My wife is the stand-in.

And he was none other than Uchiha Obito, right at the center.

Even though it was daytime, the sky near the Sanjiang Reservoir was terribly gloomy, as if God had missed a moment here, freezing this place into the boundary between dawn and dusk.

The sky was covered with thick leaden clouds, making it difficult for sunlight to penetrate.

A magnificent dam stands tall in the narrow mountain pass, like a giant sword made of concrete, piercing the valley between the two mountains.

Although both contain the number three, they are completely different from the Three Gorges Dam on Earth.

It has no magnificent, wall-like dam, no patrol boats, no neat greenery and roads on both banks, and no human settlements nearby.

There is only a solitary dam here, its body covered with green moss, looking as if it has weathered many storms.

It is surrounded by pristine valleys and low-lying forests, ancient and secluded.

Three streams of turbid water gushed forth from the spillway in the middle of the cliff-like dam, shooting dozens of meters out. With the bold spirit of urinating in the morning, they unleashed yellowish water columns, crashing against the undulating river surface and splashing up countless broken water droplets.

Amanosaki couldn't immediately tell whether the water falling on his head was rain or river water being pulled back by gravity.

Dozens of knights, wearing emergency headlamps and fluorescent reflective vests, flashing like fireflies, leaped along the huge, jagged rocks by the riverbank, their various weapons slaughtering some kind of strange fish that were half a person's height and emitted sharp, piercing cries like an infant.

The strong smell of fish and blood could not be suppressed even by the constant rain.

Rather, the mist from the three water jets made the already strong stench even more intense.

Grandma Yu raised her glass cane, which snapped open and turned into an umbrella, keeping the drizzle out.

But the air, so saturated that you could squeeze water droplets out of it if you rubbed your fingers together, was still quickly soaking their clothes.

She touched her long skirt in dissatisfaction and complained to Tennozaki, "This is where the Amber election is held? Are they treating us like beggars?!"

"There was no reception, no accommodation, not even a road, just a dam, and a bunch of smelly fish and fishmongers!"

Yubaba's cruel and indifferent nature towards others is revealed in just a few words.

In her eyes, those chivalrous heroes who fought bloody battles were no different from fishmongers in the market.

"Look, even the tobacco is wet!" A limp cigarette came into Amanosaki's view. The tobacco leaves, which had been roasted to a golden brown, were now soaked with water and had turned dark brown.

Granny Yu stomped her feet, and the drizzle and moisture were squeezed out of the air by the expanding magic, forming a dry spherical space.

Amanosaki's clothes, Yubaba's fluffy long skirt, and the floating storage bag all dried instantly.

"Tom, don't be angry. See? Your popularity has gone up." Instead of responding to Kohaku's rant, Amanosaki chose to change the subject.

Current Identity: Yubaba

Current brand awareness: virtually unknown (78%)

Data refresh

Current brand awareness: virtually unknown (80%)

The data below the horizon is slowly but steadily climbing, indicating that Yubaba's name is spreading rapidly.

Looking at the changing numbers, Granny Tang lit a cigarette. In the flickering orange light, she said quietly, "I'm afraid my behavior of an old cow eating young grass has caused quite a stir in the branch."

Amanosaki fell silent.

Humans are gossipy. Compared to news stories about a man having several beautiful girlfriends, which are not uncommon in society, stories about older wives and younger husbands with an age gap of more than fifty or sixty years are even more sensational.

This news caused an uproar in the branch headquarters; it was like lava being poured into a water tank, instantly boiling over.

Even the cafeteria ladies in the residential area know that a pervert on the 18th floor publicly confessed his love to an old lady.

The cook on the 18th floor is currently on the phone, telling her sisters on other floors in the "pigpen feeding group" with a mix of worry and boast about Amanosaki's special attitude towards her!

"You guys have no idea! I knew that guy was up to no good from the start. When he walked into the cafeteria, he ignored all the girls at the windows, staring straight at me with his eyes wide open, grinning at me, and then the chandelier shone on his face. Guess what?"

