When Zong Hang crawled onto the platform after desperately gulping several mouthfuls of dirty water while clinging to the boat pole, the fishing boat had just pulled alongside.
Dan Zai and a Thai man aggressively stepped onto the platform, immediately kicking at Zong Hang’s head and stomping on his back. Though Zong Hang’s body crumpled in pain, he remembered what was urgent and desperately crawled toward Yi Sa. Li Zhenxiang, having never witnessed such a scene, screamed in terror, “What are you doing? You’ll kill him! Stop beating him!”
Ding Xi, hearing the commotion, sat up in bed but didn’t come out. He merely observed the situation through the open door – this was someone else’s business, not his place to interfere.
Yi Sa coldly watched this scene, not understanding what these people were playing at, feeling more cautious than curious. She sat back in her chair and placed the ceramic bowl on the table.
Chen Tu couldn’t contain himself, slamming his hand on the table and shouting, “Where are your manners?”
Dan Zai froze for a second or two at his shout.
Indeed, manners.
This floating village had unwritten rules that nobody needed to speak of but everyone understood clearly. For instance, the residents are naturally divided into four major communities – Cambodian, Thai, Vietnamese, and Chinese. These communities kept to themselves, never interfering with each other, showing mutual respect, and never crossing boundaries, especially not meddling in others’ domestic affairs.
Within the Chinese community, Chen Tu was considered a leader. His boat house was grand, known as the “clinic” and served as a Chinese landmark, carrying special significance.
They had approached without notice, arbitrarily moored their fishing boat, and stepped onto someone else’s platform – this was crossing boundaries and breaking rules.
And now they were using someone’s property to commit violence, frightening Li Zhenxiang pale with fright. By custom, if Chen Tu took this matter up, her boss Sumchai would have to host a dinner to make amends.
Looking down, Zong Hang lay beaten on the ground, gasping heavily, blood on his face.
How troublesome – they’d even dirtied someone’s floor.
Dan Zai quickly dropped his domineering attitude and put on an ingratiating smile: “Master Chen, I’m truly sorry. It’s mainly because this kid… we got careless in our haste. My apologies. Afterward, I’ll bring you two bottles of liquor to make amends.”
As he spoke, he grabbed Zong Hang’s collar to drag him away. Zong Hang made hoarse sounds in his throat, desperately reaching out to grab something.
Yi Sa looked down to watch.
The first time, he tried to grab the table leg but couldn’t reach it; the second time, he tried to dig his fingernails into the floor but couldn’t get a grip.
The third time, he could have grabbed her ankle but didn’t, withdrawing midway to grip the rubber toe of her deck shoe.
Yi Sa found it strange at first, but when she saw his blood-stained hands, something clicked in her mind.
He didn’t dare grab her ankle.
Perhaps he was also afraid of dirtying her shoes.
She unconsciously said, “Wait.”
Dan Zai frowned. He had vaguely heard Zong Hang shout something like “I know you” earlier and worried that this delay might reveal some connection to relatives or friends.
He hadn’t met Yi Sa before and found her meddlesome. He pointed his finger at her face: “Let me tell you, don’t cause trouble…”
Midway through his words, the Wu Gui standing beside them suddenly stretched its neck, stood tall, and abruptly spread its wings wide.
The creature had been standing motionless in a corner like an old wooden post earlier – Dan Zai hadn’t even noticed it. But now with its wings spread, it was like an enormous black fan unfurling, an intimidating sight.
Dan Zai stumbled back two steps, and if not for the Thai man behind him grabbing him in time, he might have fallen headfirst into the water.
Yi Sa sat motionless, lifting her eyelids to look at him with a sweet smile: “What am I doing? I just want to ask a couple of questions.”
As soon as she spoke, Dan Zai realized he had been careless. He had thought she was Chen Tu’s relative from mainland China, or perhaps a new mistress, but now it was clear she wasn’t – her confident tone and bearing were even more steady than Chen Tu’s.
He looked back at his companion; the Thai man gave him a look, suggesting they shouldn’t act rashly.
Yi Sa looked down at Zong Hang: “You know me?”
The face before her was swollen beyond recognition, bearing both fresh and old injuries, making it almost impossible to see his original features. But even if she could see them clearly, she felt she wouldn’t recognize him.
Zong Hang knew this was a crucial moment, that every word could save his life, and wanted to say everything in one breath: “Over a month ago, in Siem Reap, at the old market, I was being chased, I hid in your tuk-tuk bar, they came asking you, you said, Ten Dollars…”
Chen Tu stood with his mouth half-open, only partially understanding what Zong Hang was trying to say, feeling his ability to express himself was too labored.
