In the first panel, someone was crouching by the river, seemingly kneeling to drink water. Behind them stood another person, tiptoeing stealthily closer, as if intending to push.

In the second panel, the person who had been drinking was now being held underwater by the person behind them. Their hands were raised, appearing to struggle desperately. In the distance, a third person was running over, as if having heard cries for help and coming to intervene.

That running person was Yan Jiuxiao. Previously, looking at him alone, he had seemed to be lying on the ground in a twisted posture. Now they understood—he was positioned in a running stance. Though wearing a diving suit and helmet, he looked particularly comical.

But no one could laugh.

As if to lighten the atmosphere, or perhaps because he had discovered something, Luo Ren said, “It’s quite a foolish clam.”

Mu Dai asked, “What do you mean?”

Luo Ren pointed to the second panel: “Look, the arrangement of these scenes, from the lower right to the upper left, isn’t complete yet. It’s just reached Yan Jiuxiao.”

“But Yan Jiuxiao was bound at the bottom of the sea several days ago. What does that tell us?”

Yi Wansan hesitated: “That it work slowly?”

Works slowly? Mu Dai wanted to laugh, but glancing at Yan Hongsha’s reddened eyes, her heart sank, and that hint of a smile disappeared.

After all, he was Hongsha’s uncle.

Luo Ren said, “It means the clam has no logic at all. Ultimately, it’s just a lower animal and doesn’t think the way we imagined.”

“If we calculate from when Yi Wansan’s father died, this old clam has been at the bottom of the sea for at least ten years. In ten years, even an iron rod can be ground into a needle. No matter what picture it’s trying to create, not just two scenes—it could have completed ten by now. So why is only half of the second panel completed?”

Cao Yanhua thought for a long time, then suddenly realized: “Could it be because the core of the picture is people, and it only starts working when it has people?”

Mu Dai understood, too.

It was like an artist at work. If a certain part required special materials that were temporarily unavailable, the artist would avoid that part for now, complete the rest of the image first, and then return to fill in that section when the materials were available.

But the old clam wasn’t like that. It was almost rigid, mechanically arranging the scene in sequence, stopping at a certain point.

Because there were no characters to fill in the gaps, it logically and reasonably stopped working.

Yan Hongsha hesitantly spoke up: “So it tied my uncle at the bottom of the sea just to… store him? Keep him in reserve?”

Yi Wansan said, “Theoretically, that makes sense. Dead people sometimes float to the surface, so the old clam entangled him at the bottom as a precaution. Look here…”

He pointed to Yan Jiuxiao’s ankle, where there was an upside-down ox head, with piled stones pressed around it.

“This is like a fixation device. The sharp horns of the ox head are hooked into the ankle and embedded in the sea mud, like a thumbtack pinning something down. And the person isn’t just lying on the seafloor—they’re half-sunken into it. This makes concealment easier. If there’s a large-scale pearl harvest with many people diving, it can quickly move sand over to cover it.”

As Yi Wansan spoke, he suddenly became emotional: “This explains why the bodies of my father, my mother, and the old clan chief were all recovered. Because it happened soon after the incident, and many people went into the sea to help, the old clam might not have had time to hide them, or didn’t want to. After all, if rescuers were searching the seafloor, they might easily discover its secret.”

But later, things became much more convenient. The people of Wu Zhu Village migrated away entirely, and those who dove into the sea later often did so alone.

Before Yan Jiuxiao, at least four people had already died. Four people—some were skeletons, some were bones wrapped in tattered clothes, decomposed by seawater. The period couldn’t be determined; it wasn’t clear if they died before Yi Wansan’s father’s incident or after the villagers abandoned the village.

Yi Wansan stared at those corpses: “Perhaps one of them had also been to Hangu Pass, took a piece of the evil bamboo slip, and then drowned here.”

Perhaps. But now, no one knew exactly what had happened. After all, bones couldn’t speak.

It seemed that this second evil bamboo slip’s murder case was related to water.

The second evil bamboo slip was similar to the first in many ways, but also different. The first one merely repeated a scene, while the second seemed to be trying to piece together an event.

Mu Dai couldn’t understand: “But why are both the first and second evil bamboo slips so obsessed with recreating the scenes from years ago?”

Luo Ren said, “Don’t you think it’s like a kind of… sacrifice to the early atrocities?”

An almost obsessive recreation, in the human world, at the bottom of the sea. And what about the other five? Where were they? And what if all seven were brought together?