Amidst the teasing urging of her friends, the middle-aged woman, feeling immensely satisfied, happily shook her spoon before pressing down on her phone and continuing to send a voice message in a high-pitched voice:

"His eyes are practically glowing green!"

"He definitely had dirty thoughts about me! Luckily, I'm cautious and didn't give him a friendly look. I also left work with everyone else, otherwise, my innocence would have been tarnished!"

The middle-aged woman put down her phone, letting out a hearty laugh. Amidst the curious stares of the long queue, she grabbed a spoon and announced, "Lunch is 30 yuan, vegetables are 3 yuan, meat is 7 yuan, soup and rice are free, and drinks, fruit, and ice cream are all 5 yuan. What do you want? Tell me quickly! There are people waiting behind us!"

If Amanosaki were here, he would definitely say in the most sincere tone, "You're absolutely right, so could you please give me more food?"

Eating is nothing to be ashamed of.

"Hey! What are you doing here!"

Just as Amanosaki was pulling Yubaba along, trying to figure out how to get to the reservoir, someone on the front lines finally noticed the abnormal flow of rainwater and the glow of cigarettes, and roared in anger.

Two people immediately jumped off the rocks, sprinting towards them while raising their wristbands and saying something.

Two seconds later, the searchlights on the dam turned on simultaneously, locking onto the two people with unimaginable speed.

Amanosaki quickly stood in front of Yubaba to block the glaring light.

"I am a chivalrous knight from the Yushan Branch of the Heroes Mountain Gang. I received a mission from the branch yesterday to come to the Sanjiang Reservoir. We are law-abiding citizens!"

"Enough talk! Put down your weapons and stub out your cigarettes!"

Two swordsmen landed beside Amanosaki and grabbed his wrists.

"I'm fine, I'm fine, calm down!"

Amanosaki, who was forced to squat on the ground, kept his head down and kept reminding people.

"What do I care if you're not doing anything!" one swordsman shouted angrily, holding Amanosaki tightly, while the other swordsman continued his actions.

He ran his wristband across Amanosaki's face, and the light turned green.

Next, Amanosaki's fingerprints, voiceprints, and iris prints were checked, and all were green.

Finally, he plucked a tuft of Amanosaki's hair, and amidst Amanosaki's grimacing gasps, pulled a device from his pocket, roughly stuffed the hair inside, and gently shook it.

Green light.

It is not a disguise of evil spirits or heretics.

"Phew!" The swordsman let out a long breath, waved to his comrade, and the other swordsman who had been cursing let go, fell to the ground, and was panting heavily.

"You're absolutely crazy!"

The cursing swordsman took off the headlamp, revealing a head of blond hair, shaved sideburns, and a large crocodile tattoo on his scalp.

"The new recruits gathered at Sanjiang Hall, ten kilometers away, and underwent emergency training before being allowed to go into the reservoir. How dare you come here with an old lady? Are you out of your mind?!"

When Amanosaki heard that the blond-haired guy had stepped on a landmine again, he quickly comforted Yubaba a few more times. Only after Yubaba had glared at the blond-haired guy several times to calm him down did he finally have time to explain:

"Ah Tang and I came here using our superpowers. At the time, we only heard that our destination was the Sanjiang Reservoir, and we didn't have time to hear the rest."

Actually, Yubaba used witchcraft to force people to talk, and she had always wanted this kind of thing to happen.

However, he wouldn't tell the truth either.

Who is Tom Cruise?

“She’s my girlfriend,” Amanosaki said, pointing at Yubaba.

Huang Mao, who was panting like a dog, couldn't catch his breath when he heard Amanosaki's words. His face, which was pale from the rain and the low temperature, turned red, and he beat his chest and stomped his feet for a while before he recovered.

He stared intently at Granny Yu, his gaze lingering particularly on the wrinkles on her face and the jewels on her ten fingers. His expression shifted several times before finally softening.

