Ding Xi slowly opened his eyes in the middle of the night.
He didn’t rush to get up, first listening to the movements around him.
Though he wasn’t a water ghost, he had received rigorous training: under very quiet conditions with no interference, after focusing his qi and concentrating, his hearing could detect unusual movements within a range of several dozen meters around him.
Now, the surroundings were peaceful and quiet. In the corner, that landlubber Zong Hang was sleeping soundly.
The three water ghost families had many slang terms – they called themselves “water grapes” while referring to outsiders as “ground sprouts.” This naming showed a hint of self-superiority: after all, grapes were plump and juicy, while ground sprouts stayed flat on the earth, all shriveled up.
Ding Xi sat up, quietly reaching for the water ghost bag he had placed by his feet before sleeping. He took out something resembling eye drops called “Brightener” and applied one drop to each eye. After closing his eyes and rolling his eyeballs around a few times, he opened them again.
The room’s scene gradually became clear, carrying a ghostly night-vision quality. This Brightener was a secret formula of the three water ghost families – reportedly containing ingredients from owls and geckos, both creatures with excellent night vision abilities.
With Brightener applied to the eyes, it was equivalent to wearing night vision goggles for several hours, very convenient for operating in darkness.
Ding Xi took a thin lock-picking wire with him as he went out, climbing up to the second floor of the boat house like a monkey using the ladder, then picked the lock and entered.
After closing the door, he let out a long breath.
Yi Sa lived next door, so he had to be extremely careful.
Ding Xi surveyed the room before him.
It was laid out like a clinic, with a desk in the center. Luggage bags and several large woven bags were piled beside the desk, presumably for tomorrow’s supply run. In this regard, Chen Tu was similar to him, both preferring to prepare all luggage before departure.
Shelves lined the walls, and on the right wall, there was a door covered by a cloth curtain connecting to Chen Tu’s bedroom.
A gun was too small an item – it could be hidden anywhere. Searching would not only take time but might also make noise. Better to… ask directly.
Ding Xi stepped lightly, lifted the curtain, and went in.
Chen Tu was sprawled on the bed, sleeping deeply, his exposed belly and bald head slightly gleaming.
Ding Xi walked to the bedside, his left hand reaching down to cover Chen Tu’s nose and mouth, applying sudden force. After a few seconds when Chen Tu couldn’t breathe, his eyes suddenly bulged open. Ding Xi quickly withdrew his hand, his thumb pressing hard on the center of Chen Tu’s sternum while simultaneously pointing the thin wire’s tip at Chen Tu’s temple.
Then he bent down, using ventriloquism to speak, his voice very soft: “Don’t speak, just cooperate.”
Ventriloquism wasn’t speaking from the belly, but rather a way of vibrating the vocal cords that made the voice sound completely different from one’s normal voice, like another person entirely.
Chen Tu’s mouth was half-open. After that press to his throat, it felt like his throat was glued shut – he couldn’t make a sound, felt stifled, uncomfortable, and wanted to vomit.
He nodded with difficulty.
“Where’s your gun?”
Chen Tu hesitated for a moment, raised his right hand to feel for the bedside cabinet, and then tapped it with his fingertip. At the same time, his left hand imperceptibly moved sideways, slowly reaching under the edge of the mat.
“Is it loaded?”
Chen Tu nodded again.
Ding Xi gently pulled open the drawer with his left hand. The gun was in plain sight, a standard model. He picked it up and weighed it – the weight felt right too.
He tucked the gun into his waistband and slid his right hand to the back of Chen Tu’s neck, intending to knock him unconscious first.
At that moment, Chen Tu’s left hand suddenly lifted from under the mat. In that split-second glimpse, Ding Xi saw that he was holding another gun!
Bad news!
Ding Xi had no time to think. His body made an instinctive reaction: the hand supporting Chen Tu’s neck suddenly lifted with force, quickly pulling Chen Tu’s head against his abdomen, then applying deadly force to wrench it sharply to one side.
The crack of the breaking neck was muffled by the soft abdomen, so faint it didn’t even leave the room.
Ding Xi held his breath, frozen still.
The surroundings remained quiet, occasionally hearing the tiny popping sounds of wood expanding from long-term humidity and heat. His abdomen felt warm – that was Chen Tu’s final exhaled breath before death, trapped against his belly with nowhere to escape.