But Yi Sa understood, and the more she listened, the more it dawned on her. By the end, she was laughing somewhat embarrassedly, saying to Chen Tu: “That’s right, I did that.”
After a pause, she explained: “I was in a bad mood at the time.”
Chen Tu rolled his eyes at her: “When the moon’s on the eighteenth or nineteenth, you treat people like dogs – that temper of yours isn’t good.”
Yi Sa sighed: “Can’t help it, I have trauma about those dates.”
As she spoke, her eyes seemingly casually drifted toward the storage room.
Ding Xi, sitting on the bed, smiled at her.
He knew these words were mostly meant for him to hear – the Three Rivers Source incident had happened on November 19, 1996.
Dan Zai grew anxious: they were now chatting unhurriedly – was this deliberately showing him up?
Zong Hang knew that among everyone present, he was the only fish on the chopping block and had to fight for every second: “Also… one night later, I discovered someone was stalking you, so I had my friend warn you, you gave him a can of Cambodian beer and some money…”
He knew this detail hit the mark.
Only now did Yi Sa truly raise her eyes to examine him carefully.
Chen Tu understood this time and laughed: “She cheated you, why did you want to warn her?”
Yi Sa was also curious.
Zong Hang hadn’t expected them to care about this, hesitated for a moment, then mumbled: “Well… that’s different, he was a man, you’re a woman, he obviously wasn’t a good person, if he had bad intentions, for a girl… you still need to be careful…”
Though his words were vague and sticky, both Yi Sa and Chen Tu understood.
Zong Hang felt this consideration was reasonable, anyone would do the same, but Yi Sa seemed very surprised and remarked to Chen Tu: “Look at him.”
Chen Tu also sighed deeply: “Rare indeed, that’s what you call having a pure heart, unlike us…”
He patted his chest, filled with endless sighs.
Yi Sa suddenly remembered something: “There’s an Angkor Grand Hotel in Siem Reap, with a manager called Long Song, do you know him?”
Zong Hang felt his hope of survival grow two points stronger, his eyes welling up with tears as he nodded vigorously: “Yes, he’s my father’s business partner in the hotel, I came here for an internship.”
Dan Zai couldn’t hold back anymore – they had established a connection, and if this continued, it would likely ruin everything. He stared at Chen Tu, his words carrying hidden meaning: “Master Chen, we’ve chatted and I’ve been cooperative enough out of compatriot courtesy. I work for Brother Chai, I’ll get scolded for the delay. Please be generous and don’t make it difficult for us workers. Besides, this is Brother Chai’s domestic matter – we all live on this water, we must follow the rules.”
Zong Hang’s heart sank again at his words.
This wasn’t an ancient martial arts movie after all, and Yi Sa and Chen Tu weren’t righteous heroes who helped those in danger. Moreover, with Sumchai’s powerful influence, smart people would do the math: who would risk offending a drug dealer to save an outsider? And even if they wanted to offend him, could they afford to?
Yi Sa’s brows creased imperceptibly as she continued to question him: “How did you offend this Brother Chai?”
Zong Hang nearly cried in desperation: “I didn’t offend him, he grabbed the wrong person, but I’m a foreigner here, he’s afraid the matter will get bigger, so he wants to quietly dispose of me… I beg you, if it’s not too much trouble, could you save me?”
The last sentence was spoken very softly, only Yi Sa could hear it.
Dan Zai cursed “fuck” in his heart, but had to view Zong Hang differently: so he understood after all, and here they thought he was just stupid.
The Thai man remaining on the fishing boat couldn’t hold back anymore, and called out “A-Dan,” his whole body tense and ready, his face fierce. Dan Zai extended his hand, making a downward gesture to him, then smiled even more humbly toward Chen Tu.
“Master Chen, we’re neighbors, no need to light firecrackers, right?”
Here, “lighting firecrackers” had two meanings – one was fighting, and the other was shooting. Chen Tu knew they were capable of both.
He had already made his decision and turned to persuade Yi Sa: “Isa, Brother Chai has a nickname, ‘Sumchai the Benevolent One.’ If firecrackers start going off, not only will people get hurt, but we’ll be the first to break the rules.”
The signal was very clear now. Zong Hang instantly turned pale as paper, his head buzzing, feeling as if someone was slowly filling his skull with a rasp, seeing falling ashes flutter before his eyes.
He stared at Yi Sa.
She was his only hope now.
There seemed to be hesitation on Yi Sa’s face, but in the end, she just said: “I understand the rules too.”
She bent down and took hold of his hand which was still tightly gripping her shoe toe.
All strength suddenly drained from Zong Hang’s body, his fingerbones seeming to go numb and limp as he watched her take his hand and remove it.