“Brother, I understand what you did.” He stood up, patted Amanosaki on the shoulder, and said in a voice that he thought Yubaba couldn’t hear: “Youthful ignorance of the allure of a rich woman leads to the mistake of wasting one’s youth.”

Amanosaki was both amused and exasperated. What on earth was all this?!

Looking at Amanosaki's expression, the blond-haired man said with a knowing look, "Kid, cherish this opportunity. Your older brother was too naive back then and missed the chance to lie low. Now I've been killing fish outside this reservoir for seven or eight years."

"Kill the little fish." Granny Tang sneered.

"You're right." The blond-haired man nodded, secretly calculating that the rich woman's best friend was also a rich woman, and by pleasing one of them, he could hook up with a single rich woman in the future.

Why does he smell so much blood?

My body, honed over so many years of training, is harder than a rock!

You're sure to catch the eye of a rich woman!

Chapter 48: Crossing the River (Part 2)

Grandma Yu ignored the knight-errant's solicitousness; all she wanted was to get to a clean, hygienic place with coffee and heating.

The temperature here is too low; the wind chill has dropped below 20 degrees Celsius. It doesn't feel like summer at all.

"Hey buddy, what are you guys doing, fighting demons and upholding justice?"

Amanosaki was chatting enthusiastically with the blond-haired swordsman. Being a newcomer and without any formal training in martial arts, he was completely clueless about the desolate wilderness and desperately needed information.

Yellow Hair slapped his forehead: "Look at me, I forgot about it. Let's talk as we walk."

After saying this, he gestured to another taciturn swordsman, then led the way, walking along the rocky riverbank toward the Sanjiang Dam.

The swordsman turned back to the riverbank without hesitation, seemingly intending to continue participating in the massacre.

"This is the Sanjiang Reservoir, which locks in the waters where the main upstream river and the tributary Yinjin River meet. The dam is over 200 meters high and the reservoir has a capacity of 30 billion cubic meters."

The blond-haired tour guide began his presentation, while Amanosaki, playing the role of a tourist, exclaimed, "Wow, amazing!"

"Have you noticed that this dam doesn't have a hydroelectric power station?" the blond-haired man said mysteriously.

Amanosaki looked at the five yellow dragon-like water columns and thought to himself, "I'm not a civil engineer, how would I know?"

However, he kept nodding, perfectly playing the straight man.

"This is because the purpose of the Sanjiang Dam was never to generate electricity or to store water for irrigation. Its only purpose was to block the fish downstream."

Huang Mao pointed to the dozens of capable swordsmen on this side of the river. The scales and claws that occasionally peeked out from behind the huge rocks gleamed with a dark blue luster under the searchlight, like pig iron.

"But these 'fish' have claws."

"Hey! Whales are mammals, not fish, and crocodiles are reptiles too." The blond guy waved his hand, as if to say, "Don't get hung up on biology, I don't buy into that stuff. The important thing is that they migrate to spawn like fish."

Amanosaki immediately understood: "So the purpose of the dam is to prevent them from returning to their spawning grounds?"

"Bingo!" the blond-haired guy snapped his fingers excitedly.

"Yes! These fish are called four-clawed scale fish, and the people of the Yangtze River call them water ghosts. From ancient times to the present, the water ghosts that are said to devour children and sink wooden boats in the legends along the Yangtze River are caused by them!"

"More than a hundred years ago, Chinese biologists and folklorists were hired by the government to investigate the strikingly consistent legends of water ghosts along the Yangtze River. Under the protection of a chivalrous hero, they finally discovered that the so-called water ghosts were actually this strange fish. They usually live in the deep sea and rarely show themselves, only migrating to spawn in the summer and winter."

"Although the species in the great river are abundant, they are not as large as the species in the deep sea. Therefore, these strange fish will kill children and adults playing and working on the riverbank, in the tributaries of the great river and in the ponds during their migration. Every year, they cause a large number of casualties. In order to avoid disaster, the local people either give up production in summer and winter, or form local protection associations, or hold sacrifices, which are laborious and costly."