Then, the body gradually softened and grew heavy, the gun-holding hand slowly drooping, like slow motion in a film.
After a while, Ding Xi slowly and as quietly as possible laid Chen Tu’s corpse back on the bed.
He took the gun from Chen Tu’s hand and compared it with the one he had taken first, quickly understanding.
The gun in the cabinet was fake, though masterfully crafted, even matching the proper weight when loaded.
The one under the mat was real, and it had a long barrel with a spiral suppressor attached – showing that Chen Tu was indeed a careful man of the jianghu, even playing tricks with real and fake guns. Unfortunately, by a twist of fate, he still couldn’t escape a sudden jianghu death.
Ding Xi looked down at Chen Tu’s cooling corpse, a wave of belated frustration rushing to his head.
He hadn’t planned to kill him. What should have been a simple matter was now complicated, time suddenly pressing urgently.
Less than five hours until daybreak – by then, Chen Tu should have been taking the boat to send Zong Hang away. Otherwise, this matter would be exposed, and his fate would certainly be ugly.
Zong Hang was shaken awake from his sleep.
It seemed to be raining outside, not heavily – the pitter-patter filtered through the roof, and walls fell softly on the ears, dense and gentle.
The sudden awakening felt terrible, infinitely dazed, his eyelids feeling glued together. He could only vaguely see a dark figure in the pitch-black room. The person put a finger to their lips and made a “shh” sound.
That “shh” brought him back to his senses.
Zong Hang scrambled up, asking in a low voice: “Is it time to go?”
He didn’t know the time but thought it must be near dawn, though it was still very dark outside – but isn’t there a saying that darkness is deepest before dawn?
Ding Xi made an affirmative sound: “Things aren’t good. Su Cai’s side seems to have noticed something. Plans have changed – I’ll take you out first. I need your cooperation.”
All the hair on Zong Hang’s body stood on end. He felt like there was an ice chip buried under each hair follicle, coldness seeping from flesh to skin.
He could only remember to nod.
Rustling sounds came from the darkness as Ding Xi opened a large woven bag: “Get in here. No matter what happens outside, don’t move or make a sound. No one can know there’s a person in the bag. I’ll handle everything else.”
Zong Hang’s heart was in his throat, knowing this was the crucial moment – he absolutely couldn’t mess things up.
He very quietly crawled into the woven bag, trying to curl up as much as possible. Looking up, he saw the zipper line above silently closing, tooth by tooth.
Ding Xi steadied himself.
Up to now, everything has progressed relatively smoothly. The bag outside the door contained Chen Tu, and the one at his feet now held Zong Hang.
He changed into a white T-shirt and pants, since this color was conspicuous at night, then rolled up his changed clothes and stuffed them into the water ghost bag, taking down and putting on the bamboo hat hanging on the wall.
Chen Tu’s boat was moored at the platform edge. Ding Xi very carefully made several trips to carry the woven bags and water ghost bag into the cabin, used a hook rope to tow Yi Sa’s small boat alongside, and then untied the mooring rope.
To avoid making noise from the engine, Ding Xi took a boat pole and slowly pushed the boat away, one push at a time. This wasn’t easy work – he gritted his teeth, using all his strength, the muscles on his arms bulging hard as iron.
Only after poling far enough from the boat house did Ding Xi bring Yi Sa’s small boat into the cabin and start the engine.
The boat’s speed rapidly increased, raising waves over a person’s height at the stern. Ding Xi stood conspicuously, remembering Yi Sa’s words about “don’t wander alone” and “if you are her target, there will be a second time after the first” – a mocking smile appeared at the corner of his lips.
He wanted to become the target.
After entering deep into the large lake, Ding Xi calmly changed direction based on his previous rough memory, continuing forward until clusters of tree shadows appeared before him.
The peat swamp forest.
Checking the time – only about three hours until daybreak.
To be cautious, Ding Xi tried to steer the boat even more remote. After stopping near shore, he first lowered Yi Sa’s small boat into the water, then transferred the water ghost bag and the woven bag containing Zong Hangover. Only then did he drive Chen Tu’s boat, accelerating backward from shore.
