Wu Wen had his back to Yeqiao Town, staring blankly into the secluded depths of the forest. A figure swept into Wu Wen’s line of sight. Wu Wen studied it for a moment, then exhaled a long breath and said, “Chief Constable, it’s you… You startled me!”

Wu Wen honestly scratched his head and said, “Chief Constable, regarding the matter you secretly instructed me to investigate yesterday, Xiao Ning has already sent a carrier pigeon reply. This is Xiao Ning’s pigeon letter—take a look.” Wu Wen handed a long rolled paper strip to Li Si. As Li Si looked at it, his brows unconsciously drew together as he said, “Just as I thought. According to what Li Si described in the letter, this matter is definitely not just a simple theft case, and the opponent we’re facing won’t be merely a thief. However, there are still some things I don’t understand. Wu Wen, send a letter to Xiao Ning and have him help me investigate someone…”

Wu Wen leaned his ear over, nodding constantly. Li Si quietly finished speaking, when suddenly a white shadow flashed in Li Si’s pupils. He sharply shouted, “Who’s there!”

Before Li Si’s words fell, he had already rushed out, with Wu Wen following closely behind. The white shadow disappeared at the Jade River’s edge. Li Si’s heart felt stifled—this was already the second time he had followed this mysterious white shadow to the banks of the Jade River, and twice he had lost its trail. Could this white shadow truly be a water monster capable of vanishing without a trace? Li Si’s heart suddenly stirred, as if he had overlooked something. He slowly walked to the river’s edge, his gaze fixed on the water surface. Indeed, beneath the shallow waters of the Jade River, a hidden bridge path was concealed.

Wu Wen also caught up and, following Li Si’s gaze, discovered this hidden stone bridge in the water. His face couldn’t help but show some excitement as he said, “Chief Constable, is this the stone bridge you mentioned? Then wouldn’t the opposite side be that Afterlife Forest?”

Li Si nodded and said, “Whether it is or not, we’ll know once we cross.”

The two carefully stepped across the stone bridge to the opposite shore. But the situation on the opposite shore was far from what Li Si had described. Although there was indeed a dense forest, it was ordinary vegetation, not Afterlife Bamboo. And passing through this forest, one could already see several Yeqiao Town residents living along the river. There was no massive estate or tomb in the forest as Li Si had mentioned. The two found nothing and returned to the riverbank. Wu Wen, sharp-eyed, discovered something in the tree shadows by the river. When Li Si went up to look, he couldn’t help but freeze—beneath the tree shadow was nothing other than an exquisite, small boat.

Wu Wen looked left and right. Seeing not half a person, he couldn’t help but wonder, “Strange, who tied this small boat here?”

As Wu Wen spoke, he didn’t notice that Li Si’s expression at this moment was particularly peculiar—amid confusion was actually a trace of panic. Li Si was indeed somewhat flustered, because when he looked at this small boat, he couldn’t help but think of the ghostly hand that had beckoned to him in the Jade River the previous night. Li Si didn’t know why he would think of these things. He suddenly stepped forward and untied the small boat moored to the river tree. Wu Wen said, “Chief Constable, what are you doing?”

“Taking the boat on the river. Are you coming?” Li Si smiled.

Before Li Si received an answer, Wu Wen had already jumped into the small boat. Li Si put away the mooring rope. The two in one boat slowly traveled toward the heart of the Jade River. The scenery of the Jade River was indeed beautiful. Along the way, Li Si saw many magnificent flowers in the river that he had never seen before, as well as white-bellied, black-feathered water birds. Flowers, birds, and river light—such a tranquil, beautiful scroll unfolding before Li Si’s eyes—how could one not be moved to admiration?

“So beautiful,” Wu Wen praised.

After half an hour of boating, black dead fish suddenly appeared floating in the river. Looking out, there were dead fish with white bellies everywhere. The Jade River instantly transformed from a beautiful scroll into an aquatic Asura hell. Li Si scooped up a black fish, and after examining it said, “These fish were all poisoned to death.”

Wu Wen’s gaze passed over the dead fish one by one when he suddenly cried out, “A hand—a person’s hand!”

Among the fish corpses, a deathly pale human hand was reflected. The human hand was like a section of white lotus root growing from the water surface, immediately flashing into Li Si and Wu Wen’s eyes. Li Si’s mind thundered as he recalled those ghostly hands in the water. He shook his head sharply and shouted, “Save them!”

The hand was sinking bit by bit. Just at the moment it was about to completely fall into the water, Li Si grabbed this hand. A wave of cold rushed through this hand and assaulted Li Si’s entire body. Li Si couldn’t help but shudder. He pulled this hand along with its owner completely out of the water.

Emerging from the water was the face of a youth. When Li Si looked at his appearance, he couldn’t help but ask in surprise, “It’s you?”

The youth was actually someone Li Si recognized—the young servant from Qiangong Linglong’s wine pavilion. Li Si still remembered his appearance and asked, “You’re the young servant from Linglong Wine Pavilion?”

The youth curled up in a corner of the small boat, his whole body shivering with cold. Looking at Li Si, he nodded and said, “I’m called Little Qizi. I am indeed the young servant from Linglong Wine Pavilion.”

“The water of the Jade River is ice-cold and bone-piercing. How did you fall into the river?” Li Si said.

“I, I…” Little Qizi first stammered, then said, “Catching fish—that’s right, I accidentally fell into the Jade River while using a net to catch fish.” Little Qizi nodded very affirmatively, but his gaze didn’t dare meet Li Si’s eyes.

Li Si turned to look at the countless dead fish floating on the river surface and smiled faintly, “Really? With a river full of dead fish, why would you need a fishing net? Little Qizi, I just saved your life. As repayment, I hope to hear the truth.”

Little Qizi slowly raised his head. Meeting Li Si’s sharp gaze, he slowly took something from his bosom and placed it on the boat’s gunwale. Faint light shone brilliantly. Li Si’s gaze tightened. He pinched the object in his palm—it was actually a gold leaf.

Wu Wen, standing at the boat’s stern maintaining the boat’s balance, blurted out, “Could this be the stolen item from Tianwei Escort Agency…” Before Wu Wen could finish, Li Si had already shaken his head to signal him to be quiet. Only then did Wu Wen realize his mouth had been too quick. He turned around and said no more.

“Where did you get this gold leaf?” Li Si asked.

Little Qizi pointed at the river surface and said, “I found it in the belly of a dead fish. I was completely stunned at the time. That’s why I was possessed to come to the Jade River to scoop up these dead fish. But I didn’t expect to encounter a water demon.”

“Water demon?” Li Si furrowed his brows and asked.

Little Qizi said very certainly, “The people of Yeqiao Town all say there’s a water ghost demon in this Jade River. I still didn’t believe it. But just now, I was standing perfectly fine on the riverbank using a fishing net to scoop dead fish when suddenly a hand reached out from the river and dragged me into the water. Tell me, if that’s not a water demon, what is it!” Little Qizi looked around at the surrounding waters, speaking with lingering fear.

“Chief Constable, there’s still someone in the water,” Wu Wen suddenly shouted.

Li Si turned around. In the black, murky waters of the Jade River covered with dead fish, suddenly, another pale human hand reached out.

This hand was covered with fresh blood. Blood continuously dripped, dyeing the surrounding water surface a deep crimson.

Who was it?—Human, ghost, or demon!

Li Si moved the small boat closer, bit by bit approaching that bloody hand in the black water…