Dan Zai let out a long breath of relief, his face wearing a smile again as he clasped his hands and bowed to both of them: “Thank you both for being understanding.”
He and the Thai man flanked Zong Hang and took him onto the boat. Zong Hang was completely dazed, his body as heavy as dead meat, and when thrown into the boat, he neither struggled nor made a sound, like a senile old man or a collapsed mud statue.
Yi Sa stood up and walked to the edge of the platform, watching the fishing boat move away. Li Zhenxiang kept patting her chest, continuously muttering about Confucius, Laozi, and Jiang Ziya – all famous figures in their High Platform religion.
Chen Tu said to Yi Sa: “What are you still watching? It’s quite depressing.”
Yi Sa couldn’t explain clearly, only muttered softly: “I want to see if he’ll look back at me one last time.”
Chen Tu sneered: “Why would he look at you? He probably wants to tear you apart alive. Let me tell you, the last look of someone facing a violent death is very poisonous, it will disturb you, you’d better not…”
He suddenly stopped.
Zong Hang had looked back.
There wasn’t the expected poison and hatred in his eyes, just despair, deep despair. Chen Tu didn’t know if it was his imagination, but he even read a hint of apology in that gaze, as if saying, sorry, I caused a scene, I disturbed you.
It was truly bizarre – he was too used to dealing with dirty matters and rotten people, someone like Zong Hang actually made him uncomfortable.
Chen Tu cleared his throat: “Don’t think too much about it, we’re right not to get involved. None of us are angels, and Sumchai isn’t a good person. Once he starts retaliating, it won’t affect just one or two people…”
Yi Sa remained silent.
She remembered what Zong Hang had said when begging for help.
— If it’s not too much trouble, could you save me?
Very few people would say “If it’s not too much trouble,” and very few people would refrain from cursing you bitterly when facing death.
His upbringing must have been good, knowing not to force others, knowing that no one had any obligation to save him, and even in such a desperate situation, still considering whether it would “trouble” others.
A slight smile crossed Yi Sa’s lips.
She turned to look at Chen Tu: “Let me use your boat for a ride.”
Chen Tu was stunned for a moment: “Ride where?”
Yi Sa pointed in the direction the fishing boat had gone: “Just there, no need to get close, just until we’re out of this village where the water’s clean, it’s too dirty here.”
Then she knelt on one knee, unzipped the tool bag beside her foot, took out a brass object shaped like a “D” that looked like a door handle, and also took out a knife with a snakeskin sheath and a black ghost head, tucking it into her waistband.
As she stood up, she saw Ding Xi smiling at her from inside the door.
Yi Sa smiled too. She had a vague feeling that Ding Xi had come this time carrying some secret.
But it didn’t matter, she was never afraid of people hiding things from her. Someday, she would peel open his heart, liver, lungs, and intestines to see what demons he was harboring.
Chen Tu hesitated: “Isa, I think…”
Yi Sa smiled, and casually kicked Wu Gui, indicating it should also get on the boat: “Don’t worry, I understand the rules. No matter how far Sumchai’s reach extends, he can’t keep me enjoying the lake view. You go fishing.”
Chen Tu stopped the boat not far from the floating village’s outskirts and cast his fishing rod. The fishing boat was still heading toward the middle of the lake, but someone had already leaned out to look in their direction. He didn’t want to arouse suspicion.
Yi Sa took off her shoes and arranged them neatly to one side, pushing them further in to avoid getting wet.
Then she slipped into the water silently.
After submerging, she kept her body vertical and continued sinking, raising one foot to hook it behind the other leg’s popliteal fossa, like half of a lotus position.
She looked up.
In the water, the water was the sky, with the boat’s hull looming black above, and flickering black shadows moving along its edge.
It was Wu Gui about to enter the water.
Soon, Wu Gui dove down several meters deep, stopping right in front of her. Underwater, its form looked even larger than usual – Yi Sa reached out and firmly gripped one of its claws.
Wu Gui trembled excitedly all over, made a turn, and rapidly dove forward. The massive propulsive force split the lake water into a gap that closed instantly. She barely had to exert any effort as her body, like a swimming fish, was pulled along at incredible speed.
Before long, the fishing boat’s huge shadow loomed overhead. Yi Sa released Wu Gui and used the momentum to float toward the boat’s bottom. When the position was right, she raised the water rake in her hand, pressing the flat side of the “D” shape against the boat’s bottom, then toggled the mechanism on one side.
With a soft “click,” the water rake caught onto the boat’s bottom.
The fishing boat continued forward. Wu Gui had turned back some distance, surfaced, and once again became a shadowy, demon-like floating figure.
Yi Sa still hung from the bottom of the boat.
No one could see her.
At this moment, she was a ghost in the water, a floating spirit.