After retreating a long distance, he pushed the throttle to maximum, raising the bow all the way, and shifting gears to sprint. As he approached the water-shore boundary, Ding Xi made a nimble leap from the boat, watching as it maintained speed, plowing straight ahead, crushing many low trees until finally half-sinking in a bog due to too much resistance.
The rain was getting heavier. Ding Xi hurried over, dismantled Chen Tu’s boat’s fuel tank, poured half the fuel over various parts of the boat, then set it on fire.
The peat swamp forest was already easily combustible, let alone with added fuel. However, this cluster of trees wasn’t very thick, and there had been much rain these days – he wasn’t worried about causing a forest fire. As for those crushing tracks on the riverbank, they would soon be washed away by the rain.
By the time the flames were raging and climbing, Ding Xi had already taken the fuel tank onto Yi Sa’s boat. Before starting the boat, he noted down her fuel gauge reading.
After driving some distance, Ding Xi looked back.
In that spot, the flickering flames were obscured by tree shadows, not burning very noticeably. The smoke rolled into the pitch-black night, quickly hiding all traces.
Going further, even the smell of smoke couldn’t be detected anymore.
Ding Xi drove the boat to Yi Sa’s boathouse.
Her place was good – isolated far from the floating village, free to act without constraints.
After mooring the boat, Ding Xi carried the water ghost bag and the woven bag containing Zong Hang into the house, closed the door behind him, sat cross-legged in the darkness, his fists slightly clenched with a thin layer of fine sweat in his palms.
Chen Tu was dealt with, that boat was dealt with – only the most important matter remained.
He had deliberately made himself conspicuous by “alone” wandering around in such eye-catching clothes for so long, and “staying” in such a remote boat house, just to attract the attention of the woman who had attacked him.
He also believed there were absolutely no attacks without reason in this world – if there was a first time, there would be a second time. So he had created such good conditions for her – as long as she came, everything would work out.
If she didn’t come…
Ding Xi’s brows slowly furrowed: if she didn’t come, he would have to execute another plan before daybreak.
He slowed his breathing, his gaze deepening. The Brightener was still effective – he could see the woven bag containing Zong Hang leaning silently against the corner of the house.
Countless thoughts swirled in Ding Xi’s mind as his right thumb and index finger habitually rubbed against each other, then rubbed again.
After who knows how long, his ears suddenly caught an incongruous splash of water.
His whole body tensed as he quickly stood up and went to the woven bag to open it.
Inside, Zong Hang was staring with wide eyes, at a loss. He had been hiding in the bag, unable to see, only knowing he was being picked up and put down along the way. His heart was infinitely anxious, but he dared not move or ask, fearing the slightest movement would reveal there was a person in the bag.
Ding Xi lowered his voice: “Still haven’t shaken them off, and haven’t figured out exactly how many of them there are… Do as I say, let’s change clothes first.”
Zong Hang hurried to comply, his mind in chaos: Change clothes? Was Ding Xi going to pretend to be himself to draw away Su Cai’s people? Wasn’t that too risky?
Though they had just met by chance, Yi Sa and her friend were helping him so much. Zong Hang’s heart couldn’t help but warm: after he got back, he must do more good deeds to deserve heaven treating him so kindly.
After changing clothes, Ding Xi put the bamboo hat on him: “Remember, sit outside, don’t get too close to the edge, don’t let your legs dangle over the water, and take this…”
Zong Hang felt around to take it, his heart trembling.
It was a gun!
Ding Xi’s voice was as low as a whisper: “Su Cai’s people have no grudge against me. Seeing ‘me’ outside, they probably won’t act, but keep the gun just in case. We’ll work together – one visible, one hidden. You attract their attention while I deal with them. If you’re really scared, you can make this gesture…”
He knew it was too dark in the room for Zong Hang to see, so he took Zong Hang’s right hand, indicating him to spread all five fingers, raise it high above his head, then helped him make a “six” gesture, shaking left and right three times, then turning it forward and backward, bending the thumb down and back while raising the pinky, holding for a second or two.
Zong Hang silently memorized it, and couldn’t help asking: “What does that mean?”
Ding Xi smiled in the darkness: “Street slang, means: let’s be friends, we can talk things over.”