark silhouette wedged in a crevice between the underwater riverbanks.

Its body looked like it was draped in waterweeds, and many tentacle-like things thrashed wildly in its hands.

"Holy shit!"

The scene was so eerie that quite a few viewers were scared into instantly tossing their mobile phones away.

"Found it!"

Ning Fei immediately called out.

Qin Zheng saw the footage and hurriedly asked, "Where?"

However, a second later, the water ghost noticed something was off about the bionic Submarine. It darted out from the crevice and rapidly fled upstream!

"Trying to run?"

Knowing the water ghost's location, Ning Fei simultaneously sprinted along the riverbank in pursuit.

Qin Zheng didn't hesitate and quickly followed.

Of course, as a man grew older, his speed and stamina declined.

Thus, Ning Fei quickly left Qin Zheng behind.

The netizens were still in a state of shock.

"What was that just now?"

"There's really a water ghost?"

"A water ghost is a water monkey. Water monkeys actually exist, they're just incredibly rare."

"Good god, that gave me the creeps."

"For a second, I thought we'd run into the water hag from the Sunken Ship Tomb!"

Recalling that scene, everyone felt a chill of fear. They looked at the live stream again to see Ning Fei still sprinting at full speed.

In that moment, their hearts surged with excitement.