Mu Dai unconsciously shuddered.

Yan Hongsha asked, “What’s the purpose of that Phoenix-whatever Clasp? Why doesn’t it do something?”

Having just been briefed by Cao Yanhua the day before about the seven evil bamboo slips, Yan Hongsha still couldn’t clearly remember those tongue-twisting names.

Luo Ren said, “It probably doesn’t have the ability. If it could, it would have sealed the seven evil bamboo slips long ago.”

Mu Dai objected: “But in the previous case, it at least cut off their feet, didn’t it? It chopped off the feet of those criminals.”

Luo Ren reminded her, “That was after the evil bamboo slip left the body. When the evil bamboo slip was still present, did you ever see the Phoenix-Luan Clasp take effect?”

Mu Dai fell silent, realizing he was right. It seemed like the Phoenix-Luan Clasp was almost a bully, never acting when the evil bamboo slip was present, only delivering delayed justice after the evil bamboo slip had gone.

And now with the old clam? Would it be the same? Wait until they separate the evil bamboo slip before punishing the old clam—burning it, chopping it, frying it? What was the point?

Luo Ren encouraged Mu Dai: “Think positively. Maybe now that the evil bamboo slips are scattered in different places, the Phoenix-Luan Clasp can’t reach them all. But as we collect them one by one, perhaps the power of the Phoenix-Luan Clasp will grow stronger.”

Cao Yanhua said, “So we’re on the side of the Phoenix-Luan Clasp?”

He became more and more excited: “You know, with all our hard work, do you think the Phoenix-Luan Clasp might reward us with something? Maybe it’ll give each of us a little phoenix.”

“Then we could walk our phoenixes on the street. Anyone walking pandas wouldn’t be as impressive as us!”

Having such a wildly imaginative disciple was truly embarrassing. Mu Dai glared at him impatiently, but unexpectedly, Cao Yanhua turned to her and said, “Sister Little Master, when the time comes, you and my Little Brother Luo will each have a phoenix. Maybe the two phoenixes will fall in love, too.”

Really? Thinking about it was quite adorable. Mu Dai couldn’t maintain her composure and couldn’t help but smile.

Indeed, not from the same family, they wouldn’t live together. But this master and disciple were truly a perfect match. Luo Ren poured cold water on their fantasy.

“Alright, you’d be lucky to get a Chinese rural dog.”

The speaker had no intention, but the listener took it to heart.

Yi Wansan’s heart suddenly skipped a beat.

He remembered that when he was at Xiaoshang River, the first water shadow he had drawn showed not only the seven evil bamboo slips sealed by the Phoenix-Luan Clasp, but also a creature that could have been either a dog or a wolf.

Until now, there had been no clue to decode its meaning. What could it mean?

Everyone collectively left Wu Zhu Village, retreating by boat and car, returning to the nearest village.

There was much to prepare. Amid the busy but orderly activity, Yan Hongsha no longer used her wheelchair. She walked back and forth on the deck, holding onto the railing, saying, “I’m also a person with martial arts skills. I might need to get involved at the crucial moment.”

Luo Ren and Yi Wansan discussed the use of chain nets on the boat. When the time came, they couldn’t rely on manual deployment of the nets—human strength was limited after all. They would need pulley-like devices.

Mu Dai practiced rowing in the water.

Cao Yanhua instructed her from the boat: “No, no! Oh my Sister Little Master, you need to use both arms together, pull the water back! Pull! The way you’re doing it, the boat isn’t moving at all!”

Mu Dai, when angry, could make people dizzy with her sharp tongue: “The boat isn’t moving because you’re sitting on it! You’re like an anchor—how can the boat move? Go, go, get off!”

Cao Yanhua’s pride was hurt. He got up reluctantly, slapping his backside as he boarded the fishing boat.

Talk about tempting fate—after he left, the small boat started moving.

Yi Wansan, who had observed the whole process, came over. Being a good friend, he firmly stood by Cao Yanhua’s side, saying, “The little boss lady has always been like this. You can’t out-talk her, and you can’t beat her in a fight.”

Cao Yanhua felt miserable: “I couldn’t beat her anyway. With my Little Brother Luo here, it would be two against one. How could I win? I’d just end up more bruised.”

Yi Wansan lowered his voice: “You could gossip about her online.”

To his surprise, Cao Yanhua was like-minded.

“You mean write a forum post? Like the reveal-all series on Tianya?”

Yi Wansan’s voice dropped another two levels: “Do you have an account? If not, I can lend you mine.”

Cao Yanhua indicated that it wouldn’t be necessary.

“I have one too!”

Yi Wansan shared his experience: “Don’t use your real name. Use a code name, and don’t say she’s your master—use ‘teacher’ instead. When describing her, if she’s beautiful, say she’s ugly; if she’s thin, say she’s fat. Try to blur the details.”

Cao Yanhua looked at him gratefully.

Brother San was truly a good friend.

As the evening lights came on, both boats lit up. The yellowish glow of the lights brushed against the rippling waves between the two boats. Mu Dai had already rowed back and forth more than a dozen times, becoming increasingly skilled, handling both oars with confidence.

She tilted her head to look at one boat, then the other.

Luo Ren and Yi Wansan were testing the chain net winch. The flat chain net sank into the water, with dozens of hooks spaced along the bottom edge. When the time came, both sides would need to act simultaneously to join the nets from both ends into one.

This meant that Luo Ren and Yi Wansan would need to move very quickly underwater, and it also meant that she, above water, would need to keep the old clam occupied for a long time.

The chain net gleamed with water, reflecting the color of the lights. Luo Ren stood on one side of the net, pondering as he demonstrated the procedure. Yi Wansan leaned against the chain net, saying something unclear, causing the entire net to rustle as he spoke.

On the other side, Hongsha was preparing dinner in the cockpit—just the food they had bought, divided into five portions and arranged neatly. Mu Dai heard her shout: “Hey, Fatty Cao, everyone come and eat together! Together!”

Mu Dai didn’t feel oppressed or frightened. She felt that even long into the future, when she was old, she would remember this scene. She would recall the light of this evening, the man she loved standing on the boat, their friends, and her grumbling disciple, all working together on something that ordinary people might not even believe.

How wonderful it would be to have a little phoenix, a witness to her participation in these extraordinary events.

She slowly rowed to the ladder of the fishing boat. Luo Ren extended his hand, and she grabbed it, springing up lightly.

Luo Ren asked her, “Are you nervous?”

“A little bit.”

“If the boat capsizes, go immediately to the rope, or follow the rope to the boat. Don’t fall into the water, and don’t try to fight. If this attempt doesn’t work, at least we have a backup plan.”

The backup plan referred to waiting patiently for the old clam to come ashore to bask in the moonlight—but after the confrontations of the past few days, the old clam might be extra cautious, or might not come ashore for a very long time.

Mu Dai thought for a moment: “What if I fall into the water? Won’t you rescue me?”

He knew she would corner him like this. Of course, he would rescue her—how could he not?

He said, “It’s mainly that underwater is more dangerous…”

“If it’s dangerous, you won’t rescue me?”

Luo Ren said, “No, if it’s dangerous, I’ll wait for my girlfriend to rescue me from above.”

Yes, the term “girlfriend” sounded so nice, even nicer than “Mu Dai.”

Mu Dai said, “Alright then, I’ll fight to the death to avoid falling into the water.”

Luo Ren smiled, about to say something more, when his phone suddenly rang.

It was Shen Gun calling.

Had something happened to Pin Ting?

Luo Ren’s heart tightened as he quickly answered.

There was a hint of excitement in Shen Gun’s voice: “Little Radish, I might have found the key to the problem. Let me ask you—metal, wood, water, fire, earth—have you found fire yet?”

Luo Ren didn’t understand.

Shen Gun explained that, according to what Luo Ren had told him later, the four people who had confronted the first evil bamboo slip at Xiaoshang River had all seen messages of divine guidance at different times and through different mediums.

Yi Wansan had directly drawn the water shadow, Luo Ren had seen the image on his blade, Cao Yanhua had seen visions in the rising dust, and as for Mu Dai, her dream had originated from the wooden carved bed she slept on.

These corresponded to the five elements: water, metal, earth, and wood, respectively.

So what about fire? Had fire appeared?

Luo Ren’s mind was a bit confused. Did each of them correspond to one of the five elements? What did this mean? Were they chosen, or was it predetermined by fate?

Shen Gun laughed heartily. Just from his voice, one could imagine him doubling over with laughter.

He said, “Little Radish, you’re overthinking. You’re just a bunch of ragtag misfits. ‘Chosen’? What’s special about you that would make you chosen?”